Archive
New Testimonial from Alan Weiss
Thankful to Alan Weiss for this new testimonial…
© 2-13 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Consulting seminar
I will be speaking tomorrow at the Lake Washington chapter of Biz Enrich in Mercer Island. The topic is how to create a value-based consulting proposal. It will be a highly interactive session tomorrow. I’m looking forward to seeing all my friends from Biz Enrich again.
Copyright 2013. Dan Weedin. All rights reserved
More…
This is a 5 and a half minute speech I gave as part of a Toastmasters demonstration at my Rotary Club last week. Here is what you can take away from it…
1. Public speaking can not only be effective for your business, but fun for you. You just need to practice, learn techniques and strategies, and gain “Stage Time” (courtesy of my pal, Darren LaCroix).
2. Humor is powerful if used correctly. Humor makes people laugh and listen. It evokes emotion and caring. And, it reduces anxiety and tension. You can effectively use humor in any business presentation, especially if it’s self-deprecating.
3. Record when you speak and put it on your You Tube channel. Get your message out to a broad audience so you can improve the condition of more people.
I hope you enjoy More…
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Experience Weedin project Debuts on Friday with Pubic Speaking
The Experience Weedin Project kicks off on Friday with a one-hour webinar on how to gain new clients and revenue from public speaking. Here is the what you have to look forward to…
January 18th – Public Speaking to Build Your Brand and Grow Your Income
Speaking directly to buyers is the single most effective way to generate new business outside of strong referrals. Think of how dramatic that growth could be if you maximize your talents and speak with tremendous skill! This session will dissect how to be a dynamic speaker; how to properly use slides and other visuals; how to use personal stories and humor effectively; how to get paid to speak; and how to generate business from your audience.
In the agenda:
- Why speaking should be an integral part of your marketing for any consultant, executive coach, or entrepreneur
- How to effectively write and practice a speech to inspire an audience
- Slide Rules: How to turn dull into dynamic with slides
- Best Practices
- How to market to gain opportunities
- Getting paid to speak
If you do any speaking for business – including not for profit executives – you should be on this webinar. This program alone will return your investment on the series. Don’t delay, register TODAY.
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Why Business Plans Fail or How to GPS Your Way to Success in 2013
Your Secret Sauce to Success
Tis’ the season to make plans. Business plans and strategies abound when the calendar turns to a new year.
Resolutions – both business and personal – are made with great intentions. And most are doomed to fail. Why? Because business plans are over-rated. They fail because you might just hit it.
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you are in. My advice to you is to eschew a business plan and create a powerful marketing plan. Having a business plan without a strategy on how you’re going to bring business in is like taking off for a secluded vacation getaway without a GPS, a map, or a Boy Scout compass. You might end up getting there, but it took you longer and wasted more of your valuable time.
Here is your GPS to success for next year (Just imagine my voice imploring you to recalculate when you go off track. I think many of my coaching and mentoring clients can relate!)…
- Determine how you improve the condition of others. What is the value you bring? What sets you apart from your competition? If you can’t sum it up in your own words, ask your best clients. Find out why they do business with you. Two things happen. First, you learn why people do business with you. Second, they remind themselves why they should continue to work with you!
- Who is your target market? Are there new audiences you should be reaching? How do you get yourself and your brand in front of them?
- Put referrals on the top of your list. Most businesses get referrals, but do a poor job of asking for them. Develop a system and language for your sales professionals (and you) to mine for gold. Asking for referrals is not difficult once you know how. Make it a priority.
- Create your own intellectual property. That means webinars, teleconferences, articles, columns, blogs, and podcasts. Create new services, products, and offerings. Become an object of interest.
- Stop wasting time and money on tactics that aren’t working. Does anybody even own a phone book anymore? Find out where people hear about you and go there.
- Find ways to speak publicly. You aren’t there to “pitch.” However, if your presentation is deemed as valuable then you will get opportunities to speak. The thundering herd of people approaching you afterwards to talk to you is your sign that people might like to hire you.
- Be better at following up. We have all been guilty of getting great leads and then letting them slip through the cracks. Set up a system that doesn’t allow that to happen.
- Set metrics and review data to see what is working and find out why. If it isn’t working, adjust and re-try. If it still isn’t working, stop. If it is working, rinse and repeat.
- Be shameless in your promotion.
I recently heard a colleague and friend of mine, Alex Goldfayn proclaim, “Marketing is no place for modesty.” He is absolutely correct. If you provide a great value through your services or products, you should be telling the whole world. If you genuinely believe that you are improving the condition and lives of others, then not aggressively tooting your own horn is actually selfish. You have great value; believe in yourself first.
Bottom line – ditch the business plan and create a powerful marketing plan. A marketing plan that works well will ultimately blow away anything your business plan would have set as a goal.
Take a left at the next light. You have reached your destination…
Here is hoping all of you slide in under the tag in 2013!
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Announcing Alan Weiss Visit to the Pacific Northwest!
My professional mentor, Alan Weiss, will be conducting one of his Almost Free events here in Seattle on May 2nd. Registration is now online and ready to roll! Register by clicking here
Alan is the author of well over 40 books related to solo practitioner consulting, most notably Million Dollar Consulting. His events are full of tremendous value for consultants. Here is a sneak peak of what you will walk away from this “almost fee” event with…
Whether you are beginning in the profession or a veteran needing a boost, you’ll find a fast-paced, entertaining, and pragmatic session that will include:
- Finding buyers in times of volatility.
- Framing buyers’ issues quickly.
- Isolating your highest potential constituency and achieving high penetration.
- Creating a fast track to your highest fees for clients.
- Improving self-esteem.
- Improving use of time.
- Overcoming the four primary objections.
