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Twenty “Something Betters” – How to Begin Your Interview Presentation with Power

September 8, 2016 by Jim Rogers

twenty-something-4

In the Steve Martin film Roxanne, when a dart-throwing bully insults the loveable, big-nosed fire chief C.D. Bales (played by Steve Martin) by calling him, well, “Big Nose,” a verbal battle ensues. Eventually the bully challenges C.D. to come up with something better than Big Nose.

On the spot, C.D. invents twenty “something betters,” including: “You know. It’s not the size of a nose that’s important. It’s what’s in it that matters.”

When coaching interview teams, I press my clients to begin their interview presentations with something better than “Good afternoon, we are [insert your firm name here] and we are pleased to be here today….”

They, in turn, challenge me to come up with something better.

For fun today, I sat down to see if, in the spirit of C.D. Bales, I could write out twenty something better phrases in fifteen minutes. I think I did. Here they are: [Read more…] about Twenty “Something Betters” – How to Begin Your Interview Presentation with Power

Filed Under: Business Development, Interview Presentations, Presentation, Proposal Writing, Sales Tagged With: interview presentation, presentation, sales, seller-doer

It’s Not About YOU

May 17, 2016 by Jim Rogers

its not about youOne of the biggest mistakes most proposal writers make — especially engineers who have been writing proposals for more than a decade — is that they do not talk about their client soon enough in the proposal.

Whether in the cover letter, executive summary, or approach section, it is important to immediately connect with the decision maker and THEIR needs.

“We are pleased to submit this proposal” does not connect to their needs.

It wastes their time.

In Part I of my two-part series “The Difference Makers of Superior Proposals,” I described the three key questions to answer in the proposal:

  1. Why now?
  2. What do they really want?
  3. Why you (in terms of advantages for the client)?

The questions must be answered in that order. Why? [Read more…] about It’s Not About YOU

Filed Under: Business Development, Sales Tagged With: proposal writing, structure, style

Applying A Servant Selling Philosophy In Your Engineering Career

February 25, 2016 by Christian Knutson, P.E., PMP

servant selling

For most engineers selling is not a task that comes naturally.  In fact, I’m willing to venture that for most engineers, selling is the last task on earth they wish to undertake.  Whether it’s because of a belief that selling is “slimy” or it’s the work of the business development team, or some other reason, most engineers want nothing to do with selling.

Well, most engineers are already in sales and this likely includes you.

When was the last time you presented a new idea to a peer or boss and it was accepted?  Have you ever presented a design concept to a client and won their approval?

Selling is nothing more than influencing and persuading others to accept an idea.
[Read more…] about Applying A Servant Selling Philosophy In Your Engineering Career

Filed Under: Leadership, Sales Tagged With: servant leadership, servant selling

Testimonials

“I actually caught myself interrupting a client on the phone call that preceded this webinar. Your tips of pausing before speaking would have helped. Great communication tips.” – Kevin
“Great reminders of why it is crucial to understand how to listen to be an effective communicator.” – Michael K.
“The seminar was a good overview of several key factors that will aid anyone in building and maintaining client relationships.” — Michael K.
“Using a real proposal was an effective means to summarize the items Jim has been teaching over the last several months.” – Donald S.
“The session on LinkedIn was informative. I will watch it again for a better takeaway.” – Kevin J.
“Well done. I never realized how many ways I could improve upon when preparing for a networking event.” – Tom H.
“I thought the presentation was great. I have trouble w/ public speaking at this time and I really learned a lot of good tools to use in my next engagements.” — Brian B.
“I felt the program was good. I like that it was interactive.” – Javier R.
“The examples of opening a presentation were beneficial and I also agree rehearsal or practice is important, overall I thought it was a good overview and good pointers when preparing to present.” — John S.
“I liked the section regarding different types of clients and how to handle them. I had noticed that before with clients, but it was good to hear a different take.” — Richard B.

Upcoming Events

Mar. 6 Capture Planning: How to Organize a Project Pursuit​
Mar. 13 How to Open a Sales Call and Ask Effective Questions That Sell
Mar. 20 How to Articulate Your Value Proposition  and Position Your Firm for the Win
Mar. 28 Storytelling That Sells

 

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