Oh my Gosh, if I had a cent (or a penny) for every time someone asked me ‘how’ to speak on stage . . . I’d be living on the Bahamas and swinging in my hammock on a daily basis.

(And perhaps supping the odd cocktail . . .)

So enough already!

Because get this – I’m not so concerned with the ‘how’ to speak but much more so with the ‘why’ to speak on stage.

And the absolute number one key to speaking on stage  is  . . .

Passion.

Listen very carefully because this is probably the most powerful piece of advice I can give to new speakers – Follow Your Passions!

When I am stood up  on stage I always try to speak from the heart and connect with the audience in this heart-felt way.  And funnily enough, when I bring my heart into my speaking, it always follows that my sales increase!

But get this – I don’t speak from my heart to create more sales. That’s counter-intuitive. Selling more is just a byproduct of what happens when you are passionate about what you do.

Bring Your Heart Into Your Sales
Think about it.  Children are some of the best sales people around, not because they know all the tips and tricks on creating a masterful close, but because they are undeniably passionate about their view point and their outcome.  They will not take no for an answer and they are not afraid to show it.

Likewise your passion for your product, service or message will shine through over and above any techniques you learn.  I’m not saying don’t learn the techniques:  you must.  But technique without passion is fruitless.

Passion on stage comes from being passionate about what you do in life.

The Attractor Factor
In the Attractor Factor, Dr. Joe Vitale cites a study where a group of 1500 people were given the option of joining two groups.  Group A was a group of people who were going to pick a career they believed was going to be a practical way to make a lot of money and then they were going to follow their passions after they made enough money.

1255 people joined Group A.

Group B was a group of people who were going to pick a career that they were interested in and passionate about and just trust that the money would come.  Only 245 people joined Group B.

20 years later there were 101 millionaires out of the 1500 people who signed up for the study.  100 of the millionaires came from group B, the group of people who followed their passions and just trusted that the money would come.

Only 1 out of the 1255 people who picked a career because they believed it was a practical way to make a living actually became a millionaire.

This study shows that you do not need to have a plan or know how you are going to make money by following your passion.  All you need to do is to follow your passion.  Remember the great Dr. Martin Luther  King Jr. said,

“I have a dream! . . .”

He did not say:

“I have a plan.”

The Key
Discover what you are passionate about.  You may already know this exactly.  What is it that lights you up?  How can you use this to inform your sales presentations? Try asking yourself some of the following questions to connect with your passion:

·    What did you love to do as a child?
·    What do you love about your product or service?
·    Why do you want the world to know about it?

Passionate Summary
If there’s one thing that’s clear from this . . . it’s that living from your heart-felt passion will not only give you a sense of purpose in your career – and on stage – but it will also attract more abundance to you!

The thing is it takes courage to follow your passions and just trust that the money will come.  But having been both a speaker and an audience member, believe me when I say, there’s no more compelling call to action from an audience’s perspective than watching someone come from a place of true authenticity, love and passion.  You simply shine like a lighhouse and everyone wants to be in your beam.

So, forget about getting ‘it’ right next time you speak, just try connecting more with your passions in your next presentation and see the magical effect this has . . . .

It’s all in the mind this week.

Have you heard all heard the saying that success breeds success?

But where does success actually start?

I believe it starts with a willingness to step outside the comfort zone.

You see it doesn’t matter what level of game you are playing right now- there is always another level you can go to.  And what usually holds you where you are is this thing called a “Comfort Zone”.

Have a read of this by Bob Riggs.

Do Something Outside Your Comfort Zone

By taking yourself out of your comfort zone you begin to expand.

In that expansion comes self confidence . . .in self-confidence comes a more confident mindset  . . .in that confident mindset comes success. . . . and in success there comes more success . . . and more confidence . . .and more success and so on!

You are currently inside your own comfort zone.  So am I.  But the good thing about a comfort zone is that every time you DO SOMETHING outside of your comfort zone, your comfort zone expands.

Picture a circle getting increasingly larger – each time you step out of your comfort zone, your circle expands. Now this something could be anything – say kayaking on the sea, a bungee jump, going on a singles holiday, walking into a bar by yourself . . . but here let’s apply it to speaking:

• So for you, speaking might currently be outside your comfort zone.
• Perhaps speaking is inside your comfort zone but selling from the stage is outside your comfort zone.
• Perhaps selling from stage is inside your comfort zone but hitting 30% conversions is outside your comfort zone.

