Shift Happens! ® While we can’t slow the pace of change, we can use many strategies to speed up our own processes.
So let me apply that logic to the speaking industry. With the internet, contact forms, and other communication that lacks personal contact many meeting planners fill out a request for request a proposal. The problem is that the meeting planner often can’t or won’t share their budget. So the speaker has no idea if they can afford the fees, or the fees are too low based on the expectations of the planner.
It’s a difficult situation on both sides. “How much?” should be “What can you provide to exceed the expectations of my audience?” “Why should I hire you instead of someone else?” Often both sides make the same mistake…they allow price to dictate the outcome. If the price is too high…”I can’t afford you?” If the price is too low…”I don’t think you are good enough for my needs.” In either case the one-on-one conversation might have resulted in a different outcome.So let’s make a shift in this business model.
I want to ensure that Shift Happens! ®
Price is no longer a reason not to engage me.
You choose the price, so you can pay what I am worth to you. Regardless of what you pay you’ll receive the same high energy, dazzling visuals, relevant content, and real world solutions to your business objectives.
Strategies for Change
When you get right down to it, only four viable strategies for coping with this accelerated pace of change exist:
1) Continuous change and improvement.
2) Innovative thinking.
3) Creative marketing.
4) Speed of implementation.
Meeting planners and decision makers often feel that barriers to implementation are heavily regulated and mandated. They are given limited resources but expected to exceed the performance expectations of a demanding audience.
Confronted with a constantly shifting array of competitors, strategic alliances, as well as increased market volatility and consolidation, the only hope for meeting planners and speakers survival lies in developing the ability to move and change as rapidly as your competitive environment and deliver a positive return on the investment. The same is true for any business.
Could you adopt a price policy of NAME YOUR PRICE? Would it work for both you and your customer?
It is time to think and act beyond the bounds of conventional wisdom. Technology has impacted every phase of every industry and in many cases there is resistance by adhering to ‘business as usual (BAU)’ If we stop BAU we can shift the way we do business with almost all of our customers.
The winners are the ones who have the determination to move forward with their innovative ideas. Unfortunately, in most organizations today, Employees are swiftly punished for failure and not adequately rewarded for success. The traditional companies paradigm hobbles creative thinking, with an entrenched culture that simply makes the decisions that are necessary, but doesn’t ‘rock the boat.’
As an example my customized presentations have resonated within the medical community. As the keynote speaker for the Large Urology Practice I showed them that ED was not only for their patients but for them as well. In their case ED was Efficiency Deficiency. My definition for the term became the ‘buzz’ for the entire conference.
Continually Change and Improve.
Most people find change, particularly rapid and unpredictable change, frightening and upsetting. But turbulence and change are not going away; instead, they will become more pronounced. Change happens and there is nothing your company can do to stop it – nor should they. In change there is inherent opportunity just waiting to be discovered by those who are quick enough and bold enough to take advantage of it. And that’s why I have implemented the NAME YOUR PRICE fee structure.
It’s simple. Pay what you think I am worth to you.
Therefore, it’s time to readjust our thinking to understand that we should be causing change, not reacting to it. Our best chance to succeed; the competitive marketplace is to be the one who’s driving most of the changes.
Of course, not everyone gets to be the leader. So it is incumbent on the rest of us to do the next best thing, namely develop super-fast reflexes that can respond quickly, turn on a dime, and make near instantaneous adjustments to the turbulence of the marketplace. There is simply no alternative if you want to stay competitive.
As a thought leader your attendees will find many things working against progress. It is a ‘shift’ in pressure on performance. Pressure is not unique to your fast-growth company, but seems to be a frequent visitor to all leaders today, the stakes are raised to new heights and the challenges become more daunting. It could be money, a weak talent pool, shifts in the marketplace, a big announcement from a competitor, delays in product or service development, or a mishap in Customer service.
If you are looking for a speaker that delivers UNCOMMON, common sense, I am your go-to-guy. Author of 14 books, coach, consultant, businessman, and speaker I bring real world wisdom, humor, and relevant information to your audience.
When your attendees leave, I will have taken them on the Journey To Bright Ideas™ with enough self-confidence to benefit from our time together. In my conversation with your attendees, I will deliver appropriate humor and movie scenes that will help as an antidote- leaving them with an effective roadmap on their deliberate focus to ensure that Shift Happens! ®…All at a price you determined.
To contact me: jfeldman@shifthappens.com or 312 527 9111
