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Using More Compelling Visuals, Plus, the

Biggest Mistakes Everyone Makes

When Presenting

As you’ve learned throughout this book, building the Ultimate Sales Machine is not just about sales but about tuning up every aspect of your business to run with precision. In this chapter, you will learn how to use visual aids with tremendous effect. You will also learn how to attract more buyers, influence them more effectively, and close more sales once you are in front of those buyers.

We human beings remember 20 percent of what we hear, 30 percent of what we see, but 50 percent of what we both see and hear.7 Obviously your communication impact nearly triples when using visual aids over not using them. Information that is visually illustrated and communicated has a dramatic and direct impact on the brain.

As a top producer, I recall being very resistant to using visual aids. “I don’t need them,” I said. “I’m a top producer.” Then I took a high-end training program that showed not only how powerful visual aids are, but that they close more sales and close for higher rates. That’s right. Take the same product and present it directly to the prospect by talking about it and then take that same product and present it using visual aids. You will find that, not only do you close a higher percentage of prospects, but they will actually pay more money for the same product. That was it. I was sold. I began using visual aids in every sales situation.

Now, as a trainer, I always use visual aids in my training programs and find that they make the programs much more effective. In a recent seminar, I was speaking in front of 1,500 CEOs using slides every few seconds to illustrate my points. I was pounding through the slides and then came to the point where I was saying how powerful visual aids were. At that moment, I blanked the screen and asked the audience, “What just happened to this communication experience?” You could feel it. Every person in that room knew that the experience had just fallen off dramatically. Right there, they decided that they, too, had to start using more visual aids to better communicate

The Eyes Have It

Eighty-five percent of the information taken into the brain enters through the eyes. The largest part of the brain is set aside just to deal with information taken in visually. In my seminars I’ll ask folks, “How many images do you think the eyes can process in a single glance?” People will yell out, “Twenty!” or “Two hundred!” Then on the next slide I’ll show an aerial shot of a city skyline with millions of images. Obviously, the eyes can take in a lot more than 20 images in a single glance. With the eyes playing a significant role in the communication process, you’d be crazy not to use visuals every chance you get.

If you ignore the power of incorporating a visual component into your sales and marketing process, you may as well deliver it in a closet. Fail to stimulate the eyes, and the brain tunes out. As stated in the previous chapter’s section on radio advertising, the brain can take in information at 400 to 500 words per minute, yet people speak at only 125 words per minute. We can take in a lot more than we are given in a normal conversation or even a lecture if we can stay present. A visually rich presentation keeps the eyes busy and, therefore, keeps the brain more active and alert to learn the information you are presenting.

Color Also Helps

There are numerous studies on the impact of using color over black and white in your communication. Color attracts the eye and helps set the mood of your presentation, and each color has a different effect on the viewer. While red is the color that draws the eye the most, it may not be the color you want to use for every thing. Red denotes passion, but it is also the color for danger, blood, or being “in the red” on your balance sheet. Blue says tried and true, but it also means cool and refreshing. You’ll note that almost all bottled water companies use blue, as it is the color of our oceans. Orange says value. Think