Don’t wait for opportunity to knock

I’ve never been a fan of the phrase, “opportunity knocks”.

That expression always makes me think of someone who is waiting by the door for that opportunity to come knocking.

Why wait? Now, for me, that’s a phrase with meaning! I don’t wait. I act.

I have met so many people who want to speak to international audiences, but are waiting for the right opportunity rather than creating their own opportunities to make sure it happens.

That’s one of the key messages I share with my clients, when I help them use speaking to build a business in the multiple six figures and share their message and expertise with clients around the world.

This week, I’m addressing the Women Thrive Summit, sharing tips on using speaking to get new clients and travel the world as you build your business. I’ve found attending events can be a powerful way to get more speaking gigs – and another way of making my own opportunities.

I was thinking of that recently when I finished a group session with some of my incredible clients. One of them was about to take the stage in Dubai not long after. The confidence she got from making that opportunity happen was beautiful to see.

Too often, I find people think they need to work hard for a long time, building a profile and a list, to get booked on stages worldwide. Yes, of course that helps. But it’s not the only way and it’s certainly not the fastest way.

Every month I host my free, five-day Speak More, Make More Challenge. During one challenge I told participants to come back the next day and tell me about their dream stage. One woman came back with plans to tackle her dream stage the following year. I asked when that organisation’s next event would be, and she found out it was in six weeks’ time.

I coached her in how to approach the organisers, and she found herself on her dream stage not in a year, but in a matter of weeks. The confidence boost alone from realising how bookable she was, was phenomenal. I love to see that.

Too many of us are sitting here with speaking gigs staring us in the face, but we’re waiting for that “perfect opportunity” without realising it’s already here. If you take part in my next Speak More, Make More challenge, I’ll share with you the Dream – Decide – Reside formula that I use. 

Be done with waiting to get booked on international stages, waiting to see the world, waiting to change people’s lives with your message. Act, don’t wait.

And the goal is not just about getting yourself on international stages. It’s also about monetising the opportunities that you bring your way.

I often get questions from successful coaches and consultants who want to speak more than they are – they know they are missing opportunities.

What I find, the more I speak with them, is that they are often sitting on lucrative opportunities that they either weren’t monetising, or they were seriously undercharging when they did speak.

I delivered a recent class on how to jumpstart your revenue in 30 days or less, and the coaches and consultants who took part were amazed when they realised what was possible. They didn’t see that they were selling themselves short.

I find another thing that many people don’t realise is that everything you do is important to everything else that you do.

What do I mean by that?

Well, the other day I spoke about that during a Facebook Live I did as a guest of Jessica Terzakis, a brilliant consultant who works with service-based entrepreneurs. We were talking about the different ways that we can monetise speaking opportunities. One thing we all need to remember is that success comes not just on the stage, but through the relationships that grow from every speaking gig we have.
Jessica has an event coming up too - check it out if you want to be an expert content creator. 

You see, you can still be getting paid from a speaking engagement you did years earlier. I’ve had clients come to me maybe two or three years after they first heard me speak.

That happened because they heard me speak and liked what I had to say, but maybe the time wasn’t right for them. But they followed me on social media. They kept listening. And over time, people’s situations change. Later, I made an offer and it was the right time for them.

It is said that it takes as many as ‘7 or more touches' for somebody to buy from you. That’s why visibility is so important. That’s why it’s so important to do “lives”, to do webinars, to do challenges, to keep your message in the public eye.

Because then, one day you are speaking at an event and someone in the audience thinks, “Oh yes, I’ve heard her. I’ve been following her on Facebook and Instagram.”

And maybe they’re in a different place than they were the first time they heard you. And now they’re ready to sign up. That still happens to me. 

If you speak at an event and maintain those relationships with the people who attend, and if a client signs up every quarter – just one client – that is four new clients a year. And if you have a 25k offer, that could be 100k added to your bottom line.

Sounds good, right?

My free, monthly Speak More, Make More Challenge will give you loads more tips, resources and insights into converting talks and booking gigs. The next one starts on May 30th.

If you are really ready to rock, I’d urge you to get the VIP, which will give you an hour of additional coaching on your specific business, your message, your fees and your offers throughout the week. I had one client who was charging $150 and by the end of the week he was considering a 15k offer. 

I look forward to seeing you at my next challenge. Let’s start making those opportunities happen.

Ps. If you’re ready to rock and are already making some headway speaking or you have an event coming up and you need a monetisation plan email us and maybe we can jump on a call asap help@moira.ie