The Presentation – The Power of the Three Ten’s
Whilst giving your presentation, it is important to use the right tonality. Here are three tonalities to practise:
- Secrecy and scarcity
- Certainty
- Disarming
Anchoring the tonalities
The easiest way to practise using these tonalities is to actually feel them and create an anchor. An anchor is a term used in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). For more on anchors, see my post at ChangeAndAchieve.com (LINK).
For instance, think of a time when you were certain. As an example maybe when you absolutely knew that you were going to win a sale and you did. Think of that time. Recall all the feelings and anchor them. This means adopt the same body language or create a gesture, like pumping your fist into your palm.
How to create an anchor
Here is the step-by-step process for creating a resource anchor.
Whenever you make a sale or even just book an appointment, close your eyes and make two fists.
Associate with the feelings for ten seconds, including mental images. Intensify the feelings.
Get a smell anchor. You could use a fragrance in your office. Every time you make the sale take a sniff. Try to get four anchors –
- Auditory (it could be ringing a bell.
- Kinaesthetic (make a fist)
- Olfactory (smell the fragrance)
- Visual (look at a motivational poster)
Repeat this three times ONLY when you close a sale. This will lock the anchor in place.
Then only use the anchor as a resource when you really need it, for instance just before a presentation. Don’t just do it for phone calls, as this will dilute it. Save it for that special occasion, when you need to be at your best.
Use Gestures for anchoring the tonalities
Identify one gesture that creates support for each tonality, for example for certainty, slap the back of your hand into the other hand.
Do an anchor for the other tonalities: scarcity (a sideways glance as if you are checking if someone is listening) and disarming (raise your palms facing away).
Presentation: The Basic Structure of a Pitch
Before we start, always remember that a pitch or script is always a work in progress, as you should always be testing and improving your delivery and the words.
- Less is more, when making a presentation. For example, “Good morning this is Mike Holden” would be better as “Morning, Mike Holden Here”. Then the body of your presentation should be bookended by:
“… This should be the perfect fit for you” and “Believe me you won’t be sorry”. In between these two statements, the body of your presentation should be no more than one page of A4 long. - Once you have hand-written your presentation script out, read it through and tweak it a hundred times to make it flow naturally and sound casual. (Tip – take it with you to pull out when you have a spare couple of minutes, for instance if you are waiting in a reception room). Remove any unnecessary words and sentences. Shorten words like “it is” to “its”.
- Paint a picture using comparisons and metaphors. This is crucial. People like to hear stories as it helps them to picture themselves using your product in their mind.
- Link your goods or service to a trustworthy figure. Are there any industry leaders in your company, who may have used your product or service? Are there any famous people who have endorsed your company? Has your company dealt with any household named companies before?
- In the last paragraph create some urgency, but remember to stay ethical. E.g. “the reason I’m calling now is…” or “we’ve just got this new”…
- Use a soft close within the presentation, followed by “sound fair enough?” Price might not have been mentioned yet, but it could be. This should be no more than 1 to 1.5 minutes and no more.
The power of presupposition
A presupposition is a term used in NLP, which describes a statement, which pre-supposes something. For example “When you start this program and start earning more money…” This pre-supposes that the prospect will earn more money if they start the program.
Embrace the power of No
The sale begins with “no” and here are some of the reasons they will say no:
The don’t love your product
The don’t love you
They don’t love your company
They haven’t resolved their limiting buying beliefs.
The three tens
We have discussed the three tens before, but here they are again. They are the conditions you need to fulfil at ten out of ten before your prospect will buy:
First they need to love your product
Then they need to love you
Finally they need to love your company
The art of boxing someone in (ethically)
Imagine that your prospect is standing in a box. In Jordan Belfort’s model, you want to box him in by building solid walls around him metaphorically. The four walls represent:
A cast iron logical case.
A cast iron emotional case.
You dismantle his limiting beliefs around buying.
You reach and surpass his action threshold for taking action.
If you do this whilst showing you care, with the correct tonality and you will make the sale. Otherwise, the prospect will hang up the phone or end the meeting.
The art of looping.
Looping is a skill where the prospect says no. So you loop back in the conversation and re-establish the three tens. Then you try again. During the sales conversation, you keep repeating this so that you box him in and you make the sale.
The first Ten – the product
People will not buy if they’re not convinced that the product or service is the best thing since sliced bread. So the first ten is to get them to believe that the product is the best thing since sliced bread. Here is an example script:
“Now getting started is easy, it’s just a matter of some basic information along with you card details and I can reserve you a seat at next month’s training. And believe me Bob if you do even half as well as the other people who have gone through this programme, you are going to be very, very impressed. Sound fair enough?”
Answer – sounds good, let me think about it. (The first no).
What you want to do here is deflect this.
“I hear what you are saying, but let me ask you a question. Money aside, does the idea make sense to you, do you like the idea?”
Yeah its sounds pretty good.
(Match his tonality – if he is at level 6 enthusiasm you be at six, then start going up the level to lead him) “Exactly…”
You want to enter the world of your prospect where he is, then raise it and he will follow.
In the script, get him to the spot, a pre-planned question with an obvious positive answer. He will answer in a state of certainty. Then anchor this and take it back into the product to get your first ten.
Next you future pace the prospect’s success.
“Once you sing up you’ll start making real money follow what I’m saying?”
Yes
The second ten – you
Sell yourself by creating an example – a metaphor. For example if you are a stockbroker, your prospect won’t know you or trust you if it’s a first call, so you ask them if they’d bought before and knew you would they buy. If yes, reintroduce yourself to them and re-sell yourself. After that, you come to the third ten.
The third ten – your company
Give them a name and face for your company. Tell them the owner’s origin story, how he formed the company. Make them honest and ethical. Script this.
Now they still probably won’t order yet, they might say that they need to consult with their lawyer.
“I hear what you’re saying, but let me say this- the true beauty of this program…” (The second deflection.)
Now give them a third presentation with all the good stuff in that you have saved and tailor it to his objection. For example, he might say he needs to consult his wife, so mention this in the close:
“When you make the first £x thousand, go and buy your wife something – sound fair enough?”
THEN DON’T SPEAK
Tipping the scales from negative to positive.
“What’s the worst that could happen; let’s say I’m wrong…” “The up side is…all I ask is this –just give me one shot and believe me if you get half of the benefit of xyz you will be amazed. Believe me the only problem you will have is I didn’t call you last year and got you started then. Sound fair enough?”
They may get uncomfortable at this point because he is getting boxed in.
The next loop is very tight. You re-sell the company; you re-sell yourself again in two lines, then say:
“What exactly do you have to talk to your partner about?”
Let him speak.