Archive For: Relationships

Where’s Your Tribe?

I spent two hours this morning chatting with a friend from my tribe. My tribe is National Speakers; the association of Experts who Speak. It was only supposed to be an hour but once I got started, I found it hard to stop!

They understand my business like no one else does. They understand the ups, the downs, the problems, the opportunities and the excitement of running this kind of business.

They GET me.

While others will sort of get me (even Wifey doesn’t fully understand the business), no-one fully understands like other members of your tribe.

What about you? Where is your tribe? Who fully understands what you are going through?

Sometimes it is a professional association; it can also be a mastermind group or even a networking group of similar people. Whoever they are, find them, be part of them and give to them. By giving to them will you receive something no one else can give.

A sense of understanding and a sense of belonging.

So where’s your tribe?

Will You Survive?

Charles Darwin is often misquoted as saying it is the “Survival of the fittest”

What he actually said was:

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change”

From what I have seen, we are not that good at change.

Look at what happens if Apple does an update or Facebook changes its interface or if the email system you use changes. People go out of their mind and spend so much energy fighting something they cannot change.

You don’t have to be smart and you don’t have to be strong, you have to be adaptable. It is the same in relationships and with your work.

Stop resisting change and start adapting to it. It will magnify your success and your survival.

So will you survive?

Meet Hetty Kate.

Hetty was just leaving the choir I sing with as I joined it in 2007. She had worked for many years on her musical skills and was incredibly good. She had spent a couple of years with the choir to gain the experience of performing within a group and expanding her musical experience.

She would always talk about her dream of being a Jazz singer, singing with well known and regarded jazz musicians and going on tours singing.

Last week when Wifey and I were in Hobart, it was fabulous to see this article in the paper. Its references to how she has performed on four continents, released six albums and sung with James Morrison and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra shows that her dream is now her reality.

I’ve seen the same kind of thing with my clients.

But it MUST start with a dream. Something that inspires you and keeps you going when things get rough (as they will).

So what’s your dream? What are you aiming for?

PS Disney did a great song about this on their Tangled film. You can see some of here

Again, Again, Again

Are you scared to get things wrong?

In the past, I have been so scared to get things wrong or make the wrong decision, that I have done nothing just so I wouldn’t be wrong.

I am happy to be on stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people and stuff up. I have even completely stuffed up a song in my choir during a performance and been ok with it, but one on one I hate getting things wrong or doing the wrong thing.

As part of my continual professional development, I am doing some Improv training. The first thing they teach you is to celebrate your mistakes. There is no “wrong” and part of what slows you down is looking for the RIGHT thing. Our standard approach is that if you get stuck, stuff something up or just don’t know what to do, you wave your hands in the air and shout, “Again, again, again.”

How great would that be in real life? Imagine if during a negotiation, part way through a deep and meaningful conversation with a loved one or simply talking with a client, whenever what you said came out wrong or you weren’t how the next bit should go or they reacted unexpectedly to what you were saying you could just say, “Again, Again, Again.”

Next time you are scared to get things wrong, always remember you can say to yourself “Again, again, again.”

PS Want to see me get it wrong on stage?

My choir Mood Swing is performing this Sunday in North Melbourne at 2pm.
Two hours of family friendly entertainment for only $20 and kids are free.
With over 20 songs there will be plenty of opportunity for me to get words, dancing, commentaries and so much more WRONG!

To book your tickets or find out more, simply click here.

Greetings From Abu Dhabi

I have only just arrived here and I am here for a week presenting and hosting different elements of conference (I am looking forward to hosting the day at Ferrari World!)

In a session with The Bucket List Guy, Travis Bell, he told me that it is not achieving the item on the bucket list that counts; it is who you are on the other side of achieving it.

That put into words for me how I have always felt about travel. It is the exposure to different cultures, putting yourself in unfamiliar locations and situations, being resourceful enough to communicate when you don’t know the language, comprehending that YOU are the odd one out that stretch your mind.

When did you last put yourself in a “Foreign situation”? How can you have more of these growing experiences that stretch your mind?

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque near my hotel

Less Is More

As part of the recent Festival of Warwick, Wifey took me to see Suzanne Vega at the Melbourne Recital Centre. A fantastic concert at a brilliant venue.

One of the things that made it so good was it’s minimalism.

