Got my 3 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies yesterday, hand delivered by my favorite Girl Scout – my grand-niece Audrey 😎.
I’m reminded of a pre-Covid example about why this cookie transaction with Audrey has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COOKIES!!
Back in the olden days… At the office of one of my clients two girls had the opportunity to sell these famous cookies. One posted the order form in the break room near the coffee machine. The other girl, dressed in her Girl Scout uniform, went office-to-office and spoke individually to the employees.
Passive Seller sold 4 boxes… total.
Active Seller sold 234 boxes.
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE COOKIES!
Everyone is selling the same Girl Scout cookies. The product is good; but it is not unique!
IT’S ALL ABOUT TRUST.
It’s about the process – how you sell and how you create trust in your market place.
Look around and see who your competitors are. Like these Girl Scout Cookies – you’re all dentists selling healthy dentition, or you’re all estate tax attorneys selling wills.
Q: So why do your clients buy from you?
A: Trust.
When others trust you, they want to continue to do business with you. And they want to refer you to other great clients. Whether you’re selling a product, a service or a community initiative – don’t be the Passive Seller.
Rather – be the Active Seller who establishes trust and builds vital relationships.
Author: Karen Cortell Reisman is Founder of Speak For Yourself®, a communication consulting firm, and the author of 2 books on how to communicate. She lives in Dallas, Texas and is trying not to eat the entire box of Thin Mints, Samoas & Tagalongs!
This weekly Speak For Yourself® Blog Series is all about how to communicate on the stage, in your board rooms, on your virtual platforms, in meetings and on email. You’ve gained insights on the how’s, what’s and why’s.
But I’m not sure if we’ve ever unpacked how to get back your mojo after you’ve screwed up in any of the above communication scenarios.
How I could’ve answered Jill: “Jill – I’ve presented my Einstein keynote many times from La Jolla to Chicago to Montreal to Las Vegas to Jerusalem to Phoenix. It’s been well received, except to one crowd. It was at the Marriott World Congress Hotel in Orlando in 2010 on the main stage at our National Speakers Association Convention to 1,000 colleagues. Very Big Deal. Huge. NOT a place to fail. And … the speech did not resonate. It fell flat. And now, today’s dress rehearsal… it’s an updated version and many of the attendees in this upcoming zoom crowd were also at the 2010 Orlando speech.”
I decided that Jill and Barbara did not need to hear about my gremlins. BUT – maybe you do. Just maybe you’ve also had to face a group, again, after screwing up. How do you do it?
Some “How to get over your own gremlins” Advice
Admit when you’ve failed and figure out why it happened and how to recalibrate.
Talk to trusted friends/colleagues/mentors to gain insights; listen to their suggestions; and then embrace what works for you and gently lay aside what does not work for you.
Don’t give up. Sounds trite – but keep on keeping on.
Get better at your craft. Continue to grow. (I took improv classes, humor labs, kept speaking, consulting and writing, and I continue to attend almost every National Speakers Association meeting. Heck, I even became president of our own North TX Chapter of NSA!)
Move on.
With this blog I officially let go of the negative influence of that Orlando speech. You heard it here!! I will only add it to my many experiences as a speaker and use it as a positive learning tool.
So, how did my current zoom presentation go? I’ll let Patricia Fripp, Speaker Hall of Fame, answer this question.
“Your presentation was nothing less than life changing. Your storytelling agility and emotional connect are as good as any speaker I have seen. As you know I am a 44-year member of NSA and listen to and study speakers. You receive the ‘Fripp 14’ out of a scale of 1-10. Feel free to use these comments to shamelessly promote yourself.”
Thanks, Fripp. I have! 😎
****
*Yes, I’m related to Albert Einstein and this keynote is all about hope, resilience and brassieres. You’ll just have to hear it. You’ll gain strategies on how to handle life’s craziness.
PS: And, thanks to Barbara, Jill, Robin, Ann, Jimmy, Nina, Judy, Harriet, Penni, Neal, Ilene, Caroline, Tasca, Derek, Blake, Heather, Brian, Andria, Izzy, and many more who have been my past dress rehearsal targets! It takes a village.
Author:Karen Cortell Reisman is Founder of Speak For Yourself® , a communication consulting firm, and the author of 2 books on how to communicate. She lives in Dallas, Texas and cannot explain the Theory of Relativity.
Did you know we offer a free 20-minute communication consultation?
Don’t request even a few minutes of our time for a phone call or to watch your video.
Your top critical component to pitch your business
Explain how you can solve our problems.
