Here’s the scenario. A bio-tech company will fly to Paris to convince influential French physicians to use their compound-in-development in clinical trials. The company has invited the French doctors to a nice meeting room in a nice hotel and plans to tell the doctors all about the compound.

When asked, “What is the purpose of the presentation?” they say, “To tell them about the drug.” I say I see it differently. I say it’s to help the French doctors come to the conclusion that the bio-tech company would be a great company to partner with, and that the drug is a versatile powerhouse that will almost certainly make it to market and get their names in the best peer-reviewed journals in the world.

When I lay out this plan, they say it is not scientific enough. I am sensitive to that. I like and respect the traditions of science. But I say, “This is not a scientific presentation. This is a business presentation. Science plays a part, but the goal is a business goal. You need these people to believe in your company and your compound. Our job is to induce belief in them, and raise that belief to the level of action.”

We take the scientific and corporate information they already have and restructure it to make a strong argument for partnership. There is some resistance holding out in the recesses of their scientific hearts.

I persist. This is a “decisional” presentation, I say. The French doctors will say, “Yes, No or Maybe.” There are risks for them. They could miss out on a good thing if they say no. They could miss out on better opportunities if they say yes. There are rational calculations to make, including the fact that they have practices to run, assistants to pay, and time to manage.

There are also non-rational issues. They would love to get their names on an important study. They would hate to work for years on a trial of a compound that never gets to market. Should they say no? Should they say yes?

In reality, I would guess their decision will hinge on what the most influential physician in the group decides.

This was a lesson in knowing the audience–in targeting their rational and non-rational needs. The bio-tech firm was relying on the science to do the job. It seemed to me the calculation was broader than that. For the doctors, the decision would be psychological as well as scientific.

Stay tuned.

 

 

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

 

 

 

 

Blaise Pascal was a 17th century French mathematical genius who spelled out the laws of probability more clearly than anyone before him.  This was a watershed moment, because for the first time humanity had a systematic way of thinking about the future.

Pascal was both a gambler and a religious zealot.  He wanted to know if God really exists, which is knowledge not easily acquired.  So the next question was, “Should I act as if God exists, or should I act as if He does not exist?”

Suppose, said Pascal, that we lead a life of virtue and self-restraint, and when the day of reckoning comes, we discover there is no God.  Well, life was not too bad being good.  Maybe  life could have been a little more fun, but … this is a consequence that most people could accept.

Suppose however,  we bet that God does not exist, and lead a life of lust, violence, and depravity, only to discover that God really does exist.  Suddenly we’re looking at some serious time in the furnace of the underworld.  Pascal was not willing to take this chance.

Pascal’s wager is helpful for speakers.  When recommending a course of action to an audience that seeks GOG (greed, opportunity, and glory) a speaker should spend time exploring the possible downsides.  Risk is always present, no matter how close the goal appears.

For instance, hedge fund managers often make a huge bet, and then borrow even more money to put down on the bet to increase their potential earnings.  They do this because their data tells them that it’s practically a sure thing.  The problem arises when their data, which is about the past, does not apply to the future.  And if they have borrowed more money than they can easily pay back, their creditors close them down, and their clients lose their money.

A persuasive speaker, when advocating for a course of action, will ask the question, “How will we deal with surprises?  What are the consequences if we are wrong in our assumptions? “  Risk is the eternal possibility of being wrong–not always in an adverse direction.  Sometimes you’re wrong and things turn out better than expected.

When recommending a decision to an audience, it is wise to explore the consequences of your being wrong.   Sometimes the consequences are trivial (lead a good life but get no prize in Heaven), and sometimes they are not (lead a bad life and cook slowly forever.)

Rather than let the audience try to poke holes in your argument, you should do it yourself.  Give your presentation a pressure test, and see if it holds up.

Effective persuasion starts with the recognition that any forecast can be wrong, then weighs the consequences of being wrong.   Even if success will lead to fame, wealth and glory, you will be more credible if you surface the negative possibilities, and can honestly dismiss them as trivial.

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

 

Webinars seem to be a promising, cost-effective way of building relationships with prospects, but they’re hard to do well. As a medium for communicating with groups, they have their own quirks and require a lot of preparation. Here are a few rules of thumb.

