Conscious Competence.

Say that 10 times fast!

In our world of speaking, it’s very easy to start the business without alot of strategy. In fact, alot of people fall into our career by accident.

Is that you?

But at some point, usually a year or two down the road, you realize that there are things that aren’t working.

Perhaps:

Your website is up but it isn’t generating bookings.

You give a good speech, but it’s not getting you as much spin off as it should.

Your positioning is slightly off and it’s hard for you to articulate exactly what you do to help people.

If any of these sound like you, it may be time to take it….

FROM UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE (ie: you’re doing pretty well but it’s without a strong strategy in place)

TO CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE (ie: you’re doing well because you planned to do well. You have strong positioning and a well crafted presentation).

For 2011 what will you to do move from Unconscious Competence to Conscious Competence?

Feel free to declare your move towards Conscious Competence by commenting below:

See you soon Wealthy Speakers.

PS: Need some help making the move? You might want to consider spending some time with me! If you’ll drop me a line to jane@speakerlauncher.com with a paragraph that describes your problem, I can point you in the right direction.

Just Do it

When it comes to running your speaking business, there are 3 types of speakers:

1.  The Hopeful Speaker
2.  The 2/3rds Speaker
3.  The “Just Do It” speaker.

The Hopeful Speaker is talented on the platform and has a desire to speak more, but does not know how the industry works or how to excel in it.

They don’t know what they don’t know.

The Hopeful Speaker may sit and hope that it will happen, or they try to hire people to make it happen for them.  And hiring people to launch your business rarely works because you need to understand your own business before you can train someone else to run it for you.

It’s often the blind leading the blind.  No offense to the seeing impaired.

The 2/3rds Speaker is also talented on the platform and has a base of knowledge about the business.

They know that there are areas of the business that they may not understand, and therefore, they may avoid them and allow issues to go unresolved.

For example.  You’ve heard about blogging but you haven’t been sure where to start or what to write about.  So you register a blog or hire someone to develop one for you.  But then it sits…. lonely, unblogged, unmonitored. 

The 2/3rds Speaker may have a bit more luck with hiring.

The “Just Do It” Speaker, is talented and continues to hone their talent.  They take all areas of the business and learn them completely.  If they need help with technology they learn it first and then hire experts to assist.

The “Just Do It” speaker understands and can answer any question about their business whether it be platform mechanics, database management, their sales funnel or technology.

Here’s what I recommend:

To figure out which one of these is you, write a list of all of the aspects of the business (presentation skills, marketing, technology, admin, etc.) and rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being high) on each.

• If you find yourself with a lot of low scores, then you may put yourself into The Hopeful Speaker category
• Just a few low scores, then you’re in The 2/3rds Speaker category.
• No low scores, CONGRATULATIONS! Pat yourself on the back for being a “Just do it” Speaker.

Take the results of the above and work on 1 or 2 issues at a time.  Seek knowledge where it’s needed.  Don’t try to do it all at once, you’ll be overwhelmed and get stuck again.  Of course, how can I resist plugging The Wealthy Speaker when it includes step-by-step help on nearly all areas of the business? http://www.speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

If you suffer from any type of perfectionism, get over it.  When it comes to developing anything from speeches to new websites – do the best you can and then launch it.  You’ll hone and tweak over time and it will be closer to perfect. But don’t wait for perfection or you’ll never get off the ground.

Just do it!

Ps:  I am a 2/3rds person moving towards Just Do It.  Three weeks ago when we did the blogging teleclass with Scott Ginsberg, I was pretty “blog-norant”.  But today I know more.  Check out my new blog and let me know what you think by leaving a comment or Tweet.  http://www.speakerlauncher.com/blog/

2009 is shaping up to be a year that could be challenging for some and prosperous for others.

With the news networks spouting economic doom every day, there’s no question that decision makers may choose to old on more tightly to their money. That doesn’t mean they won’t ever spend. Perhaps it means smaller budgets and tighter timelines.  And as always during tough times, return on investment will be top of mind.

Your determination to make your business thrive in 2009 means doing all the right things. Do you have the right stuff?

Let’s rate your determination factor.  Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following:

1.  Do you have an unwavering level of commitment to your subject matter and expertise?

If you consider switching lanes after every client phone call because they needed something different than you offer, then you’ll answer ‘no’ to this question.  If you try to be the solution for every client, your determination factor will suffer.

2.  Are you 100% confident about your level of platform talent?

If you have some down time, you might consider using it to ‘sharpen the saw’ and/or develop new material.  The best way to combat a struggling economy is to be great on the platform. I know many speakers who are NOT seeing their
calendars change despite a rough economy.

Why?

Cause they’re good!

3.  During client conversations, are you able to close the deal most of the time?

If not, then you may not be clear on the value you bring to the table and it’s coming across to the client.  A great way to determine your value is to check back with past clients.  Ask them what changed as a result of working with you.  And have your benefits list in front of you while talking on the phone.

4.  When you get into your office each morning, do you ask yourself ‘what am I going to do to move my business forward today?’

If you find yourself reaching 2pm and you’re still wandering aimlessly through e-mails or surfing the web, then your daily determination is low. Getting and staying focused each day is the key to competing and winning business.

5.  Is your database or system working to help you get and follow up leads?

If you answer ‘yes’ to this then congratulations. Finding and following up leads is the key to building your calendar.  Sitting and waiting for the phone to ring doesn’t cut it in a tough economy.  You might as well go out and get a ‘real’ job if you are not taking determined action every day to make that phone ring.

6.  Is your website working to convert visitors into buyers?

Again, if you have spare time on your hands, now is the time to get your website – your first line of marketing offense – working.  Making sure that your website clearly defines the problem that you help to solve is key.  If you’re website says ‘hire me, I’m a speaker’ you need to go back to the drawing board with new determination!

7.  Are you driving people to your website? Part of your monthly ‘to do’ list should be writing articles, posting blogs, sending out marketing mailings, etc., in order to put people on your home page.  You might also learn the ropes of search engine optimization.  A determined person would never leave it to chance.

8.  If keynotes and training are down for you this year, have you developed other products that can help your bottom line?

If the answer is ‘no’ now may be the time to consider additional forms of revenue.  Making money while you sleep is one of the sweetest feelings in the world and you may be providing your content in ways that are more affordable for
your clients.

***************

This quiz was really designed to give you a kick in the butt.  But if you answered ‘no’ to more than 3 questions you’ve got work to do.

If you answered ‘no’ to more than 6, then you are going to have a difficult year.  You might consider seeking contract work, or working for a training organization until the storm has passed.

If you answered yes to the majority, then congratulations.  I believe your determination will see you through and you’ll look back on this year as one of growth and prosperity.

Have a prosperous and productive 2009!

ps:  Speaker Launcher has 2 things to help you this year:

If you need a step-by-step guide, check out the Wealthy Speaker products and new MP3 programs http://www.speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

If one-on-one coaching would help you get on track, click here for a special introductory offer:
http://www.speakerlauncher.com/coaching.html