Hire a pro…

You’re about to be wheeled into the operating room, for what you hope is life-saving bypass surgery.

For obvious reasons, you ask the person from the hospital the name of the heart surgeon who is going to be performing the procedure.

“Well, we decided not to go with a professional heart surgeon. There’s a local general practitioner who can do it, and reduce our expenses.”

You almost have…well, another heart attack! “Don’t be worried,” they say. “He knows medicine, and he has a lot of familiarity with our operating room.”

Are you happy at this point?

Or…do you believe the right approach is to have a professional do what he or she does best?

We were contacted by a group about doing a program at a very important national sales meeting for their organization. When my office followed up, they responded they had decided to have someone internal — the national sales manager, in fact — give the keynote presentation, instead.

Every professional speaker has heard that line…however, now more than ever, it drives me crazy.

And, while I naturally desire to be the speaker selected…this is about more than that. It’s about stepping up to the plate and investing your resources in professionals.

My golf game would be a heck of a lot better if I would have had a PGA-certified pro teach me the game, rather than going out hitting balls with a friend. Not only would the pro have known the mechanics of the game…he or she would also be skilled in how to COMMUNICATE in a manner the student would understand. The end result is that for a relatively modest investment, I would be a MUCH better player.

Certainly, the national sales manager should address the troops. However, bringing in an outside expert professional delivers not only original content, but also the vibrancy, energy, perspective, and charisma every meeting needs.

Many “internal experts” believe their knowledge will enable them to make a significant contribution to their meeting. And, it WILL. However, it won’t deliver EVERYTHING the meeting needs. That’s what a professional does.

If I went into my dentist’s office, and instead a guy walks in who looks like he was just hanging drywall…I’d be a little concerned. Imagine if he said, “Don’t worry, man. I am GOOD with a drill!”

Having a meeting? Hire a pro…

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