Speaker - November 2009

You know—just like I did in sports.”

I didn’t know if I needed a three-day weekend, 10 days or longer to get back to my roots of excellence. But I knew the key to my athletic success was my off-seasons.

An “off-season” is designed to give you an edge in your career and in your personal life by isolating areas for continuous improvement. It is not a vacation, nor a sabbatical. It is an annual break dedicated to retool, regroup, refresh and refocus for optimal performance improvement.

Positives changes followed. I got my swagger back, and I felt that competitive edge just as I did in sports. I was refreshed, refocused, regrouped and retooled. If it worked in sports, it has to work in business, I reasoned.

Now, our business is as strong as ever, despite a recession. Recently, a financial services organization booked us for 15 events. How is that for a productive off-season?

Plan of Action

My speaking calendar between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day was light because most of my clients were in holiday mode and didn’t hold many meetings. I determined that this would be the ideal time to schedule my first off-season. During this period, we evaluated every aspect of our speaking business, including content, products, Web site, bureau relationships, opening, closing, fee(s), branding, office processes, holds, releases, follow-ups, keynotes, workshops and PowerPoint presentations. We also sifted through a few NSA convention bags full of information that we collected at the annual event. We took our business apart from top to bottom and put it back together with new ideas and strategies for the New Year.

In my basketball career, I would evaluate what I did well during the season, and then determine what I needed to work on to be the team’s most improved player the next year. I couldn’t wait for a new season to begin, because I worked hard during the off-season. I expected success and always achieved it.

Now, I was excited about the new year in our speaking business. A new season represented unlimited possibilities, and I knew that I could reach the next level based on how I managed my off-season.

Schedule Your Off-Season

What would happen to your speaking career, training company, consulting business, personal life and/or professional career if you incorporated what professional athletes have practiced for decades? They bag tons of cash and do not even compete for the entire year.

What if professional speakers adopted their own off-season to ramp up their speaking? If you have been looking for something that can take your overall life to the next level, schedule your first off-season now.

How Walter Got
His Groove Back

Evaluate and grade every
aspect of your business.
Be hard on yourself
Save the Dates!

Start your off-season by attending the 2009 Fall Conference in Phoenix, November 20-22, or the 2010 Winter Conference in Nashville, Tenn., February 12-14, where Bond will present at the opening session. Register today at NSAFallConference.org or NSAWinterConference.org.

Improve your products, and
discontinue products that no
longer reflect you.
Create accountability/
round table groups with
other NSA speakers.

Walter Bond, CSP, grew up in Chicago’s inner city and always dreamed of playing in the NBA. Bond’s eight-year professional career landed him as a player with the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons. Bond also was a broadcast analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves. For more information, visit http://walterbondseminars.com.