As a follow on from last week's episode where I spoke about the importance of planning a presentation or a pitch, today's episode covers off 2 key presentation structures that can be used to increase influence. Many people simply do not utilise a structure, and they wonder why the results are not as they had hoped. Using a structure stacks the odds in your favour of getting a great result and influencing your audience.

For Australians and New Zealanders, April 25 is a very special day. It is a day to reflect on the history of our respective countries, and to remember the men & women who sacrificed so much, so that we are able to enjoy the freedoms we have today. We have so much to be grateful for, and must continue to not take anything for granted. How does this relate to us as Sales Leaders?  We have the opportunity to tap into the spirit of the ANZACS & drive even better results.

When it comes to influencing others, unfortunately many sales leaders and their teams 'wing it', hoping that they will get the result. This rarely results in great outcomes. It may sound like a cliche, but if we fail to plan, we will plan to fail. So planning and preparation is essential to driving exceptional results - period.

As leaders, we must understand that workplace pressure is inevitable. It is how we manage that pressure and the response to that pressure that will often define the environment for the team. Hence we must continue to build our resilience muscle.

As a Sales Leader, what attracted you to the role in the first place? What was it about sales leadership that excited you? Most sales leaders find themselves in the role based on being a high performing individual contributor, and many of them are thrust into the role unprepared and they see the role as just a natural progression in their career - just a job. Then there are sales leaders who truly see sales leadership as a calling. This is what I explore on today's episode.

Have you ever wondered what great leaders have in common, what makes them great, and what makes them attractive? There are many attributes that we can talk about, but there is one attribute that could almost be the untapped power of leadership - that's what I cover on today's episode.

One of the greatest attributes of Exceptional Leaders is their approach to results and outcomes. When their team achieves great outcomes, they maintain humility in victory and focus on how to continue to improve. When their team doesn’t achieve the expected outcome, they focus on the lessons, and implement those lessons immediately. It is their relentless focus on the game plan that separates them from their competition.

In working with many leaders over the last 6 years, there seems to be a common thread amongst many of them - and that is, they will often focus on 'leadership implementation' and the external facets of leadership. The tactics and the strategies. What is missing is the internal focus on why leadership is important to them and what they stand for. This is critical.

One of the most common elements in sales is objections. And unfortunately many sales teams shy away from objections and seek to build strategies to 'avoid' them. This is the wrong approach. We need to acknowledge them, embrace them and recognise that objections merely need to be handled, not overcome.

Many sales leaders I work with don't have a huge level of confidence, especially when they start in the role. They can almost be like a fish out of water & often are not provided the support they need - is it any wonder they do not have high levels of confidence. In this episode I share some thought on how to develop confidence, and it is linked with consistency.