The World Needs You To Manifest Your Genius!

If you’re often afraid of socializing with new people, you’re not alone. It’s a fear many people have. But the world needs you to manifest your genius: so you MUST overcome this fear! In this issue of my speaking IDEAS newsletter, I use personal anecdotes to explain how engaging in extracurricular activities (like sports and public speaking) can eliminate fear of socializing in anyone – like it did for me.

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Publication: Tayo Solagbade’s Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Page (PSIP) Newsletter

Date: Monday 18th February 2013

No: 77

Title: The World Needs You To Manifest Your Genius!

Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [234-803-302-1263]

Blog URL: http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/blog

Archive (For E-mail only version started 14th May 2012): Click here to view

Archive (For Blog version started 24th September 2011): Click here

Hi,

Please find below the latest issue of my weekly Public Speaking Ideas page for 2013. 

SD Nuggets Blog

New posts from last week that may interest you!
Public Speaking[Monday]:

Entrepreneurship [Tuesday]:

Self Development [Wednesday]:

Career Development [Thursday]:

Parenting [Friday]:

Writing/Blogging [Saturday]:
Writing/Blogging [Sunday]:
Want me to write for you? Click here…

Coming Soon

(In Video, Audio, And Also As A PowerPoint Slide show Presentation!)

Click to view larger screenshot - How African Experts and CEOs Can Use Public Speaking To Win Buyers and Save Money!

I’ll be sending out links to the video narrated version of the above presentation in a few weeks. It’s an Educational Commercial designed to help experts (sales/marketing experts, business executives, entrepreneurs etc) understand the tremendous promotional benefits of public speaking.

It features a special message from Burt Dubin, a renowned mentor of some of the world’s highest paid speakers. There’ll also be a video message from Claude Moller, a highly sought after conference speaker and coach, based in South Africa, who enjoys national and international level success that proves the ideas advocated in this presentation work.

Get Notified When It Goes Live – Click HERE!

 

No. 77: The World Needs You To Manifest Your Genius!

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NB: If you ever find yourself wondering what else I’ve written, some days after you’ve read THIS Speaking Ideas newsletter I send out on a Monday, here’s what you can do to find out: Point your browser to www.sdacademy.org to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule :-)

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If you’re often afraid of socializing with new people, you’re not alone. It’s a fear many people have. But the world needs you to manifest your genius: so you MUST overcome this fear! In this issue of my speaking IDEAS newsletter, I use personal anecdotes to explain how engaging in extracurricular activities (like sports and public speaking) can eliminate fear of socializing in anyone – like it did for me.

Fear Has a Way of Holding A Person Back

When I was much younger, I used to be shy – and afraid of socializing. Once there were strangers or visitors around, I would go strangely quiet. Or even into hiding. And even when I knew stuff that could help others, I was often too terrified to say so!

Looking back, I realize my shyness was even more serious where it concerned members of the opposite sex.

Part of the problem had to do with a bad experience I had with a primary school classmate who falsely accused me of peeping at her in the convenience room (Read the story here). Although the matter was resolved, that experience made me develop a deep aversion for females in general.

But as I grew up, I began feeling what a normal male would feel for females. And that made me uncomfortable being around them. If I found myself too close to one that I fancied just a bit, my mouth would go dry while my heart thumped wildly. Most times I quickly walked away for fear of embarrassing myself. I’m sure you know the feeling :-)

Extracurricular Activities Can Help You Overcome Fear!

But if there was one place I was never really shy (or afraid of socializing), it was on the handball court. Once the whistle went, I would forget everything else, and immerse myself fully in the game.

When I took part in the open camp trials for the under 12 state team in 1982, I did not know playing handball would help me in that manner. Indeed, all through secondary school, after I got selected, I was not really conscious of its influence on my development of interpersonal competence.

I simply acted on it. But looking back, I know the changes began taking place back then.

Getting to university, my handball proficiency helped me quickly settle in. The first day I trained with the university team, the coach immediately drafted me into the team. In no time I’d made new friends with others in the team and other sports.

The university was a bigger social environment. And the level of serious attention paid to sports persons made it even more prestigious to be one. We got preferential room allocations that was paid for – unlike other students. And we got allowances, training kits issued to us. All we had to do was play to the best of our ability whenever the need arose. It’s the same thing across the world really.

Back in secondary school, I’d gotten a fore taste when, at 15, I earned a call up to the Kwara state camp for the National Sports Festival. While my classmates remained in school, those of us who were selected, were picked up by a bus from the sports council and taken to purpose built accommodation blocks in the state’s new sports complex.

I was later dropped from the final team. But those who went on to play in the competition had their exams conducted for them separately, after they returned.

What I’m trying to say here is that experiences like this have a way of boosting your self-esteem. You get to have the best of both worlds (school and sports), picking up additional know-how within the same period that others may not get.

You Are Forced To “Practice” Socializing

What’s more, you get to do the above by necessarily relating with others.

The following true story should make you laugh…even as it offers useful insight:

During camp for the 1985 sports festival, Aroc – a top member of the state’s female handball team (who also happened to be quite pretty/naughty) – went out of her way to openly flirt with me, at training sessions and elsewhere. Since arriving, I’d been my shy self – retiring to my room after training, to read novels etc, until the next training session.

One day during training, an exercise routine required players of the same gender to pair up. This was because it was a defensive sequence in which players had to alternately push each other in the chest area.

Aroc chose that moment to leave her female colleagues, and plant herself in front of me. Before I could protest, the coach’s whistle blew for us to begin. Knowing how strict he was I decided to do what I could.

Each time she came forward I made sure my palms landed well below her breasts (in the area of her lower ribs). She on her part boldly pushed me – repeatedly – in the chest/breast area smiling innocently all the while.

Our team mates giggled so badly all through that routine, that it was a miracle the coach did not catch on. And afterwards, they teased me about it weeks!

 

That experience “broke me in” socially, into that group. And although I resisted Aroc’s advances till I was de-camped, my socializing improved considerably after that day :-)

Your Innate Leadership Skills Could Be Developed

But more seriously, my shyness/fear evaporated over time mainly due to my active involvement in sports. Travelling for hours together in a bus with others, on a regular basis, will eventually make you loosen up.

You’ll meet people who will show excitement when they learn you’re a “member of the state team preparing for the forthcoming XYZ competition”. Many are keen to make friends with someone who shares a similar interest or passion.

By the time I began to gain recognition on the university campus as a starter on the university team (and captain of my hall team), the last thing I felt was shyness.

In that environment, I felt at ease with myself, knowing that I had the competence to relate with anyone on my areas of interest or focus.

But the transformation did not happen overnight. It was a progressive improvement – a key part played by the self-talk I also actively engaged in to keep from withdrawing into my shell.

 

Basically, I told myself people would want to have me around if they knew I could add value to them. So all I had to do was to be myself, put in my best efforts at all times, and everything would be okay.

And Good Things Will Happen To You MORE Frequently

That’s what eventually happened to me. For instance, below are examples of leadership positions I was nominated/elected into (even though I never indicated interest) by different groups in the last 2 years of my stay in the university:

1. Members of Student’s Farm Research Foundation (SFRF) voted me as Supplies Coordinator on the team of club executives (1991/92).

2. Members of Agricultural Extension department’s Readers’ Club voted me the maiden chairman (1991/92)

3. Members of the Independence Hall handball team nominated me as Captain (1991/92) – In my final year, we won the Inter halls handball competition for the first time since I joined the university(having been runners up 2 years in a row before then).

