OK, people…. enough is enough. I don't want to hear you telling me that false story anymore. What am I so riled up about? The fact that half a dozen people have said to me that they aren't speaking because they aren't ready. They think that they aren't expert enough, not prepared adequately, or haven't learned how to speak in public. If you are one of those people in the “not ready” camp, I am calling you out on your B.S. right now. Here are the real reasons people “aren't ready.” Here they are:
They don't have confidence in their offering.
“Not good enough” is running rampant through our industry right now, and it's baloney! Just because you aren't a guru (yet!) doesn't mean you don't have anything to teach. Find a problem you can solve. Solve it. You'll make money. The formula is pretty easy.
They don't have confidence in themselves.
Many of my clients procrastinate because they don't feel like they are “good enough” to get out in front of people and speak. When it comes down to it, that is just fear pure and simple. And my advice is to get over it. You'll be surprised at what happens. The first time I spoke, I was very nervous, yet I brought in $2,000 that day. There is nothing like people paying you to boost your confidence!
They aren't prepared.
Speaking live is the fastest way to bring revenue into your business. But people will do EVERYTHING else before they consider speaking. And they won't speak until they have every single thing in place. You don't need much to get started.
So… what is the minimum I need to get started?
- A way for people to find and connect with you. Ideally, this will be a website – a one-page site is all you need—just some basic information about you and the problem you solve for customers.
- A simple speaker sheet. You need a document with your contact information, your bio, a picture, and information about your talk.
- An exciting talk. – Yes, you need a speech. You don't need 50 talks but just one or two. And the speech needs to be interesting enough that people come back for more. The speech also needs to have a call to action.
- A way to continue the conversation. This can be as simple as a calendar for scheduling “consultations” or a simple freebie opt-in.
Want more hints? Download my speaker sheet.
