What’s the cost of being forgotten?
A couple of thousand sales and marketing professionals flew into Orlando each year for what was a mega sales and marketing meeting. It was an opportunity for a large international corporation to address to their front-line teams. For me, it was always an interesting experience to see how all the presentations were delivered. One year it was the year of “I have a plan” presentations.
Every executive speaker had a 10-point plan. By the end of day one, it came to 50 points. Of course, there is no way that anyone could remember 50 points. Having plans and sharing them with the front line is certainly a good thing. But there was no way any of us could remember more that a couple of points.
To contrast that experience, I use the “I have a dream speech” by Dr. Martin Luther King as an example in my workshops & webinars. It is a great example of the opposite of the “I have a plan” style speeches/presentations often given by politicians. Just about every politician has a 10-point plan of some kind. I’ve talked about Dr. King’s speech in Asia, Europe and across North America. I have never run into anyone who did not know the speech and what it means.
60 years later, just about everyone remembers what Dr. King was talking about. The 10-point plan speeches are remembered for what… maybe minutes?
We may not have the speaking power of a MLK, but we can still follow his example. Share your dream, share your vision, and later go over the plan to get there (don’t present it, discuss it).
If you have a grand vision, share it. When your team embraces your vision, they help you improve your plan to get there. If it’s a sales presentation, then you must blend the customer’s vision with your plan. That takes art and creativity, certainly not easy to do. There’s no template for that.
I see a future where communicating with each other and customers becomes a top priority in business. Where speaking and presenting are not considered soft skills but considered essential skills.
What do you think?
Joe Pops
Boring Don’t Sell