Practice Makes Perfect

This is why practice is so important. When you repeat things and practice things over and over you’ll get them embodied in your unconscious mind so that by the time you are on stage it is a habit. You should not be consciously thinking “I need to cross my arms now” on stage. If you are, you have forgotten your primary purpose for being on the stage.

So here’s how to prepare for your presentations:

1. Write out your script. It doesn’t have to be word for word ( I never write word for word scripts) but it should have all of the key points you are going to make.
2. Practice it several times focusing on different elements each time:
3. Practice for timing
4. Practice for energy management
5. Practice for stage use
6. Practice for sensory based language
7. Practice by taking everything over the top, much bigger than you imagine it should be.
8. On the day of your presentation forget about all your practice, and get yourself in the right mindset to connect with your audience.

As soon as you hit that platform, focus on being present and connecting with every person in the crowd, and authentically taking them on a journey. Find the yummy moments!

There are two key ingredients essential to getting big money from stage results: the first is your passion for your products and services. The second is your sales presentation.

If you don’t love what you sell, the first thing I suggest is to find something to sell that you love, because otherwise your audience will see straight through you.   Be authentic.  Stay in integrity and your audience will resonate with you.

Once you have a product you’re passionate about, it’s time to focus on how to present it.

The 7 Key Presentation Elements

There are 7 Key Elements to a Profitable Sales Presentation. These 7 Keys are spelled out here assuming you will make a sale at the end of your presentation. But these same 7 Key Elements are will work even if you are not closing a sale.

It all boils down to influence- and influence is the ability to act upon someone’s character and destiny (preferably for the better!) So you can use these same 7 steps with a little creativity to inspire someone to book in for a free coaching call, to join the local parents and friends or to donate to your cause. All the principles are the same. But right here I focus on using effective presentations to make sales- because once you can do that- you can do anything!

 The 7 Key Elements to a Profitable Sales Presentation are:

• Create Connection: Become a welcome guest and inspire trust and responsiveness in your audience.
• Get Permission To Do Your Thing: Demonstrate credibility and earn the right to be speaking to your audience by illustrating your past results as powerfully as possible.
• Engage with Your Content: Decide on the action you want the audience to take, and craft the backbone of your presentation with this end in mind.
• Establish a Need: Create dissatisfaction in your audience by illustrating where they are vs where they want to be.
• Reveal the Product and Build Tension: Give a benefit driven description of your product.
• Make a No-Brainer Offer: Package up your product with bonuses, and ensure you create urgency and take away risk
• Invite Immediate Action: Finish powerfully with a commanding invitation to buy.

1. Choose The Right Outfit
   Just like a footballer has his lucky shirt, then a speaker takes great care in choosing the correct outfit.  Be as precise as you can here and think about the type of impact you want to make.  This is your chance to create and maintain your brand.  For example, I will always wear a bright red shade of lipstick and have my hair flicked outwards at the ends.  (Men – you do not need to do this.)  Each part of your outfit and makeup says something about you, so part of your pre-speaking ritual should be carefully choosing each item and visualising the message this will give out.
2. Voice Warm Up
   Spend time warming up your voice!  There are lots of audios and cd’s available for this including my own!  This is one of the most important parts of my pre-speaking rituals.  Take good care of your voice – it’s the most profitable instrument you possess as a speaker.
3. Speaker’s Warm Up
   This is different to a voice warm up because the voice warm up prepares me physically whilst the speaker’s warm up prepares me mentally.  It doesn’t matter that I’ve spoken to thousands of people all around the world, I still get nervous before stepping on stage.  When I use my speaker’s warm up – again I have my own version – it fires me up for the presentation and helps me get aligned with the needs of the audience, so it’s not just about me – it’s about them.
4. Get Into State
   Another way of ensuring the most powerful mindset is to use anchors.  If you’re coached in NLP remember to fire your anchors before stepping on stage.  Get into the masterful state you need to command your audience.
5. Stage Lay-Out
   Another of my rituals is ensuring the stage is laid-out exactly the way I want it – this means the exact position of the flowers, the placement of the flipcharts, the arrangement of products on the table etc.  Each time I speak, it’s always the same. 
6. Music
   Finally, what music do you use to introduce yourself on stage?  Music is a great way to elicit audience emotion and fire up your own energy too.

1. They Don’t Know How.
   If you are not currently achieving at the level you wish to, it is either because (a) you simply need more practice, or (b) there are unconscious issues limiting you.  Have a look at the following common fears and see if any relate.
2. People Have A Personal Bias or Negative Belief Systems Around Sales
   These include negative emotional responses, or belief systems around selling.  If you believe that “selling is bad” then you will not sell as well as you could.

   Also, if you have seen selling from stage done badly in the past, then you will be biased against doing it. Some “purists” think that selling as a speaker is not what speaking is all about.  I disagree.  I believe ALL COMMUNICATION IS SALES.  No matter if you’re talking to your wife, son, friend or client, we’re always selling our attitudes, beliefs and ideals.

3. They Have Unconscious, Unresolved Stuff Around Money
   Beliefs like “money is the root of all evil” or that “money stinks” etc will stop people from being able to sell effectively.  If you have issues with being deserving or that money is not good- then this will be communicated energetically when you make sales from stage
4. Fear
   It doesn’t matter if its
   
   • fear of failure
   • fear of speaking
   • fear of success
   • fear of being found out
   • fear of doing a bad job
   • fear of being judged
   • fear of not making sales.

   all of these common fears will stop you from being able to really confidently present your information and ask people to take action at the end.

It’s now time to get honest and discover whether your mindset is set up in the most powerful way for you to succeed at Platform Sales so let’s look at how to overcome these fears to make you as successful and as abundant as you deserve to be:

5 Step Plan For Overcoming Fears

1. Let go of Fears From the Past
   There are many techniques for removing blockages and fears.  Shop around and see which one fits for you.
2. Be prepared
   To this day I still get nerves but it helps that I talk about something I know.  Stick to your area of expertise – it will reduce the nerves.
3. Use a Proven System
   With a proven system you don’t have to worry if it’s going to turn out wrong. 
4. Give Yourself Positive Suggestions
   It’s vital that you give yourself POSITIVE SUGGESTIONS.  And do visual rehearsal.  Prepare and rehearse the presentation step by step in your mind.  That will get you in the right frame of mind to deliver an awesome presentation and to make the sales that you want.
5. Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway!