ON STAGE AT "LAKE OF THE OZARKS!"

May, 1995. The network marketing company that supplied the nutritional products I sold, held their annual convention at a Lake of the Ozarks resort in Arkansas. 

Everybody there had heard of "Tomato Warning" (my promotional audiotape) and "Dead Doctors Don't Lie" (the tape I created & titled, featuring Dr. Wallach, President & CEO of our company). They wanted to hear how I did it. Doc asked me to tell my story. 

ASTONISHING! THOSE TAPES CREATED RELATIONSHIPS FOR ME!

People would listen to the audiotapes, then call and talk to me like we were old friends, from having heard my voice for 90 minutes. It astonished me. An audiotape was building relationships for me. Which was great, because I sure sucked at doing it myself.

I WAS NOT A PUBLIC SPEAKER ...

But I could tell my story. I was last on stage before lunch, right when the audience was thinking about burritos. That worried me.

But ... I started telling my story. I had driven a bus in Miami for 17 years. Then suddenly I was making enough $$$ at my network marketing business that I could walk into the bus barn one morning, 6 months ago, and quit my job. Every person in that audience dreamed of firing their boss.

My life had certainly changed. By May, 1995, I was making 2-3 times as much money every month as I used to make driving the bus. (In another 18 months, I'd be making as much in a month as I used to make in a year driving the bus.) My son had a limited life expectancy, and I was now in position to help make his life as fulfilling as possible in the time he had. I was excited. 

I LOOKED OUT INTO THEIR EYES

And as I told my story and looked out at the audience, I noticed something. NOBODY was getting up early to go get burritos. They were looking at me. Sitting forward. Attentive. Rapt, even. 

I looked out into their eyes and I thought .... "Holy crap!" I had a history of being mostly very bad at public speaking. But THIS time, I just told my story. It was easy for them to see how excited I was. And in their faces, I saw the impact. 

Several hundred entrepreneurs leaning forward, sucking in the wisdom of a recently-retired bus driver? Weird. 

THEN THEY CAME AFTER ME

I finished. By then, it was definitely lunchtime. And 92% of them got up to leave, to go get their burritos. The others, maybe 3 dozen or so, came toward the stage, lined up to get more from me. I was mobbed.

I am not an outgoing personality. They wanted personal contact. I DON'T DO THAT!! I was feeling, "deer in the headlights." I have always struggled one-on-one. 

But also, I saw more impact than I ever could create with my limited relationship skills. THAT moment I realized my life had changed. I could actually talk to a big group, so long as I told my story and they saw my excitement. And I had fun doing it.

Anyway, that presentation was the first time I really understood the impact of the little business-building system I had created. It allowed an introvert to make big impact on a lot of people. It's not what I set out to do. It just kind of happened. But that impact changed everything for me and for my son and the rest of our family.

#networkmarketing #publicspeaking #impact #presentation