It’s March of 2020 and many of us have chosen to self-quarantine to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. It’s a scary time for us as individuals, speakers, and as a part of humanity. Don’t worry, if you’re expecting me to get super serious here, you certainly haven’t been reading these recaps.
Let’s be honest. You’re probably in your pajamas right now binging on Netflix and Cheetos. Which is why you might as well read this whole thing and then get off your bum and go do something for your business (or even better, for someone else… but I’ll get to that later).
So cut to last Saturday. We had an “intimate” gathering of speakers at our NSA Las Vegas meeting. Some hugged, some elbow bumped, and some hid in the corner muttering “the germs” over and over again. But, everyone that came certainly learned something.
Marvelless Mark kicked off our meeting with a new way to dispense toilet paper (if you were lucky enough to buy some). All you need is a leaf blower and a rather loud blazer. Just kidding. The blazer isn’t required.
Our first guest was Tracey Samlow who walked us through a business and marketing assessment designed to uncover whether our businesses are set up for peak performance. (Let’s just say I’ve got some work to do and leave it at that, mmmkay?).
One of the items she recommends is a business plan. Ed Tate added to that suggesting that your business plan be fluid as many of us have had to throw ours out the window this month. While I can’t list out everything on the assessment, I’m pretty sure if you reach out to Tracey, she’ll be happy to send you a digital copy. You can find her at traceysamlow.com .
For our CSP Accelerator, Darren LaCroix jumped in to discuss the benefits of podcasting. He said that despite the good open rate he gets on his newsletter, his podcast, Unforgettable Presentations, has opened many more doors.
Alright, the moment we were all waiting for… drum roll please… Michelle Villalobos took the stage (careful to wipe the microphone) to teach us how to have Small Events with Big Impact. There was A LOT of good stuff so I’ll do my best to recap, but I suggest you watch the video once it’s uploaded to the NSA website. Before we get any further, she’s got a bunch of goodies waiting for us at superstargifts.com . Go get them now but don’t get sucked into the interweb watching cat videos or news updates.
In we dive.
Her Retreats to Riches model includes 3-day immersions for 5-25 people. These have 3 components:
- A front end – Speaking as marketing to bring in people for the retreat
- A back end – Breakthroughs and Foundation during the retreat
- A big back end (if you are singing Sir Mix-A-Lot right now, you aren’t alone… and I don’t lie) – Ongoing mastery/community. This provides a monthly retainer for you, could include a mastermind or group coaching, a membership site, 1:1 coaching, or many other options.
She suggests being very picky about who you let in to your retreat as one bad apple can truly spoil the bunch. You are looking for the “A” customer – that’s the person who has the exact problem you solve and knows it, is actively seeking a solution, sees the value in you and your solution, and is energy rich for you to work with. Plus, if you don’t like them, maybe don’t let them in. It’s okay to protect the culture of your group.
Retreat strategy relies on Purpose, People, Pain Points, and Problems. She goes further into Problems than most, identifying 3 different types:
- The brain knows and admits problems
- The heart knows the problems but doesn’t admit to them
- The blind spot is the problem (or problems) they don’t know about
You are responsible for crafting an HDO – Highly Desirable Outcome that your ideal person wants and needs… and one that you can deliver in 3-days’ time. You can craft it like so:
Promise: By the time you finish you will ______________________.
Here’s an easy template for positioning your product:
My retreat helps ________________________ (who),Who want to ___________________________ (what do they want),So they can ____________________________ (what’s the benefit),Without ______________________________ (what would the like to avoid).
Take some time (you’ve got plenty of It right now) and brainstorm what you could offer and to who.
When it comes to planning a retreat, Michelle suggests that we spend less time worried about the location and the amenities, and more time on providing content and creating a space for magic to happen. Get creative with the venue to save money and schedule your first retreat 90 days out to give time to market and plan. The great news? Retreats can be virtual if need be.
Wondering how to promote and enroll attendees? She gave is 8 ways to sell your program (and once you sell it, you can plan it).
- Speaking
- Referrals
- Outreach
- Preview Events
- Email Marketing
- Networking Events
- Facebook/Social
- A podcast or YouTube
We then spent the afternoon looking at numbers and doing hot seats with the members that stuck around. If you have any questions, you can contact her at michelle@superstaractivator.com
While no one knows what the future will hold, the plan as it stands right now is to have Joe Polish (yup that’s John’s cousin) visit the chapter on April 11 th to talk about The One Thing: How to Make Your Life and Your Speaking Career E.L.F (Easy, Lucrative, and Fun). Please keep an eye out for emails updating you as to our chapter plans during this unique period.
In the meantime, please get out of your pajamas, wipe the Cheeto dust off your face and do something for your business. I’m offering a free download of my book Book Writing for Busy People because you might as well write a book while you’re hunkering down. And since I have you here (evil laugh over a captive audience), do something for someone else too.
What does that look like right now? For some, it may just be staying home. While you may not be afraid of getting the virus because you are healthy and will be in the 80% of mild cases, you could still pass it to someone (even if you aren’t symptomatic) and that someone, or someone they come in contact with, may not be in that “mild case” statistic. If you have elderly or immunocompromised people in your family or your neighborhood, be willing to shop for them and leave it on their doorstep so you don’t have to come into contact with them.
If you have room in your home to welcome a homeless animal, our shelters are being inundated with surrenders from misinformed people that think they can get the virus from their dog or cat. If you’ve got a blanket or couch to spare for a foster pet, please contact me and I will help facilitate. We can even deliver an animal to you (with supplies) so you don’t have to go out. You can reach me at (702)885-4309.
And folks, remember that whether you choose to utilize the term “Motivational Speaker” in your marketing or not, you are someone that others look to for inspiration in dark times. Here we are in dark times… what are you going to do about it?
“Hops down from soapbox”
Stay safe, stay sane, go do something for your business and your community, and in the words of the great Bill S. Preston, “Be excellent to each other.”
About the Author
Sheryl Green is a storytelling expert, Cause Marketer, and animal rescuing badass. 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 and make a difference in their community. She leverages the power of story through speaking engagements, website content and book coaching. She is the author of “Surviving to Thriving: How to Overcome Setbacks and Rock Your Life,” “Once Upon a Bottom Line: Harnessing the Power of Story for Sales,” and “Book Writing for Busy People.” Her latest book, “Do Good to Do Better: The Small Business Guide to Growing Your Business by Helping Nonprofits” is now available.
Visit www.dogoodtodobetter.com to download the first chapter free.
She also serves as the Director of Communications and Cuddling for Hearts Alive Village and is a firm believer that everything looks better covered in pet fur. Learn more at www.sherylgreenspeaks.com.