Why TSL?
I’m constantly doing personal development and looking for ways to improve myself. As a coach, I was always getting asked to speak. I do a lot of coaches’ education and confidence building talks and I was a mentor coach for USA Hockey and I ran their summer program for intern coaches. Also doing locker room talks for 3 decades makes you hone your craft 4 talks times per game and too many practices to count!! So let’s just say I’m used to being in front of an audience. Due to this, people would reach out to me for speaking engagements. I never knew how to monetize it because I wasn’t clear about the business model of speaking.
The Speaker Lab ironically kept popping up in my newsfeed, I was definitely a part of some sort of algorithm. So, I thought I’m going to try this, I’m going to take a class, I’m going to invest in myself. And that’s how it happened.
Today, I speak about women’s empowerment. As the former president of the Metropolitan Riveters Women’s Ice Hockey Team, I speak about how to find yourself as a woman and how to trailblaze new paths. I tell inspiring and entertaining stories about going around with a crash helmet on in a man’s world in sports.
How did the Masters Program impact your speaking business?
It had a really big impact! Erick really helped me put order to the process – he literally gave me the business know-hows. I really had no idea how to do any kind of monetization of my speaking business. What I learned from him was work the plan – plan the work. It’s like an athletic experience for me, because if you do the work every day, it pays off dividends. I got really when he taught me the pipeline and how to organize my leads and prospects. I always have it on my screen in front me and whenever I get 15 minutes, I’ll go over and prospect. I found that super beneficial to the building of the business.
The great thing about how Erick teaches you to set up your business is you can be successful every day if you just do the work. That has made an impact on me and how I approach my speaking business. I am just as excited to prospect as I am about speaking.
At first I really didn’t understand the “pipeline” or the CRM. But after Erick walked me through it I stopped questioning if it really works and just started working it. I’d never used a CRM before and now I see it is magical. I kept getting meetings after meetings after meetings and it has actually helped my other businesses too. Which has been an unintended positive side effect of having proper systems in place.
What kind of results are you seeing?
So I have been able to get a bunch of virtual talks. I am a remote worker. I do my business anywhere from RI to Florida to Indiana. I’ve created a talk called The Secret to Coaching Girls. I’ve got a development program I’m doing with the Tampa Bay Lightning. So the systems that The Speaker Lab has taught me has allowed me to catapult into some amazing speaking opportunities.
They’re not as traditional like conferences but they’re speeches and they’re getting me even more exposure. I believe that you have to stay in your lane. Once you understand what that lane is, then you can work a solid pipeline and grow a thriving speaking business. Erick did a great job teaching me that.
I would also like to mention that all the tips and tricks have been so beneficial. The email templates and the follow-up phone call post event. Even the simple things like what mic is best for a virtual studio to show up professionally. All of these things I didn’t know I needed to know have really given me the confidence to look at my speaking as a business and work it and respect the process.
Who would you recommend to The Speaker Lab?
I would recommend anyone who has the desire to become a speaker. If you put your mind to it, if you really have a unique story or you have a craft or passion for a specific topic, it’s easier than you think. I would also challenge people to be a speaker in order to overcome their fear of public speaking.
I would also recommend it to women who have a message yet think that they’re not important or valued enough. I think women in general are petrified of this kind of opportunity and they probably could be the best at it. Once you do it, it’s addicting.
The more you do it the more your confidence goes up. When you are making an impact and you are a person of importance for a specific cause, no matter what that might be, it can make a big impact on your life and those who are sitting in your audience.