We’ve all seen it. The presentation from hell, and often part of the reason is that they’ve made all 5 mistakes that I’ll cover in this article. And these mistakes don’t just cover those who make presentations on big platforms, you can see them in countless sales presentations.

So without further ado, lets look at the 5 mistakes and what you can do about them:

Winging The Talk Is Mistake #1 Any rehearsal that is under rehearsed, or worse not rehearsed at all, comes across as slow and a little awkward because the presenter is making it up as they go along and searching for the right word or an appropriate analogy or story to illustrate a point they’re making.

The solution is simply to rehearse. How much to rehearse depends on how important the presentation. The more important the more rehearsal is needed.

Starting Wrongly Is Mistake #2 By wrongly I mean with something that has no interest at all with your audience. For example I’ve sat through long, featureless sales presentations where everything that comes out of the salesman’s mouth is about their company, their product, their importance.

After all, unless you are going to buy the product why do you need to know about the company’s solid financial basis over the last 10 years, do you actually care that they have 100, 2000 or 5 employees? Are you even interested in how the founder started it and a brief (but too long) potted history of it so far? The answer of course is no!

The solution, cut out everything that the audience isn’t interested in. Move the company information to the back of the presentation and only present it if asked to do so.

Looking Away From The Audience Is Mistake #3 I’ve given up counting the times presenters look away from the audience, either at their notes, or more usually at the projector screen. Breaking eye contact with the audience loses a little bit of rapport each time it happens. As rapport evaporates an audience becomes restless, they begin to discuss the presentation amongst themselves and without the presenter to notice and react the whole energy of the presentation disappears and any likelihood of getting the point across goes too. Lack of confidence from lack of rehearsal can be one cause for this mistake.

The solution is to make sure you rehearse and remember to always look at the people in your audience, after all you’re trying to persuade them to your viewpoint.

Reading Something The Audience Can Read Themselves Is Mistake #4 As the presenter drones through the text on the screen they’re losing rapport and losing the fast readers in the audience who have finished reading everything on the screen and are now talking to their neighbour or looking around the room, or doodling.

Whatever, you’re losing the audience. Nobody I know likes being read to once they’ve left home. Reading text from a screen is simply a waste of both yours and your audiences time.

The solution to this is to make your presentations less text heavy and to add value to each slide that you talk about. Avoid using the words on the screen, summarise the slide, your position in the presentation, give a story or analogy.

Letting The Audience Have Material Before Your Presentation Is Mistake #5 When you’re given a handout what do you do? Open it! So your audience will do the same. When that happens you’ve lost them. Rather than paying full attention to the pearls that fall from your lips they’ll be leafing through trying to find the points you’re making in your presentation and missing other points while they do.

The simple solution is don’t hand out any material unless it’s simply to hand around the audience and which will be back in your hands before the point you’re making is finished.

Football boots are becoming more than a fundamental need for the game, with consistently changing styles. Thanks to latest technology. The old brown colored boots have made a lot of progress as brands. For example, Nike and Adidas are putting out boots worn by worldwide football stars – in all colors, shapes and different designs.

So, the question is, which football shoes should you buy? Read on to learn some tips for buying the perfect football shoes.

Comfort is must

Always make comfort your top priority. It is not possible to play at your best game if you’re not comfortable in your shoes.

Stay within the Budget

If you need to spend only 60 pounds, so be it. Try not to be put off by salesmen at all. Don’t be afraid to annoy the salesman. If you have to go through 25 boxes, do it. After all, the customer is always right. Continue your search until you get a pair that you can buy without crossing your budget limit.

Looks Matter

Be honest whether you’re the hardest or the simplest footballer on your team or the group’s ‘twinkle toes’. Everyone enjoys a decent looking boot. So, you may also look for a design that appeals to you.

Don’t buy a bigger size

Try not to get a size that is too big for you. If you do, you may end up performing below your team’s expectations. You will not able to run properly while playing. You might be saving some money, but you will be compromising on your best game.

