The Seven Principles of Persuasive Selling Presentations (part 2)

KEYPOINT: In reality, you and I buy very few things for rational reasons. Instead, we buy things (especially those "spur of the moment" impulse items!) because of emotions...because of feelings.

Now, since people purchase a LOT of products based on emotions, what can you do to trigger those emotions?

Secrets of Tapping into Emotions
There are two secrets to touching the way we feel about things that work the majority of the time (I'll touch on both of these more later and in-depth in Las Vegas, but let me introduce them now)...

$10,000 KEY: Present problems and offer solutions. Early on in your offer or your presentation is a great place to do this. Outline a problem that your buyer or your target audience is probably facing and then point out how your product provides the solution...

Online:

One of the biggest obstacles facing most people doing business online is generating traffic to their websites.

Let me show you how to really get quality people who are interested in YOU and your WORK, product, service, experience, to YOUR website...

I like contrasting my work with others who write about, create products, and courses that are about similar topics to what I'm doing, but there is a significant difference. There's no need to replicate information. So I produce where others are deficient. but have no depth or value (or worse, it's actually destructive to their clients, customers or buyers).

That's a huge competitive advantage...USP...if you will.

Face it. Someone goes to a seminar for $5000 and gets nothing but a sales pitch or a bunch of sales pitches.

It doesn't take rocket science to know people are still angry... to know that they wanted value, and didn't get it. And that's where an opportunity is created for me to create happy and loyal lifetime relationships.

I mean think of the last time you went to a seminar that was really a sales pitch for a bunch of other stuff.

What emotions are triggered here? Anger? Absolutely! Most likely the reader is angry because she herself has been taken and disillusioned by the event, and the like.

The KEY is that there is a problem that they face, (the reason they went to the first event) there is the possibility of a solution for them to take a "chance" on Kevin Hogan.

Emotion has already been triggered and will continue to be fed throughout the remainder of our hypothetical presentation.

(I can feel the emotions of this scenario right now!)

You want to point out what happened with the other event. Let it sting.

Then let the reader/prospect/customer/future client see the existing problems that caused them to want to go to THAT event in the first place, then offer solutions where possible.

Don't exaggerate, lie or hype. Offer realistic, reachable solutions that will come to fruition in the near future.

We all have problems and we all want them eliminated. And, we don't mind paying for those solutions -- if they are real solutions.

KEYPOINT: Be the CLEAR ALTERNATIVE. If you can't be passionate about being the clear alternative....

* Present luxuries and offer opportunities. The flipside to that coin is to present something that triggers our passion and offer us a chance to obtain it. For example, here's one that would get a lot of people now...

"Wouldn't you like to improve your golf game so dramatically that you'll have your buddies scrambling to keep up with you?"

"Let me show you how to take at least 10 strokes off your total by the end of the week. You'll drive the ball farther, hit amazingly accurate chip shots and putt like a pro. Here's how..."

Aaaah. Show me where to sign up!

What emotions are triggered here? Excitement! Joy! Passion! Pride!

KEYPOINT: There is a certain "attraction" between our psyches and an opportunity to fulfill something we are passionate about.

The idea for you is to capitalize on an EXISTING emotional want.

For example, If you get targeted traffic to your website, or the right people in your store, then it is EASY present your work to your visitors because of their existing desires.

They already want something, all you have to do is be credible enough to persuade them that they can have it.

One reason we buy is because the offer or opportunity triggers some feeling inside of us that prompts us to go for it.

Your job is to let them pull the trigger.

To Be Continued!

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The Seven Principles of Persuasive Selling Presentations

What's one of the most important things to know before giving a Persuasive Selling Presentation?

Understanding what motivates people to buy and then pushing all the right buttons.
Simple.

Before I launch into creating and presenting your own offer, whether in person, on the web, or in media, we need to do some research to make sure your offer is accepted.
Now, when I say "research," I'm sure visions of high school term papers come to mind - late nights in the library pouring through book after book.

Don't worry, I wouldn't put ya through that!