The set was simple; just some coloured lights on the curtains.
The band was simple; just Suzanne and her guitarist Gerry.
The introduction was short and simple; no support act, just Suzanne Vega.
The show was loaded with great songs and went for nearly 2 hours.

I was thrilled at the sound Gerry got from his guitar. A few bits of equipment (loop pedal and other effect pedals) and he was making some great sounds.

What made the show so engaging was the lack of flashy effects. You got the core elements. It was a prime example of Less Is More.

So what about you? Where in your life could you have Less and be More? Do Less and achieve More? Take Less and give More?

Image: Gerry Leonard

It’s the Day For It

Forgive me but I am confused. There are just too many “Days” floating around.

This week it has been Pay It Forward Day, Earth Day, Easter Day(s), Anzac Day, and I am sure there have been other days, ribbons to wear, causes to contribute to, and ideas to believe in.

ARRRRRRGGGHHH!!!

Here is what I long for. A world without “Days”. A world where we care enough about each other, care enough about where we live, care about who we work with, care about those less fortunate and, well, basically just Care.

If we just cared a little more and showed that we care in our actions, if we considered the impact of what we did and who it would affect, I think this world would be a better place to live.

So how will you show you care? It’s the Day for it!

——-

So you didn’t know I could sing?

Come and see my choir sing and have a fabulous afternoon of entertainment. Sunday 25th May at the Comic’s Lounge, 26 Errol St, North Melbourne.

Doors open at 1:30pm Tickets $20 and kids are free.

Fantastic, family friendly entertainment. Find out more, hear some samples and get tickets here.

What a Gift!

Today is my birthday. I am 46 years old!

Woo hooo!! There was a time when that was the average male life expectancy. Nowadays, it is barely halfway.

I have so many things to be grateful for on this day. Too many to mention them all but there is one very special thing I must acknowledge.

My friends!

I am so blessed with some amazing people in my life. Of course my best friend Wifey! There is also my close circle of friends and then there are those in my bigger circle.

My friends all seem to be amazingly talented as well. In fact, let me share my birthday present with you. A couple of gorgeous gals I know took time out of their holiday to make this for me. It is one of the most beautiful gifts I have ever received. What do you think of it?

[jwplayer mediaid=”5197″]

Making Your On-line Business Work Off-line

Wifey and I were after a newish car. Candy (the 65 Mustang) has gone to a new home in Adelaide so it was time to get a new run around.

Our biggest issue was that there was no car on the market that really inspired us. After plenty of discussions and web surfing we settled on a Golf Diesel.

We didn’t want a brand new car as that is a waste of money. An ex-corporate car or demo car was fine. Even one that was 12 months old.

We found two that met our criteria on CarSales.com.au and then sent emails off to the dealers. What happened next is indicative of how many businesses struggle to incorporate their Online presence with their Offline presence.

As you would expect, I am the kind of guy that has to let people know when I have a poor service experience so I emailed the dealer principal from the dealer with poor service to let them know.

Here is the email trail that explains what happened and how they dealt with it. I have removed all identifying information to protect the innocent!

Hi Dealer Principal

As a speaker and Sales trainer I thought you may want some feedback on my car purchasing experience.

I noticed 2 VW Golf’s on Car Sales. The one at your dealership and the other at Dealer 2 VW.
The only difference between the cars was that the Dealer 2 one had done 10,000km and yours 2,000 km and the Dealer 2 car was $3,500 cheaper.

But these differences were not what made an impact on my wife and I.

The most significant difference was that after sending my enquiry via car sales to both you and Dealer 2 at the same time (approx. 8am Friday), Dealer 2 called me by 8:30am to talk about the car and invite us in to see it and take a test drive.
Your automated email said someone would be in touch soon but I am still waiting for the call. (this is 5 days later)

Dealer Principal, I tell you this not to be picky or have a go at you but to let you know of a missed opportunity. Saturday morning we were at the airport so had to drive almost right past your dealership but as we had received no service, we chose not to.
We then went to Dealer 2 and purchased the car.

In this age of internet driven sales, customer service is the one thing to help close the deal. If I had received the call from your team, I guarantee I would have come to the dealership – no guarantees on the purchase though!!

I strongly recommend you have a conversation with your sales manager and ensure your systems are in place to capture and work with your internet leads.

I hope this email has been of value to you.

Warm regards

Warwick

To his credit, the dealer principal sent me this reply the next day.