Shop around

It can always pay to look around to get the best prices and variety of choices. There’s nothing worse than discovering you’ve been totally ripped off or you agreed for the wrong pair of shoes when you needed some other pair of shoes from the beginning.

Try before you buy

It may be evident that people who don’t try out their boots before buying them most likely get an uncomfortable pair of shoes. Always make sure to try before you buy. If you have football socks, use them as well.

Purchasing because of celebrity status

Try not to get a pair of boots because Cristiano Ronaldo is wearing them, or Ronaldinho designed them. Truly they could be a decent boot for you but there’s a chance that they won’t be beneficial for you.

Spoil yourself for the right reasons

Even if you have to spend some extra money, spend it. It might seem to be out of budget or you might think it to be a waste of money. However, shoes having a higher price tag give you an extra bit of comfort as well as improve your game. In the end, it will always be worth it to spend that extra bit of money. It is fine to spoil yourself for the right reasons.

The Takeaway

Purchasing the correct football shoes for yourself has always been a hectic task. Always try to make sure that you consider these important things when purchasing as they can help you get the perfect pair of shoes.

Shelly Brady (2002)

ISBN 1-57731-203-1

Book Price: $9.00

Bill’s story “Door to Door” TNT movie

Shelly Brady was a teenager when she first worked for Bill Porter (“Door to Door” the TNT movie about Bill). After studying theatre arts in college, she again worked part-time for Bill. Now, she spends much of her time sharing Bill’s story with various organizations and corporations. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family.

10 Things learned from Bill Porter

In ten chapters, Shelly Brady displays ten things she learned from Bill Porter. She covers: Following your passion (Ch. 1), Persistence pays off (Ch. 4), Not taking “No” for an answer (Ch. 5), Knowing our limits and reaching beyond them (Ch. 6), Being a team player (Ch. 7), Living our values (Ch. 10), and more.

An amazing inspiration to us all

Shelly Brady paints a word picture of a man who would not quit. She does so with a positive and provoking style. Her focus is on instilling the lessons she has learned from Bill Porter. Shelly says, “Bill has proven to me that dreams have a way of coming true if we stay focused on the path, no matter what obstacles confront us.”

The fact that a man with cerebral palsy could become a door-to-door salesman and eventually have over 500 loyal customers is a powerful point of inspiration. Shelly presses beyond this to discover the keys within the man that made him a winner. She quotes Bill, “It doesn’t stop me from accomplishing whatever I set my mind to… “

Bill’s mantra reflects his positive outlook. Shelly reveals, “… a mantra, Bill repeats over and over to himself, “The next customer will say yes, the next customer will say yes.” Eventually, Bill believers, they all will say “yes.””

“Eventually, he became the top-selling Watkins salesman in the entire Northwest, a position he continues to hold today.” Such comments echo resilience and determination through reader’s hearts. This is why Shelly tells Bills story.

“Sheer determination” could have been a subtitle for Shelly’s book. She outlines Bill’s daily practices, “Everyday, Bill would knock on doors for eight hours, covering seven to ten miles on foot, rain or shine. He knocked at approximately one hundred homes per day, and if he was lucky, one in ten would buy something.” Amazing!

A compelling personality

Shelly Brady reveals a powerful story and a compelling personality. Readers will be provoked towards success.

Let’s face it. No one really likes cold calling. Cold calling by itself is not going to generate the selling numbers that every salesman dreams of. However, thanks to the infinite amount of networking opportunities available online, someone can know about you and your services in a matter of seconds – and they can do so all over the world.

So, how do you get yourself to stand out and make people eager to listen to what you have to say?

Persistence. Determination. Hunger. These three words are something that you must feel in order to consistently drive yourself forward towards your goals. If you are not “hungry” enough, then every detour that comes along the road leading to your goals will stop you dead in your tracks. Therefore, it is important for you to determine that you do have the drive and determination and the hunger to do what needs to be done. Next, you must find and utilize all of the avenues that will allow you to showcase your abilities and sales expertise.

