Alan uses a methodical approach to defining the role of a coach, building a foundation of trust and value, developing your skills and marketing yourself as a coach. Of particular interest to me was his defined difference between the mentor and coach.

Alan’s definition of coaching includes a defined goal and an agreed upon definition of success. This includes a finite time limit as well. The concept of “life coach” doesn’t fit this model. Important note: If you want to be a life coach, don’t buy this book.

The best part is the real world questions for topics like defining coaching, qualifying clients, and developing yourself (just to name a few).

A useful definition of Trust – My firm belief that you have my best interests in mind.

Great quote – Requesting help is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. We all need help. Asking for it is a healthy sign.

I could fill a book with all of the wisdom in this book. But, since Alan has already done that, I’m suggesting that you buy his.

Check out www.summitconsulting.com to get some more information, and subscribe to Alan’s newsletter. Go here for the book’s page on Alan’s site.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now (today!) at full price (unless you want to be a “life coach”)
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the gist of it

The important question is how does this advice affect you?  Is this where your next speech comes from, where your next project comes from, where your next success comes from?

The notes from the Edge Summit are presented in chronological order. If you have some thoughts I missed, feel free to e-mail me at contact@robchristeson.com and I’ll include them here with attribution and a link (if you want). Please note that links to the Edge site are affiliate links.

Also, I’ve done my best to properly attribute information as I typed it in the session. Most of what you read here comes from World Champions Darren LaCroix, Ed Tate, Craig Valentine or Lance Miller from the Edge event. Mark Brown also participated remotely, and some material comes from the awesome Alan Weiss and the amazing Patricia Fripp. If you do spot any errors or omissions, they are unintentional and I’ll correct them immediately.

Here we go…
“Ya ain’t gonna learn any younger” – Lance Miller quoting advice he received from a story about learning to back up a semi trailer truck.

lightbulb moment – think chandelier moment – Maureen Zapalla

Three questions you should ask about your business
why you?
who will pay?
how will I reach them?

Topics members wanted to discuss (questions in bold)
coaching – developing a multi-session plan (this one didn’t get touched on) 

marketing a seminar - 3 months out – marketing blasts – touch multiple times – research says you can reach out to customers 220 times per year without annoying them – multiple items (e-mail, Facebook, twitter, etc.)

what 3 tips for the 73 people who didn’t make the finals - there were some thoughts later on the finals, read my notes here: http://robchristeson.com/toastmasters-why-you-wont-win-your-contest

Selling from the back of the room - selling without annoying people (SWAP) – sell another’s program before selling your own – Seeding (plant seeds) – weaving () – you aren’t selling products,you’re selling results
Lance – going from zero to moving – change from manipulating your client to helping them – 1. believe in the product, 2. care about the customer, 3. 
Craig – everybody has a story to tell, but rarely do they get to tell it, because (wait for it) everybody has a story to tell. Be the one to listen to other peoples stories.
#1 reason they buy – confidence in you – confidence comes from familiarity – familiarity comes from repeated exposure – sell the results (Craig’s car story) – put the result before the resource – not just for products, but in your speech too
Lance- present and ask for feedback – take the materials that work and use them to make your product

Ed – retention after 48 hours – 10 percent; take notes – 50 percent; notes and discuss – 75 percent; notes, discuss, and teach – 82 percent after one year

Should you have a book first, DVD, or other product?
Craig – never create a product without teaching it several times first – your first product should be an audio CD

Details about being a small business
Ed – this is a business first, you speak second. If you don’t treat it as a business, you won’t get to do either. More will come in the 2-day Get Paid to Speak seminar.

