There is one mistake that I made for years as an expert. I made it over and over again. I hesitated to change it even though I knew I was repeating the same non-useful behavior. It took me a long time to make this shift and when I did, it transformed the results I was getting. The funny thing was, I deliberately avoided doing it because of the stories I told myself about what it meant.
This mistake I made was that I avoided promoting myself or selling myself too much. Instead, I would let my work do the talking. But that simply isn’t enough. In the times we live in today, you cannot let your work speak for you. You must also speak for your work. There are too many voices competing for attention. You must become a master of attention and you must use it to help others see it.
Where I come from, talking positively about yourself is a big ‘No-no’. It is seen as boasting and arrogance. Irish people are allergic to it. Growing up in this culture made me value humility which I’m grateful for but as soon as I found myself traveling, my humility would often be confused with me lacking confidence. The truth is I believed in myself but talking about it was uncomfortable. I created an online training back in 2011 called the Charisma Training Academy. I promoted it but it was so hard to say anything too good about it.
I have spent years learning to become an expert in persuasion. I can sell almost anything and influence really easily. But as soon as I spoke about myself and my training, I second guessed myself. Over the years, I began to see marketing expert after marketing expert show how it was done and I noticed most of the successful experts out there were good at promoting themselves. I knew the story I told myself ‘I don’t have to do it that way’ was flawed. I didn’t have to go over the top, but I did have to get on the train. People can’t believe in what you offer unless you believe in it and show them you do. I believed but I didn’t show it.
Last year, when I launched my Changing Minds Monthly Membership and Business Mentorship, I worked on making sure I was offering ridiculously good value at a really good price. My aim is always to make sure what I am offering is worth many times the price of it. After spending tens of thousands of dollars on educating myself on all aspects of the expert business, I knew I could help fellow coaches, speakers, consultants and trainers to improve their businesses and become more known as experts.
I knew for my monthly members that I could offer them monthly training that provided them with huge value on a regular basis. Knowing this made things easier for me. And then I did it. I delivered two webinars and confidently explained what was on offer and I felt really good about it. Since then, the feedback has been incredible for both programs and I’m very excited to be opening it again this week.
If you are an expert and are looking for a group mentorship where you can learn the core skills to become a successful coach, consultant, trainer or speaker, consider exploring my business mentorship. It’s a monthly program where each month I bring you through one key training via zoom and do a follow up Q&A via zoom later in the month. These trainings are on writing a book, becoming better at video, starting a podcast and building an online course and much more. As an expert who has built my own business, it is a chance to be able to learn from what I did and ask whatever questions you have along the way.
For more information on this check out the Changing Minds Academy.
