Begin Your Presentation with the Result in Mind

Working the last few years as a promoter and event producer I’ve seen all sides of people either exciting their audience or boring them to death. The “boring them” part is too easy a trap (the result of doing the same thing as everyone else time after time). The difference I’ve noticed between great and grinding is how the presenter approached their presentation.

Showpros Ups the WOW Factor with WATCHOUT 5!

After a great event it’s so exciting to me when someone from the audience exclaims, “How did they DO that!?” Read more

One Way to Make an Annual Sales Meeting Incredibly Engaging

Merit Property Management held their annual sales meeting this week at the Irvine Marriott — about 570 of their people in the room for the day. The program held the usual content of company updates, awards for successes and a fun series of videos we helped them produce. And mid-afternoon they did something that really blew me away!

The Chief Administration officer took to the stage and asked everyone to clear their tables of all content as a score of people started passing out gift bags to each table. As part of their annual meetings, beginning last year, they have determined to make charitable giving a part of the program. This year’s activity — care packages for military men and women serving overseas (last year they made blankets for children in need).

First they honored the existing veterans within the room and launched into preparing the care packages. Each table created a Hero’s t-shirt (drawing or writing whatever they wanted on a white t-shirt with colored markers), wrote personalized messages on provided thank you cards, and then filled a shipping box with multiple items purchased by Merit specifically for the packages. They had even done their homework and spoke with military representatives to find out what items a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine would want to receive.

Maybe this is something other companies are already doing … it was a first for me and I was moved. The activity was energizing, people were really engaged, there was a lot of laughter and I witnessed how it drew their workforce together.

I look forward to recommending this type of activity to everyone of our clients. I hope you pass it forward with your company.

Six Tips for a Creating a Better Sales Meeting

Conducting internal sales meetings can be a challenge of expectations, politics and leadership – especially the big, annual retreat. Everyone (leadership, sales team and staff) wants to be heard, everyone is usually on a different page, and your role is to create a unifying experience…. Rather than just offer you a wish for good luck, here are six tips that can help you be more successful.

• Find out what your leadership and sales team needs. Take the time to ask about more than just the agenda. A successful meeting will address what is really going on within your sales organization, confront hidden beliefs and bring everyone to a high state of ready. Do not fall into the trap of, “I already know what our team needs!”
• Clearly communicate the reason for the meeting. Create a concise “reason for the meeting” Once you have taken the time to ask what people need, turn their words into a statement of goals and objectives that everyone can (mostly) agree on.
• Be a part of your meeting, not above it. Find ways to participate with your team in the different activities, trainings and discussions. That means giving away parts of your agenda so that you can fully engage as part of the team.
• Feature a relatively unknown staff or sales team member. There is almost always people in your organization with vital expertise that are working in the shadows. Bringing them forward is an incredible morale booster and motivator.
• Don’t get buried by special effects. Charts, pictures, spreadsheets, lights and sound are useful, but can become an incredible downer for your team when overused. Focus more on face-to-face connections and allow the special effects to support, not dominate the experience.
• Document and distribute. Don’t let the experience die when the meeting is over. Use photos and video from the meeting in company communications, on your company YouTube channel and your intranet.

Being Productive at Business Events

Attending business events is a great way to check out from the office, put deadline stress on hold, hang out at a luxury venue, get in some golf, and attend some hosted receptions (i.e., party). But after it’s over, what did you accomplish beside turn in an expense report?

Many of my clients ask if attending conferences is useful for growing their practice or marketing themselves — my short answer is “yes”. This advise from Matt Homann over at “the [non]billable hour” is pretty close to how I might answer the question. In particular I appreciated Matt’s comments about whom to seek out at an event:

“The most important people at the conference are sitting next to you. Think Tom Peters gives a rat’s ass about your new business strategy? Is Seth Godin going to give you personalized marketing advice? Of course not. The people at any event who are most likely to have already faced your challenges (and maybe even solved them) aren’t the highly-paid keynoters, but rather your fellow attendees. They are like you. They can help you. Ignore them at your peril.”

Some of the most important people in my Rolodex are those I met at conferences around the country. They are high on my list of people to contact when I face client and marketing challenges — and they have not been shy about reaching out to me. Often their call has resulted in new business for me, and every time it has been a growth experience…. I encourage you to read and heed Matt’s advise.

The Beauty of Building Partnerships

I grew up knowing that if I worked hard, did what I said I would do, and got along with people, I would be successful.  And throughout the 30 years of my career these principles have proven to be true.  So many parts of growing my business have been rewarding – having more resources, being more robust with services, taking on larger and larger projects – but bigger is also tougher because quality, service and integrity must remain paramount.

What has worked for me, to keep my business growing, is to build great relationships with my clients, my staff, vendors and everyone else that surrounds my business. In other words, I’ve strived for partnerships in which we’ve come to acknowledge and honor what is important for each of us in the relationship – a process for which there are no shortcuts.

