• CRM as a competitive strategy - a strategic view
• Customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Relationship: selection and retention
• Customer service and service marketing
• Sales Force Automation (SFA)
• Implementation of CRM

Key concepts of CRM are:

• Comprehensive strategy:

  CRM at one end links itself to SCM - supply chain management and on the other hand the customer service and customer care. This makes a comprehensive strategy.

• Acquiring:

  This is about prospecting. Using effective sales promotion methods, prospective buyer can be acquired. It is about developing new customer as well as converting competitor's customers.

• Selection:

  You can't please all people at all times. You may not be able to serve and satisfy all the customers at the same time. There may be customers who may not be willing to have long time relationships with you. As a consequence you need to have selectivity in the customers as well.

• Retaining:

  Once a right customer is selected, we need to provide the customer with a good product and a better service which exceeds the customer requirements. Only then can the customer be satisfied and retention of a customer can be possible.

• Partnering:

  Partnership is about constantly striving to create better value for each other i.e. the buyer and the seller.

• Interactive communication:

  A clearly planned and focused two way, interactive communication is a very essential ingredient of CRM. A meaningful communication will always be an Interactive Communication.

• Technology + people:

  CRM is all about people and relating people to technology. This is all automation of people is all about!

• Mutually beneficial longterm relationship:

  It is all about the long-term relationship of the buyer and the seller. This overall results in the mutual benefit of both resulting in a long-term relationship.

Customer delight needs to be created instead only satisfying the customer. Customer service is about giving facilities and services that the customer asks for, or delivering service that is expected in today's competitive world. Most products require additional or long-term support from the organization. These traditional services include delivery, installation, lessons-in-usage, instruction manuals, repairs and maintenance etc. Customer care (and also customer delight) is going beyond the "expectation check list". Customer care is being proactive in developing relationship with your customer. Always remember “Good customers are worth keeping for life”. Great services can create a great experience and customer delight.

Customer Retention:

The point to be remembered always is that a repeat customer is the best customer. 6:1 is the ratio which means - you need to spend 6 times the money you spend in retaining an existing customer. Another view point is 5% increase in retention of customer can add 25% to 125% increase in profit. Essentially, retention is the key. However, not all your customers are worth retaining. You should select the customer for retention. These customers should be the right ones with whom you wish to establish a long term benefit for mutual benefit.

There are a number of benefits for selection of the right customer for an organization:

• It reduces cost
• It increases profitability
• It helps create goodwill for your organization
• It gets you good word-of mouth publicity
• It improves the possibility of greater customer satisfaction and loyalty

Thus, it's needless to say - select the right customer, have the right understanding of their needs and evolve a right way to satisfy them.

The Service Marketing Triangle

The Service Marketing Triangle shows the relationship and linkage between three elements of service marketing - Company, Customers and Employees. Three types of marketing happen between these 3 elements.

• Company to customers: External Marketing
• Company to employees: Internal Marketing
• Employees to customers: Interactive Marketing

External Marketing:

Internal Marketing:

Interactive Marketing:

Sales Force Automation (SFA):

SFA is Sales Force Automation. Understanding SFA begins with the study of basic selling process and the importance of FAB (Features, Advantage and Benefits) approach to selling. It then moves to the technology of Automating Sales process.

SFA is a technological tool to help sales people acquire and retain customers, which helps in reducing administrative cost and provides good basis for account management. It increases better selling chances for the Salesperson and more business for the company. SFA helps in the following ways:

• It helps a company to get customer retention and hence increase profits
• Customers get better information, better products or services, faster responses to their queries and hence this results in Customer Satisfaction

The reasons why SFA is important to CRM are:

• Reduction in cost of selling
• Increased revenue
• Easy availability of customer information
• Increased sales force mobility
• Meeting increased customer expectations

CRM Implementation:

The most difficult part of CRM is implementing it. Implementing CRM - making it a reality is the real challenge and the purpose of any CRM initiative. When do you say that CRM has happened? When:

• Your customer is more than satisfied; he/she is delighted
• Your customer attrition rate is minimal. Thus, the selected customer is retained.
• The bottom line improves: the profits multiply

Implementation starts with questioning the basics of your business; defining business, redefining your strategy, setting up plans, implementing and evaluating the CRM. Implementing CRM is about creating a change and an urge in your organization to become customer centric. The first important factor taken into consideration while implementing CRM should be people; because CRM is nothing without people. Secondly, technology and the process play should be taken into consideration. A good product or service, sound process, technology and able people are some of the important baseline requirements to begin with the CRM initiative.

Unless you have the CRM merits in place, it is not possible to judge if you are going in the right direction. CRM evaluation has to be in place and predefined before you begin implementing CRM.

Common causes of CRM failure:

• Treating CRM = Technology + Automation
• Large-scale systems with long-term promise are better
• Old organizational mindset
• Lack of CRM understanding
• Poor strategy and planning
• Lack of skills essential for CRM
• Inefficient or inappropriate software
• Lack of commitment

A famous saying in India states a customer to be God. It has all been from the Vedic ages but the fact being people have started noticing it as a specific field of management study for not more than five years, commonly known as Customer Relationship Management. You need to take care of your customer even for the slightest hiccup in his smooth ride on your product. All you need is to have a good professional relationship with your client.

You lose a customer when you don't meet their needs.

Business today is expanding in a manner water spreads being poured on an inverted cone. It has been expanding all over through verbal marketing, through advertisements on communication channels like TV and radio, through hoardings in public places, and the fastest mode of communication “The Internet”. The Internet is a perfect place for customer service. It provides an area for the customers to find the exact piece of information they need.

Customers today expect higher-quality goods, better service and quick delivery. This is where CRM comes in. It's all about understanding and following up with the customer needs, a good quality of product and service, and a fast delivery.

How does CRM improve your relationship with customers?

Some examples of its value to your business include:

• Expediting responses to customer inquiries,
• Increasing company knowledge of customers, and
• Identifying profitable business activities

Feedbacks should always be accepted from your customers in a positive manner. An appreciation from a client means working to get similar appreciation from the rest of your customers. But, most of the people do not accept the negative feedback from customers in a positive manner.

Instead of accepting it as a delta people generally retaliates against it. However, with the information gained from a CRM system which provides customer feedback, it should be used to improve products and services. This would also mean sharing information with your partners to ensure customer satisfaction.

What's the value of implementing a CRM?

Some of the values of implementing a CRM are:

• Your goods and services will improve based on your impact from customers. Valuable feedback from your customers will allow you to more directly meet their needs.
• You will increase the speed of your response to customer concerns. This will result in happy and loyal customers, which in turn will impact your company's bottom line.
• Your knowledge of your customers will grow. You will better understand your customer needs and will therefore be more able to meet those needs resulting in satisfied customers.

