It was a simple question, but I had two answers.

There was the one I didn't like, probably because it came straight from my gut and, ultimately, I knew it was the right answer. I also had the polite, Pollyanna answer, the one I concocted to say aloud when it was my turn to share with the group. Answer it truthfully, or tell the lie?

I went with the lie. I lied to them, I lied to myself and I lied to Mark LeBlanc, who had posed the question at one of his Achiever's Circle weekends in 2001.

I was there as CEO of a national ad agency and marketing firm, one that I had started from scratch and grown large enough to attract the attention of and eventually sell to a publicly traded company. Gee, I had always thought that the most stressful thing in the world was being self-employed, what with juggling new business efforts and delivering the work, managing cash flow, making payroll--and sometimes not making payroll.

Wrong. Being owned by a publicly held company was much worse. Granted, I never again had to forgo my own paycheck, but I barely recognized my own company after five years or so. Hit the numbers. Hit the numbers. Forget about fit, just, well, you know-hit the numbers.

At least I didn't have to forgo speaking. Speaking was the best--and my favorite--way to attract and win clients. Yes, I spoke for free. It was marketing, a means to a greater end, and besides, I had no idea you could make a living "just speaking."

So there I was as consultant/speaker at the weekend workshop, listening with one ear towards growing my agency and the other wanting to know more about booking more speeches, perhaps even paid speeches, like everyone else in the workshop seemed to be doing.

As I listened to each person answer Mark's question, I silently rehearsed my lie. To this day, I don't remember what I said, only that it had a sufficient number of words to drown out the three-word answer that kept repeating itself inside my head that night, and the next day, and the next. The chant was going strong a week later, a month later.

Quit the agency. Ridiculous.

Quit the agency. "No way,"I told the voice inside my head. "I've got the best of both worlds: a steady paycheck, and I still get to do some speaking."

Quit the agency. Those words had gone from being my simple, yet scary answer to a thought-provoking question to an all-consuming command.

Six months later, I obeyed. I quit the agency to speak and coach full time, and learned that when you love what you do for a living, life will love you back. I also learned from my friend Mary Goulet that it wasn't a voice inside my head that was talking. It was my gut. Your gut is never wrong, and it speaks in commands, five words or less.

Six years after I resigned, in August 2007, at the national convention of the National Speakers Association, I walked across the main stage in New York City to receive my Certified Speaking Professional medallion from--wait for it--Mark LeBlanc, 2007-2008 NSA president. (Fewer than 10% of professional speakers worldwide have earned the designation, which involves a 5-year process of review and financial metrics.)

What was the question that changed my life? It was from a Jana Stanfield's song:

"What would you do if you were brave?"

And now I'm asking you. . . .well?

The Maverick Marketing Workshop is packed with creative ideas and tangible tools you can use (and re-use) right away to make your marketing more effective, sell more products/services, and generate more revenue--regardless of what you may have tried before, regardless of how big or small your budgets are. (Even if you don't have a marketing budget.)

No theory, no rhetoric, no kidding. We will be digging in and drilling down on what you need to know and what you need to DO to get more business right away. No excuses and no whining, either. I will help you:

• Distinguish your business, products and services from the competition.
• Find your points of difference no matter how much you look like the other guy, and create a competitive edge no one can copy.
• Focus and create marketing messages that are meaningful and memorable and get you the kind of results you're looking for.
• Decide the right mix of marketing activities for your target audiences and budget.
• Generate word of mouth marketing that creates a buzz and costs you nothing.
• Use the 4 cornerstones of an effective marketing message to attract prospects.
• Attract more customers, clients and referrals.

If I have my way, and you do your part, you'll walk away with a clear direction of how to set your business apart, a clear and compelling message to communicate it, and a realistic action plan for taking it to the marketplace, all designed to get you the specific results you're looking for.

More focus, impact, response and revenue. Who doesn't want a little more of that?

Post-Workshop Round Up and Group Therapy. About 30 days after the workshop, I'll be on the phone for an alumni conference call in which anyone who wants to can report progress, ask me to clarify content, celebrate success, get feedback, ask questions and-dare I say it-be held accountable for their action plan. It's 90 minutes of group therapy, and it's included in your registration.

When: Wednesday, June 23 in sunny Seal Beach, California, .

I will be presenting Blah Blah Blah: Make Your Marketing Stand Out at this new venue, during the 5:30-8:30 pm networking meeting. Here's the TV Guide description:

You know you're different, better and certainly worth the cost. How do you get that across to other people-especially to those who can use your products and services or refer you business? This session equips you to describe what you do or sell in a way that attracts, engages and triggers a decision to hire or buy from you.