Using YouTube, how much is too much - embrace the concept of abundance – answer the question – 2-3 minutes – give a next step (more below)

Craig – recommended a book – Launch by Michael Stelzner

Maleki (District 71) – Take the Talent to Training and the Treasure will come out – not about the price, it’s about the process

“Be careful not to keep your ego to close to your position, if you lose your position, your ego will go with it” – Colin Powell quoted by Ed

Ed – the word is receiving – 3rd place Scott Pritchard stayed on stage after speaking and saying “mister contest master” (at the finish) and smiled at the audience for about 10 seconds – what’s the word? receiving

Ed – number one job of a speaker is to make an impact – not to be liked

Ed – Talk in Tweets (talk in sound bytes) <–blog topic

Craig – speaking in sound bytes creates a memorable message – what is his focus? two words – touch lives – before you speak, say “please help me forget myself, remember my speech and touch my audience”

Lance – conviction – convict – what happened to become a convict – trial with evidence beyond a reasonable doubt – conviction is having a position you believe beyond a reasonable doubt 
- passion – in dictionary, passion came from ancient word for suffer. 
Practice to execution ratio (pro football)
Passion are those things that we do that we would suffer through without feeling like we are suffering
Sincere – means we have a clean, clear message
Do a raffle for your product- collect business cards and draw one to get a free copy of your product. Be clear “I’m going to email you with an option to opt in” so they know why you’re collecting the cards

Ed – Presentation variety- in order to maintain peoples attention, change your delivery method every 5- 10 minutes (I.e. You talking, asking questions, audience interactions, etc.)

Ed asked a few of us to run the 10 minute review after lunch
Take one minute and review your notes and write down your three favorite tweets or sound bytes of the morning. – you will learn…
Instruct online folks to tweet to hashtag Championsedge 
Take two minutes to turn to your neighbor and choose your best tweet
Next we go one group per row to give their top tweet
Maureen will write them down

general or specialist? – start with what you know – package/title it in what they want Book “how to earn more than a million dollars …”  

“the Psychology of Money” – became  ”the millionaire mindset”
“anatomy of an audience” – “connect with any audience”

Esteem
Do
Gain
Enjoy

Craig – touch all 4 categories to reach your audience
Darren – start with 3 topics, 2 specific and 1 general (or 1 and 2)
Craig – your audience is going to come up and tell you what you are speaking about – “never strike oil by digging an inch deep”
Ed – you can also specialize by delivery methods – be known as “the person who is known as…”

Make three colums – Experience     Delivery     Results

Experience
Specifics about your experience

Delivery
Speech          
Seminar
Book
Process CD

Results
increase profits
decrease costs
decrease turnover

Homework – flesh this list out for yourself

Mine – Experience
Teaching
PM Increase knowledge (anecdotal)
Military
Logistics
Supervision
Evaluations
Speaking
Blogging
Writing

My Delivery
Blog
Speaking
Seminars
Lunch ‘n learn

My Results
Increase productivity
Decrease turnover
hmmmmm….(homework)

 
Focus on results, not experience and delivery – discuss results, leave out experience and delivery – Craig, focus on the pain – ask questions and turn their pain into your promise

Social Media is a hot topic right now – Be careful about speaking about making money with social media when your aren’t making money yourself (credibility)

Marketing a seminar - sign up on edtate.com - special report 
Ed – make sure that you have enough time i.e. three months to market it
Delivery mechanism – e-mail, linkedin, postcards, newspaper, business journal,
Darren – web page – convert them – title – split test to find best conversion method
Shopping cart – all three of them use the same one speaker resources.com

6- minutes to a keynote
Craig – structure – you have 7 seconds before they decide if they like you, 30 seconds before they decide to check out. Open with a question or a story – then make a big promise. i.e “By the time you leave here today, you will have the tools… you will have ideas…etc.” Then the roadmap. “…and these come to you in the form of 4 R’s to remarkable results”
10-1 rule of thumb, 1 story/point to every 10 minutes
Phrase
Anchor – what’s loose is lost – Acronym, anecdote, analogy, activity
Reflection – Take your story and have them reflect on how it affects them
Technique – how do they practice it i.e. “write down your perfect day”
Sale – Push them into the Pull – Push away from what they want to avoid and pull them toward what they want
Use the PAR for newer speakers

