I have a confession. I love American Idol. I cry. I talk to the TV when I disagree with the judges or I’m cheering for the underdog. I’m amazed at the crazy people who think they can sing and sound terrible.
Guess what? Every single one of us are auditioning every single day on the business version of American Idol.
Instead of four judges telling us if we pass or not, we have thousands of eyes on our business judging if they will pay for our services. Those eyes who glance at our social media, email and other invitations. Those eyeballs are connected to problems who want to be solved, and they are connected to wallets. And if those folks like what they see, then they’ll keep us around. If not, we’re out.
Would your business make it?
Or would you be cut in the first audition?
Or do you make the first cut but when the pressure gets tough, you break down and the pressure affects your performance?
This is real life folks. This isn’t an audition.
If you don’t try again after the first round, then nothing changes, you remain that “hopeful” talent that is waiting to be discovered…
…that family vacation you keep putting off never happens.
…you keep wondering if your latest business idea will really take form or be replaced with the next idea.
…your message will be kept the world’s best-kept secret.
…the things you desire will be just that, desires, but they won’t take physical form.
If you are a sucker for this kind of reality TV like I am, have you noticed that the people the audience falls in love with have a few things in common? These are the things that YOUR audience will fall in love with you for. More importantly than that, they’ll pay you for it.
Top 8 Ways for Your Audience to Love You AND Pay for Your Service:
1. Story – We love the contestants who have a story right? We cheer for them because of their story. A lot of the voices sound similar, but their story is what makes them unique. It gives people something to identify with. Share your story and don’t discount your life experiences because it’s made you who you are today and it gives something to people that they can connect to. Your story gives people a reason to believe in you, and in doing so they begin to believe in themselves.
2. Who are on and off stage? Yes, it’s TV and the moments they show us are staged and we don’t see the whole picture. However, isn’t is so disheartening to see some personalities tear the other contestants down? My favorite contestants are those who after they have been cut, they congratulate their teammates who did pass onto the next level and they thank the judges for the opportunity.
In running multiple live events since 2010, I equate this to the speakers I have on my stages. Who they are on and OFF stage is the reason I will invite them back to my stage or refer them to other events.
Who are you being when you don’t think the camera is rolling? Are you gracious? Are you happy for others or are you jealous? Bonus Tip: You can never GET the things that you are jealous of others for having.
3. Do you take care of yourself while lifting others? Look at the team dynamics of the singers. Your focus is YOU. If you spend your time trying to save other people around you, you don’t leave any time for yourself. Your bank account comes first. Your health comes first. Your sleep comes first. Your problems come first. Your deadlines come first. AND help when you can. Lift others while YOU climb.
4. Do you own your genius or do you try to be what you THINK people want you to be? The singer steps on stage. They have the hair, makeup and clothes. They pick a song to sing that is “safe.” They sing. And it’s not them. They sold out. They think that in order to be GREAT, they need to show up as what they THINK people want instead of showing up 100% as them.
Be 100% authentically YOU. Some people won’t like it. The people who do like it, are your clients, customers and referral sources.
5. Will other people’s approval be your ultimatum? What gets me crying every time is when a singer is so profoundly brilliant yet they don’t see it. They get done giving this amazing performance and they look up with this look of “Was that really that good?” That is the moment I cry. Why do we as humans no see our divine gifts and brilliance? Ultimately, other people’s approval won’t make you any money. It won’t get your message out there. You’ve got to believe in yourself and be your own cheerleader.
6. Are you coachable? Believing in yourself to the point that you say “I already know that” is a sure-fire way to get stuck. Yes, you have got to believe in yourself. Yes, you are the only one who can DO the work. AND, you have to be open and coachable from others who know more than you do. Stay true to your vision and receive support on how to get there.
7. Do you work hard at your craft? Are you really excellent at the ONE thing that makes you stand out? Or are you good, or even really good, at several things. Pick one genre and be an expert at THAT. Don’t try to sound good to everyone.
8. Do you think this is the end-all, be all? The truth is, what you do in your business is an experiment. Some things will work and a lot of things won’t. If you look at your “audition” as the ONLY path to success then you are choosing to be blind to the opportunities around you if you would just choose to change your perspective a tiny bit. If something doesn’t work out the way you anticipate (it rarely does by the way) then you have a great opportunity to see what else you can learn to be better, do better and change your path to higher heights.
Stay tuned for the next few weeks for an exciting announcement of how YOU can be a speaker on my THRIVE stage this September. There will be a speaker contest at my annual 3-day live training and you could have your message shared with thousands. I’ll be sharing the details soon, just wanted to let you know about this upcoming audition for your business. Whoohoo!
Soul Vision Exercise Week #6:
What is your story? What are you afraid to share with people because you think it may make you appear weak or unsuccessful?
Start sharing your story about what you have overcome because this is what make your expertise stand out.
Write the story out. Pair it down to a page if it’s more than a page. Then get it down to a paragraph and add it to your bio. The get it down to just a sentence or two so you have a brief 50-75 word bio that people can introduce you with.
