Best Blogging Contest Raises Awareness of Coaching Coaches and For One Blog – Introverts

Best Blogging Contest Raises Awareness of Coaching Coaches and for One Blog – Introverts

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SPECIAL INVITATION AND OFFER FROM JEFFREY GITOMER

SPECIAL INVITATION AND OFFER FOR ALL NSA MEMBERS!

Join best-selling author and speaker JEFFREY GITOMER at any of his public seminars and receive 50% off your ticket.

In addition, Jeffrey will be meeting with NSA members, the morning of his public seminars, for a private coaching session where he will share his presentation skills and story-telling techniques.

Go to his PUBLIC SEMINAR SCHEDULE http://www.gitomer.com/seminars/Public-Seminars.html and select which seminar city works best for you. Type in the PROMO CODE  NSA  to receive your ticket discount of 50% off.

For questions or to take part in the private sessions with Jeffrey, please purchase your ticket using the Promo Code NSA  and contact Sara Riggenbach at sara@gitomer.com or call 800.242.5388.

We look forward to serving you soon!

Speech Transitions Need TLC

By Dave Lieber

NSA/North Texas

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Columnist

www.YankeeCowboy.com

The most edited parts of my newspaper column, aside from obvious mistakes, are my transition paragraphs linking major sections or scenes.  Mine are rough, but my editor is a transition expert.

Speech transitions are even more important.  A reader may skip through a badly written paragraph to get to the meat.  An audience member listening to a bad transition in an uncomfortable hotel chair will, in a second, lose interest and check his watch.

Transitions are like “establishing shots” in a movie.  They also act like a propeller, launching you from one scene to the next.

I spent a long time tinkering with the key transition in my new keynote - Agonized over each word for the perfect tone.  It’s only 15 words.

First comes my opening story, sort of like the overture in an opera.  The orchestra is playing, but the curtain is down.  This playful warm-up lets the audience know I have a pulse … and a sense of humor. ‘Tis transition time.

I pause, think about the meaning behind the words, and then say with conviction the following:

Just like you, I was brought up to believe the world was a good place.

Sometimes, my voice cracks.  I feel the sentence come from within.

Let’s look at how each word was chosen:

Just – My least favorite word.  Usually, it can be struck from any sentence without harm.  But here, it works.  Better than saying “Like you …”  This word serves as an opening drumbeat to set the rhythm of the rest of the sentence.  Lets you know something is about to happen;

Like – One of the most underrated words … one beat short of love, the very best word;

You – The money word in our biz;

I – This combination of you and I, separated by a comma/pause, establishes an immediate connection between the audience and speaker.  We are now together;

Was – By not using ‘is’ and not putting the audience in the moment, which is also a very good word/technique to use, ‘was’ means you are about to tell a story from the past.  The brain likes to hear that;

Brought up – Raised or brought up?  Brought up wins because it evokes the idea that your parents nurtured you in a safer bygone world;

To Believe – The word ‘believe’ strikes a universal cord with everyone because we all believe in things both true and untrue;

The World – This isn’t about neighborhood or even state, but global, even universal; and

Was A Good Place – An expression of purity, evoking in the simplest phrasing everyone’s personal image of his or her own highest ideal.

This transition does its job, helping the audience cross the bridge from overture to Act 1, by using connection-building words to evoke personal ideals and creating curiosity for what comes next.

It doesn’t take a lot of words, JUST the right ones.

Check out the bizarro world Dave created at

http://www.watchdognation.com

OK, I take it back..

Back in March, I posted a brief essay on this NSA member blog claiming that Obama is really NSA Man. Well, last week I listened to a speech of his and he told THE DARN STARFISH STORY! So, uh, I take it all back.

Are You In Need of Inspiration?

Are You In Need of Inspiration?