What made the above achievements even more significant was that I also won an award from the sports council, in addition to emerging best graduating student from my department with the highest ever Cumulative G.P.A of 5.9 (First class was 6.0).

In other words, my academic performance did not suffer due to my active involvement in social activities. It goes without saying that striking a healthy balance of that kind in school, and life in general, is very important.

Final Words: The World Needs You!

At the risk of stating the obvious, I have offered personal examples in this write up, not to brag, but to illustrate the positive outcome I achieved by engaging in extracurricular activities. Without that, I honestly believe I would have struggled greatly.

It’s an excellent way to develop self-esteem and confidence in one’s abilities.

As adults, we can build further on that foundation, no matter the vocations we’re professionally engaged in, to become even more interpersonally effective.

Which brings me to this important point: If you think about it, one thing common to all forms of extracurricular activities is the need to speak or communicate in public. Even when you’re playing sports. Yes, sports involves physical movement mostly, but where team sports in particular are concerned, your ability to speak effectively comes into play.

Competent public speakers are sensitive to both verbal and non-verbal communication. This helps them gauge what to say and how to say it by studying the reactions (body language) of others.

Public Speaking is so central to the existence of human beings in society. That’s why it’s regarded as a crucial skill for achieving high levels of success. If you cannot “win friends and influence people” by speaking, you’ll be very ineffective in your interpersonal relationships.

It therefore follows that learning public speaking can improve your ability to socialize successfully.

That’s why organizations like Toastmasters exist.

But if you prefer private sessions, there are seasoned personal coaches/mentors in public speaking you can approach.

So, what are you waiting for?

Don’t let shyness deny you excellent opportunities to make the most of yourself. People out there need what you have to offer. But if you keep it locked up inside of you, they’ll never get it. And you won’t be fulfilled.

You deserve better than that!

Need Help Deciding How To Cure Your Fear of Socializing?

If you need more specific details of how to make use of the ideas I’ve shared in this newsletter, call me on 234-803-302-1263 or email tayo at tksola dot com.

Alternatively, send me a message using this request form (with “Re: Socializing With New People” in the subject line).

Click now

Have a lovely week!

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

Mobile: 234-803-302-1263

http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

Tayo Solagbade is a Performance Improvement Specialist & multipreneur. He works with individuals/businesses who want to achieve highly profitable outcomes, and also with parents who want to raise real-world competent children.

Tayo earns multiple streams of income providing clients with performance improvement training/coaching, custom MS Excel-VB solutions, web marketing systems, freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners).

When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

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Have you been undecided about whether or not to become a paid speaker? Or have you been trying to get your speaking career off the ground with little success?

Here’s a tip: Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him.

Comments?

What do you think of the above message? Do you have any personal experience to share on this subject? Are there some other points you feel can be added, to help persons looking for answers? Please share your thoughts!

Share this issue!

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What fears or doubts are keeping you from (a) taking up Burt Dubin’s monthly speaker mentoring, or (b) buying his products?

You can choose to purchase Burt’s mentoring at any of the three (3) levels listed below:

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Burt’s three mentoring packages can be likened to the seating options offered by airlines: Budget Delight (Economy); Mid Range (Business); and Top Shelf (First Class).

At least that’s how I like to think of them!

All three will get you to your desired destination of “speaking success-ville” – so long as you meet the requirements/play your part well (your fare, abide by the set guidelines etc). During the “flight”, the seat you have will determine how much personal service attention and preference the provider will accord you. It’s that simple :-)

So, make your choice:1. Top Shelf [Click here] | 2. Mid Range [Click here] | 3. Budget Delight [Click here]

Send me an e-mail with your questions via tayo at tksola dot com. In the meantime, why not get started by subscribing here to get his 7-Part Course (How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker) .  . . and receive his monthly newsletter (Speaking Biz Strategies Letter) at no cost.

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My Recommended Posts for W/E 16th Feb 2013: Sun Tzu’s Art of War for Business Executives | Stopping Web Content Theft | Winning A Fight By Walking Away | African Moms vs Their Unmarried Daughters | Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka’s Valentine Message to Wives of African Leaders

Below are brief previews and links to the full text of the above mentioned blog posts/articles I read online this week. Remember to apply due diligence before putting any ideas to use for yourself :-)

1. A Summary and Review of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War for Thinking Executives – and Those Who Want To Be One – By William C. Bradley

(NB: When he wrote this piece in 2011, William Bradley, was a Business Administration student in Southeastern Louisiana University, USA.)

This is not the first time Sun Tzu’s ideas will be applied to business. Corporate executives have been doing it for decades. Entire books have been written on the subject. The popularity of Sun Tzu’s Art of War attests to the fact that it works.

Where I Disagreed With Him

There was one thing this author said in his review that I don’t agree with:

He opined that Sun Tzu would have done better NOT to have used so many proverbs in his book.

I’m African. In many ways we’re like Asians. Our language and culture have deep meanings to our everyday lives. And we know that many times the English language does not have the words to convey the full contextual meaning of all that we say in our languages.

In my language for instance (i.e. Yoruba) we have a saying that goes as follows:

“Owe l’esin oro. Oro l’esin owe.”

Literal translation: Proverbs are the vehicles through which words are communicated. And words equally act as the medium through which proverbs are communicated.

Contextual translation: One cannot exist without the other. To speak and be properly understood, proverbs must play an integeral part of the communication process. Otherwise there would be a lot of lost meaning!

Therefore when a book not originally written in English is to be translated, those involved must keep this in mind. Especally if such text is in an African or Asian language. This is why it is always advisable to secure the services of a native speaker of the language in which a book is written.

Languages evolve over time. Therefore the person chosen to translate, must have a deep understanding of the language as it was used during the period the book’s author must have lived. Only that way are you sure of getting the most accurate interpretation of the text as the author really intended to communicate it.

The late Afrobeat music legend – Fela Anikulapo Kuti – once told an interviewer (regarding his preference for communicating in his native tongue):

“English is not expression. Expression is in all other languages all over Nigeria.”

And to illustrate, he reportedly said:

“If you don’t believe me, translate ‘Eku ile‘ to English.”

That Yoruba phrase “Eku ile” is used by household members who have been out, to greet others – especially older persons – they meet in the home when they arrive.

There is no word or phrase in English that can accurately convey the same contextual meaning to a native speaker. Not one.

And that’s why only a native speaker (or a fluent, and culturally assimilated non-native) can help a foreigner/non-native speaker fully capture the intended meaning of text written in an African or Asian language.

Having said the above, Bradley’s review remains an interesting and compelling read, that I recommend you make out time for. Click here to begin.

2. Copying Web Content Isn’t Flattery – It’s Plagiarism – By Debra Gould

Also read an interesting piece on one of my pet peeves: Web Content Theft. So much of it is happening online these days, so it’s always great to see people speaking out against it like this author does. Click here to read the full article.

3. 6 Badass Ways to Walk Away from a Fight– By Steve Silverman

On Friday, I wrote a post in the “Parenting” category titled “I Fought ‘Iron Mike Tyson’ in School – And Paid the Price!“. To end it, I felt it would be good to provide a reference or two that reinforced the point I was making. Especially for the benefit of impressionable kids. An excerpt from Steve Silverman’s “6 Badass Ways to Walk Away from a Fight” proved to be just perfect).

