Accept or Reject: It's Just Information

How do you respond when someone gives you an idea? Do you immediately think of the stress it will cause, the work it will take, what won't get done if they are doing that, the money it will take to do it, the time it will take away from them, on and on and on? Do you then tell the idea-giver why it won’t work or why you can’t take another thing on? Are you an idea-generator and find yourself thinking up and offering ideas to others? How does it make you feel when the idea you’ve given the other person is rejected?  

I don't blame those who reject ideas, as I use to feel the same things when others gave me ideas. But I learned to adapt to the fact that when someone gives me an idea, they are just giving me information that I can choose on my own to take action on or ignore. It’s all up to me; it’s just information.

I also like to take note that someone taking the time to give me an idea is like giving me a gift. When someone gives you a gift, you might immediately think about the fact that you really don't like it. But we've learned to be gracious and say thank you and look like we are thankful. I do my best to do the same thing with ideas; see them as gifts. I’ve learned to remain quiet, listen, and then say “Isn’t that interesting, thanks for the idea.” I often times write down these ideas because I may think differently about them at a later time.

Remember, whether someone gives you an idea or feedback, it’s all just information that you are free to do anything you want with. But thank them for the gift of their time, thoughts and ideas.

The Latest Marketing Videos that Sell

Some call them whiteboard videos and others call them explainer videos. You may have seen them; a hand with a marker drawing images and text on a surface that looks like a whiteboard. Although this style of video originated in the UK, over here in the U.S., the package deliver service UPS used it many years ago to explain why their customers should use them for all of their package delivery.

 

Whiteboard videos like this one above are examples of some of those that I've created for organizations that want to attract donors, volunteers and supporters.  In less than 2 minutes I was able to put together key points about what the organization does and who it does it for.  Adults today have very little time to focus on one thing and a quick video like this one helps organizations to get the message across quickly.  They also make good book trailers, such as the one below.

I created the video above for a company that is launching it's first book.  This book trailer creates motivation to go looking for their new book before it ever becomes available.  Notice how the music, paired with the right phrases and images can invoke emotion that speaks to those who might be interested in buying this book.  Other whiteboard marketing videos may attempt to persuade you to come into their facility like the one below.

Whiteboard videos can take as little as 1 - 2 hours for me to put together, once the client sketches out the script and the decides on the images.  Contact me if you'd like me to create a whiteboard video for your company or organization to add to your Web 2.0 marketing plan.  Email me at bill@billcorbett.com to learn more.  Want to test drive this software yourself?  CLICK HERE to visit the company website and give it a try.

When Someone Violates My Right to a Break!

Doesn't it drive you crazy when attending a meeting or a conference and the speaker/expert goes over his or her time? As soon as they have met their time requirement, I find myself looking at my watch and wondering if I've going to get the break I've been waiting for to get another cup of coffee or make it to my next appointment or not.

Audiences don't appreciate it when a speaker goes beyond the time frame they've been given. If the meeting agenda indicates that the speaker will speak for 45 minutes, they expect them to NOT go beyond that time limit. And when a speaker does violate that time expectation, the audience begins to lose interest in the presentation. To your audience, a speaker going over time could mean a long running meeting for them and a loss of their next break. 

Practicing your speech with a timer will certainly help you pair your talk with the time slot you've been given. Place a visual and silent timer in front of you that you can watch. There are some great FREE apps for smart phones and tablets that are easy to use. At the very least, seek out a volunteer at the front of the room to keep time for you and to discretely notify you when your time is running out.

Are You Using Video as Part of Your Marketing Plan?

If you aren't using videos as part of your marketing plan, you may be missing out.  Your competitors are doing just that and attracting more attention from prospects.

When small business owners hear about videos, they think about having to spend thousands of dollars to hire a video crew, but it's more inexpensive than you might think.

The best kinds of videos are less than 2 minutes and feature you speaking to your customers.  People have very little time to watch anything elaborate in fact, the shorter the better.

Get noticed by posting short videos of you or someone representing your organization, offering solutions to your customers problems.  Here is an example of a short but effective video that I made.

How to Write a Book as a Speaker Without Typing a Word

Writing a book can increase your credibility and your status as a professional speaker, I can understand how the thought of writing a whole book and then taking it through the whole publishing process might be a bit overwhelming right now. But, what if you could write a book without typing one word? Well, thanks to the wonders of technology you can. It’s called an eBook.

An ebook is your book in a digital form that can be purchased online and downloaded to a computer, a laptop, and a variety of other internet capable devices. There are a lot of advantages to ebooks. For one thing, ebooks don’t have to be as expansive as books in print. In fact, there are people who prefer getting their information in smaller quantities; it’s easier to absorb.  

Let me ask you again, would you consider writing a book if you didn’t have to type one word? Think about it, no typing at all and you can still have an ebook to sell. Let me tell you how it can be done.

Your Content

Let’s say you’re an expert with selling mattresses. You started your career working at one of the major mattress retailers; maybe you like it so much you still work there. Through the years, you’ve built up an impressive body of knowledge about healthy sleep habits and how much of an impact the type of mattress you sleep on can have on your ability to enjoy a good night’s sleep.

You’ve launched your new speaking business and have been giving lectures to the public on how to get a better night’s sleep. Customers tell the sales people in all those other mattress stores that they heard you speak and realized they needed a new mattress. The managers in those stores now want to hire you to come in and do some sales training with their staff because you clearly know how to sell a mattress.

Up until this point, every time someone says, “You should write a book!” you’ve dismissed the idea because you don’t think of yourself as a writer. But today someone explained how to write an ebook without typing one word. Your response now? “Let’s write an ebook!”

In chapter 8, we talked about all the ways a digital recorder can be used to help you create content. Now, we’re going to add writing an ebook to the list of ways you can use your digital recordings.

When it comes to the talks about mattresses, there are two potential audiences: an audience of mattress customers and an audience of mattress sales people. Both of these audiences would be interested in an ebook. Make a recording of each of one your talks. You can wait until you’re scheduled to speak again and tape your presentation while you’re giving it, or you can choose not to wait until your next scheduled presentation and instead, record the presentation while sitting comfortably at home. Once you have your recordings, you’ll want to download them to your computer using the cable that came with the digital recorder.

The next step is to have someone transcribe one of the recordings into text. There are a number of ways to get this done and by the time you’re reading this book, there may be several more! Here are two of the ways you can get a recording transcribed today:

1.    Do it Yourself:  There are programs you can download to your computer that will slow a recording down to a rate where you can easily type your lecture into a text document. One software package I have used personally is called TRANSCRIBE! and you can find it at SeventhString.com. It sells for about $40 and is very easy to use.

2.    Hire a Transcriber:  Once again, this is a great time to head over to Fiverr.com where you will find hundreds of people willing to transcribe up to 10 minutes of an audio file for just $5. If your lecture is 30 minutes long, it will cost you $15. If your lecture is an hour, you’ll pay just $30 for the whole recording to be transcribed. That’s one heck of deal; and, as promised, you didn’t need to type one word!

Once your lecture is in a text format, you’re going to need someone with editing skills to edit your text. Even if it looks good to you as it is right now, this is a step you don’t want to skip. A good editor will enhance your prose and improve your product; they will fix all those pesky punctuation problems and in the end, those edits can translate into dollars, referrals and more speaking opportunities. And, your ebook will look and read like the work of a professional writer.

If you don’t have anyone in your personal network with editing skills, once again you can turn to Fiverr.com where there are plenty of eager editors ready to edit your document of up to 500 words for just $5. 

Want to learn more about creating an eBook without typing a word?  Check out http://StartaSpeakingBusiness.com for the who plan!