“One great INSIGHT is worth 1,000 good ideas.”
Phil Dusenberry
In our JUST ASK approach, there are 3 ‘BIG’ INSIGHTS:
1. You’re in SALES. Get over it.
2. HOPE is not a strategy.
3. SELLING is not TELLING.
Almost everything in my life, my speaking, writing and training… and in our FOR IMPACT WORLD… is about PRESENTATIONS.
Tim Koegel has come up with a revised version of THE EXCEPTIONAL PRESENTER, and since everyone in our FOR IMPACT universe is PRESENTING (SELLING) something to someone… you need to buy this book immediately.
Tim Koegel is literally one of the best in the world at helping craft messages and refine delivery skills. Tim uses the acronym OPEN UP to represent the six characteristics that are shared by EXCEPTIONAL PRESENTERS.
• ORGANIZED. A clear, concise and compelling MESSAGE designed to inform, persuade, influence, entertain or enlighten.
• PASSIONATE. Energetic, enthusiastic, from the heart. (If you don’t look or sound passionate about your ideas… why would anyone respond to you?)
• ENGAGING. Exceptional presenters do everything in their power to engage each ‘audience’ member (even if it is only one person!)
• NATURAL. Authentic. Comfortable. Confident.
As an ‘Exceptional Presenter’, you must:
• UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE. For me that’s about DISCOVERY! (Whether it’s 1,000 people at the YMCA or one a person on a $10 Million opportunity.)
• PRACTICE. Those who practice improve. Those who don’t, don’t.
*Tom Peters picked up Tim’s book in an airport and wrote a whole blog about practice! This was the one thing he picked out that made so much sense: Those who practice improve. Those who don’t, don’t.
Take a look at Tim’s first and last characteristics… they can make a huge difference… immediately!
ORGANIZED! Think about this:
IF… you can’t ORGANIZE your PRESENTATION…
IF… you can’t ORGANIZE your MESSAGE…
IF… you can’t ORGANIZE your PRIORITIES/PLAN…
THEN… WHY would any of your potential investors think you can ‘ORGANIZE’ your ‘ORGANIZATION’? Your DELIVERY OF YOUR SERVICE? Your IMPACT?
PRACTICE! For me the 3 P’s are PREPARE… PRACTICE… PRESENT (PERFORM).
One way you can ‘PRACTICE’ is to get out and share your MESSAGE with as many people as you can!
You can also make PRESENTATIONS to Fund Your Vision by ‘PRACTICING’ with your closest relationships, key champions and board members, low-hanging fruit and prospects further down on your Master Prospect List.
***I’ve made over 6,000 one-on-one (SALES) PRESENTATIONS. You want to get really, really good at something? Do it 6,000 times.
They say if you want to learn how to surf, simply surf a 1,000 waves. Same is true with learning to box. Simply throw 10,000 punches. The point here is getting out and actually DOING IT.
Here are 3 more NUGGETS in case you need further incentive to get this book:
1. “Keep it short. Keep it focused. Keep it relevant.” I would only add, keep it simple. (Page 33)
2. “Don’t underestimate the power of your delivery!” Tim quotes a study to help understand PRESENTATION EFFECTIVENESS:
• 7% of our IMPACT is determined by the WORDS we use.
• 38% of our IMPACT is determined by our VOICE: how confident and comfortable we sound.
• 55% of our IMPACT is determined NON-VERBALLY: our appearance, posture, gestures, movement, eye contact and facial expressions.
In other words, 93% of our COMMUNICATION IMPACT comes from the WAY WE DELIVER our WORDS!!!
3. “Do not accept AVERAGE when you can be EXCEPTIONAL.” This ‘nugget’ is reason enough to get this book.
*FULL DISCLOSURE: Tim Koegel and I go waaaaaaay back. Tim’s a Notre Dame grad, all- everything in Ohio high school sports and a quarterback at Notre Dame. He even did a stint in the old USFL. I worked with Tim for a while in the early ‘80s; and I’ve watched his communications coaching career explode. He is, literally, the BEST at what he does.
Even if I didn’t know Tim and I picked this book up at the airport just as Tom Peters did, I’d still give it my highest recommendation. Trust me on this one.
