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Published : January 05, 2010 |
Author : Arvee Robinson
Category : Business | Total Views
: 243 | Unrated
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 Arvee Robinson
Arvee Robinson is a Persuasive Speaking Coach, Master Speaker Trainer, International Speaker, and Author. She teaches business owners, service professionals, and entrepreneurs how to use public speaking as a marketing strategy so they can attract more clients, generate unlimited leads and grow their businesses, effortlessly. She teaches a proven system for delivering persuasive presentations, and easy to use formulas for creating a killer elevator pitch and a magnetic self-introduction. Arvee has helped hundreds of individuals to win clients and close more sales every time they speak. She offers private coaching, workshops, and weekly teleclasses. Her programs make people money for the rest of their lives. For more information, visit http://www.instantprospeaker.com.
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Nine out of ten business presentations end with
either an unimpressive “Thank you” or a feeble “Are there any
questions?” Both are ineffective when it comes to persuading your
audience to buy your products and services.
After many years of making business presentations, I discovered the
most effective close consists of three parts: a question and answer
session, an invitation (call to action), and the closing statement,
respectively. Here’s how they work:
1. Question and answer session.
Most business presentations have a question and answer (Q & A)
period at the end of the talk. Unless your presentation is interactive,
this is the time your audience may ask questions. The Q & A section
of your presentation should mark the beginning of your close, not the
end. How many times have you seen a speaker ask “Are there any
questions?” only to look out into an audience of blank stares and what
feels like an eternity of silence. For this section to be successful,
you must have audience participation.
To prevent an ocean of blank stares, use one of the following
techniques to get your Q & A session rolling. First, have a friend
in the audience prepared to ask a question the minute you open the
floor to questions. It’s a good idea to know the question ahead of time
so you’re ready with an answer; however, it’s not absolutely necessary.
Another approach that works great is for you to lead with a question
you’re typically asked. Start by saying, “A question I’m typically
asked is . . .” Both methods will give your audience time to formulate
their questions and prevent an awkward silence. Afterward, thank your
audience for their questions before moving to your invitation (call to
action).
2. Invitation (Call to action).
Even though most of us have often been advised to create a call to
action at the end of our sales presentation, many professionals leave
out this step when making a presentation to a group. Every presentation
we make whether to an individual or a group of people is a sales
presentation. Therefore, we must have a call to action to get the
desired results. It’s during this step that you’ll tell your audience
exactly what you want them to do. Be clear and concise. Also, during
this step you’ll want to collect their business cards. The primary
purpose for giving a business presentation is to generate new business
and so, to be able to contact audience prospects later, you’ll need to
know who is present. The best way to find out is to gather everyone’s
business card. At first glance, this might not seem like an easy task.
But it is.
This is when you give something to get something. Everyone loves
free stuff. One approach to collecting attendees’ business cards is to
give away a free book. Select a book that’s appropriate for your
presentation. Ask your audience to take out a business card and pass it
to the front of the room. Tell your audience you would like to put them
on your mailing list for future free articles. If they don’t want to be
on your mailing list, ask them to fold their card in half so you’ll
know not to add them. Then have someone in the audience draw a winner.
This is a simple and fun way to give something to your audience and get
their business cards. Better yet, you now have their permission to
follow up.
Another technique to gather business cards is to give everyone an
article you have written on your subject. Tell them to bring you a
business card after the meeting and you will give them a copy of your
free article. Other ideas include inviting them to a free seminar,
workshop, teleclass, or consulting session. Some speakers pass out
forms for their audience to fill out in order to receive something in
exchange. Although this might work for some, it may be too much work
for others. Whatever your call to action is, keep it fast and easy.
3. Closing Statement.
This is your final word. Decide what thought or feeling you want to
leave with your audience and make sure your closing sentence resonates
that thought. The most powerful closing sentences are statements of
declaration or famous quotes. For example, if you were an executive
recruiter talking about the hiring process, your closing statement
might be, “That is how you hire the right people and keep them!” Or you
might use a quote such as, “Too many people use recruiters the same way
a drunk uses a lamppost—to lean on, rather than to shed light.”
Whichever you choose, make sure that it’s appropriate for your
presentation and your audience. Write it out and memorize it so you
won’t forget it. This is your last chance to persuade your audience and
make a lasting impression. Don’t throw it away by ending with a polite
“thank you.” Instead, make your ending as strong as your beginning.
Finish your presentation with power and confidence. Make it positive,
exciting, and memorable. Al ways end with a bang!
As you move from step to step in the closing process, be sure to
make smooth transitions. Let your audience know you’re moving to the
next step. For instance, at the end of your Q & A session you could
simply say, “If there are no more questions I would like to invite you
to . . .” You have smoothly transitioned your audience into the
call-to-action portion of your close. This will help your audience
follow your presentation and keep their attention. The longer you keep
their attention, the better the odds for selling your products and
services.
By following this simple three-step strategy, you’ll be able to
create a powerful close with an active Q & A session, a motivating
call to action, and a captivating closing statement that will generate
new business, instantly.
For more tips and articles, visit http://www.instantprospeaker.com.
About The Author
Arvee Robinson is a Persuasive Speaking
Coach, Master Speaker Trainer, International Speaker, and Author. She
teaches business owners, service professionals, and entrepreneurs how
to use public speaking as a marketing strategy so they can attract more
clients, generate unlimited leads and grow their businesses,
effortlessly. She teaches a proven system for delivering persuasive
presentations, and easy to use formulas for creating a killer elevator
pitch and a magnetic self-introduction. Arvee has helped hundreds of
individuals to win clients and close more sales every time they speak.
She offers private coaching, workshops, and weekly teleclasses. Her
programs make people money for the rest of their lives. For more
information, visit http://www.instantprospeaker.com.
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