The long time readers of this blog, Great Speaking Coach, have earned a standing ovation from me for their consistency, comments and interest. As many of you have noticed, the content of my blog posts has changed into my thoughts and recommendations about how small and medium businesses can grow by exploiting opportunities that are already inside their companies. What I call opportunities that are hidden in plain sight. Recent clients have enjoyed: 33% increase in annual revenue New buyers for their existing offerings A start-up that's quickly becoming an important contributor to local companies I also invest frequently in... Continue reading

Men grow facial hair. It needs to be shaved away every day. How could razor manufacturers ever be faced with declining revenue? Here's how: The story of the razor decline began about 5 years ago, when some fashion and consumer publications began featuring men with stubble or short beards. These were appealing guys whose facial hair gave them a charming ‘bad boy’ look. At the same time, there was increasing acceptance of a more casual look in many work places, and that casualness included facial hair where previously only clean-shaven had been acceptable in the mainstream. The result is a... Continue reading

Your customer records hide hugely valuable information. When you know how to excavate and use the right information for growth, you'll generate more business from customers who already do business with you. My approach is that of the humanist and storyteller--in other words, customers are human beings and their business with us creates real stories about them that should help us keep them happy and returning. I'm not your typical data-driven consultant, mining untold quantities of data. It's too easy to set up a few parameters and sort your data into groups that meet those parameters. This will turn into... Continue reading

Business growth occurs at four different levels: top line, bottom line, middle line (expenses) and valuation. Increases in the top and bottom lines and stability or a decrease in the middle line, causes an increase in valuation each and every year. Valuation is what your business would be worth if you sold it. Valuation is also a major factor in financing that fuels expansion. My clients are generally mindful of the top, middle and bottom lines and not very mindful of valuation. Here's what you need to get started understanding valuation for your business: Increasing revenue: you can increase revenue... Continue reading

You're seeking feedback or input to help you make an important decision. Which question should you ask? "Is this project worthwhile?" or "What do you think about the opportunities presented by this project?" In the first instance, the person asking had distributed a list of his concerns along with the question. Every concern seemed like a burden. For example,"As we grow we'll have to hire another person. How will I know what kind of person to hire?" There was no mention of the 33% growth goal that would make needing a new hire a desirable thing. If this business owner... Continue reading

A least a dozen people I know tweeted or posted the following quote: "Webinars are the new waterboarding." This alliterative phrase was delivered to a large crowd of experts who speak and apparently was thought to be so clever that it needed to be repeated. If you're one of those who repeated it, or who thinks it is clever and wonders why I'm bothered by it, think about what waterboarding means. It's known to be an 'enhanced' technique for getting prisoners to divulge information. It is considered torture by many around the world. Can you imagine a person who has... Continue reading

I'm continually amazed by the ways in which people disrespect others or otherwise demonstrate their lack of etiquette at work, especially in meetings. What do I mean by etiquette? My definition is so simple: Listen and keep quiet until the other person finishes talking; Avoid rude or derogatory remarks, no matter what! State your own opinions or perspectives calmly and in a neutral voice i you're disagreeing with others; Do not talk down to others ("Let me explain it to you..."); Step out of the room or the discussion if you find yourself getting hot under the collar At one... Continue reading

Just how many dry, fact-laden speeches do business people need in their lifetime? My guess is that the number is quite small. Yet, day after day, in gatherings of all kinds about topics of all kinds, people are forced to listen to yet another dry, fact-laden speech. I think speakers do this mostly because they're following the customs of their field. They've fallen into the trap of "expectations" as in "That's what the audience expects." The audience expects these horrible speeches only because they've never seen another way, not because they are desirable. What's the alternative? I advise all business... Continue reading

