Never appear to be desperate or needy!

Nothing will kill your presentation or sales pitch than appearing to be desperate. This is a real confidence killer and many people do this. You show you are needy by always asking for validation, questions like , " Is this ok?", " We can start immediately if you sign on today",etc.

Anything that gives the impression that you are under pressure is a BAD sign and will send warning signals to the mind of your audience. Just think about hard selling tactics that some sales people use, remember how they make you feel uncomfortable and wonder if you are going to be cheated. The more senior your audience the better they will be at 'smelling' desperation.