“There is only one boss: The Customer. And he can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” - Sam Walton.

Customer Relationship Management puts the business focus back on the customer where it belongs. CRM combines business process and technology to create a better understanding of customers. Consequently, Customer Relationship Management is also known as Client Relationship Management. CRM helps to identify new customers and retain existing customers. To reach consumers who will truly benefit from your services, it's important that marketing campaigns define clear objectives and goals directed at an appropriate audience. The audience is defined through CRM.

The Marketing Team of a company uses CRM to identify commonalities among clients. With this information the company's marketing strategy becomes more focused and effective. Sales Team as a consequence notices the number of new customers and profits from existing customers' increases as the company improves its ability to meet client needs.

CRM allows you to customize relationships with individuals to provide a higher level of service. An effective CRM system will help you exceed your customers' expectations by offering them what they need - before they have to ask for it. CRM can create a personalized approach. It can also create a personal approach to customer service.

CRM can ease the exchange of information throughout every department in a company, personalize interactions with consumers to increase customer satisfaction, assist in pinpointing potential clients and monitoring relationship with the current clients. In a nutshell, CRM will assist you in identifying new customers and retaining existing customers. It will streamline information exchange, and it will customize relationships with individuals to provide a higher level of service.

CRM won't make you smarter; it will help you serve your customers by identifying their expectations.

CRM focuses on enhancing service to exceed your customers' expectations. How is this accomplished? By allowing all the departments access to the same information. The second goal of implementing a CRM system is using integrated information to create top-quality service. Customers' don't want to repeat the same information over and over to everyone they speak with. You'll save time and minimize customer frustration by sharing information internally.

Consider a simple example: Getting help from a new friend is tough as compared to getting help from an old friend. Similarly, research has shown that it costs 6 times more to sell to a new customer than an existing one, and your odds of selling to an existing customer are 50% better than selling to a new one.

What are the goals of implementing a CRM?

Some of the goals of implementing CRM are:

• To create a sense of loyalty with your customers
• To realize higher profits through better customer relationships

An effective CRM system takes the customers' view, not the products' or company's view.

There are three stages in CRM. None is more important than the others, but you will need to make one your primary focus - without abandoning the other two,

• Acquiring new customers
• Increasing the profitability of existing customers
• Retaining existing customers

The first stage of CRM is acquiring new customers. Through existing customer testimonials, product quality and availability convenience, and innovation; you can attract new customers to your company. The next stage of CRM is increasing the profitability of those existing customers. Apart from enhancing relationships with the customer through cross-selling and up-selling, it also offers the consumer great convenience at reasonable costs. If you have everything the customer currently needs, make sure he knows it.

To truly see the benefits of the customer/seller relationship, you must sustain customer loyalty. The third stage of CRM is retaining existing customers. Not only do you have to offer products the market wants, but you must also offer what your customers want. Your goal is to retain your customers for life. Many companies focus in this aspect of CRM because the greatest percentage of sales comes from existing customers.

Focusing a company's goal on customer satisfaction is a major benefit of CRM. Another advantage of implementing CRM is that it redefines marketing strategy so that it is more effective. Transforming to a CRM system aligns your organizational structure with actual business operations.

A key advantage of implementing a CRM system is that it re-concentrates the single focus of product performance on to the customer. CRM is a bridge linking an organization to its valued customers. Implementing a CRM system dramatically affects everyone involved. It requires a political, cultural, and organizational change. CRM cuts a wide swath across the entire organizational body that it demands a more cohesive approach toward meeting goals.

Current incentive systems may work against CRM because they reward only a portion of the customer's relationships with the company. Therefore, your organization may lack an incentive program that supports a CRM system. The challenge of implementing a CRM involves the cultural resistance to the change it requires. You also need to embrace the international market and create an infrastructure to facilitate the new system.

To find out what your customer wants, you need to understand and identify the elements of the CRM loop. The CRM loop is the fundamental cycle of activity that drives CRM programs:

• Comprehension and Differentiation
• Development and Customization
• Interaction and Delivery
• Acquisition and Retention

The four stages of CRM loop are an interdependent and continuous cycle of activity. All your initiatives and objectives must be intrinsically connected to this core cycle of action to get the best results.

As you transition from one stage to another, you will become more adept at implementation processes and achieve deeper insights that will improve each successive effort.

So how does a CRM loop work? What are the purposes of the four stages and how they interrelate with each other? This underlying core of activity will be your primary method for gaining knowledge and understanding your customers. The CRM loop will also help you decide what subsequent actions to take. This helps you identify, connect, and hold on to your most valuable customers.

• Comprehension and Differentiation:

  As you learn, you will be able to zero in your valued customers quickly. And you will also attract new ones with similar learning's. Retention comes by listening vigilantly so you are prepared to modify your services when customers change their preferences.

• Development and Customization:

  Use analysis and research to comprehend what your customers' value. Then use your understanding to show customer that your organization is differentiating its services based on what they have told you and what you have learned independently.

• Interaction and Delivery:

  A basic principle of CRM is to develop products and services based on customers' needs and expectations. Although most companies can't afford to customize products for individual customers, they can customize the products for a proven customer sector.

• Acquisition and Retention:

  Besides marketing and sales channels, customers interact in many ways with your organization, including shipping and distribution and customer service. With new information, you can progressively enhance the value you deliver to your customer.

Value is the quality of product, the service, the convenience, the ease of use, the responsiveness, and the excellence of customer service. Value isn't just about the price of the product. A customer interacts with an organization in many ways, including shipping, distribution, and customer service.

The infrastructure provides the solid foundation, but the core competencies provide the heart and soul of a successful CRM system. It is here that the philosophy of CRM is expressed. The first vital core competency is the fine art of up-selling. Up-selling in a CRM environment means identifying your customer's needs and then matching their needs to complementary products and services. The result is a richer, more profitable customer relationship. One aspect of up-selling is event-driven marketing. By implementing up-selling software, you can track customer contacts and establish triggers to identify prospects for additional sales.

A second core competency of a successful CRM system is direct marketing. Direct marketing is the pre-sale interaction with potential customers. This involves the use of advertising techniques to influence and provide your customer with the information needed to make a purchase decision. As your business grows, you will be deluged with requests for information; be sure to manage the fulfillment end of this potentially overwhelming process.

The third core competency of a CRM system is customer service. The goal of an effective customer service program is to provide support and to assign, create, and manage service requests for the customer.

Walking hand in hand with the customer service is field operations, the fourth core competency. Field service is the hands-on extension of customer support. It comes into play when a problem cannot be solved over the phone.