I've already done the research for you. All you need to do is LEARN from what I have researched and am sharing with you today.

Core Reasons People BuyI want to show you core reasons that people buy.
Are there other reasons?

A few, and they are profound and I'll talk to you about them in Las Vegas.

But for now, what if I told you that I am going to outline the things that motivate people to make purchases, and I'm going to show YOU how to have control over each of these core factors, AND I am going to give you the training you need to master these motivators to practically cause people to buy from YOU.

Interested?

Ready?

What motivates people to buy?As mentioned earlier, this isn't an all-inclusive set.

These are the major causes of why people buy.

There are seven.

1. The Principle of EMOTION

One of the reasons people make purchases is because of emotion.
Emotions like...

* FEAR:

Fear of gaining weight. Fear of missing an opportunity. Fear of unemployment. Fear of death. Fear of a future price increase.Fear of what others think about them. Fear of the unknown. Fear of growing old. Fear of being alone. Fear of being cheated.

There are hundreds of different PHOBIAS that DRIVE people to make purchases.
People buy life insurance because they fear dying prematurely and leaving their family financially strapped.

We buy exercise equipment because we fear gaining weight or getting out of shape.
We buy alarm systems because we fear we are going to be violated in some way.

KEY POINT: We make a lot of purchases because of our fears, on things that are supposed to ease our fears.

* PASSION:
Passion for food. Passion for money. Passion for our children. Passion for our partner. Passion for our career. Passion for success. Passion for fame.

You and I have those things in our lives that we are passionate about. Whether it is a relationship or a recreation, a possession or a position, we all have those things that we long for.
We all have those things that we "love." And we spend a lot of money in pursuit of those things.
I began reading voraciously as a kid. And everywhere I went, people told me more and more of the different kinds of books I could purchase. I bought thousands of books.

Why?

Because my passion for reading triggered an emotional response... I wanted to KNOW as much as a human could...and I was as good as sold long before walking into Barnes and Noble.

(To this day I have and have read everything possible about Biblical Archaeology, Religious Literature, The Historic Jesus, Decision Making, Illusion of Consciousness, Consumer Behavior, Evolutionary Psychology, Strategic and Critical Thinking, Motivation, Rejection, Relationship Research, well...and a few other ...dozen areas of interest....)

You and I make a lot of purchases based upon passion or love.

Things that make us happy, that bring us joy...that increase our pleasure. People buy food in many cases not because they are hungry, but because they love eating.

People buy self-help books not because we need to improve our reading skills, but because we long to improve our lives. People buy roses because they love their spouses.

Passion - it fuels a LOT of buying decisions.

I touched on fear and passion because those are the two biggest emotional buttons that cause people to make purchases.

There are plenty of others:

Sorrow, reverence, hate, sadness, surprise, anger, joy, excitement.

We make purchases for all of these reasons.

How To Be A Professional Public Speaker (Part 8)

NEVER B.S. ANYONE.

And if YOU BELIEVE you can cure cancer and solve all the world's ills, don't get on a platform anywhere.

Instead of doing this, what you must do is focus your speech on the topics that are the most important for your group. Develop your niche, your target area of focus that all other materials you have will point to.

One of the most common and best examples is that of helping people to be leaders. If leadership is your niche, then you can talk to all types of people with the same topic.

Does that mean you can't talk about those other topics? Of course, not! But it means that you are developing a specific field that your speeches will revolve around.

Why does it matter so much if you have a select area in which you will be talking about in all of your speeches? It helps to define you as an expert in the field. People enjoy talking with experts and they are much more likely to believe you if you say that that is what you are.

If you know "everything" people see you as knowing "nothing."

When you have selected your niche, you will develop your speeches and all of your talks about that one topic. The topic is up to you, and it should be something you are passionate about and something that comes directly from your personal experiences.

Choosing a niche is the best way for you to concentrate your efforts and become a known leader in that field. If you are an expert at team building, an expert at sales building or even an expert at being positive, that is the field that people will come to you seeking help from.

