It is not your customer’s job to remember you. It is your obligation and responsibility not to let them forget you. We all know it is easier to resell your satisfied customers than find new ones. However, you are failing your customers if they don’t know how you can serve them in different ways than they first engaged with you.

Never assume that customers, clients, and prospects know what you do and why they need you. A brilliant woman who receives my weekly video and emails asked, “Can you help me with a five-minute presentation?” This is a perfect example of something I always tell my clients, “Never assume that everyone on your mailing list, or everyone you’ve done business with in the past, knows how you can be of service to them.” You also may be wondering, “How can Patricia help me?” Let us count the ways.

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Where do you get your presentation advice? Even intelligent and highly accomplished individuals like Sir Richard Branson can benefit from an honest evaluation and coaching.

Speech coach and author Gary Genard is a great blogger. In a recent post, Gary discusses Sir Richard Branson’s advice on public speaking. Branson, the entrepreneur, adventurer, humanitarian, and founder of the Virgin Group, explained his approach to presentations in an article called, “My Top Tips for Public Speaking,” on the Virgin website.

Branson declared, “90 percent of the time, it is better to ad-lib rather than read from contrived speech notes. Even if you forget certain points you wanted to make, the people who are listening always desperately want to hear your passion, not just your theory.”

Gary counters, “…passion matters. But not at the expense of well-planned and formulated remarks. Actually, this sentiment is a weakness sometimes found among super-successful people. Whether it stems from anxiety … or arrogance, (more…)

Perhaps you can relate to this situation: “Hi, Fripp! Next week I’m invited to deliver a speech to a 500-person audience, and it’s been six months since I’ve spoken in public. What are your suggestions to help me be less nervous?”

No matter how seasoned you are, it’s still natural to feel some apprehension at times. I share some strategies for overcoming nervousness below. To get over feeling nervous, start by building from your strength. Enjoy this replay from my recent webinar to help you structure your speech then enjoy my article explaining how to build your confidence and prepare for your presentation:

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Even highly intelligent, well-educated, and ambitious executives can find themselves at a loss when called on to deliver a powerful presentation. The good news is, even if you’re not a born speaker, you can learn how to inspire action and commitment. I share the ROCK Star Principles one shy engineer used – and you can also use too – to become a ROCK Star communicator in the business world.

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