Becoming a master at networking is a skill that needs to be developed and practiced, in your work life, as well as your home life. In power networking you come to the realization that every road you take never ends in a dead end. Around every new corner is the chance for opportunity. And it happens as easily as talking to one person, and this person talking about you with another person or company and before you know it, that one conversation has the potential to take your career further than it has ever been. That is the power of networking. Therefore, you must be “on top of your game” at all times – ready for each and every opportunity that comes knocking.

Many strong points in the networking process reflect back to prior articles that I have taken from my book “rethinking sales” in that core to any new “contact” or relationship stems from how you come across during your first meeting or phone call with a perspective client. How you are perceived as a person and as a representative of your company is important in getting anywhere in sales. People will network with others with whom they feel a connection to, have a bond with, or they feel that you will add value to their business relationship.

In business networking, one wrong move could hurt your career severely. If someone, for example, ever gets a slight sense that you are full of bs of that you do not portray a genuine interest in who they are, then they will not look up to you with respect, and will then pass their feelings of you and your company on to others, as well.

Always know who you are and how others perceive you to be. Continue fine tuning your “people skills” and lingo in an ongoing effort to sharpen your abilities and become the best salesman that you can be.

Also, try to network from your heart, so to speak. No, I am not asking you to be all wishy washy here, but what I am trying to say is that you should do your best for anyone you come in contact with without expecting anything in return. Sincerity in business will get you everywhere.

Your reputation, and how you maintain it, will follow you throughout your life, and now, around the world. So think wisely about every conversation you have and the attitude you take with you into every meeting. Like it or not, we live in a very judgmental society, and people just don’t want to be bothered with anyone who doesn’t have the right personality or disposition for their company. I’ve read that bill gates speaks about a “trilogy of trust” – the trust that one person has in another, that is then passed on to a 3rd party, and so it goes on and on.

Once again – never take your reputation lightly!! How you are remembered now is how you will be seen forever. Think of how many famous people that you have respected then do something wrong; tiger woods, for example. No matter how great he was before, you will now look at him with a completely different set of eyes.

Also, never underestimate the power that one conversation can have.

Do not speak negatively about other people in business, as well. At some point, it will probably come back and bite you.

Be respectful. Talk to as many different people that you can. Keep in a circle of peers that continue to motivate you and encourage you to move forward.

Don’t think about just trying to make that sale. Rather, try to think of how many people you can connect with in a week, and always make them feel as if they matter.

There are no dead ends….Just a bump that may lead you in a better direction. Enjoy the drive.

What are some attributes of a Safety Latch

First, in industrial products like a Crane Hook Safety Latch the use of steel provides the end user with the assurance of a strong and durable product. The Crane Hook Safety Latch will undoubtedly take some impacts with performing its job week after week, month after month, year after year. A steel Latch will be able to continue to function and provide a durable spring return closing mechanism across the open Throat of a Crane Hook. When properly sized it will protect those who work with a Crane Hook and around the area where the Hook may be transporting an item.

Where do I start to Size a Safety Latch

Second, it is very important to get the correct dimensions from the Hook where some one may be looking to place a new Crane Hook Safety Latch. The “Neck” dimension is usually the first piece of information needed to obtain for the inspecting Distributor Salesman. Then inspecting Salesman will need to determine the “Throat” opening dimension. Third, it is important to distinguish the Neck dimension as being the Circumference of the Neck or the Diameter of the Neck. The Circumference is the dimension obtained by placing a tape measure all the way around the Neck of the Hook, where one intends to place the Crane Hook Safety Latch. The Diameter is the distance from one side to the other and may be obtained by placing a ruler or tape measure in front of the Hook Neck. It requires the person taking the measurement to be precise. So if some one intends to get a measurement, they should not rush the process and if possible, can ask another person to view the measurement and verify the size determined.