Demo video - less than 10 minutes on site (have report, need to have a point, need solid audio) – less than 10 seconds on who you are
YouTube 2-3 minutes (1 minute if you can) – 1 video, 1 purpose, 1 next step. no more than 3 scenes (locations)

you must package your process in order to profit

Ed- what do you want people to Know Feel or Do

Darren – watch the first 5 minutes of a movie – notice how they are introducing characters through dialog
Time management from NSA
Focus day – product, speaking
Administrative day – mundane activities
Free day  - free of everything – phone, e-mail, etc. 
Same model for athletes and entertainers

Darren -every time you speak, build your list – then, touch your list – at least once a month
Do interviews
an a-ha moment is a letting-go of a previous belief 

Charles speech (coached on-site)

longer pause after first “so was I”
pauses

“do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Concluded twice 

too many I’s, My’s and Me’s

My homework:

Work on 52bloggingtips.com – finish creating the tips and start filming videos

Talk to the Human
New tagline – an IT guys perspective on communicating with real people

Affiliate link alert: World Champions EDGE. This link will take you to the Edge website, where you can see some free materials or sign up for just $1 for the first month.

Darren’s opening was fantastic – he started by wearing a bow in his “hair”. Actually in was a “fascinator” that he borrowed from International President Pat Johnson.

His opening story led us through his introduction into the Toastmasters experience, and how he came to the realization that it wasn’t about him, but it’s about the audience.

He asked the audience how many wanted to look good on stage. “Be honest.” Many hands went up. Probably most of the room.

“You can look good if you can let go of wanting to look good.”

Why did you come to Toastmasters?

“To learn”
“Nothing better to do”
“Be a better speaker”
“Learn how to sell”
“Make money”
“Didn’t have self confidence”
“Fear” (not beer)
“Speak Better”

“No one came to Toastmasters to be a better speaker AT Toastmasters.” <--I've said this many times, because I learned it from Darren.

When he hears someone say they can't speak at a TM meeting, he thinks "Shut Up".

This is the greatest place to screw up.

Don't try to climb your mountain (dream) alone. Follow the path of those before you, and build a better railing for those behind you.

Alan's three questions:
1. Why you?
2. Who will pay you?
3. How do you reach them?
(Alan Weiss)

Editor’s note: I had to leave during the Mark Brown story – before the conclusion If anyone has notes from the last 30 minutes, please let me know and I’ll update this blog and give you the credit.

This list presumes you are looking to become successful at speaking and/or consulting about something you are good at. Of course, you also need to be up to date on whatever subject you are choosing to speak about.

Speaking
World Class Speaking – Craig Valentine and Mitch Meyerson
Money Talks – Alan Weiss

Writing
Six-Figure Freelancing – Kelly James-Enger
Made to Stick -  Chip and Dan Heath

Marketing
Guerrilla Marketing – Jay Conrad Levinson
Permission Marketing – Seth Godin

Consulting
Million Dollar Consulting – Alan Weiss
Book Yourself Solid - Michael Port

Web
The Zen of Social Media Marketing – Shama Hyder Kabani
Wordpress for Dummies – Lisa Sabin-Wilson

Ideas
What the Dog Saw – Malcolm Gladwell
SuperFreakonomics – Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner

As I made this list, I did realize there were still a couple of book reviews I could do, for those rare (!) weeks when I don’t finish a book.

Also, I know Made to Stick isn’t so much a book about writing, but it is a book about making your ideas worth remembering. And that is a great skill to have as a speaker and as someone who writes down what they are going to say.

If you are behind on your reading, pick up something off of this list. They are all worth your time…

I seem to remember, in the good ole days, my Grandfather telling me about a phrase that worked really well for him. It was “I’ll just take my business elsewhere.” Is there a single company in America that would even bother to respond to something like this? I’m reminded of a Simpson’s episode a few years ago called “Flaming Moe’s” where Homer invented a new drink, and Moe (the Bartender) stole the formula and kept the profits. There is a scene where Homer is saying “You just lost a customer.” Moe is so busy serving Flaming Moe drinks, and the crowd is so noisy that Moe can’t even hear him. After Homer repeats it a few times with no effect, he just leaves in disgust.