4. A St. Valentine’s Day Card on the Occasion of Women’s March Against Connubial Corruption – By Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka wrote a “First Ever” Valentine Message to the wife of Nigeria’s President i.e. Patience Jonathan. In it, he added his voice to those of the women condemning the proposed outrageous use of public funds for functions by a president’s spouse, not covered in the nation’s constitution.

Especially in these austere times, when millions can barely get food to eat! Soyinka called on wives of the leaders of all African nations not to entertain attempts to involve them in any such projects. Very powerful message, delivered in his usual articulate and straight-to-the-point manner. Click here to read Soyinka’s full message.

5. African Moms: Be Patient With Your Unmarried Daughters – By China Okasi (founder of Daily Mocha, and director of Women of Media)

And on a lighter, yet serious note, I read a seeming appeal by a high flying career woman of African descent for “African Moms” to be patient with their unmarried daughters.

Her core message is that African mothers, after having pushed their daughters to excel in their vocations, cannot now ask them to “pretend” to be less “smart”, in order to attract husbands. It’s an irony of life that presents a real dilemma for many successful African women today. Thought provoking piece! Click here to read the full article.

Read My First List of Recommended Blog Posts + Do “Speed Read” ?

Click here to learn how speed reading helps me get volumes of useful reading done. You’ll also get to read my maiden list of recommended blog posts published on 9th February 2013.

How To Make Money from Social Media (An Ex-Public Servant’s True Story)

When people say social media do not really work, I often tell them it’s up to every individual to make it work for his/her purposes. Technology was made for man. Not the other way round.

Nigeria’s former Federal Capital Territory minister, Nasir El Rufai’s smart use of popular social media to cost-effectively boost marketing and sales of his new book (“Accidental Public Servant”) is something many appear to have missed.

This article highlights useful lessons even the most accomplished social media practitioners can learn, from what El Rufai has done…and continues to do.

NB: I do not do flattery. Neither do I seek cheap publicity. When you’re done reading this piece, I’m certain you’ll see that the points I’ve made are valid.

Celebrities Can Make Financially Rewarding Use of Social Media – Without Looking Bad

I’ve often wondered about our celebrities and public figures, regarding their use of popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter especially. I mean musicians, actors, serving public officers, TV/radio personalities, and so on.

Many of the above mentioned have a large number of followers. But few can claim to have achieved the kinds of results El Rufai is currently getting via his Facebook posts and Twitter status updates .

I know they are not into business directly. But I argue that making the most of such followership can be quite worthwhile. You need not make it your life focus, but if/when the need arises, you should be able to use it to achieve your goal(s) faster.

Ironically, if you were to do this, your followers, rather than be offended, are most likely to welcome such efforts.

Nasir El-Rufai’s Ingenious Social Media Based Book Selling Campaign Strategy

El Rufai apparently understands all of the above quite clearly.

I elaborate…

1. Subtly Creating Anticipation Amongst Buyers

Recently, his long awaited book “Accidental Public Servant”, finally got launched.

Unlike what happens with others who’ve been in government, I did not hear that any big politician or public office holder bought copies of the book at the launching, for millions of naira.

Instead, leading up to that date, El Rufai who had spent months periodically talking up the book and its planned launching, actively announced the firmed up dates and outlets.

It is difficult to say whether the previous launch date postponements were inadvertent, or deliberately designed to raise anticipation and curiousity in the minds of the public.

Either way, the delayed release of the book served a powerful pre-marketing purpose. People were huingry to read the book before it arrived.

And when eventuially it hit the stands, El Rufai once again leveraged his social media clout. He actively shared comments, opinions and reviews done by others about the book.

Considering the dignified status of some of those who gave mostly positive reviews of the book, it goes without saying that more people would have been enticed to get copies for themselves.

2. Using Personal Branding To Inspire Purchases

El Rufai showed savvy when he announced via Twitter and Facebook that he would autograph purchased copies of his book for any interested buyers.

That drew the interest of many followers and others. “Imagine having a copy of the book personally signed by mallam himself, to show people?” they must have told themselves!

3. Courting Controversy In/With Style

Then there was the use of controversy to great effect. Each time he said something that could ruffle the feathers of those he criticized, they almost never let it pass without a sensational rejoinder of some sort.

Again, El Rufai simply retweeted and shared same to his followers, who did the same within their networks.

The multiplier effect was far reaching. Considering also that his book contained all sorts of unprecedented insider revelations, the attraction it holds for average Nigerians living at home and abroad can be appreciated.

So much buzz has been generated. And the word of mouth accounts have only served to feed the frenzy.

Virtually everyone who read or heard about the book’s excerpts suddenly wanted to own a copy.

Few spoke about borrowing or photocopying it. Even fewer asked to get it free. And these were the same people – Nigerians I mean – with a reputation for being averse to reading!

What’s more, El Rufai’s book is far from being a short read – and at approximately N5,000 to N9,000 (depending on physical print format) it cannot be said to be cheap, by Nigerian standards.

Yet Nigerians ask him daily on Twitter and Facebook:

“Mallam, I must read your book. Where can I buy it…?”.

And those who’ve read (or are still reading) it return to post or tweet:

“You did a good job in the book” etc.

Of course there have been those with negative feedback to give him. What is however surprising and certainly noteworthy is that he did so well in his social media marketing that even those who dislike him bought the book, then sent him their (expectedly) negative feedback after reading it!

One of them even wrote to say:

“I don’t like you, but I wish you quick recovery”.

This was after apparently reading that the mallam had undergone an operation and was recuperating!

A Marketing Model Worth Studying & Adopting

Isn’t it just amazing how this man has used social media to capture the attention and interest of such a naturally distracted group of people like Nigerians?

I actually find it to be quite a fascinating phenomenon!

It’s a model worthy of further study and possible emulation by other public officers currently in office, and even those no longer in service.

I further suggest public figures and celebrities interested in monetizing their social media presence, take pains to study El Rufai’s model (and possibly contact him for tips): seriously!

Final Words: Selling Smarter By Creating “Top of Mind Awareness”

I know some Nigerian celebrities already sell on social media. But the way El Rufai is doing it really stands out.

Most others are doing direct selling. They announce sales or events while simultaneously sharing fun stuff. For instance, some comedians have a tested and proven Facebook marketing model that apparently seems to have worked well for them.

El Rufai’s approach however is more subtle, and packs greater marketing punch, with longer lasting effects.

And it tends to be driven not by him, but by his target audience. They end up being the ones asking for it. He does very little telling, selling or showing. Quite often, he’s only responding to the enquiries.

And that’s because he’s successfully used his pre-marketing to create “Top of Mind Awareness” about the product he wants them to buy.

Everything about him draws their thoughts to his product, because he’s so closely connected to the topical socio-political issues on people’s minds.

El Rufai has played his cards just right, and now, his carefully orchestrated social media book marketing system continues to sell him and his book, even while he sleeps.

He’s certainly not like many past public office holders who keep thinking of ways to work themselves back into office to get more money.

This man seems headed for a life of quiet comfort based (at least in part) on passive income streams from sales of his book to enthusiastic (possibly frantic) buyers in Nigeria and the diaspora!

On a final note, El Rufai could not have done all this by himself.

He must have reliable access to some smart minds who helped put up – and possibly maintain – what we all see everyday. The books – print and electronic. The status updates etc.

To those silent contributors who helped create this impressive success story, one must say “Great Job – and more grease to your elbows!”

I Fought “Iron Mike Tyson” in School – and Paid The Price!

