Better Presentations More Sales

Have you thought about how to use podcasting to grow sales?

Lisa Laporte is a natural born entrepreneur and is CEO of TWiT.tv (This Week in Tech) and an expert is how to use podcasting to grow sales

On this episode of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast Lisa shares her thoughts and ideas around what is needed to be successful in sales as well as how podcasting and indeed other forms of profile media including video are increasingly useful in being part of the mix to help you generate more interest in your offerings and as a consequence help you generate more revenue.

We had some great conversation around the sort of things that today’s salespeople should be doing, in particular with how they see prospective customer in terms of the relationship. Lisa refers to her customers as partners and interacts with them as such.

This Week in Tech is a podcast network featuring 15 podcasts which collectively enjoy millions downloads

To anyone thinking of launching a podcast either individually or as a company Lisa’s suggestion is to record 10 episodes in advance that are 5 to 15 minutes long so an audience can be built before potentially the podcast become a bit longer and potentially involve guests.

Lisa also suggested that the first episode be called episode 0 and it simply be an introduction to who you are, what the podcast is going to be about and why listeners will benefit from it.

Lisa has worked as a Corporate Controller, CFO, Consultant, CEO, and Founder in a range of organizations, with a focus on startups, for over thirty years. Lisa has developed skills in growing companies, building successful and diverse teams, and establishing strong and profitable partnerships through company growth and income production during the course of her career.

This is episode 234 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 233 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

If you would like the chance to be sent by me a copy of my book : 12 Business Lessons from Running an UltraMarathon simply leave a review for the podcast, take a screenshot and email it to at [email protected] - don't forget to include your name and postal address. If you've already left a review - thanks very much - simply screenshot the one you already left and send it to me. 

Thanks for listening. If you like the show please do leave a review via your podcast app. or comment on Linked In or share with others. Any / all of those actions would be much appreciated.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

This episode is going out originally on the 12th September 2022 and it was on the third Friday of September 2012 that I left my semi-corporate position and set up Trevor Lee Media so in this episode of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast I’m sharing 7 key business lessons I have learnt in those 10 years

The 7 key business lessons:

1. How to launch, host and guest on a podcast – 10 years ago I’d never heard of podcasts and now I’ve got this one with 233 episodes and my Running 44@60 one with 97 episodes
2. Write a book – lots of people aspire to write a book but had you told me 10 years ago I would write a book - 12 Business Lessons from Running an Ultra Marathon’  with another one on presentation skills well on its way to completion I would not have believed you – neither would I have believed you if you had told me I was going to run an ultramarathon at 60
3. Network – a reflection although I did some networking before setting up my business I was not very good at it – I now look to achieve three things when I go networking: connect with interesting people, learn conversations and in particular the event speaker, and create some stimulating thinking about my business and how I can improve it
4. Public speaking – 10 years ago I was an experienced presenter and speaker but I think in the last 10 years I’ve got better which is good news for my clients who I pass on my experiences to
5. Pivoting – the 29 years of commercial newspaper experience largely around advertising almost inevitably when I set up my clients were those who need it their advertising and marketing overseen but four or so years ago I stopped doing that because I wanted to concentrate on my expertise in presentations and sales
6. Listening – I think I’ve got better at listening, I probably still got a long way to go but I’ve also learnt to ask better questions and how to clarify answers to ensure misunderstandings of you and far between
7. Keep learning – the final one of my seven is that no matter how experienced we are for indeed how old we are we have two choices – we decide we don’t need to learn anything else which inevitably means we will either stagnate or go backwards or we continue to learn, and for me I still got I think a lot to learn so I’m looking forward to the next 10 years of learning new things, developing new ideas, working with new clients

This is episode 233 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 232 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

Thanks for listening. If you like the show please do leave a review via your podcast app. or comment on Linked In or share with others. Any / all of those actions would be much appreciated.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

Becoming a Confident Communicator 

Confidence is a key business success factor, particularly when it comes to delivering presentations and sales pitches and also when using video for self marketing

There is though a balance to be had between being quietly and reassuringly confident versus overconfidence which can come across as arrogance or cockiness

In this episode of the Better Presentations More Sales entrepreneur, presenter and instagram video creator Kaye Reeves shares her ideas and advice to help you become more confident in various business situations, including  presenting and shooting short videos where it is so easy to find excuses for not getting on and doing these things, which we know are increasingly important in the business world.

Kaye believes that you need to have confidence in your idea not just your appearance, because the real value to your audience is your idea and what it can do for them. So if you don’t deliver that presentation or shoot that short video for social media you are potentially depriving those who could really benefit from your knowledge and expertise and may well potentially then want to engage you on a wider basis.

