In today’s harried business climate, presenters have to cut through the clutter and make their point fast or they are toast. Period. You have about 5 minutes to manage audience attention and another 15 minutes to do the job. Beat the clock and you’ll win more than your share. Ramble on and you die.

We teach business leaders and sales professionals to use stories to inform, train, lead, manage and sell. Story telling is especially important in making a presentation. And it doesn’t matter if your objective is to inform, persuade or to move the audience to action. A well-told story is a home run–every single time. Don’t give a speech. Just tell a story.

Selling cycles can be lengthy, especially when selling a service vs. a product. Why? Because people buy people when they purchase a service. Marketing experts all agree that selling yourself takes time, trust and even a little telepathy. Many salespersons become frustrated when the prospect doesn’t buy after two or three contacts. What should they know?

That magic moment finally arrives. You’re at a meeting, convention, dinner, and the question comes: So what is it that your company specializes in?..or, how do you feel you could help me?…or, whatcha got that can help me? You have 20-30 seconds to make it or break it. Whatcha gonna do?

Opening and closing elements are the two key factors for presentation success. Max the memory curve and key in on audience retention levels. Be creative, resourceful; open and close with power and you will enjoy success in your presentations as you’ve never experienced before.