I’ve told ALL of my kids this story more than once, to make them appreciate the wisdom inherent in avoiding fights of any kind. Children need to be taught this as early as possible, so they know how to handle potential pressure from their peers to act macho. Apart from keeping them out of trouble, this attitude can help them avoid serious injury or possibly save their lives.

When Ignorance May Not Be Bliss

Martial arts students are taught that the person who can walk away from a fight actually displays superior strength, than one who is quick to engage in one. I believe it’s true.

Unfortunately, when I was 17, I did not know this truth. And I paid a painful price for my ignorance. Hopefully, others who read my story will learn from it.

It happened in early 1987. I was a first year A(i.e Advanced)-level science student in Federal Government College, Kaduna. Physics, Chemistry and Biology were the subjects I was studying.

I was on my way out of the dorm when I noticed a junior student carelessly toss a piece of paper on the clean floor. I called out to him and said “Hey, pick that up right now!”. The boy turned around, looked me over and said in an arrogant tone “Or what?” I replied “Or I’ll ensure you get punished for acting dirty and being  rude.

On hearing this, the boy simply laughed and began walking away. Angrily, I reached out and grabbed him on the shoulder from behind. At that moment I felt a hard and heavy finger tap me on the shoulder. I turned round to find myself looking up at the huge figure of Osahon (real name), who I’ve nicknamed “Mike Tyson” for his article.

Do you know that’s my little brother?” he snarled.

(His uniform showed he was a form five student, and therefore technically junior to me. But since I was still in my first year as an A-level student, most students didn’t know me.)

I replied “So what? I intend to see that he’s punished for his bad behavious.

Osahon’s counternance instantly changed and he said: “I just told you he’s my brother, and you’re still talking like that about him? You must be new around here, and I think I need to teach you a lesson.

I Get The Beating of My Life

Suddenly he raised huge fists, went into a deep crouch then lunged towards me – all in one smooth and swift motion. I was caught totally off guard. But to be honest, even if I’d been prepared, I doubt that I could have fared better.

I remember seeing multicolored stars slowly rising up before my eyes after he hit me with a left hook. Even as the pain went through my head, I could not help thinking “So the stars shown in Tom and Jerry cartoons are not exaggerations!”. I kid you not :-)

Before I could recover, “Tyson” followed up with a right. It was clear he had been trained to box. Had the vice-principal (who I later learnt was an ex-pro boxer) not come around by chance, and intervened, I’m convinced I would have been knocked unconscious.

Awonuga rushed at Osahon screaming “Hey, do you want to kill him? Can’t you see he’s no match for you, Osahon? Are you mad?

Mr. Awonuga had Osahon taken away for punishment, and asked me to report to the school clinic. I felt pains all over my face. What I did not know was that I looked far worse than I felt. After leaving the clinic, I obtained permission (since it was a Friday), to go and recuperate at my guardian’s place.

A Lesson Taught By a Wise Guardian

I’ll never forget the way Mr. Adeniran – my guardian – reacted when he saw my face. “What happened to you?” he exclaimed. I sat down, made a show of shaking my head in self-pity, and told him the whole story.

When I finished, he patted me on the back and said “Well, thank God the V.P came in when he did. That boy must get properly punished for what he did. Don’t worry. I’m going to see the V.P about this when I take you back. Let me get the cook to make you some food

After having my meal, I went to take my bath and for the first time got a good look in the mirror. I almost did not recognize myself! If you’ve ever seen a badly beaten boxer in a boxing ring before, with puffed up eyelids, lips etc, then you can imagine just what I looked like that day.

Looking at my bloated face, I suddenly understood why many of the students kept staring at me as I walked out of the compound that evening. I must have looked terrible. “Good. Osahon is going to get it. By the time Mr. Adeniran takes it up with the school authorities!” I thought to myself.

But I was in for another shock. On Sunday evening, my guardian dropped me off at school. Instead of coming down from his car (I’d assumed he intended to go in with me), he said “So, try and avoid getting into fights next time okay? If the other person refuses to listen simply report to the principal.” With a smile, he waved to me, and drove off: a lesson well delivered.

You Can Win Without Fighting!

 Like Sun Tzu says, you have to wait for the right opportunity. I went on to learn that lesson backwards, some months after I’d been beaten black and blue by Osahon.

By the time I completed my first year in that school, Osahon and his “gang” were among many students in the school who had come to regard me with respect and admiration. The main reason for this was that I had proven to be an asset to the school as a handballer.

I had played state level handball since I was twelve for Kwara state, winning a state wide age group competition with my school team in 1982, and getting called up to Kwara state camp for the 1985 National Sports Festival at  fifteen.

The first day I trained with the school team in Kaduna, my abilities on the court got me an instant first team spot on the school’s senior team.

But what really cemented my reputation was the work I did to build a junior team comprising eight handball novices over a few months. The senior team members kept mocking them, and saying they could never play well enough to win a match. I told the boys not to listen and encouraged them to train harder.

We worked hard even on weekends. Then when the jeering from my senior team colleagues became too much, I challenged them to a match with my team of juniors. They laughed themselves hoarse.

The junior boys looked at me in horror. I assured them they could do it. Some students heard about it, and told others. On the agreed day, the junior team outplayed the seniors (mainly due to the latter’s over confidence) and won by a single point.

That day, I felt the opposite of what I felt when I got beat up by Osahon. And it also occurred to me that if I’d been patient, I could have let Osahon’s brother go, and waited to use the above approach to gain recognition and leadership. Correcting wayward behaviour in any student would then have been much easier. And there would never have been a fight!

Below: Screenshot of an article excerpt that resonates perfectly with the above message.

The source article – by Steve Silverman – is aptly titled ““6 Badass Ways to Walk Away from a Fight”

Click to read 6 Badass Ways to Walk Away from a Fight

A Perfect Solution For Workplace Conflict

Every organization, regardless of its size will periodically experience conflict between and amongst the team members. The success or otherwise of that entity will depend greatly on how effectively it is able to handle such conflicts when they arise.
This article describes a time tested strategy successfully used by decision makers in a large corporate multinational, to ensure timely resolution of conflicts.

People Differ & May Therefore Not Always Agree

Most organizations assign employees to different departments or sections based on their experience level, skills set, qualifications and sometimes their development needs.

This implies that any point in time you may have people from very different backgrounds, and vocational dispositions having to work together.

Since human beings have different personalities, it is not unexpected that disagreements in the course of doing their jobs may arise. When they do, not everyone involved or affected will be prepared to be see things from the other person’s perspective.

As a result, over time issues raised may not get resolved.

One Example

Two line managers on the same management grade who disagree on how the factory operatives should be assigned duties could as a result grow to resent one another.

If not addressed, this interpersonal conflict could spill over and negatively affect the progress of the department as a whole.

For instance, one manager could work morning shift and passes instructions for an important process to be carried out according to his preferred method. If it happens that his counterpart takes over the next shift, he (or she) could choose to change those instructions to suit his (or her) preferred approach.

Depending on how sensitive the concerned operatrion is, time delays or errors in processing could occur as a result of the conflicting instructions passed to the men on the shop floor. And the department could consequently record a shortfall in output of finished product for the day, week or month.

It could even be worse.

For instance, if the line managers fail to manage their disagreements properly, the operatives working with them could detect they are not on the best of terms.

Mischievious ones amongst them could tactfully exploit the situation to their advantage e.g. by playing up negative aspects of the actions of one manager to the other one, with the intention of reaping favours from either or both sides! (I’ve seen this happen).

