Premium
Evaluation
Dear
Associate,
"Hello?"
"This
is Paul."
"Hey,
what's up," I exclaimed. "What did you think about
my speech? I wanted to get your opinion."
"I
don't know what I can add," he replied. "You had
them all the way. I looked up and down the entire audience
and you had them engaged and laughing. Especially the women.
They were following you. They were hooked."
Paul
is a wonderful friend and confidant. He's given me lots of
great advice from his years growing up with the wrong crowd,
and then later working with the Ken Blanchard people. His
insights into speaking, people and life have transformed my
results almost instantly.
"Is
there something I can improve on," I asked.
"There's
not much because it was a great message," Paul answered.
"But there is something that seemed a little out of place."
"It's
your conclusion," he explained. "It didn't seem
to fit in with the rest of your message. You were playful,
cooking with humor throughout and then all of a sudden, you
got serious. You should have circled back to how your story
changed you instead of ending with a deep thought."
"Look
at your video," he continued. "Watch how your audience
responded to you at the end. You threw in the word 'happiness'
which didn't fit in with the 'Nice Guy, Bad Boy and Cupid'
theme in your message. Instead of sending your audience out
on a high, humorous note—they went silent. That's the
only part I'd change."
I
didn't have to think about it. Paul was absolutely right on.
My audience grew silent at the end. That was the only place
I felt disconnected.
This
was a valuable lesson for me. Listening to wise counsel and
then taking his advice can mean the difference between being
hired as a warm-up speaker, or the showcase keynoter. The
power is in my hands.
If
you're a speaker, it pays — in the end — to listen
to wise counsel. Why not start today? Let's look at three
important keys of getting a premium evaluation:
1)
Ask a trusted confidant, or confidants. One who can reason,
whom you trust, and who you hold in high regard. One who has
no qualms about raising you up, even at the expense of his
self-interest. And one who you'd gladly pay because he gives
you a value you can't quantify in dollars.
Anyone
can offer you an evaluation. But not everyone is qualified
to evaluate you. It's critically important to handpick the
one, or the few who have your best interest in mind.
2)
Be open. It's just their opinion. If you disagree with
their insight, don't get rattled. And avoid getting defensive.
Remember, it's you who's seeking guidance.
In
direct response marketing we like to run tests to see if another
headline, offer or list doesn't pull better. Same here. You
might want to test a suggestion a few times before claiming
it won't work.
3)
Become the student. Gobble up the lessons. Absorb them
like a sponge. Then take action.
Thinking
about it isn't good enough. Positive results rarely come by
accident. Decide to make improvements right away while the
idea and feeling is hot.
Sometimes
you really don't reach any higher without another pair of
caring eyes looking out for you. That's why a premium evaluation
can be extremely valuable. It corrals someone else's years
of experience into your corner. And if you're open to this...
you can have instant success.
Warm
regards,
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Tommy Yan helps business owners and entrepreneurs make more
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