Okay, watch this video closely. There are some funny things to catch. The opening scenes of us working out were filmed at the END of our workout, so you get to see me struggle to lift 25 pound dumbells as my arms were totally exhausted.
You also get to see “Mr Disney” himself, Brad Ross as he totally flubs his lines. If you know “One Take Brad” you will find this as shocking as seeing me unable to lift 25 pounds.
For some reason I never seem to get my taxes done early. I get them done and I get them done on time, but I never seem to do them early.
It seems easy enough. I have it all on the computer. I just select “Tax Report” and print. Then I give it to my accountant. It’s easy. But I never do it until the deadline approaches.
Most people are this way. Deadlines prompt us to avoid postponing the things we need to get done. Life if full of actions to take, opportunities to capitalize on, and things begging for our attention. We have to prioritize and one of the ways we do that is to deal with the most urgent things first.
Deadlines and expiration dates create urgency. I’ve even imposed artificial deadlines for myself in an effort to keep myself motivated on a task, but I’ve found that legitimate deadlines are far more effective.
For example, I’m helping to coordinate an amazing event this fall where superstar speaker Garrison Wynn will be revealing how he earns seven figures every year as a professional speaker and how he has helped lots of regular men and women to do the same thing. The event is going to be lots of fun and will obviously change some lives. We’ve already sold far more seats than we expected for an even this far out but I’ve also had dozens of people call me to tell me they were coming, but they still haven’t registered.
Well, guess what? There is a deadline approaching! It was scheduled for today but I realized this is the week of spring break, so I pushed back as far as I could, but this is a legitimate deadline, not something I have control over.
You will still be able to register after this week, so don’t panic if you miss this deadline, but by registering now you can pay out over six equal monthly installments which makes it quite affordable. After this week we are less than six months from the event and so we obviously can’t offer the six month pay option, but you’ll still be able to attend until all the seats are sold.
As we get closer there will be other deadlines and when they approach I expect that it will prompt more people to take action. Some people feel like deadlines are a form of manipulation, but our purpose in life is to accomplish our goals, whatever goals you have set for yourself. If you find ways to inspire yourself or can be around others who keep you motivated to achieve more, there is nothing wrong with this.
You can use deadlines in your own business if you think about it. Coupons usually have expiation dates just to keep people from putting things off. The idea is to push yourself (or your customers) to take action.
Don’t allow yourself to put off things that you know are going to benefit you. If you are interested in learning how the speaking business works and how you can join in on making a good living doing something you love and making a real difference in the lives of your audiences, check out http://TheRealTruthAboutSpeaking.com
Next week we will be posting a list of some of the bonuses we have lined up for everyone who attends including some amazing assessment tools to help you discover the hidden talents and insights you currently posses that others are willing to pay big dollars to hear you share. And every one of you has these insights.
Visit http://TheRealTruthAboutSpeaking.com right now to learn more.
Last month I wrote about taking advantage of changes and economic turbulence as an opportunity to further entrench with your client base. I promised to share with you specifics including ways that my business is currently changing.
Here’s the low down on what I’m doing right now. Over the past several years I’ve really enjoyed sharing what I’ve done in my production company. We’ve experienced incredible success writing, producing, and delivering school assembly programs and motivational reading programs to schools and public libraries all over Texas.
I’ve hired several qualified presenters who now work for me and we stay very busy serving our little part of Texas.
I’ve also taught our system to several performers who are replicating similar success in their parts of the country and it is really satisfying to see that growth.
So, while I continue to manage the production company I have also grown the side of my business that relates to speaking and providing information to business owners. From the annual workshops I held each January for the past several years, to the various events around the country where I have been invited to speak. I really enjoy seeing the powerful effect that these sorts of events can have on people. I know that I’ve been to many events that have changed my life and it is exciting to be able to be a part of these events from the other side of the stage.
So, two things I want to share in this entry and then I’ll wrap up:
1) Branding yourself can be a very powerful tool. It is important and powerful part of marketing. It is also a very interesting process to have to re-define your brand. But I can tell you that it is easier to re-define your brand than to create one from scratch.
It was much easier for VanHalen to become “Van Hagar” (for better or worse) than it was for them to establish the initial name recognition. As “Julian Franklin Productions” becomes “Library Rat” it has been a surprisingly smooth transition.
2) If you’ve never seen or heard me speak before, here’s a short (3 minute) video clip of a part of a keynote I gave in early March, 2009.
There is a certain romance to the “hunter/gatherer” lifestyle. You wake up in the morning not knowing exactly what you’ll eat, or even IF you will eat. It is only through your skill and determination that you are able to put food on the table each day.
But if you can get past the need to have that sort of drama in your life, the farming lifestyle has a lot to offer. A farmer wakes up and with almost complete certainty know EXACTLY what he is going to eat and exactly how much of it. A farmer has almost complete control over which crops he grows, which animals he raises, and how many of them he decides to take care of. In other words: fate, destiny, luck, and fear have little place in a farmer’s life, at least significantly less than in the life of a hunter.
I’m not talking about REAL farming or hunting. I’m talking about how you run your business. You can run it like a hunter, where each day you have to set your sights on a new prospect and hope that you are able to make the close. If you spend a disproportionate amount of your time marketing then you are probably a hunter. If you have to constantly revise your marketing materials you are probably a hunter.
Farmers on the other hand sow their seeds and then watch as handfuls of seeds explode over time and become enough food to fill a grain silo. When every job you do systematically and automatically turns into two, three, five, or ten additional jobs (through referrals, repeats, and word of mouth), then you are a farmer. If your marketing expenses keep dropping year after year and your income keeps growing by at least 20% each year, then you are probably a farmer.
I’ve had the good fortune of working with several excellent business owners who kept their bank vaults full because they were great hunters. But once I showed them how to become great farmers, their worlds were changed just as dramatically as when mankind left the Stone Age to begin the transition to modern society.
Farmers would NEVER allow their family to eat seed, no matter how hungry they were. To eat the seed is to doom your family to hunger. Instead that seed is put into the ground where it is tended, kept, watched over. The dirt is watered, and fertilized, and weeds are pulled. In short, there is a lot of effort up front and not a whole lot of payback in the beginning.
But we are coming into a time where many people have more time on their hands than they used to. Use this to your advantage. Begin building the systems into your business that allow you to grow and provide more to your customers and clients. I’ve got some very specific examples, including several interesting twists that are happening in my own business that I’ll be sharing with you in the next issue. Stay tuned!!