What type of Hook do I have

The Fourth thing we need to be concerned about is the configuration of the Hook we have. Is it a Single sided Hook or a Double sided Hook, commonly referred to as a ” Sister Hook “. This should be recorded on your RFQ (Request for Quotation) in the body of the description. The information will allow the person sizing and quoting the Crane Hook Safety Latch to select the proper components from the beginning while doing his or her proposal. The Fifth item you need to know is the width of the Hook. Is this a standard Hook width like those commonly seen on the manufacturing floor of facilities around the nation and the world. Or are we describing a larger more massive Hook with a wide base area. Many Hooks have been designed to hold ladles or buckets. These hooks require a larger width Gate to insure that the item the Hook is holding does not come off. Designs can come with a number of features; one important feature to ask for is Finger Lugs. This feature allows the operator to push open the Crane Hook Safety Latch while keeping his or her fingers away from the sling or harness on the Hook or pressing against the Safety Latch while removal or loading. Your Crane Hook Safety Latch Distributor can supply you with more information and help you obtain the design best suited to your specific need.

When I started bicycling in the middle of the summer of 2007 I only had one bicycle. It was the bicycle my parents bought me when I was 14 or 15 years old. A Schwinn Traveler. I had it hanging in my garage and one day I decided I needed to start working out again so i filled the tires with air and went for a bike ride. I was really enjoying bicycling but the weather was getting colder and I was wondering how I was going to continue riding during the winter. Plus I knew a road bike wouldn’t work for winter riding. So I went to my local bike dealer and asked them which bike they recommended.

The salesman recommended the 2008 Specialized Hardrock XC Disc. I really wanted disc brake (because they look really cool – I know that isn’t a good reason but that’s who I am). They recommend the bike because it was in my price range, it has an aluminum frame so it should hold up during winter riding, it had disc brakes which work better in the snow because the braking system is up and out of the snow and it has front suspension.

Now I have to tell you about a stupid decision I made. The salesman recommended a 17 inch frame for me. I rode the bike and I liked it. But I also bought a bike rack that connects to the spare tire of my Jeep. I put the bike rack on my Jeep when I got home and tried to put my new bike on the rack. The new bike didn’t fit on the bike rack. Plus when I looked at the bike it just looked small (It may have had something to do with it not fitting on the bike rack). So I took the bike back and got the next size up – 19 inch frame. This was a mistake. I should have stayed with the 17 inch frame. I now know that they make a bar that goes across from the handle bars to the seat post just for such situations.

Now it’s time to take the bike for it’s first ride. At this time I was riding LRT trail in Eden Prairie. I was riding my road bike 20 to 22 miles at a time with little difficulties. I was amazed at how much harder this bike was to ride. I could barely ride it 6 miles the first time I tried it. I thought something was wrong with the bike. I filled the tires up to there maximum air pressure (80 psi) but that had little effect. I just assumed that mountain bikes were just that much more work than a rode bike.

I bought the bike in the middle of October of 2007. And I rode the bike at least every other day and worked my way up to riding 20 miles at a time. I would have to say I was very happy with the bike. I rode it all winter, assuming the temperature (windchill) was above 5 degrees.

Then in the spring I went for a bike ride with one of my friends. I assumed he would have a hard time keeping up with me. I had been riding all winter and I was back to riding 20 miles at a time (because of the snow and cold I was riding 12 to 15 miles at a time during the winter). When we went for a ride I couldn’t keep up with him. I was embarrassed and couldn’t figure out why I was so slow. I eventually found out it was the bike. It is very heavy and has cheap components. I guess you get what you pay for.

One problem I had with the bike was that I kept braking spokes in the back. The second time I brought the wheel in to get new spokes they said they would upgrade the wheel for me. I guess they had problems with the rear wheel on this bike. I haven’t had any trouble with the bike or rear wheel since it was upgraded.

I feel that overall I’m satisfied with the 2008 Specialized Hardrock XC Disc. Yes it is heavy and I cannot keep up with my friends when I ride it. But that wasn’t why I bought it. I bought it as a reasonably prices mountain bike to ride during the winter. And it has served that purpose well. Plus I like to ride it when I’m riding alone on the trails by my house. I have to work much harder on this bike and I use it for training so when I do ride with other people on my road bike or other mountain bike it’s easier to keep up.

But if you are looking for good mountain bike for off roading or are riding with other people (especially if they are as competitive as some of my friends), I would not recommend this bike. It’s just too heavy and that makes it too difficult to keep up with people.