Warwick,

I am currently overseas and are disappointed that my team have not performed. I take your email very seriously and greatly appreciate the time you have taken to write to me. I have forwarded on your email to both my sales managers and my business partner for review. I hope the vehicle purchased serves you well and no doubt Dealer 2 Volkswagen are full of best practice. Again thank you – the very best with your vehicle and on my return your visit will be used as an example when counselling my team,

Regards,

Dealer Principal

Later that day I also received a phone call from the Dealer Principal’s sales manager to apologise for not contacting me. Unfortunately he then started to go on and talk about their processes and make excuses but I appreciated the contact.

So … what about your business?

Do you have an on-line presence?
Do you have processes to convert on-line enquiries into offline sales?
Does it work?

Learn from this example and make sure your next online prospect actually makes it to your sales team!

Is Your Email Worth $10,000?

One of the issues in dealing with our clients is that they forget about us.

It seems crazy doesn’t it. We deal with them regularly and then they forget about us.
Sometimes it is not us they forget about but they forget about what we can do for them and their clients.

Today I sent an email out to ten different bureaus, booking agencies and associations that have used me before.
I wanted to give them an update on some of the things I have done in the last three months and what I have planned for the next three months.

In all honesty, it wasn’t the prettiest email. It was well considered but I didn’t spend hours on it crafting a message to inspire action and get the phone ringing.
It was more along the lines of “Look at the cool stuff I have been doing and some of the stuff I am about to do. I would love to do something like this for you and your clients. If you are interested call me.”

Within five minutes of sending the email, one of the recipients called me and booked a gig with me. They had forgotten that I do characters as well as straight MC work and by combining the two roles they could hit a clients budget. I also know that if I do this well, I will keep this new client for three or four years and they do four to seven events a year. That will be worth well over $10,000 to my business.

Not a bad effort for one email.

So what do you do to remind your customers of who you are and all the things you do? It could be worth a fortune!

PS In case you were wondering, here are some of the characters I have presented as

Happy Valentines Day

OK so I am a little early. My theory is that it is never too early to feel the love!

While some may describe the day as a celebration that florists, greeting card companies and chocolate companies make a fortune out of, a quick look at Wikipedia shows that it was around well before they took advantage.

So what does this all have to do with today’s email?

Well as part of my 2014 Valentine’s Day celebrations I wanted to share some love with you and say thank you for reading my newsletters and being part of my world.

So a HUGE THANK YOU to you!

For those who are looking to increased leads in your business, I have another gift for you.

The Centre for Exhibition Industry Research has shown the most cost effective way to get leads is via Exhibiting and Sponsoring business events.
My experience is that most businesses have yet to master the art of Exhibiting.

I want to help you take your exhibiting to the next level and be able to Exhibit Like A Pro. So here is what I am doing, until Valentines Day I am offering you an insane discount (its over 60%). They do say love makes you crazy!

Find out the detail by going to the product page here.

Happy Valentines!

Oh The Humanity

One of the things my choir does is support the Creative Ministries Network by singing at some of their different events.

Saturday we sang at the service for those who have had family members die in the workplace. It is a hard service. Some of the stories that people share are horrific. Not in terms of details of the accident or tragedies that happen, but in terms of how their families are treated by companies, insurers and the legal profession.

As I was sitting there on Saturday listening to this womans story about how she was treated, her pain as real today as it was when the event happened, it occured to me how ill-equipped businesses are to deal with humans.

Why is it as a business that people will do things that they would never do as an individual? Why do we ignore those around us that need help, support, a listening ear, a friend, a laugh or a simple but genuine “How’s things?” Why do we need to create “R U OK” days –

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why isn’t every day an “R U OK” day? I think it is sad that we are so out of touch that we need to tell people to care about others in their life.

What most of us do is NOT a matter of life or death. While I am not minimising the importance of what you do, rather I am asking you to shift your perspective on what you do and who it impacts. No matter what your job holds, never forget your humanity and the impact of those you connect with.

So how can you show your humanity today?

Offensive Political Junkmail

I got this political junk mail in the letter box today. Usually I can ignore it. I loathe negative adds and negative campaigning. If you have to raise yourself up by putting others down then you are in the wrong business.

But this one pissed me off enough to say something about it.

