Align With Your Message and Impact Your Bottom Line
Posted on February 20, 2006
Filed Under Articles, Speakers
Align With Your Message and Impact Your Bottom Line
By Jane Atkinson
Sometimes I hear speakers complain that business is down. They might blame the economy, or poor marketing efforts, or whatever. But I wonder, could it be something else?
Spiritual guru and author Wayne Dyer was talking at Unity Church in Dallas a few years ago. He was telling the story about accusing one of his children of hiding his keys, when minutes later he found them in his own pocket. He explained to us – and these are his words, not mine, “it’s a very short distance from enlightened to a**hole”. (I wondered if anyone would complain about him swearing in church – but that’s another article). The point he was brilliantly making was that it’s very hard to walk your talk 24/7 – and he was the first one to admit that he’s human.
Okay, so we know that nobody’s perfect, but congruence on and off the platform may be the key to getting booked that some people are missing. If your business is not flourishing, you may want to ask yourself if you are completely in line with your message.
Most audiences these days are sophisticated. They have the “BS” detectors on before you even walk into the room, so you must be conscious at all times. Everything you do and say off the stage needs to line up with your message. Even if an audience doesn’t know that you are cheating on your taxes (or spouse) while giving them a brilliant talk on ethics – they will sense that something is off. Energetically, your talk will be undermined by your actions.
If you are a customer service expert, then you’d better meet your clients’ needs in an above average manner. Team or leadership speakers should have well-trained, happy staff. Stress experts should not be seen at the airport freaking out about flight delays. And people who speak on kindness should not be fighting with the hotel check-in clerk – especially at the venue where they are speaking!
As a speaker, the hassles of travel are part of your daily life and you need to be conscious of how you treat people at every stop along the way. The world is your stage. Even when no one is looking, ask yourself, “is this how an expert on my topic behaves?” If the answer is no – get congruent with your message quickly and you might just see a difference in your bottom line.
Copyright 2005, Jane Atkinson
Jane has been helping speakers double their business annually for more than a decade. As a former speaker’s agent, she has represented numerous speakers who have vaulted to the top 3% (Platinum Level) of the industry including Vince Poscente, Peter Legge and Joe Calloway (all CSP/CPAE’s**). Jane is a full time business coach and consultant dealing exclusively with professional speakers, celebrities and CEO’s. Her clients are the who’s who and the up-and-comers of the speaking world. For more information regarding Jane and her upcoming book “The Wealthy Speaker: A Proven Formula for Building a Successful Speaking Business” visit her website at www.speakerlauncher.com
Comments
Leave a Reply