So how do we gain the confidence to do these things?

The phrase Kaye uses during the podcast is ‘rinse and repeat’ in other words just keep doing the videos and the presentations knowing that the more you do the easier it will feel and as a result the more confident you will be in your own ability.

But at the same time follow Kaye’s golden rule and that is to not put yourself more than 20% outside of your current comfort zone. This will ensure that you push yourself beyond your current level but not to such a degree that you risk delivering a presentation or shooting a video that is simply too big for you at the moment.

It’s a top tip.

If you want to get a feel for how Kaye is delivering her videos on Instagram follow this link

This is episode 232 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 231 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

If you would like the chance to be sent by me a copy of my book : 12 Business Lessons from Running an UltraMarathon simply leave a review for the podcast, take a screenshot and email it to at [email protected] - don't forget to include your name and postal address. If you've already left a review - thanks very much - simply screenshot the one you already left and send it to me. 

Thanks for listening. If you like the show please do leave a review via your podcast app. or comment on Linked In or share with others. Any / all of those actions would be much appreciated.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

What difference would that make to your career, to your life? 

So how do you become at top 1% communicator? 

In this episode of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast public speaking coach Brenden Kumarasamy shares some of the steps you can take on a journey to become  a top 1% communicator in your industry.

As Brenden points out when you are on the journey to becoming a top communicator there are lots of things for you to potentially consider and try and act upon and deliver so Brenden  breaks it down into three easy ways to make significant progress as a communicator:

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

How to be a better communicator 

In this episode of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast speaker and speaking coach Katja Schleicher shares tips and ideas to show you how to be a better communicator.

We talk about intercultural communication which is a increasingly important business skill given that  online interactive communication has given lots of businesses a new view on where their markets exist and where prospective clients could be.

Katja also shares advice and ideas around leadership communication which as we know can make a significant difference to a company's level of success and the development and retention of its team. Included in this Katja talked about being flexible on adapting formats as a way of avoiding the term ‘meeting’ as well as the need to create an emotional connection, and the importance of being  relevant and transparent.

On her website Katja refers to humour when presenting and speaking and in the podcast episode shares some thoughts and ideas around how to use humour without the need to tell jokes!

For would-be speakers Katja suggests focusing on the numerous daily opportunities that occur to speak through the delivery of internal and to a degree external presentations by treating all of them as a keynote and thus preparing well and practising and learning from each speaking experience. 

For would be professional speakers Katja emphasises the need to become recognised in a niche area and view pro speaking as a performance rather than the delivery of a keynote presentation. 

Katja’s top tips to be a better communicator:

Before you start assess your state of mind and read the room

And listen to how others talk and present that makes them behave memorably

And finally four questions when you are presenting:

• What should the audience think?
• How should the audience feel?
• What you want the audience to do?
• And if someone wrote a review of your presentation what would be the headline?

You can find Katja at:

https://www.katjaschleicher.com

https://www.interview-training.eu/en/

and on Linked In

This is episode 230 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 229 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations in 2022 please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

5 Top Sales Pitch Tips

In the final part of the Summer Series of ‘Top Tip’ episodes of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast I’m sharing 5 top sales pitch tips

A sales pitch or demo is a golden opportunity so these five top sales pitch/demo tips are designed to help you ensure you don’t waste that opportunity

So here are the 5 Top Sales Pitch Tips:

1. Check the expectations from the person or people you are pitching or demoing to, particularly with regard to the length of time for the pitch or demo
2. Only include stuff that helps you achieve your desired outcome and that will be of interest to those you are pitching/demoing to
3. Don’t start with you, focus right from the get go on your audience and don’t save the best bits until the end as there is always a danger for various reasons you might not get to the end or it might be a rushed end
4. Invite questions as you go, plan for the Q&A by having a couple of rhetorical questions ready and think about the type of questions you will be asked so you can research the answers. If you don’t know the answer explain that you will find it out and get back to them – this is an ideal opportunity to continue the conversation
5. Even before you start the pitch or demo explain how you see the next steps and then at the end agree them, but make them precise so nail down exact times and dates for the next point of contact

This is episode 229 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 228 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations in 2022 please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

If you would like the chance to be sent by me a copy of my book : 12 Business Lessons from Running an UltraMarathon simply leave a review for the podcast, take a screenshot and email it to me at [email protected] - don't forget to include your name and postal address. If you've already left a review - thanks very much - simply screenshot the one you already left and send it to me. 