It is possible that at some point the other members of the team could begin taking sides with their bickering colleagues or superiors.

Suddenly, in one department, you would have two camps. And instead of working together to achieve their mutual objective as defined by top management, they could spend their time competing unnecessarily.

Top Management Needs To Be Alert To The Signs

Ironically, it can be quite difficult for people at the top to detect that this problem exists in a department or section in their company. Quite often, the conflicting reports and erratic performances (of what may have previously been a top performing unit) gets interpreted to be an individual’s laziness or lack of seriousness.

Experienced managers, patient and painstaking enough to carefully investigate the situation can however discover the root cause.

And when they do, if they are familiar with it, they will readily adopt the use of a “Work Out Session” to resolve the problem.

What a Work out Session Entails

Simply put, this is a meeting of ALL the members of a department, section, unit, plant or function, regardless of position, experience or age. Everyone of them is compelled to attend this meeting during which time all attendees will be free to voice whatever issues they have.

The convener of the meeting – often a superior who identified the root cause – or the department head who has been advised of the possible cause – will table the poor performance of the unit.

Her message will be that all attendees state what they believe to be the cause of the problem(s). All contributions will be listed on a white board or flip chart sheet. Then she will ask the group to proffer solutions to EACH one of the listed problems or issues, until the last is so treated.

Members who have differing opinions will be asked to voice them else it would be assumed they agree that the solutions proposed are workable. And by implication, they would be prepared to cooperate with other members of the team, as necessary, to implement them.

Final Words: Reaching Agreements & Taking Actions Based on Them

By the end of the meeting, any warring parties would have been made to discuss and resolve their differences.

A minutes taker would document detailed proceedings in writing, and print/circulate copies to every attendee. Special effort would be made to indicate specific actions agreed, and the individuals responsible for making them happen.

This document would be used by the meeting convener or the department head to follow up implementation of all the outstanding tasks relating to the action plan agreed.

Very rarely does this strategy fail to work, if all concerned are diligent and commited.

That’s why any company that uses it regularly is very likely to enjoy prolonged periods of zero (or minimal) conflict in its workplaces.

COMING SOON: Practical Guide to Commercial Rabbit Farming (PDF)

This new PDF report will become available for sale at www.lulu.com/sdaproducts from Tuesday 19 Feb 2013.

PRICE = N9,500

Table of Contents

1. Origin & History |

2. Breeding |

3. Housing |

4. Nutritional Requirements & Feeding |

5. Health Management |

6. Slaughtering |

7. Packaging |

8. By-Products Utilization |

9. Record Keeping |

10. Marketing |

11. Cooking Recipes |

Click to view larger cover image

Farm Biz Club Members pay N5,700 (40% off)

NB: You are a Farm Biz Ideas club member (and therefore get 40% lifetime discount on all products/services) if you’ve made purchases worth N8,000 or more in the past.

Order before Tuesday 19th February 2013 & get 12% off.

Email tayo at tksola dot com for details or clarification

Visit my Farm Business Ideas website for screenshots, videos, user guides of other products e.g the Feed Formulation Handbook and Software.

What Happens If/When You Run Out of Cash?

Has this ever happened to you before? Really? I don’t mean the situation where you know your salary will come next week and you run out this week, and have to borrow till you pay back when your salary comes through.

Nor do I mean a period when you lack cash and have friends bail you out once, after which things return to normal. What I’m talking about here is a situation where you run out of money, have no one to ask for it, and have run out of options of what you can do – or sell – to get money!

Selling Personal Assets Can Be Difficult…and Quite Painful

Incidentally, even trying to sell your personal assets is not easy. For those of you who own expensive assets like cars, VCD players, etc and who imagine you can get good prices for them if/when you need cash, let me give you a challenge.

Except you find someone at your income level/status who appreciates the value of the item you wish to sell (the item being still relatively new/in good condition might help to “up” the perceived value a bit), you will be amazed at the kinds of prices people you approach will offer. Try going out to find a buyer for any personal assetof reasonable value you have, and test my claim. You’ll see that I’m right.

I know this because I have been there too many times to count! I once patrolled the Ikeja computer village for close to 2 months (in 2003), almost daily, trying to find a buyer for a new CD writer I “unintelligently” bought – for N35,000 – few months after launching my new business.

You may not believe me, but I got offers as low as N5,000! (I should add that I often had to do this with my car’s fuel gauge “hovering” threateningly over the red, empty mark. In fact on 2 occasions, I ran out of fuel on the 3rd Mainland Bridge, while trying to squeeze in one extra client visit!).

Even when I got really desperate to sell at any price, buyer after buyer still withdrew, giving various reasons – some sensible, most ridiculous. This, even though I had the original receipt that proved the item was purchased from that same market!

Robert Kiyosaki wrote in one of his books that once a brand new car is driven out of the seller’s lot, it drops in 2nd –hand value by one-third of it’s original price. I agree one hundred per cent with him. And may I add that in Nigeria, I think the drop in value is even worse, and this applies to virtually ANY product you purchase!

What You Can Do

The chapter in James Cook’s book (Start-up Entrepreneur) titled ‘Winning Ways To Keep You Going” really kept me going at these times. His core message was: Lack of money can be a great test of your endurance. But if you refuse to give up – and keep believing that “all will be well” – things eventually improve.

Adding the lessons from that chapter to the wisdom on handling adversity in Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”, I was able to successfully weather the storms of that time, and came out stronger.

Many who met with me during the periods of “suffering” I refer to never even suspected that I was in such dire straits. The audience that listened to me at Corona Schools Trust Council could never have suspected I did not have ANY money on me when I came to deliver my 1 hour talk that day in May 2002, after which I was engaged to speak to staff in all their branches!

I even recall mentioning during my talk about how “you cannot tell when some people don’t have money on them, because they continue to act as confidently as they would, when they do have money!” They all laughed when I said that. What they did not know, was that I was doing exactly that right there and then, while speaking to them!

Someone once said “To become successful, pretend you already are!” Thanks to James Cook and Napoleon Hill for writing their books. They helped me understand that such suffering was the necessary ingredient to make me into the successful entrepreneur I wanted to become.

I’ll end by making this important clarification: I’ve not said here that “suffering” of the kind described above (or any kind at all) is an unavoidable requirement for success.

Instead, I’m suggesting that if you happen to be confronted with a similar situation, the ideas proposed above for making the most of it, could prove useful to you 😉

GRIT Will Help You Defeat Adversity

NB: According to my blog publishing schedule this post on Self-Development should have gone live today.

But I accidentally set the schedule date for yesterday. When I noticed it came online, I quickly unpublished it – and have now just put it back online today Wednesday 13th Feb 2013. Have a good read!

Introduction

Hunger and thirst have no respect for IQ, skills, certifications or other abilities one may have. No one  can survive them. Unless you’re a cyborg or robot. We only differ in terms of how long we can keep going. And that’s why having grit, or developing it can prove useful to you. Indeed, it could save your life! This true story emphatically illustrates the accuracy of the foregoing statement.

Village Assignment Shields Us from Serious Political Unrest

I experienced the need to depend on grit to survive severe physical and psychological trauma during my one year of compulsory National Youth Service in 1993, after graduating from the university.  It all happened in my place of primary assignment: Gulu Vatsa village, in Lapai local government area. Incidentally, I was posted there at my request. I wanted to visit my place of birth –New Bussa (Due to the way things turned out, I was not able to until I left).