Great partnerships begin by acknowledging each others needs and requirements.

It comes down to what value each partner receives from the relationship and an exchange of trust – that we will deliver on our promises to each other.

In my business it meant taking the time to know if getting bigger was better. I’ve been happy to pass on any expansion or new service that did not contribute to making my partnerships work better – profits are always second to relationships for my business.

And I have noticed that good partnerships are simple and uncomplicated. Any relationship with too many parts, drama or compromises, for either person, will never bear fruit.

And finally, as awesome as technology can be … it cannot replace the visceral satisfaction of face-to-face social interaction. I am happy to be in conversations via (name your social tool here), but the partnerships that have worked for me have all started face-to-face.

Working an Event in 60 Minutes or Less

I attend more than 150 business events events every year. That’s a lot of crackers, cucumbers, cheese, cheap wine and name badge spotting. Phew! It takes its toll and I’m not always capable of handling a full two to four hour production from start to finish. During heavy event seasons I’ve also had to cover two or more events in one evening. And, sometimes work or life commitments dictate how quickly I need to leave. Whatever the reason I’ve learned a few things about maximizing an event without attending for the duration.

• Arrive early — (when possible) I might be the first person there. This allows me time to talk with organizers, association principles, etc. These are all good connections to have and explore. They can key me in on expected attendees, future activities and opportunities.
• Read the names on the badges at the registration table. I like knowing whom I might meet; prospects, clients, competitors, referral resources, etc.
• Once people start flowing in I stay near the entrance to the main networking area. People are more capable of being easily engaged in conversation earlier than later. Plus, I will have a better chance of meeting everyone I want to meet. More importantly I am seen by a maximum of attendees. Being seen is almost as important as being known.
• If I must visit the bar or food tables — I greet someone and invite them to join me. From the front door almost everyone is headed to one of those two places as their next stop after registration.
• I offer to bring drinks to a gaggle of people. They will definitely include me in their conversation when I return and people feel good about people that pamper them.
• After about 30 minutes, when the crowd has really grown and a good buzz is happening I walk from the entrance to the furthest point away in the networking space. Along the way I greet people I know but haven’t spoken with yet, I wave and nod at people I’ve already talked to, and smile at as many people as look me in the eye.
• Once at the back of the room I survey the room for a cluster of VIPs hoping I know someone in the gathering. If so… that’s where I’m headed. If not, I look for a fellow service provider to discuss who is attending. What we can do together is make mutual introductions and share information/insight about people in the room.
• When the event is 45 minutes old I have pretty much “worked” the room and can start toward the exit much like I entered; nodding, shaking hands, and smiling.

What I have accomplished is immense! I was seen by many, I appeared to be known by many, I made all-important connections (and set up opportunities for private meetings), and been a contributor to the all important buzz of an event.

For the record let me say that I think it is bad form to leave early. For all of the effort that individuals put into an event — it is the decent thing to stay to the end (I hope for the same from attendees at events that I orchestrate). But, at every event it is not possible for me to stay as it is not possible for everyone that shows up.

If you find that your time is limited these where just a few ideas for making the journey productive.

The Dangers of Reading from a Script or Teleprompter

I helped produce an awards event this evening — each presenter was reading from a teleprompter. And each presenter sounded like he/she was reading from a teleprompter — flat delivery, stumbling over complex sentences and dry humor delivered like a news story. OOF! The best moments of the evening came when award recipients were given the podium to make a few off-the-cuff comments (no script).

A truth is that most business and community event presenters are not professional actors or Emcees. It’s just us regular folk. Someone hands us a script or tells us to look at the teleprompter and off we go hoping not to look the fool…. Here are a few suggestions for injecting a bit more personality and fun back into scripted events:

• Hire a coach to work with your presenters for an hour or two. A good coach will offer valuable instruction on voice modulation, engaging the audience and working with the script, not for it.
• Don’t put humor in the script word-for-word. Instead put a placeholder in the script and have the presenter practice his/her delivery.
• Place reminders in the script for the presenter to look at and talk with the audience.
• Have the presenters read through and rehearse BEFORE the day of the event.

A great presenter, to me, is one who sounds like he/she is using his/her own words to engage me in the importance of what is being said. This can only happen with coaching, preparation and passion.

How to Quiet an Audience

I was at an awards event this evening and noted once again the ever present challenge of quieting an audience. There are no bad people here, just passionate and enthusiastic attendees engaged in having fun and enjoying good conversation.

As an Emcee at many events I have found one method for getting the attention of the audience that has NEVER failed.

From the podium say this: “If you can hear the sound of my voice turn to the person next to you and say shhhhh.”

If needed say it again. Personally I have never had to say it more than twice. Amazingly, people perform the task and within seconds I’ve enjoyed a rapt and attentive audience.