As I wrap up another great week of Shaping Up Your Business, I want to introduce to you the next guest blogger, Jane Powers. Jane has been my business coach since February this year and I have seen my business grow and exceed beyond what I thought was possible. Without Jane helping me, I would have been still lost I am sure! Jane is a speaker coach as well as a mindset, business and money coach! She’s fun, funny and witty! Her energy levels are always higher than mine I can tell you that! I thought she would be a GREAT addition to this month’s blog theme!
If you have been wanting to speak, but have been nervous, scared or not sure, then allow Jane to talk to you right now for what she has to say in our interview is going to move your forward!
Why do you think expert business owner should be out speaking?
If no one is talking about you, then you’ll stay the best kept secret and the best kept secret is never a success. You need to be out there speaking about yourself on your own behalf because no one is going to do it for you.
What would you tell those who are saying, “I can do this online”?
Absolutely you can do it online. I am just way too impatient for that. I mean, you can do it! The key is you still have got to drive traffic in order to get noticed online. For me, I’m about a quick return, I want immediate results. I want to see that my efforts are paying off. Offline, I am able to go out and speak, whether to an audience of 1 or 1,000, for 7 seconds or 7 hours and connect, capture and close my ideal client. Online, I would hope to be noticed in an online world of a billion plus and hope to get one response. In my experience offline is a faster way to get exposure, visibility and results.
If somebody wanted begin speaking, what is the topic they should talk about?
The first thing they need to do is to discover what it is that they can do that no one else can. What is it that you’re so good at, that no one else can do? Once you know what you love and what you are uniquely qualified to do, then you make a list of who you want to share that with. Who is the ideal person, audience and client you would love to work with? If you don’t know who you would love to work with then write who you would NOT want to work with. Whomever is left is your ideal client. Warning… if you say everyone, you will have a really hard time closing the sale.
How do you find what you do best? Suggestions?
Here’s the best thing you can do: write down every job you’ve had, paid and volunteer, and write down every problem they solved. If you can attach a statistic or number to the solution, even better. For example, I was a turnaround specialists at one time in my life and I went into profit centers and branches that were losing money and I increased profits by 240% in 11 months. I didn’t know I had that stat until I did the list exercise.
When you list every job you’ve had, then ask this question at the end: What do I love the most and what am I good at?
Eric and Angel from Vision to Victory, January 2016
Is there quick tips to write your awe winning speech?
The best tip I can give is that there are seven elements in your talk that actually make you money but there are three of them that will close the deal right out of the gate. Those are: 1) The Wow Factor 2) Position yourself as the expert and 3) position your audience’s pain or top of mind problem. Another thing is you must have is a Call to Action.
An audience will forgive you for just about anything, except for being boring. You can’t be boring and you must be YOU. Don’t be a copycat, most speakers are copycats, so be authentic and express the essence of you in every presentation.
What do you say to those who are petrified at speaking in public?
You are not alone! Most are afraid of something around speaking. Trust me there are speakers that seem calm on stage and inside are freaking out. I have worked with many of them. It is important to know you can start slow; you can do a podcast, teleconference, video or a short speech in your own living room. Many times it is best to start with small groups, no one says you have to be on stage with 50, 60 or 100 people or more. You can get in front of 3 or 5 people; do a small workshop and change the format, formula or venue to accommodate your comfort level.
What other tips do you have for us about speaking?
People learn by stories, so share your stories and allegories, not by facts or figures alone. They must know what’s in it for them. The best type of talk is the one that educates, informs and sells! Never tell a story without a point and never tell a point without a story. Keep a story journal and write down any stories you love and determine the point to the story. These will make up the elements of your talk.
Remember there are 7 key elements that must be in your talk so that it sales! Otherwise you’re just another speaker and you can’t be an ordinary speaker. Speak for the sake of speaking! And the more you speak the more you speak.
Alright, Jane, you have your speech, you have what you’re good at. Now what? How do you get out and get seen?
Click to get your very own Speaker Success Kit and learn how to get booked today with the 29 fail proof booking tips and one free session with me. This will teach you what to say, how to say it and what to do from there on out.
Are you speaking for your entrepreneurial business? What in today’s blog has been encouraging for you? Share in the comments below!
Guest Blogger: Jane M. Powers
Using her straight-forward, big-hearted style, Jane M Powers guides thousands to transform their message to money with her “Speak to Profit” Formula. With decades of successful speaking and coaching, and perhaps most important of all – real-life experience founding and running multi-million dollar businesses, Jane appreciates that success is truly about the power of your message.
Entrepreneurs hire Jane to unleash the world class speaker in them so that they can generate a sustainable sales funnel to easily identify, capture, and close on ideal clients. With nearly 30 years of sales success as a Corporate Executive and Entrepreneur, she brings you everything you need to take advantage of the most powerful marketing tool around – Speaking!
Jane is known for her practical, down-to-earth style. Jane’s fusion of savvy conversational techniques and real-life stories allow her to connect with her audience on an intensely intimate level. For over 25 years, Jane have been stepping into the spotlight with a signature talk moving people to action to make more money, have more fun and most of all – make a difference.
