One of the things that trips up public speakers is monitoring themselves while theyre in the middle of a talk. They notice their rapid and loud heartbeats, sweaty palms, irregular breathing, shaky limbs, and declare to themselves: Gosh, am I nervous! Then, they panic, thinking: I have to stop all of these symptoms! Not true. As any professional speaker will admit, a case of nerves is common before a performance that you care about giving. Its actually a sign that youre aroused, and the adrenalin is pumping. Like an athlete, youre getting up for the game, and once the first ball is thrown out, or youre in the action, your nervous condition will be channeled into winning the contest. A similar case of nerves can afflict you as a seller. You might think you blew it, by forgetting to make a key point, or that you left out a crucial feature or benefit. Instead of worrying about it, the best advice is to move on. Finish your presentation, remembering to ask for the sale, at least once! There will always be time to do a post mortem, critiquing what you did or didnt do. But Im not even sure this is advisable, because you cant know how you came across to the buyer, so the feedback youll give yourself is subjective. Youll be better off following through with the prospect with whom you think you erred, and moving on to new ones, unburdened by negative self-judgments. |
