Only In America – Advice for the Would-be Author and Speaker

I never dreamed of writing a book. Of course, I was born in England during a time when no one expected much of girls. The focus was on the boys. My brother was brilliant and good grades came easily to him. I, on the other hand, worked quite diligently just to bring home average marks. I don’t regret the average status because the good news is that I developed excellent working habits which have turned out to be the keys to my success.

By the time I was 15, I was apprenticing to become a ladies’ hair stylist in a salon in Bournemouth. On the 45 minute bus trip to the salon, I listened to my young friends’ dreams of marrying millionaires. Even at that tender age, I knew instinctively that it was more practical to be a millionaire than marry one. Not that I didn’t have contact with the wealthy…

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8 Tips for Corporate Meeting Planners to Save Time & Money

Corporate meeting planners are continuously mired in details, trying to keep it all together for the next meeting, and already worrying about the ones after that. We need to learn how to work “smarter,” not harder, in mastering details.

Tip #1. After every meeting and event, do an “after action analysis.” Write down what went right, what went wrong, what you would do differently if you were planning the meeting today, and who the vendors were who made your life easier.

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If I Knew Then What I Know Now about Patricia Fripp

by Joanna Slan, Reprinted From Professional Speaker Magazine

When you think of NSA legends, you think of Patricia Fripp. For Fripp’s story is the sort of stuff legends are made of, the story of an twenty-year-old who took a boat to New York and a Trailways bus to California seeking fame and fortune. It is the story of a young woman with a strong work ethic and $500 in cash who worked cutting heads of hair while everyone in the salon took breaks. And, it is the story of a woman still wonders how her life might have turned out differently had her boss Jay Sebring not been murdered by Charles Manson and his gang of crazies.

Fripp is a legend for all that, and because she is a mysterious and powerful woman who enjoys her own company and goes her own way. Her extraordinary success can be explained easily once you know her: she works hard, harder than most of us ever will. She has a laser beam sort of intelligence that cuts directly to the heart of matters in a practical, no-nonsense way. Charmingly, she also has a wry wit, as illustrated when she moans halfheartedly that if she had had $450 less dollars and couldn’t speak English, she would be as successful today as Nido Qubein.

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You Can’t Use Humor Until You Get Over the Fear of Failure

Written by Fripp friend and guest funny man Brad Montgomery, CSP

When I teach my programs on humor skills to other presenters I ask about their greatest obstacles to using (or even experimenting) with humor.

The answer is always the same: The fear of failure.

Nobody wants to feel like an idiot, and standing there after you’ve told a failed joke is the easiest path to idiocy, right? Wrong. Let me explain.

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Pretend You Own the Company

The most important thing your work can offer you is a chance to feel good about yourself. Do you see yourself as a productive, contributing member of your company? Do you know why your company exists? When you realize what your company offers to society, you’ll be able to understand what part you play.

Work with the attitude that you own the company that employs you. (Even if you do!) You earn your money from your employer by doing more than you are paid to do. According to the “law of sow and reap,” you will get noticed for being an exceptional worker, so never worry about giving your employers “something for nothing.” More important, you’ll feel good about yourself because you will be a productive person with a part in your company’s future. Reaping the rewards of self-satisfaction, no matter what you are paid, is the true measure of the work you do, whether in love, your career, or your life.

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What to Ask Before You Hire

Few things can waste more valuable time and resources or cause more morale problems than mismatching the person and the job. As a busy executive, you want to get the most out of your people while protecting your investment in their training.

Good employees turn up, not by magic, but through good hiring practices, and smart hiring starts with smart interviewing. After you’ve asked the usual “resume” questions — job history, education, salary expectations, etc. — probe your prospect with questions that will illuminate their hopes, goals, inclinations, and reservations.

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Keeping up with the vigilante consumer: customer retention, customer service

  • If you increase customer retention just 5% more, your profits will increase 100%.
  • U.S. population growth is projected to be 1.1% in the next twenty years.
  • Disposable income in the US is growing only 2% every year.
  • US businesses will invest more than $1 billion this year on computer technology, just for customer service departments.

The interesting bits of information above basically mean that the number of customers are dwindling. Which is why customer service is today’s competitive advantage. If we don’t have masses of potential customers, we’d better keep the ones we do have happy. Ecstatic.

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Market Your Uniqueness

At one of my friend Gary Purece’s seminars, a man in the audience told him, “I’ve heard you speak about finding uniqueness, and, let me tell you, there is NO uniqueness in my life.”

Gary smiled and said, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” (Gary is a world-class advertising, marketing, and public relations expert.)

“No,” the banker persisted, “that’s not what I mean. I’ve spent 35 years of my life in the banking industry. I studied to be a banker at school. I got my banking degree. I’m a banker. That’s all I am.”

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Tips From An Unabashed, Self-Promoter

I’m always taken aback when someone asks me how much time I devote to marketing. Every single thing I do is marketing. Talking to strangers at seminars or group meetings or even in elevators or taxis is marketing. Customer service is part of marketing. I am an unabashed, relentless, promoter of my services and products. I get the drive from the love I have for this business. Here are a few suggestions on how you can attract, retain and extend your relationship with customers:

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What Can Teleseminars Do for YOUR Business?

If you’re not already conducting teleseminars, you should think about some of the advantages they could offer you. Recently, I talked to Dan Janal, founder of Great Teleseminars, about ways this new technology can help build your business and increase your company’s cash flow. Here are some of the benefits that Daniel describes.

Make more money. You can make thousands of dollars in registration fees depending on the size of your audience and the importance of the topic. Great Teleseminars Audio Production Studios, http://www.GreatTeleseminars.com has several clients making six-figure incomes from teleseminars over the course of one year. One recently made $30,000 in one hour by offering the right topic, at the right price, to the right audience.

Beat your competition by improving your image and building your brand name. When you conduct teleseminars, you will be perceived as a trusted expert, an innovator, and a leader within your field.

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