The Presentation

As mentioned in a previous chapter, my method for preparing a sales presentation for the software I sold was to walk along the information flow to get an understanding of how things were currently being done. I would have already researched the Annual Report, but actually seeing the physical premises, the condition of the spaces, the cooperation of the employees gave me insight into the company Ego. All corporations have egos similar to individuals. I would modify my presentation vocabulary accordingly.

After seeing how the inputs entered the flow, what processes were being performed on them and analyzing the result, I would have a clear picture of the existing system. Any assumptions I may have made in my prepared presentation would be either verified or removed in my mind. We were issued slide presentations at that time, so I would head for the meeting room and prepare the space for the show.

When I first started professional sales, I had not done a formal presentation. I asked my manager,

"Gus, how do you do a presentation?"

"Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em, tell 'em, and then tell 'em what you told 'em."

I've been fortunate to mingle with wisdom. I reminded this to myself before every effort.

When the attendees were ready, I would thank them for their time, introduce myself, my company and the reason for the meeting. I would normally start with a short anecdote like,

Dalai Lama goes to New York and is told about street vendor hot dogs and how great they are. He is taken to one and the vendor says:

"What's your pleasure, Mac?"

"One - with everything."

Depending on the laughter, I could gauge the mood of the group and get an idea of the tone and tempo I would need for the delivery of the presentation. I loved creating and delivering presentations. The fun part was getting the group to agree on the goal. To do that, I had to listen very intently to any questions being asked to clarify foggy issues. My point of view could never be the same as any other point of view. I had to keep in mind that the real view does not change; only the point's attitude toward the view changes. That was the purpose for "attitude checks" in our sales meetings.

Communication means, "the sending or receiving of a message that means the same to both sender and receiver." It's not easy to formulate a message that means the same to dozens of listeners. Words must be chosen carefully, examples must be used, etc. I use an analogy in my first book to convey how communication can enhance our lives.

Say we're on the North rim of the Grand Canyon and looking at the wonders of the spectacle. We stand there wordless and drink in the scenery until slaked. If we say nothing and walk away with our view and file it in our memory bank, we may consider it a great experience. However, if we start communicating about what we behold, we can embellish the experience with one another's view. We both come away with a grander view. If we gather a group to share their view with us, we get different Points of View that truly can be magical in enhancing it. That's the purpose of communication.

Counselor Selling provided a fantastic method for communicating a presentation. As I mentioned before, they are:

Establish Trust - Establish Need - Establish Fit - Establish Hurry (Timing)

If anything, I over-prepared for presentations. The group easily picked up on that after a few minutes. I could feel the Trust from the faces and any questions being asked.

No communication takes place without Trust and it is no accident that trust and truth have four letters in common. The first agreement in de Ruiz' "Four Agreements" is "Be Impeccable with Your Word," and that is the best way to establish Trust. Of course, trust in the company, trust in intent and many other trust factors enter into the picture, but the deliverer of the message has the primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining Trust. Again, nothing will happen without it. Ulterior motives are deal killers.

The need was always there. I had done my research to ensure that I would not waste time for myself or my attendees. It was a question of how much need - in comparison with all the other priorities they were occupied with. We always work on our number one priority and so do corporations. Their budget reflects those priorities. It is essential to maximize all contributing benefits in this step to make the change as valuable as possible and raise its priority.

Fit is where competition comes in. Whether it was from a competing company and/or from internal operations, everyone seeks "best fit." Many shoes are offered for sale, but if they don't fit your foot, you seek another pair. They also have to fit your taste which is where personality enters the picture. In a large group presentation, I could be sure that "concrete heads" would challenge me at some point to test me. A concrete head is someone whose mind is all mixed up and permanently set. The challenge was always from some Analytical or Driver. For this segment, I used de Ruiz' second agreement: "Never take anything personally." I asked one individual why the product didn't appeal to him and he responded: "I don't want you to get the commission." There is not enough time in my life to break concrete.

Hurry/Timing is the call for a decision. If not now, when? We are wasting time, money, energy on an outdated system. We agree that we have a solution to improve operations, so when do we get to work? Whatever they needed to start the process would then be discussed. I did well in this function.

One presentation I did deserves a mention. I learned the Quebec Government had sent in a request for information about a product we sold. Although Canada was not part of my territory, I went to the CEO and asked him if I could have the lead with the intent of giving the presentation in French - knowing full well that French is the official language of Quebec. He laughed and said, "Be my guest." In fact I was, because he wanted to go along to see what happened.

Quebec City is gorgeous. I made sure I had enough time to explore. It is like a mini-Paris, but set among hills with beautiful vistas. Definitely a place to visit, if not stay.

The presentation began as usual, but in French. As I was presenting the slides, however, I suddenly realized my technical vocabulary was not up to par for communicating with a high-level group. I stumbled a bit and the group could feel my discomfort. One individual piped in and gave me a proper translation for a term on the screen and I thanked him. By the end of the presentation, the group was giving the presentation to me. They bought.