Consider the fact. If you were to spend your company's money to bring someone in to talk, do you want an expert in the field to be the one to talk? What is the process you should follow?

The process is fairly straightforward:
Determine what in your past can be used to be your material in your speech. What do you have to offer to those that come to listen?

Determine what you can offer from that material in terms of giving to your listeners? How will you improve their lives with your own experiences?

What niche will it be that you take on to help demonstrate your experiences? What topic will you focus your energies to in order to become an expert in and become known for?

Once you have accomplished these goals, you should have a fairly clear idea of where your speeches are going to be located in terms of content. You will know what you want to say and how you will communicate it based on your experiences. Take the time to work through this process to develop speech content that is wanted and desired by those that will listen to you speak!

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How To Be A Professioanl Public Speaker (Part 7)

Developing Your Niche

For those that know anything about Internet marketing, the key to being successful is finding your niche, or that place where you will share what information and resources you can with those around you.

Success in that field requires that you specialize your marketing so that you are putting as much effort (and money) towards that one goal as possible, thus giving you more resources behind one goal instead of many resources behind many goals spreading it too thin for success.

In the world of public speaking, you too must develop a niche from which you will work with. This is up to you to determine in terms what it is based on your experiences that we have talked about.

THINK ABOUT THIS:

Realize that most people that walk in to the building, sit down and wait to hear you speak are more skeptical of you than you are of them. In that comes the fact that they will want to prove you wrong before believing that you are right.

One of the biggest ways to turn someone off from you is to promise them that what you are about to tell them is going to solve all of the problems that they experience in their life. The larger and more all encompassing your promise is, the more unlikely you are to be believed.

For example, let's say that you want to talk to a group of people through a local organization. But, you just want to have an overall motivational speech without a direct topic to speak about. So, you walk in and you see all types of people in your audience.

When your speech begins, you begin to play to all of their needs. "What I have to say will help you to lose weight, cure cancer, live a longer life and to solve all of your financial problems."

This is not believable and from that moment on, they are untrusting (and SHOULD BE) of what you have to say.

What should you NEVER do?... (Coming up in tomorrow's article).

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How To Be A Professional Speaker (Part 6)

What Can Your Presentations Do?

The bottom line is this. Your speeches must do something for the listener. This could be as simple as motivating them or it could be teaching them a lesson. The goal is that you must first connect with the audience then deliver a message to them.

Developing that message is very important, but often times difficult to do. The first step is to analyze your own information in terms of what it has done for you and others you've shared it with.

Here's an example of what you can do. Let's say that your family did get into a tight financial situation as you were aging. At that time in your life, it was up to you, the oldest male, to get out and find a job even though you were only 13 to help support your family. (EH HM....)

This was difficult and trying for you but you were able to be successful and founded your first business by the time that you were just 14.

What did that experience teach you about life? What characteristics did you have to have to excel in that tough time? All of those situations are what define the message that you can provide to those around you listening to your speech.

Many speeches will have one of several goals:

• They will help to solve the problems of the listener.
• They will help to listener to set and achieve goals that they set.
• They will help the listen to improve their lives in some way.
• They will help to motivate.
• They will help to teach a lesson.

Sometimes, it will become necessary for you to actually take your speech and morph it into one or more of these above goals. For example, at one organization you may be working with goal-setting where as with another it may be talking about leadership. It is up to you to determine how to make such a change and why to make that the case. This can be challenging to some people that have not taken the time to really define their abilities.

That is something that you can do. You must define what your past experiences have taught you that you can convey to others that will in some way improve their lives on a big or small scale.

Developing your niche...

How to Be A Professional Speaker (Part 5)

Why Does It Matter?

How can ordinary, boring life events help you to become a public speaker? It may seem like a stretch but the fact is that people love to hear about other people's successes and failures....and as long as the story ultimately ends in success....they love the failure part!!

They use this information to help define their own abilities both positively and negatively.

They need to know that an average person just like them can ultimately accomplish great things.

For example, perhaps tragedy struck your family when your father lost his job. Your family did not have the funds for anything. The way that this situation is handled by you defines who you are and that's what you want to get at later in your speeches.