In a nutshell core competencies of CRM are:

• Up-selling
• Direct Marketing
• Customer Service
• Field Operations

To involve the entire organization in CRM, you must be able to identify the benefits of such a system. What are these benefits? An effective CRM system will help you remain ahead in competition, tap into the world-wide market, instill loyalty in your customers, decrease cost, and increase profits.

Integrating a CRM system will help you decrease costs and increase profits, tap into the worldwide market, and remain ahead of the competition.

Effective sharing of client information throughout a company is the key ingredient for successful CRM.

Some examples of CRM information sources are:

• The Internet:

  Tracking visits to your website can give you a good idea of what customers are looking for some pages might get more hits than others indicating a demand for certain products. Using this information within a CRM framework will help you focus on customer needs.

• Customer Surveys:

  Surveys can be given online or through the mail. An effective CRM system can take this information and make it available to marketers, sales people, and customer service people. With a clear understanding of customer needs, each department is more likely to meet those needs.

• Customer Purchasing Habits:

  With data mining and other techniques, you can learn what your customers buy from you. What are your top selling items? Who's buying them? What isn't selling? Answers to these questions and more lie in customer purchasing habits.

• Customer Service Calls:

  Anytime a customer calls you is an opportunity to learn more about him. A CRM system designed for your company can help service representatives increase knowledge of your customers.

The second way to understand your customers is to integrate customer information into your company's system. This allows everyone access to customer information. Marketers can identify customer demographics. Sales people can generate new leads based on customer buying trends. Customer service based on the information gathered.

The Internet is driving a revolution of one-to-one marketing and mass communications.

Effective sharing of client information throughout a company is a key ingredient for successful CRM. The first key to successfully implementing CRM is Integrating Internal Business Processes. Creating a seamless flow of information throughout your company isn't always enough. You should include external business partners in your information stream. Sharing customer information is essential to meeting your customers' needs. Consider third party suppliers and vendors as an extension of your business, and use them to provide solutions for your customers. A CRM infrastructure using Web-based applications can eliminate communication hassles and cost overruns.

To successfully create your own CRM infrastructure, you must integrate computer systems. Theses systems are known as “enabling technologies” that work together to provide more fluid CRM system.

With more powerful applications in the future, this integration might not be necessary, but because methods of delivering information is so varied, you need a CRM solution that can handle information across all delivery channels.

• Legacy Systems:

  Many companies rely on 20 year old systems that cannot simply be replaced. Because of this fact, special software tools, such as “middle ware”, become part of the CRM solutions. This software helps integrate old legacy systems with new CRM applications.

• Computer Telephony Integration (CTI):

  CTI is used to manage incoming calls. It allows information about a caller to be entered into a CRM data repository. This information becomes a valuable part of the entire CRM process because it helps determine what solutions the caller requires.

• Data Warehousing:

  With all the information gained through CRM, data warehouses become invaluable tools. Not only do they store the enormous amount of information you have gathered, but they also supply you with the material needed for customer research. Data warehouses offer customer data for later analysis.

• Decision Support Technology:

  You need a way to analyze the information in your data warehouse. Decision support technology is a set of analytical tools that help you make decisions based on accumulated customer data. You won't get the most out of your CRM system without these tools.

A CRM system creates a new approach to customer service. To ease the transition, everyone in the organization must understand and contribute to the CRM process. The first step is involving the entire management team to establish the CRM strategy throughout the company. Adopt an approach that is consistent with your company's overall approach to its business. Involve leaders from marketing, sales, IT, and customer service. Discuss their future goals and explore ways that CRM can help them meet these goals.

The second step is involving the entire management team to define your CRM integration goals. Identify how you'll track your customers; what software is most appropriate, what vendors can help you, etc. Understand your customers and create a business plan to meet their needs.

Once you have defined your vision and established a strategy, its then time to measure company readiness. This is the third step for involving the entire management team.

The final step in involving the entire management team is to monitor progress through stages. Because of the complex nature of CRM, approaching is through stages. Because of the complex nature of CRM, approaching is through stages that will create a better chance of success. Create a time line for strategy evaluation. Set milestones you hope to reach and continually check your progress.

Through an effective e-CRM system, you can personalize interactions with your customers and expedite the closing of business transactions. e-CRM and data mining systems help personalize interactions with customers. It also creates interactions based on relevant customer information, and expedites business transactions.

e-CRM and data mining systems help personalize interactions with customers. It also creates interactions with customers. It also creates interactions based on relevant customer information, and expedites business transactions.

E-CRM makes it possible to recreate the customer service of the past. Companies can use technology to combine a personal touch with customized service and the illusion of the one-to-one shopping of the past. The four features of e-CRM are:

• Information Analysis
• Customer Personalization
• Direct Marketing
• Simplified Transactions

The first feature of e-CRM is information analysis. With e-CRM, your ability to collect and analyze information is more efficient. It will help you determine inventory sizing, product pricing, sales items, credit policies, and other business decisions. With the analysis of you will be able to effectively use the second feature of e-CRM: Customer Personalization. Individual relationships with customers can be created and maintained through e-CRM. An effective e-CRM system will gather customer preferences and ensure customer-made shopping experiences for each customer.

Technology allows mass-market efficiency with a personalized feel. You can recreate the shopping experience of a mom-and-pop store at minimal cost through the third feature of e-CRM: Direct Marketing. Customers can order goals online and give you permission to send them additional personalized messages about new products, sales item, and other services you want to offer. e-CRM allows you to simplify transactions, analyze information, and create effective direct marketing material.

Companies that focus on customer information and use that information to maintain relationships are most successful in the market place.

What is data mining? It is the process of analyzing enormous amounts of data to identify meaningful patterns. Data mining is used for:

• Research
• Process Improvement
• Marketing

Data mining is an important tool for lowering overhead costs. The first way data mining facilities business operations is as a research tool. Research and Development is a costly process that can be streamlined and automated through data mining. Data mining lowers costs from the beginning of the manufacturing cycle, during the research and development phase, by quickly shifting through vast amounts of information.

Manufacturing and inventory control is another area in which data mining can help your company cut costs. The second way data mining facilitates business operations is through process improvement. Data mining systems can monitor processes to ensure that variables can be monitored and connected through data mining. Although both research and process improvement; are valuable aspects of data mining, they are the least customer - oriented aspects of it.

The most successful use of data mining is in marketing. This is the third way data mining facilitates business operations. Data mining uncovers information that reveals buying behaviors of existing customers. All useful marketing information is available in your customer database. Data mining will help you sift (distinguish) through it all.

Data mining streamlines and automates research methods, improves business processes, and identifies valuable marketing information. Customer database are an unlimited source of information. They are important business tools, but they are technical aspects of data mining that require knowledge of algorithms, decision trees, and predictive models.

Some technical aspects of data mining are:

• Decision Support Technology
• Directed Classification and Prediction
• Undirected Association, Clustering, and Recognition

The first technical aspect of data mining is decision support technology. Decision support covers the entire information infrastructure system that companies use to make informed customer decisions. It's based on recognized data patterns. Data mining helps, identify those patterns.

• Data Warehousing:

  A data warehouse is a database that stores information from a variety of operational systems. It allows companies to view information as a single entity rather than as a collection of information bits.

• Online Analytical Processing:

  OLAP databases are often speedier and more clearly organized than data warehouses, OLAP databases organize information along specified variables and allow for more precise analysis of the information they contain.

• Integration of Decision Support:

  Facts churned out by databases and mainframe computers don't always create a vivid enough picture to create solutions. Decision support technology is a collection of software and hardware that allows you to visualize the information gained through data mining.

In data mining, you use data to build a model demonstrating how every record in your customer database can be categorized based on any combination of variables.

This method is the second technical aspect of data mining: classification is the method of categorizing record in a database by predefined criteria - for e.g. assigning customers to specific purchasing categories. Prediction is taking the mined customer information, analyzing it, and predicting how customers may react in the future.

Undirected data mining is an automated process in which similarities among all records in a database of customer records are found. The third technical aspect of data mining is undirected association, clustering, and recognition. Some technical aspects of determining are directed classification and prediction, undirected recognition and clustering, and data warehousing and OLAP.

In directed data mining, you use data to build a model demonstrating how every record in your customer database can be categorized, based on any combination of variables.

We cannot introduce the concept of client relationships without acknowledging that we are the key players in the exchange of ideas and information. Thinking of communication as an art that requires skills allows us to approach it from a perspective that is both practical and analytical. How information enters our mind, how it is processed, how we react to it, and how to observe and recognize this in others makes us powerful forces in our realm. We can use our skills to guide and to influence, to inspire and to motivate, and by so doing bring about enormous levels of positive change.

By first examining who you are, you can understand how you receive and process information. By learning how others do the same, you learn that you are at the same time similar and different from the others around you. By celebrating these differences and working with them rather than against them, you can move faster and farther than you ever thought possible, find friends where once you found enemies, and make discoveries and breakthroughs in areas that you had formerly believed were unavailable to you.

After learning about yourself, you can then apply the same procedure to others, like colleagues, clients and co-workers. You will discover some similarities as well as some differences. Endeavor now to communicate with them in a different way and observe the results. Practice the techniques and develop some skill. If you acquire a skill and practice it every day for twenty-one consecutive days, you will have created a habit. If you practice it for twenty-eight consecutive days, you will create a behavior. Then you can go out and change the world.

Part I: Self-Assessment

1. Hard Wiring: Directional Flow

At birth, you are tested for a variety of key factors, like whether you are breathing, have all of your parts, or if you are a boy or a girl. One of the tests also checks your startle reflex, and this is a predictor of whether you will be an introvert or an extrovert.

In all of nature, there is balance: light and dark, right and left, male and female, fast and slow, high and low. We learn in our science classes that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Introversion and extroversion are functions of energy flow in humans, we are born this way, and we react accordingly. For some of us, we use energy to interact with other people, and after a certain point, we must be alone to rest and recharge before we can consider being with others again. We all need rest at times, but some of us need much more than others do when it comes to dealing with other people. If being with others causes us to expend more energy than we derive, we are introverts.

On the other hand, some of us need to be around others to feel energized and stimulated. Too much time alone, and we are enervated, listless, and depressed. If being with others creates more energy that it uses up, we are extroverts.

We often associate shyness with introversion, but shyness is a conditioned reflex, where introversion is built in. There are shy extroverts. Shyness results from the physical response we feel when we are in the company of others, and also from the degree of self-absorption that we are feeling at the moment. Shyness can be induced or reduced. Introversion and extroversion are a part of your basic make up.

Given that we all like a little quiet time now and then, how do you see yourself when it comes to being with others? Are you energized or depleted and ultimately stressed? Does being alone too much leave you feeling depressed and listless or revitalized and restored?

• Do you believe that you are an extrovert?
• Do you believe that you are an introvert?
• Would you consider yourself shy?

2. Learning: Identification and Association; Literal vs. Inferential

From birth to the age of about eight years, you are learning about your world from your primary caregiver at the most basic level. The way in which you learn involves storing information from your surroundings, as it enters your consciousness from your five senses and your emotions. First, you identify something, and then you associate it with something else. That is how you classify it as good or bad, pleasure or pain, nice or not nice. You are born with only two inherent fears: the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling. All other fears are learned. Thus, you are able to store information that cookies are good, touching the hot stove is bad, and the barking dog next door is frightening.

From your primary caregiver (usually your mother but not always), you learn to interpret information as well. If the way she talks to you and interacts with you is very direct and reliable - that is, what she says is what she does - then you tend to interpret information in a literal way. You do not develop the need to look for hidden meaning. If, on the other hand, she says one thing and does another - that is, her words are not congruent with her actions - then you tend to interpret information in an inferential way. You develop the need to look for hidden meaning.

Sometimes we grow up in an environment that sends us mixed signals, so that we develop the ability to interpret incoming information both literally and inferentially. Thus, we can adapt quickly to either form of interpretation as the situation demands. We can all learn, once we are aware of how we primarily interpret information, to shift our processing method to either literal or inferential, thus enhancing our ability to absorb and analyze the inputs we receive.

Between the ages of three and five, we begin to become aware of yet another level of information in our world: what is us and what is not us. We start to acknowledge the separateness of other individuals. We realize that we are not an extension of our mother, nor she of us, and that we are all separate from each other. We begin to perceive that we have an impact on others just as they have an impact on us. The phenomenon that is taking place is called the emergence of empathy . Empathy is the ability to see others as different from us, and to acknowledge their feelings as being different from ours.

If the child does not receive acknowledgment of his own separateness from his mother during these years, he does not learn to feel empathy. He believes himself unique in his ability to feel, and that he is the center of not just his universe, but of the whole universe. This is called narcissism . Although narcissism is quite normal and necessary in infancy, it becomes problematic in adulthood, since the narcissist is able to interpret information only as it relates to him, rather than how it also relates to others.

• Do you interpret information at face value, or literally?
• Do you look for the hidden meaning, thus interpreting information inferentially?
• Are you aware of the impact that you have on others, sensing their feelings as well as your own?

