Do you currently have a business mentor? You see, I attribute much of my success to my life-long commitment to my own personal development… and to choosing the right business mentors who support me, inspire me and keep me grounded.
One of the problems a lot of people face when they’re getting started in their speaking business is the amount of (often conflicting) advice that is available. Suddenly everyone is a business expert!
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”? Who are you listening to? Are you taking notice of the right people? Could the advice you’re taking be to the detriment of your business rather than helping you become more successful?
So today, I wanted to share a few thoughts about working with a business mentor… and 4 questions you can ask yourself to make sure you choose wisely.
Who Is Your Ideal Business Mentor?
Your ideal business mentor is somebody who;
- Is already successful in your sector
- Who ‘gets’ you and your goals
- Can introduce you to new opportunities… and ways of working
- Your ideal clients work with
So, lets look at each of these in more detail;
Your business mentor is already successful in your sector
If you make most of your sales online, working with a mentor who specialises or works mostly with “bricks and mortar” business owners is unlikely to be your best choice.
For a start, they won’t truly appreciate how the online sales processes work… but also their way of doing business will not be in alignment with your own business model.
If you are in the Coaching, Training and Consultancy sector, your mentor should already be successfully mentoring other CTCs… can you see social proof that this is the case?
Your business mentor ‘gets’ you and your goals
Once you’ve established that your chosen mentor has helped other similar business owners become successful, your next question is whether you feel an affinity with their work.
It stands to reason that when you work closely with a mentor, you will adopt some of their methods and ways of doing business.
So looking ahead… does their style feel in alignment with your own? What kind of reputation do they have… and would you feel comfortable if you became well known for the same reasons?
I suppose what I am really talking about here is reputation… are they making their difference reputably? Or is there anything about the way they do business, that could be damaging if you were to model them in your business?
Your business mentor can introduce you to new opportunities and ways of working
It’s fair to say that their level of success will make it unlikely they work the same way you do. So by choosing a successful mentor, you will be introduced to new ways of working that will increase your own success.
Sometimes I hear from people who feel that their mentor should be proficient in areas they are not… for example, a techophobe who feels they should work with a geek.
But the thing is, it is highly unlikely a 7-figure business owner is doing their own coding or creating their own websites… they’ll have a team behind them looking after all this stuff.
So your mentor doesn’t need to know the details of individual processes, they only need to be able to recognise which of the processes are important… and how or where to get them done.
Their value to you is not in the minutiae but in their ability to see your bigger picture.
As your mentor is already ahead of you in their own journey, who can they introduce you to that will open up to new opportunities for you?
I am often asked for recommendations to speakers who can take a slot at an event… people know I have a huge community of speakers and they trust the quality of my training.
So you know, I’m the first person they call. If I know you are good because I’ve worked closely with you in one of my mentoring programs, then you’ll be the person I think of when I am asked the question. I’ve put some of my mentoring clients on big stages around the world… and that’s the kind of thing your mentor should be able to do for you.
Your business mentor works with your ideal clients
If your ideal clients are already working with your mentor, you have an immediate opportunity to build a relationship with them too… through your shared connection.
Many people in my community have gone on to forge alliances, and do business together as a result of meeting through me… it is an extra benefit for you. You get direct feedback from the people you want to work with.
So there you go… a few things to think about before choosing who will mentor you in your journey to success. Do you have any tips you’d like to share?
Don’t you be guilty of limiting yourself.
Don’t reject the success and riches you deserve from speaking, simply because you FEAR it might not be true for you.
The only question you need to ask yourself and of me is “How?”
“How can you have everything in the world you could ever want?”
- When you want to stop trading your time for money, and create huge profits from multiple streams of income through speaking…
- When you want to not only get paid to speak, but to build passive income so that you can live the ultimate lifestyle and enjoy the freedom to do whatever you want, from anywhere in the world you want to do it…
- And you want the insider secrets of the biggest and most experienced speakers in the business to achieve all this… then you need to take action now.
But before I go any further I want you to understand this:
This is a virtual mentoring program which has all of the tools and support you will need . . . however, you will still need to take massive action and do some work!
So only when you want to join this elite group of serious people implementing a ‘paint by numbers’ system . . . which allows you to leverage your knowledge, make your difference and FINALLY get paid what you’re really worth….
More fabulous tips – thanks Joanna – Intention and Integrity, great things to look for!
Thanks Marina