By Lisa Sasevich

Are you planning to wing it during your next talk? Do you tell yourself, "I just do better when it's not planned." Are you equally willing to let your results happen by chance? By accident?

Or, do you fall on the other side of the spectrum, where you plan every moment of your talk to the point of having a script and end up sounding unnatural?

So how do you strike the perfect balance so that you do enough planning to keep yourself on track, but still sound completely authentic? The answer is structure!

Now, I know that it can be confronting to some of you "wingers" to actually sit down and plan out your talk. It's hard to know where to start. And you scripters might feel afraid that you'll get up there and forget what you wanted to say. Don't worry! I have the solution. What if you could easily structure your Signature Talk so that you loved it, it was ready to go AND it was designed to lead seamlessly toward your Irresistible Offer? That's what we'll be doing at my upcoming "Invisible Close Speak-to-Sell Bootcamp," happening in San Diego in June. Until then, I wanted to give you some quick tips to use right away if you only have minimal time for (or interest in) preparing:

1) Know your intro and your offer: If you're going to put time into anything, your intro and your offer are the most important parts. Knowing your intro is important because you need to know how to quickly create vulnerability and credibility and, even more important, you need to get your legs under you and get past those initial jitters so that you can find your flow. And, of course, you want to practice your close to make sure you can present it in a very clear and compelling way. If you get tangled up and confused, so will your audience. And we all know, the confused mind never buys!

2) Determine three main points you can cover in between. Again, if you're pulling this together quickly, all you really need for the body of the talk are three main teaching points on subjects you know well and that you love to talk about. One thing we heart-centered experts have in common is that if you push the right button, we can roll on and on about our subject. So, you wingers, rein yourself in by having an outline with compelling stories about each point. And if you're a scripter, do the same and then trust yourself to find your flow and go with it!

3) Create and distribute a simple order form to walk people through your offer. Put one in each person's hand just before you make your offer. Don't make them line up in the back of the room to get one. Many sales are lost that way! (You can find sample order forms already on Powerpoint and ready-to-use in my flagship product at www.theinvisibleclose.com.)

4) Be very clear on the outcome / transformation a client will get as a result of investing. Focus on that more than you focus on the technical details of how you will deliver that service as you present your offer.

5) Make sure to have a limiter to your offer to inspire immediate action, ie: today-only bonus, special pricing or the first X people get something special.

There you have it. Put these simple structures into place and OWN your results and the difference you make in the world.

The above tips should hold you over until June 10-12, when you can join me live for my "Speak-to-Sell Bootcamp," where we'll walk through the complete step-by-step plan to create a talk that you LOVE, offers that SELL, and you'll gain the confidence that comes from being prepared. Hope to see you then!

What structures do you already have in place? Let us know on our blog.

Sales-from-the-podium expert Lisa Sasevich has x-ray vision for seeing the sales opportunities that exist in every company, and the creativity to convert them into gold! If you're looking for simple, quick and easy ways to boost sales without spending a dime, get your FREE Sales Nuggets now at www.theinvisibleclose.com.

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