Page 84 - DMGT507_SALES AND PROMOTIONS MANAGEMENT

Sales and Promotions Management

Notes
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Caution However, it is not sufficient to have a structure, you must make sure that it is
visible and develop it as you go along, a process sometimes referred to as ‘sign-posting.
Frankly it is hardly possible to indulge in too much sign-posting as a session proceeds; it
is a technique which allows the group to keep everything you say in context. They know
the objectives, they know the structure and where you are in the sequence, how it fits in
with what has been covered to date and what will come later, and can follow the thread
that much more easily than with less information of this sort. So, the overall structure is
classic: a beginning, a middle and an end. Consider the three in turn.
The Beginning

It is a common cliché that you only get one chance to make a good first impression; but it is true.
It is always right to get off to a good start. People make rapid judgments at the start of the session
(‘Am I going to like this? Will it be useful?’); a good start gets them in the right frame of mind
and is also good for the presenter’s confidence.
At the beginning of the whole session all, the preliminaries need to be dealt with — the welcome,
the administration and so on — and, at the same time, you must:
1. Gain the group’s attention
2. Create (or begin to do so) the necessary rapport. The first can be helped by a striking start
3. Ask a question (even a rhetorical one)

4. Use a quotation (to make a point in a memorable manner)
5. Tell a story, an anecdote, or a true, recent or memorable occurrence
6. State a striking fact, say a statistic

7. Use something visual, a slide, a gesture to create impact or something just downright
intriguing to give the necessary impact.
The second is helped by an immediate display of empathy, a focus on the group and how they
see things and sheer enthusiasm — always potentially infectious — for the event and the topic.

The Middle

This is the core of the session, and must:
1. Review the content in detail
2. Ensure acceptance of the message

3. Maintain the attention of the group.
This structure and ‘sign-posting’ referred to above will keep the content unfolding logically and
smoothly. Sufficient examples and anecdotes will exemplify what is said, add credibility and
make it live; they will also help maintain interest especially if the session is kept reasonably
participative with questions and discussion acting as raisins in the bread. Make sure that the
words you use are sufficiently descriptive.

Example:You cannot say: “This is like ........’’ too often. As the details of the core content
come through here, the visual aids used will help maintain concentration and memory (and
have an additional advantage as an extra aid to the presenter’s memory).

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