Take a Mini Risk

It doesn’t matter what level you’re at in your speaking business, there’s always another level to go to.  It’s just a matter of stretching your comfort zone.  And you can do this by taking a series of little risks. Not huge risks, just little steps outside your comfort zone.  As your comfort zone expands, so too does your definition of yourself.

The mini risks do not have to be related to speaking by the way.  I have a friend who recently went camping for the very first time.  This was a really big deal for her.

2 years ago camping was the last thing she would ever do as being clean and comfortable was far more appealing  . . but recently she ‘got’ that to increase her financial success she needed to do more things outside of her comfort zone.  That way her comfort zone around money would also expand . . .

. . .  So off camping she went. Also during her holiday she was doing white water rafting, rock climbing and other ‘scary’ activities.  It’s why I like the high ropes course so much  . . . we push ourselves to take risks on the ropes and see what happens when we don’t fall.

Same with life.

Your Next Adventure?

So if you’re feeling comfortable right now – this week it’s time to expand yourself, and commit to something new.  What mini-risk can you take this week to step outside of your comfort zone and start cultivating that successful mindset?

Running a small business has many perks . . . but it also has a few risks and one of these risks is key man dependency. In terms of risk management, what does key man dependency actually mean and how does this affect you?

Key man dependency is when one of your team members is solely responsible for something and there is no back-up plan. This could mean the techie stuff, the accounts or the copywriting and there is no-one in the business to call upon to do the same skills. So, if that key man disappears… your business would collapse in a heap.

Here’s 3 of the best risk management strategies we know to combat key man dependency:

1. Cross-Train
   This means you teach someone else in the business to carry out the same tasks. This is useful for holiday leave, any cover and if your key man decides to leave suddenly. This is also called succession planning.

   Which is basically making sure you have a contingency plan if one of your key men (or women!) should get hit by a bus!

2. Identify Out-Sourcers
   The disadvantage to cross-training is that a key member tends to be specifically trained in one area, so another staff member might not get as good results. Picture the copywriter trying to do accounts . . . it could get messy. So although it is good to cross-train in basic skills, another solution is to identify out-sourcers who are specifically trained in your key-man area. These people tend to work on contracts.

   A key risk management strategy is making sure you have some out-sourcers on tap you can turn to in busy periods or as a short-term stop gap should your key man get sick, take a holiday or have a baby!

3. Systematize
   One of the best risk management tools I know is also the simplest. It’s called having a system! So this means getting your key member to systematize as they go along. Whatever they are doing, get them to make notes along the way and then record these notes in a central place where everyone can access them.

   For example, if your techie person has a system around the launch of a new product, get them to transfer this system into a ‘How to Guide’. So if an out-sourcer has to come in unexpectedly, they have a check-list to work off.

Summary
Risk management is one of those processes a business tends to ignore until it’s too late. So to avoid risk in your business, try out some of the above strategies to minimalise your key man dependency.