What were you feeling when you were angry at your boss? When you were frustrated by a stubborn client? When you were confronted by an angry customer? When a prospect you thought was just about to contract with you changed their mind and went elsewhere? When a committee voted against your cherished idea? If you're in any kind of business or workplace today, you've experienced all of these situations at times. You know that what you say will be used against you, so you have to react and speak cautiously. That caution doesn't apply to what is going on inside... Continue reading

A client told me “I’m using some peers to role-play conversations with clients where I talk with them about value-based fees. It’s harder than I expected to avoid my old habits of talking about what I do.” Here are 5 steps or reminders to help you make value conversations natural and powerful. Learn these two responses to the question “What do you do?” Answer 1: We help our clients achieve their objectives.” Answer 2: “We do many things. Why don’t you tell me a bit about your company and your objectives?” Do NOT fall into the habit of talking about... Continue reading

Moments after a high-stakes event occurs, whether a catastrophe like a plane or train crash, a hard-fought contest between two pro sports teams or the outrage of the week uttered by a politician (any party), commentators take to their digital devices to connect the event to their own lives. You’ll find “How X event changed the way I do Y” or “Lessons learned from the Z Event” or “How leadership is like ABC” You've seen them all. Many experienced business people do the same thing, especially if they’re planning to speak to an audience in the coming days or weeks.... Continue reading

Egos are wonderful. They help us get out and about everyday, make a difference to others and enjoy our lives. The other thing egos do is compete with other egos. "I'm stronger, smarter, more successful than you!" Speaking to audiences is one big clash of egos. The speaker's ego believes he or she is superior, special and deserving of complete attention and praise. The audience's egos believe they are superior, special and not at all obligated to pay attention and give praise to the speaker. So how can you, the speaker, resolve this clash of egos? After all, both you... Continue reading

To some people new ideas are threatening and doomed to failure. To others, new ideas are exciting and jump-start their thinking to create even better options. Which are you? Which do you seek and gather around you? The "Yes...but" resister who goes on about every possible negative outcome? Or the "Yes AND" person who says "Let's get started! We'll address any hiccups along the way." When your business needs to create new, exceptional offerings for your best buyers or you want to broaden the range of your offerings along the GO Curve, you need "Yes AND" people. Sometimes you want... Continue reading

A designer of interiors, a designer of websites and a designer of automobiles are all knowledge workers. Writers, analysts, data experts, coders and developers, athletes and artists--they are also knowledge workers. Add accountants and attorneys, consultants and coaches, educators and engineers and scientists, the military, doctors and broadcasters to the list. Every tech company from apps to robots is engaged in knowledge work. You see that almost all work today is knowledge work. The outcomes that these people generate come from what's in their heads. It's an accumulation of formal education and experience; trial and error; invention, innovation and improvement.... Continue reading

Get out of your doldrums! "The economy is still bad." "No one can find a good job." "It's the fault of (insert your favorite scapegoat name here.)" None of this is true and yet, if you continue to believe and repeat these well-worn jeremiads, you will never be able to see opportunities. The top two ways to increase your business's revenue are: 1) New offerings to your existing buyers 2) New buyers for your existing offerings How hard is this? Not hard at all, when you begin with a positive outlook. New offerings to existing buyers: Assume they have more... Continue reading

“Washington is not like the rest of the country. … Compared to other places, growth here is lagging.” Dan Beyers This was the pessimistic outlook for the Washington DC region in 2015 by Capital Business Editor Dan Beyers. I’m reminded of the old adage “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” He thinks there are fewer opportunities here because government spending is down and he's telling his readers to think that as well, so one year from now what will everyone find? They’ll find they were right, because every discussion will reflect negativity and every... Continue reading

Executives, owners, principals—anyone whose primary responsibility is to generate revenue and profit from that revenue--is the captain of their ship. The direction you move your ship, its speed, the ability to change direction and your acceptance of risk are all up to you. Why, I wonder, do so many business captains behave as if they’re piloting an aircraft carrier when in fact the business they’re piloting is much more like a high performance boat? Aircraft carriers move slowly, need a lot of time to change direction and are so investment- intensive that protecting them from risk is critical. Performance boats... Continue reading

