In virtually every aspect of business and even in life, the old adage, “practice makes perfect” is often very true. Especially here in New Jersey, competition is intense as a multitude of similar businesses compete for the same demographical client base.
Many leaders, and more salespeople then we would like to count, would almost rather “wing” it in a deal or a meeting rather than rehearse the presentation. It is indeed human nature for us not to role play or practice in front of a mirror to get the script down right. But within the letters that spell the word practice, we can see the distinct advantage of being prepared as a professional.
- P: Patience is more than a virtue. By knowing what needs to be said in front of a client or an audience, we often can make adjustments we need to get to our goal.
- R: Repetition just keeps us sharp. Just as a surgeon improves with every similar operation, we improve our communication skills with each recurrence.
- A: It never is about us when we are in front of an audience. It is about them. They are considering both time and money, and being succinct is critical.
- C: Consistency and rhythm makes for smooth presentation.
- T: By going over the presentation, we can make adjustments with timing. No one likes anything long winded.
- I: By showing effort and purpose, your integrity improves with every sales pitch or with every speech.
- C: Challenge our abilities and hone our weaknesses because they enable us to be outstanding with our clients and our people.
- E: In the end, it is the excellence of what we do in every professional category that gives us the edge in this fragile economy.
Patience, Repetition, Audience, Consistency, Timing, Integrity, Challenge, and Excellence combine to give us the edge we need every day. All we have to do is P.R.A.C.T.I.C.E.
A great class to pair with this article is How to Communicate with Diplomacy and Tact on March 19, in Bordentown.
This post is shared with you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey. We would love to connect with you on Facebook.