As I was deplaning in Chicago, I passed through the first-class section and overheard an attendant say:

"Miss Bujold, may I get you something?"

Genevieve Bujold is as cute as a button. I had seen her starring in "Coma" and "Anne of a Thousand Days" and am definitely a fan. So I open conversation with her in French and tell her how much I love her work. I find out she is continuing the flight to Los Angeles and the plane is not leaving for almost an hour, so I invite her for a drink at the Admiral's Club in the concourse. She tells me she is pregnant and will not take alcohol, but she is more than willing to have company while she waits. We have a very pleasant conversation and I walk her back to the gate and she gives me a kiss - on the lips. I look at this experience as a reward for my day's efforts. Truly the icing on the cake. Karma must exist.

The presentation that follows is organized in the same way as described above. I have seen the need in the current society and its state of affairs, walked the information flow through my experiences and world travel, analyzed the systems currently being used, found the tools necessary to change into a new system and identified the goal to be reached. We need people to communicate their Points of View to create the View we desire. John Lennon's song is a start to that view, but we have to consider many factors. We need to imagine what a better society would be like.

Thomas More's Utopia was a description of a balanced society (supposedly), but even if serious, no longer applies. Conditions and circumstances of his day have drastically changed. For example, Utopians punish wrongdoers by making slaves out of them. (Maybe not a bad idea, after all - somebody has to pick up garbage.) Eden may be a good model, but would certainly be boring. In order to get closer to John Lennon's view, we have to look at societies that have at least come close to what he wrote. The first thought that comes to mind is Native American tribes, including Aleut and Inuit. The Farm in Tennessee may come close, as well as the kibbutzim, but I am not well-versed in their cultures.

The reason Native Americans come to mind is for their total respect for Mother Earth and her creatures. They are Adams and Eves doing the job they are supposed to do - stewards of the garden and its creatures. The incredible destruction and pollution created by our ignorant society is nothing less than shameful, criminal, and insane.

It is not the conditions within those examples that I want to stress. It is the attitude that we can accomplish more as a group than we can as individuals. There is no reason for us to give up all our pleasures and joys for the sake of asceticism. There is great reason to take care of each other and Mother Earth.

"Yes, our greatness as a nation has depended on individual initiative, on a belief in the free market. But it has also depended on our sense of mutual regard for each other, of mutual responsibility. The idea that everybody has a stake in the country, that we're all in it together and everybody's got a shot at opportunity. Americans know this. We know that government can't solve all our problems - and we don't want it to. But we also know that there are some things we can't do on our own. We know that there are some things we do better together." - Barack Obama

There may be a need for government, but there is no longer a need for politicians if we work as an integrated community. When our representatives had to travel overland for days, weeks, or even months to gather and create legislation, it made sense. Why do we need them today? I can log on to the Internet or use a smart device to communicate to virtually anyone in the world with a similar device. I want to vote for ways of living, not for people with special interests and living in ivory towers. I am not one for idol worship. My ideal world does not include politicians - only leaders in the community.

We have to consider the levels of stratification in the population. Different skills, different ambitions, different capabilities and different levels of development must all be served the same way in the new system. True freedom means freedom from fear, freedom from want and freedom to express oneself without retribution. The basic needs of food, shelter and clothing must be the primary concern of the leaders of the community to allow these freedoms to exist. In my ideal world, there is no poverty or starvation.

The continuing evolution of our species is necessary for eventual unity. In my ideal world, education is available to all for the asking. Practical training for any trade is also free. Give the population the freedom to express itself in work they were born to love.

In my ideal world, the ego has been tamed and becomes our servant rather than our Satanic master. Its job is to feel its environment and find a way to what our bodies truly need. It is no longer allowed to judge anyone or anything.

A global village cannot exist without the Internet. This village will be connected to each and every member of society, whether individually or through concentration of groups without the means to have immediate access. This is a statement from the Cyber Society Forum:

"The Internet is shaping up to be the greatest engine of social change since the military conquest of nations. What is now up for grabs, however, is not geographical territory but the area of the mind. In this battle for the "mindscape" the stakes are high, because more important than external, physical space as the booty, is the internal universe of the human mind and spirit. This is the new enticing prize of possession, with all its thinking, beliefs, and value systems that eventually shape the external world around us. This assault on the mind is coming rapidly, at the rate of nanoseconds, yet it is so subtle that most people are not even aware of the dynamics taking place. No blood is being let, no visible armies are storming the gates, no usual array of smart weapons are being fired. Yet, an invisible army of ideas is storming the "gates of the mind," while a most unusual array of "smart weapons" is being fired at our prefrontal lobes, our centers of judgment, reasoning, and decision-making. They are re-wiring the brain, re-focusing the thinking, and re-creating new pathways and directions for human conduct. The new warriors are memes"contagious ideas that self-replicate from mind to mind. They will so alter the landscape of human minds with such a domino effect, that it will make the old territorial battles for geography seem like child's play. Why fight from without, when you can conquer from within?"

No one will be able to resist truth for long. Drastic changes upcoming.....