There are two basic ways for making software sales. The first involves direct sales. There are three ways of direct selling. The first involves selling directly to the customers. These customers and their needs are found through marketing generated leads which are followed up by the sales team. Software sales can also be done through resellers. Resellers are any sort of store that sells your product to customers and can include superstores, software specialty stores and office supply stores. This method is used to directly sell to all sales force directly and possibly also to incoming calls, without undercutting the reseller in price. Not undercutting the reseller prevents channel conflict. The most common way within the hi-tech industry is a combination of the two. The third way of selling directly involves selling to national chains. In this method, the sales force acts as reseller sales managers. All of these ways are just samples of what you can do.

The second basic way for making software sales involves channel sales. This often involves using a wholesale distributor. Distributors are helpful for balancing inventory between resellers. Also, vendors do not have to extend credit to as many resellers if they use distribution. Instead they extend credit to just a few distributors. The disadvantages are that distributors increase costs 3-10 points and vendors do not always know which resellers are purchasing their products if the resellers are independents or regional.

Whichever way you choose for making software sales, experts agree that proper training makes the difference. Both initial and ongoing training will make your selling ventures more successful and more profitable. They say that no salesman is ever born, they are made, and just about anyone can learn the skills necessary to be successful. An excellent salesman is one who has learned thoroughly the steps of the sale. These include prospecting, the approach, the presentation, overcoming objections, visualization and closing.

The two components to effective selling are the soft skills and the hard skills. Motivation, personality, developing relationships and understanding people are generally considered to be the soft skills. Hard skills include the approach, the close and overcoming objections. Proper training in these areas can make your software sales much more successful.

The world of software sales is a competitive one. Fortunately there are a number of books, web sites and software programs to help you and your business succeed. These products can give your sales team the skills it needs to be successful. There are also customer relationship management products to help you keep track of your growing business. There are also numerous services that can provide your company with sales leads that will make your sales team more efficient and successful. With today’s internet driven economy, the ones who succeed will be those who have the most effective sales force. Those who maximize sales and profits will be the ones who come out on top, and with the proper training and the right products, you too can be successful in software sales.

If you are finding yourself somewhat challenged by cold calling and you have convinced yourself that you just hate it, then you may need to do a little cold calling warm up practice. Many cold-calling salesmen will set a big goal of cold-calling 20-30 potential customers or prospects in their target market groups per day.

At that rate sometimes they run out of people to call. So they look for ancillary target markets. Many times a salesman will call up the least likely businesses or prospects first to help them warm up. Sound like a good idea right? Well, yes and no; yes as you will get bombarded with rejections and this is good practice to warm up with.

No, because it sets the stage for accepting defeat too easily and also they are the least likely so you need to be of a sharp mind if you really wish to sell them something or pique their interest or curiosity.

You probably do need a warm up, well how about someone you know who is in sales to warm you up and allow them to cold call you too when they need to warm up? Or how about calling an easy sale first or a lead which came in with a customer ready to buy and fall all over you trying to hand you the money? Well, consider all this in 2006; how will you warm up for the big cold calling pitch this week?

You may not know what “Doctor Shopping” is but I’ll bet you do it. There are actually two definitions.

The first type is when someone goes from one doctor to another trying to “find” a diagnosis he or she likes. That may sound pretty bizarre but it does happen. And worse yet, they never tell one doctor that they either have gone to another doctor or are going to go to one. They may end up with a myriad of tests AND medicines. From all the drugs, they may take some of this, some of that and never take them the way they’re supposed to. But this is a topic for another article.

The kind of patient I want to discuss today is the one who gets most of his or her advice outside of the doctor’s office. Let me give you an example. I stop at the gas station every morning to get my coffee. There’s a really great guy behind the counter and we’re always talking. One day I noticed that his wrist was very swollen so I asked about it. To make a long story short, I felt he probably had something like Rheumatoid Arthritis – a very nasty bone and joint condition. So, I advised him that he needed to see a doctor. He said that his ex-wife kept telling him that too. But that he wasn’t going to go – he was just going to see what happened.

