How to Wow Audiences With Financial Presentations
by Karen Friedman
Superstar rocker Rod Stewart said it best when he belted out Every Picture Tells a Story. That song could have been titled: Every Number Tells a Story because financial presentations aren’t much different. If you want audiences to hear what you have to say, showing a bunch of graphs and balance sheets simply won’t cut it. Numbers, like pictures need to create a compelling story that draws the listener in and helps them understand what those numbers mean to them. Are you asking them to invest? Are you trying to strengthen analyst perceptions? Are explaining why your company is poised for growth? Are you offering to help them grow their money?
By learning to whittle your words into a few key ideas that you deliver with conviction and passion, you will have a much greater chance of keeping someone’s attention and helping them realize why they should care about what you have to say. If you can’t make them care, they won’t feel anything. And if they don’t feel anything, it will be very difficult to convince them that you are capable of solving their problems.
If you think back on some of the presentations you’ve sat or should I risk saying— slept through, do you remember the numbers the speaker spouted? For example, do you remember how many people are fighting obesity in America? Probably not. But, you probably remember that obesity is increasing. And you might remember that more than half of American adults are considered overweight. Do you remember that over the summer the average hourly wage increased 6 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $16.13? Not likely. But you might recall that employers added more jobs to U.S. payrolls than expected.
When used correctly, numbers can really drive a point home. But numbers can also be confusing, irrelevant and left up to interpretation if they don’t provide perspective. Think about a doctor who is trying to educate his or her audience about the warning signs of heart disease. She may explain that according to the American Heart Association, 1.2 million people are expected to have heart attacks this year and that 494,000 of those people will die. While those statistics sound impressive, the information would be far more relevant if the doctor had rounded off the numbers and then told the audience how those statistics affect them. For example, if she said: “Over one million people are expected to have heart attacks this year. Nearly half of those people will die. We could be talking about your mother, father, spouse or loved one which is why it is so important for you to recognize the warning signs of heart disease so the people you love can be with you for a long time.”
As a presenter, your job is to help your listener make sense of information. By following these eight easy tips, you will increase your chances of wowing your audience so they hang onto your every word.
1. KEEP IT SIMPLE Don’t confuse your audience. The more points you try to cover, the more you will dilute your message. Highlight the three or four most important issues and support those issues with examples, stories and anecdotes.
2. GET TO THE POINT You need to hook your listener immediately. If you can’t articulate what’s in it for them and why they should care in the first few seconds, you will lose them. For example, if you are talking about technology, do they really care about all of the fields and features? Or would they rather know how those fields and features can save them time and money?
3. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE Learn about the members of your audience before you arrive so you understand what they care about, how they perceive your company or product, what positive or negative attitudes they have and what hurdles they face. Investors buy confidence and credibility. By addressing critical issues and vulnerabilities, you create rapport with your listener.
4. TELL YOUR STORY Investors and analysts are impressed by people who have great credentials, a good track record and appear to have vision. They are looking for companies (individuals) who they believe can tackle challenges and solve problems. Remember, they buy people, not companies. While investors are concerned with profit and loss statements, financial presentations must show and tell the story. Listeners want to know if there is a market for your ideas, if you can meet current challenges, how you’ll make money and if you have the resources, knowledge and ability to overcome obstacles.
5. SHOW AND TELL Just because this is a serious subject doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Use charts, models, graphs and visual images to bring your story to life, but remember—no one came to see a slide show. They are looking at you. If you use PowerPoint, don’t overload your slides with profit and loss statements. No one can read it. Slides should drive a point home. Save the details for the handouts. Pie charts and color graphs are more effective. The fewer slides you use, the more impact you will have because the audience will be listening to you instead of trying to make sense of your slides.
6. PROVIDE DIRECTION AND VISION Articulate the problem your company is trying to solve and explain how the company will make money solving that problem. Talk about the future. Talk about your challenges. If you know where the potholes are, then address them instead of hoping they won’t pop up.
7. MOCK Q AND A Conduct your own mock question and answer session in advance. By thinking through potential questions and writing out your answers, you will be more prepared and less likely to be surprised by questions. Your answers should always reinforce your message. By practicing answers out-loud, you are less likely to make mistakes and more likely to sound polished, confident and assured.
