Do you sell from the stage? Do you want to sell from the stage?
Do you cringe at cheesy sales presentations and seminars? Do you want to learn the magic formula for how “they” are doing it? Because come on, lets face it. you know your product is just as good, if not better. You know your skills can help many people, but why is it that your sales pitch just ain’t working.
Thats because it’s a very specific formula, in a very specific order, that literally sets the brain on fire.
I’m going to lay it out for you.
1. OPENING
When you get on stage the first thing you need to do is receive. DON’T freak out. The first few seconds the audience is going to make a huge judgement about you. So you’ve gotta act like you are totally comfortable and you own that spot. The best way to do this, even if you are secretly freaking out, is to stand with your hands clasped near your navel, look around the room and smile and RECEIVE the applause. Don’t speak until the applause has stopped.
Secondly thank the hosts and edify them in the most authentic way possible. You need to give them a plug and mention something of interest that they made be selling or said. The reason you are there is because of the hosts so make them feel big, happy and give them a reason to invite you back.
2. BIG PROMISE
Get straight into what you are going to GIVE the audience today. Make a big promise about what you will be delivering and what they will get if they stay and listen to your talk. Notice I said BIG. Make it big and invested enough in their interests to lure them into wanting to get that big promise all the way to the end.
3. CORE MESSAGE
You need to then get straight onto your core message. It’s a fact that your audience will at best take 3 things away from your presentation. Your core message needs to be said up front and then threaded throughout the entire presentation. The aim here is for the audience to number 1 have clarity and number 2 to associate that core message with you.
4. FRAMES
This is the part where you tell the audience how you want them to act and be in your presentation. You frame their position and yours. This is the part where you ask three rhetorical yes questions and get the audience to really respond with a resounding yes. This is the part where you say today I want you to participate as much as possible. You break down WHY participation is important. Thats because it helps them to be better educated and remember the information. Here you are literally helping them form the frame of mind you want them to be in. Give examples/stories of frames of mind that is “winning”,”successful”, “happy”, “ACTION TAKERS”, “sexy”!
5. PROBLEMS
Now the nice stuff is out of the way it’s time to help your audience to connect with their PAIN – ouch! But really lets have some integrity about this. They are (as I’m sure you have been) sitting in the audience because they have a genuine problem. For example they don’t know how to do online marketing , or have a successful relationship, or be radiantly healthy. You are the guru who does know. But before you can give them the solution you need to remind them of that pain. Why? Because….well, the truth is you won’t sell anything other wise!! Problems sell solutions. If we are in pain we will do anything to get out of it as quickly as possible. Now don’t fret because you are not doing any thing wrong here. You’re simply talking about pain that many humans share. If they don’t have “that” pain then their not the customer for you. It’s important for you to be clear about what pain your are serving and solving. And them dish it up in full force!
6. STORY
The best and fun part….time to tell your story. Now just quietly I think I am a bit of an expert at this. Well at all of the pitch thing actually. But this bit in particular. If you want the full version then get in contact but for now here’s some quick tips.
- The rags to riches. Oh groan I hear you say. Not the ole rags to riches. Sorry folks it’s gotta be done. If you do this with genuine stories, that actually truly moved YOU, literally, on the inside then this will be a very powerful section of your presentation. Every wants to hear it. Don’t forget that. We all LOVE a great well told story. I like to open with well what gives me the right to be up here. Well about 5 years ago…
- Give your story detail. Physically describe the people in your story. If it’s only you then describe what you looked like at the time.. This brings your story alive.
- Bring the story to a climax of and then describe the 3 things you learnt. These 3 things need to be related to your core message and they also need to embed the action that you want your audience to take/learn and be. For example I learnt that you need to know yourself to grow yourself, taking action is the only thing that will get you out of that pit and lastly follow a system.
- Throughout your pitch weave some metaphors. These metaphors again need to relate and come back to your core message.
- BE FUNNY! Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself.
7. UNIQUE TO YOU
Very important that you now IMPRESS your audience with some fast paced, rapid fire unique educational points that they haven’t heard any where else. Give it to them fast, hot and with high energy. They want to know their in the hands of someone who is close to god, or maybe a superhero or divine goddess. Someone who has answers that nobody else on the planet does. I know you have that…because we all do.
8. THE SYSTEM
It’s time to breakdown and reveal the system. Your masterpiece. All good entrepreneurs, experts, thought leaders have a system. Now it’s probably a good idea to tease your audience with this system before this point so that when you reveal it, you have some real excitement and tension in the room. What you are doing here is performing and no great drama is complete without some tension. Give them the ole dazzle dazzle. Tease your audience with your system. You may want to leave parts of it out. You may reveal 3 of the 7 steps. You may reveal a step and then move onto a story and leave the system hanging, keeping the audience intrigued. All great presenters infuse their audience with the perfect blend of feel good and pain. Feel good dopamine and the pain chemical, whatever that is called. When combines together through a great story you have something called attention. And the great game today is holding prospective customers ATTENTION!
9. PACE OUT RESISTANCE
Your audience knows a pitch is coming. It’s part of the deal. And because they know this as your talk goes on, somewhere at the back of their brain they are forming little objections. Some of them are forming big fat ones. Some of them came with them and some will have them for life. Focus now on pacing out those resistances. This is a BIG, MASSIVE, chunk of your success to selling from stage. And it’s gotta be done before you get to the offer. By the time the offer comes you want them to be gagging and gasping for it. So don’t leave objections until then. Do it now. The biggest resistances are:
- It costs too much.
- It won’t work for me
- I’m not ready, I’ll buy it next time
Pace it out and solve these with a story/example.
10. PURRRRING PITCH
Now it’s time to pitch. If you have done everything right up until now this should be a breeze. There’s still a lot of intricacy to it and it goes like this:
- Re-state the core message
- Discuss how the market is moving fast and don’t get left behind
- Tell them about your program. Clearly the specific steps in the program.
- Tell them the legacy they will create by being in the program. (e.g. example to their friends, family, kids. The idea is to be emotive on who they are and what they will be remembered for).
- Question conventional wisdom on how things have always been done. Question how they have always done it. Remind them that is hasn’t gotten them to where they need to be.
- State the price. And yes it’s always good to do the and just for today it is (discounted). Everybody loves a deal so give them a deal. State what it usually is and give them a positive reason why it is discounted.
- Follow it with the Jone’s theory. You only have a few programs left at this price. So be quick, etc you get the picture.
- Follow the awkwardness of price offering by: Taking the program away from then by stating it may not be for you. If you are not prepared to do xyz then it’s not for you. I only like to work with people who are go getters. This creates tension and makes the prospective customer want it even more. Once you have them justifying why they should have it to YOU- BINGO!!
- Offer 100% money back guarantee. You should have no qualms about doing this as you made your product and you know it works and is worth very penny. It rarely happens that people want their money back but its important to the audience that you are willing to back your product to this extent.
11. CALL TO ACTION
Call your audience to action by asking them to grab an order form now. You have to ask your audience to move, stand up, raise their hands. get them to take action towards your product is some description or fashion. At this point having followed the method you will have interested parties so calling to action motivates others to do so to.
12. CLOSE
Restate your core message, tell them where you are going to be to answer questions. Leave on a positive inspirational message. Don’t make this too long because speed is everything to getting to the customers who want to join your program but are not 100% convinced yet.
Finish with some high energy music and enjoy the selling buzz.
Please leave a comment below about any thoughts or questions you have.
Until next time, remember you can have it all….
The business the brains and the beauty
ELK
