Welcome to 2016! Regular meetings for the New Entrepreneurs Toastmasters Club will resume this Thursday, January the 7th. Mark Read will be the Toastmaster and the theme will be New Year’s Resolutions.
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Celebrating the End of 2015 & the Holiday Break
The 2015 portion of the 2015-16 Toastmasters season is coming to an end. Everyone can be proud of our accomplishments, and we have many things to be thankful for since the beginning of the season in September. New and existing members have all achieved some level of growth in communication and leadership. Even at the very least, signing up and making the commitment is a big first step!
Matching your Pitch to your Customer’s Motivation
Regardless as to who enters the store, sales agents all too often use the same canned, rehearsed pitch. The same message is relayed to sell the coffee maker or the sofa; after all customers have to have all the facts! But after listening to your customers, are you communicating what’s important and relevant to them?
Effective Listening can get You that Sale!
Some people seem to have a real knack for selling; they sometimes keep talking until the customer gives in with sheer exasperation!
While this strategy might work initially, the probability of the order being cancelled will be high and the likelihood of the customer returning will be low. A more effective way to start the sales process is to listen before you speak!
Constructive Criticism can Bring out the Best in People
Offering half-hearted positive advice along with a negative comment is like offering someone a slice of dry bologna between two pieces of stale bread. At the end of the day, it’s still a stale sandwich and the receiver will walk away with a bad taste in their mouth.
By using the following strategies for providing constructive feedback, the receiver will likely walk away with a good feeling in their gut:
Mastering Delegation through Effective Communication
Regardless of the size of your business, one of the single most important things you can do as an entrepreneur is to delegate tasks. Besides reducing your work and saving time, it teaches you to communicate persuasively, supervise and train others, and help to expand your sphere of influence.
Check out these tips and tricks to effectively communicate tasks to another person:
I Caught You Looking!
The New Entrepreneurs Toastmasters Club has cheekily named this month’s tip I Caught You Looking! It caught your attention, didn’t it?
An effective and well thought out title is fuel for your speech. Properly crafted, it creates interest and excitement; it sets expectations for the audience and prepares them for what comes next.
A good title also acts as a guide for you. Typically related to the theme, it helps focus your time and energy during the speech development and keeps you on track. It influences your voice, tone, and emphasis.
New Year’s Resolution: Become a Better Speaker
When a goal is written down and has milestones which are small and achievable, it is often possible to achieve the desired results. There is a 5 step process for successfully completing the goals set out in New Year’s Resolutions: