“You have one minute to introduce your business,” says the chairman.

“Thank you! Before I begin…”

And there goes the first ten seconds.

Last night I addressed the Fishers business group on making a One Minute Presentation. For many of us, that is barely enough time to clear our throats, thank the organisers and establish that we are delighted to be there.

The audience would be equally delighted if we got on with it.

Woodrow Wilson’s father taught him to frame a sentence like using a rifle rather than an airgun. ‘Hit the thing you are aiming at instead of scattering your shot across the neighbourhood.’ He told his son. Be precise.  Excellent advice for anyone whose introduction requires an interval.

“Imagine your house is on fire,” I told the group. “A fireman appears at your window with a small suitcase.”

“Pack your valuables,” he says. “We must leave!”

You look around. Your favourite paintings. Books collected over decades. Beautiful furniture. A lifetime of possessions, and you see the suitcase that looks designed for a weekend in Pune.

“Can I have a bigger one?”

“The house is burning, sir!”

Suddenly, you must choose. What matters most? What can fit inside that little case and still tell the story of your life?

That is your one minute presentation.

You cannot pack the entire company into it, complete with founding grandfather, factory machinery and photographs of the annual picnic. You must choose what will make the listener understand your value.

Now imagine reaching the pavement. Curious neighbours gather around.

“What did you save?”

One man displays gold. Another produces bundles of currency. You open your suitcase and lift out a framed photograph showing you receiving an award from the President of India.

The crowd gasps.

In a second, they have seen evidence of achievement. You have something you can build your a new business on. Something that shows credibility and respectability.

Now carry that thought into a restaurant.

A waiter emerges from the kitchen holding a sizzling platter. Steam rises. The room fills with an irresistible aroma. Every head turns.

“I’ll have one!” everybody says.

Nobody asks for the manufacturing history of the hot plate.

That is selling the sizzle.

What is the sizzle in your business? What will your customer gain? More confidence? Less worry? Time with the family? A problem finally solved?

If you sell hair oil, do not spend your minute describing coconuts.

Tell him or her what your product can do for their hair. Sizzle his imagination before introducing him to the coconut plantation.

A minute is enough to open a door. It becomes too short only when you try carrying the entire warehouse through it.

So pack your suitcase. Find your sizzle. Make one clear promise and support it with proof.

Then stop.

Leave the customer wanting your product in just that one minute you spend with him!

And here we’re talking not just talking of sales, but in anything you do in life..!

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