Filler words are killer words that can overshadow an otherwise great sales presentation by driving the audience to distraction.

Filler words are those verbal pauses and missteps like Um and Ah, or thrown in words such as Ya Know or Like.
For an example of the negative effects of filler words we need look no further than today’s YouTube headlines. Caroline is a serious-minded and intelligent person. Her content is strong, but, the filler words weakened her overall message. (Watch the Video Below.)
We can see how filler words can weaken your message; what can we do to avoid them in our sales presentations and demonstrations?

Verify That You Have the Problem and Define the Scope

You may have been told by a colleague or manager, you may have even caught yourself slipping in an Um or and Ah. The first thing you need to do is get some feedback. I have found the following helpful:

Record Yourself

Record yourself doing a presentation or demo in various phases of the activity. Sometimes it’s the Q and A section that will bring out the dreaded Ums and Ahs–sometimes it’s when you are in front of a large group. If you are doing a software demo or slide presentation, you may want to record the screen and your audio at once. This helps you gauge your progress (by looking at recordings over time as you practice) and also to get a better idea what actions may trigger problems as you present.

Join a Local Toastmaster Group

Toastmasters is a great organization if you want to learn to stop using filler words such as: ums and ahs. They actually have a person at each meeting who will count filler words as you speak (Called the Ah Master). This helps you to be more self-aware and to reduce these filler words through real-world practice.

Enlist Others to Help You

You may want to enlist the help of colleagues and even family members to be on the lookout for any filler words or sounds. Kids especially enjoy catching a parent and it can be a good learning experience for them as well.

Quantify the Problem

Each time you speak, try to keep a rough mental count of each infraction. This should help you assess how extreme the issue is and what to do about it.

How Can We Stop?

Once you’ve identified when you’re most likely to use filler words, what can you do to stop using them. (For reference, most people have trouble when answering a question, at the beginning of a thought or at a natural pause in the sentence.) Here are a couple of ideas that can help:

Learn to Catch Yourself

As you become aware of this problem you’ll begin to notice when you do it, and when others do it as well. Try to catch yourself before you make the mistake. As a side benefit, watching others will reinforce the value of reducing this behavior in you own speech patterns.

Learn to Love the Power of the Pause

Add impact to your message by taking adding a 2-second pause before you start speaking. Adding a pause will also give you time to think and to give your audience time to process what you just said. If you’re answering a question, pause for a beat and think about what you want to say; you may even want to ask a clarifying question to give you a bit more detail and time to think before you answer.

Practice Speaking in Soundbites

For most sales presentations and demos you’ll have plenty of time to practice. As you practice, concentrate on speaking in “sound bytes” or “chunks” In time, most of the common sales messages will become second nature to you and you will rarely make a mistake. Finally, if you are having trouble dropping the Um and Ah habit, there may be one bright spot: some studies suggest that you may actually be perceived as more outgoing if you use these verbal pauses in non-business conversations. If you enjoyed this article, you may want to check out our Sales Presentations Primer.

Be Prepared

Like a boyscout, or Girlscout (do they have a motto?), you should always do your best to think about and prepare what you want to say ahead of time. This step alone, can help dratimaticly reduce your tendency to use filler words.

Try to Relax

In some situations this is easier said than done, I know but it turns out that nerveousness can bring out the dreaded filler words in most people. many people find  that if they imigine that the  audience is happy they are there and receptive to the message. Others find  that thinking about the preperation they  have done and my sincere desire to bring the audience value helps them to relax. 

Handling questions is a critical selling skill. In every sales presentation or demonstration, some questions will be hostile, pointed or negative. How you handle these tough questions can make or break the sale.

Unlike politics or debate, in sales you must not only persuade your audience to agree with your point of view, you must also answer all questions. In essence, you need to get the audience to emotionally “buy into” what you’re selling.

[pullquote align=”normal”]Why are your prices so high.. Why is the interface so slow… Why can’t you do it, your competition can…
–typical day in the life of a salesperson [/pullquote]

Here are 5 tips for answering tough sales questions.

1) Stay cool – Some questions may be hostile or reflect a negative agenda on the part of the questioner. Sometimes the express purpose of the question is to get you to react or get you off your game.

If you hope to win the sale, you can’t get emotional in these situations. Carefully analyze the question and dispassionately come up with an answer that moves the sale forward or at least keeps the conversation positive. Remember, the prospect is focused on their interests and not yours. Don’t take tough questions personally–it’s just business.