There were four other youth corpers who served in the village with me – three guys and a young lady. Our stay in the village coincided with a period of historic sociopolitical unrest tha
t engulfed the country following the cancellation of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections.

At that time, except for occasional lorries bearing belongings of easterners fleeing the north, we saw nothing to indicate the seriousness of the matter. That is except for what we read in newspapers that arrived many days stale.

Things started out well, with all of us resuming teaching jobs in the village’s two schools. I taught mathematics and agriculture in both schools.

Our Monthly Stipends Stop Coming & Tough Times Begin!

However, some months into our stay, something strange happened. We discovered that our monthly stipends normally paid into our individual bank accounts stopped coming in. At first we thought it was just a delay. But the next month the same thing happened. By then we were all low on funds and getting worried.  

But it was difficult to find someone competent to ask. Back then mobile phone technology did not exist in Nigeria. The village lacked electricity access. It was not even connected to the national grid! And there were definitely no land phone lines – talk less of people who owned such devices. Transportation was a dicey matter. By 5 pm, the last car or bus would normally have left the village. Anyone with the intention of leaving would have to be willing to walk many kilometers in the middle of the night. Otherwise finding a place to sleep over till the next morning was always the only sane alternative.

That was not all. Potable water was also not readily available. A water plant reportedly donated by an international NGO had to be put on at specified intervals for villagers to fetch water for drinking and cooking. But petrol to power the generator was not always available.

So this was a real village in every sense. And like any other, living there was tough in certain respects, especially getting access to basic necessities.

The above is just to give you a background picture of the environment that prevailed during the time we had to endure being without money!

Back to Our Missing Monthly Stipend Palavar

In the third month or so, we contributed money so one of us could travel down to the local government headquarters in Lapai. He was to find out why our stipends were not getting to the bank at our end. We all waited with raised hopes. But he returned with no useful findings to report. We were devastated!

But it did not get all bad quickly. If we’d been in the city, things would have gotten painful much faster. The cost of living in the village was very low, as it was home to a tribe/ethnic group (Gwaris) renowned for their farming prowess.  Many farm products like yam and its processed products were thus cheaply available. This greatly helped to prevent little money we had left from running out quickly.

I regularly saw kids as little as 6 years old carrying massive hoes on their shoulders walking briskly to and from the farms daily. The women too. There was food to be had for little money.  

But We Eventually Ran Out – One by One.

The problem was we did not have even the needed little, due to our situation. The young lady amongst us had wisely come with a considerable amount of extra money.  It was her very first time outside Lagos in all of her life. She had nursed misgivings about living amongst people of a different tribe – and who practiced a different religious from hers.

But I’d told her I was born in New Bussa in Niger state. And that a few weeks earlier I’d been warmly welcomed into the Minna home of a friend’s parents on showing them a short note he gave me. “They’re good people” I assured her.  

On hearing that from me as a fellow tribesman, she’d relaxed. When the stipend problem began, she’d posted a letter to her fiancé in Lagos. A few weeks later he arrived to replenish her supplies. As you can imagine, she was not the only one who was happy to see him :-)

Making Ends Meet: I Begin Helping A Village Teacher Make 80m Long Ridges For N100 Per Ridge

It was inevitable that our lady friend would have to periodically bail us out with cooked meals – she was the closest we had to family. We moved in two’s and three’s most times. I cannot be sure how individuals amongst us catered for themselves when they were alone. However, we sometimes visited the homes of other teachers whose wives served us meals. Most of them had heard what happened, and they were most supportive and helpful.

When I exhausted the funds I had, I knew I had to find a way to earn income. Eating in people’s homes all the time was inexcusable. But it was my first time in a village. I did not know where to start.

One day, one of my students came to me with the idea of getting a piece of land. He suggested that I could plant cassava and sell the growing crop before the end of my stay to make some money.(I eventually gave it away for free when leaving)

I agreed and got down to work on it. The land was easily obtained just like he’d told me. At the end of the first day of work however, I realized I’d drained my energy. Since

I had no food at home, that night was terrible for me. My stomach rumbled non stop. I knew if I did not get some food of my own, there was no way I could keep working on my cassava farm.

One day, one of the village teachers showed up on the plot next to mine to work on his farm. After watching him for a while, it occurred to me that I could make some badly needed money by helping him make his ridges.

From the way he handled his massive hoe, it was obvious that he was quite skilled in its use. But I’d noticed that age was telling on him and making his progress difficult.

We discussed and he agreed to pay me N100 for each 80 metre long ridge that I made. I cannot recall how many I eventually made for him. But the first N100 I earned (less than a dollar – imagine that!) was enough to excite me because it afforded me an opportunity to actually go and buy a few foodstuffs that I could cook in my own room.

But what could N100 buy? Not much. And this was where I really learnt the lesson about having grit. All I could buy was white yam flour, palm oil, salt, onions and ground melon.

I bought a lot of the flour, which mixed with hot water turns into a thick white paste that can be rolled into balls.

It’s a popular meal called “Amala lafu” in my part of the country. But the stew I made was more of a tasteless concoction due to the limited ingredients. To me however, it was better than nothing. It felt good to be able to stay in and cook something I could eat on return from the school or farm. How I managed to swallow and keep that funny meal down remains a miracle to me till this day. I simply closed my eyes, and swallowed till I was full – urgh! It gave me the energy I needed to keep teaching long hours and working on the farm in my free time after I was done with the students.

I Pick Up a Foot Infection That Makes Walking A Nightmare

I continued working on the farm in my free time. I worked barefoot. One day, I cut my right foot on a sharp object. Thinking nothing of it, I let it dry off on it’s own once the blood clotted. Little did I know that I’d picked up a serious fungal infection.

And it was so rare and difficult to treat, that it took 6 months of referral from one consultant to another, to find someone who knew how to treat it successfully(i.e after I’d returned to Lagos).

One that would later make the dermatology deparment in the teaching hospital insist on using me as a subject in a medical class. They also made me wait so they could take a picture of my infected foot before my prescription was given to me. That’s how rare the infection was – so if you see any foot in a dermatology textbook out here discussing Tinea Paedis, it could just be mine :-)

Our Missing Payments Show Up!

Eventually, in the fourth month or so, the outstanding payments of our stipends were released in bulk into our accounts. I can no longer recall how the news got to us. Suffice to say that we were relieved.

But for us – especially me – one thing was clear. Having grit had helped me survive prolonged exposure to extreme physical and psychological hardship without suffering any trauma or other emotional setback – especially being my first experience of it.

Final Words: Get Coaching To Defeat Adversity

The above is just one of so many character forming life experiences that I’ve had. All of them have over the years equipped me to help others deal competently with adversity in their lives.

Be it prolonged delays, disappointments, setbacks or outright failure (which in my world we call Temporary Defeat”), I can help you.

Click the following link to learn more about my experience based coaching/consultation

Salespeople Succeed More Using THIS!

Does your company have salespeople? If YES, you’ll want to pass the ideas offered in this issue of my Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter to them. It doesn’t matter if you’re CEO or employee. This information can dramatically boost the sales performance of your company – no matter how small or big. As a member of the team, you have a duty to bring useful ideas to the attention of decision makers and others who can benefit.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ FULL ISSUE

No. 76: Salespeople Succeed More Using THIS!

