The Seminar Source Objectives:
· To encourage readers to offer seminars as part of their businesses.
· To increase awareness of ready-made seminars available..
· To provide tips on how to earn money giving seminars.
· To provide samples of available books and seminars you can use. Month/Year
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Greetings! It's still cold in the northeast. My friend in New Hampshire said they had six inches of snow last night and added "Spring is still a long ways away - we got another 6" of snow last night. A big improvement, we haven't had any in a couple weeks and the old snow wasn't pretty at all." Perspective! He could have chosen to complain. Instead, he found the positive.
Another friend of mine fell in the downtown shopping area, smashed her shoulder, hit her head and was unable to get up. It took a half an hour for the ambulance to arrive and take her to the hospital. She called me the next day and after telling me the rudimentary facts, stated with great enthusiasm, "I met five of the nicest people yesterday!" She was referring to the ambulance crew, the hospital nurse and doctor--this from a lady who will need multiple operations and a year before her shoulder will be as it was. Perspective!!
Where the economy is concerned, most people are feeling the pinch in some way, even if they are still employed. The ultra expensive dinner in the city can easily be replaced with the opportunity to dine in a less expensive restaurant, and other minor strategic changes could easily be made without the feeling of sacrifice. You can change your Perspective!
On a personal level, I think back to the days when we were starting out as a family in our new house which needed lots of work, as did our neighbors' homes. Every Saturday, after a day of hard work, we'd combine ingredients we had in each other's homes and have an outrageously good time partying together, kids included, with very little additional expenditure. Maybe we can look for these opportunities again. Perspective!
For entrepreneurs, this is a time to "see" a need and fulfill it. For example, rude salespeople are one of my pet peeves, either on-line or in person. My husband recently traded in his cell phone for a new one at an AT&T store and came home raving about the service he got from the man who waited on him. The next day he got a call from AT&T asking him to evaluate this person. That's good business.
100% of my dealings with Apple have been extraordinarily good! I'm a devotee of Apple products and their employees. Their products are fantastic, and their employees always make me feel special.
Yet, there are too many exceptions to AT&T and Apple, and these companies do lose money because of the service they deliver. I won't go back to a place where I was treated poorly. I went to Circuit City twice ever and was treated poorly both times. Could their service have factored into their going bankrupt?
My point is poor service by retailers is a perfect opportunity for an entrepreneur to develop a product, training, a service--something to remedy the loss of business an owner faces because of his less-than-civil employees. The challenge is to change the business owner's Perspective.
I will be addressing this problem in my area by introducing Chambers of Commerce and franchises to my "Secret Shopper" booklet, my training course for Secret Shoppers, and my book One Talk Fits All, which can be used as a basis of training for employees and customers.
Look around. Where do you see a need? Drop me a line and I'll share your ideas in this column. How can you earn money by sharing your Perspective for success with store owners?
Happy, happy,
Gail
P.S. As I reread this letter, I see another word that could replace "perspective," and that's "attitude." As William James said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes."
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Feature Article:
MORE ON PROMOTION
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by Gail Cassidy
A question asked in Paul Evan's ezine, Instant Speaking Success #54, "How can you market yourself to a wide variety of folks, when you don't know what they want? Or do you establish a set of programs first? I've been speaking to high schools and want to make the jump to adult markets."
Paul responds: Don't guess about what they want - find out.
1. Make a list of businesses/organizations you feel you can speak to with value. Make a list of at least a hundred.
2. Call them and speak to someone in their training or education department. Write down the names of the people you speak with.
3. Ask the person, "If you could solve one problem in your business in the next 30 days, what would it be?" Do not try to sell your services at this time unless they pursue you. You are just gathering information.
4. When you finish your calls, look over the list and circle all responses that fit your expertise.
5. Create speaking titles based on the problems you discovered.
6. Contact the individuals again and share your speaking/training topics as they relate to the specific need of that organization.
Do not set your programs first unless you know a particular market exists. Let the market determine our program. This certainly sounds like good information.
I would recommend you go to http://www.instantspeakingsuccess.com and subscribe to Paul Evan's ezine. He offers invaluable information for speakers and seminar leaders.
Or get your own copy of You Cannot NOT Communicate and its participant manual to get your own seminars up and going.
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Quote of the Day
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John Lilly: "In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true, either is true or becomes true."
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NEXT WEEK
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BEST SITES AND TIMES FOR SEMINARS
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Gail Cassidy
http://www.Coachability.com
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