Even blood and guts rugby players get butterflies so why wouldn’t presenters? Ask any salesperson if they are nervous before making a big presentation and they’ll say “Absolutely”. Here are 9 tips to overcome your nerves and make a brilliant presentation.

1. Practice like a maniac.
2. Anticipate objections and questions. Prepare your responses. Knowing you have all the bases covered will calm your nerves.
3. Make small talk. If you don’t know everyone in your audience already, make sure you introduce yourself and find out their roles. You can better direct your value proposition if you know what they care about.
4. Remind yourself that people want to see you succeed. Your sponsors recommended that you be invited to present. They are pulling for you.
5. Memorize the trouble spots. If you practice you’ll know where you have trouble. Memorize key elements of your trouble spots so they will flow smoothly on the big day.
6. Take 3 deep breaths. 10 minutes before you speak. Slowly breath out for as long as you can. Pull back your shoulders and let your body naturally pull in a deep breath.Two more like this, and you will be more relaxed an ready to wow them.
7. Stand up tall and hold your head high. Show confidence in your posture and make eye contact with the customer’s team
8. Speak slowly and clearly while enunciating your words. Nerves can make you talk fast. Slowing your speech can calm you.
9. Accept the fear, don’t fight it. The worst thing you can do when you’re nervous is to notice your own anxiety and start worrying about that too. Just accept any nervousness you feel just as you would accept that the carpet is blue or the walls are white. Trying to force yourself to calm down or hide signs of nervousness can backfire and make your problem worse.

Just as rugby is played by a team, most sales presentations are made by teams. Practice together. Know which of you will talk about each area to be covered. Confidence in your team, your plan and lots of practice will turn your fear into courage. Draw a few deep breaths and take the pitch.

When you are new to the world of presentations you are a student seeking tips, tricks and ideas to polish your skills. There are certain things all the experts recommend – know the audience, know the room, don’t use a podium.  As you gain more experience, you will find your own style and you will probably start breaking a few rules.

Then, When You’re Really Good – You Can Break Them

Frank Abagnale is really good. More than 40 years ago, he was one of the world’s most famous confidence men. Between the ages of 16 and 21, he successfully posed as an airline pilot, an attorney, a college professor and a pediatrician, in addition to cashing $2.5 million in fraudulent checks. He served time in the French, Swedish and U. S. prison systems. His riveting story provided the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film, Catch Me if You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the cop fast on his heels. Today Mr. Abagnale is a highly sought-after and provocative keynote speaker. Frank has been working on the right side of the law for over 30 years now.

But, as a presenter, he breaks a few rules.  When I was focused on the document security business, Mr. Abagnale went on tour for my company to promote awareness of the massive threat of fraud. The financial institutions we worked with had event planners and PR professionals who helped with the event. When they would enter the room on the day of the presentation, they would invariably say things like; the lights are wrong, he shouldn’t stand behind a podium, people can’t see him. When we did a sound check they would try to turn the mikes up because he speaks softly. I would always have to assure them that “He knows what he’s doing. Don’t worry he will be a big hit.”

Mr. Abagnale is not a high maintenance keynote speaker. He doesn’t care what color M&M’s are in the dressing room or demand constant attention. Frank does follow many of the rules of presentation. He dresses very well. He arrives early to check the room and his equipment. He has the timing down to the minute. He adds regional business names and studies recent local news stories to personalize the speech.

However, there are some rules he ignores. He prefers to stand at the podium. He doesn’t move around or use gestures. The room is nearly dark. He talks in a hushed tone. Yet, he can have an audience absolutely riveted for more than 3 hours.

How does he get away with it?

Mr. Abagnale’s presentation is a funny and poignant journey of his time as a criminal being pursued, and his personal transformation. He tells the stories of the fraud he’s thwarted since his transformation with bits of humor. Frank does speak softly and his delivery is fast, very fast. You aren’t even cognitive of it, but the low volume and speed make you listen attentively. The whole room is quiet, hanging on every word. Even though the lights are low there is no chance anyone is nodding off. Frank does use well-designed slides. He never reads from the screen. There really isn’t much to read. His slides are full of graphics to support his talk but they are not loaded with indecipherable tables and charts. Mr. Abagnale’s style makes the story to be the focus. The way he breaks the rules works.

Catch Your Style

As you deliver more presentations, following all the guidelines experts give, you may find a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd. Experiment a little to find your unique style. You may never have an incredible story like Frank Abagnale’s to tell, but you might find that you can break a rule or two.