 

What inspires you?  Perhaps for you, it’s architecture, nature, or maybe other people.  This past month I had the honor of having a new NSA member approach me and tell me that I inspired them… Me!  Can you believe it?  My immediate question back to them was “In what ways?”  (Darn that coaching background!  I couldn’t just accept the compliment.) They told me that I inspired them because I am always positive, upbeat and that they just enjoyed hearing my story and being around me (Again, I had to ask myself if they were really talking about me?)

 

I tell this story not to brag, although it is pretty cool huh?  Instead, I tell it because inspiration is all around us at NSA!  Let’s face the facts… This can be a pretty lonely business existence. The majority of us are solopreneurs where we work by ourselves, for ourselves.   Furthermore, telling your story can bring you to areas of the country that you never imagined (Can you tell me what I was doing in Fargo, North Dakota in December?) and stay in hotels that boggle the hospitality mentality (The front desk was appreciative that I actually took the time to bring them the 1970’s pair of Hush Puppy shoes that were under the bed!) Something has got to keep you going, and that something for me is our members. 

 

So if you’re like me and find inspiration in other people, odds are that there is an NSA member that has a story to tell that will inspire you.  Whether it’s talking to someone that’s climbed to the top of Mount Everest (There is an NSA Sammy Speaker-Palooza Membership Desk setup at base camp!) or someone who works in the poorest parts of Washington DC)  This month I followed-up with a guy that inspires me.  His name is Omekongo Dibinga, and I met him in Orlando at the NSA Winter Meeting (Check him out at www.omekongo.com).  He’s not a CPAE, nor does he have the CSP designation.  But what he does have is vision.  Here’s why this guy’s vision inspires me… When I first met him, he said that “My sole purpose is to change the world!”  This set the tone and raised the bar for me throughout the entire meeting.  I was, and still am inspired by him (Again, this guy’s sole purpose is to CHANGE THE WORLD!) 

 

So what inspires you?  The odds are that there is someone you could reach out to that is an NSA member.  Because you’re a member, you have access to such inspiration right at your fingertips.  I encourage you to go to the web, find that person and reach out today!  Inspiration is closer than you think…

 

From the NSA NTX Membership Desk,

 

 

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP

Pathos Leadership Group

www.PathosLeadershipGroup.com

Is the Expense of NSA Membership a Waste?

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP

NSA North TX

I recently took the advice of Seth Godin (author of “Tribes,” “Purple Cow” and “Permission Marketing,” to name a few).  He recently said that right now, in order to weather the current economic storm, businesses must look at each of their expenses and cut out the wasteful ones.  So I sat down and analyzed my business, one painful expenditure at a time.  I ultimately came to the NSA and NSA North Texas expenses.  I looked at these expenses and, like Seth suggested, asked myself if this was truly a waste.  I came up with two conclusions.

 

First, I just returned from the NSA Winter Convention in Orlando, so the expenses were still fresh on my mind.  (They’ll have a little more “sting” when the bill arrives next month!)  The convention was a great opportunity to see old friends, meet new ones, bring my kids with me (my daughter celebrated her 8th birthday there.  She celebrated with Mickey; I celebrated my 8th birthday with my Uncle Mike… but that’s a different story!)  and to learn new ways to take my business to the next level.  I set a goal for myself to leave with no less than six $10,000 ideas.  I left the first day with nine, thanks to Jeff Magee, CSP!  Was this expense worth it?

 

Second, I reviewed the NSA North Texas expenses associated with the meetings and sitting on the board.  Even though I purchased a “Value Pass,” the membership and meeting expenses are high in comparison to the other associations of which I’m a member.  (But I do get to attend a special session later this year!)  I reviewed my notes from each of the presenters who have presented thus far: Michael Port, Scott Halford, Jill Konrath, Chris Clark-Epstein, etc.  What value did I receive from each that directly impacted my business bottom line?  I also looked at my time spent on the board.  This is time away from my clients, students at the university where I instruct and my family.  Was this expense worth it?

