HOW MUCH IS “IF” WORTH?

I thought this was valuable information from Douglas Kolker who has graciously allowed me to reprint it. I hope it is as thought-provoking for you as it is for me. –Andrea Michaels

Have you stopped to think just how much the word "IF" is worth? Judging by the way so many salespeople talk, it must be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example: "If I had only gotten there sooner . . . ," "If our prices were only more competitive . . .," "If the economy wasn't so volatile . . . ," "If the competition wasn't so stiff . . . ," "If the timing was better . . . ," "If I only had a bigger territory . . . ," "If only they would return my calls . . . ." The list is endless.

"IF" appears to account for more missed opportunities than one could imagine. The professional salesperson can't and wouldn't blame a missed sale on any of the above "IF" conditions. A more likely set of "IFs" would be, "If I had only planned more specifically what I wanted to accomplish on this call . . .," "If I had set the agenda for the meeting with my prospect up-front . . .," "If I had only discussed all the money issues with my prospect earlier in the selling process . . .," "If I had determined who all the decision makers are and gotten them involved before I presented anything . . .," "If I had uncovered my prospects' real reasons for buying, not my reasons for selling before I presented anything . . ." "If I had taken the time to listen to what my prospect was telling me, rather than being so concerned about what I wanted to tell him." This list too can be very lengthy.

The most important "IF" is: "If I would only take responsibility for my actions, then I would understand that sometimes the results will be unfavorable, but in the long run I will be better off. I will be in control, my confidence and self-esteem will grow, my knowledge will expand, I will gain new courage, my sales will improve, and I will be looked upon as a true professional." 

Yes, "IF" is worth a great deal of money. Whether that money is in your bank account or someone else's will be determined by the way in which you look at "IFs." Are they externalized excuses over which you supposedly have no control, or are they internal conditions over which you have an absolute control? Be careful how you answer. Remember, it's worth a lot of money!

Douglas Kolker is President of Sandler Training based in Van Nuys, California. To find out more about what Sandler Training can do and how they can help you, call 818-995-7197, or contact them on the Web at http://www.douglaskolker.sandler.com/requestinfo.

Andrea Michaels is founder and president of Extraordinary Events, a multi-award-winning international event agency based in Los Angeles. Andrea is the author of Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life and an in-demand speaker and leading voice in the special events industry. She may be reached via amichaels@extraordinaryevents.net.

The F Word and Its Implications

Failure. To me a hateful word. And one that has far too much influence over people. So here’s how I look at it …. if you’re interested, and I hope you are.

You didn’t win an account. You got a bad grade in school. Your relationship ended. Was that “failure” or were you just not successful? I hope you see the difference. In one instance, all hopes are dashed. Your failure meant that you were less than adequate. How can you possibly move on?

On the other hand you didn’t succeed … at one thing. Well no one succeeds at everything, do they? So with that mind set, it’s easy to move on and even easier to feel better about yourself. You didn’t win one account, but you can go on to win another one. You got a bad grade, so you choose to study harder to get a good one.

Wouldn’t it be better to look at “failure” as an opportunity? Let me give you a concrete example. You’ve worked to win a new account. It has been time consuming; you’ve had multiple meetings; you’ve invested in lengthy detailed proposals, renderings, multiple site visits; and you didn’t win the business. Was it a “failure”? The first thing you need to know is “why.” Often times it is because your client had a relationship with another bidder, and that relationship superseded your attempts. It happens often, and it probably happens to your competitors when you have had the long time relationship, right?

There are two possible scenarios. You can bemoan the time and money spent or you can go back to that client and get some useful information. If the client appreciated your efforts and liked your proposal, then you can ask, “What else could we have done to have won your business this time and what else could we do to win it in the future?” That “what else?” question is a mandatory one and might lead to some interesting and informative results. Better yet, if it is a large enterprise, “Who else in your company could you refer me to?” Along with … wait for it….”would you be willing to extend a personal introduction to that person(s)?”

Now take this a step further. Did you really need to invest all of that time and money or was there a point where common sense starting telling you that you were chasing after something you couldn’t catch? And if so, would you have had better results taking that time and money and investing both into more clients with better prospects for you?