I’ve seen a lot of use of ”I’m going to tell on you.” This in the sense that if I’m unhappy with your product or service and you don’t remedy the situation, I’ll tell two friends and they will tell two friends (and so on). I’m starting to think this is becoming our generation’s “good ole days” story line. I’ve been keeping up with Alan Weiss’ blog, Contrarian Consulting. He had an issue with Saks Fifth Avenue in New York a while back. In this thread, he talks about not getting much help (he does point out a specific bright spot in the service too) and posts it for the world to see. It’s an understatement to call Alan’s work a well-read blog. A few days later, he posted an update, including a reference to a direct e-mail he sent to the company with no results. Today, he posted another follow-up about a reader who works there who left him a message that has proven difficult to return. If a well known author and general big-whig like Alan can’t get improved service (or even a reasonable response) with the “tell on you” model, how far can you or I get?

Maybe the new mantra is “I’m going to tell on your competition.” Instead of announcing where the deficiency is, perhaps it’s time to tell the world “Hey, I went to Macy’s. Not only were the shirts just as good as the other guys, but the staff made me feel like they were glad to see me.” Note: this is not so much a threat as it is a true course of action. You don’t say it so much to get better service, you use it once you get the service (like a tip). Case in point, there’s a guy at Dillard’s here in Wichita that aways finds me as I approach his department. He’s helpful, pleasant, and now I find myself looking for him when I go in. He’s not an isolated case there.

This leads me to some possible advice for Alan (although I’ sure he’s used this tactic as well); Now that you have pointed out the deficiencies at Saks (which made some great reading, by the way), maybe it’s time for a “Try Sears, where the salespeople care about helping you and you’ll feel so good with that Craftsman wrench in your hand that you won’t care what color your shirt is” post. It’s just a thought…

In the final analysis, maybe there are no magic words for better customer service. I think we are at a point where the best customers find the best service (as Alan did in his post) and if you don’t keep looking, you get what you accept. What does your experience tell you?

The E-Myth Revisited is a book by Michael Gerber that is based on his many years of experience in helping small businesses see success by realizing the difference between the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Technician. This is the overarching theme of his book, and you’ll hear (or read) it a lot.

What’s great about this book:
If you are wondering why, as a great technician, you can’t seem to see success as a small business owner, this book will open your eyes to what you may be missing.

One piece that really caught my attention: The Technician looks at the customer and asks, “why won’t they buy my product?” The Entrepreneur looks at the customer and says, “what product or service can I provide to you?” If you can’t make that transition, now you know why you won’t be successful.

There is some interesting content at his site: http://www.e-myth.com/

Limiting Factors:
I have to admit, the author’s voice made this one tough on me. This may not have been a good “Reading while Driving” choice.
Very Repetitive. You’ll definitely walk away knowing that there is an Entrepreneur, a Manager, and a Technician.

Recommendations:
If you choose to read nothing else about starting a business, this may be a good choice for you. For consulting work, I’d steer you toward Alan Weiss, Michael Port, and Seth Godin for better advice all the way around.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now at full price
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback (at least don’t overpay for the CDs like I did)
If you’ve read my review, you got the jist of it

Are you finding ways to succeed, or are you stuck looking for no? After reading Alan Weiss’ website, I had an immediate “ah-ha” moment when I read about how some people saw good news as simply a prelude to coming bad news. They see every turn representing potential trouble, every new person as a threat, and each new request as a burden. Read the post to get some ideas on how to work with the nay-sayers.

Remember the 37-second rule: Based on the way the human brain is wired, you only have 37 seconds to capture an idea before it’s lost…possibly forever. Don’t lose those opportunities! Read the post for some tips to capture those ideas.

Stay on course. This time of year it can be easy to get distracted. The holidays are over and the resolve to keep that resolution is replaced by the resolve to slip back into old habits. Give yourself a check-up. Read the post to learn how to identify the signs and keep moving toward your goals.

