On day three of Infusionsoft’s 2012 annual user conference Infusioncon, the ladies made their mark. Millionaire entrepreneur and Mentor, Ali Brown, and author of Escape From Cubicle Nation, Pam Slim both delivered though-provoking keynotes, and later in the day, social media expert Laura Roeder and I each delivered breakout sessions.
Pam Slim’s keynote, Amplify Your Expert Status was clever, quick-witted, and profound. While Pam’s keynote title may lead you to believe she’d be speaking about ways you can get in the spotlight and be recognized, that wasn’t the case at all.
Instead her message and focus was on leading by example and lifting up others before yourself. She shared a couple of her own stories and some of her clients’ stories, and woven through them all was a common thread – one that positioned Pam as an undeniable expert by featured and highlighted other business owners she works with.
While Pam did mention media was a factor in her rise to expert status, she told the audience, “I’m more proud of the media stories where I’m never mentioned and my clients are featured.”
In one of the rare moments Pam did mention her coaching services, she said, “New biz owners need knowledge, community, inspiration, promotion.” They need to know what they don’t know and get help. They need support and to know they are not alone. They need to be inspired and believed in. And, they need someone to be their cheerleader, promoting them and sharing their story.
Another key theme to Pam’s keynote was to focus on your own expertise and brilliance. In other words, don’t pretend to be an expert in an area you’re not. As Pam shared, “All the packaging in the world cannot disguise a false gift”
“What special knowledge do you have? Focus on it. Love it. Gift it,” said Pam. “You job is to connect, amplify, and elevate those in your community.”
You’ve got to love what you do because then you’ll focus on it, work on it, improve it, strengthen it. According to Pam, “The root of deep expertise is deep love.”
Another gold nugget I took away from Pam’s keynote was a question she asked: Would you bet your mother’s life savings on your ability to deliver value to your customers?
Now that is a statement. Are you so confident in your talent, value, skill, commitment, ability to turn your dream into a reality, that you would bet your mother’s life savings on your success? I don’t think there are many business owners who could answer yes. Otherwise, we’d see fewer start-ups fail, less give up, and more would raise their rates.
The last great piece of advice I took away from Pam Slim’s Infusioncon 2012 keynote was, “You cannot do everything yourself. You are the sum of your crew.”
This small but mighty statement hit home as we’re on the brink of expanding our team and hiring some contractors for some quick implementation projects. I agree. There isn’t a single business owner that can do it all themselves. I’m a big believer in hiring people better and smarter than you are, in the areas that you stink. If you’re the sum of your crew, and the sum of the five people you’re around the most, I want to build a killer crew.
Learn more about Pam Slim:
Pamela Slim is a seasoned coach and writer who helps frustrated employees in corporate jobs break out and start their own business. Her blog, Escape from Cubicle Nation, is one of the top career and marketing blogs on the web. A former corporate manager and entrepreneur herself for more than a decade, she deeply understands the questions and concerns faced by first-time entrepreneurs. Her expertise in personal and business change was developed through many years consulting inside corporations such as Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard and Charles Schwab, where she coached thousands of executives, managers and employees.
“Entrepreneurship at its heart is aligning your purpose for being on earth with a business idea so compelling that you simply must do it, despite the fears that hold you back,” says Pam. Her experience teaching martial arts for 10 years to thousands of students including former gang members has helped her clients deal with fear head-on. A world traveler, Pam speaks four languages and has lived and worked in Europe and South America.
Pam’s book Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur was released in Spring, 2009 and won Best Small Business/Entrepreneur Book of 2009. Pam is frequently quoted as an expert on entrepreneurship in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Money Magazine and Psychology Today. Pam is married with three kids and lives in Mesa, Arizona.
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Hi Jennifer…
Great re-cap here. Love Pam. She did a rockin’ good job on her Keynote.
And me too! I wrote the same note sitting in the front row.
“You cannot do everything yourself…”
Great reminder. As entrepreneurs, we want to believe we can… But the truly great ones know better and surround themselves with a “killer crew”.
Yes? :-)
Thanks Eric! I appreciate you stopping by our blog. Several of the presenters all mentioned at one point or another the power of your team and the difference they will make in your success. I agree we all want to believe we can do everything, but the great I think know when to let go and what to let go.
Thanks for sharing this information Jennifer. I find that you get a lot of benefits when you do what you are best at and refer people to do the things you are not an expert at. In my experience, it helps you develop an outstanding reputation because you aren’t diluting what you provide with the things at which you are mediocre. Love the question: Would you bet your mother’s life savings on your ability to deliver value to your customers? To me that not only reflects upon the value of what you are providing, but also on screening your clients to make sure they need and are ready to embrace what you do.
Linda – You’ve nailed it! It’s not just about the value you bring, but making sure what you can deliver is what your prospects and clients need. It always baffles me when we tell new prospects that someone else would be a better fit and refer them to another expert – and they are surprised. Maybe shocked is a better word. They can’t believe we’re sending them elsewhere when they want to give us their money. But I’d rather know you’re getting exactly what you need and want than take your money – and sometimes that means referring you elsewhere!
I’m with Linda – I love that quote about would you bet your mother’s life savings on your ability to deliver value? What’s interesting to me is that this speaker talked about relationship and integrity, two things that are very welcome to hear about at such a business oriented conference.
Sue – Infusionsoft did a fantastic job at balancing their technical presentations with powerful keynotes! The entire conference seemed to ooze an undercurrent of value, service, personal relationships, and integrity, trust, and the humanization of business – and this is from an automation company. They really “get it” in communicating that while you can streamline and automate repetitive tasks and marketing, true success requires personal connections and relationships.
Jennifer, first of all congratulations on being in the same space with social media guru Laura Roeder. I think she’s great! Secondly, thank you for the introduction to Pam Slim. I really like her tips, particularly the part about “you are the sum of your crew.” Team work is so crucial, even as a solopreneur. Thank you for sharing her tips!
Jennifer, thank you for the great recap! There are so many golden nuggets in this post. I especially agree with the quote, “New biz owners need knowledge, community, inspiration, promotion” as well as the need for a “killer crew.” Many entrepreneurs struggle to grow their businesses because they are struggling with trying to do everything alone and in isolation. The question, “Would you bet your mother’s life savings on your ability to deliver value to your customers?” is very thought-provoking. On one hand you have folks selling a load of crap, and on the other hand you have truly gifted folks who offer tremendous value but are too scared offer their services and earn a decent income.