The Art of Selling Without Selling: Master this art by applying this tip in your next presentation! [Wednesdays: “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”]
There are a lot of ways to build a great talk.
However, as many as those ways may be, public speakers or presenters still have to carefully choose the approach they use in their presentation.
This includes taking note of a few inappropriate talk styles that could negatively affect their reputation as a speaker.
This series of articles will tackle four talk styles that public speakers or presenters should steer away from, especially in their speeches or presentations.
In today’s article, we’ll be focusing on The Sales Pitch.
In his book titled, “TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking,” Chris Anderson mentioned that several years ago, a famed author and business consultant came to deliver a presentation on the TED stage. Everyone in the event was excited to hear what this person had to say about “thinking outside of the box.”
Everything was going well, until this ONE BIG turn off: After talking about different businesses that made a significant leap forward in achieving their goals, this speaker said it was because of ONE action they all took.
That action was…
All these businesses booked his consultancy services!
Imagine being on the receiving end of that presentation. Better yet, imagine if you were affiliated with one of those businesses mentioned by this speaker. How would you feel after hearing that?
It’s as if this speaker is implying that those businesses ONLY succeeded because of his consultancy services―that if they hadn’t taken that service, they wouldn’t have been able to achieve their goals.
Think about it.
Of course, there are other factors that played a huge part too such as the management and employees’ teamwork, effort, careful planning, etc.
Availing this speaker’s consultancy services is just ONE PART that contributed to the success stories of those businesses mentioned.
At the end of his presentation, not even one person from the audience booked for a consultancy service from him. Aside from that, TED never posted his presentation online.
According to Anderson, there’s an irony to this style of talk in a public presentation:
“This greedy approach to speaking doesn’t even serve the speaker’s interest.”
Your reputation as a speaker is crucial. You want to be remembered by your audience as a generous person and not a self-promoter.
The key principle is to always remember that your job is to give to the audience and not just take from them. Even the most effective salespeople put themselves in their listeners’ shoes and figure out how to best serve their needs.
Some of the goals of public speaking are to:
- Enlighten and engage an audience
- Make your audience think
- Establish credibility and interest about your brand
- Build relationships with your audience that can later lead to sales or joining in your call-to-action
According to technology entrepreneur and international speaker Artem Welker, sales generated from public speaking engagements are usually a result of heightened brand awareness and brand following. You’ll be able to achieve this if you give your audience something that will make them trust and want to learn more about you and your brand.
Think of your public speaking sessions or presentations as a way to build and nurture professional business relationships with your audience. Whatever your topic is, your audience has to leave at the end of your presentation with something beneficial.
Generosity in public speaking always evokes a positive response. It moves the audience on an emotional level and makes them care about other things you have to offer to them.
One example of a great presentation was delivered by American human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson.
When Stevenson came to TED, his organization, the Equal Justice Initiative, was in urgent need of USD 1 million to continue to fight a case at the US Supreme Court.
Do you think he included it into his presentation and begged the TED audience to donate to his organization?
He didn’t do that. What he did was the opposite.
Stevenson didn’t mention that need (not even once) in his presentation. Instead, he transformed the way the audience thought about injustice in America by telling stories, giving insights, injecting humor, and leaving the attendees something to think about. He presented his topic in such a powerful way that by the end of his presentation, the audience rose as one and applauded him.
A standing ovation wasn’t the best thing to come out of the presentation though.
Aside from earning the audience’s trust and respect, Stevenson received attendee contributions exceeding USD 1.3 million. That’s more than what his organization needed to fight the case!
Different talk styles call for different situations. Although you can try varying techniques and approaches to your public speaking engagements, you still have to choose your methods wisely.
Remember to draw a line between a sales pitch and a public speech or presentation! Not only will this help you earn your audience’s confidence and trust, but it will also leave them with a good impression about the brand or organization you represent.
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Wednesdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”
In a meeting with one person
…a boardroom with five people
…or a huge venue with hundreds of people
—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.
No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.
What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?
Every Wednesday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.
The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.
(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)
Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to present well will definitely give you an edge.
Have that advantage.
Hope you’ve found this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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