To Pitch or Not to Pitch?
If you travel to Europe, in many countries, the tip for the server is built into your bill for dinner and into the cost of an excursion, for your tour guide. You’re usually not expected to pay anything extra.
When visitors come to the US for the first time from overseas, if they have not checked out the customs in advance, they think the same “tipping included” rules apply. And they can unintentionally leave a bad impression among hard-working waiters and other service people who regard them as “cheap” or selfish.
When you’re invited to be the speaker or present to a group, it helps to remember that there are accepted norms in some situations and totally different ones in others. What are some of these differences?
When you’re speaking to a Rotary Club, a civic group, and most business organizations, you’re expected to share information about trends in your industry, or tips that could help the members in some way, or your vision for the future based on your expertise. No one wants or welcomes any kind of “pitch” or self-promotion. Be sure and ask for specifics about the number of minutes you’re allotted and what their policy is towards a question-and-answer session after your message. You can hand out flyers about a special offer, but a public mention is often frowned upon.
Exceptions can happen when a speaker flies into town, at his or her own expense, if they deliver a worthwhile message with no blatant commercial content. After the speech, they may be given a few minutes to talk about a special promotion.
If you represent a nonprofit and a cause, for example, fighting human trafficking or promoting water conservation, most groups tend to be open to your efforts to enlist volunteers, secure contributions, or otherwise help spread the word. It is still important to know and be respectful of the group’s agenda and your time limit.
When you are the presenter – seeking investors or trying to make a sale of some kind – some of the rules are quite different. We expect you to try your best to persuade us! We’ve put ourselves temporarily under your thumb. But being sensitive to the timing of your presentation still applies. Make sure you know what the norms are before you start!
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Best Regards,
Anne B. Freedman
(305) 273-6641
(305) 733-4054 – Cell
anne@speakoutinc.com
www.speakoutinc.com
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in www.linkedin.com/in/annebfreedman/
Practice vs. Speaking from the Heart
Every so often I meet a business person or a candidate running for office who seems stunned to learn that being a good speaker requires a ton of practice. The executive invariably confides, “I don’t need to practice. I know what I’m talking about.” And the candidate shares, “I just speak from the heart and it’s usually enough.”
Just as outstanding dancers, musicians, athletes and actors practice for hours and even years to perfect their performance, I have found that speakers and leaders who are serious about making a difference with their words do the same. The goal of practicing aloud is to make your delivery seem “natural” and ironically, not rehearsed. Only a rare few folks are able to do a good presentation without ample preparation. These individuals are usually veteran speakers with years of experience and deep familiarity with their topics.
How you practice matters! I don’t recommend reading and reciting over and over what you intend to say because you’re likely to get bored and drive yourself a bit crazy. Instead, rehearse your message, in parts, aloud, and out of order. Try the third point first, then the opening, then the close. Mix up the sequence and record or video each segment. You’ll quickly be able to identify what parts are working and where you may be stumbling orsound disinterested.
Once you’ve thoroughly prepared, find a local audience for the equivalent of a dress rehearsal before your big day. This effort helps assure you’ll be the hit you want to be. Let me know how it goes, okay?
If you have not already liked our Speakout, Inc. Facebook page, I invite you to click on the link now.
Best Regards,
Anne B. Freedman
(305) 273-6641
(305) 733-4054 – Cell
anne@speakoutinc.com
www.speakoutinc.com
www.facebook.com/speakoutinc
@AnneMiami or twitter.com/AnneMiami
in www.linkedin.com/in/annebfreedman/
CUSTOMERS FOR LIFE
Antonio Garrido is President and Founder of Absolute Sales Development – Miami’s own Sandler Sales Training organization that provides companies of all sizes with superior business-growth training. Visit: www.absolute.sandler.com or contact: (786)-527 0277
Twitter: @SandlerASDMiami
The TACTIC: Get a ticket on their train.
The STORY:
I first met Theron about 15 years ago when I was switching from a nice dependable job like teaching to something strange and unusual called sales. I suppose you could say that Theron was, in many ways, a mentor for me.
Back then, he had 15 years of sales experience and I was always amazed at how easy he made selling look. For whatever reason, perhaps out of pity, he took to suggesting things for me to do and try.
One of the first things he ever said was, “Make sure that you have a ticket on your customer’s train.” Every time I tried to get him to explain what he meant, he’d just reverse the question on me. Over the years, as I’ve added to and subtracted from how I do sales, I always evaluate changes on whether they get me that ticket.
I know for sure that one meaning of the phrase is that keeping customers for a long time means knowing where they are headed. It also means making sure that they still know you are around between sales.
One of my customers is a car dealer in town. Tums out he has these promotional baseball caps with the company name on them. I asked him for one and he was more than happy to give me one.
A month later, I realized one of my life-long dreams and spent a bit of time in Hawaii. Of course, I promised everyone a postcard. For whatever reason, I had taken his company hat with me. Well, my wife took my picture with it on, the Pacific in the background, and then we had the film developed that night.
You could read the writing on his hat in the picture, and I figured it might make a nifty postcard.
So I stuck it in an envelope and mailed it to him. That was six months ago. Ever since he received it, it’s been propped up on his desk. Now that’s getting a ticket on my customer’s train:
When I got back, I was the typical tourist who showed photos to anyone who would put up with me. As it turns out, a couple customers really liked this picture or that picture. I went and had those pictures enlarged, framed them, and then stopped in to visit to present them. There are nine customers now who have those framed pictures sitting on their office walls.