Almost every time I’ve seen him after that he’s mentioned what someone else has told him. There was a drug salesman that mentioned he should try to get this type of drug. Then there was a chiropractor that told him he should be doing something with his feet (by that time, he’d developed swelling in his knee). His ex-wife gave him a different drug than what the salesman recommended. There was a physical therapist that told him he had gout. The last I heard someone told him he should have a cortisone shot. This person wasn’t even medical – it was just someone who had had one and therefore felt that he should get one in his knee. By this time, I just cringe when I walk in and don’t even ask him if he’s been to the doctor yet because I’m afraid to hear the answer.

This is so dangerous. People are always willing to give you advice about anything- you already know that about other aspects of your life. There’s no difference with medical issues. Everyone’s had something wrong with them and if you give them a chance, they will find some similarity between their condition and yours. And therefore, to them, the thing you SHOULD do is whatever they did to get better – it may be going to a massage therapist or taking their grandmother’s chicken noodle soup with herbs in it. Don’t get me wrong – I am not saying that some of these things don’t work (I’m a big advocate of home remedies but when things are still just as bad as they were a few weeks ago, that ought to tell you something).

You really need to go to a doctor when there are things bothering you that are chronic conditions. You can try other remedies that people tell you about but if you go back to the previous paragraphs, this man was getting actual MEDICAL ADVICE from these people – which drug he should get, a cortisone shot should be used, etc. These are not home remedies. He was given a drug (and it was a potent one) by someone without having a diagnosis. This drug could have caused bleeding from his stomach or intestines (common side effect).

Avoiding seeking care is bad enough in my book but I understand that not everyone has insurance and can’t just go to the doctor right away when things bother them. However, please don’t be taking things that other people say (or give you) as the correct thing to do or use. Not only will they not always work, they may create more problems as we just discussed. And, it creates pre-judgment in your mind so that if the doctor (when you finally go see one) cannot “win” unless his diagnosis matches one of your friends, acquaintances or customers.

Researching on the internet is better than this because the internet gives you possible options based on all the symptoms you put in. Plus, you can get verification on many websites.

So, do yourself a favor, listen to what people tell you and thank them politely for their advice and then go to the phone and make the appointment with your doctor.

It has been said several times that strippers are the best sales persons in the world. Becoming a stripper is more than just taking your clothes off for money. It is more than just seducing your customers so they’ll buy a dance from you. Stripping, more than anything else is a job of persuasion. Just like a salesman, a high-earning stripper is one who knows how to do the sales talk. Here are a few sales tips on how you can become a high-earning stripper from a sales person’s point of view:

• Provide value to your customers. You can do this by becoming the best stripper in the club. Take care of yourself. Invest on good makeup and costumes. Don’t forget also to provide them the best quality service you can offer.
• Know your customers. Before you can actually persuade your customers to spend money on you, you first need to know them personally so you will know how to handle them. Get to know your customer. Learn about his spending habits and everything that you need to learn from him.
• Upsell yourself. When you see that your customer is already having a good time and is enjoying your company, offer more lap dances or invite him to a private dance.
• Give sincere compliments. Your customers know when you are faking a compliment. Give compliments and mean it! The more comfortable your customer is with you, the more he will open up and the greater the possibility is that he is going to spend money on you.
• Be a good conversationalist. This does not mean that you’ll do all the talking. It is also important to become a good listener. People love strippers who know how to pay attention. Believe me; they’ll pay more money for your time.
• Target customers who have great potentials to provide you sales. Ask around about a particular customer. Spend more time with guys who are likely to spend the most money.
• Keep an eye over your competition. Do your best to be better than the other girls by continuously becoming the best exotic dancer in the club you are working for. Working hard is always the key to earning good money from exotic dancing.
• There will be times when you will be rejected by a customer but a stripper who knows how to earn good money knows that if you want to succeed, you need to be persistent. If at first you are rejected, know the reason why and try to use several techniques to make him open up to you.

Becoming a successful exotic dancer or stripper is easy when you know how to work your way to the top. Experience is the best teacher so learn from it. Become a stripper and work hard!