Greetings to the warm and hospitable people of Rivers State, and welcome to another episode of Rivethics on Radio, our character-building weekend show. Please remember that if you are determined to learn, soon you become unstoppable. Our topic this weekend is “Making a Successful Sales Presentation.”
In this episode, we shall be sharing words of business wisdom to help everyone understand some business and life fundamentals. There is need in both business and life to make good presentations. A good presentation is vital for accurate and effective communication to a target audience. It could be from parents to children, from teachers to students, from employers to employees or from salesmen to prospects. Overall, the goal of a presentation is to impress, not to inform. Therefore preparation is the engine that runs behind a good presentation. A one minute presentation should be preceded by at least a one hour preparation. Poor preparation will invariably lead to a lackluster presentation, whereas good preparation often leads to outstanding presentations. Abraham Lincoln, the great US President, put it graphically when he said, “give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Indeed presentation is one of the opportunities that often meets preparation.
In preparing for a presentation, the most important ingredient is knowing your audience.
You must understand that human beings are not creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. Therefore, what matters to your audience most is how you make them feel when they are engaged with you. They will forget what you said and what you did. But they will not forget how you made them feel. That is why the masters in sales teach that people buy for emotional reasons, not for logical reasons. Also, they emphasise that in business, the winners often strive to deliver memorable experience, not just products, ideas or services. The underlying principle here is that the brain is wired not to pay attention to boring things. So, whether your audience is your children, students, staff, prospects, etc., our task is to give them a worthwhile experience.
Mr. Chris Anderson, President of TED, the popular global presentation platform, known for “ideas worth spreading,” aptly summarised the significance of a presentation thus: “the presentation literacy isn’t an optional extra for the few. It is a core skill for the 21st century.” To be adept at this core skill, I have developed a short list of disciplines to commit to as follows:
1. be goal-driven,
2. be self-disciplined,
3. be knowledgeable,
4. be a relationship builder,
5. be self-confident,
6. be enthusiastic,
7. be a skillful communicator,
8. be persistent.
Our guest speaker this weekend is Mr. Paul Foh, a certified public speaker and life coach. He will throw more light on the subject. Please enjoy the episode.
Our amiable Rivers People, please remember to always let your manners speak for you.
God bless and keep you and your families and God bless Rivers State.
Her Excellency, Justice (Mrs.) Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike , the Wife of the Governor of Rivers State and the Initiator of the RivEthics Social Development Programme.
You can also listen to and download the Pidgin English version of this Episode below