I have deleted the candidate’s name that they are attacking. I did a little bit of searching but failed to find if this is from a candidate themselves (I suspect not – but who knows)

What offends me is that the Aust Education Union Policy calls for sex education to include all forms of sexuality and this person then says it will be taught in KINDERGARTEN. That is a very long bow to draw.

The statement next to the young girl “I need my mum and dad” is also very manipulative.

I have single parent friends who have raised AWESOME children. Friends of mine have lived without one parent and they seem to have turned out ok. I have gay friends with kids and their kids are also AWESOME. I have the pleasure if being one of the male role models for one of these kids as well as being a male role model for kids of mixed couples.

I had the honour of being best man at my gay friend’s wedding to his husband and it was one of the most romantic, sincere and fun weddings I have ever been to. It wasn’t legally binding but it was morally and spiritually binding. With or without the bit of paper, they are committed to each other.

What this pamphlet screams to me is ignorance and a complete lack of celebration of the differences in life. What joy it brings to see people of different cultures, sexualities, hair styles, heights and body shapes live their lives together supporting each other.

For me, all it has done has made me want to vote for the candidate that they are campaigning against.

My school’s motto was “Vertias Liberabit Vos” or The Truth will Set You Free. Like most political issues and cultural issues we face, we are not dealing in facts but in emotions and fears. So even if same-sex marriage does lead to education about more detailed sex education in schools, is this a bad thing?

What kind of world do we live in when what one couple do in the privacy of their own home creates a freak out in someone else’s home on the other side of the city? Should we tell some of the older Mediterranean gents who hold hands to stop? Should we tell Sri Lankans to stop kissing each other (on two cheeks no less!) to stop? What about Asian school girls who are known to walk down the street arm in arm? Should they be forced to not touch each other?

What this world needs is more love, more connection, more communication, more acceptance and not this kind of rubbish!

What’s Happening?

Paris Cat
(image: www.ParisCat.com.au)

Of late, many of my clients keep talking about how busy they are, which is a great thing. But what is actually happening?

Too often people will get caught up in a “Ground Hog Day” type of cycle. You know the one – you wake up, go to work, come home late, say hi to your family, have dinner, watch TV, go to bed and wake up, go to work…. and so on.

With the new, ever invasive technology it is getting worse. Emails are ALWAYS available. Work resources are now accessible everywhere. There is no OFF switch.

I have long been a believer in having a hobby. Something you do to give you energy, excitement and a connection with others. Something that feeds your soul. Do you have one Friends?

My friend and business collaborator Tanya is many things, and singing is one of her hobbies. Last night Wifey and I were privileged to see Tanya and her class graduate from a Jazz Singing intensive at the Paris Cat (in Melbourne). There were some great performances, some nervous performances, some shaky performances but they gave their best and it was pretty good. Most importantly the energy of achieving something for themselves in front of a crowd of 60 people was bubbling around us.

When was the last time you felt that way? So for you, What’s Happening?

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Do You Communicate Both Ways?

With my Executive Mentoring clients, there is a common complaint that their teams don’t listen to them and they can’t understand why.

My experience has shown that your team are more likely to listen to you if you listen to them first. The basic rule of communication is “You have two ears and one mouth, use them in that ratio.”

What about your team and your colleagues,

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do you listen to them?

You don’t have to agree with them but do you listen to them. Again I am not talking about just hearing them but actually listening to them. I KNOW it feels like it takes more effort but the reality is, with more clarity in your communication there is a reduced need for repeat communication so it actually saves time.

So do you communicate both ways?

PS DON’T FORGET this Thursday 20th June at 4pm Australian Eastern Standard Time I will be running a 45 minute session on 5 Keys to Get the Response You Want.
It is all around the art of communication – both speaking and listening. Numbers are filling fast so find out more details and register here.

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Archive For: Relationships

Where’s Your Tribe?

Will You Survive?

What Are You Aiming For?

Meet Hetty Kate.

Again, Again, Again

Greetings from Abu Dhabi

Greetings From Abu Dhabi

Less Is More

It’s the Day For It

So you didn’t know I could sing?

What a Gift!

Making Your On-line Business Work Off-line

Is Your Email Worth $10,000?

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

Oh The Humanity!

Oh The Humanity

Offensive Political Junkmail

What’s Happening?

What’s Happening?

Do You Communicate Both Ways?

Do You Communicate Both Ways?

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