Even though you yourself might not be an executive, you must come across in a manner that demonstrates you're confident, credible, and someone who understands the executive's world. Here's how to project executive presence when selling up.
Executive Briefing Center presentations are typically high stakes. When millions in revenue are on the line, expectations are high on both sides of the table. If you're asked to present, you feel the pressure. That's why preparation is essential. And, practice is mandatory. Here are a few essential tips to help you prep for and deliver world-class briefings.
By asking better questions, your sales team can engage in stimulating and productive customer conversations. A recent book demonstrated how a lesson from the elementary classroom applies to Fortune 1000 sales executives.
While customer-driven dialogue should be the goal of every sales meeting, make no mistake: there are key “moments of presentation” during these conversations that can determine your success or failure. The best sales people know when they need to shift gears and jump into presentation mode, and they do it well because it's a skill they've practiced.
The two-part blog series on How to Communicate with Executives was so well-received, I wanted to write a third and final bonus post. Not to mention, Fortune 500 executives have shared so many invaluable tips with me with over the years, that it's difficult for me not to want to share them all. So, this week I'll conclude the series by focusing on (1) the use of slides when presenting to executives and (2) how to manage push back when interacting with executives.
This week, in Part II of this series, I'm going to focus on how to present yourself to executives in order to earn their respect and confidence. How do you communicate non-verbally? What's your body language saying? Or your vocal tone and volume? Here's what executives believe executive presence should look like.
In Part I of this two-part series, Steve Mandel shares two common concerns Fortune 500 executives have voiced again and again about how people communicate with them. Their concerns directly correlate to steps you can take to become a more skilled, confident, and highly competent executive communicator.