Steve’s mantra has always been, “How would we
do that?” And when he didn’t know how, he found
people who did. For instance, as his product line
grew, he needed greater distribution. So, he contacted a large company that already had a presence
in the big discount stores and inquired about their
distribution processes. The company referred him to
their marketing team, which then helped him get his
products into more than 3,500 stores.
How are you responding to the needs of your clients? Are you putting in the work to do the research
and develop the products? Once you find the right
response, then you can do what Steve has done—
repeat the process many times to make it even better.
REPEAT (AKA REPEAT)
Mark once asked Steve, “How can you get good if
you’re not doing eight to 10 programs a month?”
Steve once again paid attention and focused on get-
ting stage time, just as a pilot would log cockpit hours.
In fact, before he ever joined NSA, he had delivered
speeches at 4,500 school assemblies. And in the pro-
cess of this massive repetition, he found ways to engage
better with his audiences and to create a greater impact.
In the 1990s, Steve was approached by NBC to host
a weekly segment on a show called Ne ws for Kids. Nearly
240 segments and an Emmy Award later, he felt he still
needed practice to get better. He pitched the idea of
becoming the “science guy” to Denver’s NBC affiliate,
and has produced 1,400 segments over the past 17 years.
The repetition not only allowed him to get better; it
forced him to create new and fresh content every week.
Now, Steve is branching out beyond education
because he saw a need in the corporate world.
Companies want to get their messages out to the public in the most creative ways possible. Because of the
viral nature of his You Tube videos, corporations know
that he understands how to connect with customers
and to create unforgettable messages that spread.
For Steve, repetition has been the key to getting
better. The more presentations he delivers, the
more likely he will discover nuances that help him
improve his content and delivery. The more videos
he creates, the better his productions become and
the more likely television producers will find him on
You Tube. The more often he explores current business trends, the better he will understand business,
and the more likely he will see new opportunities to
make an impact on others.
Are you taking advantage of repetition? Are you
speaking, writing, and producing enough to help you
get better and to discover new opportunities?
Steve Spangler’s success formula is really quite simple. He uses a scientific approach to find a need and meet it. Then, he repeats the process.
And for anyone who has experienced the Spangler Effect, you know that
the results are magical. ■
RON CULBERSON, MSW, CSP, CPAE, is
a speaker, humorist, and author of four books, but he
is not nearly as successful as Steve Spangler. He was,
however, the 2012-2013 president of NSA. There’s that.
Steve Spangler’s
mantra has always
been, “HOW WOULD
WE DO THAT?” And
when he didn’t know
how, he found people
who did. How are you
responding to the
needs of your clients?
