HARDISON’S TIPS – OCTOBER 21, 2021 – SALES TIPS FOR THE NEW OR THINKING ABOUT SALES -4 Advanced Sales Tips and Techniques So you’ve got the selling basics down, but every day on the job still proves challenging. Congratulations — you’re officially a salesperson! Now how can you take your sales game to the next level, and surpass your quota month after month? There are easy strategies you can adopt that will help you evolve with the industry and make the most of your time with your customers. Manage Your Time Effectively It’s no secret that in sales, time is money. As such, treat blocks on your calendar like the commodity that they are. The life of a salesperson can feel like a juggling act with…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 21, 2021- (PT.2) USE PUBLIC SPEAKING TO NAIL YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW Now say it with periods instead of question marks. Hear the difference? So can the boss. The periods convey conviction and confidence. The questions convey hesitation and uncertainty. Now listen to yourself and practice ending your sentences — and your numbers — with hard periods. Pause for Concern. When the interviewer starts a question, wait for it to end, take time to answer it, and don’t be afraid to pause. Pauses can actually project confidence if they result in a strong answer. I always tell my public speaking students that it’s fine, even good, to let someone see you think; it just proves that you can. (Note:…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – OCTOBER 20, 2021 – SALES TIPS FOR THE NEW OR THINKING ABOUT SALES -3 For every organization, sales is the engine that drives the business.  Always Follow Up If there’s something all sales experts agree on, it’s the importance of the follow-up stage.  It doesn’t matter if you have the best product in the market and your meetings go flawlessly — if you don’t reconnect with the prospect afterward, the opportunity for a sale can slip right through your fingers. In fact, 80% of sales require at least 5 follow-ups. Follow-up emails are a great way to stay connected with your customers after your initial interaction. It shows you care enough about their experience to check in but allows the conversation to happen at…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 20, 2021- (PT.1) USE PUBLIC SPEAKING TO NAIL YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW The “what” can be coached only so much, but the “how” is completely coachable. Here are some unique, real-world tips I’ve picked up over nearly two decades as a media industry executive, a national champion public speaker, a public speaking instructor, a collegiate speech and debate coach… and a failed Wheel of Fortune contestant. But don’t hold the Wheel thing against me — I just didn’t buy enough vowels. Count on It. Practice your interviewee skills at home, but not with words. Practice by counting numbers instead. It’s what I call “surrogate content.” Counting instead of speaking allows you to forget about what you’re saying and focus on presentation skills like…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – OCTOBER 19, 2021 – SALES TIPS FOR THE NEW OR THINKING ABOUT SALES -2 For every organization, sales is the engine that drives the business.  Understand the Prospect’s Pain Points Your prospects have a singular interest — solving whatever problems they may be experiencing. Going on about the magnificence of your product can only get you so far. How does your product benefit your prospect directly? Use each interaction with a prospect to ask questions to identify their biggest pain points, such as: Could you help me understand your business process a little better? What are your everyday goals? Long-term goals? What are the biggest concerns and hurdles you face? What are your expectations for the solution? Do you have any budget constraints?…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 19, 2021 See how public speaking can help you ace a job interview When you think about it, public speaking and interviewing for a job are quite similar.  For most of us that nervousness you get when you’re about to go on stage is also present when we are about to sit down for a job interview. It comes to no surprise then that your skills in public speaking can help you ace a job interview.  Don’t believe me?  Then check out the following steps one takes before going up on stage that can also help you land that coveted job! The Power of the Pause The mistake most people make when public speaking or during an…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – OCTOBER 18, 2021 – SALES TIPS FOR THE NEW OR THINKING ABOUT SALES -1 For every organization, sales is the engine that drives the business.  Regardless of what upper management may say, sales will always be their “favorite child”. After all, it’s the department that brings in the customers — and the cash. But being the favorite child doesn’t mean things always go smoothly. The pressure to meet ambitious quotas month after month can be a never-ending source of stress. Plus, it’s a high-focus department, meaning the higher-ups are watching and they expect continuous results. So what does it take to become a top performer in sales? It takes knowing the right sales tips and practicing to get the job done. I am going to take you…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 18, 2021-1 Ways Good Public Speaking Skills help a Job Interview A job interview is a particular style of public speaking. As with any other speaking situation, you must train and rehearse as much as possible. Try to anticipate the questions and prepare the stories you want to share. Practicing your answers to commonly asked questions is a huge step towards success. Yet, knowing the right answer is not enough. Here we present five points in which a good public speaker has leverage during a job interview. FEEL COMFORTABLE TELLING YOUR STORY Storytelling is a powerful weapon in any kind of public speaking. Stories establish emotional connections, and those are the most powerful connections. For a successful interview,…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 17, 2021 Key points – How to speak in public Speech anxiety is a common and frustrating experience. You might blame yourself for lacking the right ability or disposition, but the issue has little to do with your emotional makeup, and everything to do with basic speech training. The ancient Greeks recognized public speaking as an important, eminently teachable art form. Training in rhetoric was a fundamental aspect of education for centuries. Borrowing from the Greek approach, begin preparing for any speech by considering your audience. Who are you talking to? What do they know about you and your topic? Define your general goals. Is your speech intended to inform, to entertain, to persuade, or to inspire? Next,…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 16, 2021 How to speak in public Think about the audience Without any training, ‘speech preparation’ for many of us too often begins with a swoon of anxious, self-flagellating, self-centered predictions: I hate public speaking. This is going to be a nightmare. Everyone’s going to know I’m an idiot. Modern approaches to public speaking typically begin by addressing these anxieties (Imagine your audience naked! Adopt a series of power poses to produce confidence chemicals! Take a beta-blocker!) If this is you, your next step is probably to think about your material. You have a data-set of information (figures for the Q4 sales meeting; bachelor high jinks for the upcoming wedding speech, and so on) and you grapple with how to…

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