Remember wallpaper? 

It was a "thing" back in the day. 

And people would say: "Don't blend in with the wallpaper."

Translation: Stand out, get noticed, and be visible.

Don't be a wallflower. 

Blending in makes us feel invisible, ordinary, and maybe even dull.

It repels people and opportunities. It happens every day online. 

And at conferences. Most people don't seem to mind blending in at industry events.  

This week, I saw a few people I know posting pictures of themselves exhibiting at a trade expo. 

Some of the posts were from past coaching clients. 

They are REALLY good at what they do.

They know their sh*t.

They work hard and often exceed their goals. 

Why spend time in a booth when you could speak at a workshop down the hall?

To a captive audience who wants to learn from you. And maybe hire you.

Do you see yourself in an endless row of vendors trying to muster up conversations while handing out candy and...

Painfully blunt is the way my hubs describes me.

Not gonna mince words here.

If you’re pitching yourself to event organizers who hire speakers….and all you get are crickets and maybe a gig for “volunteer speakers” …you’re wasting your time and energy.

You DON’T need to:

Create a slick Speaker 1-sheet with new branded photos

Pay for a goofball “speaker reel” video that's staged with “real people”

Join Toastmasters or spend big bucks on a voice coach

Waste a ton of time, money, and energy writing a book

Here’s what you DO need to do:

Connect your topic to the theme of an event so that decision-makers know you "get" their audience

Have a 1-minute video clip from a real talk that showcases your personality and expertise

Work on your internal voice first so that you quiet self-doubt (and get contracts, not crickets!)

Fine-tune your topic and description so organizers see you're a polished pro (and they can easily...