8. DON’T WING IT It doesn’t matter how good you think you are. Executives who “wing it” are setting themselves up to fail. The better you prepare, the easier it will be to stay focused, give meaning to your words and handle interruptions or questions. This means you need to rehearse OUTLOUD.
Like any effective business communication, financial presentations should be interactive. That doesn’t mean you have to let others do the talking, but it does mean you need to encourage to think. Pose thoughtful questions. Put a face on those numbers by turning them into audience examples or human interest stories to give it substance and meaning. Finally, whether what you have to say makes them feel good, bad, happy, sad, angry or frustrated, just look for ways to make them feel something or they might not remember anything.
Copyright (c) 2009 Karen Friedman
Karen Friedman is an international communications coach and award winning television reporter who helps executives, spokespeople and celebrities shine in every interview, appearance and presentation. President, Karen Friedman Enterprises and co-author of Speaking of Success, she is frequently quoted by publications including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Details: http://www.karenfriedman.com
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What Is The Purpose Of A Pre-Approach Sales Letter
by Mahavir
With email marketing campaigns to Internet landing pages now comprising a significant amount of the marketing budgets, some people have abandoned the traditional, word processed pre-approach letter. Yet, this marketing and sales strategy may be somewhat short sighted.
Before anyone engages in writing any business letter, the first question needs to be answered is “What is the purpose of the communication?” Upon successfully answering this question, then and only then can a well written letter be constructed.
So what is the purpose of a pre-approach sales letter? Years ago, the answer might have been to secure that first time appointment to just a friendly introduction to a way to increase sales. Today, I believe the purpose is two-fold:
1. First attempt to showcase what makes you different or how you stand out away from everyone else
2. First demonstration of your core values
To stand out in the crowd or to be that Red Jacket as I like to say means that you have hone and executed these sales skills when crafting that pre-approach sales letter:
* Fact finding specific to the market place
* Research about the qualified prospect
* Ability to speak and write a compelling story using the A.I.D.A. model
* Relationship selling
Sales Coaching Tip: Many pre-approach letters fail because they are not sent to qualified prospects who have a need; a dedicated budget; are the decision maker and there is urgency to take action.
Additionally, your core values must always be present from each word you speak or write to your behaviors after you send that pre-approach letter. In other words, for more details visit to www.sales-letter-secret.com write truthfully and avoid using language that may suggest you are less than honorable and authentic.
Every qualified prospect has specific problems or issues that they know and may not know. These issues may be commonly shared within the marketplace or be specific to that qualified prospect. Your pre-approach letter must be able to showcase your understanding of these issues and how you can potentially solve these problems.
Once you have completed your research, now you must write a compelling story. The A.I.D.A. model serves as a good and consistent guideline. First your message must get their Attention. Accomplishing this step may include the packaging of your letter to those first few words and how they are positioned within the letter.
Small Business Sales Coaching Tip: People remember the first few words and the last ones. Your pre approach letter needs to build interest so that they read to the bottom of the letter instead of just skipping down to the infamous P.S.
Next, your compelling story must generate both Interest and Desire. You want your qualified prospect to keep reading and begin to feel emotionally connected to what he or she is reading. Small Business Sales Coaching Tip: People buy from an emotional level first and then justify those emotions with logic.
Finally, for more details visit to www.killer-sales-letters.com your pre-approach sales letter must end with a call to Action. If well written and there exists urgency from your earlier research, your letter will have your qualified prospect picking up the phone and calling you.
Research continues to demonstrate that long, pre-approach sales letters have value because these letters tell a compelling story. I believe that shorter pre-approach sales letters also have value, but you must be very careful in their construction.
Your qualified prospect is very busy. However, when you write a purposeful pre-approach sales letter that communicates an understanding of the marketplace, addresses the most pressing needs or issues and provides a potential solution all within a compelling story, you will stand out away from all of your competitors.
www.sales-letters-creator.comwww.sales-letter-secret.com
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The Habits of Highly Successful Writers
by Mayor Mize
If you’re anything like me, once you’ve done burning up with envy, they prompt you to resolve to change your attitude, to write more and send more out. Of course, if you’re anything like I was until recently, your resolution lasted until you got up the next morning… or if you were having a really good day, maybe until lunch.
The trouble is, you can resolve to change your behavior all you like, but until you change the underlying attitudes that cause you to behave that way, it’s going to be an uphill struggle. Most writers who aren’t writing and submitting as much as they’d like to give one of two reasons.
