Comparing Learnings from being a candidate in a Council Election and Business Growth

There’s a timeless quotation from US President Theodore Roosevelt Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Recently, I went in a local government election. It actually was a challenging experience and as it is the second time, I should have known better. An election is a complex process and I am impressed with anyone who goes in as a candidate and should they win, it must be a huge high.

Here’s an overview of my comparison and learnings from going through a Council Election and running a business.

Both running for council and growing a business require leadership, resilience, and connecting with people. Here’s how lessons from my local government campaign align with business growth strategies:

1. Authenticity Matters

• Council Campaign: I focused on real community issues like local facilities and cultural spaces. While some candidates relied on charm, my authenticity built trust.

• Business Growth: In business, addressing genuine customer needs drives success. Offering value-driven solutions builds strong relationships and loyalty.

2. Real Value vs. Self-Promotion

• Council Campaign: My focus was on delivering solutions for community issues like improvements for the community, rather than self-promotion. This resonated with many voters.

• Business Growth: Clients look for real value. Businesses should position themselves as problem solvers, offering meaningful solutions that impact their audience’s lives.

3. Resilience Through Setbacks

• Council Campaign: Political setbacks, like backroom deals, revealed challenges. However, they strengthened my understanding of the process and my resolve to advocate for the community.

• Business Growth: In business, setbacks are inevitable. Resilience and a clear strategy ensure continued growth despite challenges.

4. Listening and Connecting with the Community

• Council Campaign: Listening to residents’ concerns was key to aligning my campaign with community needs.

• Business Growth: Actively listening to customers builds trust. Two-way communication ensures businesses deliver solutions that resonate.

5. Continuous Improvement

• Council Campaign: Despite not winning, I gained a better understanding of community priorities, helping refine future approaches.

• Business Growth: Continuous improvement through feedback and performance metrics keeps businesses competitive and drives growth.

Conclusion: Moving Forward with Confidence

The lessons from my council run—authenticity, delivering real value, resilience, listening, and continuous improvement—are just as essential in business as they are in a political campaign.

Whether in politics or business, staying committed to your mission, learning from challenges, and focusing on the needs of those you serve ensures success. These insights will continue to guide both my community work and business growth.

My work involves coaching experienced Experts who are brilliant at their expertise but they find it challenging when it comes to promoting themselves, creating presentations, using speaking as a marketing strategy and simply going out of their comfort zone to achieve their desired business initiative. This is where my work with AdrienneMcLean.com and TheSpeakersPractice.com.auhelps Experts to grow their business by using speaking as a marketing strategy.

My final learning is that you have to be in the arena to achieve your goals and aspirations.

Think Bigger, Grow and Succeed

Thinking Bigger about who you help and how you help them is so important!

To succeed, we all need to learn and grow. This is what this new book is all about. Interviewed are Professionals who have done the hard yards to get ahead.

There are valuable insights and advice to help with getting ahead.

Here are some questions with answers to ponder.

1. What are the pros and cons of staying in your comfort zone?

Pros:
  • Staying in your comfort zone can bring a sense of security and stability.
  • It can reduce stress and anxiety as you are familiar with the routine and environment.
  • It can be more efficient as you are familiar with the task, and you can save time and energy.
Cons:
  • Staying in your comfort zone can limit your potential for growth and development, both personally and professionally.
  • It can lead to a sense of complacency and stagnation, which can be detrimental to your business.
  • It can also mean missing out on new opportunities and experiences.
2. What are your recommendations for thinking bigger about your goals and getting out of that comfort zone and going for your aspirations?
  • Start small: Take small steps towards your goals, rather than trying to tackle everything at once.
  • Reflect on your values: Understand what motivates you, what you truly care about, and align your goals with your values
  • Seek out new experiences: Look for new opportunities to learn and grow, whether it’s taking a class, attending a workshop, or seeking out a new job or project.
  • Surround yourself with positive influences: Seek out people who will support and encourage you to reach for your aspirations.
  • Use visualization and positive affirmations to help focus your thoughts and build confidence.
  • Make a plan and take action: Break your goals into manageable steps, and take action towards achieving them.
3. What happens when we have to get out of our own comfort zone and do the things to actually get our goals happening?
  • Stepping out of your comfort zone can be uncomfortable and stressful, but it can also lead to personal growth and development.
  • It can help you to discover new talents and abilities, as well as expose you to new opportunities.
  • It can increase your resilience and self-confidence, which can be beneficial in achieving your goals.
  • It can also push you to improve your skills, and it can help you in the long term.
4. What are the best ways to approach achieving goals?
  • Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals can help to give direction and focus.
  • Breaking down your goals into smaller, manageable steps can make them more achievable.
  • Prioritizing and focusing on one goal at a time can help to ensure that you are making progress.
  • Staying motivated and persistent can help you to stay on track and achieve your goals.
  • Regularly reviewing and adjusting your goals as needed can ensure that they remain relevant and achievable.
  • Surrounding yourself with supportive people who can provide guidance and encouragement can be beneficial in achieving your goals.
  • Finally, Celebrate your achievements along the way, no matter how small they may be.
To find out more and hear real life experiences, go to Amazon and download the Kindle eBook or get the Paperback.
Adrienne McLean, Founder of The Speakers Practice, interviewed 18 guests for this book, had the interviews transcribed, edited and put together in book form to help Small Business owners.