Thanks for listening. If you like the show please do leave a review via your podcast app. or comment on Linked In or share with others. Any / all of those actions would be much appreciated.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

In the second of three of the Summer series of episodes of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast I’m sharing five top sales tips

Remember sales is increasingly about responding quickly, being accessible, being helpful and delivering what you say you will when someone wants to do business with you

So here are the five top sales tips:

1. Have a positive mindset which revolves around two key principles – helping not selling and listening not talking. Certainly in the B2B sector there are still many ‘salespeople’ who think the only way to success is to focus on gaining a sale and to do that they need to keep talking. Certainly on occasions that may work, but maybe it only works for short-term sales whereas we all know in the B2B sector we are usually looking not for a one-off sale for a long-term relationship when many sales are done. So focus on asking great questions, listen carefully to the answer, don’t interrupt and use the answers to steer a potential customer in the direction of the sale.
2. Help the customer to buy – check how easy it is to buy your product or service, you may be surprised by how many barriers there actually are that prevent or put off potential customers buying from you
3. When you are having sales interaction conversations aim to gather mini commitments, these are occasions when the potential client is saying yes stop you can do this by continually clarifying what the client is looking for as the sales interaction progresses
4. Have a clear agreed follow-up plan. Lots of sales fail to materialise because after the proposal has been sent there is no follow-up plan beyond ‘did you get my email?’ – ideally agree the follow-up plan during the sales conversation, and then when you do follow up add further value. Remember sales is often about momentum.
5. Respond quickly. Chances are I’ve done my research so by the time I make contact I’m keen to work with you - that keeness will quickly evaporate if you don’t respond quickly when I reach out to you. 

This is episode 228 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 227 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations in 2022 please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

If you would like the chance to be sent by me a copy of my book : 12 Business Lessons from Running an UltraMarathon simply leave a review for the podcast, take a screenshot and email it to me at [email protected] - don't forget to include your name and postal address. If you've already left a review - thanks very much - simply screenshot the one you already left and send it to me. 

Thanks for listening. If you like the show please do leave a review via your podcast app. or comment on Linked In or share with others. Any / all of those actions would be much appreciated.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

In the first of three of the Summer series of episodes of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast I’m sharing five top presentation tips

Remember your presentation needs to engage, educate, enthuse and to a degree entertain your audience and ideally you need to enjoy delivering it because that will help your audience enjoy receiving it

So here are the five top presentation tips:

1. Start with them not you – avoid falling into the trap as most people do of using the start of their presentation to talk about themselves, their company etc..
2. Think of slides as a prompt not a script that far too many presentations contain slides that are full of words, written in sentences. Start with one word on a slide and see if you can keep the words below 10 on each slide
3. One of the hardest things all presenters is to avoid running over on time. There is a solution. When you are practising your full presentation, at presentation pace, aim to deliver that practice run in 80% of the allocated time
4. At the end of your presentation make sure you tell your audience what you want them to do next, and subtly hint at that throughout the presentation. If you going to have a Q&A then bring it in before your final summary and have a couple of rhetorical questions up your sleeve in case no one asks any questions to kickstart the Q&A
5. Prepare well, prepare well in advance so that you give yourself the maximum time to deliver a really great presentation and combine that with practice, maybe three or four practice run throughs. I normally don’t time my first practice run through as I’m just wanting to see how the presentation flows and I’ll be stopping and starting to make notes and adjustments as I go. On the second run through I will time it and then I’ll be ready to make decisions about taking content out if I overrun that 80% rule. My third run through is usually the final presentation, but I might just enough for one if I had any doubts about the way it flows

This is episode 227 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 226 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations in 2022 please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

If you would like the chance to be sent by me a copy of my book : 12 Business Lessons from Running an UltraMarathon simply leave a review for the podcast, take a screenshot and email it to me at [email protected] - don't forget to include your name and postal address. If you've already left a review - thanks very much - simply screenshot the one you already left and send it to me. 

Thanks for listening. If you like the show please do leave a review via your podcast app. or comment on Linked In or share with others. Any / all of those actions would be much appreciated.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

Don't give up on sales

In this episode of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast I'm encouraging listeners to do exactly that – don't give up on sales

The episode is inspired by a group of runners who took part on a very hot day on a very difficult run that I was marshalling at. It would have been very easy for them to give up but they dug deep and called upon energy reserves they didn't know they had.

So is that how you pursue sales, particularly when you've already delivered a presentation and sent out a proposal?

