I’m a new speaker. That’s a funny way for a Certified Speaking Professional® (CSP)
,
who’s been speaking professionally for years, to start an article. I’ve taken a giant leap backwards in my speaking career. I’m a CSP, but I’m also a beginner. Some of you already know that a little over 3 years ago, I committed to becoming conversationally fluent in Spanish. I was at a conference in Mexico, and I thought that my high school Spanish would allow me to engage in basic conversation. Well, I was wrong. High school was a very long time ago, and I realize now how little Spanish I had actually learned. Read More
year is the power of our words. People judge you, and make assumptions from the words you say and write. From your advertising and marketing, to your website and email conversations, your words have a huge impact on your bottom line. If one prospect decides to not contact you, or not return your email, because of your choice of words, what will that cost you in lost business? As with so many things in your marketing chain, if you could see that business going away, you’d pay a lot more attention to what you say, when you say it, and where you say it. 
picture of someone’s life and/or business? We see their best work and their personal and business successes. What happens in between the posts? What is it that they’re not showing and talking about? That folks, is called real life. Not reality TV life. Real, everyday life, like the ones you and I lead.
There, I said it. But, that makes me a hypocrite. I want my customers choosing me as their speaker, mastermind leader, consultant, or for a website review, not because I’m the cheapest price; rather, I want you choosing me because you feel, for that particular need, that the value you’ll get exceeds the cost. If the return on your investment, exceeds the cost of the investment, then it’s probably a good choice; however, not all ‘returns’ are the same, and not all investments are the same.
luck as it pertains to your business. The Roman philosopher, Seneca, is credited with the saying “Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity.” You need both of these to ‘get lucky’; however, the preparation part comes first. You have to do the work, learn the skills, invest in your success, and then, be on the lookout for opportunity.
“How much…?” before they ask more important questions about our products and services. They should be asking us questions to find out if we can deliver on their important wants and needs; while price is certainly one of those things on their list, it’s by no means the most important one. If we don’t—or can’t—do what they want or need, then price doesn’t matter.
mastermind the other day and the discussion turned to investments versus expenses. I remember reading that business people, including most CEO’s, always look at the cost of an opportunity, before asking about the potential return. I guess it’s just human nature that when presented with an opportunity you want to know how much it’s going to cost you. Then it dawned on me…there’s always a cost, but it’s not always money.
and they’ve become a running joke as they should come with expiration dates. How many resolutions have you had that have fallen by the wayside, all too quickly? Why is that? At the time you made them you had the best intentions; the underlying reasons, whether personal or business, were sound. I believe that they fall by the wayside because they never get the priority they need and deserve.