• Skip to main content
Simply Get Clients
  • About
    • About
    • About Mary
    • Speaking
    • In the News
    • Events
    • Team
  • Programs
    • Plan
    • Implement
    • Speaking
  • Resources & Blog
  • Contact
  • TAKE THE QUIZ
×
  • About
    • About
    • About Mary
    • Speaking
    • In the News
    • Events
    • Team
  • Programs
    • Plan
    • Implement
    • Speaking
  • Resources & Blog
  • Contact
  • TAKE THE QUIZ

Messaging

5 Speaker Prep Tips for In-Person Events

May 10, 2022 by Mary Cravets Leave a Comment

After two years of virtual events, even very experienced speakers may have forgotten how to navigate speaking at a live event.

Including this girl.

Having knocked out my first 4 in-person gigs, here are my top 5 tips with details about how to get back in the saddle!

Tip #1: Micro-manage in-person events.

Tip #2: Deliver full presentation, no matter what.

Tip #3: Set your criteria for speaking for free (and stick to them!).

Tip #4: Practice, practice, practice your offer! 

Tip #5: Be mindful of your need for approval.

Filed Under: Blog, Entrepreneurship, Messaging, Mindset, Networking, Speaking, Strategy

100% Open Rate, Lesson 2 (an email program I love)

April 25, 2022 by Mary Cravets Leave a Comment

If you read Lesson 1, you know the lesson is to get started imperfectly.

Lesson 2 is about getting started simply.

And one of the biggest barriers to simplicity these days is technology.

Let’s go back to my client who had just 1 person on her list. Once she made the decision to start sending emails, the next hurdle was: which program to use?

To dip a toe into the overwhelming number of options, do a quick search for “email sending programs.” You will see endless ads and articles that “narrow” down to the top 23 options (ugh).

In the spirit of true simplicity, I’m going to narrow it down to 1 for you.

The program I recommend is Constant Contact.

Yes, I know, it’s kind of old school, but here is why I recommend it:

  1. Customer Service. Seriously, I shouldn’t even write #2 or #3, because this is SO huge. While there are free programs out there like MailMonkey and SendPurple (names have been changed) – the sheer time and frustration you’ll spend on trying to figure out the answers on your own or dig through community forums to get answers… believe me, the $10-20 a month is worth it.
  2. Simple Tech. So easy to build an email, add your contacts, send an email. Years ago, a 70-year-old client of mine who was not super tech-savvy built and sent her first email within an hour (with the help of their outstanding customer service).
  3. Scalable. Start simple with email. Then if you want to add a landing page? Constant Contact can do that. Event marketing? Social media marketing? Integrations with other programs? Yep, CC can do that too.

This is a very specific example, of course. For whatever you’re trying to accomplish right now, here is a quick-start approach to simplifying:

  • What is the goal or project?
  • What are all the things getting in the way? (brainstorm)
  • Regardless of what you’ve done in the past and all of the barriers, what is the SIMPLEST way to reach the goal? In particular, consider how to make it technologically easiest.
  • What is the first step? When will you take it?

Filed Under: Blog, Goal Setting, Humor, Messaging, Mindset, Speaking

100% Open Rate, Lesson 1

April 20, 2022 by Mary Cravets 1 Comment

My client got a 100% open rate the very first time she sent an email to her list.

WOW. How did she do that?

Well… she only had 1 person on her list.

So – surprise! The open rate isn’t the lesson.

The lesson came in an earlier conversation after she said to me, “I’ll start keeping in touch with my list once it’s bigger.”

To which I replied, “Start now. Build the habit and systems. Create a container to put great people who want the gift of your content and resources into.”

Too often the pursuit of perfect, polished, ready, or even just “good enough”, derails getting started.

But the truth is, it’s the trying, the trial and error, actually putting yourself out there and DOING IT, that gets you the result you want.

So send the emails before you have a big list… and you will grow your list.

Do the speaking inquiries before your presentation is perfect… and you will get great at speaking.

Record that video before you fully understand how it fits into your strategy… and you will get comfortable in front of the camera and attract a following.

My client will likely never get a 100% open rate again, but she embraced the lesson of getting started imperfectly.

Filed Under: Blog, Goal Setting, Humor, Messaging, Mindset, Speaking

I had the biggest AHA! moment yesterday.