3. Representational and Filtering Systems

As we advance in our learning development, the information that we need to categorize increases in both volume and complexity so that we need to create symbols or representations for the stored data. We create representations using information from our five senses: visual (sight), auditory (sound), kinesthetic (touch, pressure and texture), olfactory (smell), and gustatory (taste). Combining a representation with a physiologic sensation results in a state: a state of happiness, alertness, and so on. Thus, we can recall a chocolate chip cookie that we have eaten by remembering what it smelled like, what it looked like, what it tasted like, what its texture felt like, whether it was crunchy (noisy) or chewy, and what our mood was like when we ate it. We can place ourselves in a state of mind having only the stored representation of the cookie from which to draw.

In addition to representations derived through our senses, we also create representations using a language that is both spoken and written. These are called digital representations. Unlike sensory representations, digital representations are symbols (words) that rely upon rules for their understanding. To understand these representations, it is necessary to know the language in which the symbols are based. The language that is spoken and written is called a meta-program because it develops after the senses develop; it relies on an agreed-upon set of rules, yet it nonetheless draws upon information from the senses for its execution. Also, a given written/spoken language is not universal: there are nearly 500 formally recognized languages in the world today.

Given that there is a barrage of sensory input out there waiting to assault us at any given moment, we have ways of filtering it so that it does not completely overwhelm us. We use values , which enable us to decide whether something is right or wrong, good or bad and how we feel about it. We arrange values in a hierarchy that we determine based upon our own model of the universe. We use our beliefs , which are generalizations about our world that either enable or disable us, giving or denying us power. We use our memories of past events. As we get older, we use collections of past memories to influence our behavior more than we use the present, which then plays a very small role in our behavior. We use decisions , in conjunction with memories, to create beliefs, and thus affect our perception. We also use language, or meta-programs as filtering a device by agreeing to and abiding by a set of rules.

Having received sensory input, processed it according to the way we were born, the way we were raised, the rules we abide by, and (as the result of the memory of experience) the screening system we have developed, we go one step further in our processing: we refine the information by deletion , distortion , and generalization. With deletion , we selectively pay attention to certain aspects and not to others. We may overlook or omit. Deletion is the process whereby we reduce the amount of incoming information to a manageable level. With distortion , we make shifts in our experience by misrepresenting or altering representations of reality. Distortion is the process whereby we motivate ourselves. With generalization , we draw broad global conclusions based upon one or two experiences. Generalization is the process whereby we accelerate the rate at which we learn. We achieve this by limiting the number of times that we must analyze repetitive data, and by limiting the variety of data to be analyzed.

4. Behavioral Communication: Emotional (inferential) vs. Physical (literal)

During the period between ages nine and fourteen, we learn how to interact with the people in the world around us by observing and reacting to our secondary caregiver, who is usually but not always, our father. We learn to conceal or reveal emotions, to suppress or release our physical reactions based upon the response that we get from our father. We also learn too, how to express or repress our feelings, where our safety zone lies, and whether or not it is safe to become close to someone or safer to maintain our distance.

Physical : If we are raised to expect and receive affection, to show emotion, to speak our mind freely, we are likely to behave in a way that is consistent with that. We are spontaneous, open, literal, seeking and giving affection, generous with our emotions and our physical selves. We dress to be noticed, drive cars that are stylish rather than practical, seek out the company of others, marry young, have and enjoy families, shake with hands that are warm and dry, and talk freely about everything, gesticulating often and expansively. We form close relationships that last, and we are easy to get to know. We process incoming information literally, but we speak inferentially. We love to hear the words that tell us that we are accepted, never tiring of being told that we are valued and loved. We are extremely sensitive to rejection, however, and often perceive it where it does not really exist. If we feel wronged, it may take years to recover, or we may not recover at all.

Emotional: If we are raised to expect indifference or to maintain a stiff upper lip, we internalize nearly all of our feelings, speak only when necessary, and are conservative with our emotions and our physical selves. We dress to blend in, we drive practical cars, can appear to prefer our own company to that of others, place career foremost in our priorities, shake with hands that are cool and possibly moist, and maintain a demeanor that is reserved and even constrained. We prefer to maintain a well-defined safety zone between ourselves and others, not getting too close, and our relationships may be short-lived, with people at times considering us difficult to get to know. We can often be blunt in our assessment of others, believing that honesty is preferable to flattery or fluff. When we do express our affection for others, we do so by our actions, rather than by our words, and believe that others should recognize this, since actions always speak louder than words.

Contrary to Mars and Venus, these two primary behavioral styles have no gender preference, nor do they exert prevalence one over the other in any social stratum. Nor is one better than the other. Each has its benefits and each has its weaknesses. They are, in truth, mirror images or complements of one another, like all things in nature. Conflict arises when the two find themselves endeavoring to communicate with one another, neither understanding the other's basic makeup, each one assuming the other is the same, just being difficult. Thus the Physical, prone to jealousy, and needing verbal and physical reassurance of affection, might feel slighted by the Emotional's natural reticence and reserve. The Emotional, not understanding the Physical's constant demands for attention, feels pressured and seeks solace in the safety of work and hobbies.

• Based upon your understanding of your behavior, are you an Emotional or a Physical?

5. Body Language: Revealing the Subconscious

Only seven percent of what we communicate is verbal, coming from meta-programs, or language. It makes sense, when you think of it, since language is rules-based, and much of our basic development does not emerge from rules. We bow to certain conventions in order to achieve some level of standardization of the symbols or representations that we must use if we are going to get what we need from others.

The rest of the communication that we use is non-verbal: 93%, to be exact. That means that when we are sitting in a meeting hearing endless (yes, endless) rhetoric, we are only getting the tip of the iceberg. (Notice that the word “hearing” is used, rather than “listening”). Thirty-eight percent of communication comes from the tonality of the words spoken, and the remaining fifty-five percent is all body language. Although we rely on all three forms of language to communicate, the last one, body language, is the most revealing and the most reliable. This is because we are generally not consciously aware of what we are revealing through our bodies. We mentioned previously that combining sensory input with a physiologic response puts in a “state”, where we are involved both body and mind at that moment. Thus, there is a circular communication between our body and our mind while we are in a state, each one influencing and affecting the other.

Your body language tells people that you are comfortable or not: you may be sitting easily in a chair, or you may be bolt upright and rigid. You may be paying attention by making eye contact and turning toward the person who is talking or you may be yawning while counting holes in the ceiling tiles. When you walk into a room, you signify your importance by your posture: you walk upright, shoulders back and head up, looking at the people in the room, smiling and nodding recognition. Alternatively, you may walk in head down, shoulders slumped, looking nervous and avoiding even the risk of eye contact. When you speak, you may use your hands. If you are comfortable or passionate about your topic, your hands will be open, expansive or wide. If you are not comfortable about your topic, your hands will be closed, even clenched, at your sides, or hidden.

