On Monday and Tuesday of this week we spoke about shifting your customer’s attention from their current state to being focused on you and your meeting. What happens if you’re thrown into a conference room in front of a group of people? How do you shift the attention of multiple people to you?
The path is the same, but the methods of getting there are different. Remember, we can’t shift them directly from thinking about the email they need to send to your presentation on visitor management – this doesn’t work. We need middleware – a transition topic that takes their minds off of that email. Once they’re focused on the transition topic, we then shift them to our meeting. One person is hard enough, but a room full of people? Believe it or not, it’s easier with a group.
I speak in front of audiences for a fee about 20 times a year. Since I’m getting paid, I better deliver. In every session, one of my goals is to get the audience engaged right away. It’s much easier with 500 people than it is with 10. The energy level of a larger group feeds off itself and the 500 people help me energize each other. My jokes are much funnier, my stories much more inspiring, and I even think my IQ raises a few points … all because of the larger audiences feed off of each other. It’s the same concept in a sales meeting.
When you have more than three people in your sales meeting, utilize their number to help you shift their attention to your meeting (if you have three or less, just use the techniques discussed earlier this week). Remember, each of them is thinking more about their meeting at 3:30 with their boss than they are thinking about your visitor management system. In order to shift the attention of the group, start your presentation with a riddle or group contest. I know it sounds crazy, but it works.
What kind of riddle or contest? That depends on your topic, personality, audience, setting, etc. However, if you perform an online search for “icebreaker exercises” or “business brain teasers”, you’ll find many sources. After doing this once or twice, you’ll have your basic opening for all presentations nailed, and you’ll be able to modify for each type of setting. Don’t worry as much about relevance as the exercise. You want them to think analytically – forcing them to figure out a problem and taking total focus away from their “emergencies” to the exercise. After the exercise is over, it’ll be an easy transition to bring their attention to you.
Seriously, try it. Your customers will appreciate the break, and you’ll gain a much more engaged audience.