Sales people are not completely to blame for this much hated ritual of the buying process. Customers are programmed to ask sales people to come in and “make a pitch”. Countless hours are spent designing, practicing and presenting huge decks loaded with features and benefits. Even with all of this communication customers often make decisions they later regret. Or maybe worse, they make no decision at all. There is a better way.

Presentation Circus
I received a call from a sales team targeting a national account. The team had already made several presentations to the client’s marketing group and they had been asked to make yet another.

After previous presentations the client’s team would say “We are impressed with what you do. There are probably ways for us to use your services.” Unfortunately, after those meetings nothing happened. The sales team was frustrated because they seemed to be stuck.

When an act is a flop the Ringmaster of the circus shifts the audience’s attention to another act in order to keep them entertained. The presentations were failing. I could see it was time to put on my Ringmaster hat.

Send in the Clowns
The clowns in a circus keep the show moving along. Clowns will often grab a member of the audience and pull them into the act. It’s unexpected, it builds tension. It means that the audience is now part of the show, not just observers.

Back in our little circus, instead of scrambling to assemble another deck of slides, I called the customer to ask if they would be willing to try something else. I asked if they would participate in a brainstorming session to identify real issues. When recruiting someone from the crowd sometimes the clowns have to pull them from their seats. Our “audience” needed a little coaxing too.

Finally, they agreed to participate.  We set up a new meeting, led by a Six Sigma trained member of our team. Rather than present our endless capabilities, our presentation was an interactive session designed to uncover and rank opportunities to improve the customer’s business. There was one issue everyone on the team agreed needed to be improved.

In the Ring
Clowns pull audience members into the spotlight and prompt them to copy simple clownish motions and then they enlist them for more complicated maneuvers. Our presentation format was the same. First a few easy motions. Our clown asked the audience to write down any ideas that pop into their heads to address the issue. My team participated right alongside the customer. Using sticky notes and a process called an Action Workout. The combined team came up with 56 ideas.

Then the more complicated maneuvers started. The presentation included a process to screen 56 ideas down to four possible action plans, and finally, to two.  The outcome of this cooperative diagnosis was mutual agreement on an action plan that was already “sold” through activity of brainstorming and filtering.

Ta Da!
Traditional product presentations, however polished, are doomed if there is no clearly recognized business issue that can engage your customer.  This interactive presentation process led to a natural request to try a pilot program. No high pressure sales tactics from my team and no postponements by the customer.

There was a dog and pony show involved in the end. However, it was a presentation to the customer’s executive team about the success of the pilot. And, it was a presentation with the customer not for the customer.

If your sales presentations are turning into a circus, before you do the same old presentation routine, it might pay to act like a clown.

Linked In integrated Twitter with their status function a while back. It is a good way to post professional updates. If I post an update about trends, an upcoming conference or breaking news, I post it on Linked In and it flows to Twitter as well. It gives double impact to a single status update.

I posted this message this weekend:

Raymond Taylor is thinking about creating an iPhone app http://bit.ly/IZVuNabout 3 hours ago via LinkedIn

Christian Adams is a friend and a prolific participant in social media. His response provides this Auto Suggest Slip Up

From @ChristianGAdams @RaymondTaylor what would you want the apparently to do?

Our trusty Auto Suggest program should have left “app” alone.

Presentation Unplugged

Flip charts in the age of PowerPoint? Sounds like heresy!

In this era of rapidly changing technology, is there a drawer in your toolbox for an ancient yet powerful tool for making presentations?  We’ll give you 10 reasons why there should be.

First ,what is a flip chart?

flip chart \¹flip chärt\ n. 1. a series of large paper sheets containing charts, information, etc., fastened loosely to allow them to be turned over, and held by a frame for display, as to illustrate a presentation

Here are ten reasons to use them in your sales presentations:

1. Easy to work with

Even though programs like PowerPoint and Keynote have made it simple to create presentations, using them well can take time to learn. We’ve had the skill to create flip charts since kindergarten.

2. Personalized

Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen, recommends going analog when talking about the topic of creating a new presentation. Templates and themes can take you in directions you did not intend. The best tools for presentation creation are paper and pen, markers and whiteboards.

Standing in front of a blank flip chart makes you think about the purpose without being tempted to use a template. It’s been proven that writing things down improves memory. Defining objectives and creating an agenda forces you to organize your thoughts around the story your customer wants to hear.