If you are genuinely glad to see someone, your smile will light up your whole face, with your eyes, cheeks and even forehead being involved. If you are pretending to be glad, your smile will not spread past your lips, and there may even be a slight rise in the pitch of your voice because of tension in your throat. If you are feeling connected to someone, your body movements will match that person's, your rate of speech will slow or speed up to compare with his or hers, and your whole body will be turned toward your friend, as you lean toward him or her and close the gap between you. If your companion feels the same way about you, he or she will allow you to close that gap, not backing away as you move closer.

• What do you do when you enter a room?
• Do you speak with your hands? How do you use your hands?
• Do you feel comfortable when you are talking to someone, so that you express connection through your posture?
• Does the way you behave around men differ from the way you behave around women?
• Are you aware of your body (self-conscious) when you are around other people?

6. Personality Typing: STAR, or Core Values Assessment

It is generally agreed that there are four basic personality types. How those types are identified and classified, differ greatly from expert to expert. Many testing systems have been devised to assess personality types, and they are elaborate, detailed, and very scientific. You do not have time, however, to do psychological testing on your clients, nor would they be likely to agree to it. However, you can arrive at some reliable conclusions by being observant and by knowing a little about how to interpret those observations. You can begin by using yourself as a template.

Core values emerge as the ultimate way that people make decisions about their environment and how they attempt to influence and control it. Core values are an excellent predictor of behavior when higher-level decision-making is required. We use the acronym STAR as our meta-program representation.

S is for Stability - systems, security, tradition, safety, organization, structure, responsibility, reliability, predictability, simplicity and service. At their best, S's run efficient meetings on schedule, setting up and implementing reliable systems. At their worst, they are rigid and inflexible, resisting change and new, unproven ideas. Their period is the past, since it is proven. They can be pessimistic, but they are also are as steady as the Rock of Gibraltar. Approximately 38% of people are S's.

T is for Theory - knowledge, learning, logic, accuracy, the big picture, strategy, abstract thinking, problem solving, analysis, rationality, design, precision in thought and language. At their best, T's resolve conflict rationally, logically, and without emotionalism. They quickly learn and understand abstract ideas. At their worst, they may appear critical and cold, and at times so absorbed with learning that they do not take action. Their time frame is infinite, since theory and logic know no temporal boundaries. They prefer innovation, can be embarrassed by praise, and are inclined to be perfectionists. Approximately 12% of people are T's.

A is for Action - freedom, adaptability, spontaneity, passion, excitement, opportunity, entertainer, crisis management, reality-based problem solving, competition, negotiation. At their best, A's are risk takers, natural entrepreneurs, and lovers of beauty and ready to take advantage of opportunity. At their worst, they are impatient, disruptive, controlling and domineering. Their time frame is the future, since their attention span is brief and they are already looking ahead to the next moment. A's want to get straight to the bottom line, because time is important and their high energy cannot be restrained for long. Approximately 38% of people are A's.

R is for Relationship -- people, emotions, causes, romance, animals, communing with nature, diplomacy, ethics, ideals, cooperation, personal growth, communication, building rapport, empathy, harmony. At their best, R's are enthusiastic, involved and supportive, focused on the greater good, always there for the people. At their worst, they personalize too much, may ignore reality in favor of the dream, and lose sight of details when looking for the big picture. Their time frame is the present, since face-to-face actions take place in the here and now. R's like metaphors and value empowerment. Approximately 12% of people are R's.

• Where do your core values lie? Can you find yourself using this assessment tool?

Part II: Framing Communication Using Assessment Tools

1. Personality Assessment Evaluation: Profiling

Using yourself as a template, create a profile of yourself based upon the way you fit into the criteria in Part 1. Keep in mind that no one precisely fits any model or pattern, and that at any time we are a composite of more than one type or style. However, there tend to be some indicators that one type or another predominates, and that is the one we use for assessment purposes. The purpose of profiling is not to pigeonhole or label, although it may seem that way at first. Profiling is a tool to be used for observing patterns of behavior. By observing patterns, we can devise strategies that we can use to achieve goals. Our goal with profiling behavior in this way is to be able to recognize differences so that we can implement the right strategies to create understanding. Through understanding, we can create cooperation.

Ask yourself the following questions, writing the answers in a list:

• Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
• Do you assimilate information literally or inferentially (or both ways)?
• In your behavior, are you an Emotional or a Physical?
• With your body language, do you convey confidence or shyness?
• With your body language, do you convey a desire to connect or to maintain distance?
• Using the Core Values assessment for personality type, what is your dominant personality type?
• Using the Core Values assessment for personality type, what is your subordinate personality type?

Exercise 1: Now that you have estimated your own traits, do the same for someone else. Do not discuss this with the other person beforehand. After you have made your assessment, compare your results to your test subject's own assessment.

With practice, you will be able to make on-the-spot assessments when you are in front of clients or colleagues based upon what you are now able to observe while you are listening. You may think of leading questions to ask that will give you more insights into the personality and traits of the person with whom you are working.

Once you have the necessary insights, you can then use the information to build rapport with the client or your colleague. It is important that you listen and observe while you are in the presence of your client, since what you observe is what you will need to really communicate with the client, targeting his core values, reading his body language, understanding his words and watching for subtle changes in the way her is responding to the discussion.

2. Building Rapport

Rapport is a process of responsiveness, not one of “liking”. You do not have to like your client to build a rapport with him. Your position with respect to your client is one of service, and part of service is to be able to establish enough trust so that the work can proceed. By using a system that allows you to quickly evaluate how your client processes information, which values drive his decision-making, and whether he is openly expressive or tacit and reserved, lets you get to the basis of the problem or issue and assure a more efficient exchange of information. Now you know how to talk to him and you know how to better interpret his words when he talks to you.

The key to building rapport is a technique called matching and mirroring. Often we do this unconsciously when we are accordant with someone we like, but it is not automatic when we are in a situation with people we do not know or do not like. When we match and mirror, we match the pace of our speech, our breathing, and our body movements, to the person before us. We match the tone and volume of our voice, the type of words we use, the rate at which we blink, our posture, our gestures, and our associations.

