Do You Use These Strategies to be the Major Presence in Your Market?
There’s much to know when you choose to make yourself the major speaking or training presence in your market. So, the best I can do in this space is deliver what-to guidance.Think of this as a General Session, rather than a seminar!
Picture yourself as the Campbell’s of canned soups, the Kellogg’s of corn flakes, the Heinz of ketchup, the Sony of consumer electronics, the Peter Drucker of management consulting, or the Alvin Toffler of futurists. You’re definitely King of the Hill. You’re the #1 choice in your field. It’s worth noting that as an expert who speaks, when you deliver desired outcomes to major entities, you can justify very high fees.
Observe that these examples are finite. They are big names in their niche, only in their niche. You’d be mighty suspicious if you saw a can of Sony soup on the shelf, or Peter Drucker salad dressing. (Yet, you would go for Newman’s Own Salad Dressings because Paul Newman invested years in cultivating a presence in food markets!)
What’s the point here? You, by the relentless pursuit of excellence in your service to your chosen market, can make yourself the dominant player in the game. Within one market, rarely more than one market. (You can’t have your backside on more than one horse at a time!)
So, how do you make yourself the major speaking/training presence in your market? Let’s look at this question:
1. Make yourself an expert, first. Then a world-class expert. Then, the world expert: Naturally, you cannot fake expertise. You got it or you don’t. Therefore you do what is appropriate to become the master of your topic. How to do this is revealed in depth in my Speaking Strategy Report #1, Positioning Magic. There is no substitute for authentic, dyed-in-the-wool expertise.
2. Along the way, start to write articles: If you’re not already a fine writer of commercial prose, go to <www.SpeakingBizSuccess.com> and open to the FREE DOWNLOADABLE ARTICLES Section. Request my article called, How To Write Like I Write. It’s free direct from my auto responder. Do what it tells you to do—and you’ll compose credible articles.
3. Now, master your Inner Game: When you commit to make yourself the major presence in your market, one inescapable truth surfaces. You simply must be the master of your Inner Game! Here’s how to do it:
Tennis champion, Tim Galloway, first wrote The Inner Game of Tennis. In this book, he discusses the 4 attitudes of the Inner Game concept. They are self-esteem, self- image, self-confidence, and self-discipline.
As a successful tennis coach, he taught these attitudes to aspiring tennis players. With some tennis skills, as well as these attitudes, aspirants went on to transform themselves into wonderful tennis players.
Tim then looked into the game of golf. After due diligence and testing, he proceeded to write The Inner Game of Golf.
After proving the concepts valid in that game, he investigated what makes a salesperson outstanding. Soon after, he wrote The Inner Game of Selling.
It seems that when you have high self-esteem, self-image, self-confidence, and self-discipline, you can make yourself a champion at anything. This includes the business of speaking.
Here are ideas you can engage to master your inner game:
3.1 Accept your uniqueness. You are one-of-a-kind. You have magnificence inside you, longing and yearning to be released. Only by allowing your unique magnificence to flourish and serve others can you fulfill your purpose in this life.
3.2 Set meaningful goals for yourself. Determine specific actions to realize those goals. Then, relentlessly take those actions. Your actions are to move you toward the achievement of your mission.
3.3 Write a Mission Statement. During your lifetime, you may have many missions, each fitting your circumstances at the time. Dedicate your resources and your energy to realize your mission.
3.4 Write a Destiny Statement. You may have many missions as time passes. You can only have one destiny. Ask yourself what destiny is worthy of you. (The CD of my Boot Camp II, recorded live in Sedona, Arizona, includes insights on how to conceive your personal destiny.
3.5 Reward yourself for your every achievement along the way. You’re worth it. What’s more, recognizing and rewarding yourself is a vivid confirmation of your healthy self-esteem.
3.6 Be a responsible steward of your assets. This includes your cash flow. Relentlessly reduce debt until it vanishes. Invest at least 10% of your income in long-term equities that are appropriate-for-your-age-and-life plans.
3.7 Ruthlessly guard your time. Use it wisely. It may be your most valuable asset. Surely it’s the one irreplaceable asset you have. Once gone, it can never be recovered.
3.8 Allow only up-tempo, supportive people into your personal life. Shun critical or negative people who discourage you in any way. Let nobody, I mean nobody, especially loved ones, rain on your parade! Insist on realizing your potential, as you envision that potential. Get a copy of the classic 1977 Robert Ringer book, Looking Out For #1. ISBN #0-308-10334-3. Also available in paperback. Do everything it says to do.
3.9 Be good to yourself. Create nurturing environments for yourself. Make your home, your automobile, your clothes (especially your clothes), as well as your intimates, a reflection of the worthy essence you are. Give away, throw away, toss out anything or anyone in your environment that doesn’t delight you.
3.10 Practice relentless self-discipline. Reflect upon the resolutions so many people make at the start of a new year. The Law of Entropy quickly takes over. Within weeks, if not days, their sworn resolve turns into jello. All stays as it was. That’s not the way it is with champions! Champions do what they must to hold fast to their commitments to themselves. Make yourself a daily schedule. Include what you’ll do and when. Include target outcomes. Be tough and demanding of yourself. Then, let nothing and no one take you off your course.
Years ago, when I was doing outbound marketing to get speaking engagements, I had to lash myself to my desk for 4 hours every morning, Monday through Thursday I didn’t enjoy it. Not at the start. Then I made it a game. I played it like a game. I kept track of every call. The Speaking Success System includes an instrument to make this easier for you.) I found that 16 hours of intelligently placed calls, diligently followed up with 1 or 2 follow-up phone calls, yielded me at least 1, and sometimes 2 programs a week at $3000 to $5000 each. Was the game worth the candle? You decide!
Part of my self-discipline at the time was running 3 miles before dawn, then meditating for 20 minutes, showering and dressing, having a light breakfast—and by 5:15 AM (Pacific Time), starting my daily outbound marketing calls. Believe me, this took relentless self-discipline. My reward was a very comfortable income.
3.11 Recognize this truth: You create your own reality. Over 20 years ago, in my first seminar, I told my students the ingredients of this creation. And I proved it! Those ingredients are your beliefs, your attitudes, your thoughts, your words and your actions.
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“Burt Dubin is not only a great speaker but also a great teacher and strategist on how to succeed in the speaking business. He knows this business inside out. He knows how to help others master the success secrets of the Masters.”
Willie Jolley, CSP, named One of the Outstanding 5 Speakers in the World by the 170,000 Members of Toastmasters International.
<willie@williejolley.com>
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Reflect on this: Your beliefs are gatekeepers for your attitudes. Your attitudes are, in turn, gatekeepers for your thoughts. Your thoughts are gatekeepers for your words and actions. And, with your words and actions you create your own reality.
This means you are the master of your destiny, the creator of your personal reality.
Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become.
Your dreams are the seedlings of your reality.
The oak sleeps in the acorn.
The bird waits in the egg.
So wrote James Allen in his timeless classic, As a Man Thinketh. What do you want to make of yourself? You’re in charge.
You can make a difference. You can touch lives and hearts. You can affect the affairs of companies and nations. You can have all of this if you want it. And you’ve got to want it enough to have it.
Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers and with speakers who want to be masters.
Check out the wisdom of applying for Burt’s personal Mentoring.
Actions To Take:
Your first action to start creating your own public speaking adventures for yourself . . .
Top Shelf: Go here
Mid-range: Go here
Budget Delight: Go here
