Effective Oral Presentation Skills
There is a myth that great speakers are born, not made. This is based on the misconception that somehow certain individuals have the innate ability to stand in front of an audience with no anxiety and give a moving, dynamic speech. The truth is, however, that great speakers generally spend years developing and practicing their art of communication. All great speakers had to learn the basics of organization, preparation, delivery and dealing with anxiety. In order to do anything well, it takes constant practice and a mastery of the basics. Speaking is no different.some excuses are indeed valid. Many great sales people thrive daily with just one or none of these two assets in hand. However, if you’re a sales manager or sales executive looking for an instant advantage in the marketplace, be certain these two foundational criteria exist. Your salespeople will thank you.

If you’re a salesperson like me, trying to put together a successful year or a successful career without first defining and gaining experience in putting together a string of successful days then you’re going about things backwards. The story of my sales career

Please save the “attitude equals success” and “positive attitude means positive career” jargon for the magic sales fairy. Only a magic sales fairy could be the positive attitude cover girl for today’s always happy sales attitude crowd. You know who they are; they’re preaching a life time of sales success if you can only maintain a positive attitude.

No human being, especially with a Chicago commute (yours truly) can possibly stay positive all the time. I contend that positive attitude is much harder to control and much less important than daily success. Daily success can be controlled.

Speaking of daily success do you remember “one day at a time”? Does Alcoholics Anonymous preach a life time of sobriety to their members? No. If they did what alcoholic could get through the day with that challenge awaiting him? “Oh my God, a life time of sobriety! Someone pour me a scotch, quick!” The message is; just don’t drink today, not in the next 24 hours, that’s all, just not today. So as salespeople we simply need to define results that will make a successful next 12 hours and execute to produce said results. And don’t obsess about staying positive; you have enough to worry about.

If we agree that a successful sales day can be achieved without positive attitude fairy dust, then let’s talk about what really impacts us. Two things are the foundation of any successful day in selling and they are all but out of your control:

1. That your direct boss whom you respect (a separate challenge) is purposefully charging forward and blazing a path of which you can follow.

2. That you have a firm belief that the products and services which you provide your clients truly have an opportunity to help them win.

If either of these two criteria are not crystal clear when you open your eyes in the morning then you’re already one step behind ideal. (Yes, if you lack these two things then you may have a bad attitude but the fix is in adjusting the cause, not the effect.)

There are thousands of other things that can make or break the success of a day, however when these two foundational principals exist in your selling world then blame only yourself for an unsuccessful day. If they do not exist then feel free to point the finger at others as well. It’s ok, some excuses are indeed valid. Many great sales people thrive daily with just one or none of these two assets in hand. However, if you’re a sales manager or sales executive looking for an instant advantage in the marketplace, be certain these two foundational criteria exist. Your salespeople will thank you.

If you’re a salesperson like me, trying to put together a successful year or a successful career without first defining and gaining experience in putting together a string of successful days then you’re going about things backwards. The story of my sales career

ess can be controlled.

Speaking of daily success do you remember “one day at a time”? Does Alcoholics Anonymous preach a life time of sobriety to their members? No. If they did what alcoholic could get through the day with that challenge awaiting him? “Oh my God, a life time of sobriety! Someone pour me a scotch, quick!” The message is; just don’t drink today, not in the next 24 hours, that’s all, just not today. So as salespeople we simply need to define results that will make a successful next 12 hours and execute to produce said results. And don’t obsess about staying positive; you have enough to worry about.

If we agree that a successful sales day can be achieved without positive attitude fairy dust, then let’s talk about what really impacts us. Two things are the foundation of any successful day in selling and they are all but out of your control:

1. That your direct boss whom you respect (a separate challenge) is purposefully charging forward and blazing a path of which you can follow.

2. That you have a firm belief that the products and services which you provide your clients truly have an opportunity to help them win.

If either of these two criteria are not crystal clear when you open your eyes in the morning then you’re already one step behind ideal. (Yes, if you lack these two things then you may have a bad attitude but the fix is in adjusting the cause, not the effect.)