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Publication: Tayo Solagbade’s Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Page (PSIP) Newsletter
Date: Monday 11th February 2013
No: 76
Title: Salespeople Succeed More Using THIS!
Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [234-803-302-1263]
Blog URL: http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/blog

Archive (For E-mail only version started 14th May 2012): Click here to view
Archive (For Blog version started 24th September 2011):
Click here

Hi,

Please find below the latest issue of my weekly Public Speaking Ideas page for 2013. 

SD Nuggets Blog

New posts from last week that may interest you!
Public Speaking
[Monday]:

Entrepreneurship [Tuesday]:

Self Development [Wednesday]:

Career Development [Thursday]:

Parenting [Friday]:

Writing/Blogging [Saturday]:
Want me to write for you? Click here…

 

Coming Soon

(In Video, Audio, And Also As A PowerPoint Slide show Presentation!)

Click to view larger screenshot - How African Experts and CEOs Can Use Public Speaking To Win Buyers and Save Money!

I’ll be sending out links to the video narrated version of the above presentation in a few weeks. It’s an Educational Commercial designed to help experts (sales/marketing experts, business executives, entrepreneurs etc) understand the tremendous promotional benefits of public speaking.

It features a special message from Burt Dubin, a renowned mentor of some of the world’s highest paid speakers. There’ll also be a video message from Claude Moller, a highly sought after conference speaker and coach, based in South Africa, who enjoys national and international level success that proves the ideas advocated in this presentation work.

Get Notified When It Goes Live – Click HERE!

 

No. 76: Salespeople Succeed More Using THIS!

**** **********
NB: If you ever find yourself wondering what else I’ve written, some days after you’ve read THIS Speaking Ideas newsletter I send out on a Monday, here’s what you can do to find out:
Point your browser to www.sdacademy.org to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule :-)
****
******

Does your company have salespeople? If YES, you’ll want to pass the ideas offered in this issue of my Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter to them. It doesn’t matter if you’re CEO or employee. This information can dramatically boost the sales performance of your company – no matter how small or big. As a member of the team, you have a duty to bring useful ideas to the attention of decision makers and others who can benefit.

Any Sales/Marketing System, No Matter How Powerful, Will Still Require You To Do Some Work!

Many business owners I developed Web Marketing Systems (WMS) for over the past five years had sales/marketing "units" or teams. Some were medium sized hotel owners, other ran restaurant and bar operations – sometimes with small lodgings. Some were into real estate.

Then there were those who dealt in physical products, which they either made themselves or resold as major distributors e.g. in building, security and information technology industries.

Whenever I was with them, I tried to point out that having the WMS in place was just the first step. Working it or making it work for you is an even more important step. Even if you purchase a "system" from the world’s best expert, without putting it to use in the recommended manner, you’re highly unlikely to get any useful returns for the long term.

I reminded them that the WMS could enhance their ability to generate a regular inflow of sales leads, through both online and offline channels. However, it had to be used in conjunction with other sales and marketing strategies, if it was to work well.

For instance, the sales and marketing personnel ALL had to understand how it worked, and actively use it in the sales process when interacting with prospects and clients. This was where I often found a major problem lurked.

Poor Understanding of the Sales Process Can Be Fatal

I discovered that some of these CEOs had major difficulty managing their sales personnel. This was due more to a lack of understanding of HOW to do it, and not that they did not try or were not willing. Problems like absenteeism, or poor daily work rate in finding and following up quality leads came up.

Interestingly, some even tried to get me involved in managing that headache for them – while I was working on their projects. Of course, since that was way out of the scope of work agreed with me (and my subtle probing indicated they were not prepared to pay for it), I always tactfully avoided falling into the trap :-)

They and their employees lacked basic understanding of the sales process. Pre-qualifying prospects so as to screen out potential time wasters was alien to them. They also had no standard procedures for following up with potential clients or customers.

This often led to frustrating weekly sales meeting sessions. Blame trading and outright accusations of laziness, incompetence – even sabotage! – by the CEOs against some under performing sales personnel periodically occurred.

I had the opportunity to observe a lot of the above happen back then, because I used to work on site at the time. A very useful experience, through which I gained deep insight into why some clients struggled to make their WMS work optimally for them.

(You Or) Your Sales Team Can Succeed MORE By…

Getting your offer PHYSICALLY in front of as many potential buyers as possible – at the same time.

You need a cheaper way to get the attention of MORE people. This will help you cut down the cost of selling.

It could be said that the Internet does this by putting you in front of a global audience. However, for best results, one cannot depend exclusively on the web. Then there’s also the need to make the most of your local environment by using more targeted offline efforts.

In other words, a more direct strategy – complemented where possible using the web – CAN yield more profitable, and sustainable rewards.

One proven way is to get your sales people in front of groups of people who are potential customers and/or who have access to large numbers of people fitting that description.

Rather than contacting individuals likely to need your products/services, identify groups of influential/trusted individuals and organisations through whom you can reach your target customers.

Then get them to agree to have you/your sales personnel deliver an educational talk to them about how recommending your products/services can actually help them deliver better value to their contacts and clients (many of whom you’ve identified to be potential buyers).

Yes – it’s the use of Public Speaking in a very deliberate manner, to generate direct sales leads and referrals through a group of influencers. If you’ve been reading my write ups on public speaking for a while, you’ll know that I strongly recommend this approach.

It’s beauty lies in the near unlimited variety of ways in which it can be put to use. Each business owner only needs to be prepared to do the thinking and planning to make it happen. And if you’re not sure HOW, getting the help of a mentor can prove beneficial to you.

The CEOs I referred to above did not have any formal sales system in place that their sales people were trained to follow.

Like I said earlier, they did not even understand the sales process, and what to do at each stage of that process. This led to an often haphazard approach to selling. And it was difficult to identify where each person was with respect to a particular prospect.

How To Say What You NEED To Say When You Get in Front of Groups of Potential Buyers

Putting the public speaking strategy to use as explained above will require settling on a formal system for doing things. You’ll have to decide what happens first, and then the next step and so on.

For instance, your sales personnel could initiate contact with decision makers and agree a date for the talk (which would have been prepared before hand in form of a generic content white paper).

But how will you – or your sales person – say what needs to be said, in a way that ensures your audience does what YOU want them to do?

You’re not looking for applause. You and your team want those who hear you speak to ask for more details about how your products and services can help them. But even more importantly, because they have access to MORE people who fit your target audience profile, you want them to go telling those others about what you offer.

This is where the (possible) need for you to get Public Speaking Mentoring comes in.

Your sales people (and you) must develop effective public speaking skills. Note here that we’re not necessarily talking "Motivational" style speaking here – even though a speech can have elements of that.

Download now - Not ALL Speakers Are Motivational Speakers (Introduction to Public Speaking for Business Marketing)

Instead, I refer to an expert speech designed to convince your audience that what you offer can help them get what they want, better than what any other person may offer them.

You can learn public speaking through self-study, by joining toastmasters or with the help of a mentor who understands how to use public speaking for business marketing.

You need to develop the confidence and competence to communicate your message effectively to groups of potential buyers and influencers like those mentioned above.

There’s a lot involved in making the above work for you. And the process employed will vary from business to business. Learning public speaking is just an aspect. You’ll also need to develop a strategy for creating the opportunities your salespeople need to speak.

Burt Dubin, Brian Tracy, Robert Kiyosaki, the late gurus: Zig Ziglar and Jim Rohn, and many other expert speakers who succeeded in business, mostly started out as Champion Salesmen.

