CMI Blog

Ty Bennet’s recent blog post uses a light-hearted example to explain some serious sales concepts. Ty suggested in his corresponding video “I believe that your ability to communicate will make you or break you.” His video (and blog post) break down some core communication concepts that we can learn from the entrepreneurs on Shark Tank.

The Shark Tank TV show follows entrepreneurs as they try to pitch their business/product ideas to millionaire and billionaire investors. Ty has experienced that same pressure as he and his brother built a successful business that now does over $20 million in annual revenue.

The Five Presentation Tips from Shark Tank that Ty outlines are:

1. Personalize Your Presentation
   
2. People Buy You
   
3. Know Your Numbers
   
4. Samples Sell
   
5. Tell a Good Story

1. Ty admits that personalizing your presentation sounds like basic advice, but he mentions it because it’s often neglected. People expect personalization in today’s society, and a canned presentation won’t cut it. Ty suggests looking at the Mackay 66 questionnaire to jumpstart your research on your prospects. He also suggests seven simple ways to personalize your presentation, including changing the title of your presentation to fit your audience, vividly describing your audience’s problem so they know you understand, and using the audience name or logo on your slides.

2. The second tip is to remember that presenters, teachers, and leaders really do color their message. Ty writes, “On Shark Tank you will often hear the sharks say, ‘I love you and I would love to do business with you…’ What are they saying? They are saying that they have bought into the entrepreneur, which is the most important part of the pitch.” Ask yourself the questions that Ty gives:

• Do people like me?
• Do I connect well with others?
• Do people find me arrogant?
• Do people trust me?
• Do people sense that I only care about myself or do I show genuine care?
• Do others see the value I can provide?
• Am I someone people want to partner with?

3. Ty also advises you to Know Your Numbers. You can deliver the perfect spiel, but it will fall apart if you can’t answer questions about pertinent facts and figures. Consider what questions your audience will have, then record their questions or objections and your answers after several presentations. Finally, record your presentations, study them, and then practice answering questions that you didn’t handle well.

4. The entrepreneurs on Shark Tank often win investors by giving them samples. Let your audience experience the product first hand!

5. Finally, tell a good story. It will make you (and your products) relatable, emotional, and multidimensional. Being relatable means you’ll connect with your audience, engaging your audience’s emotions will drive them to act, and being multidimensional will cause you and your products to stand out. Ty has a wealth of storytelling advice in his book The Power of Storytelling.

As Founder of non-profit Project Athena, Robyn Benincasa inspires hope, perseverance and pushing participants beyond their expectations. A recent story in the Huffington Post shares some of the impact Project Athena has on survivors of major medical setbacks. 
Project Athena enables women to participate in life-changing endurance trip. It gives women a goal and helps them to achieve their adventurous dream as part of their recovery. Robyn began the organization after discovering that she had stage-four osteoarthritis in both hips. The influence of her friend Louise Cooper, who survived breast cancer, inspired her to reach for goals - no matter how small - and help others do the same. 
Here's how Robyn explains the significance of the journeys:

"When you take that next step that you didn’t think you could take, and then it’s one hundred steps you didn’t think you could take, and when you’re so far over that line of what you ever understood you were capable of, all of a sudden you realize, ‘I can do anything.’"

Robyn's leadership skills empower both "Athenas" and her keynote audiences. She empowers both groups to shatter the norm, see challenges versus roadblocks, and inspire their teammates to see a future full of possibilities.