Business strategist and professional speaker Michael Roby will be addressing the personal advisors of the Luther/Hunt Ameriprise Branches in Mankato, MN on February 19, 2007. Ameriprise Financial has more than 110 years of history helping clients plan for retirement. Their comprehensive and personalized financial planning approach is built on a long-term relationship with one of our more than 10,000 knowledgeable advisors who help clients prepare for the future.

Michael Roby To Present “Heroes” To Stifel Nicolaus Advisors

Business strategist and professional speaker Michael Roby will be presenting his nationally acclaimed “Heroes” presentation at a Regional Business Conference for Stifel Nicolaus advisors in Boston, MA on February 23, 2007. Stifel Nicolaus is the largest subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. and is a member of SIPC and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The conference, which wil provide financial planning education for financial professionals, is being hosted by John Hancock.Technorati Profile

Last week I had the opportunity to speak to a group of investment executives in California. One of my mentors, Doug wood, attended the meeting. Doug has 40 years of experience in the investment industry, and is a legend in the investment wholesaling business. He is a master salesperson, manager, trainer, and entrepreneur. He started out as a speech and drama teacher, and he has always been a stickler for making exceptional presentations. After every presentation he provides me, (or any of the hundreds of other salespeople he has trained) with critique and guidance on how to improve my presentation. One thing I love about Doug is that he always tells me the truth.

One thing I have learned from Doug is that the biggest part of selling is listening. The salesperson that listens best is the one who gets the sale, and in the most effective sales presentations salesperson listens 60 to 80% of the time. If we truly follow this guideline then we need to make sure we choose our words carefully.

Selling is a profession of numbers and averages, and we want to be certain we have all of the odds in our favor. A study by Yale University over a 30 year period of time yielded a list of the twelve most persuasive words in the English Language. These words are as follows:

If a professional salesperson is only speaking 20 to 40% of the time, it is common sense that you would choose to use words that give you the greatest opportunity to be persuasive and move your prospect to action. Print this list of persuasive words on put the list into your sales planner. It is a competitive marketplace out there, so stack the odds in your favor.

Good selling!