August 4, 2020 by Mary Cravets Leave a Comment

Seriously.

And I’m going to connect this AHA! with how the world has shifted and when I’m through well, I think it’s going to blow your mind.

I mean, I hope it’s going to make you incredibly excited about some opportunities to grow your business that you maybe didn’t fully appreciate in the past. I know it can feel like this crazy world is working against you, so maybe this will help.

Ok, here’s what happened.

The other day I was looking at my calendar and I realized I had ZERO stress about meeting my goals for the year.

ZERO.

Which is weird because I tend to worry, especially with the fact that the world is extra-strength worrisome right now!

So, what was making me so calm?

I looked at my calendar again and noticed that I have more than a dozen speaking gigs booked between now and the end of 2020. That’s when I had my aha moment.

It struck me that: Speaking Gigs = Money in the Bank.

I’d never really thought of it that way before.

On a whim I connected with a couple of my clients who have gone through my speaker trainings and asked them about their stress levels and they said the same thing. When they have a full calendar of speaking the money basically takes care of itself.

That’s a big deal, right?

This may be a little different than what you’ve heard from me in the past about speaking. If you’ve been around me for any time at all, you’ve probably heard me extol the virtues of speaking where I focused on…

  • Getting your message out
  • Attracting new clients
  • Generating income
  • Growing your list
  • Becoming a recognized expert

All the above is still true but my aha moment made me realize that it also provides STABILITY. Now in the past, stability hasn’t been something that is particularly inspiring or motivating. But in our chaotic and uncertain times, stability, consistency and predictability are much more highly valued. For me, a full speaking calendar provides that!

Here’s where it gets even more exciting… a full speaking calendar is more possible than ever because nearly all speaking is done virtually now and will be for the foreseeable future. While I love the thrill that only comes from being in front of a live audience, speaking virtually completely eliminates the obstacles of travel time and travel costs. This is so huge.

For you speakers, who were limited to your local area in the past, now the world is your oyster! I understand this can be a bit overwhelming, because there are SO many opportunities now, but the bottom line is…

If you haven’t looked at speaking as a strategy, I highly recommend it.

Remember: Speaking Gigs = Money in the Bank

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Messaging

Why Pivoting Might be the Wrong Move

April 28, 2020 by Mary Cravets 1 Comment

“Pivot” is so overused it doesn’t even ping your radar anymore. Am I right?

Well, I’ve got news for you… “pivoting” may not mean what you think it means AND it’s not always the best way to navigate this crisis.

In an attempt to clear up assumptions and shine a light on all the great options to keep the momentum going in your business, I’m here to share:

  1. The 3 mistakes of pivoting.
  2. The foundation you need BEFORE making changes.
  3. The 5 P’s of Change (pivot + 4 other options)

Let’s dive in, shall we?

  1. The 3 mistakes of pivoting.

Mistake #1: Misunderstanding pivoting.

People are using “pivot” as a catch-all word to describe any change in your business. I think creates a lot of chaos. To combat the chaos, in my 3rd teaching point below, I’m going to give you the definition of the pivot as well as four other words for change so you can zero in more precisely on how to adjust your business right now. Until I give that definition, I’m going to use the word “change” as a more accurate catch-all. 

Mistake #2: Shaky foundation. 

It’s a mistake to make changes from a shaky foundation of strategy and processes. Ever play with a gyroscope? You know how when you get it going, you can shift it into all kinds of gravity-defying angles? That’s because you set the foundation and got the momentum going. But what happens when you don’t have the foundation set? It wobbles, rolls across the floor and under the couch where you can’t get to it.

Making changes without a solid foundation will not be for the better.


Mistake #3: Short-term thinking.

When life feels this out of control, it’s tempting to try to regain a sense of control by making short-term drastic changes. The problem is that some changes create serious brand confusion. 

Take my business, for example. I’m about simplifying client generation. If I looked around and thought – hey, I could really help people and meet a major market demand if I started selling hand sanitizer – what happens to my brand identity once this situation resolves? You have to consider what your business will look like afterward. If you want your business to be strong now and emerge from this crisis with momentum, it is rarely a good idea to make a drastic shift away from your core business.

Some things must change right now, yes. But there are fundamentals that DON’T needs to change… and during stressful times it’s hard to distinguish which is which.

