Speaking

5 Speaker Prep Tips for In-Person Events

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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.

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

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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?

100% Open Rate, Lesson 1

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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.

Tips to Successfully Explore the World Through Work-Away Travel

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Work-away trips are a fantastic thing: running your business while traveling.  Last year I tried it myself for the very first time by staying in Prague, Czechia for a month.

This trip was different from past travel in both its extended duration and for the combination of work and pleasure.  Because it was my first time doing this, I learned an amazing amount about myself, my business and how to travel while working.  That last sentence can also be written as follows: because it was my first time traveling it was painful and not as much fun as I’d hoped.

You see, I didn’t think ahead about time zones, access to health care, pilot strikes, cost of changing a portion of a trip, mental recovery time or how living outside of your comfort zone can be challenging even if you are loving it.

So, in an effort to prepare you for work away travel, here are tips from business owners who are successfully taking extended travel without losing momentum in their businesses.

  1. Schedule client calls with care. Due to poor planning on my part, while I was in Prague I found myself taking client calls at 8 pm and that was after working several hours during the normal day. As a result, I missed out on some fun things that others in my group got to do.Jane Garee with Showstopping Sales says: “I set up my Google calendar with both my home-based time zone and the time zone I will be working from on the trip about a month in advance. These can go side by side in Google so you see both time zones simultaneously. I also put both time zones on my Apple Watch (it’s very cool and both time zones can go on the same screen). I find that being able to quickly translate time zones in my head goes a long way to keeping stress at bay…  I’m a planner by nature so feeling good about what’s on my calendar and knowing I can easily fit in work and playtime makes living and working in a different country much easier.”
  2. If you are staying a longer time, pack less than you think you have to. For my Prague trip, I packed everything forgetting that I can do laundry in the apartment.Susan O’Brien, Owner of EcoLux Interiors says: “Coordinate every piece so that it goes with several other pieces and base it all on lightweight, and for the weather, you are heading into.  You need half of what you think you need, and a couple of scarves make a nothing outfit quite fun!”
  3. Book your flights way ahead of time if available and understand the fine print before buying a lower-priced ticket.Louise Crooks of Keys to Clarity Coaching says: “I book my flights to really far off destinations quite well in advance. Sometimes 9mths in advance. It means my tickets can be 35% cheaper than most folks will end up paying. Great way to save on a budget.”
  4. Keep your home in mind while you are away.Pam Ivey of Adventurous Life says: “I line up my petsitter right away to ensure the fur babies are looked after. She also picks up my mail, so that’s taken care of too. I ensure lawn maintenance/snow removal is arranged so it’s not a dead giveaway that I’m not home, and I’ve made sure everyone I want to keep in contact with at home (mom, sister, friend) has Skype at the ready and a tutorial given if needed.”  Another option is WhatsApp.  It’s an a
  5. Keep a copy of any important documents in the cloud somewhere. This includes business and personal documents along with copies of your passport.  Pam Ivey of Adventurous Life and Donna Kozik of Write a Book in a Weekend both agree with this.
  6. Don’t skimp on a carrying bag and accessories for your daily commute to the “office.” Finding a co-working space is the best way to be sure you keep up with your work.Pam Ivey of Adventurous Life says: “Make sure you have a good bag, whether it’s a shoulder bag or backpack to carry your laptop back and forth to the office. (I love my backpack because it keeps my hands free.) Don’t forget adapters! And adapters with built-in USB ports are awesome.

The 3 Ways to Run Your Business While You’re Away

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I meet business owners all the time who share my love of travel.

And then there are those who – burned out by corporate road warrior days – shudder when they think of traveling.

What I realized is that “travel” can’t be used as a one-size-fits-all description. You’re familiar with vacation and business travel, but there’s also work-away travel, which is becoming increasingly popular with business owners.

The tactics for successfully running your business while taking time off are very different depending on whether you’re on vacation, traveling for business or on a work-away adventure. Here is a breakdown of the different kinds of travel and how to get the most benefit out of each type.

Vacation Travel

Benefits: On vacation, the idea is that you get to completely disconnect from the business so you can come back refreshed and renewed.

Obstacles: As a business owner, it is tremendously challenging to completely step away. Most business owners end up checking email anyway, taking calls, putting out fires. Our business is such a part of us that there is serious resistance to completely shutting down. This often results in taking shorter vacations than you’d like.