The first reason is ‘I don’t have time.’
There are times in your life when that will probably be true. If you’re nursing sick kids, making a major job change or moving house, give yourself a break. There are other things to life besides writing, and when things calm down and you can give your full attention to the page again, the odds are your writing will improve for having some new experiences.
If you’re not going through a major life change, then time is not much of an excuse. You have twenty-four hours a day, the same as the rest of us. If you’re finding time for other leisure activities - TV, sport or socializing - then you have time to write. Successful writers find time to write. Rumour has it that best-selling author Carole Matthews produced her first book by tying herself to her desk when she got in from work and not undoing the knot until she’d reached her word-count for the day!
On hearing stories like this, most writers move on to the second reason: ‘I wish I could do that, but I just don’t have that kind of motivation.’ In its extreme form, this can also show up as beating yourself up for being apathetic, lazy, or procrastinating. Don’t do it! Firstly, because it makes you feel lousy. Secondly, for most people, it has no useful effect at all. And thirdly, because it’s not true. You wouldn’t be here reading this if you weren’t motivated to write, and be the most successful writer you can be.
Your job is to figure out what’s getting in the way of doing that.
If you’re anything like me, behind the worries about time and motivation, a big part of the obstacle is some form of that old chestnut, fear of failure.
‘What if it’s not good enough?’ we worry, and tinker with the piece a bit longer instead of sending it out into the world to be judged. ‘I’m not enough of an expert to tell people how to do things,’ we say, and then fume when someone else with even less experience lands the prestigious ‘Question and Answer’ column.
For most of us, the difference between us and those hugely successful and productive writers is not ability. It’s confidence. It’s having the guts to pitch for a tricky, but rewarding job, knowing that you’ve always delivered before, and you’ll find a way to do so this time. It’s taking the plunge and sending your synopsis and sample chapters off to a handful of agents, and then, if those come back, to another dozen or so for good measure. It’s being able to withstand any individual failure because you know it’s not the end of everything, just an inevitable setback on the road to ultimate success.
This sort of confidence doesn’t appear overnight, but there are some easy tricks you can use to move yourself along.
Don’t worries about starting small - most successful writers do? Give yourself a goal that’s just a little bit ahead of where you are now - perhaps a number of submissions per week or month, a competition to enter or a new market to pitch to. Reward yourself when you get there, and keep a record of your successes to cheer yourself up when things are going less well. And each time you reach a goal, pick a new one that’s just a bit further along.
Just like everything else you do regularly, writing success soon becomes a habit, and before long people will be looking at you and wondering how you do it!
Mayor Mize is a successful Affiliate marketer and author. Read more articles about making money online from home at his Affiliate marketing blog, Numerology Readings That Will Shock You!
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Many Kinds Of Grilling Tips Today
by Jack Sands
Grilling term is here. You’ve got your examine complete of gas, you’ve stocked up on hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks, and you’re glad to go. Nevertheless those hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks are receiving old ahead. You’d like to try something besides for a change. If you’re looking to change up your habitual interview menu, why not try seafood? Fish makes a wholesome meal, and grills up somewhat clearly. Seafood does dowry some interview challenges, however. These tips should help you on your way to interview great seafood.
Make convinced your question is tidy and oiled. Fish firewood to the probe very easily, so genteel lubrication is necessary. If you don’t oil your probe, the fish will switch, and space apart when you try to delete it. Grab a wad of paper towels, or a rolled up kitchen towel in a brace of forceps. Dip the paper towels or kitchen towel into some vegetable oil, and rub the oil against the probe. You can also spray the press with cooking spray, just be convinced the question is off when you do this, or the spray could stir, injuring you.
Use bright fish if feasible, since it is easier to work with than frozen fish. Each serving should be about 6-8 ounces for fillets or steaks, and 8-12 ounces for total fish. You can place fish straight on the question, but if you do this, you should use a safe fleshed fish, like grouper, tuna, swordfish, or salmon. You can also buy quiz baskets made for interview seafood. These will help small pieces of fish from lessening through the quiz, and will help in interview delicate fillets.
