By Sales Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta Want to close more deals? First – know your audience. Buyers usually fall into two categories: Relators and Bottom Liners. The Relators are the warm and fuzzy people. The ones who want to get to know you. Ask about your family. Launch into relationship building. Connect. The Bottom Liners? Want facts. Figures. Graphs. Price. Delivery time. Data. They also have zero interest in being your friend and small talk sends them right through the roof. Here’s the deal: As salespeople, we fall into those two groups too. More than that, we tend to sell Read More
Exposure vs Speaking Fees
The Flip Side of Asking People to Work for Free You get what you pay for. There. I said it. Too harsh? Some might think so. As for me, I not only know my worth, as a professional keynote speaker for more than 25 years – I teach others to know THEIR worth. That’s hard to do when you agree to work for free. Imagine asking any other professional to do their job for no pay. Your plumber, doctor, hairdresser, or car service department – think about asking them to do their job for free in the hopes that someone might witness them devaluing themselves and their work. Can you see how that Read More
Psychological Leadership Hack
Listen FIRST! By Connie Podesta, Business Motivational Speaker, and Human Behavior Expert There are a LOT of leaders who come into their position waving their “I'm the boss” flag like gangbusters. You know the type. Hit everyone with new rules. New ideas. New ways. Grand proclamations about being IN CHARGE! Start marking territory. Um… psychologically speaking? That’s the fastest way to send your team upside down and underground awaiting your fall from grace. Here’s a leadership hack for you: START by LISTENING. What? How novel! When people feel like they are being HEARD and Read More
Just Ask Connie: Why Your Audience Needs More Than Rah-Rah Motivation
"I'm planning an event for my company and I've been directed to find a ‘motivational speaker’ to open our conference. What does that mean exactly?" I get these kind of emails all the time. It's a great question. I get it. There’s a lot of confusion because the word "motivation" gets thrown around when it comes to speaking. No surprise, it’s one of the top words Googled when searching for a speaker. Let me make it a little easier. With more than 25 years in this business, I can tell you that there are three main types of speakers who fit under the category of Motivation. Content Read More
No SALES tips in Your Speech?
You’re Shortchanging Your Audience By Sales Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta There’s one outstanding reason why I weave a bit of sales strategy into every single talk I give: because everyone is in sales--they just don't know it. No matter what their job title, description, industry or organization--their ability to sell ( or not) is a game changer. First I teach them how to sell themselves! We dig deep into their personality-pros and cons. Strengths and weaknesses. Then we identify their style of communication. Then move into levels of confidence. And finally discuss their ability to Read More
Eight Reasons Wearing a Watch is Really Cool!
By Motivational Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta So what's the deal with not wearing watches these days? Look around. Half the population have left their watches in a drawer at home just waiting to be used again. In fact, to some people, wearing a watch has become a sign of old age. An antiquated accessory (or so goes the myth) no longer necessary since the iPhone came into play. Well think again. When asked the time I can, with a flick of my wrist and a quick eye glance, answer before someone with a phone can even begin to find it, turn it on, get lost in Facebook distractions, and deliver Read More
The Audience is the Star of the Event
NOT the Speaker By Motivational Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta After more than 25 years in this industry, I’m fairly sure I’ve seen it ALL. Or at least ALMOST all there is to see in terms of types of speakers and what they bring to the “table” for the events at which they present. And like any profession, they run the gamut from the all right to the extraordinary. The down-to-earth to the drop-everything-for-me divas. The brand new to the seasoned professional. Here’s what every one of them SHOULD know but many don’t: it’s not about THE SPEAKER. It should always, always, and one more for Read More
My Top Three Tips For New Speakers
And Experienced Speakers Who Want More Bookings By Motivational Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta I’m often asked by new speakers what my absolute #1 best advice would be. With more than 25 years under my belt speaking from stages literally all over the globe, I could probably create a master class and go on for days, but really I believe it comes down to these three things: 1. It is all about the AUDIENCE’S story—NOT YOUR story. What I mean by that is so often speakers hit the stage, grab the microphone and proceed to tell THEIR story over and over again. How they climbed a mountain, Read More
The #1 Reason People Either Fail or Succeed
COMMUNICATION: More Important Than EVER in Our Frantic 24/7 World By Motivational Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta Communication used to be my #1 topic. But not anymore. Now, people are lulled by the flashy, new, quirky “it” topics-- Innovation. Collaboration. Integration. Synergy. And the list goes on. These topics definitely sounds trendier than just the simple old-school communication topic. But let’s be honest. The flashiest topics in the world still depend on one thing—YOUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE your ideas, thoughts, feelings, and concerns in a way that allows people to Read More
Quit Playing Emotional Games…
An Amazing Series on How to Become the Best YOU! Tip #3: Quit Playing Emotional Games By Motivational Speaker Connie Podesta Let there be no doubt—game-playing is a killer when it comes to keeping a relationship alive and healthy. It undermines the ability to love, trust, feel safe, fight fair, be vulnerable, experience intimacy, have fun together , work together, share ideas, discuss money, raise children, set values, and experience success. Healthy relationships are based on one thing...healthy communication, otherwise known as assertive-- or to get right to the point—ADULT Read More