Let’s move on to the fundamentals of client generation so you can fortify your foundation, and then I will give you the 5 P’s of change and some examples. After you read this article you’ll have what you need to evaluate your efforts and make decisions that are solid instead of reactionary.

  1. The foundation to have in place before making changes

Before you make any changes to service delivery or pricing or anything having to do with how you generate revenue (which I refer to as client generation), check your foundation. 

Start by stepping back from our current market conditions and ask yourself, “Do I have the essential elements of client generation defined clearly?

The 7 elements are:

  1. Goals
  2. Pricing and Packaging
  3. Ideal client
  4. Messaging
  5. Proactive lead generation
  6. Sales and closing process
  7. Time management

Do you have these in place? Remember the gyroscope that skittered under the couch? Don’t be that gyroscope! Make sure your foundation is in order, THEN move on to how to adjust. Which brings us to…

  1. The 5 P’s of change (Pivot + 4 other options)

  2. PAUSE: Stop some part of your business or not launch something planned.
    This is first because it helps conserve energy – and right now you need all you can get! Look at each of the essentials of client generation and decide – is there anything here to pause? For instance, I paused one of my programs I was going to launch because it was focused on live speaking events. I freed up my energy right away by pausing this program that would be in lower demand right now.
  3. POSITION: Explain the value of your services in relation to current market conditions.
    Don’t change your services. Don’t change your ideal client, but rather change how you describe your services in relation to current market conditions. This change mostly falls under messaging in your client generation process. For example, in my business, I still talk about client generation, but I’ve shifted a little because business owners who have been complacent about client generation suddenly and painfully are noticing how not having a plan is really hurting them. So, while I’m offering the same client generation programs I always offer, I’m emphasizing or positioning the program for these people to leverage this downtime and come out of the crisis with a stronger business.
  4. PIVOT: Execute some part of your business differently.
    Don’t create something new… we’re not there yet. We’ll get there in a sec. I’ll say it again: Pivot is to execute some part of your business differently. You’ve seen restaurants start to offer delivery, right? They’re not making different food and they didn’t create a new menu. They are just executing differently.
  5. PRODUCE: Create something new to meet current market conditions.
    This is where a lot of people START, and it’s burning a lot of energy. Look at the first 3 P’s FIRST, because they are all about making subtle shifts to what you’ve already worked so hard to build! If producing something IS the right move for you, make sure that it’s still in alignment with your ideal client to avoid brand confusion.
  6. PREPARE: Put things in place to be more stable in a future crisis.
    We are learning SO MUCH right now about the gaps in the stability of our businesses. Is there anything you can start now, or put on a list for the 3
    rd or 4th quarter to build stability into your business? Maybe a new income stream or additional lead generation strategy. This is not the last crisis we’ll face. What do you regret not having in place now? How can you put that thing in place for next time? Make it a priority!

Author’s note: I am offering the 5 P’s of Change as a free facilitated discussion for the business owners and coach groups to help navigate this crisis. Contact me for more details.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Messaging

My FB Post that Surprised You

March 5, 2020 by Mary Cravets Leave a Comment

Many people were shocked that I ever feel this way.

Doubtful. Self-judging. Worried.

Days like this happen to all of us when we stretch beyond our comfort zones. These days aren’t fatal. But they aren’t any fun either.

My “stretch” includes a rebrand and new website, and investing massively in my business. My workload is temporarily huge and overwhelming.

In my well-adjusted and sane moments, I’m confident I’m on the verge of the next big growth spurt.

However, most of the time it just feels scary. A LOT of work, big investments and an unprecedented slow start to the year. So no, not scary… terrifying.

To deal with this, I’m focusing on my physical health, getting support from my peeps and going back to lessons I’ve articulated in blogs I wrote in the past. My favorites are below, in case you could use a boost today.

  • Having a bad day? This article will normalize it for you
  • Feel like you’re going backwards? This article will give you perspective.
  • Critics piling on? This article will give you a way to reframe it.

Filed Under: Entrepreneurship, Messaging, Mindset

  • About
  • About Mary
  • Speaking
  • Programs
  • In the News
  • Resources & Blog
  • Contact

Mary Cravets © Copyright 2010-2022. All Rights Reserved. Website by RC Vane