First, define your desired outcomes in terms of what the audience will get out of attending your webinar. What are the problems they want to solve, and what are the questions they want to have answered? Then outline your main points (not too many) and gather evidence to support your main points.

Finally, create or select your PowerPoint slides. Please note that strategy comes first, then the selection and arrangement of content, then the slides come last…not the other way around!

Then rehearse. Time yourself. Build your confidence by building your certainty that you know how to bring your material to life and get it done on time.

Okay, now that you’ve prepared well and rehearsed, it’s SHOWTIME!

Start with a really good visual. Get them to focus right away.

Follow the new 45-60 second rule: display no visual longer than 45-60 seconds.

Use color to divide each slide into thirds: beginning, middle, and end–each a different color.

Slides should be even simpler than normal.

Timing is key. Work through your material rapidly.

Have an engaged listener in the room with you so that you have a real face to talk to–one that sends you signals to which you can repsond.

Maintain a high energy level. Webinars are like radio: The higher the excitement level, the more likely listeners are going to stay tuned. Rev it up.

Use a second speaker. Get yourself interviewed, or interview someone else.

Prepare questions for Q&A, just in case nobody has a question.

Keep your answers to questions as brief as possible. Be diplomatic at all times. And hit one of your main points in your response.

Eliminate all extraneous graphics.

Beware clip art and cutesy stuff. No puppy dogs.

Keep it business like and professional. Do not hype yourself with give aways and promotions.

Finally, make it crystal clear what is the next step for your listeners. It should be easy to contact you by phone, email, or regular mail.

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

 

 

Effective speaking has many enemies. A partial list would include a speaker’s lack of experience, stage fright, lack of training, no clear point, too much information, and finally, no clear flow, or structure.

We could go on. But the items on the list are only those enemies that hide within the speaker himself. What about the external enemies–the environmental obstacles, including those that hide within the audience?

Certainly one of the most stubborn opponents you can face as a speaker is an audience that has endured a morning’s worth of presentations, escaped into a lunch of heavy food and sweet desserts, only to be herded back into their seats to listen to you!

This is a test that separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. Such an audience can be somnolent, indifferent, and murderously hard on your ego.

What should you do?

1. Throw a match on them. Light them on fire. Henry Ward Beecher, one of the greatest preachers in American history, once found himself on a hot day in a town in West Virginia known to be Death Valley for speakers. Sure enough, that afternoon, as he was being introduced, he saw that half the town was already dozing. He rose from his chair and, wiping his brow with a large handkerchief, strode to the front of the platform.

“It’s a God-damned hot day,” the clergyman began.

A thousand pairs of eyes opened wide. An electrical shock straightened the crowd erect. Beecher paused and then, raising a finger of solemn reproof, went on, “That’s what I heard a man say here this afternoon.”

He proceeded into a stirring condemnation of blasphemy–and took his audience with him.

2. Keep it interactive. Ask the audience questions. Ask them to discuss something in small groups for a few minutes. I’ve seen speakers ask the audience to shout in unison a product name whenever he mentioned the name in his speech. They got into it and listened carefully in order to be part of the chorus.

3. Keep it short and sweet. This is true always, but especially true after lunch. Don’t try to take the audience on a death march through your comprehensive analysis of photosynthesis in the genus papaver somniferum.

4. Speak and move with energy and verve. You are the leader, and your followers need to be inspired. Breathe some life into them.

5. Tell stories. The Golden Rule of after-dinner speaking is to make a simple point by telling a whimsical but relevant story. The same rule should apply to after-lunch speaking, even though your audience is not seated at their lunch table but back in the conference hall.

6. Know your enemy. Your enemy is the food in their stomachs that demands their attention, even as you demand their attention from the lectern. You must be more compelling than the food that drags them into the arms of Morpheus. Your talk must be flavorful, adequately salted and spicy with a variety of fascinating facts, insights, and bold opinions that are sprinkled with a dash of style, passion and humor.

In other words, you’ve got to be well-prepared, well-rehearsed, and well-seasoned to capture and keep their attention.

For other highly challenging speaking environments, go to How to Give Good Webinar

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

 

You’ve been invited to moderate a panel.  The question is: How can you do it really well so that the meeting is rated highly, you look good, and your chances of being invited back are good?

First, you should look at the job of moderator as a great chance to create a host of positive impressions.  It’s great marketing for you and your company.  Let’s look into the details.

