Domenic Crouch is the former WA State Sales Manager for 1300Australia. After attending Michelle Bowden’s Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass Domenic increased his close rate by about 6% and sale value by 49%. Recently, Domenic took an exciting new role as the Chief Operating Officer at The Good Chat Foundation. The Good Chat Foundation’s vision is to sponsor young people in therapy into sporting experiences to improve their overall wellbeing.
What did Domenic say after attending Michelle's Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass?
A very enjoyable experience that built on a strong foundation of vital tools. I loved the structured approach to presenting with a purpose and also learning the tools to transition all leads towards a sale. No ‘BS’ and wasted time in activities. At the time of writing, I’ve had one full day implementing a tiny fraction of what we learnt and I’ve got a whole new confidence in what I’m saying. I learnt a simple structure to convey what I know. If you make the time to engage with Michelle, you really won’t regret it!
What kind of presenting do you do at work?
I have three very different styles of presentation in my role; conversational, formal and internal. In presenting to customers on the phone or in a face to face individual or group setting, I present our product range in a more conversational nature. Discussing their problems, challenges and ambitions, I need to present our products in a way that can address these and produce tangible outcomes and ROI.
In the channel management element of my role, I am responsible for presenting to our partners. With the sales people in these partner businesses generating leads through their customer relationships, I need to be able to train them on our products and how to identify opportunities to improve their customer’s business with our products.
At times I also need to present to the business or my colleagues on sales plans, case studies and theoretical/practical learnings. These presentations are far more variable and fluid in a formal setting. They require the preparation of a formal presentation, but are far more interactive and have much more Q&A.
What prompted you to study with Michelle?
Our company CEO had previously done training with Michelle and was so impressed that he put Michelle in front of me and my team. We did a two-day workshop and I found that it plugged many holes that I felt but couldn’t identify in my strategy.
How did Michelle’s teaching change your attitude to presenting in business?
The biggest impact that Michelle’s teaching had on me was around positioning the product/solution at the front end – aka Pacing.
In a sales role, I feel you can become complacent in the knowledge you have on your solution and the impact it has had on other businesses. When talking to new businesses, you need to highlight these and remove all assumptions you make about the customer’s understanding of the product/solution.
In general, what positive outcomes have you achieved from improving your presentation skills?
You are never going to win every opportunity in sales. I now feel confident that in every opportunity I’m working on, the customer has been presented with a clear and concise roadmap for achieving their goals.
I’ve increased my close rate by about 6% and sale value by 49% since going through Michelle’s training and most importantly, working day to day on implementing and developing the skills I learnt in the training.
In what specific ways have your presentation skills improved since learning with Michelle?
I am now including much more details in the front end of my presentations by leading and pacing my customers into and then through the discussion. This has helped me to ensure that my customers aren’t getting lost in the details of the technical products but focusing on using them as a vehicle to achieve the desired results and outcomes.
What were your top three take aways from Michelle’s teachings?
- Pacing based on understanding your audience
- Clearly define the outcome of the presentation
- Lead with the intention of closing define outcome the presentation