Our words are quite important, but in a way that is far more revealing than the technical information that we may be discussing. The types of words used are indicators of the way in which we form representations. Each of us has a preferred means of forming representations. Some of us are visual ; some of us are auditory , some kinesthetic . Visuals use words like: see, look, view, illuminate, envision, foggy, crystal. Visuals “see” everything they say, remember and learn, so talking to them in those terms enhances communication with them. Auditories use words like: hear, listen, rings a bell, silence, be heard, all ears, tune in/tune out. Auditories “hear” everything they learn and remember, so talking to them in terms of sound metaphors works with them. Kinesthetics use words like: feel, touch, make contact, concrete, hard, unfeeling, slip through, get a hold of, get a handle on. Kinesthetics “feel” everything they learn and remember, so using feeling, touching and contact metaphors work with them.

When you are in front of someone, you can gauge whether he is visual, auditory or kinesthetic by looking at where his eyes go when he talks. When you ask a question of a visual, he will look up to the left if he is right-handed when he is accessing a memory of an actual event. He will look up to the right if he is imagining something or if he is lying. The opposite is true of a left-handed person. If he is auditory, he will look to the right or left, level with his ears depending if he is creating or remembering. If he is kinesthetic, he will down to either the right or left, either accessing feelings or talking to himself.

It is important to pay attention to eye position. Eye contact is important when listening, but when speaking, often one looks away to access memories or create an answer. Only when someone never makes eye contact or makes steady, fixed eye contact does it become problematic. Avoidance of eye contact creates mistrust, and steady, penetrating eye contact is very intimidating. Being aware of your client while talking with him allows you to observe these subtle changes and reactions as the discussion moves along. If you are not paying attention, you will miss these cues. Missing cues can and often does lead to misunderstanding.

3. Communicating Through Core Values

When you are with a client, and if you are fortunate enough to be in his own office, look around you for signs of his core values. By correctly assessing his core values, you will be able to communicate to him the information that he wants to hear and which he will use when he forms his opinion of you.

An S will have a neat, orderly office with books in alphabetical order, or some other systematic order, and his desk will be neat and even empty. The furniture will be traditional, good quality if he has anything to do with it, and in good condition. He will be on time for appointments, and he will expect the same of you. Meetings will end on time as well. He will be dressed according to the prevailing dress code, and expect you to follow the same procedure. He will want to hear that safety rules have been followed, permits have been obtained on time, and that things are proceeding according the plan. Too much innovation will disturb him; so if you must introduce a novelty, make sure that you prove that precedents exist and that the risk for failure is low. Your presentation must be organized, so be sure to do your homework beforehand.

A T will have a messy office with papers everywhere because he will be working on several projects at once, all of which must be thoroughly researched before they can be approved or implemented. He will be late, most likely, but you must be on time because you do not know when he will be ready to see you. He will not let you go until he is satisfied, so make sure you are flexible with time. If you rush out for another appointment before he is satisfied, you will lose points. He will be less concerned with your appearance (unless you are female) so rather than dress to impress, make sure you can answer all of his many technical questions. Be prepared to answer a string of objections or defend your position, because he will use logic to weaken your proposal at any opportunity, with the premise that he is merely touching all the bases.

An A will breeze in and out, answer calls, move around the room, interrupt you and show demonstrable impatience if you try to present too much information. He will be dressed to impress, so you should not try to upstage him. He does not appreciate one-upsmanship in his space, so take the opportunity to shine by getting right to the bottom line. Spare the details and the technical jargon: he is not listening. Allow him to be magnanimous and expansive and accept whatever he offers to you. Finish quickly and leave early. He will let you know when you are through.

An R will greet you with a three-handed handshake and ask you about yourself or your family. He may tell you about his. Listen and add some human interest of your own. His office will have family pictures, awards, plants, toys, or other “soft” items or memorabilia. If he has a rocking chair in the office, sit it in when he invites you to sit down. Present information to him that makes him proud that he is doing business with an ethical and environmentally responsible company. Show that you are proud also to be associated with a company that rewards its employees, uses only dolphin-safe products and has child-care on the premises. Smile and do it sincerely.

4. Setting the Intention for the Result: Managing Situations with Communication Tools

We are operating under the basic assumption in this course that you are doing the job that is required of you and that you have the technical competence and ability to perform the tasks assigned to you. Thus, we have not spoken of things like budgets, schedules, pricing and quality control because these elements of client satisfaction are actually easier to manage than one-to-one communication. The means by which a completed project can be evaluated are far more consistent, objective and quantifiable than the means by which we can evaluate the effectiveness of communication.

The best way we can devise an evaluation method for communication effectiveness is by visualizing a desired outcome. This can be agreed upon by all parties beforehand or by one person as he walks into a room. When scheduling a client meeting, it is helpful to ask for a goal or objective, and then structure the meeting in terms of that objective. Meetings usually have some agenda and specific business to be discussed, but the effectiveness of the overall communication is not usually factored into that agenda. Setting the intention before the meeting is remarkably effective for uniting all parties under a common umbrella.

Acknowledging the differences in learning, core values, behavior and representational processing can be more productive than would seem at first. Guiding the flow of discussion around these different styles can make use of each of their contributions, without stifling or over-emphasizing anyone. Accepting differences as complementary rather than conflicting allows for framing remarks and rebuttals in a positive way rather than in a negative or belittling way. Understanding inherent differences increases learning and exchange, coming from a position of empathy rather than one of enmity. The client benefits when his needs are addressed and his ideas are heard, and the consultant benefits when he is paid on time and the job can be completed on schedule and under budget.

• Describe an example of effective communication that you have witnessed. What made it effective? How can you apply that to other situations?
• How do you feel when you believe that someone understands you? What does that involve? Can you reverse that, and create the belief in someone else that he is understood?

Part III: Case Analysis

Coping with Difficult People

Robert Bramson wrote a book called Coping with Difficult People that describes seven different types of problem people. We all recognize someone from that group - maybe even ourselves - and we can recall painful memories of interactions with them. There are the Hostile-Aggressives (Sherman Tanks, the Exploders, the Snipers), the Complainers, the Clams, the Super-Agreeables, the Negativists, the Bulldozers and Balloons, and the Stallers.

Bramson offers many suggestions for coping with these business types but there are certain recommendations that work for all of them, even though each one is different.

• Labeling. This is a form of generalization, after the identification and association.
• Understanding. This is where empathy comes into play.
• Self-Assessment. Acknowledge that you have also been a difficult person.
• Accepting and embracing the differences. Work with them not against them.

It helps to realize that most of the really difficult behavior situations result from defensiveness, fear, and insecurity. Recognizing this in the context that the person acting this way is a person, a human being, who may just be having difficulty communicating, helps a great deal when it comes to strategizing for change.

The following are ten examples of difficult people that you can review and discuss, drawing upon your own experience with very similar people in various situations. You know how the situations played out in the past. What can you use now to hypothesize different outcomes?