You will be more familiar with your material if you have written your own charts. Cutting and pasting from corporate presentations doesn’t serve the same purpose.

3. Demonstrates effort

A flip chart will show your customers that this presentation is yours. It won’t have pictures of your corporate headquarters or boring org charts on it. You prepared this just for them.  In Beyond Selling Value , Mark Shonka and Dan Kosch recommend that you use this flow to guide preparation of your flip chart;

Them – customer profile, objectives, strategies, issues

Us – your company as a strategic resource

Fit – the relationship potential

Action Steps – specific recommendations

4. Gives you control

Flip charts don’t develop compatibility issues with projectors. Your clicker won’t advance two slides and get stuck. Going back to cover a point is easy.

Your flip chart and easel are at the front of the room with you. You aren’t dependent on a partner to advance the slides from the back of the room where the laptop is.

5. Keeps you at the focus

The flip chart makes you the center of the presentation. You can’t be tempted to add distracting animations. If you want attention you can step in front of the flow chart without being blinded by the projectors’ light.

Also, there is nothing between you and your audience – no computer, no projector and no podium.

6. Differentiates

These days flip charts make your presentation stand out from the rest. There is no shortage of presentations in dark rooms with hundreds of lines of texts and bullets.

It will be clear that you are in command of your material when you present from a flip chart with only highlights. You won’t be tempted to read your presentation to them.

7. Lights on

Dimming the lights to make a projected presentation visible can prevent you from seeing the non-verbal cues your audience gives. Leaving the lights on is better for capturing and keeping their attention too. You won’t have to learn the locations and settings for a complicated lighting system.

8. No power required

Using flip charts means there are no power strips to forget, no lead cords to trip over and no computer failures to interrupt the presentation.

9. Intimate

Most sales presentations are made to a relatively small group. A projected presentation on a big screen feels like overkill. Flip charts bring people toward you.

10. Engaging

Finally, flip charts provide the opportunity to really engage your audience. Hand a key influencer in the group a marker and ask them to rank a list of initiatives right on the chart.

You can make a point by drawing right on your flip chart. Do that with a projected presentation and “that’ll leave a mark” on the boardroom wall.

If you’re convinced that your next presentation might be better done on a flip chart here are a couple of resources to help you:

Flip Charts: How to Draw Them and How to Use Them by Richard Brandt

The Big Book of Flip Charts by Robert Lucas

The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam

Technology often enables us to do things better or faster. But, remember that using technology for technology’s sake isn’t the right reason to use it. Sometimes a flip chart and markers will be all the power you need.

I thought I’d capture those I encounter occasionally. The first one that happened occurred this week in an email exchange. I sent a message to an associate on my team asking if he would like to invite one of our corporate experts to participate in a customer meeting next week. The exchange went something like this:

Me: Would you like to bring the subject matter expert to our performance review?
Associate: Defiantly!

Obviously the response was meant to be “Definitely!” but the auto suggestion introduced a little humor to the dialogue.

I’ll keep an eye out for these auto suggest slip ups and share them. Feel free to add yours in the comments section below.

Consider that my friend is sitting on the other side of the desk, in a purchasing role. If anyone doesn’t believe this is good for both parties – read my friend’s reaction to my explanantion of priming.

“Awesome Ray. Thanks. Thinking about this we get a lot of supplier visits…sometimes they prime us sometimes not…and it does go better when there is priming!”

I was working with an associate on my team in South Bend this week. Over dinner we discussed priming. I could tell she wasn’t sure about it. On the first call we made the next day the customer came out and asked “Are you just checking with me or did we need to meet today?”

The customer was also surprised to see me. She had not planned for the meeting because she hadn’t been primed. She had to go secure a conference room at the last minute.

Despite the missteps at the beginning the call went well and we actually secured a significant piece of new business. However, the point was made. Given that this representative is a professional, she quickly said “Excellent Advice for a more prepared & successful sales call. A technique that I bought into today…..great coaching advice. Thank you for sharing.”

So you see, good sales techniques aren’t manipulative. Priming makes the sales meeting better for everyone. Well, everyone except the competition!