 

I had a conversation with a “prospect” or potential member of the group, which cleared up all the analysis that I was trying to perform.  She asked, “What is the best part of being a member of NSA?”  I told her the answer was simple for me, it’s a place where you can learn how to best structure your business because everybody shares!  So whether you take Seth’s advice or mine, determine if the expense of your membership is truly bringing value to your business bottom line.  If you’re like me, this is a no-brainer!

 

 

From the Membership Desk at NSA North Texas…

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP

President & Chief Influence Officer

Pathos Leadership Group – Home of the Influential Edge!

www.PathosLeadershipGroup.com

Effective Blog

I am a new blogger! How do I get the word out on my blog? I have no idea on how to get traffic and followers. I’d love help.

Obama is “NSA Man”

By Dave Lieber
NSA/North Texas Member

Barack Obama is the first NSA-styled President of the United States. I look at him and see a piece of each of you, the speaker.
Look at his stage presence. His words. His motivational pep. Check out his back-of-the-room sales. His Web presence. His search for the best new thing. Like you.
Sure, his take-aways and outcomes are to be determined. But his oratory is so sweeping and unknown to the modern era that you have to go back to the Great Awakening of the 1730s to find something similar on this continent.
His back-of-the-room sales make any CPAE wince with jealously. And the speed! Three weeks after his Inauguration, a newly-minted hardcover book containing his Inaugural Address was perched beside nearly every bookstore cash register in America.
His messages come at you like Scott Halford’s call to action, able to shake audiences from slumber to renewal.
He’s got Patricia Fripp’s stern manner of “let’s stop fooling around and get serious.” But like her, he says it with a smile.
Can’t you see in him Nido Qubein’s appeal to everyone’s higher dreams and noble aspirations?
Do you detect the steady-ahead business style of Mark LeBlanc? The everyone-must-feel-like-a-winner negotiating tactics of Linda Swindling. And for certain, the media skills of Lorri Allen.
He’s not as funny as a Sally Baskey and can’t sing like Jana Stanfield. But nobody, except maybe David Avrin, can craft a message and a means to get it out better than he can.
This new president communicates in plain-speak, a la Ed Peters. He crosses cultural boundaries in a way that would make the late Rosita Perez proud. And he tells a story as good as Doug Stevenson, or almost as good.
His marriage to Michelle seems like a true faith-based partnership — Jim and Naomi Rhode. His smooth elegant manner lets him glide like Willie Jollie. And don’t forget the concise, problem-solving focus he shows, similar to Patrick Donadio.
His come-from-nowhere story is all Francine Ward. His vision is similar to — who else? — Cavett Robert, whose wrote a book called “We are in the People Business.”
Don’t forget to throw in his unending supply of Brad Montgomery-like magic. And oh yeah, he’s tall like Jeanne Robertson.
About the only thing he doesn’t have in him, at least not yet, is a little Dale Irwin. Maybe after a few more years dealing with the Republicans, we can revisit that.

Dave Lieber’s Web site is http://www.YankeeCowboy.com.

New strategies to target reluctant buyers

By Dave Lieber

Member/NSA-North Texas

I’m finding that audiences today (and I write this in late February 2009), at least in my area of Dallas-Fort Worth, are still upbeat, generally hopeful, but also fearful of the future. They want help and guidance. Who better than you?
In recent weeks, I’ve found that they will listen to a speaker, but usually only buy what we sell if they can see a direct impact and improvement on either their business or personal financial situation in the next few months, when they need it most. That’s a tall order.
I’m lucky. My new book is geared to helping people in tough times. But what if your message is a lot more upbeat and uplifting than is generally appropriate for today’s shell-shocked audiences? What if your prime message doesn’t ring as true with audiences today as it did six months ago because of external forces you cannot control?
What kind of new strategies can you quickly turn to?
Let me throw one out to get the thread started.
I had breakfast last week with my sales rep from Friesens of Canada, the printing company I use for my books. She told me that the company has bought a new press which allows its minimum order for books to drop from 1,000 books to 250. And that 250, she said, is still very, very affordable. Just a few dollars per book for a high quality product that turns around in about a month.
So what if?
What if you took the one part of your message that rings most true in today’s unprecedented times and created a book highlighting that portion of your message with a new title that sounds very 2009ish?
What if you tested that book with your audiences with a 250-press run, then tinkered with it a little more after you learn more about how it sells, and then go back and do a larger run?
Those manuals, tapes and disks that previously offered up your entire program? They might not work so well now, but of course, they will come back to life down the road when things get better.
But for now, a new quick-run book of yours, printed quickly and affordably, can start selling right away.
That’s just one idea. I’m anxious to hear from you what else is working now, right now?

