Note: I wrote this article in 2012, and it bears repeating.
James Taylor’s classic song “That’s Why I’m Here” offers lyrics that speak to the desires of many consultants, experts, authors and speakers to get known and get paid. He writes, “Fortune and fame. Such a curious game. Perfect strangers call you by name. Ask you to sing ‘Fire and Rain’ again and again and again.” This is a refrain that a great many would like to be the song and story of their lives and businesses.
And it’s all within reach, provided there is readiness to make it happen. Justin Beiber, a rock star in his own right was once quoted in USA Today as saying, “People think that being famous is easy, but there's so much hard work in it.” He would know.
That said, here is a simple, four-step process to follow to get “rock star ready” to welcome opportunities to fuel the sales funnel and fan the flames of prosperity in this New Year, even if your particular brand of marketplace magic has nothing to do with singing to throngs of people from a stage:
1. Declare your expertise.
2. Prepare your story.
3. Share your story.
4. Rinse and repeat.
Declare Your Expertise and Kick Generic to the Curb
“Author, Expert and Speaker” isn’t nearly as compelling as: “Humorous Keynote Speaker, Beatles Expert, and Comedy Writer Bill Stainton.” What is your expertise, and does the message break through the clutter to invite a decision maker to take a closer look?
Prepare Your Story
Making it easy for decision makers to get what they want often makes it easier for you to get what you want. One-size-profile does not suit all situations in today’s technology-charged, interactive, and global marketplace. Those who want to be ready to say YES when opportunity strikes do themselves and gate keepers to leveraged opportunities many favors by anticipating content needs long before invitations to get hired. Preparing and posting to your website or blog bios of varying word counts – 50, 100, and 300 — makes it easy for those who need your information to find it without having to ask you for a new version at the 11th hour.
Telesummits, webinars, live events, and media interviews offer leveraged ways to share information with the right people. And each opportunity has its own set of readiness requirements.
Imagine for a moment that an influential internet entrepreneur is coordinating 20 content experts to contribute to her 5-day telesummit. She is going to need 20 bios, 20 head shots, and 20 sets of interview questions in perfect timing to be in strong position to promote this event to her community, provide content to the speakers so they can promote it to their respective communities, and be well prepared to interview each on event day. This is no small task that requires extraordinary organizational skills.
Participants who are ready to submit their materials well in advance of the stated deadline show up as “a joy to work with” as they set the stage to do a great job on event day. When they deliver their messages with impact as promised and expected, the event producer is in good position to extend repeat invitations to contribute to future events. Best of all, that event producer is likely to refer the best performers to other people with impact and influence to open even more doors to opportunity. Those who do the opposite set up a different set of unwelcome consequences.
That is why the key is to be 24/7 ready for opportunity so you never suffer from the 11th hour scramble, message point SOS, or “why didn't I get my story together before” situations again. Don't let these “bio emergency” situations be your reality.
Share Your Story
Once you’ve prepared your story, it’s time to share it with the right people and leveraged audiences to fuel your lead generation pipeline and your future prosperity. Share your story in a variety of ways including these:
• In the “about me” section of your website or blog;
• Via the profiles you post to social media;
• In the “boilerplate” paragraph of every press release you send;
• In the teleseminar packets you share with your joint venture partners; and via the speaker sheet that clearly describes what kind of a speaker you are, the hot topic you speak about, and how to book you.
Rinse & Repeat
Anything you do one time never delivers enough impact to make the right kind of noise. You've got to stick with this and continue to share your message so more of the right people can be compelled to like, trust, respect and do business with you. The key is to focus on the “big rocks” that have the greatest potential to create awareness, excitement, and momentum in your business among your ideal clients. By following each of these essential steps, you create a rolling wheel of revenue generating opportunity for your business that creates powerful momentum as you grow your influence, impact, and income.
Your Call to Action
Get ready now and start sharing your story in all the ways that you can to attract more of the right opportunities with ease and grace and set yourself apart from the crowd as you do.
>> If you need to roll up your sleeves to get all this done, the Get Known to Get Paid Success Training to ‘Broadcast Your Brilliance' is a great way to begin. Learn more and enroll at this link.
