Susan Young's
Amplify Blog
A/E/C Wins Bid Packages with This 1 Quality
When do you feel the most confident?
When you know in your heart you've prepared and are ready.
You FEEL self-assured and skilled at what you do.
You trust yourself at a deep core level.
Forget the business adage that feelings don't belong in the office.
You have to consider how you physically feel when you think about:
- Shortlisted meetings
- Team collaborations
- Networking events
- Speaking at a presentation
With physical tightness, anxiety, or a headache, you're not ready.
You can't be confident and win bids when you don't feel secure and strong.
Architects, engineers, and construction pros win bid packages by preparing their data.
And their mindsets.
Subject Matter Experts have These Qualities. Do You?
To be seen as a subject matter expert, you must know how to articulate your message.
It's not tricky.
The magic isn't in a bid package.
It's not about your slide deck.
It's not about how long you've been in the A/E/C industry.
You have to feel like a subject matter expert and leader.
You have to be willing to speak up. With Confidence. Charisma. Heart. Stories.
At meetings and conferences. Podcast and media interviews. On videos. At internal gatherings.
Look, you know your "stuff."
If the communication piece is missing, you can't share your knowledge and wisdom. #Fact
Want to Be a Podcast Guest?
Whether you're a guest on a podcast or you host one, it's super important to be prepared for the right and best conversation.
It starts long before you start recording.
This 3-minute video sheds light on how to find the right show, virtual event, and audience to share your expertise. (Hint: Your interview is an organic lead magnet!)
Click the video above to watch and learn!
This is THE BIGGEST Differentiator Between Speakers Who Get Hired, and Those Who Don't
Speaker Rant Here:
You wanna become a paid speaker so you can share your stories and change lives.
That's wonderful.
There's a huge mistake that beginners make that I want you to avoid at all costs.
This is the 3rd time in a few weeks I've heard something like this.
A connection on LinkedIn posted this today and I cringed. You should never experience this!
Look, a keynote is VERY different than a breakout session.
In how you craft your...
Stories and the flow of your talk
Slides
Activities
Handouts
And your mindset!
A true professional speaker who gets paid to present time and time again asks the right questions from the moment they are hired so that they are absolutely in their power and can blow the doors off their presentation!!
My coaching clients know that walking into a surprise is not professional.
If you're wanting to get serious about becoming a paid speaker, let's hop on a free Story Power Session strategy call. Click this link to apply.
My Client Was Full of It, and You Probably Are, Too
Humans are born with only 2 fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises.
Science proves it.
Everything else you’re afraid of was learned, most likely in your childhood (0-7 years old)
And we carry these fears—and the stories behind them—with us…for years.
• You talk about being afraid of heights.
• You talk about being afraid of dogs, spiders, or snakes.
• You talk about your fear of public speaking. Then, you give momentum to your (learned) story by talking about the presentation you messed up…in 2012.
Our words create our worlds.
And they usually keep us from growing ourselves and our businesses.
So, what are you afraid of, aside from maybe falling and loud noises?
My client, Don, was reflecting with me about how transformative this fear lesson has been for him.
Don’s a super smart techie.
He was studying computer languages long before the rest of us found the Internet.
His programs have been used by the Pentagon and...
How Our Internal Stories Slow Sales
I am LOVING my amazing client who brought in more money in Q4 of 2021 than all 3 previous quarters combined!
Yep, John Woods beat a big competitor in the employee health benefits field.
The contract was worth $61,000.
Here's the kicker: John had his best year—during the Pandemic! (Most of my other clients have as well )
How did this banner year happen when John's marketing was inconsistent and paid ads didn't convert?
John says the results **finally** showed up…WHEN HE SHOWED UP, for himself. He made a commitment to private coaching with me.
And I immediately nailed John's real issue.
It had ZILCH to do with marketing.
John had to clear out the blocks around his internal story and self-worth.
John had never heard this from other coaches or consultants.
He had to love his story --and himself--so decision-makers could appreciate his value and approach--and hire him.
Bottom line: If...
The #1 Issue that Keeps Slowing Your Business Growth
I want to get in front of people who can hire me; I want to grow my business!
That’s what I’ve been hearing these past few weeks on social media and from my own client calls.
Look, social media gives each of us access to the masses.
So, it’s not hard to get in front of people—even the right people who are your dream clients.
Still, there’s a challenge that most entrepreneurs and coaches don’t recognize.
It’s this: What do you SAY when you get in front of your peeps?
If you’re like most of my clients, when we first start working together, they say the same thing.
You’re not alone…
- Maria thought her problem was only having a few small clients (and struggling to make money). Then she realized she needed the confidence to talk about herself in a big, bold way.
- Chris thought he wasn’t closing enough sales. Then he realized he didn’t feel worthy enough to speak up.
- Heidi knew she...
You Guys! I Just Got Promoted!
I am busting at the seams with excitement and pride.
I am now the CEO of my 21-year-old communications company.
On Monday, I woke up as the founder of Get in Front Communications.
By 11 AM, I stopped everything and decided to give myself a long-overdue promotion to CEO.
It took years of me doing the same freakin’ thing…over and over…and expecting different results. (I know…it’s called madness.)
And as the hamster wheel began spinning on Monday, I made a decision. I DECIDED that this is not how a successful CEO operates day-to-day.
I’m getting real here so hold onto your hats.
And please, no judgment. “We teach what we need to learn,” said Jane Fonda.
You see, I’ve spent the past few months searching for the “right” Virtual Assistant.
That's fine, but not at the same time as a...
How Not to Screw Up Your Credibility and Introduction
Entrepreneurs, here is a HUGE lesson from a simple 10-second interaction between a reporter and a celebrity after last night's Emmy Awards.
Watch this video for a a priceless lesson on business growth, questions and paying attention.
How the Ruthless Streets Created a Poet
On Monday night, a young man who calls himself an “unsigned artist” on Clubhouse was in a room (similar to a chat) with me and 250 others.
The topic was speaking with confidence.
The man raised his hand, asking for feedback on a poem about the ruthless streets and people he’s known all his life.
Clubhouse is an audio-only app, so everyone in the room could only hear this man’s voice.
A deep baritone enveloped with the thickness of the streets.
His avatar was a logo; we had no idea what he looked like.
We went merely by the sound of his voice, his mumbled words, his quick cadence.
It was nearly impossible to understand his words.
He raced awkwardly through his poem and asked for feedback.
He apologized for sounding “so ghetto."
One of the moderators on stage with me asked him respectfully to slow down, enunciate and recite the poem again.
He did.
The feedback came in heaps of praise and love for this young man who...