The RESULT:
The photos are a daily reminder of who I am and as a result, what I do. The cost to do this long-term marketing was under $100.00.
DISCUSSION:
Every salesperson who can at least meet his expenses has a list somewhere of their customers. Those salespeople earning a bit more than their expenses will also know when their customers last bought, how much, and when they might buy in the future. Salespeople earning one more level upward have devised some way of remembering to contact that person around the time of the next purchase.
Outstanding salespeople have learned how to ride along with their customers so that when a need arises, the first and perhaps only person they turn to is them.
You’ve heard the phrase, “out of sight, out of mind.” From the customer’s point of view, the salesperson who sold them disappears from their daily awareness once the product is delivered and performing properly.
Why should a salesperson care about this? Because there are 10 other salespeople out there selling the same thing you are, and they are all calling on your customer. Do you want one of them saying to your customer, “Sure, things are great with your current supplier, but do you have a plan in place if things go into the hopper?”
You know it is going to happen. Do you want to disappear and perhaps have someone else take your place?
APPROACH:
How many companies that you sell to have baseball style company hats? Company tee-shirts?
Company mugs? Probably at least one. Offer to buy one of these. Your company contact will probably be flattered to give you one. Now take it on your next vacation. Take a picture of it and use it as a postcard. It’s amazing where you will find it posted. Every person who looks at it will be reminded of who you are and what you do.
Everyone has heard about sending birthday cards and holiday cards. These still keep you from disappearing even though everyone knows why you are sending them. Not original but still working.
As long as you have something to say of value to your customers, you can never contact them enough.
THOUGHT:
Just because you sold your client something yesterday, doesn’t mean he’ll know you’re still around today. Let him know you are.
Sandler Training is a global training organization with nearly 50 years of top-flight training experience. Sandler Training provides training and consulting services for small-to-medium-sized businesses, as well as corporate training for Fortune 1000 companies. With over 250 offices located throughout the USA alone, Sandler’s goal is to help clients initiate substantive, measurable and sustainable growth.
Read MoreTurbulent Times in Emerging Markets
The term “emerging markets” refers to developing nations that show signs of progress, such as significant growth in gross domestic product (GDP) and infrastructure. Altogether, developing nations account for about 40% of global GDP, compared with about 18% two decades ago.1
Morningstar data suggests that emerging market stocks are about 50% riskier than U.S. stocks, which is why any decision to invest in emerging market stocks should begin with a thorough examination of your risk tolerance.2 For investors who can handle the bumpy ride, emerging market investments may have the potential to generate higher average returns over the long term.
The return and principal value of stocks fluctuate with changes in market conditions. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investing internationally carries additional risks that often result in greater share price volatility. Many of these risks (such as differences in financial reporting, currency exchange risk, as well as economic and political risks) tend to be more pronounced in less developed nations.
U.S. stocks have experienced a lengthy bull market in recent years, but a tightening of global monetary conditions has taken a toll on the performance of emerging market investments.
Capital flight. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve began pumping liquidity into the global economy, and much of it flowed into booming emerging markets. The 2013 decision to begin tapering bond purchases pushed up Treasury yields and strengthened the dollar. The prospect of higher interest rates in the United States and elsewhere caused many investors to pull money out of emerging markets in favor of more stable advanced economies.3
Vulnerable currencies. To keep their currencies from depreciating rapidly against the dollar, a number of nations — including Argentina, Turkey, and South Africa — raised interest rates sharply in early 2014. Higher rates may attract foreign investment, but they also threaten to spur inflation, raise borrowing costs, and hinder economic growth.4
Slowing growth. The Chinese economy expanded 7.7% in 2013 and 2012 and 9.3% in 2011. Chinese officials have set a 7.5% growth target for 2014 as part of a plan to restructure the economy by increasing consumption and reducing the nation’s dependence on exports. However, the International Monetary Fund has warned that China’s slowdown could also affect growth in emerging market economies.5
Political problems. Some nations such as Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine have unstable governments and/or suffer from social unrest. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Ukraine prompted Western nations to impose sanctions, and rising borrowing costs threaten to send the world’s eighth-largest economy into a recession.6
Ready to Rebound?
Many emerging market economies will remain the world’s fastest growing, even if they don’t expand as fast as they did in the past.7 Disciplined investors may have the opportunity to add emerging market shares to their portfolios at attractive prices. At the end of the first quarter of 2014, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index traded at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 10, well below the historical average of about 14.8
Taking a diversified approach and investing across many nations and sectors may help reduce your exposure to isolated events and keep you from reacting emotionally. But remember that diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss; rather, it is a method used to help manage investment risk.
1) Bloomberg, January 27, 2014
2) Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, November 2013
3–4) Forbes, February 3, 2014
5) Bloomberg, April 3, 2014
6, 8) The New York Times, April 4, 2014
7) The Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2013
The information in this article is not intended as tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. This material was written and prepared by Emerald. Copyright 2014 Emerald Connect, LLC.
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Robb & Stucky furniture retailer to reopen in South Florida – Sun Sentinel
Robb & Stucky, the luxury home furnishing retailer, is making a comeback in South Florida.
The retailer based in Fort Myers plans to open a showroom in Coral Gables this year and in Boca Raton by next year.
In 2011, Robb & Stucky liquidated inventory from its 20 stores in Florida, Texas, Arizona and Nevada after filing to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In South Florida, Robb & Stucky had showrooms in Palm Beach Gardens and Boca Raton.
Source: www.sun-sentinel.com