What’s the topic?  Can you change the topic, or re-phrase the title of the topic to make it more appealing?

Who will be on your panel?  Can you invite your own panelists?  Can you prep them so they don’t all say the same thing, so they dovetail nicely with each other?

What is the room like? When can you get into the room to test the microphones and get a feel for the place?  Who is in charge of the logistics?  Can you make sure they are on hand in case one of the panelists can’t be heard, or God forbid, you can’t be heard? Can you have it audio-taped, or video-taped?  Can you distribute copies of the tape?

Can you put a slide up with your name on it?  Can it stay up there the whole time?

How many important people can you invite or at least inform of your role in the meeting?  Can you get complimentary tickets for those you invite?  Free parking?

Once you’ve answered all the above, you should craft some strong opening remarks.  I recommend this outline:

1. Why this topic?
2. Why this topic at this time?
3. Why this topic at this time for this audience?
4. Why this topic at this time for this audience by these panelists?

Only then, after four ringing assertions, should you introduce yourself.  And once you’ve done that briefly and humbly, devote all your enthusiasm to the dignity and stature of your panelists.

Either they are already sitting on the stage, having come to their seats as you approached the lectern, or they wait for you to introduce them before moving a muscle to step forward.

Don’t allow them to move while you’re talking.  Nobody will pay any attention to your brilliance, but instead will goggle at the bodies moving into the limelight.   Panelists need rehearsal and firm stage directions.

Speaking of firm stage directions, your panelists should be instructed to prepare short opening remarks.  Do not let them take this assignment lightly.  The last thing you want is a boring, long winded, meandering, unprepared talk from the panel–it can drain the energy out of the discussion.  If such drainage occurs, it falls upon you to put a stop to it, and that’s hard to do without hurting feelings.

If you’re a stickler, you may even ask the panelists to send you their opening remarks a week ahead of time, and help them do better.  Certainly, gathering all their notes will help you steer them away from redundancy.

Familiarity with their remarks will help you prepare questions, and you can ask them if they have questions they would like to be asked.   You don’t have to oblige, but if the asking will make the meeting shine and illuminate the expertise of the panelist, why not?

Listen to your panelists talk, and interrupt them to ask questions.  Get them to clarify, or expand on particularly interesting or controversial issues.  Get them to stop talking if their response to a question is lengthy.  Moderating panelists is like herding cats.  You’ve got to be quick and alert.  And you have a responsibility to the audience to keep the meeting on track and on time.

You would do well to recall that panelist number one said something that contradicts what panelist number three is saying.   Interrupt number three, and point out the contradiction.  Or interrupt and ask number one to comment in light of what three is saying.

The whole point of having a panel is to take the burden of energizing the room away from a sole presenter and shift it onto the shoulders of a lively group.  Your job as the moderator is to keep them doggies rolling.  A little friendly verbal jousting will serve your purposes well.

At the end, remind the audience of the beginning.  “Why this topic, at this time,” etc., etc.  Try to summarize, or better yet, synthesize the key themes in the discussion.  Tell the audience where they can find more information.   Invite them to speak to panelists at the break.  If you’re willing and able, offer to provide notes on the discussion.  Thank your panelists and the sponsoring organization.

And then get the heck out of Dodge.

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

Charlie Green and I have been talking about how the good that pharma does gets undermined by certain of its marketing practices. Here’s a blog posting from Charlie’s website, www.trustedadvisor.com that should help us with our navel gazing.

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Pharma has been taking it on the chin for some time now. It’s been targeted by activists, bloggers, politicians and reformers. Next to Wall Street, it’s one of today’s least trusted industries.

But until last week, much of the industry’s response had the flavor of, “if people only knew the whole story,” or “they just don’t appreciate the good we do.”

Fair enough, perhaps. But no longer good enough.

Last week, the industry drew negative cover-page articles in two iconic, industry-friendly major publications.

Et tu, Advertising Age? From the trade magazine of an industry that benefits enormously from Pharma comes this tabloid-like headline:

Vytorin Ad Shame Taints Entire Marketing Industry

Cholesterol Drug’s Ad Campaign Turns Into PR Nightmare, Fanning Flames of Public Mistrust of DTC.