Cook the fish over channel-hot to hot reheat. If your probe doesn’t have a thermometer, then call your hand about 5 inches above the boil. If you can occupy your hand there for 2 seconds, the temperature is hot. If you can hold your hand 5 inches from the ardor for 3-4 seconds, it channel hot. If your cooking undivided fish, you’ll ought to have the temperature a bit decrease, so the fish won’t burn. You should intend on cooking the fish for about 10 record for every inch of thickness. The fish is done cooking when it is difficult, and begins to peel. It is better to undercook the fish a bit than overcooking it. You can forever roast it some more if it is undercooked, but you can’t uncook it if it is overcooked.
Marinades are a good way to add savor and dampness to the fish before cooking. You only hardship to preserve fish for 30-60 summary. If you store the fish for too long, the acids in the immerse will flinch to heat and disobey down the flesh. Lean fish should also be basted during cooking to keep the fish from drying out. Fattier fish, like tuna and salmon don’t necessity stitching, but you can stitch them to add more feeling.
Shrimp, Scallops, and chunks of stiff fleshed fish work well on skewers. Alternate chunks of seafood with chunks of vegetables on a spit for great seafood kebobs. If you’re using stiff skewers, be convinced to soak them for 30 minutes before grilling to foil them from burning on the press.
It isn’t hard to grill seafood, but it does take some tradition. Follow these tips for grilling seafood, and increase your grilling repertoire. It’s a great shatter from hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks.
For tips on grilling ribs and grilling vegetables, visit the Grilling Ideas website.
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Finding The Right Glass For Your Wine
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If you are searching for new wine glasses, there are many things that you should take into consideration when making your selection. The decision is not only about which glasses you find most attractive, or the price that most fits inside your budget. There is a third factor you should always consider that most people are unaware of. Every wine drinker has a preference when it comes to the type of wine they choose. So, when selecting your own personal wine glasses, you should take your preference into consideration.
Whether your preference is Merlot or Chardonnay, the shape of your wine glass plays a crucial part in your overall satisfaction.
If you are a wine expert, or an everyday kind of guy who knows what he likes, you know the difference between red and white wines. You can enjoy the dryness you find in red wine, and you love how the flavors of cherry, plum, and blackberry combine in perfect harmony. However, due to your amount of experience in the wine world, you may not know the key to truly enjoying your Merlot. There are two unspoken rules to follow when drinking a red wine. The first is the temperature at which your bottled is stored, and how it is served.
Red wine is best when stored and served around 60 to 65 degrees. If you exceed this temperature, you will find the alcohol taste in your wine overwhelming. However, if you fall below this temperature, you might find your wine so bitter it’s hard to consume. The second, most important rule is that in order for red wine to reach its full potential, it must be able to breathe. In order to allow it to breathe, red wines are best when enjoyed in a wide-mouthed glass. In your efforts to purchase that perfect wine glass, if the red wine guru mentioned above applies to you, wide-mouth glasses are essential for your next dinner party.
However, if you enjoy a sweeter wine, with a select amount of dryness, and complex taste, it’s no question why you enjoy white wines. White wines come in a variety of colors and flavors, but they are defined by their yellow to clear complexion and complex flavor when served at optimum temperature. Whether you enjoy the Chardonnays from France that strangely resemble champagnes, or the Rieslings from Germany and their sugary taste, you will need to drink out of a white wine glass in order to truly enjoy your drink.
White wine glasses are very different from red wine glasses, in the fact that they are much more slender and resemble a tulips as opposed to an egg. The opening in the top of the glass is much smaller as well, and like the red wine glass, these changes are essential for enjoyment. A white wine is best enjoyed when served chilled and the small opening of the glass allows for less air to enter and therefore allowing your wine to remain colder longer. Another advantage of the glasses design is the smaller bowl than the red wine glass. This allows for less hand to glass contact and therefore keeping the wine chilled and enjoyable for longer.
If you enjoy both types of wine, but also enjoy a sweet after dinner delight with your dessert, there is also a glass for you. Champagne is actually wine that has been fermented twice in order to obtain the carbonation and sweetness that is so attractive about the drink. Champagne is commonly enjoyed with dessert or rich dishes, and also as a celebratory treat. In order to completely enjoy champagne, however, it is best when served in a glass referred to as a champagne flute. Champagne flutes are tall and slender like white wine glasses, however, the opening is smaller still and the bowl is much slimmer. This design allows the champagne to remain chilled andthe small opening allows it to retain its carbonation. The most important reason for this design has to be the visual effect of the bubbles displayed that make this drink truly enchanting.
This author is a huge fan of http://www.cookingrecipesweb.com
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