- Improving the “language of the sale.”
- Creating “bullet proof” proposals, based on my new book Million Dollar Proposals.
To register and reserve your spot, click here. The events I’ve gone to in Boston and Los Angeles have sold out. Space is limited, so don’t delay. Your investment of $125 will be returned to you exponentially. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Professional Growth Opportunities in 2013…the Clock is ticking!
This is your friendly reminder about a ton of great opportunities for you to jump into 2013 at full speed. There are multiple opportunities for you to increase your income, reduce your labor intensity, and enrich your life. How can you pass that up?
Here is the list, and I’ve checked it twice! All nice – no naughties!
FREE Teleconference – 50 Ways to Call Your Mentor
Join Fellow Master Mentor Robbie Baxter and me as we help you learn how to maximize the value of being coached or mentored. You’ve invested your time and money; you might as well get all you can out of your relationship with your mentor. Find out how in this 60-minute teleconference.
http://baxterweedin.eventbrite.com/#
FREE Teleconference – Thought Leadership Strategies with Alan Weiss
Join me as I interview Million Dollar Consulting™ author, Alan Weiss. He will offer you strategies and techniques to move you to being the thought leader in your industry. This is a “can’t miss” opportunity to hear THE thought leader in solo consulting, speaking, and mentoring.
http://weedinonconsulting1.eventbrite.com/#
The Experience Weedin Project
Drive your business into warp speed to start 2013! You will get four unique webinars on crucial issues related with growing your business. The one-hour webinars will focus on helping you dramatically improve your speaking, writing, language, and intellectual property creation. Discounts before the end of the year apply.
http://weedin360.com/experience-weedin-project
Insuring Success Video Series
For the savvy insurance professionals! Get this 50-episode video series that begins on January 18th. These are 5-minute, hard-hitting, value laden videos to help you grow your book of business; work more efficiently and enjoy life more. $200 for the entire series prior to the end of the year. The ROI on this is HUGE!
http://insuringsuccessblog.com/insuring-success-video-series
Libby & Dan 2013
We are back! Million Dollar Consultant Hall of Famers Libby Wagner and Dan Weedin combine to give you double the value in an almost free event. This was a popular event (twice) in 2012. We are back with new strategies and techniques to boost your business. Space is limited for this dynamic event. We even buy you lunch! Register today!
http://nwconsultantmentorsfeb2013.eventbrite.com/#
Note – Libby and I are working on bringing Alan to Seattle. We will be breaking that news soon. Stay tuned!
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Breaking News / Libby & Dan back in 2013
The next Libby & Dan scheduled for February 7th in Seattle. Save the date! Your investment is only $99. Details and registration coming this week. Stay tuned!
Guest Blog: Generate High Quality Business with a Potent Online Presence
Occasionally, I offer opportunities for guests to contribute an article to my blog. This is such an occasion. My guest today is Jonathan Roehm. Jonathan is an expert in web design and works almost primarily with consultants on creating their web sites. He is a member in my consulting community and is a really bright and creative guy. I’m happy to offer this article to you. If you have questions, contact Jonathan.
Your website and online presence is your ambassador. Buyers are constantly vetting you. They may have received your name from a trusted colleague, or attended / hosted a workshop or keynote. Ultimately, your buyers must implicitly trust you, immediately understand your unique nuance and value, and believe, without a doubt, that they will be transformed by working together. All of this happens in 30 seconds or less — and 90% of the time it happens on the homepage of your website.
Is your website, homepage, and online presence inspiring your buyer to do business with you? Do you pass the 30 second “must do business” challenge? We see consultant websites as destination websites. Specifically, buyers coming to your website are vetting you to ensure there’s an identifiable match for their needs; they are not serendipitously finding you on Google.
After years of working with consultants like you, we know that your economic buyers care most about five interconnected things:
1) Everything they’ve seen and heard from you or about you is true and easily verifiable.
2) They can quickly distinguish your unique expertise and personality (they are hiring you!) from other consultants in your arena.
3) You’re exceptionally qualified to aid their organization and improve their condition.
4) You generate verifiable results that align with their needs.
5) Your past and current clients are of relative caliber and quality as their organization.
All of this should be accomplished in rapid succession, ideally as inspired “ah ha” moments for your buyers. They are hiring you, and that process is every bit as ego driven as it is intellectual. We help you strut your person, testimonials, client results, value proposition and more with gusto. Learn more at www.heatbrain.com
Free Teleconference – My Interview with Alan Weiss on Thought Leadership
Join me for this power-packed teleconference with my special guest, Alan Weiss. The topic of my interview is fundamentals around thought leadership for as an expert in your field. Alan will offer insight and suggestions on how to quickly and powerfully position yourself as a thought leader to attain greater brand credibility, and to drive business to you.
January 29, 2013 – 8:00-8:30 AM (Pacific)
Register (Space limited to 100 participants)
Alan is the author of Million Dollar Consulting, The Consultant’s Bible, and another 46 books on solo consulting. His mentor community numbers well over 1,000 consultants worldwide. He is “One of the most highly respected independent consultants in the country,” according to the New York Post. His weekly Common Sense Consulting video series is nearing 1,000 subscribers.
Dan Weedin is one of less than 40 consultants in the world accredited as one of Alan’s “Master Mentors.” He founded his consulting practice in 2005, helping business owners and organizations dramatically improve their ability to avoid, mitigate, and respond to crisis. He has been a Master Mentor since 2010. He was recently inducted into the Million Dollar Consultant Hall of Fame by Alan Weiss.
This 20-minute teleconference will be free to attend, but space is limited to 100 people. You must register to save your “seat.” All registered participants will be entered in a drawing for a free 30-minute phone/Skype coaching session from Dan Weedin.