You could approach the subject about how this taught you humility and defined the person that you are today, for example. Perhaps it helped you to be so frugal in your business that you managed to be more successful than the next guy because of it.

Simply define for yourself what it was like to overcome life and it's most difficult of situations. Things like the loss of a loved one, dealing with fear, dealing with financial ruin and even dealing with rejection are all basic levels of emotions that many people go through in their lifetime.

Not only does this give you a tool by which to work from, but it helps you to gain the necessary resources to truly inspire others with through a connection. If you struggled with fear, they can bond with you on that level because they have done so at some time. This can ultimately be one of the best ways to communicate with those that you are speaking with.

When you are looking back into your past, ask yourself what it means to be a motivational or other type of public speaker. You need to have material that will help you to get your message out there. Some public speakers gather facts and figures from the world to use.

YOU ARE NOT DOING THERAPY WITH YOURSELF ON STAGE.

You are ever present with your audience, looking into their hearts, their minds, their pain, their love.

That might sound ...different, but it is what you are there to do.

If you don't get carried away, you can use SNIPPETS from your life to fuel your speeches. They do this because it is one of the most powerful ways to communicate with those you are speaking to. It allows you to show that you have the same experiences as they have had. Now, you can show them the right way to deal with those experiences.

REALLY IMPORTANT: What Can You Offer To The Masses?

Now that you have taken some time to really define who you are, you need to find a way to provide others with something useful from those experiences.

One thing to remember here is this. No matter how successful you think you are, chances are that no one is going to pay you to talk about your past life experiences.

Sure, this can be part of your material to use, but some underlying benefit must come through. It is up to you to determine what that ultimately should be, though.

How can you take your life experiences and make them into something that is wanted and needed by your audience members?

I mentioned the processes of working with connections where you are able to use your own personal experiences to draw a connection to the other person listening to you speak. This is important because you want them to know that you do have some experience and know what you are talking about.

But, moving to the next step is more challenging. Now, you must take your experiences and convey your personal feelings with them.

Remember, although there are many professionals out there looking forward to a career in public speaking, it is also important to note that no one wants to sit and hear your story without some meaning.

How many people have you had to sit through listening to them talk to you about their life? Most people will do this without costing the listener a penny!

Part 6: "What can your presentations do?"

For More Information About Kevin Hogan. Click Here!

How to Be A Professional Speaker (Part 4)

What Could You Possibly Have That They Could Want?

The public speaker that is most successful is one that conveys his message from experience. Passion can truly be found in these personal experiences. But, what do you have to offer?

To gauge just what it is that you can present to those looking, start by looking closely at your life. Take stock, if you will, of where you are and where you came from. This will give you the best opportunity to find that perfect niche that you will be able to communicate.

Look Into Your Past

Start by looking into your past. Most people do not have a very simple, non emotional or non tragic past in that they can not find something to share about it. You too may have something there to use.

Here are some ideas to consider in terms of what you may have accomplished or areas of experience that you may have but do not realize that you have them. Take stock of your own experiences using this reference.

• What goals have you set for yourself in the past? Have you achieved them and if not, why not? Why did you set those goals? What helped you to honor them? What did having those goals do for you in the long run?

  Both failures and successes might make great stories (or they might bore the audience, you'll have to figure that out!)

• What have you achieved? Did you graduate from college? Perhaps you have honors from military experience. What was it like to get that first job that was successful? Perhaps your achievements lie in the family unit such as getting married and having children. Perhaps you made your first million before the age of 30. What aspects of your life do you consider achievements?
• What are you passionate about in your past? For example, perhaps you were passionate about your child's education and it paid off. Perhaps your religion is the founding principles you have used in your business. Perhaps your business itself has been your passion for years and taught you something. Looking back over the last ten years, what aspects of your life were you passionate about? Why?
• What did you learn from your past experiences? For example, what did you learn about raising your children? What did you learn when you failed miserably at your first business plan? What did you learn about yourself over the years? Most often, people do not realize just how powerful their past was in shaping the future. Has this happened for you? How so?
• What failures did you have? Sometimes the most prominent memories are of those negative aspects in our past. Yet, they are also the most likely to shape your future. What negative or failure type situations were you in? How did that change you? Why did it happen and would you even avoid it if you could today? Where are you today beyond this point?