So wipe “failure” out of your vocabulary.

And here’s another one: “Try”… what the heck does that word really mean? I had a dear friend once who whenever I asked a question of him would respond, “I’ll try.” I learned that meant “I’ll do nothing.” When I questioned why he used the word, “try,” he said, “If I only try, then I can’t fail.” 

Ah, back to that word again.

I like the Nike approach much better. “Just do it!” How much of a message would they have conveyed if their platform had been, “Just try to do it!”?

What examples can you think of where you thought of “failure” as the outcome? Or how often do you give out the message, “I’ll try,” instead of, “I will”?

Andrea Michaels is the founder and president of Extraordinary Events, a multi-award-winning, international event agency based in Los Angeles. To learn more about EE, visit www.extraordinaryevents.net. To contact Andrea, email her at amichaels@extraordinaryevents.net.

What's the Big Idea!

I have had the pleasure to be exposed first hand to Ian’s creative genius and also his amazing capacity to sell the big idea. I am grateful that he shared some insights along with his infamous sense of humor and wordsmithing. –Andrea Michaels

-By Ian Seeberg
 It's fair to say those in the production end of corporate events have highly specialized skill sets. Who else routinely takes the most prosaic of corporate messaging, funnels it through state of the art technologies and ... SHAZAM!!  ... out it comes, projected onto screens as something visually exciting and memorable? Who else fills hotel ballrooms around the world with catchy event themes and bold logos with matching luggage tags or crafts media pieces capable of kick starting the emotional engine of audiences? Who envisions mega-watt entrances for CEOs to descend god-like to the stage? Reveals product lines with processionals of caparisoned elephants pulling.... 

Well ... you get the idea. We conceive of cool motivational stuff that also manages to be remarkably relevant to business. Death-defying feats of corporate showmanship that, in my humble opinion, qualify us as nothing less than incredibly creative peeps! Superior beings endowed with industrial-strength cleverness!  Communication visionaries capable of leaping national sales meeting in a single bound!

So then, with all that inimitable creativity and stagecraft up our sleeves,  why do so many of our absolutely awesome, total genius, 'A' material, 'big ideas' never see the light of day? Budgetary considerations aside, why do so many brilliant concepts lose out to a video starring the guy down in accounting?   

If you've ever thrown caution to the wind, pitched the "...holographic, 3D dancing homage to supply chains!" proposal and the other end of the conference table appeared lost at sea, you know the answer.  The void between our creative inventiveness and the ability of some clients to grasp creative invention can seem as vast a distance as here to the Crab Nebula.

Seeing things conceptually is something many simply are not trained to do. Much like me believing all annual reports are written in Southern Latvian. And, even acknowledging our innate ability to bring powerful corporate magic to life, the prospect of conjuring up something different, no matter its potential for greatness, still leaves many executives feeling they're suddenly working without a net. 

We shouldn't stop proposing innovative, groundbreaking shows but we should think about how to reach a happy middle ground in order to actually sell them. Or presenting them in such a way that we are teaching our client how to be more creative and innovative. Having been fortunate enough to create full book, stage musicals, comedic corporate films and large-scale spectaculars, I know it can be done. Here's a few lessons I learned.       

Try Not to Scare Anyone

Clients inviting us to 'think out of the box' is something of a mixed blessing. Sensing creative freedom, our brains immediately soar away to transformational moments "... and then suddenly, an alien spacecraft lands in the audience bringing spectacular sales results back from the future!"  While in truth, the client may be envisioning something a bit less radical like putting the Power Point graphics into italics.

Companies don't easily transition from zero to two-hundred miles an hour. Temper the big idea. Creative baby steps. Little by little, show after show, adding a few small elements each time foments a comfort level of trust.

Anticipate the Unexpected   

Early in my career I was hired to compose a prestigious film score, but the client wasn't loving the script concept. To keep the job alive, I came up with  a scenario which the producer asked me to present to the board of directors. My first pitch! I ditched the jeans and cowboy boots for a three- piece suit, a necktie with a knot the size of a matzo ball and made the presentation. They liked it so much the producer suggested I write and direct, at which point I was asked to step out of the room. The CEO was concerned I wasn't creative enough for the job. Oh, he absolutely is, the producer assured him.  "Well, then," said the CEO, " why the hell is he wearing a suit?"

