We often hear that growth happens at the edge of your comfort zone. That edge was where PSASA Pretoria Chapter members and guests found themselves in the October Chapter meeting. Both speakers of the evening and the MC nudged their audience to the uncomfortable edge and sparked new levels of courage and growth.
The evening opened with a slightly daunting challenge from business analyst and sales strategist Marriet Visser. With charm and wit, Marriott gave speakers a no-nonsense upgrade on cold calling to generate sales.
Although the concept of cold calling has earned a poor reputation, Marriet demonstrated how smart strategies can ensure no call is ever really ‘cold’. In fact, she demonstrated how your ideal clients could welcome a solution to their problems, provided you approach a call the right way. As she pointed out the common pitfalls and ways to avoid them, the room erupted in several rounds of lightbulb moments.
But Marriet did more than just convincingly introduce her “Bold Calling” method. She then invited the audience to develop and rehearse role-played “bold calls” promoting their actual products and services with partners.
The result was a stimulating series of interactions that equipped participants for real-world, revenue-generating sales of their speaking, training, facilitation and coaching services. In several cases, it also left them in stitches, as growing confidence inspired fun and humour. Several speakers remarked on how Marriet transformed their views on selling their services, prompting them to explore strategic “Bold Calling” in their own businesses.
For the second session of the evening, executive coach and former financial industry leader Piet Roos presented the audience with a very different kind of challenge. In his presentation entitled ‘The Ultimate Reset’, Pieter shared insights from his own unusual adventure.
Pieter recently joined an international group of motorcyclists on a tour that would take them to the highest motorable roads in the Himalaya mountains. Traversing first India and later Tibet, the stunning landscapes and soulful people stood out amidst taxing and often treacherous conditions.
In this presentation, Pieter wove together his contemplations throughout his journey with wisdom, honesty, and riveting storytelling. Within the context of his broader message, this presentation showed the promise of a show-stopping closing keynote in the making.
The Pretoria Chapter was also thrilled to welcome a new PSASA member to the stage as MC. Siphumuzo Gama, who recently joined the Johannesburg Chapter, masterfully encouraged the audience to support the speakers and connect during the break. Siphumuzo’s enthusiasm set the tone for a successful evening of bold adventure.
As always, the PSASA Pretoria Chapter meeting left members and guests uplifted, informed, and equipped to grow their speaking businesses to the next level. October’s speakers added an extra dash of bold adventure to see the year through.
At the next PSASA Pretoria Chapter meeting, media mavens Ingrid Lotze and Gavin Moffat will deliver their Masterclass on The Art and Science of the Q&A. As this is the last PSASA Pretoria Chapter gathering of the year, there will also be a small closing celebration at the end of the evening. Established and emerging speakers, trainers, facilitators, and coaches, including non-members, are welcome. To secure a seat, kindly register by noon on Wednesday, 25 November at:
Written by:
PSASA Pretoria Chapter Leadership Team
Image Credits: Taryn-lee Kearney; Kakanyo (KK) Pilane