  Perhaps the very best experiences are those that come from the big things. For example, if you started your first company at the age of 20 and made a million by 25, you definitely did something big and that should be taken stock of. If you do have something big like this in your past, draw from it as this often helps push the success even farther.

  Yet, you do not have to have something amazing behind you in your past or present that is big and glorious. The fact is that even average experiences in your lifetime can give you enough material, information and experience to provide for your speeches. It is not necessarily the actual experience but the way that you perceive it; deal with it as well as overcome it that matters.

Why does it matter? Part 5 Coming Tomorrow!

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How to Be A Professional Speaker (Part 3)

What fee do you charge and what does it include?

The meeting planner goes to my main web site www.KevinHogan.com or my speaking web site at www.KevinHogan.net, and then they determine whether I am right for their company.

If they like me and think that I can help their company or at least be entertaining, they send an email and invariably, one question is asked in the mail followed by one other.

• What is your fee?
• Are you available July 18?

That's it.

Fee and availability.

You'll need to determine yours.

The bottom line for most professionals in public speaking is that they need to sell themselves to make a living. But, organizations hiring you to do so will question if the value of what you are providing is worth the cost that you are charging. A big, well-known name brings in more money, but so does a creative approach.

Also, most organizations want to be sure that you are providing them with all that you can; which means appearances before and after the event to talk to guests and dignitaries, as well as an overall willingness to go above and beyond.

I try and avail myself the night before for meeting with group leaders. This can be a double-edged sword. After travel, sometimes you are wiped out and need a bed when 10 people want your wit and charm.

What happens?

You guessed it....

You go and pump out all the energy!

Organizations demand quality products and services. They want to be provided with the best of the best. If you can meet this need, the demand for your services is going to be high.

What could you possibly have that they could want?

Part 4 Coming Soon!

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How to Be A Professional Speaker (Part 2)

There Really A Market For Your Knowledge?

Public speaking has increased in demand all around the world. You do not have to be famous in terms of what your name is, but you have to have something unique or useful to offer. When this is seen by a company, organization or other group as being something worth listening to, the demand for you....rises.

One of the first keys to remember about being successful in the field of public speaking is to know what the buyer of your service is looking for.

And Just What Is The Buyer Looking For?

If you were to be hired to provide a product to a client, you would need to understand what needs that client has so that you can tailor your product to meet those needs and to therefore fulfill the buyer's demand.

In public speaking, you need to understand what the audience is looking for when giving a speech. Before you can do that, you must understand what the person or group that will hire you is looking for. Since they hire you, you have to be able to meet their goals.

In order to do this, you consider what the organization hiring you is looking for. In an interview with the organization, they are likely to want to gather facts about you.

Some of those facts include these qualifications.

• Do you have a topic that is right for their audience?

The company hiring you is looking for you to accomplish some goal. This could be motivating their employees or it could be an educational goal. Regardless, do you meet that goal for them?

• Do you have references to back you up?

The company wants to be sure that you have references, some type of qualification to be there doing what you are doing. You may be wondering where this is going to come from. It will be something addressed later in the series. For now, realize that you have to be a proven success to the company hiring you.

Not many meeting planners will put their reputation or job on the line by spending a fortune hiring a screw up.

• Do you have an effective way to communicate your message?

Here, they want to be sure that you can drive home a winning presentation. Most want to have public speakers that are able to provide audio and visual demonstrations and materials to really bring out their point.

• Do you offer the ability to customize your message?

If you are speaking to a group of employees, will you be able to customize your message to that company? Doing so can really be an effective way to bring in the information that the company is looking for. Many companies today are hiring professionals to do just that.