Don't make this mistake: Situation: A customer said to one of my clients: “Demonstrate the user experience of your software for these 15 brief scenarios. Use video to send us your demonstration.” The CEO, generally a very creative and imaginative guy, decided on the spot that he wanted the video to consist of a series of screen shots accompanied by a voice over. A techie would create the screen shot sequence, complete with enlarged cursor and red circles highlighting each move. A professional voice artist and an employee with a deep voice, who would pretend to be a reporter asking... Continue reading

The highest paid athletes and actors reach their distinction because of the value they generate for their team owners or studios. They are knowledge workers in the broadest sense and they serve as a model for all knowledge workers who struggle to answer the critical question: what do I charge for my clients? Don’t stop reading because you’re not an actor or athlete. If you’re a knowledge worker, actors and athletes are relevant models. Every practioner of knowledge work--whether an attorney, CPA, consultant, creative, writer, designer, architect, filmmaker and on and on-- has to figure out what they will charge... Continue reading

Why define your company by your type of buyer—e.g. government contractor; specific agency; specific sub-agency? Define your buyer in terms of the value they need to improve their own situation. When asked what they do, companies whose revenue comes solely from government agencies (federal, state and local) typically identify themselves as a “Government Contractor.” “What does your company do?” “Oh, we’re a government contractor for X agency, Y sub agency, Z department.” I read this kind of description on these company’s websites too. They also list the various contracting vehicles or schedules they’re included in. When asked about their decision... Continue reading

"We always do it this way." "Our clients expect us to do that." "Those are best practices." I hear these comments as justification for various choices and behaviors every day. They are ingrained and institutionalized and they inhibit exceptional success time after time. When you do what you've always done, you get what you've always gotten. The number one issue requiring a mindset shift is the concept of value. Your value to your clients and the value of your offerings to your buyers. Understanding value in terms of outcomes, not inputs. To improve your outcomes, you have to change the... Continue reading

The internet being the free-for-all that it is, it's inevitable that there's a mix of great advice and terrible advice. I'm shaking my head vehemently about these 10 worst pieces of business advice. This post is a synopsis of a slideshare I uploaded. Grab a quick look here and then click to reach the slides. It's a quick read designed to prompt you to review your actions and position yourself for advantages in�the mlonths ahead. From bad to stupendously horrible: via www.greatspeakingcoach.com Continue reading

The internet being the free-for-all that it is, it's inevitable that there's a mix of great advice and terrible advice. I'm shaking my head vehemently about these 10 worst pieces of business advice. This post is a synopsis of a slideshare I uploaded. Grab a quick look here and then click to reach the slides. It's a quick read designed to prompt you to review your actions and position yourself for advantages in the mlonths ahead. From bad to stupendously horrible: 10)"Best practices guarantee high quality results." No, they stick you in a rut. 9) "Only read about your industry... Continue reading

Do these scenarios ring a bell for you? 1) You're sharing a new idea with a few fellow business owners or colleagues and before you've finished, they are all jumping in their seats, eager to tell you how what you've described won't work? "No one's going to be interested in that." They believe they're doing you a favor, helping you avoid mistakes. They will burst your bubble. 2) You're describing the same new idea to a few business owners or colleagues and they nod in agreement as you're talking and when you're finished they say "That is powerful. I know... Continue reading

In spite of the number of well-known and respected experts (Patricia Fripp, Nancy Duarte, Nick Morgan, and others) who provide idea upon idea upon idea for improving business presentations, I never seem to be in the audience of anyone who has incorporated the great ideas these experts recommend. Recent examples: The woman whose starting point was to assume everyone in the audience has a very negative character flaw.Then she manufactured a reason for everyone to stand at the end, raise their hands and applaud. A speaker who described the year-to-year trials and tribulations of building her business without ever interjecting... Continue reading