2) Answer the question – How many times have you seen a politician respond to a question by giving a mini-speech that’s unrelated to the question. In sales non-answers are the kiss of death–you’re basically telling the prospect:

• I don’t understand the question so here’s some BS
• I don’t want to answer this question
• I don’t have a good answer so I guess I’ll dodge the question

None of these approaches moves the sale forward so please don’t use them. Here is a process that I use to be sure that I answer the question that is asked:

1. Rephrase the question in your own words to verify that you understand it. The prospect will let you know if you are off track.
2. Factor in the objectives of the person asking the question in your answer. Managers want to hear about ROI and Vision attainment, end users want to know about implementation issues and day in the life impact.
3. Ask a follow up question before you answer if you need too, if you try to answer before you understand the entire situation, you may say something that turns off the prospect.
4. Answer honestly and succinctly
5. Ask them if you have answered their question. They will let you know if you haven’t

3) Show what you know – Sometimes there’s no good answer to a question. I’ve seen this in technology sales when products on the market don’t handle a situation well.

For example, if most products handle about 80% of a problem but fall short in an area that’s of concern to the prospect you should:

• Talk about the issue and show that you understand the implications.
• Outline possible approaches and why they may be of interest; discuss why no vendor has implemented them.
• Explain that since all other products have the same issues, your product is up to par.
• Show how your existing customers handle the situation and if possible how your solution helps to mitigate any shortcomings.

4) Use humor to defuse the situation – If the audience is generally on your side, but you have been asked a difficult question, you may want to use a bit of self-effacing humor to lighten the mood. As an example:

With a smile: ” I’m so glad you asked that question…” then acknowledge that it is a thorny issues and that it is important to address it.

5) Be respectful – We have all done it. A prospect asks a question that we covered earlier in our presentation and we can’t help but say: “As I said before!” then answer the question. Don’t do it! Ever! It shows a complete lack of respect and alienates the person asking the question. You are much better off to simply say something like: Good question, here is what we do…”

The big demo, the one that could make your number for the year, is right around the corner. When demo time comes, will you be ready? You will if you practice. In this post we will be discussing a step-by-step system for creating and delivering a winning demo when the pressure is on.

A step-by-step demo practice plan

Here is a step-by-step plan to help you prepare for your next big demo.

Demos, like most presentations, have a standard format:

• An opening
• A body
• A close

The key to a winning demo is to know your audience, craft a demo that covers only what the prospect cares about and practice it until you know it cold.

Practice the opening

As you open your demo and begin to speak, your audience is sizing you up. They are wondering: can this person help me, do they understand my issues, are they credible?

These first seconds are crucial to the success of your demo–and when you are at your most nervous–so make sure to practice your opening until you can do it in your sleep.

Here’s how:

Script the opening – write it all out–every single word. Read it aloud, and tweak it until is sounds right to the ear. Get a voice recorder and record your demo and play it back. (A voice recorder is also a great ideal for “real demos”.)

What is in a great demo opening

• Recap their critical business issues
• Describe where they are today an how your offering can help them get where they need to be.
• Verify that these are the issues they care about.
• Encourage questions
• Bridge smoothly to the demo

A real demo opening example

Here is an example of an opening from a recent demo training workshop (the product was a complex medical lab instrument):

“In today’s demo we will show you how the automation option for your existing systems will help you increase throughput and how you can dramatically reduce errors and retests using our software for tracking moving averages”

“Does that make sense”

“Are there any other areas that we should address in the demo?”

“I will be using the XXI XXX and XXC XXX for this demo. This is the same set-up that you have except that, my set-up will also include or new software”

“My plan is to show a process that’s similar to what you do everyday.”

“I’ll begin by showing you how we help increase throughput, then I’ll cover how to reduce maintenance time, and finally I’ll show how you can use our product to reduce errors and re-tests.”

“Please ask questions as we go, it’s your demo so take me anywhere you want to go.”

Practice makes for a perfect opening

Once you are satisfied with the message, then practice it over and over again until it is second nature.

Once you have it down, you can relax with the confidence of knowing that the first few minutes of the demo will be perfect.

Practice your demo paths

A demo path is a sequence of the things you show and the words that you say as you highlight the value of a particular feature. You need to practice each path until you can do it in your sleep. Only then will you be ready to demo you product with confidence.

Practice handling tough questions and objections

If you have done your homework and really understand you prospects issues, you should not get many objections. But since most plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy, you had best be ready for the worst.

Nothing will derail a demo faster that a mishandled question or objection. The best way to practice is to work with a partner who will play the audience. Give them a list of tough questions and have them ask you them as you do your demo.