Networking raises the questions & supports

 

Being in lockdown is not natural and especially for business owners. We are social beings and small business owners are used to getting out and networking. 

The Professional Services Network is offering monthly, networking events online to connect business owners. Zoom calls can help where we can see, share screens and learn.

 

 

 

In our September meeting, the following topics were discussed: 

  1. Small business loans
  2. Marketing a program
  3. Creating new programs
  4. Using Social media
  5. Employing Virtual Assistants – where to find a VA, how to get started with a VA, getting your processes in place so a va can do the work, training a va
  6. Events moving forward – hybrid events and how to handle the event
  7. COVID – brought the family together with no after school activities and dinner was together. Home schooling had it’s challenges. 

These are all real issues, challenges and activities that business owners have to deal with and navigate for their business.

Looking for assistance and discussions are important. Coaches are there to educate, help implement and keep clients accountable. 

Should help is required, Adrienne McLean at The Speakers Practice is there as a resource to assist. Email on adrienne@thespeakerspractice.com.au or ring on 0414 367 960. 

The importance of preparing for the big day!

Wedding speeches are one of the most memorable speeches that can be delivered. Whether, it is the Bride and groom or the Father of the Bride or the Best Man or Bridesmaid.

Presentation skills and public speaking impacts on many areas, both in business and personal. At The Speakers Practice, we work with professionals but, in essence, we are supporting and training individuals so they can be more confident with personal presentation matters ,as well as, at work with presentation and in marketing efforts. At The Speakers Practice, we do offer Speciality Speech writing and assistance with delivery.

A loving father got in contact and was looking for some support in preparing a speech for his daughter who was getting married. As the Father of the Bride, he wanted to deliver an impactful speech as it was such an important day for his family.

Being a builder, getting up in front of groups and speaking wasn’t something that came naturally to to Jim. His wife was the one that did a whole lot more talking and had that skill. For the wedding, Jim was the father of the bride and this was his duty. Jim had the intention to do the best speech ever, he was willing to prepare and practice to do it as well as he could possibly deliver the speech. Jim called on me , as a presentation skills coach, to help him with his presentation.

The process:

  1. Brain storming the topic
    Jim worked with me for three sessions. The first session, we brainstormed about his family, I asked questions and took notes. From our discussions, we came up with some family stories that were most important and from these discussions, a speech developed.
  2. Preparing the SpeechThe speech was prepared and this was discussed during the second session.For Jim, it was a nice moment to reflect over the years, for me it was delightful to learn about the family. A speech was prepared and discussed with Jim. We worked on fine tuning the content.Jim got input from others and I helped along the way.
  3. Practice
    Jim got to practice and even though it was on line, Jim was able to practice and I was able to give  Jim feedback.Jim practiced in front of anyone who would listen. Yes, he got lots of input to support him through the process. This is valuable, as practice, gets in out of your head and into a performance. It helps with getting the language right and with the flow.
  4. The Big Day!
    The big day happened and Jim messaged to say how wonderful the day went and he was thrilled with his speech. Everyone congratulated Jim on the fabulous presentation. Think there were a few tears of happiness!

Jim messaged me saying “ I pulled it off! My speech went well. Received so many lovely comments on how well written and presented it was! Thank you so much, I definitely could not have done it without your help. “

His message goes on” The speeches all went very well, mine went well thanks to you. My daughters made some lovely speeches too and the boys spoke. But the groom didn’t want any speeches in the video for some reason. So there are no records of the speeches” Jim thought it was mainly because the groom, his brother and father had nothing prepared and they didn’t come across very well. “

In summary:

The moral to this story is planning and preparation helps prevent presentation predicaments! Plan, prepare, rehearse and practice. Do the work to make the outcome as good as you can do it. Invest in yourself. Do the hard yards. It is worth it. It means you’ll never need to cover up or hide or hide others efforts.