In most interviews, I confess I do all the asking. I want to make sure I deliver precisely what the meeting planner, the VP or the sales manager is going to want and need.

I can usually get through my questions in 45 minutes, and I take incredible notes.

Those notes get collated with other research I do about a company. And I rarely mention that I've researched a company. I'll tell you why next week!

• Are you able to hold the attention of the audience?

In short, you do have to be somewhat of an entertainer in order to be successful. Organizations are looking for people that will stimulate thoughts and goals, but that will do it in a way that is enjoyable.

Few companies are cruel enough to hire you to bore their audience.

I've always enjoyed throwing very disarming or deadpan humor in my presentations. And that humor seems to work just as well if not better in Europe than the U.S.

Two years ago I got hired by an incredible "club" of multimillionaires and BILLIONAIRES to entertain them for 90 minutes. They didn't need education or a lesson in leadership. These were the masters of the world. They wanted me to make them LAUGH.

So I put together a presentation that was incredibly aggressive, as politically incorrect as I could humanly make it and I had about 2/3 of the audience laughing in minutes. Interesting: English was NOT a first language to anyone.

I had not been so nervous and frankly intimidated (yes it happens to me too!) in a decade...

What fee should you charge and what does it include?

Part 3! Coming Soon!

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How to Be A Professional Speaker (Part 1)

Being a public speaker is about as good as it gets as a career.

You can get paid more money to do different kinds of things in life but, for my time, this is truly a superb lifestyle.

You work hard.

You're an entertainer.

You're a deliverer of unique information.

You are remembered.

And you make a BIG difference in people's lives.
A Career in Public Speaking Takes Commitment
The market for this business is growing quickly as more and more businesses seek professionals to help motivate and inspire employees. And as the economy goes down, trainers and presenters of quality information have more opportunities.

Those that have something to offer can use that wisdom to empower others. Those that don't or those that choose not to develop expertise in a niche or field, will not find anyone interested in their services.

If you wanted to start a public speaking career, you would ultimately need to know what you have to offer and to market your skills accordingly.

Enter: careful planning and commitment. Through the resources that you find here in this series of articles, you can begin to structure your own speaking business that will far outweigh your expectations.

Learn to Sell Yourself
Your first "goal" is to be able to sell yourself. You are developing a business and the product you are selling is ...you...the expression of your experience, your ability to motivate.

It's not an easy thing to sell yourself.

It has to be done elegantly and gracefully, along with flair!

I think when I look at what people remember me for, it becomes clear that people connect with you through your stories. And nothing is more intimate than the brief, well-constructed snippets from the video of your life.

When you can take advantage of everything life has thrown your way, and educate others on those experiences as far as cutting learning curve or making it through difficulties, you can become an effective public speaker make a heck of a lot of money in the process.

Key Point:The key is to understand exactly what you have to offer that THEY NEED and then to market yourself effectively TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE.

Developing this type of skill means examining yourself and your past. It means developing the experience of your past and your current knowledge to offer to others.

Question: What have you done or experienced that can help you to inform, educate or motivate others? What do you know that other people want to know? Or, what are you willing to be amazing at that others would like to learn from you?

You do not have to be rich and famous, though you may end up being just that after you have begun seeing growth in your business. You do not have to currently have many skills; the wonderful thing about this field is that you can learn everything you need, no matter who you are.

The only handicap that stops people is the inability to speak effectively...and I've even seen a few speakers overcome THAT one.

This series of articles will show you how to accomplish what might be one of your dreams. Apply what you learn here to real life and within a matter of months, literally, you will have begun to forge a way into a successful and incredibly rewarding business.

By the way, there are plenty of people who don't want to speak as a keynote speaker; but instead they want to speak as a way to generate business for their insurance, real estate, law and medical practices... among others.


Is there really a market for your knowledge?

Part 2 of this article coming soon!

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Hiring the "Right" Speaker

Q. I've been planning meetings for almost 9 years. All of you professional speakers have the same line. "They are OK, but...I." You too?