1. Engineer : Analytical; hands-on; checks everything; no delegating or team building
2. Militaristic : Punctual; demanding; rigid; literal and emphatic
3. Good Ole Boy : Relationship-oriented regardless of performance; all players not performers
4. Institutional : Domineering; process oriented; overactive; firmly structured; hard to read
5. Yeller and Screamer : Emotional acting out; doesn't listen to reason; threatens/retracts
6. Unstable Internal Environment : Unstable organization; chaotic decision and info processing
7. Team Player : Synergizing; win-win; accepts recognition and understands issues and results
8. Responsible Manager, no Authority : Cannot make changes or manage the project
9. Long-Distance Manager : Infrequent job visits cause info back-up and job slowing
10. Quiet with Periodic Involvement : Comes and goes but does not stay engaged daily

Exercise 2: In small groups, consider the case examples. Construct a situation involving the individual described and assign a group member to be that person, acting in the manner associated with that type. Have one or more people in the group interact with him and try to cope with the behavior using the material about information processing, core values, representational systems, and behavioral communication. Choose a member of the group to facilitate or moderate, and then to report back to the main group at the end of the exercise. Were any of the techniques successful? Why or why not?

While this might seem an obvious one, I regularly encounter speakers who usually under dress or (some) overdress. The thumb of rule is, of course, better be overdressed than under dressed. Your audience wants to look up to you and good "packaging" will enhance your image tremendously. When unsure, contact the organizer and find out what is the expected attire for speakers.

Develop a great intro and closing and practice it till you can say them forward and backward even in your dreams! There are only few things screaming "I'm not a professional" than someone starting their presentation with excuses or some weak mumbo-jumbo. Start your presentation with a quote, an intriguing question, humor, or a short story, or even magic; then link your intro to the topic of the day. Close your presentation by bringing up elements of your intro and build to a strong finish to elicit your well-deserved applause. One of my favorite techniques is the short suspense story that captivates the audience, then without finishing it, link it to the topic of the day. Then as a closing of the presentation, bring up again the suspense story, make a comparison to the topic again, and this time finish it. REPHRASE!!!! Have a second conclusion prepared. After a speech or a presentation usually comes a question and answer period. Once the questions stop coming, it is best to end on a strong note. This is a great time to get your "last word" in.

Notice your tendency to use "Ah's," Mmm's" and other fillers in your presentation! It can become really annoying when a speaker is uncomfortable with pauses in between sentences or while thinking, and fills those gaps with "Ahhh..," "Mmm…," or other sounds. Another, almost equally, annoying fillers are the constantly repeated "You know what I mean," "You see what I'm saying," and other constantly repeated fillers.
There are two good ways to raise your awareness about these fillers: a) record one (or more) of your presentation(s) and listen with an ear for filers; b) Join your local Toastmasters International club - they are really good about helping you break your filler habits. (I had around 60 "Ahh's" and "Mmmm's" in my first speech I delivered at Toastmasters. By the time I gave my 7th or 8th speech I had zero fillers.) Once you are aware of your tendencies of using certain fillers, you can consciously take steps to eliminating them.

Keep eye contact!

One of the biggest difficulties of novice public speakers is keeping eye contact with the audience. However, this is a very crucial element to come across as a great speaker. When a speaker keeps looking above the audiences head, the ceiling, the floor, etc., after a while the audience starts wandering "Who the heck is this guy talking to?"
The easiest method to keeping good eye contact with your audience is by finding one smiling or friendly face and keep eye contact most of the time with that person... Then as the presentation moves on, start making eye contact (for a second or two) with some other audience members, but always returning to your smiling/friendly face. Then once you find another encouraging audience member, start keeping eye contact for some time period with this second person, while also wandering away to make eye contact with other audience members for a second or two.By following this method, usually one finds themselves more and more encouraged and the confidence gained that way will result in an easier flow of the message and more and more audience members will become engaged and be transformed into "friendly and smiling" faces.

Don't overwhelm your audience with too much information!

Do you want your audiences to leave with a sense of "This was great! Today I learned something?" Then narrow down the information you want to present in a way that will not overwhelm your audience. Ask yourself "What is it that the audience really needs to know about this topic?" Then break down that info into chunks that will fit the length of your presentation. At the end of your presentation give your audience information on how they can learn more about the topic - hopefully, by buying your book(s), tapes, CD, extended course, etc.

Avoid PowerPoint blunders!

There are three most common PowerPoint blunders that will scream "I'M A TOTAL BEGINNER!" Filling up each slide with complete paragraphs and reading them off the projection screen Using too many different kinds of animation schemes. Stick with one, or max two, and keep them simple. It gets annoying after a while to wait for sentences to crawl in or to land on the screen like a helicopter.Use of too complex or blank templates. Either keep it simple and professional, or use pictures that are relevant to your topic. Pictures that have a little humorous slant are most effective (in my experience), but be cautious not to fall in extremes where the pictures create too much distraction from your presentation.

Build your presentation in an easy to follow format!

Whether you are using PowerPoint, flip chart, or other methods to stay on track and to keep your audiences on track, make sure that you tell them in the introduction what points you will cover, then stick to the "plan" as close as possible. An easy way to accomplish this is by giving out handouts where participants can follow your train of thought. One of the most effective ways would be to have the main points spelled out on the handout, then have some fill-in-the-blanks fragments relating to each particular point.

Time yourself! When you practice, time each segment of your presentation and prepare a little cheat sheet (a 2 X 4 card, for example) that you will keep in your sight while you speak, right near a timer or watch. With this little "tool" you'll always know whether you are on track. If you are running out of time, speed up or skip parts of your presentation and conclude with your rehearsed closing.

"Ask" for the applause!

As I sit in at beginner speakers' presentations, I often notice a common mistake: ending on a low note and not eliciting applause. As speakers we want to know that we did great, and the way we do that is by allowing the audience to express their satisfaction by a stormy applause. And an easy way to do that is by ending the presentation with a well-rehearsed closing (see point 2 above), bringing it all together, and perhaps giving a last great quote or some wisdom related to the topic. Then pause and give the audience a chance to react to your closing.In order to not break your audience's enthusiasm and response to your presentation, talk about special offers and Q&A after the applause. You can include little plug-ins of your offers in the body of your presentation.

have special offers!

Such as refer your audience to an E-course that they can sign up for on your website, or even better, pass out a sign-up sheet and let them sign up right there on the spot (this would be appropriate with a smaller audience).
Mention related articles available on your website (which each should include special offers as well).
Talk up your book, if you have one.
No matter what your special offer is, the most important thing is to have one that results at minimum in capturing names and contact info.