"Seek A Star"
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Seek A Star In this article:
SEEK A STAR When I decided to sell my advertising agency and become a full- time professional speaker in 1988, I attended the National Speakers Association Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. My first goal was to find out who was one of the most successful speakers presenting at the convention. It turned out to be Joe Charbonneau, a shining star in the speaking industry. THE FORMULA Joe's success advice was to make 300 dials a week, which would result in 50 contacts and 2.5 bookings for speaking engagements. I did not know enough about marketing in the speaking business to question Joe's suggestion. DUMB IS GOOD I was dumb enough to trust what Joe said, and in my first year in the business, I was in the top 5% in income and number of speaking engagements. If I had been less trusting, I would not have listened to Joe or I would have modified his suggestions to make my life easier. I am thankful that I listened to Joe. THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE Why reinvent the wheel of fortune when someone else out there is already getting the results that you want? HE'S THE MANN One of my major clients today is Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield. In the first year that I trained their sales people, I had the privilege of working with Bill Mann, who was the top producer at the time, and he was making a very good living. I can remember telling my wife that if I were a young man just starting out on a career path, I would want to work for Anthem. I also told her that if I did work for Anthem, I would immediately ask Bill if I could shadow him to learn his success system in health insurance sales. I would then whole-heatedly apply what he shared with me. GET BIG RESULTS The same principle holds true in any industry. There will always be a great performer whom you can emulate; however, remember to follow their lead if you expect to get big results. TIME TO BE YOU Does this mean that you will never be able to be yourself? Not at all. The great cellist, YoYo Ma was mentoring a group of students when one of the students asked him how she could be creative like him on the cello. YoYo Ma replied, 'Learn to play the cello so well that you don't have to think about it, and then, you can be creative.' TIME TO SPIN Learn from the master, do exactly what the master says, and when you have totally mastered his or her technique, you can add your own spin to the system. PAINT YOUR OWN CANVAS All success begins with discipline. When my wife, who is an art history major, introduced me to the art of Jackson Pollock, I just saw lots of paint splashed on a canvas. Once I studied his works more closely, I discovered that I could recognize his splatters of paint on paintings I had never seen before. Pollock first mastered painting, and then he added his own unique spin to it, and his paintings sell for millions of dollars. TO BE OR NOT TO BE Several years ago at the National Speakers Association convention, I was approached by a young man who had heard my presentation on growing your speaking business. Jim was very excited about what he had heard and wanted me to mentor him. I agreed to help him get started in the business, just as Joe Charbonneau had helped me. I explained the process and told him to apply himself and call me if he needed any more advice.
JUST DO IT After three months, Jim called to tell me that the system did not work. After questioning him, I discovered that he was applying only half of what I told him. When I confronted him, he said that he didn't have time to do everything that I told him because he had other obligations. I told him to never call me again. ONE MORE TIME He was shocked at my comment and apologized for his lack of diligence. He agreed to follow the process exactly as I instructed him so that I would continue to mentor him. SPIN YOUR WAY TO THE TOP We continued our mentor-relationship, and today Jim is one of the top speakers in the industry. He has been speaking long enough to put his own spin on the process, and he is having the time of his life. THE EYES HAVE IT Take a look around your organization. Who is the most successful person working with you? Give them a call and have lunch (you buy) with them. Ask them if they would be willing to mentor you. If they agree, listen to what they have to say, do it exactly as they tell you to do it, and you will experience the same success that they are experiencing.
© 2007-2008 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. |
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REPRINT info: Joe Bonura About Joe Bonura His background is unique. Joe owned and operated a highly successful advertising agency for 18 years. During that time, he found his advertising campaigns were more effective when he educated his clients in the areas of sales and service. He conducted training seminars for his clients as added value. Word spread that Joe was a quality speaker and more and more people asked him to speak. The demand became so high that he sold the agency to three of his associates to start his own speaking and consulting company, Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. Joe is past President of the Kentucky Speakers Association and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a prestigious designation earned by only 8% of the 3,600 member National Speakers Association. Joe presently serves on the board of directors of NSA. He is author of the audio learning systems "Three-Dimensional Selling®" and "Turning Customer Satisfaction Into Customer Excitement®." He is author of the book Throw the Rabbit—The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional Selling. Click here TO ENGAGE JOE BONURA FOR A TRAINING SEMINAR AT YOUR COMPANY
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