You’re a Problem Solver.
Let’s unpack this concept.
Pitching Your Business Step 1: If you are solving your prospect’s problem(s), then you must know the challenges, headaches and concerns of your target.
Pitching Your Business Step 2: Do your due diligence on your target. Understand their world and their issues.
Pitching Your Business Step 3: Begin your pitch with your intel on them. Let your prospect know you’ve done your homework.
Now I’m going to go and delete all the daily Linked In messages and emails we get that want to share their company story, their services, their stuff.
We do not care about you. We only care about what you can do for us. Start with your research about my company and be my Problem Solver, and maybe… then… I’ll engage with you.
Author: Karen Cortell Reisman is Founder of Speak For Yourself® , a communication consulting firm, and the author of 2 books on how to communicate. She lives in Dallas, Texas and thinks baseball is boring; but selling is an art.
A client shared, “I get really aggravated with one of my Directors who always has a caboose comment.” “What’s that?”, I asked. He said, “His last sentence is grating. He’ll say, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it,’ or ‘The market can’t maintain this momentum much longer’, or ‘You look tired.’” My client chuckled (kind of) and remarked, “This Director ends every interaction on a sour note.”
How do you end a zoom meeting, or a conversation, or an email? In fact, how do you begin your interactions with others?
My client has me thinking about our engine and caboose financial opportunities.
Not to bash this analogy too much more (!), how do you want your train to enter and depart the station? Do you want to gain your buyer’s attention at the beginning? Do you want to end with the sale, or furthering your relationship?
Money-making ways to begin:
Begin with the word “You”. Ex: “You were great to contact our website for more information.”
Start with a quote, story or question – something compelling.
Ask them questions about them.
Don’t begin with a data dump about you or your company.
Strategic ways to close:
Give your listener a “call to action”. What are we supposed to do next now that we’ve read your email or heard your update? Ex: “Blog readers – become aware of your Engine and Caboose Opportunities!”
Say something positive. Ex: “Always great to catch up with you.”
Ask for the business.
Don’t end on a depressing note!
The way you begin and end your speeches, meetings, conversations and emails are critical! Call us to brainstorm about your “engines” and “cabooses” .
Source: Thanks @EstateLawyer for this blog’s inspiration.
Did you know we offer a free 20-minute communication consultation?
Add your comments here or contact me today to learn how I can share these concepts with you and your organization.
Karen Cortell Reisman, M.S., author of 2 books and President of Speak For Yourself®, works with decision makers on how to speak with gravitas. It’s all in how you speak for yourself. Karen also speaks about her cousin, #AlbertEinstein, in a message about hope, resilience and brassieres.
Life happens, even during Covid. In the past 24 hours I’ve been to a funeral (feisty & independent Marguerite dies of natural causes at 95), birthday dinner (my beloved daughter & fiancé serve delicious made-from-scratch pizza in their backyard to celebrate her bday), and a Bris (a Jewish baby naming ceremony for Israel Naftalis).
What do all of these life cycle events have in common? Speeches!
And I have to give it up to George. He wins the speech contest for his fabulous eulogy for his mother-in-law Marguerite. Although Israel’s Dad and my daughter, Courtney, come in as a close second.
Meet George – our Speak For Yourself® Best Speech Winner!
“Your speech was great,” I tell George.
“I credit Ms. Fry, my 9th grade speech teacher,” George replies. “She’s the best teacher I ever had. I’ve used her principles throughout my career.” (I can already see this blog in my head…)
“What did Ms. Fry teach you?”
“Three things.” (I love Ms. Fry. YOU KNOW how I preach the magic power of three.) “First – you have to have structure. A beginning, a middle and an end that ties it all together. Second – you have to have humor. If you make your listeners laugh it calms them down and it calms you down too. Third – you have to keep doing it. You can’t become a better speaker unless you speak. Take every opportunity to speak.”
Check. Check. Check. George made us laugh (and cry). He weaves a great story with a beginning, middle and end. And he must’ve spoken a lot in his career – he is confident and conversational.
For you – as leaders of your various businesses – whether it’s a personal event or a professional virtual live streaming, follow Ms. Fry’s principles. Or hire us. George is retired.
Life happens, even during Covid. In the past 24 hours I’ve been to a funeral (feisty & independent Marguerite dies of natural causes at 95), birthday dinner (my beloved daughter & fiancé serve delicious made-from-scratch pizza in their backyard to celebrate her bday), and a Bris (a Jewish baby naming ceremony for Israel Naftalis).