Finally, don’t forget to relax once in a while. It’s okay to take a break and recharge the batteries.

Don’t let the new year slip by without achieving some of your goals. Hopefully you’ll find some useful tips in these posts, and you’ll find the resolve to keep moving forward each and every day…

Every now and then, a good book may be a reference book you can turn to again and again. If you are a person who writes or speaks, you need to have a reference of great quotes handy all the time. Seriously.

The Harper Book of Quotations, Third Edition was published too early to include any George W. Bush gems, but contains over 6,500 quotes from both the famous and obscure.

What’s great about this book:
Sorted by topic, such as Adversity, Education, England and the U.K., Honesty, Sport, Success, Work and 194 more catgories.
Fully indexed by source, so you can find, say, all 40 of Oscar Wilde’s quotes, or just the one by former President Clinton.

Limiting Factors:
It would be nice to have a fourth edition out soon. There were a few good things said in the past few years.
You’ll have to search the web for more contemporary quotes from greats like Seth Godin, Alan Weiss, or Craig Valentine.

Great Quotes:
“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” – Thomas La Mance
“Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else.” – Will Rogers
“See everything: overlook a great deal: correct a little.” – Pope John XXIII

Recommendations:
This is a reference book that would be useful on your shelf. You should have no trouble getting it for less than the $14.95 retail price.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now at full price
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback (and it’s already in paperback/discounted)
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the jist of it

Gerald Ford
“I’ve had a lot of experience with people smarter than I am”
My thought: I love this. Sometimes people forget that no matter how smart or important they are, there is always (a) someone out there who knows more, and (b)  something that every person knows that you (or I) don’t.

Douglas MacArthur
“You are remembered for the rules you break”
My thought: Don’t confuse breaking the rules with not knowing the rules. If you want to be remembered in a positive light for the rules you break, know the rule and why you’re breaking it.

 Dwight D. Eisenhower
“An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell me more than he knows”
My thought: The wisest speakers are the ones who say what needs to be said, not everything that can be said.  

Alan Weiss
“The first sale is to yourself”
My thought: You’ll never be able to convince others of a course of action that you do not believe in yourself. 

1. Coming up with what others will say about your book can help you focus on what will actually go in it.
2. It can serve as a catalyst for the process of putting your actual content together.

Please note: The quotes in this post are (currently) fictional. They are representative of who/what I’d like to see on the real back cover of my book, but I may only get my wife, son, and a cousin or two to endorse it. You never know.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Talk to the Human – real world techniques for getting communication off-line and on-point.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll learn from Talk to the Human™:

- Leading-edge tactics for turning leading-edge communications into real, live results-driven dialog

- 3 Keys for developing better communications by building a better foundation, preparing for success, and succeeding in the moment

- Dozens of methods to get results today in your business through better communication

What real Humans are saying about Talk to the Human™:

“Get off of the E-train and back to real life dialog. If you’re looking for a strategic advantage in your live business communications, read this book” – Business Week

“If you’re looking for real methods to be successful in face-to-face communications, this book is a must read” – Bruce Tulgan, author of Not Everyone Gets A Trophy

“If you buy only one book today, this is the book!” – Scott Adams, cartoonist, author, and creator of Dilbert™

“Rob does a masterful job of teaching you methods to know and understand your audience, prepare your message, and deliver it professionally and memorably. If I would have had this 10 years ago, I’d be $1,000,000 ahead today.” Alan Weiss, author of Million Dollar Consulting

“Rob is very Funny” – Darren LaCriox, comedian, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, and author of  Laugh and Get Rich

“Rob’s lesson’s resonate with the speaker in all of us.” – Darren Hardy, Publisher and Editorial Director of Success Magazine

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Clearly (to me) this needs work. I’ll probably refine it as I go along, and when it’s a bit better, I’ll post a new version (maybe as a .jpg to add some color and realism to it).

By the way, I mentioned the quotes were fictional, but here’s a secret: The Darren LaCroix quote is genuine. He posted it on my Facebook page a few weeks ago.