Whether it is a wedding speech, as in this example, or it is a work presentation or a presentation selling your business, doing the preparation and working on each aspect of the presentation will at the end of the day mean you are better off and can present in a much better light than someone who didn’t prepare.

Adrienne McLean is a BookYourselfSolid® Certified Coach, SpeakersTrainingCamp® Internationally Accredited Instructor and the Principle of The Speakers Practice. Offering marketing discovery audits, online training programs, Public Speaking for Professionals, Effective On-Camera Presenting workshop and much more.

Email on adrienne@thespeakerspractice.com.au or ring on 0414 367 960

Professional Services Marketing Conference

What makes the Professional Services Marketing Conference unique from the other marketing & sales events in Sydney?

The Professional Services Marketing Conference is different from large events because this conference is focussed on taking the delegates through the business development process starting at marketing and digital marketing going through to sales in the afternoon and including mindset as this is so important to the process.

Each presenter is asked to deliver 3 conference takeaway strategies that the delegates can go back to their business and utilise. That’s 36 different strategies – that’s huge value!

PLUS the Presenters are each offering some conference gift – a book, some consultation time something that the delegates attending can connect with the speakers.

This conference is:

✔︎ highly personalised.

✔︎ our speakers are local, Australian specialists who have been through the same business building process that Service Professionals in the B2B space experience.

✔︎ The content is specialised and relevant to Service Professionals.

✔︎ Delegates are much closer to the speakers and can ask questions they have either during or after the presentation.

✔︎ The Speakers are offering huge value to the delegates who attend the conference.

✔︎ The NSW Minister for Finance and Small Business is attending – you will be able to ask the minister questions about how the government is helping SME to do business.

✔︎ Each speaker has experience in business development, marketing and sales.

✔︎ Everyone understands the importance of mindset in growing a busienss.

✔︎ Networking and business was done from attending the conference in 2018.

✔︎ This year, there are many opportunities to connect with like minded professionals, who understand the challenges being faced.

✔︎ The Sydney Boulevard Hotel look after our delegates beautifully with a delicious morning and afternoon tea. There’s  a fabulous lunch where the delegates get to know each other just that bit more!

✔︎ The presentations are fast paced with breaks, thee’s a huge amount of variety and all focused in on helping you as a Service Professional to grow your business.

✔︎ This is a one day conference to sit back and think about the business development of your business. Listen to experts who have been there and done exactly what you are wanting to achieve.

The Professional Services Marketing Conference is an information conference and is NOT selling from the stage. The delegates will have opportunities to  connect with our experts which is networking and building trust and then perhaps business will follow but its all up to the delegates.

 

To book in – see Professional Services Marketing Conference

Goal Setting and Achieving!

Thanks for joining us for this Business Success Strategies Interview . The aim of this 30 minute interview is to find out from highly successful experts approaches for marketing & growing a business.

It’s wonderful today to have Scotty Schindler join us today.

Scotty Schindler is today recognised among Australia’s leading entrepreneurs. After three decades of hard work day in and day out in his business career, Scott retired in 2017 at 46 years of age and immediately turned his attention towards service of others in business.

Scott has an insight built on real and enduring experience acquired over three decades in business, Scott is renowned in Australia and beyond for his thought leadership.

The topic of our interview today is “Goal Setting and Achieving ! ”. The questions answered with lots of enthusiasm and vigour are:

1. Many people find it easy to set goals but find it difficult to achieve them. Is there an approach to setting goals so they are achievable?

2. Is it a good idea to have lots of goals or just set a few? Does setting annual, 3 year, 5 year etc goals work?

3. It gets easy to get roadblocks in the process of trying to achieve a goal. What’s your advice about handling roadblocks?

4. What’s your approach to actually focusing on a goal and achieving it?

5. What is a Business strategy that you recommend?

6. Tell us about your business.

Video is a powerful way of connecting ……

Video is an incredibly powerful way of connecting with your clients.

You, as a business owner, can connect one-on-one with your clients and prospective clients in a way that was unheard of 15 years ago. Today, it is so easy to use a phone or tablet to create a video, the quality is reasonably good and connections can be made one to many easily and regularly.

