Motivational Speakers as an Investment
The meeting industry is being scrutinized more than ever before. And that means YOUR meeting is being scrutinized 
more than a Presidential nominee…. How can we possibly consider any investment in motivational speakers worth while?
What?! Your organization has suffered through lay-offs and you’re considering bringing in a funny motivational speaker? He’ll make us laugh and somehow that’s good for business? You’re kidding, right?
Nope. Not kidding. In this bad economy THIS is the time to invest in your employees. They need help; they need motivation. And if you can do it with laughter, all the better.
Why? Because the right* motivational speaker will increase your bottom line.
How? Glad you asked. Let’s face it, your people already know what to do and how to do it. But they aren’t working fast enough or well enough. They aren’t producing to their potential. They aren’t working at their top capacity.***
The difference between what they are doing and what they are capable of doing is motivation. Your team is not fully motivated to work as hard, as fast, as creatively, and with out as much oversight as they could if they were highly motivated.
Good motivational speakers are black belts at getting your people back to a higher speed and level of production.
What’s the value of a speaker to you? Do The Math.
Okay skeptics, this section is for you. Let’s be conservative and imagine that the right speaker could increase the quality and quantity of your work product by just 2% for one week. Add up the total value of your current work product. Now calculate the value of a 2% increase for 7 days. What is the monetary value of that net change?
But let’s admit it, a 2% increase is pretty lame. Do you think a great dose of motivation could push your group up 5%? 10%? Sure. And could that motivation last longer than a week? Do you think we could make the message “stick” for 10 days? A fortnight? A month? Six months? A year? Heck yeah. How do these numbers change your math? Look down: your calculator is shouting: You can’t afford NOT to invest in a motivational speaker.****
Motivation and Lasting Change.
Let’s take it one step further to insure that your speaker investment pays: what plans do you have to follow up on the message your speaker delivers? My clients ask me to deliver a proven system of follow-up with their organizations to assure that the message lasts. I use everything from return visits to tele-seminars to customized videos to audio magazine subscriptions to reaffirm and reinforce the message to make sure that what we do has some “sticking” power.
And, if you go back to your math, you’ll notice the monetary value of creating lasting change. The more “lasting” the change is, the greater value of your investment in your speaker.
Motivational speakers have a (sometimes deserved) bad reputation. We come in and fire up the group, make them feel like a million dollars, and then leave. Then before the month is out that feeling is gone. The net change is zero. Right? Wrong. I have a great answer to this objection. (Ok, I have three.)
1. Motivation is like a shower. Just because you’ve had a shower doesn’t mean you’ll never need another. Showers are worth it. And so are motivational speakers.
2. For organizations serious about creating lasting change, I have a system for follow up to make sure the motivation lasts. (Sorry, you’ll still need to continue showering.)
3. Because we can compute the value of even tiny and short-lived increases in personal motivation – and because even those small changes can result in HUGE financial gains, even poor motivation is a decent investment. And excellent motivational speakers are an outstanding investment.
Yes, I know your budget is cut. Yes, I understand that you need to justify your investments more than ever. Yes, I understand that making your people laugh isn’t important when everybody is focused on your bottom line. But people are your greatest asset. Your factories work. Your machines are running. Better office supplies won’t make a dent. The best place to find increased profits and economic stability is in your people – and they need motivation. And because lately they’ve been feeling the stress too, they need to laugh.
Motivation + Laughter + A Plan For Lasting Change = Greater Productivity.
I’d love to be the one to help you make a difference. Let’s talk about how to invest in your people today. Go to the contact page.
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* Yup, when I say “The right motivational speaker” I mean me. :)
** No, I haven’t been spying on you. I’ve just read the studies.
*** No, your webcam isn’t on. Don’t worry. I can’t see you or your calculator (or your jammies.)
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Brad Montgomery is a very funny motivational speaker who believes that people who enjoy a great quality of (work) life produce a better quality of work-product. And he shares this message in a laugh-out-loud funny way to organizations across the country and across the world.
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Resilient people look for the funny when times are tough in order to reduce stress and keep a positive attitude. Brad’s the guy to help your people perk up!
Aw shucks, Anne. You made my day. :) — Brad
As a public school district leader, I know that Brad’s comments apply in both the private and public arena. Public schools have always known that people, large and small, are their greatest resource. Unlike some organizations in the private sector, our spending has always been highly scrutinized. Learning is a joyful process. There is no sounder investment or pathway to improved student achievement than increasing the joyfulness in the learning environment. These increases start with happy people. I am looking forward to booking with Brad.
Eric Conti, Burlington Public Schools
I would like to add on to Brad’s comments regarding lasting change. A very inexpensive way to spread the motivational or learning moment, is to start a reading group that would meet regularly. This is a very easy way to re-inforce the message, and actually move to implementation. It is a system to make lasting change in the organiztion. To use Brad’s analogy, it is not only taking regular showers, it is taking regular “group” showers. If the motivational speaker has a book, start with that book, or if the speaker does not have a book, start with a book that supports the speaker’s message.
My company operates convention bookstores, and too often after a fantastic motivational presentation, an attendee purchases a book, maybe get’s it signed and puts it on the shelf in the office. Wouldn’t it be better to come back to the office, and have the entire department, read, discuss, and implement the lessons for the speaker?
Dave Hemsath, BreakPoint Books
Dave, you had me at “Group Shower.” : )
Great point…. Love the idea of a book club. I wish I had thought of it.
Cheers and thanks.
Brad
PS. The group shower thing is gonna be hard to explain to my wife: “Hey honey, it’s not what you think! I’m just following up for lasting change! I swear!”