Reports that Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. kept under wraps for more than a year findings that Vytorin does not deliver results it spent more than $100 million advertising to consumers is much more than a PR disaster for the drug’s co-marketers. Coming on the heels of a New York Times story that Pfizer’s $2 billion drug Lyrica treats a condition, fibromyalgia, that a lot of doctors don’t think exists, the Vytorin news is fanning the flames of public mistrust for the $5 billion direct-to-consumer drug industry — and the ad business in general.

“The pharmas are in big trouble in terms of credibility,” said brand expert Rob Frankel, who runs his own consultancy at RobFrankel.com. “They’re just above Congress and used-car salesmen.”

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

But the topper has to be making the cover story on BusinessWeek: Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?

Never mind the typically well-researched and well-written critique of the industry; never mind the bad press Merck and Schering-Plough got for the Vytorin data, coming on the heels of the Vioxx lawsuits; never mind the bevy of critical testimonials the article digs up.

The plain fact is, once Ad Age and BusinessWeek put you on their covers—in nakedly negative terms—it’s time for some basic re-examination. Low trust is not a surprise to the industry—but this is a wake-up call about the failure of the industry’s response to date.

One of the major pharmaceutical firms (because it’s not likely to be PhRMA, the industry’s trade association) needs to find a voice and take a leadership role—to speak what has become obvious to the world outside Pharma, as represented by leading business publications.

The message is this: the only way to resolve the industry’s trust issues is to become trustworthy—worthy of trust.

• Trust will not be regained by “educating” the public.

• Trust will not be regained by “getting the message out.”

• Trust will not be regained by improving your PR; your PR will be improved by regaining your trust.

• Trust will not be regained by framing it as a problem of image, marketing, or perception.

• Trust will not be regained by coordinating, refining or sharpening talking points; the problem is not getting the message out—it’s listening to the market to hear the message coming in.

The good news is, there are a great number of very well-intentioned, smart people in this industry, who are deeply pained at having been demonized the way they have been. Some are courageously beginning to face up to it.

It won’t be easy for them. Twenty years of success, blockbuster drugs, and an overdose of marketing culture erects barriers to even their good intent.

Further, any gain in trustworthiness must be broad-based.

It won’t be enough just to help sales forces become listeners, rather than shills—though that will help. It isn’t enough to wean physicians from the “consulting” and “education” fees they reap—though that will help. It isn’t enough to deal with the appearance of conflict in researchers and journals’ affiliations with pharma funding—though that will help. It isn’t enough to seek business models beyond patent-stretching, features-tweaking and disease creation—though that will surely help.

It is an industry whose beliefs and practices have become encrusted, making its untrustworthiness opaque even to those who most sincerely would reform it.

So, what will it take?

• Courage, for one. Which does exist; there are some fine people in pharma.

• Brains, for aother. Again, pharma is blessed. The trick is to turn those brains loose; to use the courage to think boldly, examine anew.

• Transparency is required too, though even that is hampered by layers of regulation brought upon itself by the industry’s own past practices.

• But above all, the industry needs a sense of urgency. Not just business urgency, but a personal willingness to face some shame, or disgust, or revulsion; something that comes from the gut and says, “you know, we are better than this; we can do better than this; and I for one have had it.”

I can’t think of any industry where the trust gap between what is and what could be is larger, and where the social cost of that gap is greater. It is in society’s best interest to have a trusted pharmaceutical industry. At its best, the pharmaceutical industry saves hundreds of thousands of lives, and adds quality of life to millions. We are paying gazillions in cost, red tape, suspicion, and lost or devalued lives because of its absence.

We should all be rooting for this industry to heal itself.

The first step is admitting you’ve got a problem.
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- Charles H. Green

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

 

When transforming your house into a dream home, talk to three architects.

When getting heart surgery to transform the quality of your life, talk to three surgeons.

And to transform your sales presentations, talk to three consultants.

I have three people in mind. The first is Ford Harding, a sales consultant to professional service firms and the author of Creating Rainmakers, (Wiley 2006) and other books on selling professional services. Ford has helped umpteen thousand professionals get over themselves and bring in business.

The second is Suzanne Lowe, a marketing consultant and author of Marketplace Masters: How Professional Firms Compete to Win. As Ford says, she can get a burlap bag full of cats, dogs and canaries to hum the same tune.