There are thousands of other things that can make or break the success of a day, however when these two foundational principals exist in your selling world then blame only yourself for an unsuccessful day. If they do not exist then feel free to point the finger at others as well. It’s ok, some excuses are indeed valid. Many great sales people thrive daily with just one or none of these two assets in hand. However, if you’re a sales manager or sales executive looking for an instant advantage in the marketplace, be certain these two foundational criteria exist. Your salespeople will thank you.

If you’re a salesperson like me, trying to put together a successful year or a successful career without first defining and gaining experience in putting together a string of successful days then you’re going about things backwards. The story of my sales career

t staying positive; you have enough to worry about.

If we agree that a successful sales day can be achieved without positive attitude fairy dust, then let’s talk about what really impacts us. Two things are the foundation of any successful day in selling and they are all but out of your control:

1. That your direct boss whom you respect (a separate challenge) is purposefully charging forward and blazing a path of which you can follow.

2. That you have a firm belief that the products and services which you provide your clients truly have an opportunity to help them win.

If either of these two criteria are not crystal clear when you open your eyes in the morning then you’re already one step behind ideal. (Yes, if you lack these two things then you may have a bad attitude but the fix is in adjusting the cause, not the effect.)

There are thousands of other things that can make or break the success of a day, however when these two foundational principals exist in your selling world then blame only yourself for an unsuccessful day. If they do not exist then feel free to point the finger at others as well. It’s ok, some excuses are indeed valid. Many great sales people thrive daily with just one or none of these two assets in hand. However, if you’re a sales manager or sales executive looking for an instant advantage in the marketplace, be certain these two foundational criteria exist. Your salespeople will thank you.

If you’re a salesperson like me, trying to put together a successful year or a successful career without first defining and gaining experience in putting together a string of successful days then you’re going about things backwards. The story of my sales career

help them win.

If either of these two criteria are not crystal clear when you open your eyes in the morning then you’re already one step behind ideal. (Yes, if you lack these two things then you may have a bad attitude but the fix is in adjusting the cause, not the effect.)

There are thousands of other things that can make or break the success of a day, however when these two foundational principals exist in your selling world then blame only yourself for an unsuccessful day. If they do not exist then feel free to point the finger at others as well. It’s ok, some excuses are indeed valid. Many great sales people thrive daily with just one or none of these two assets in hand. However, if you’re a sales manager or sales executive looking for an instant advantage in the marketplace, be certain these two foundational criteria exist. Your salespeople will thank you.

If you’re a salesperson like me, trying to put together a successful year or a successful career without first defining and gaining experience in putting together a string of successful days then you’re going about things backwards. The story of my sales career

some excuses are indeed valid. Many great sales people thrive daily with just one or none of these two assets in hand. However, if you’re a sales manager or sales executive looking for an instant advantage in the marketplace, be certain these two foundational criteria exist. Your salespeople will thank you.

If you’re a salesperson like me, trying to put together a successful year or a successful career without first defining and gaining experience in putting together a string of successful days then you’re going about things backwards. The story of my sales career looks like a Cedar Point roller roaster, successful up days and non-successful down days litter my work weeks. As salespeople we need to make our week look more like a merry-go-round. Just a bunch of even keeled smiling horses buzzing in a consistent direction. So what do we do about the 2 foundations of success? Here are three pieces of advice:

1. If you have a strong direct manager whom you respect and who attacks selling everyday with a passion for success AND you have a product and/or service offering which you passionately believe can help your prospects win, stop reading and go sell something. You’re one of the fortunate ones.

2. Apart from your level of respect for your manager if you feel he or she is either a burden on your efforts or simply irrelevant to your success BUT you have a product and/or service offering which you passionately believe can help your prospects win then pretend you’re the CEO of your own business and go sell something.

3. Apart from your level of respect for your manager if you feel he or she is either a burden on your efforts or simply irrelevant to your success AND you feel like your product and/or service offering provide no real opportunity for your prospects to win, spend 2 hours a day prospecting for a new career and the rest trying to sell something.

Regardless of which category you fall into, the possibility of putting together a successful day is still very much in your control. Your ability to string them together more than less is what will define your success. Continue to evaluate the two foundational criteria and their impact on your day. It’s only ok to blame others when they deserve it, including yourself.