Nine Ways to Jazz Up Your Sales Presentations

Yesterday sales trainer Jim Meisenheimer shared with us four ways to start and end presentations to keep prospects interested. Today, he's back with nine ways to jazz up your presentations and keep them interested the entire time!

1. Always prepare and rehearse the first 25 words and the last 25 words of every presentation. Practice until it sounds spontaneous.

2. Start with your expectations. Tell them specifically what the take-aways will be early in your presentation.

3. Never read your presentation. Never. No exceptions. It's the quickest way to put your audience to sleep.

4. Show that you're alive by being animated. Remember it's easier to be yourself than trying to impersonate someone else.

5. Pay attention to your hands. Nothing will make you look more awkward than unnatural hand movements.

6. Keep slides to a minimum. They should emphasize and reinforce your key points - not tell your entire story.

7. Use large type, so everyone in the room can clearly see what's on the screen. Darken the screen as often as you can. You want the audience looking at you - not at the screen. To darken the screen hit the letter "B" on the keyboard. Hit the letter "B" again to turn the screen on.

8. Don't worry about making mistakes. Actually, mistakes make you human. Have fun, sharpen your sense of humor, and be sure to tell stories. Your stories are the quickest way for your audience to connect with you.

9. After every presentation, ask yourself, "How can I do it better next time?" Then next time, be sure you do it better.

Take it from someone who gives a lot of sales presentations, and had to overcome a fear of public speaking, these nine suggestions really work.

Adopt these as your own and I'll bet your next stand-up presentation will stand-out!

Jim Meisenheimer publishes The No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter, a fresh and high content newsletter dedicated to helping you grow your business and multiply your income. Use this link to sign-up for Jim's F-R-E-E The Start Selling More Newsletter and to get your copy of his Special Report titled, "The 12 Dumbest Things Salespeople Do."