Bo Diddley wisely said, " You cain't judge a book by lookin' at the cover," but Bo  wasn't a CEO. Pay attention to the details. In a pitch very little goes unnoticed. 

Lead the Parade

Be the Pied Piper - their trusted guide to the unknown. Clients need to believe you clearly see this one-of-a-kind theatrical journey from beginning to end.  And, if that journey envisions a show that builds emotional connections with the audience, reaches them on a human level, then conveying that inspirational quotient is a critical component. Dig deep, pitch from the heart and remember, whatever big idea you're selling, make sure it's better than words of wisdom from the guy down in accounting!

Dubbed "the king of corporate theatre" by The Wall Street Journal, award-winning, creative director/ writer/ composer, Ian Seeberg has created hundreds of corporate events, Broadway and Las Vegas casino shows, theme park attractions, feature films and a movie of the week. Author of the novel, The Buzzer and So To Speak, a comprehensive guide for public speaking, Ian currently writes the humorous commentary blog, "Is it Just Me...?"   

Contact Ian at screenrhythm@earthlink.net. Visit www.ianseeberg.com and http://www.isitjustme.biz.
To learn more about Extraordinary Events, visit www.extraordinaryevents.net.      

The Power of "What's New?"

-By Flo Miniscloux

The world is constantly introducing new things – new inventions, new technologies, new ideologies, new trends, new movements. And as they say, we must “adapt or die”… It’s safe to assume Nokia wouldn’t be a household name today if it still relied on its original pulp-and-paper product. (Unless someone could invent a pulp-and-paper cell phone!)

So how can we possibly keep up with all that’s new?

A lot relies on looking beyond yourself to those around you and beyond.

Extraordinary Events (EE) started a weekly meeting called “Triple T,” and it has lived on to be one of the most beneficial meetings imaginable.

TTT stands for Think Tank Tuesdays. It’s a time where all EE team members gather to exchange and discuss things about which they’ve seen or heard not just in the events industry, but throughout the world. What are people seeing and doing that is exciting? What is going viral and what’s not?

For instance, I went to Australia last March and came back with an overflow of incredible ideas from a series of festivals I was lucky enough to attend (thank you Novatech!) One of these ideas was Extreme Hairstyling, which consists of shaping people’s hair into all sorts of crazy creations using dye, wire, and various objects (i.e. dolls, pencils and ornaments). Pretty insane!  

The team loved this idea when we discussed it in TTT, but how would we ever find a group of people that would be willing to get their hair shellaced, colored and tangled up with objects? 

We began by looking at where it started … sunny, colorful Barcelona, Spain!  That led to brainstorming similar U.S. cities … like sunny San Diego: home of the world famous ComicCon. The perfect audience! These people love to dress up in crazy costumes. 

Then we decided that in corporate America, no one would want to sponsor this without direct benefit. So we thought about adding a booth-luring component: if guests had a ticket and got scanned (aka invited to a booth), then they could get their hair done for free. “Do you dare with your hair?”

And finally, we added the cherry on top with: ‘And why not customize the props in the hair to match the sponsoring brand?’

It all happened from one of use seeing something on the other side of the globe, and then all the team members discussing, What if…? What about…? Can we…? Is there…?

By staying connected to the world, we can better stay connected to our clients, and even be one step of ahead of them. The events industry has evolved substantially in the past 25 years. When our founder, Andrea Michaels, launched EE in 1988, she had a land-line, a fax machine and a typewriter. Today, a cell phone or computer can communicate everything. Can you imagine what the next quarter century will bring? We can no longer engage people with pretty décor and performances alone. Reality is, they’ve already seen it. So, what now? It’s all about engagement – engaging participants to do something they’ve never experienced before. 

Point being: Listen and share. You will get nowhere if you try to do it all on your own.

Flo Miniscloux, recognized as the 2013 “Rising Star” by Event Solutions magazine, is the Director of Production Services for Extraordinary Events. You may reach Flo via fminiscloux@extraordinaryevents.net. To learn more about Extraordinary Events, visit www.extraordinaryevents.net.