They don’t have a clue!

In 1991, I sailed a wooden boat 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.  During my 38 days at sea, I battled seasickness, faced storms and calms, adjusted the sails, and minded the compass.

Do you know what they said when I pulled into the dock in Gibraltar?

“Hey! Nice boat.”

🤔

To be clear, that wasn’t a journey I undertook for glory or recognition. I was 25 years old, single, and unemployed.  With nothing to tie me down, I seized the opportunity to have an adventure. You might have done the same.

But what did I expect them to say? 

They weren’t watching when I had to steer through 20-foot seas.

They didn’t see me climb the mast to retrieve that lost line.

They weren’t there to laugh when I got hit by that flying fish. (At least I got breakfast out of it!)

All they saw was some dude in a boat pulling up to the dock.

“Hey! Nice boat.”

Isn’t it the same for you…?

Let’s say you’re a meeting professional. You find a venue, negotiate with caterers and AV companies, arrange a block of hotel rooms, select speakers, battle over the budget, and manage countless other details.

You figure out the meeting theme and branding, get the event site built, fight with your social media team, and explain to the tech people that it just isn’t acceptable to display an error message every time someone tries to register and pay.

And then you pray that people will actually show up—that some new COVID variant won’t cause thousands of potential attendees to say, “Maybe next year.”

You hardly sleep during the days before the event, make a zillion last minute changes, resort to Plan B and Plan C when vendors flake out, and through sheer determination, against all odds, you succeed.

And then some well-meaning-but-totally-oblivious person comes up to you and says,

“Great conference but I’d love to see more vegan options.”

🤯

No matter what you do, being a professional who’s dedicated to excellence is much like sailing across an ocean. The people you serve only see you at your moment of triumph, when you step onto the dock at the end of a long, difficult journey.

They don’t have a clue!

And I get it. Too many people think my job involves hopping onto a stage and talking. They have no idea I had to sail thousands of miles before I could even start putting my stories and messages together. They don’t see the hours of writing and editing and practice.

They just clap and say, “That guy has the easiest job in the world!”

Your clients may or may not understand the love, talent, experience, and wisdom you put into delivering transformational results. They may not even care. They paid you to do what you do and then you did it. Isn’t that just what was expected?

You know how totally freaking amazing it was that you were able to make the whole thing happen … but too often, we run the risk of believing those who think what we do is no big deal.

Try getting anyone who thinks you’re worth nothing to pay you anything!

Success is largely dependent on our ability to communicate our authentic value to those we serve. For that to happen, we have to value our own ideas, methods, and experience — and make sure those who hire us understand what they’re getting…

Even if all we hear in return is “Hey! Nice boat.”

So how about it?

Why not become a better storyteller? Join me for three 2-hour sessions in January, 2023 on what to say, how to say it, and why they’ll buy it.

I promise you’ll be a better messenger, speaker, and communicator by the time you finish the course—even if writing, public speaking, or sales aren’t your favorite activities.

If you’re not satisfied with the course, request a refund. No questions asked.