Get out there and say something!

They say that most people fear public speaking more than they do death. Apparently fewer than 3% of North Americans have no fear of public speaking at all - or at least have never felt shy.

If you are one of those shy types - today is your day to Stand up, Speak out and Succeed! Because, thanks to Mary Ellen Drummond, of Polished Presentations inc. Today is National Speak up and Succeed day!

Excellent speaking and presentations skills are vital to sales. The best sales people are excellent communicators. Its no surprise to me that top performers practice the art of speaking regularly - and always practice before they give a presentation in front of a real (and potentially paying) audience.

What do you do everyday to improve how you communicate? My suggestion is join Toastmasters. With 211,000 members in more than 10,500 clubs meeting in approximately 90 countries it would be hard to say "but they don't have on in my town!". Yes there are other presentations courses out there. What is exceptional about toastmasters is its weekly format which provides you regular development and feedback.

Top performers are constant students of sales. They know they are never finished learning and implementing new, and old ideas. Rather than lamenting "But I know all that stuff already!" top performers ask "sure, but am I using it?"

I am sure that you read many of my postings and think "I already know that". True. You are probably right. The question is how often are you using it.

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen