SteveBuelow.com

Okay, so it turns out that Rebecca is not just a dance instructor with her own studio in my hometown.

She’s also a retail shop owner in Indiana, an accountant in D.C., and she runs a network marketing business in Vancouver.

E-mails and messages on Twitter have also revealed her to be a software engineer, a restaurant franchisee in Florida, and a recently married blue collar laborer that, well… doesn’t want to be a blue collar laborer anymore.

In short, Rebecca has come to symbolize everybody that is striving to improve the world around them… in particular, the millions of small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to positively make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.

Thankfully, taking those businesses to the next level is closer than many people realize… and just a handful of precisely planned and executed strategies may revolutionize their bottom line in 2010… especially after the past few years where they’ve been beaten up a bit.

So pull up a chair… and read over her shoulder. After all, these letters were really written… for you.

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Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for reaching out… it was great to hear from you.

Like we discussed, as excited as you are about implementing these new strategies to CREATE AWARENESS and EXPAND YOUR INFLUENCE… today we REALLY get to begin having fun.

As you know, business relationships… like personal relationships… are ultimately built on TRUST. We simply won’t be involved in meaningful relationships with people that we cannot, or do not, trust.

And while developing TRUST tends to be a long term process that includes honesty, respect, performance, and reputation… there is YET ANOTHER ATTRIBUTE of TRUST that we size up almost instantaneously.

And that attribute is CREDIBILITY… the perceived level of an individual’s competence or knowledge regarding their subject matter… or the ability to deliver solutions or relevant input.

And this can be shaped VERY quickly.

In fact, as leaders… the opportunity to INCREASE CREDIBILTY is as close as your willingness to speak publicly, and to publish. And, both are a snap if you’re truly passionate about your business!

Public speaking, by its very nature, gives you credibility. As the speaker, you are the expert… period. After all, why else would you be standing up there while the rest of us are sitting out here?!

I recommend that you create three talks, twenty to thirty minutes in length… no longer. If you need help, I can help you.

Then start slow, and take your stories on the road… local church groups… business networking organizations… Chamber events… Toastmasters… whatever. Just make sure that your content and the audience expectations are a fit.

And forget virtually everything that most speakers fall back on.

Drop the boring handouts… boot the Powerpoint… and don’t plug your business. Just let your audience connect with you. As an expert, as a leader… speak with passion and purpose and vision. Inspire your people to take positive action… maybe give your own before and after… your testimony, as it were.

And of course, public speaking and publishing have a circular relationship. When people hear you speak, they’re more likely to read your published works. Likewise, if they enjoy your writing, they’re likely to be interested in hearing you speak. It’s a thing of beauty.

Better yet, the most attractive part of publishing is that we no longer need anyone’s permission to get published… instead, we do it ourselves, online, for FREE! And it goes around the world. That is why we make our blog the center of activity, and create other strategies around that.

Through our speaking… and through our writing… we allow people to get to know us. And we attract others who share our passions and values.

The result is that within fifteen months, you Rebecca… could be recognized nationally (possibly internationally) as an expert on helping individuals to live more vibrant, healthy, meaningful lives. And I suspect that would likely handle the need for new business!

So what will you speak and write about? We’ll talk about ideas for CONTENT next time… and until then, some additional thoughts are available to you here and here.

I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Photo Credit:

Striatic