A. I don't know. Fact is all speakers are different from each other.

You are faced with the almost impossible task of bringing in someone who will entertain, provide good content, inspire to action AND be safe. You are constantly on the line.

Those are the four criteria I take into account before coming to your group, convention, meeting, etc.

I imagine there are a lot of speakers that fulfill that. I've seen a lot of speakers I like. Gitomer, Tracy, Ziglar, Rohn. They all have their styles. All are pro's. All deliver.

I like to think I'm in that group.

I often wonder if any other speaker has been invited to the Million Dollar Round Table two years in a row. I'm told it has never happened. If that's true, then I let that speak for itself.

You don't get hired back to the most prestigious event on the planet without doing something right.

Checking out http://www.kevinhogan.com/ which is my personal home page and http://www.kevinhogan.net/ which is my "professional speaker" page, provides you with a look at a real person just like you, who busts his back side to overdeliver and make you look not just good, but like a genius.

Kevin Hogan
http://www.kevinhogan.com/biography.htm

Motivational Speaker: Kevin Hogan

Q. Why should I hire you instead of all the rest out there at half of what you charge? A. The answer is in your question. If you sold your products at half the price you get for it now, how long would it take for you to be out of business and broke? Exactly. You get what you pay for. Do you really want to beat down price with your surgeon? Your car mechanic? Anyone you do business with? Obviously not. You want the best and the best allows you to rest and know that all will be well. One final thought. You decide not to pay me $15,000. That's fine. Now, let's say you go hire Jane or John Doe at $7,000 because you think you're getting off cheap.... Fast forward to your event date. You have a huge audience and you are responsible for how the event goes. How much regret do you feel? Don't worry everyone does. That's why you read this first.

Your People, New Information, Sell More NOW

A Motivational Speaker is often thought of as "someone who pumps up an audience. "

That's square one.

Square two is that the speaker actually leaves the group with easy to apply NOW strategies. Stuff that works, NOW. Here's why a lot of people consider Kevin Hogan, America's number one motivational speaker.

Imagine at your next meeting that everyone walked away with stuff like this....what would sales look like then?!?!

How to Influence People...It's Not How You Ask, But WHEN!

Imagine: A July 2006 meeting for 2007 benefits plan....

"OK everyone, a show of hands...how many of you are going to want to be part of our new benefits program? Corporate is matching up to 50% of your contributions to your 401K. That means if you put $15,000 in your 401K, the company will put in $7,500."

"Sure thing, I'll make a contribution to my 401K plan!"

From a simply rational perspective, this is a no-brainer. Every person should say "yes," contribute the maximum that the company allows and chalk up a tidy 50% return on investment. (Read that as "I'm smart enough to take all the free money I can get.")
Of course they will!

Now...move to six months in the future. In fact, research shows that when you ask people if they intend to do just about anything *next year*, they will affirm that they are going to participate...and then...

...they don't.

They get to December when it's time to fill out the paper work which amounts to a signature that affirms that the employee wants FREE MONEY and........they just can't pull the trigger and watch all that money "taken" from their pay check. They opt out...or only ask for a little free money from their company.

But remember, people don't think rationally. They will refuse to take FREE MONEY which is why they are working in the first place!!! Or worse, they realize the value of getting FREE MONEY and refuse to take all of it! Why? What is wrong with this picture?
Let's look at another example of how the mind works as far as time in concerned.

A friend asks you to do something next week that you only marginally want to do. It would be OK but it would be just as OK not to do it. You say "Yes."

As the time approaches you feel more and more like you would rather get something done around the house or go shopping. It now seems like work to do what you previously said "yes" to.

"My kids are sick and I've got to stay home and take care of them."

And you stay home or go shopping.

Or your wife has this experience:

She's at a Tupperware party and she knows the moment is coming...

"Now, if you want to receive a bunch of free gifts like this container that an elephant can stand on and still not break. (She demonstrates.)...you can host a party at your house...but I'm really booked for the next 60 days so it would have to be in March. Jane, do you want to do one?"

"Sure."

"March 7?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"Great Honey. How about you Jessica? I can do one on the 4th of April."