Can you honestly say that you don't give up on sales for after a couple of emails that get no response, a couple of phone calls that just go to voicemail you decide that actually the client isn't going to buy after all and you move onto the next one?

But like the ultra runners if you've done your preparation well and you've got a follow-up strategy in place then don't give up on sales, but at the same time make sure you are offering good value through your proposal and ultimately the way you follow up your proposal.

So use Rueben Swartz's colour-coded proposal check system which you can find out about in episode 213 and use video to complement your written proposal and get attention.

If someone has made an enquiry, and given what we know about research before making any contact, particularly in the B2B sector, then you know that that enquiry is likely to be a really good opportunity so don't give up on sales and waste that opportunity.

Keep the opportunity alive by ensuring that every time you attempt an interaction to follow up your proposal you are adding a new idea, or sharing some interesting information or offering a further alternative to your proposal based on thinking you've been doing since you sent the first one.

Those are the techniques to ensure you don't give up on sales and that should come across to the person you are trying to work with.

If you just simply send emails that say 'did you get my email?' then that is not great and it is not really going to persuade the person you send the proposal to do something about it.

So the message from this episode of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast is clear - if you want to be successful then don't give up on sales.

This is episode 226 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 225 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations in 2022 please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

If would like the chance to be sent by me a copy of my book : 12 Business Lessons from Running an UltraMarathon simply leave a review for the podcast, take a screenshot and email it to at [email protected] - don't forget to include your name and postal address. If you've already left a review - thanks very much - simply screenshot the one you already left and send it to me. 

Thanks for listening. If you like the show please do leave a review via your podcast app. or comment on Linked In or share with others. Any / all of those actions would be much appreciated.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations

In this episode I share tips and ideas to show you how to practice your presentation to increase your chances of presentation or sales pitch success

So why practice?

Firstly it will increase your confidence overall because you will feel more familiar with the presentation and more comfortable about delivering it

Secondly practising will help you get the timing right, this is really important if you have a set amount of time such as 10 or 20 or 30 minutes

Thirdly practising will help ensure that you focus on the purpose of your presentation and that it flows because the more it flows the easier it will be your audience to absorb it

So why don’t people practice?

The three most common excuses I hear are:

• I haven’t got enough time – my answer is:  so clearly the presentation or pitch is of no importance to you
• Practising feels false I don’t like role-play – this is not role-play this is serious practice
• I’ve been presenting for years I don’t need to practice – but professional golfers who have been playing longer than you have been presenting still practice

So how to practice?

I advocate three run-throughs as follows:

In run-through number one don’t time it, don’t record it and don’t deliver it standing in front of a mirror! Stop frequently and make notes because almost certainly you will have something that is missing, or something that needs taking out, or something that is in the wrong place. This run through literally is a walk-through and will take quite a while.

Time the second run through and try to go at presentation pace and make sure you use your voice as you would during the actual delivery. You may need to take notes if things are in the wrong order and aim to finish in around 80 to 85% of the allocated time. Take off a couple of minutes for the notes that you’ve made whilst going through it but if you have missed the time target then you have to get rid of some of the content.

Run-through number three is at presentation pace all the way through. You should be feeling comfortable with the flow, the content should be right and you should be able to deliver in that 80 to 85% time zone.

Team presentations will take longer to practice, particularly the handovers which you don’t to look ad feel clunky in any way

This is episode 225 of the Better Presentations More Sales podcast -  the previous 224 episodes are available on your usual podcast app or you can listen and download them via this link. 

To find out how more about how I can help you deliver confident, impactful, memorable and action inducing presentations in 2022 please follow this link

Before you book any training or coaching with me it is important for you to be sure that I’m the right person for you or your team so let's have a 15-20 minute informal no obligation no fee chat on Zoom. Simply click on this link to make that happen.

If would like the chance to be sent by me a copy of my book : 12 Business Lessons from Running an UltraMarathon simply leave a review for the podcast, take a screenshot and email it to at [email protected] - don't forget to include your name and postal address. If you've already left a review - thanks very much - simply screenshot the one you already left and send it to me. 

Thanks for listening. If you like the show please do leave a review via your podcast app. or comment on Linked In or share with others. Any / all of those actions would be much appreciated.

I can help you transform your business presentations, create and convert sales opportunities and win more sales pitches. Click on the links below to find out more and book a free 15-20 minute Zoom call with to discuss what you might need help with.

Presentation Training

Sales Training

15 Minute Free 'How can I help you' Zoom call

Trevor Lee Linked

Trevor Lee You Tube

My latest book: 7 Steps to Successful Presentations