For more professional video, access is available and quality video is more affordable than ever. You can create your own commercial with high quality displaying you as the expert in your field to everyone that clicks on your website or Youtube channel.

So what sorts of video could you create to speak to your prospects?

Here’s a list but there’s over 50 different types of video – see – 51 ways you can use video

  1. Short, sharp phone video for use on Facebook
  2. Branded professional video for websites
  3. How to video for Youtube and websites
  4. Video for Online Training programs
  5. Video via Webinars

Each profession will suite various sorts of video. Its a matter of thinking about how can video be best utilised in my business to help my clients.

Once you have thought through the use of video within your business, then its the creation of the video that is to be considered.

Video creation involves –

  1. Planning – the script, the message, the location, how the video is to be created, who is to be involved , is it a person speaking or animated video?
  2. Production – the creation of the video – who is going to do this and how
  3. Post Production – preparing the digital recording into a professional MP4 recording.

There’s plenty to think about when preparing a video.

The important consideration is the connection with you and your clients and prospects.


Video can help your business by:
a.displaying you as the expert in your field
b. keep a personal connection with your audience
c. use various, interesting video to keep your audience engaged and following your topics
d. giving your audience valuable information using video in an easy to watch format
e. you, as the business owner, only need to say this once on the video and then it can be seen multiple times by viewers so for you it is actually time consuming not having to say the same thing again and again.

Consider the ways video can help you. Perhaps, give us a call to discuss opportunities where you can utilise video to help you.

Check out the Effective On-Camera Presenting program Video is a powerful marketing tool and that marketing using video is becoming an important way of connecting with your prospects & clients. To use video, are you looking to understand ✔︎ How to effectively present to camera ✔︎ What you need to be aware of when using video ✔︎ What are the best approaches to create successful video? ✔︎ Get nervous in front of a video camera ✔︎ Wanting to create successful video? ✔︎ What tools you need to do this

Adrienne McLean DTM – SpeakersTrainingCamp International Instructor and the Founder of The Speakers Practice – Adrienne specialises at The Speakers Practice helping clients to confidently deliver presentations for maximum impact. Adrienne has been training presenting to camera programs since 2012 and has been coached by Lou Bortone – US Video Marketing Expert.

 You can contact Adrienne on adrienne@thespeakerspractice.com.au or ring on 0414 367 960.

November 2018 Newsletter

To the attendees of one of the biggest, annual networking events in Sydney, a questionaire was sent out to see what topics and issues they would like to have addressed either at this networking event or at other workshops etc.

Over 70% of the respondents detailed that they struggled with their marketing and would like more information on that business topic.

Plus, research from the Peter Faber School of Business & Law at the Australian Catholic University has shown that businesses struggle with :

  • Marketing
  • Personal Selling
  • Getting the sale across the line

So getting more clients and understanding what needs to be done when going through the business development process to realise the sale is a challenge for many businesses in todays challenging world.

These are the business building activities that will help grow a business – marketing, having a digital presence, sales and mindset. The challenges faced by businesses with implementing these business activities are real.

The second important activity is to have your marketing and sales systematised to make these activities more efficient. This will assist with getting sales faster.

If you have questions, examples or comments, then please let us know. Our programs are designed to help Service Professionals to get more clients, we are here to assist and we encourage you to comment. 

Here is a well worthwhile video to watch with Michael Port, the author of the business building system BookYourselfSolid®. Michael is delivering a 7 minute overview of how the BookYourselfSolid® system works and the segments that all businesses need to address to be booked solid.

If you have a questions about business development and marketing – for instance about Target Market or about Building Trust and Credibility or working with Ideal Clients or how to have a Sales conversation, what marketing activities are important – we have a proven approach to help you go from having no leads in your pipeline to being fully booked. We can help you get to the next level. 

Just as one example – a Customer Relationship Management tool (CRM) can keep all your clients details in one place and you can easily get in contact with your clients. You might be surprised how infrequently this tool is used ,however, it is a very valuable way to building trust and credibility and those connections with your clients that are so important. We can help you implement a CRM system that fits your budget. 

Here are some of our programs –

Marketing Skills and Business Development system
Public Speaking, Presentation Skills and Communication Skills
Speaking to Camera and creating Video
Professional Services Marketing Conference

Being the BookedYourselfSolid® Certified Coach here in Australia, we have available all the tools, exercises and building blocks to help businesses grow. The BookYourselfSolid® business building system puts a structure and framework to work by that systematically helps to grow a business. Just email to find out more details.
Connect and celebrate with Service Professionals on Monday 10th December from 6.30pm – 8.30pm !

