Our son Luc’s birthday happens to land in late July, when virtually all his friends are away on summer vacation – that happened to me too when I was young. So, we decided to invite all his friends for a big birthday party a month later at his favorite playground by the beach, including his classmates from last year’s class AND this year’s new classmates AND their siblings and parents. We decorated the big gazebo and picnic tables, had a ton of pizzas delivered, put out a gazillion juice boxes, set up my iPhone on the portable speakers to play a kids’ station on Pandora, and while the kids played on the swing set and playground under our watchful eyes, we adults chatted, laughed and sipped mimosas. Not a bad Saturday afternoon! (I love this picture. I’m a sucker for that smile of his, and he knows it.)
(I owe a big thanks to my personal assistant Kara for doing all the coordinating, all the shopping – especially for getting that scrumptious cake – and for being patient enough to put together 35 goodie bags. I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise! Oh, and to my husband Derek too, who cheerfully went back to get the cake I forgot in the fridge at home!)
One of the best things to do to quickly establish credibility, get massive exposure, and attract new clients, is speaking. Hands down. Whether you organize your own seminars on a regular basis to continually fill the pipeline (the way I did for years), or get booked for talks to “pre-formed” groups like associations, it works like a charm-provided you give very good info.
If you deliver the talk properly, there’s always a group of people at the end of your talk who rush up to the podium to chat with you. Some will tell you how much they enjoyed the talk, some will be e-zine readers who’ve wanted to meet you for years, some will want free advice or to “pick your brain.” But, there’s one question you’ll almost always get and it comes in two parts. The first part’s the good part; “I’m interested in working with you.” The second one is the tricky part; “What do you charge?”