"Sure, I'll do that."

And so on and so forth.

Now, having a Tupperware Party isn't a bad thing. It's a very good thing. With a good hostess, the women will have fun and everyone will spend a little money. But you do sometimes have to obligate your friends and family to come, which is a bit uncomfortable for just about anyone. But hey, it's three months out.

As the party approaches she feels torn as she prepare to send out the invitations. She wonders why she said "yes," in the first place. She still hasn't SENT the invitations. It's probably going to be fine but part of her doesn't want to do the party. Life is busy and this really wasn't necessary. But she said she'd do it...in front of a lot of her friends...and she's going to have a Tupperware Party.

When Jane was asked it didn't seem like that big of a deal, certainly not an obligation that entails a bit of work. As she approaches the date, though, it does seem as though this is an all day project....

I was watching TV the other night and an annoying commercial came on for Wickes Furniture.

"2007," the young suburban housewife says as she sits in her new couch.

"This week only you have no payments til 2007," the young husband parrots.

"Wickes has no payments and no INTEREST til 2007!"

"Wow, no interest?!" the husband feeds the line back and so the commercial goes.

Is the commercial effective?

You bet.

The furniture store isn't selling a recliner or sofa, they are selling free furniture...for 2005 at least. 2007 is 13 months away and that means that you can have new furniture for free! You look around your house and you think, "you know we DO need new furniture."

And you probably do. This is not only an effective promotion, it's also ethical.

When an event is a long way off it's easy to say yes.

In fact, the further an event is in the future, the easier it is to say, "yes."

In each of the above examples you discover how easy it is to say, "yes" today.

In the case of the retirement account, the funny thing is that people consistently have regret as they approach the new year that they have agreed to participate in something that is completely in their best interest without exception. Unfortunately, people perceive the 401K as an expense(!), when of course, it is a crucial asset. But it does represent money that the person doesn't get to use today. And that "feeling" of loss of freedom plays a role in the person's "feeling" that they now don't feel as certain about the program. (Remember when feelings come into play, rational thinking often departs.)

In the case of the Tupperware Party, the person says yes today, partially because they feel obligated to do so because they are asked in front of a group. It's not unethical, but there is a "feeling" of pressure involved. Who wants to look bad in front of the group? In this real-life scenario a person's future isn't on the line. It's a Tupperware Party and it is helping this woman earn a living. It's a good thing to do. Nevertheless, as the day approaches, the desire to participate dramatically reduces because it takes away the freedom of choice for the party day.

In part, because you are obligating your friends and family to do something that will be fun but uncomfortable for some.

The furniture store is the easiest to say "yes" to today because getting new furniture and spending no money (for at least one year) is more than tempting, it's downright delicious. You MUST do this. The company puts off the payment so far into the future that most people can't even get "there" in their mind.

Now, you think this is pretty amazing stuff? Obviously it's easy to get people to say "yes" to something that is going to happen far in the future. Now...Just wait til you learn how to utilize this powerful information in your business and your practice and your life.

And speaking of time...what happens when you ask for an answer at different points in a conversation (early on, in the middle, at the end)? Does it matter when you ask for agreement?

Does it matter when you ask for the date?

And when you do ask for something, should the event happen quickly (do you take her out tomorrow night or in two weeks?) or do you put it off?

It all makes a BIG difference and I'll be showing you in person just how big of a difference...and specifically how to handle all the variables.

Motivational Speaker Kevin Hogan

A motivational speaker for your event must be able to captivate and audience and prepare them not only for the day's events but for the purpose behind the event.

For years I've been doing this for the best and biggest companies and conventions around the world.

Most groups hire me because of my status as "the body language expert." Others hire me because I wrote the all time second best selling book about persuasion and influence. These presentations often show people how to dramatically increase their sales, improve marketing or simply communicate far more effectively.

http://www.kevinhogan.net/ is the place to visit if you want more information, and for this blog, I'm going to post a number of samples of just what will drive your group to excellence!

Kevin Hogan
Author of The Psychology of Persuasion