Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed. A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed, because he broke these commandments when selling one-to-many.
- Thou shall not do hard teaching if thou wants to sell stuff. You’ve probably heard you should “move the free line.” No, you shouldn’t unless you are doing it strategically. Just giving away your best stuff is dumb. Tell them what to do, not how to do it. Give useful but complete information. Don’t give the farm away for free.
- Thou shall not stand behind a podium and speak. Only one speaker I saw did this effectively -the late Jim Rohn. Move around. Go into the audience. Engage.
- Thou shall not stand on a chair in the back of the room after you close the sale to continue your pitch. Yes, it can be effective, but it’s not necessary, and do you want to be that guy?
- Thou shall not only talk about the features of their product or service without a benefit and outcome attached to each one. Even people who should know better screw this up. No one cares that they get six CDs and a workbook. They want to know what each of those components will do for them.
- Thou shall not steal other presenters’ material. I’ve had people see me speak and then use some of my lines word for word in their presentations. This is not only lame, it makes you look like a wanna-be.
- Thou shall not present in person or via media without putting themselves in a peak emotional state. You have to be crackling with energy, power, and confidence if you want to move people to action.
- Thou shall not change their energy and delivery when transitioning to the close. It’s ugly to see newbie presenters go from free, flowing, and friendly to uptight and nervous when asking for the sale.
- Thou shall not have a wimpy, limp close. Close hard and close strong. Tell people exactly what they should do and the transformation they will experience by doing it. Close with confidence with a deep knowing when you do, you are helping people have a better life.
Okay, amigo, that’s it for today.
It’s time for me to try a new caffeine-free espresso I bought. I feel like a wimp even saying that, but caffeine doesn’t seem to agree with your Uncle Dave.
Kick butt, make mucho “DEEnero!”
Dave “The Lame Presentation Destroyer” Dee