1. Location, location, location.
   Snow?  What snow?  No longer will the miseries of the English winter dampen your commute into work.  There is no commute!  All you need to do is pull on a warm dressing gown, do a few yoga stretches and mosey on over to your desk.  *Note for Australians please replace snow for intense, heat-wave and replace slippers for thongs.  (The Aussie kind of thongs mind. . . )
2. Alarm Clock Bliss
   Following on from the previous point, running your own virtual office means you can set your alarm clock half an hour to an hour later than anyone else!  Yes, that extra 30 minutes snuggled up under the sheets on a cold winter’s day is truly worth it.  OR if you’re keen to make the most of your day, use the extra time for some meditation, a jog, a gym fix, a lingering homemade weekend kind of breakfast or even some work.
3. What did you do last night?
   Once you’re stuck into your workday, you might notice a strange thing.  And that’s the sound of silence.  Yes, in your own virtual office you will not be subject to the intricacies of what your fellow office colleagues did last night, what they ate last night, what they thought about what they ate, who they ate with, how much it cost and best of all, you won’t even have to pretend you care.  In your own virtual office you can tell yourself your own stories and laugh or not.  It’s your choice.
4. Bad Hair Day
   Another joy, perhaps one of the biggest, of running your own virtual office is the fact that no-one will see you.  That’s right.  The days of desperately trying to tame your hair into shape with minutes to spare are long gone.  Now you can saunter downstairs with twigs in your hair for all your clients care (as long as you don’t do any video conferencing or video skype calls . . .).  Have the hairstyle you always craved.  In fact, I recommend going to work with a Mohican just for a giggle. 
5. Ditto Clothes.
   Wear what you want and wear it bad.  If Lady GaGa can wear a telephone why can’t you?
6. Who Wants A Cup of Tea?
   You know what I mean right?  You’re sitting in the office desperate for a cup of tea but no-one’s made any for a while and the energy of the office is wilting.  But you know if you step up and make a play for the kitchen you have to run the mug gauntlet.  You not only end up making tea for yourself but for the dozen or so lazy so and so’s in the office who have been waiting with parched mouths for this very moment for the past 3 hours.  Ha!  In a virtual office there’s only you to make tea for you and even better . . . you only have to wash up your mug!
7. Air Con?  What Air Con?
   No more hot summer days sat sweating at your desk.  In your own virtual office you can go where ever you please . . .and I don’t just mean the local Starbucks.  I  mean anywhere in the world . . . imagine that!
8. Working 9 to 5
   Sang Dolly Parton but what did she know?  Working virtually means you can more or less work the hours you please.  Just as long as you get the work done and the results on the board.
9. Happy Birthday
   OK, working virtually might mean you miss out on a birthday cake. But think positive!  If you work in a team, your virtual team can sing happy birthday down skype to you from anywhere in the world!  If you’ve never experienced this . .  try it.  It’s more fun than it sounds.
10. Productivity
    I saved the best till last.  Running your own virtual office often means you get more done.  Why?  Because you’re free to focus on the tasks that really matter and then you’re free to get the results you really want.

“Your network is your networth”.  In other words, who you hang out is a reflection of where you are right now in terms of career and finance.  Are your friends and colleagues high achievers, entrepreneurs, millionaires and massively successful people with a vision and a purpose?  In short, are they the people you aspire to be?

If not, never fear.  It’s never been easier to lift our game and widen our circle of influence.

Expand Your Business
Whatever stage of business you’re at, you can never stop learning.  I get so much out of my time in my mastermind group.  I discover new tricks or techniques that can save me thousands of dollars or I make a mindset shift that takes me to the next financial level.  And I always meet key contacts who I can JV with later down the line.  If you’re wondering how to meet these people, then it’s easy:

Never waste a single opportunity.

Talk To People And Tell People Your Purpose
That’s right, every opportunity with people is a chance to communicate your purpose on earth.  That person might be able to help you facilitate this goal or they might know someone else who can help you.  In my years of training events, I’ve seen countless moments where people were synchronistically connected to the right person at the right time – just because they shared their purpose.  

How To Network
Networking is like dating.  You don’t want to get too heavy too soon, not unless you want to scare them off.  The key point to remember, it’s not all about you and what you want.  It’s about forming a natural friendship where both of you can offer value to each other.  A great way to make a long term contact is to find out what value you can offer them first.  Think long term trust not short term grab. 

Where To Meet New People
It’s never been easier in this day and age so here’s some suggestions you can follow right now:

• Social Media – Facebook is not just about playing games and chatting to friends, it’s about meeting new people and forming friendships with them online.  Just like when you meet someone at an event, don’t bombard them with what you want, offer something to them first.
• Networking Events – a chance to face to face meet new clients.  They even do speed networking now so the structure is there in place for you to meet as many people as you can.
• Seminars and Trainings – always take a business card and make the effort to meet new people, not just stay within your comfort circle.  Often they have networking boards, so post your business card on this.  
• Random – networking is not a setting you have to switch on or off. You always can be networking, in a queue, on an airplane, in the supermarket, on a bus, round a swimming pool.  You name it! 

Summary
So networking has never been easier and the benefits are priceless.  This week, make the commitment to go to at least one networking event and see what rewards you can reap just by rubbing shoulders with people who can help you raise your game.