If you’ve applied Steps 1-6 of my formula for a live presentation that sells, you’re rounding the bases and getting ready to slide into home.
You’re now ready for “the close” ~ the portion of your talk that is specifically devoted to selling the product or service that will be available in the back of the room after your presentation.
Many speakers get to this point and choke.
They’ve done a great job sharing their story and weaving it into their teaching (Step 6), but then when it’s time to transition to the close, they get awkward and lose momentum.
They seem to have forgotten that the purpose of their presentation is not to teach, but to sell.
Structure Your Teaching to Sell
To help avoid that problem make sure that the teaching portion of your talk is tightly related to the program you’re offering in the back of the room.
For instance, you’re teaching them two or three of your seven steps for doubling their income in 60 days, or one of the five ways to have the relationship they’ve always wanted.
Your teaching, then, is selling. It entices the audience, shows them what’s possible in their lives and businesses, and leaves them wanting more.
That way, the close becomes a natural extension of your teaching, and your program the answer to their desire.
Step 7: A Smooth Transition
When your teaching and close share the same goal of selling, transitioning from one to the other is easy. Just say something like this:
“For years we’ve been perfecting this information, doing everything that we possibly can to make it simple for you to implement it into your life right away. And we’re really excited to be able to offer that solution to you today.”
That’s all there is to it.
Step 8: The Close: Make It Doable
Now, just start talking about the specifics of your program, focusing on the results they’re going to get, what they’re going to learn, and how it will impact their lives.
Convey the strong impression that you have laid it all out for them as much as possible.
Without being deceptive, emphasize how easy and doable your program is.
Don’t overwhelm or confuse them with extraneous detail they don’t need in order to make the decision to buy.
For instance, if you’ve got a program on relationships, the people in your program are going to have to do internal work to get to the point where they’re having great relationships.
But, during the close, don’t talk about all of that internal work. They know they’re going to have to do some work, so you don’t have to highlight that fact.
If you make your program sound complicated or difficult, your audience will tune out and you will lose sales.
For the 15 or 20 minutes of the close, focus on how they’re going to benefit, and how easily your program will guide them to those results.
By the way, you’re delivering this information before you pass out your order form. I’ll pick it up here next time.