How to Define Your Brand Promise

I made it to the front of the checkout line the other day, and while I wondered whether it was worth my time to go back and get the unsalted butter instead of the salted, my “customer experience” took a turn for the worse. One minute the polite young man bagging my groceries asked if I wanted “paper or plastic”, and the next minute he casually tossed a package of ground beef on top of a dozen eggs.

 

Customer service is kind of like that carton of eggs. Beautifully crafted, fragile to the touch, and just a hurtling hamburger away from being crushed. Nordstrom sales clerks are trained to look you in the eye, shake your hand, and say “thank you” for each purchase. They don’t have to teach their sales force to treat you that way, but they do. Raising the bar on customer experience results in more sales, more frequent return consumers, and a better environment for both shoppers and the folks who serve them.

 

Waiterbell.com lists some frequently quoted customer experience statistics. While it’s hard to pinpoint sources, most experts I know would have a hard time rebutting any of these numbers.

 

• A typical business hears from roughly 4% of their dissatisfied customers. 96% of those customers just go away.
• A dissatisfied customer will tell 9-15 people about their experience. 13% of dissatisfied customers will tell more than 20 people about the problem or issue.
• It takes 12 positive service incidents to make up for one negative incident.

Wow! We’ve all been on the receiving end of a poor customer service experience. Good news travels fast, bad news travels at the speed of light. So what’s the impact on your business if you have an “off night” on the platform? Each time we speak, our “brand promise” is under review. 

 

If you think these statistics just apply to the burger-tossing checkout kid, or the dry cleaner that sends your shirts back with stains on the collars, it’s time to look in the mirror. Anytime you sell your products, your services or yourself, someone on the other end is having a customer experience. Here are some questions to answer before you head back out into the wild and wooly world of sales.

 

1. Am I delivering (not offering) more value than my competition?
2. What could I do at a higher level of service and efficiency, to improve my customer’s experience?
3. How often am I enhancing or improving the end product or service?
4. What can I do, today, to thank my current customers for their loyalty to my brand?
5. Am I treating everyone in my sphere of influence with courtesy, humility and grace?

 

So how does this apply to those of us who don’t make a living at the supermarket? In tough economic times, the strong survive, but the wise thrive. Wisdom comes from examining your own business practices, and pushing for constant improvement. Answer the five questions above, and consider those answers the foundation of your personal “brand promise”. Your brand promise is the expectation you set for each and every customer experience. Our speaking audiences don’t take a night off from being consumers, so we can’t afford to take a night off when we’re on the platform. 

 

As customers, we want a consistent experience each time we buy. I don’t expect the bagger at the supermarket to look me in the eye, shake my hand, and say “thank you”. I do expect that I won’t bring a carton of crushed eggs home.

 

Speakers need to define and concisely articulate their brand promise. Being able to differentiate yourself from the crowd becomes more critical when there are fewer dollars to be spent. The Hall-of-Fame ballplayer Joe DiMaggio was once asked why he didn’t take a day off, or loaf after a batted ball. The “Yankee Clipper” responded “Because someone out there in the crowd is seeing me for the first time ever, and I owe them my best.” That was his brand promise. What’s yours?