They knew how to use their public speaking skills to create selling opportunities. Not just in one-on-one situations. But even more often through addressing large groups of people at once via seminars, workshops and other such events.

Today, a review of their businesses reveals that they (or those who carry on for them) continue to use public speaking in conjunction with web marketing, to cost-effectively promote their businesses to their preferred audiences.

If you can develop a workable system for your sales people to use, based on the above ideas, your company’s ability to generate regular sales leads and earn more revenue will be greatly enhanced.

Need More Details of How to Make The Above Ideas Work for YOUR Company?

If you need more specific details of how to make use of the ideas I’ve shared in this newsletter, call me on 234-803-302-1263 or email tayo at tksola dot com.

Alternatively, send me a message using this request form (with "Re: PSBM enquiry" in the subject line).

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Have a lovely week!

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

Mobile: 234-803-302-1263

http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

Tayo Solagbade is a Performance Improvement Specialist & multipreneur. He works with individuals/businesses who want to achieve highly profitable outcomes, and also with parents who want to raise real-world competent children.

Tayo earns multiple streams of income providing clients with performance improvement training/coaching, custom MS Excel-VB solutions, web marketing systems, freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners).

When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).
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Have you been undecided about whether or not to become a paid speaker? Or have you been trying to get your speaking career off the ground with little success?

Here’s a tip: Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him.

Comments?

What do you think of the above message? Do you have any personal experience to share on this subject? Are there some other points you feel can be added, to help persons looking for answers? Please share your thoughts!

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What fears or doubts are keeping you from (a) taking up Burt Dubin’s monthly speaker mentoring, or (b) buying his products?

You can choose to purchase Burt’s mentoring at any of the three (3) levels listed below:

1. Top Shelf [Click here] | 2. Mid Range [Click here] | 3. Budget Delight [Click here]

Burt’s three mentoring packages can be likened to the seating options offered by airlines: Budget Delight (Economy); Mid Range (Business); and Top Shelf (First Class).

At least that’s how I like to think of them!

All three will get you to your desired destination of "speaking success-ville" – so long as you meet the requirements/play your part well (your fare, abide by the set guidelines etc). During the "flight", the seat you have will determine how much personal service attention and preference the provider will accord you. It’s that simple :-)

So, make your choice:1. Top Shelf [Click here] | 2. Mid Range [Click here] | 3. Budget Delight [Click here]

Send me an e-mail with your questions via tayo at tksola dot com. In the meantime, why not get started by subscribing here to get his 7-Part Course (How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker) .  . . and receive his monthly newsletter (Speaking Biz Strategies Letter) at no cost.

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My Recommended Blog Posts For Week Ending Saturday 9th Feb 2013

It’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally settled on what I believe will be a sustainable way to share links to stuff I read and find useful online. So, every Saturday (starting today), I’ll publish a post that lists (and links) blog posts I’ve read, which I recommend to others.

Do You "Speed Read" ?

By way of interest, I do a lot of reading. Both online and off the net. It’s important to keep abreast of issues and developments in one’s areas of focus and interest. Thankfully, my use of speed reading techniques advocated by Tony Buzan helps me plough through many write ups daily, without sacrificing comprehension.

Which reminds me: Speed Reading can help you boost your personal productivity many times over – especially if you have to read a lot (like most writers/bloggers do). So if you don’t do it yet, you might want to learn: Googling "learn Speed Reading" could be a good way to get started!

My Recommended Blog Posts For Week Ending Saturday 9th Feb 2013

Below are brief previews and links to blog posts/articles I read online this week, and found compelling enough to recommend for others to read. Remember to apply due diligence before putting any ideas to use for yourself :-)

1. Putting a Stop to Abusive Client Behaviour (7 Part Series) – By John Tabita

Like I always say, this is a subject I feel strongly about. Service providers are so prone to getting abused. And my personal experiences as a multi skilled service provider emphatically confirm it. After being subjected to a number of less-than-dignifying experiences, I began devising strategies to protect myself. And I succeeded.

Then I realised I needed to share my insights with others – because I kept running into colleagues who felt they had no choice but to accept the bad treatment. So, in 2006, I wrote my first piece on the above theme in form of an article titled "The Customer Will NOT Always Be Right: Don’t Be A Victim Of Entrepreneur Abuse™!"

Since then I’ve written a number of other pieces. 2 years ago or so, I discovered John Tabita’s comprehensive series on this theme. In them, I found validation for the opinions I’d expressed in my own articles, which not a few people out here had questioned (not that I’d listened to any of them!).

As you’ll find from reading John Tabita’s powerful series, it’s imperative that you stop letting clients walk all over you, if you want to earn their respect as a professional, and ultimately make tangible progress in your business.

2. Do You Refuse To Work for New Clients? – By James Chartrand

This piece about relating with clients also resonated with me – but in a different way from the one above. James reminds us of the need to act with honour and integrity in dealing with clients.

Even when there’s money to be made, we must ask ourselves if the client will get equivalent value for her investment. Some people feel they don’t owe a client the duty of telling her not to waste money on a project. I believe James is right: we do. Click here to read it.

3. This Deadly Mistake Cost Me a Five Figure Client – By Bamidele Oni

I think it’s safe to say that many people already know Bamidele Oni to be a teenage Guest Blogging expert. He’s proved his mettle by getting his guest posts repeatedly published on some of the most prominent blogs on the web.

That’s why when he writes a post about blogging, guest blogging or handling blogging clients, many people pay attention.

This young man, despite his success still remains humble enough to admit that he makes mistakes. In this article, he shares insights gained from one such instance that cost him a potentially profitable client project. Click here to read it.

4. The Guest Blogging Fails: Again (Video + Infographic) – By Ann Smarty

I’m preparing myself to give guest blogging outside the Farm Business industry another go. Last time out, I only tried three pitches (which were rejected) before I decided I still had a lot to learn.

I felt if I had to send anything to another blog owner’s mail box, I had to make sure I understood how to do it right. And this is why every time I see a write up that offers ideas on how to Guest Blog, I never fail to give it a good read (and re-read if need be).

The infographic created by Ann Smarty really helps to drive home the points she makes in her excellent article. Read it here.

”Spammy

5. The Top Ten Mistakes Writers Make When Self Publishing a Book – By Guy Kawasaki

Everybody knows Guy Kawasaki. In this article (written last month) published on Digital Book World, he offers "a list of Do’s and Don’t’s" for people like us, who (may) use self-publishing to get our books into the marketplace. Read it here.

A Lulu.com blog post (through which I actually found Guy’s article) also offers about 4 additional tips – following from Guy’s piece. Click here to read the Lulu.com blog post.

6. 3 Honest Ways to Raise Startup Money – Entrepreneur.com

During the week – on Tuesday to be exact – I published a post titled 3 Ways to Quickly Raise Money. When 2 days later I came across a post titled 3 Honest Ways to Raise Startup Money on Entrepeneur.com, I was naturally drawn to read it. And afterwards, I knew I wanted to share it :-)

7. Outreach Letters for Link Building [Real Examples] – By Peter Attia

Like I said, I’m constantly looking to learn as much as I can about how to succeed with guest posting. The use of Outreach Letters as a means of pitching guest post ideas is discussed by Peter Attia in a post on the Daily SEO Blog. One thing I (and 80 others who commented on the post) liked about the post was his use of real life examples of letters he had sent out. He also discussed other strategies he employed to achieve success. Very informative and useful piece. Read it here.