WOW!
This month’s NSA LV chapter meeting was held at the Wildhorse Golf Club, and was attended by both live and virtual participants. I asked people to share 1 to 4 words to describe October’s NSA-LV Chapter monthly meeting, and the most prevalent word that was mentioned was, “WOW!” “I can’t believe we just got for free what others pay thousands and thousands of dollars for every day.” Other phrases and words mentioned were: “Fun!”, “I left feeling more connected”, “Today filled in a lot of missing gaps for me”, and “I left inspired and with hope- I can do this!”.
What happened at this meeting to make it so impacting for those who attended?
MEETING SUMMARY
Opening
The theme was, Oktoberfest! Not only were we treated to some delicious German food and beer, but Mark Camp, in Marvelous Mark fashion, dressed and played the part as our MC for the day that would make any European feel at home. After Guy Burns called us together to remind us why we meet and opportunities that are before us to grow and impact the world, Kathi Kulesza shared an inspiring “Spirit of Cavett” moment and introduced our Spirit of Cavett segment speaker, Ed Tate.
The Appetizer
Ed Tate took the stage, and shared with our chapter the step by step process he uses to qualify, create, submit and close super high dollar business and speaking proposals. This was information that other speakers and sales executives pay tens of thousands of dollars to obtain. . . And he was not skimming over it quickly. He shared it in a step by step fashion that anyone could do. In fact, other speakers have already used what they learned on that Saturday to close bigger deals since then. Among the goldmine of information he shared was how to craft and present a proposal that works with an 85% close ratio, as well as 5 things that ruin good closes and great deals. (I was guilty of at least 3 of them before I learned Ed’s process) I wasn’t the only one who was surprised that Ed was sharing his “secret sauce” with our chapter. Thank you Ed for living out the Spirit of Cavett for our Chapter.
The Main Course
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, Ed introduced our featured speaker, Shawn Rhodes. After a decorated military career, Shawn went into the speaking industry. He used his past knowledge, experience and skills to create a reproducible path that puts over 2.5 million dollars into his pipeline each year, along with a proven process of closing deals to generate predictable revenue from year to year. (Much of his process he learned from Ed Tate years ago). Shawn very clearly laid out his system for all of us, and also dispelled some key myths that many of us have heard for years in the industry. (Such as: a) It takes 7-10 years to develop a lucrative speaking business, and b) you have to be a naturally gifted speaker.) People following his process are establishing themselves as prominent and very profitable speakers, trainers and coaches. This presentation was more like a practical workshop, in which those attending received a very clear, step by step process of how to build a speaking business from the ground up. He also provided many resources for free that many people charge ALOT for.
Conclusion
I once again found myself feeling very lucky that I live in Las Vegas, and get to be a part of our chapter. I also wish that the virtual process was around years ago, as I could have shortcutted a lot of unnecessary, trial and error learning. I especially appreciate the support and connections our chapter is providing. I also believe it is only the beginning. Our President (Guy Burns) and our President Elect (Jim Root) have many exciting things in the works, all geared at providing an environment where everyone who feels called to be a speaker/trainer/coach has the pathways, tools and support necessary for success. Thank you to all those who attended Saturday. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for our next chapter meeting.
Thrilled and Inspired,
Doug Wood
Owner, U3Leadership