I’d like to start off this month’s recap with a moment of silence.
Stormie Andrews kicked off our NSA Las Vegas January meeting with a rousing list of ways to ride a dead horse, but we never did take the time to mourn the aforementioned horse. May he go to that big corral in the sky.
Moving on. This month’s guest was Jeffrey Hayzlett, global business celebrity, primetime television and podcast show host, author, keynote speaker, and most importantly… the voice of a popular video game character.
Jeffrey forced us to put on our thinking caps (which in this case should be a cowboy hat) and truly examine our motives.
“Why are you in this game?” He asked. “Do you want Fame or Fortune?”
I tend to agree with his answer… make the fortune and if you want it, buy the fame. But most importantly, he asked if we were willing to do the work.
- Will you reinvent yourself every 18-24 months to stay relevant (so you can speak to the same clients multiple times)?
- Will you build and monetize your community?
- Will you identify what makes you memorable and then blow it up?
He urged us not to fit ourselves into the predefined categories for speakers or “experts” but rather to create our own category and then dominate it. (On a completely unrelated note, do you know anyone that would pay for a motivational speaker for dogs?)
When you do come up against the “competition,” do your research. Many speakers will post the conferences and companies they’ve spoken for on their websites. Even if they don’t, with a little bit of research (just Google their name along with popular cities and keywords like “conference” “summit” and “convention”), their clients become your clients.
Jeffrey reminded us that our time is our inventory, so price it wisely. And sometimes, you’re not speaking for free, you’re speaking for purpose. Honestly, my biggest take away from the presentation was that we don’t have to focus on one thing. It’s okay to build an empire. For more information, visit hayzlett.com.
At the February meeting of the NSA Las Vegas, we’ll hear from Larry Winget, the Pitbull of Personal Development. I’m not sure what he’ll be speaking about but with book titles like “Grow a Pair” and “Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life,” I’m pretty sure we won’t be bored.
Mark your calendars now and we’ll see you on February 9th.P.S. No actual horses were harmed in the making of this event.
About the Author
Sheryl Green has always enjoyed writing, however, it wasn’t until a divorce shook her world, that she discovered the power of story. Having penned three novels, she now brings her penchant for storytelling to non-fiction and content writing, working with businesses and individuals who want to position themselves as experts in their field. She leverages the power of story through blogging, website content, book coaching and ghostwriting, and speaking engagements.
She is the author of “Surviving to Thriving: How to Overcome Setbacks and Rock Your Life” and “Once Upon a Bottom Line: Harnessing the Power of Story for Sales.” Learn more at www.sherylgreenspeaks.com.