I received a very nice email the other day from a wedding pro who has heard many of my webinars and live presentations. She was thanking me for a tip which she had heard me say, many times, but hadn’t acted on, until recently. The tip was to end each email with a question so the recipient is more likely to answer. Now that she’s ending her emails with one question, her response rate and conversion have increased (which was the whole idea). Here’s her email to me:
“Hi Alan,
I just wanted to let you know, although I have heard you mention the “end with a question” several times, sometimes there is so much in the webinars and seminars that you just can’t implement it all at once, or you forget.
WELL, since the last WW (WeddingWire) webinar, I have been consciously ending all my emails to couples with a question, and I have been getting PHENOMENAL results. I just wanted to say THANK YOU, YOU ROCK!!!
-Rev. Judith L. Guasch, M.Div., Ceremonies by Judith
The credit for that concept actually goes to Alan Katz, of Great Officiants in Southern California, who originally gave me that tip a while back. The kudos go to Rev. Judith for taking it off the back burner and using it. I’ve often said, and written, that the people who achieve the most success don’t necessarily have more ideas or more money. They just act on those ideas, or put that money to use.
Shelf help
I remember hearing a presenter at a National Speakers Association meeting who said that if we take lots of notes and then just put them on a shelf in our office (likely along with lots of other never to be seen again notes) it’s called Shelf Help. Those notes are of no use to us unless we review them and find the ideas we want to implement and then act upon them. Actions don’t have to be large to have an impact. Over time small actions can add up to big changes.
Better late than never
Here’s another post from someone who has heard me present more than once:
“I sat on Alan’s advice for 6 months before I mustered up the courage to begin the work. After implementing his advice my business has grown steadily. He is worth every penny for consulting and coaching. You just have to have the guts to make it happen.”
– [kudos to you, Brooklyn, for circling back around and taking action – AB]
-Brooklyn Dicent, Motivational Humorist, Seattle, WA
What’s the cost of inaction?
When you attend a meeting and takes lots of notes, but never take action from them, there is a cost. What’s the opportunity cost of your inaction? What profit are you giving up? What fun are you not having? What impact are you not having on others because you didn’t act on the ideas you heard? The magic isn’t from showing up, it’s from acting or being a catalyst to change.
Don’t Paint The House
Many of you have already heard my story Don’t Paint The House, a true story about a friend who never had time to paint her house. So I told her to just paint one wall each week. If she could do that, eventually the house would be painted (note: if you’ve never heard the full story you can get a free copy of it by subscribing to my email newsletter list by clicking here).
You can use that same philosophy to break down any project into manageable tasks. You never build a website all at once. You find a template and/or designer. You collect photos. You write text. You collect testimonials. You decide on the calls to action. Eventually you have all of the pieces to complete a new website. Similarly, I didn’t write my books in one sitting. It’s a process that starts with writing the first words, one word at a time.
Uno palabra en un tiempo (i.e., one word at a time)
I’m trying to become fluent in Spanish so I can do presentations in Spanish… next year. For those who understand: Voy a presentar en Español el año entrante. Es difícil, pero nada importante es fácil. For those who don’t “I’m going to present in Spanish next year. It’s difficult, but nothing important is easy.”
I try to practice a little each day. Sometimes it’s in my car. Sometimes it’s walking through the airport or on the treadmill. I listen to CNN en Español or watch Telemundo. No, I don’t understand everything that’s being said, yet, but each time I understand a little more.
Are you living on Someday Isle?
What’s your Someday Isle? You know, “Someday I’ll write a book” or “Someday I’ll go to Dubai” or “Someday I’ll go skydiving” or “Someday I’ll get a Black Belt” (all of which I’ve done after the age of 40). There are things each of wants to do but we keep putting it off. Maybe you’re thinking there will be a better time than now. Maybe you’re afraid to fail (which keeps so many people on the sidelines). If you’ve started or purchased a business you didn’t do it thinking it would fail. You’ve proven that you can put fear on the back burner and bring action to the front.
Your Someday Isle is waiting for you to book a ticket. Whether it’s raising your rates, making a new website, rebranding your business, building homes in a third world country, losing weight, starting an exercise program or even ending each email with a question, what can you do today to get closer to that goal? Find out for yourself and take some action.
Alan Berg is a business consultant and the wedding and event industry’s only Certified Speaking Professional®, the highest-earned designation for a professional speaker, and a featured speaker at Catersource® each year. He’s the author of three books and speaks, consults, and does sales training—domestically and internationally. Find out more at www.AlanBerg.com. Get more business ideas at Alan’s online learning portal www.WeddingIndustryInsiders.com