The third is me, Sims Wyeth, a presentation coach whose mission is to transform the personal impact of business presenters.

To officiate, we have assembled a panel of fifteen objective judges selected for their diversity along multiple dimensions.

Here are THE FIVE DON’TS OF SALES PRESENTING in no particular order.

Don’t even go to the presentation if the client won’t meet with you ahead of time so you can learn what they want and why they want it. Your time is extremely valuable, as is theirs, and you should not waste either their time or yours by pursuing an opportunity for which you are not suited, or by traveling to recite information they could read in a brochure, e-mail, or website.

Don’t assume that the presentation begins when you stand in front of the room and open your mouth. In reality, you began presenting when the prospective client first encountered you and your team—perhaps months before, on the phone, on the web, or in person, when their search for a provider began. Your behaviors, and your tangibles (including your brochure and office) throughout the preliminary discussions and scheduling of the presentation play a significant role in their ultimate decision

Don’t be late, unprepared, sloppy, rude, poorly dressed, or tense when you enter the meeting room. People want to do business with people they like and trust. A sales presentation is a formal social occasion as much as it is a business transaction. Therefore, be attentive to all aspects of the conversation. Show interest at all times. Do not slouch in your chair, Blackberry under the table, conduct side conversations, scowl, be boring, or dominate the conversation. A bad dinner guest is the same as a bad salesperson.

Don’t elevate prospects to a higher status than yourself, nor should you look down your nose at them for any reason. You do the potential partnership a disservice on both counts. Treat your prospects as equals—partners with whom you can be yourself and speak your mind.

Don’t go there to sell them anything. If you do, they will smell it. Go there to help them. Don’t make the presentation all about you. Make it all about them.

If you would like to submit additional Sales Presentation Don’ts, Ford, Suzanne, and I are glad to pass them on to our totally objective board of fifteen judges for rating.

To see a marketing expert’s choices for presentation Don’ts, go to Suzanne Lowe’s blog:

To see a sales consultant’s, go to Ford Harding’s blog.

You are currently on Sims Wyeth’s Blog.

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

Michael Blechar is a smart and thoughtful guy (and a very good writer.)  Years ago he told me about a good way to organize a sales presentation.

Recently, we were swapping emails about one of my Presentation Pointers (the one called the Power of Words), when I remembered to ask him about his approach.  He said he was not its author, nor could he remember who taught it to him.

Here it is.

1) Identify. – “I spent most of my career as a programmer and I can tell you that I do not envy your having to deal with management’s misconceptions of what it takes to build and maintain applications”. Or “Are you like me and wonder if ANYONE in Washington cares about us taxpayers?”

2) Attack – This is the statement of the problem we all share, or which I had to address and overcome. “I was being asked to do more with less”. “I have/had my hands full just trying to keep the operational systems up and running and respond to emergency changes….how was/am I supposed to suddenly find the time or get the tools and training to change these applications to new service-oriented architectural designs to be more agile in response to changing business needs?”

3) Confess – Personal statement of what I thought or was able/unable to do. “Truth was, I wanted to get the next generation of technology on my resume. I wanted to break out of my paradigm and take on something new. But I was scared. Could I do it? What if I failed? Would I get fired? Would it require extra time at the cost of my family to get trained and become proficient while I kept the current environment running?”

4) Solution – What I did and how I succeeded. “I decided to work part-time on a pilot project using the new methods and tools. While it increased my workload by about 20%, I discovered that by building things in a reusable way, I could now go back in and make rapid changes. Maintenance time dropped by 40% and I was able to do the next set of applications 20% faster. Testing time for applications went down drastically as I reused proven components. And quality went up factorially. I found I actually had more time to spend with my family and was under much less stress as the applications were more stable. Within 18 months I received a substantial salary increase. And, to be honest, I’ve been approached by other firms who are looking for people with my new skills”.

In other words:

1) I’m like you
2) I have the same problems you do
3) I have the same concerns about change as you do
4) I was successful and since I’m just like you, you can be too.

There is something very personal about this approach.  Instead of going straight to a recitation of  features and benefits, it encourages you to reveal something about yourself, connect with your audience on an emotional level about a problem you share with the audience, and speak from your own experience.

All of which should make you a more confident and convincing presenter.

Sims Wyeth is a speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.