Herman School of Business
Look at Now...and Look at Then...
Recently I attended a convention in New York for the National Speakers Association and while there spoke with a company that could book appointments for me to speak. We exchanged information and yesterday they sent me an offer to begin with that group.
Looking at Now there was a sense of excitement. Give them a few more details, arrange the first speech through them, and if all goes well there would be a continuous run of speaking opportunities. Surely my current status as a Rookie Speaker would make me leap at this venture to enhance my number of upcoming events.
Looking at the Now I realized this company could get me in front of a number of great contacts that could be wonderful for future additional engagements.
I turned them down.
Looking at the Then…as in…down the road, I didn’t see the final outcome as fitting in with my picture of being an independent “brand” and not part of someone else’s brand. There are ways for speakers to be part of someone’s organization where they deliver dates and you deliver some of their “canned” messages and those are wonderful for some speakers.
Looking out further to the Then, as in when I finally accomplish my goals, I would have to eventually leave this group and let go of the remnants of being part of their brand. Sometimes when you start your own business after working in that same field for someone else it could take forever to get customers to “see” you and not just see the ex-employee of the place they buy from.
Be careful when you make short range decisions. Oftentimes the short run gain is not worth the long term price you would pay to get there. I may have fewer speaking opportunities over the next six months because I didn’t join this organization…but…I want to be a Lead Singer on my own and not a Backup Singer in someone else’s band. Being on stage in the shadow of their brand is not my goal…so I am going to concentrate all my energy on being the Lead Singer at fewer events and have some patience that my goal, for the Then, will be achieved.
- Posted: 22 August 2008
- Comments: 0
- Category: Business success
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