1. Follow Up Email. After an appointment is set by phone have sales associates send an email confirming the date, time and agenda. The email should also ask the agent if there are other issues to look into before the meeting to avoid being blind sided while in their office. Have your people cc you so you can be sure it’s getting done and to use it as a potential coaching opportunity.
2. Confirmation Email. It’s always good to confirm the appointment is still on so have people resend the original email the morning of the scheduled meeting. It can be as simple as telling the agent they’re looking forward to seeing them. By sending the original email it gets the agenda in front of the agent for the third time.
3. Restate Agenda. Once the sales associate is on the sales call, after the meet and greet, they should restate the agenda. This will be the fourth time the agent has heard or seen the agenda so they’ve given it thought, whether consciously or subconsciously. They’re mentally ready to talk about the agenda items unlike an agent who’s confronted with a “drive by” meeting or one where the agenda was never mentioned until the sales associate walked in the door.
4. Email Afterwards. This is the time to put in writing next steps, whatever was agreed to and potential outcomes.

I didn’t catch it until I was 16. I was working in a real honest to goodness Mom & Pop store. Murray Logan and his wife Del were the founders of Logan & Sons, a small grocery store specializing in high quality meats and produce and delivering great customer service.

If you are involved in managing customer service you know it gets infinitely more difficult to treat the customer the way they want to be treated when you add employees to your business model. When it’s your store and you are the workforce you don’t have to worry that the customers will get treated well. But from the moment you add your first employee, your work gets much more complicated. Now you have to define excellence, teach it, observe it and re-teach it constantly.

How did the Logans do it? Simple.

Murray Logan was a master and he taught his sons, Murray Jr. and Don who would take over the business and keep his traditions. There are lots of authors out there publishing books on customer service, satisfaction and loyalty that are making tons of money off what Mr. Logan and his boys made to seem easy and natural. But it wasn’t.

I was running the cash register on a busy Saturday afternoon. Mrs. Rowlands, a very loyal and regular customer, was doing her regular grocery run. Her order filled two good sized old-fashioned paper bags. Looking at the line of people, she started hefting her bags. I asked her if she needed help getting to the car and she quickly responded, “No, I’m alright. I can get it.”

The rush died down and Murray came up front and casually asked about how things were going. I responded, “It has been a bit busy, but that’s what we’re here for isn’t it?” Then, just as casually he asked “ I saw Linda Rowland carrying her bags out. Why was that?”

I recounted the fact that even though it was busy, I had asked her if she needed help and she had declined. Using the same questions I’m sure Murray Sr. had used to teach him the business, Murray asked “So, you asked her if it would be OK to give her poor service? Of course she said yes. What else could a kind person do?” I could feel my face turning red with embarrassment.

There was no harshness in Murray’s tone. No anger, even though in one quick second I had jeopardized a relationship his family had worked so hard to cultivate. He pulled a leg up and sat on the counter. The store was empty. As was his style, Murray would never try to correct an employee’s behavior in public.

Murray explained that service was a differentiator in our business. That if people didn’t care about receiving a friendly Hello with their name right behind it, if they didn’t care if their grocer picked a cut of beef for them because he knew they had family in town, if they didn’t mind if they slogged their way through the parking lot carrying their own groceries and fumbling for their keys, then the big fancy impersonal supermarket down the street would be good enough.”

“But that’s not how we work here at our store. Our customers get the best service we can provide.” A great lesson for me then as an employee. A lesson that still rings in my ears today, as I am called on to work with our associates and our customers to teach their workforce “the family business.”

It’s rare today to encounter a small business owner who will take the time to teach and develop their staff the same way my leaders did when I worked at Logan & Sons. That doesn’t mean we can’t inspire our people to deliver legendary service. It just means we have to work harder at it and that we might need help.

Creating the experience your customers want means training some of the skills we might take for granted. Sometimes we romanticize the loss of great customer service skills as a result of changes in our culture. I’d argue that we always had to learn it.

Once you’ve defined your brand and communicated it you have to teach it, check on the quality and coach that great group of people you’ve assembled. You have to tell them what great service means in your “family.” Teach them with examples and model the behavior. Be ever vigilant for coachable moments like the one Murray found for me.

Find your stories and share them. We get caught up in the demands of our jobs and we fail to recognize opportunities happening every day. Start small, keep coaching and soon you’ll see the customer service benchmark rising and rising.

Use stories to define legendary. By telling them we are teaching our people that searching for ways to make experiences better is something we value, something we must do to keep the relationships we’ve worked so hard to build.

How are you making customer service contagious in your organization?