Share & network, bring along promotional items to hand out and share about the years triumphs.


The Speakers Practice is offering a special BONUS for the first 15 to book in – a one hour marketing consultation PLUS a review of the 21 Step Marketing checklist – to see where your marketing is up to and where can be worked on to Get More Clients !

This will really assist you with your planning for 2019.

This is an opportunity to meet and connect with like – minded professionals at a fabulous venue to look back over the year and look forward to the next one (not too far away!). The Endeavour Tap rooms are putting on a delicious meal for you to enjoy.

Plus – you get two special BONUSES to really assist with making 2019 a very successful year!

Book in here

             The BookYourselfSolid Masterclass Intensive – 8 sessions live, online – going step by step through the business development system BookYourselfSolid – check here more details 
            Marketing Discovery Audit 
By doing an annual marketing audit, you will find out:
✔︎ Are your marketing systems working for you
✔︎ Are there processes that need implementing for growth
✔︎ Are your strategies & tactics being followed
By doing the Marketing Discovery Audit , this will give you insights for marketing activities to help you get off to a great start for the new year.
Click here for more details
Check out the Effective On-Camera Presenting program
Video is a powerful marketing tool and that marketing using video is becoming an important way of connecting with your prospects & clients.
To use video, are you looking to understand
✔︎ How to effectively present to camera
✔︎ What you need to be aware of when using video
✔︎ What are the best approaches to create successful video?
✔︎ Get nervous in front of a video camera
✔︎ Wanting to create successful video?
✔︎ What tools you need to do thisThe date is set for Friday 8th February, 2019 – we’re taking bookings for the next upcoming Effective On-Camera Presenting for Professionals” – there’s only a couple of spaces available so  Register interest here for the next workshop
Hornsby Business Information Forum – a networking event to meet, ask those niggling marketing & business development questions, share & be inspired – 4th Thursday, Thyme Square cate – 8.30am to 10am, Free to attend. Business Professionals meet and discuss the topic of the day – – topic is the 6 steps to grow a business – book in Next Forum –  29th November, 2018 
          The Professional Services Marketing Conference 2018 was a day of learning, connecting and being motivated to get to the next level. Check out this Professional Services Marketing Conference overview video
If you missed attending and would like to see the presentations online or attended and want to see the presentations again – enjoy the
Online –  Professional Services Marketing Conference 2018 – there are 6 hours of presentations full of really valuable information to help you with marketing, digital marketing, sales and mindset.
For more details or to ask any questions, ring 0414 367 960.
See: www.thespeakerspractice.com.au and www.adriennemclean.com

Finally, I have a question for you – what are your top 5 marketing questions? Just email and let me know, these questions can be answered in future issues.

Thanks so much!
Adrienne McLean, The Speakers Practice

The Speakers Practice – Presentation Skills workshop for Professionals

What would you get out of  The Speakers Practice – Presentation Skills Workshop for Professionals ?

A fabulous day was spent with Professionals who were keen to work on their presentation skills. The SpeakersTrainingCamp formula is followed – taking rather nervous attendees through a process of developing their presentation skills and building confidence to speak in front of a group.

What did they like most about the workshop?

  1. Helped me to speak naturally and from the heart
  2. very relaxed , comfortable atmosphere bringing out people’s openness
  3. Good to get feedback from everyone in the group
  4. Having a solid structure for a presentation
  5. Gaining confidence via constructive feedback
  6. Practical tips
  7. Safe and supportive people and feedback to get better
  8. Opportunity to practise
  9. Indepth knowledge
  10. Good facility

What were the most important things they learnt?

  • How to structure a presentation
  • being natural when delivering a presentation – speaking from the heart
  • being in control of the situation
  • Good valuable tips
  • The GRABM concept
  • Importance of body language
  • Controlling nerves and the exercises to help with nervousness
  • Importance of posture and breathing
  • Feeling more confident to deliver a message

A testimonial to summarise the day –

“Adrienne opened doors for me that have been closed for a long time. Her course has initiated a process that I can confidently build on helping me personally and with my work in architecture.”

Rob Geoghegar,  Architect

The Speakers Practice – Presentation Skills workshop for Professionals will be available quarterly – check in with The Speakers Practice for the next workshop.