Media Skills

The Power of One Word in Sales

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It’s amazing what a difference one word can make when it comes to getting people to sign on the dotted line and close a sale.

As I share in the video accompanying this post, I was reminded of this fact when my husband Saul and I met with Enrique, the gentleman who meets with us annually to discuss our ownership of vacation weeks with a Mexican resort company.

Several years ago when Enrique and I were chatting together, he mentioned that many times he would meet with people who appeared ready to invest in some weeks with the company, but that they often got cold feet and backed out of the deal when he mentioned that it was time to sign the contract.

I suggested that he substitute the word agreement for contract. Contract implies obligation and even pressure, while agreement implies doing something that has already been agreed upon.

The power of this word shift for Enrique is such that his success rate went way up and he increased his income and has been promoted as a result.

Most people wouldn’t consider a sales conversation to be a type of public speaking; but it requires, among other aspects, as careful a use of words as any well constructed speech.

I invite you to share your own experiences with the word contract; and your thoughts about replacing it with the word agreement (if you have not already done so).

When You Don’t Know What to Say at a Time of Loss

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One of the most important commandments in the Hebrew Bible (which I would surmise is also included in other holy books) is the commandment to comfort the mourner.

Perhaps it is given so much importance in my own Jewish tradition because it is something that is so difficult to do.

What can you say in such a painful situation? How can you console someone who has suffered a loss, instead of avoiding that person and feeling guilty about it ever after?

The person who suffers the loss can end up feeling deserted by family, friends, and community, precisely at the time that caring support is needed the most.

You end up feeling uncomfortable around that person; and this often leads to a long-term negative effect on the relationship that you had shared, and perhaps even cherished.

Despite all my years as a speaking and messaging coach, I cannot recall anyone ever asking me for guidance on how to communicate with others in such a situation. Yet this situation inevitably comes to all of us.

Having had the occasion to attend the funeral of the dear niece of one of my husband’s cousins, I was inspired to make a video about this difficult subject. I hope that you find the thoughts I share to be helpful, and that the necessity to use them comes rarely in your life.

Love and blessings,

Marjorie

Want to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions All Year Long?

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Want to keep your business and your life on track throughout the year, so that you can reach your personal and business goals?

Want to avoid the usual guilt factor that often arises from having to write down the same old resolutions year after year?

In the video accompanying the blog post, I share 5 suggestions from the Jobs section of the Detroit Free Press for how to revive those pesky New Year’s Resolutions, so that you can thrive all year long.

  1. Write them down: Resolutions are all too easy to forget, especially if they are about something we are reluctant to do or to change. Writing them down helps to keep us accountable.
  2. Be realistic: A stretch goal is a lot better choice than something so far out of reach that it discourages us from even starting down the path to success. In other words, don’t expect to play a concert at Carnegie Hall if you’re just starting to take piano lessons.
  3. Break them down: The bigger the goal, the smaller the steps need to be; so that we actually feel encouraged to get started and keep going. Remember the old riddle: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time.
  4. Set a time frame: There’s nothing like a deadline for each small step to keep us honest and on track to eventual completion of even the biggest projects.
  5. Reward yourself: Too often we criticize ourselves for not doing things as well as we should (horrible word, should!), or for not doing something absolutely perfectly. This is guaranteed to discourage us and throw us off track. It’s far better to acknowledge every thing we do, no matter how small it is. Appreciation, not denigration, is what encourages us to keep on keeping on, no matter how long the path.

I’d love to hear if you have any other strategies that you use to keep yourself moving forward toward your long-range goals.

Here’s wishing you every success, this year and every year to come.

{VIDEO} Take Your Voice from Dull to Dazzling

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Any spoken communication is more effective when offered in a resonant speaking voice. It lends authority and credibility to the person using it.

So whether you are doing formal public speaking, such as giving speeches or presentations; or mainly more informal kinds, such as networking or speaking on the phone; here’s an important question to ask yourself.

Are you happy with the sound of your voice?

If not, this video shares 4 simple ways to improve the way you sound.

Try the simple strategies I share and you will be amazed at the difference they make, especially if you record the before and after of your experimenting.

Happy speaking!!

P.S. Please share the results of your playing around with my suggestions. Let me know how they are working for you.

3 Tips for Creating a Great Introduction

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When it comes to public speaking, there are all kinds of introductions:

  • Introducing yourself when meeting someone new;
  • Introducing yourself to people at networking and business events; and
  • Introductions given before you give a speech or presentation.

Depending upon how often you give formal presentations, you may not need the third type of introduction very often; but it’s still important to have a good one in your toolbox.

That requires an introduction that will get your audience excited to hear you before you even open your mouth.

This video from my series on Public Speaking Tips and Tricks covers 3 important aspects of how to be introduced in such a way that sets you up for success:

  1. What to include in such an introduction, and who needs to prepare it;
  2. Who needs to make the introduction (not you!!) and what they need to do it effectively; and
  3. How to introduce yourself if you are stuck doing it.

If you haven’t yet accessed it, you can find out more details about how to prepare for a speech ahead of time in my complimentary ebook, Overcome Your Public Speaking Fears.

It is available both on my website, http://VibrantVocalPower.com, and at http://OvercomeYourSpeakingFears.com.

If the devil is in the details, then don’t let the details surrounding preparing a speech or presentation devil you.

Do You Stumble over Me, Myself, or I When You Speak?

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When it comes to effective public speaking, grammar is important, yet I sometimes hear even the most accomplished presenters pause a little uncertainly before coming out with one of the three pronouns me, myself, or I.

Unfortunately, it’s often the wrong one.

Could that person sometimes be you?

Are you tired of wondering if you are using me, myself, or I correctly when you are talking with someone or making a presentation or speech?

Check out the video I am sharing on this page to find out some easy grammar tricks to know which word to use in which situation.

Once you know these tricks, you will be able to communicate with calm confidence.

You can then rest assured that those of your listeners who also know these tricks, will be impressed by your proper usage of these very commonly misused, yet often necessary, words.

P.S. When I listened to the video a second time, I heard myself say theirselves instead of themselves. OOPS! Maybe I’ll be perfect next month.