Opportunity was the theme of the evening as the members of Florida Toastmasters met for their first meeting of the month. They jumped headfirst into the challenge to achieve long term goals as President Tim Knights grasped the opportunity to welcome guests and visitors.
Toastmaster Robert de Kramer was up first and kept members in suspense with stories about how JK Rowling was finally revealed as the author behind Robert Galbraith’s novels.
Dick Hallett delivered a presentation on how to create a mission statement. During the Educational Session, he explained the purpose of a mission statement and left members with some interesting and easy to follow guidelines.
In her speech Why is sleep important? Vivien Katzav explained that sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout one’s life. “Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life and safety. The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant or it can harm you over time. The amount of sleep you need each day will change over the course of your life. The future is shaped by dreams, so stop wasting time and go to sleep.”
Historically, there was a difference between a street and a road which is still relevant today. Karen Gray told members how streets, roads and avenues differ.
“Picture yourself walking from point A to B. You may start on Madeline Street, before taking a detour down Conrad Road, finally ending up on Electric Avenue. Now this may sound fairly unremarkable, but have you ever stopped to wonder why streets are streets, roads are roads and avenues are avenues?”
Lawrence Makeleni spoke about the first time he met his dream girl “Eva”. Though isolation and stigma and navigating how and when to disclose your HIV+ status can be obstacles, they are not closed doors. However, being HIV + does not prevent you from marrying and having children. Lawrence pushed his nervousness aside and made that grand gesture. He spoke from the heart to let Eva know how much she means to him and proposed in the traditional way.
“She willingly accepted and now there is just Eva and me, and baby makes three.”
Glen Campbell demonstrated how to sell a less expensive product called Miracle Cure. It’s good if you can start talking about the value of your offering before the customer can bring up the question, “How much is it gonna cost?” In a roleplay with Dawn Hemming, she showcased the benefits of each feature of her offer. Customers never buy because of the product features. They buy because they perceive some benefits attached to those features. Asking questions is important and Glen showed Dawn how her product overcomes her objections.
“Sales people have an integral part in the sales process,” said Craig Ellis. Nothing quite compares to a human interaction and a personal touch. However, hard and pushy sales people can be off-putting and will discourage and alienate customers, whereas not being insistent enough may also cost you the sale. How you approach sales is therefore pivotal when it comes to success. It is extremely important that you sell with passion. People like to buy from somebody they feel they can trust. Know your product inside out and act with integrity when it comes to pitching it. Make sure you are fully prepared and cut to the chase. Build a rapport with potential customers.
The Table Topics Session was presented by Curtis Kester. Lawrence was awarded the Trophy for the Best Prepared Speech while Michael Glencross was awarded the Trophy for the Best Speech Evaluator. Alex Muller was awarded the Trophy for the Best Impromptu Speech.
Toastmasters meetings are held every first and third Tuesday of each month. For more information, contact Tim Knights at timknights@telkomsa.net or call 082 894 7542.
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