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D U S T I N M AT H E W S
salesperson? I bet you’d be a little
more excited to get up on that stage,
webinar or live stream and start
selling. No matter if you’re selling
products, booking one-on-one ses-
sions, or even trying to raise money
for a charity, consider what I’m about
to share with you.
It may shock you to learn that I used
to dread speaking and selling. But
once I learned these 4 key points,
and discovered the power of selling
one-to-many, I was hooked. That’s
why I co-founded Speaking Empire:
to encourage other reluctant entre-
preneurs to sell their products and
services from the stage.
Try these strategies—you won’t be
disappointed in your results.
1. Start backwards.
A powerful presentation starts with
the end in mind.
Most people make presentations
starting at the beginning. First, they
think of the introduction, then,
they teach the audience something
(which by the way, doesn’t make for
great sales). Finally, they put their
pitch deck together.
I turn that on its head. Instead of
beginning with the introduction, I
start by creating an irresistible offer.
Every great presentation should call
their audience to take an action with
an irresistible offer. When you make
the right offer to the right audience,
you will sell. And when the rest of
your presentation is built around
that offer, you will sell more than you
ever thought was possible.
Once you have your irresistible offer,
think about how to sell it with trans-
formational stories. Tap into your
audience’s emotions by showing
them their problem and then present-
ing your perfect solution. Then, when
LEAD | January 2018
you’ve created the rest of your pre-
sentation, make an attention-grab-
bing introduction video that you can
use for your introduction.
Tell stories that overcome their
objections.
If you’re looking for a way to really
engage your audience, keep their
attention, and answer their objec-
tions, tell great stories during your
presentation. Remember to tie your
stories back to your offer, and think
about your audience’s main objec-
tions. They usually come down to
not having enough time or money,
not trusting you, or not knowing who
you are.
The best stories speak directly to
those objections. For example, you
could share how you were once living
out of a van in the Walmart parking
lot, and then you became success-
ful using the exact steps your offer
provides. When you share your trans-
formation, your audience will see
themselves in your story, and they
will believe that they can be success-
ful, too—if they purchase your offer.
Don’t underestimate the impact of
the right story.
Be (seen as) the authority.
When you go on stage and act like
the authority, even if your “knees
are knocking” from fear, people will
believe and respect you.
I gave my first speech a few years
after college, and having a baby face,
I looked like I was about 16 years
old. That didn’t matter. All of these
business people looked at me as an
authority just because of how I pre-
sented myself. You can do that, too.
I once went to see Christie Frank at
a real estate meeting. She had just
become the Apprentice, and every-
one there looked at her as the ulti-
mate authority. In the middle of her
speech, she hadn’t even made the
offer yet and an 80-year-old woman
got up to give her a check. Christie
looked at it and said, “Ma’am, you
haven’t even filled it out yet.”
It was a blank check.
This woman just got up and gave
her a check because she was seen as
such a celebrity. So when you show
up to speak, show up like you’re a
celebrity.
Relax and rewind.
I see so many speakers who go to
conferences and wait until the night
before to prepare their presentations.
I’ve seen them in the lobby, typing
feverishly away at their PowerPoint
slides late into the night.
That’s because they’re not thinking
about their speaking engagements
as sales opportunities. If they knew
how much money they could make
on stage, I bet they would prepare a
lot more ahead of time.
According to Boundless’ textbook on
delivering speeches; “While rehears-
ing, you simulate the real speaking
experience so you know what to
expect…and ultimately feel more
secure with your ability to perform in
the actual speaking situation.” Your
audience will feed off of your energy
while you speak. So make sure you’re
prepared to give them your best.
The next time you do a presentation,
try these 4 strategies. Your audience
will love your energy, they’ll be con-
vinced by your storytelling, and they
will buy from you—all without feeling
like they are being sold.
DUSTIN MATHEWS is a direct
response marketer known for his
unique ability to transform busi-
nesses and brands and the co-au-
thor of No B.S. Guide to Powerful
Presentations with Dan S. Kennedy
(Entrepreneur Press 2017). He runs
Speaking Empire, a disruptive
company in the leadership training
and education space.