If you’ve been to one of our live events or seen the awesome pictures on my Facebook page, you might think that our events always go off without a hitch. And, with my awesome team, they almost always do.

But the truth is, no matter how carefully you prepare, you can’t control everything—especially when speaking on someone else’s stage. At some point in your speaking career, something “unexpected” will happen, and you will have a growth opportunity. It’s inevitable.

So what’s the secret for handling the unexpected? How can you be confident and ready for anything? Here are three common mishaps and what you can do to save the show:

1. Botched or missing introduction. You want to be able to count on your host to give you a really fabulous introduction and bolster your credibility, but sometimes they don’t quite pull it off. Or they might have forgotten to bring the introduction that you sent to them ahead of time.

If that happens to you, there’s no need to panic. If you’re following our Speak-to-Sell formula, you always bring an extra copy of your introduction with you. That way, you can give it to the host, if they forgot it. Or, if the introduction was not up to par, you’ll be ready to create your own credibility once you take the stage, because you already seeded into your intro and talk the points that your host didn’t say.

2. More or less time to speak. When you’re speaking on someone else’s stage, truly anything can happen. Your time can be cut short, or another speaker might not show up and you may be asked to speak longer than you’d expected. If you’re relying on a script, both of those situations can really throw you for a loop. So the solution is to use a structure instead. For example, our Speak-to-Sell formula is like an accordion. You can make it longer or shorter on the fly, depending upon how much time you need to fill.

I like to say, rather than being a “scripter” or a “winger” (someone who wings it), be a “structure!” A powerful structure will give you the freedom to be yourself and let the structure do the selling for you.

3. Technical difficulties. You brought the wrong slide deck, your computer goes on the fritz, your fancy fonts aren’t showing correctly on the host’s main-stage computer…so many things can go wrong. Here, again, your solution is to follow a structure not a script. If you’re using a structure, which is flexible, you can do pretty well impromptu. We’ve even had people lead an entire talk, with only the Speak-to-Sell formula in their hands. This is versus a script, which, unless you’ve fully memorized it, you can really be in trouble if something goes wrong.

Here’s another tip: It’s always a great idea to bring a three-or-six-to-a-page printout of your slides, so if you do have to go free form, at least you’ll have a guideline that you can see.

To learn more about the versatility and sales magic of our Speak-to-Sell formula, and to get your Irresistible Offer stage-ready, come join us in May for Speak-to-Sell LIVE.

You can still make money while you’re building your systems.

Using my Signature Talk and Irresistible Offer, I spoke everywhere both live and virtually. I created teleseminars, launched some of my core products and programs, and created leveraged classes at the high-ticket level.

Year 3: Cash in on your mojo. By your third year in business, if you follow this path, your products, programs and systems are more solidly in place. You’ve been getting out there, so you’ve developed a reputation in your field. You’ve got happy clients and testimonials, so level three is the time to really cash in on the mojo that you’ve been creating. Host your own live event, start a certification program, or automate the successful systems that you’ve put into place.

Just remember that in order to break seven figures, you need to have a solid foundation beneath you. You’ll want to create those level-one elements right away and with guidance from someone who’s done it and can see the big picture, even if it’s only a foggy vision for you at first. If what you’re missing is your Signature Talk and Irresistible Offer or if you’d like to see the details of this model laid out before you, there’s still room for you at our Speak-to-Sell LIVE in Las Vegas in a few weeks.

And if you’d like to know more about how our Sales, Authenticity & Success Mastermind can guide you through all the levels of what we call your Leveraged Progression Plan, we’ll share that with you Live in Las Vegas as well. It’s your time! Join us.