Success strategies: In order to completely give yourself the freedom to disconnect, you’ll want to start with your “I’m out of the office” autoresponder on your email, but also have a second-in-command who can handle inquiries while you’re away. This can be an assistant or even a fellow business owner. And one thing that always helps my brain relax is to schedule prospect appointments the week following my vacation, so I know that my vacation isn’t breaking the momentum.

Business Travel

Benefits: Pretty obvious, right? You get out of your comfort zone, build your network and your business.

Obstacles: These are primarily about managing your energy. Even if you are doing the exact same work that you’d do in your regular office, being in an unfamiliar environment takes more energy. And don’t get me started on food choices while you’re on the road! Managing food choices on the road is an energy drain no matter what: you’re either expending energy to search out good food choices, or not fueling your energy by making not-so-great food choices.

Success strategies: Acknowledge that you will not have the same energy capacity as you do in your usual work environment. Choose a schedule of transportation that doesn’t have you arriving depleted, even if it costs an extra $20-50. Don’t overschedule your time and set yourself up for failure. Think about food choices before you go, packing some healthy snacks so you’re not grabbing bad choices out of desperation. And exercise. Even 15 minutes on a treadmill will do you good!

Work-away Travel

Work-away travel is where you run your business from another location, while spending a good amount of time NOT working and instead exploring and enjoying the place you’re visiting. For instance, last year I stayed in Prague for the month of September. I worked on average 3 days a week, then explored and vacationed the rest of the time.

Benefits: Work-away combines the best of vacation and business travel. But unlike vacation travel, you aren’t expending energy trying to resist working on your business. This allows you to be a lot more present for your time off. On the business side, you can not only keep operations moving, but also find opportunities local to where you’re staying to expand your business through speaking, networking and prospecting (this takes a little pre-planning). And finally, it allows you to travel and stay away longer. It’s a great choice if you love really sinking into a new country or community and soaking up the local experience.

Obstacles: These can all be lumped under “planning.” Planning for the expense in your budget and for the operations of your business – those are pretty obvious. But also for how you will spend your time off, because you want to make sure you take that time off! And planning for what happens if you get sick. And for any time zone differences.

Success strategies: Yes, I waxed eloquent about the benefits, but in order for this option to really work for you and your business, you’ve got to be strategic. Think through your schedule and decide how and when you want to work while you’re away. Let your clients know way ahead of time. If you will be unavailable for any of that time or don’t want to take client appointments during that time because of a difference of time zones, start writing that into your client contracts. Create a budget! And make contact and set appointments BEFORE you arrive. It’s a great idea to travel with other business owners so you’re not trying to figure all this out on your own. See one option here: https://marycravets.pages.ontraport.net/irelandretreat

For more on successful “work-away” travel that allows you to get away for a whole month (or more) without losing any momentum in your business, check this out: https://facebook.com/MaryCravets/videos/618741008905041/

Life Imitating My Speaking Career

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skateboarder“Hey Mary, can you come facilitate our board retreat… today?”

I received this call recently and could hardly stifle my laughter.

You see, I often speak to groups of entrepreneurs about priorities and productivity, and this is the example I give:

“What if someone calls you at 10:30am and says their luncheon speaker just cancelled and they want to know if you’re available? If you have client work due at noon, and you already put it off until the moment you received the call, you’re going to have to decline what could potentially be a very lucrative speaking engagement. Get your top priorities done first so you can jump on opportunities when they arrive.”

So when I received this very last minute request for a paid, same-day opportunity, you can understand my amusement!

Then I did exactly what I teach:

  1. Check your priorities. I looked at the priorities on my action list and evaluated whether or not this new opportunity superseded what I’d already planned.
  2. Confirm whether the opportunity is in alignment with your goals. I thought about the opportunity again and evaluated it against my bigger goals to make sure it was a fit.
  3. Make sure you have enough time to deliver quality. I checked the clock to make sure I could actually make it there, not just on time but also prepared to speak.

This opportunity passed all three criteria, so I accepted.

It’s also important to note that I was able to make this decision in a matter of seconds because I had a few things set up in advance: clear business goals, and a set schedule and action plan for the day.

For those times when we get these last-minute calls, it’s great if we can be flexible but we also have to take care of ourselves by first considering our priorities. Just because someone says, “Jump!” we don’t have to react, “How high?”. By getting in the practice of going over the next days tasks the night before, we are much more prepared to start the day with clear intentions. And, knowing exactly what needs to be done creates potential to be flexible for opportunities.