Paying It Forward - What I Learnt In NAC

I'm going to be completely honest. I didn't have much expectations for this year's NAC. It was to be a networking event. Go there, meet people, look for contacts. I was completely wrong. I have an absolute BLAST.

I also realize I get a rush when I am telling people about the things that I learnt from National Achiever's Congress 2006. And since I can't tell this to everyone I know without sounding like a broken record, I thought I'd write down the things I picked up in 2 days of NAC, as well as my own thoughts. Special thanks to Peter Boo, who sent me HIS take of NAC, as well as Alex Baburamani, who shared unreservedly about Internet Marketing, Rock on!

I tried writing down everything that I learnt from each speaker in NAC. Then I realized that it's just way, way too much material and ideas. I finally settled on this, that I shall write down 3 of the BIGGEST things I learnt from each speaker.

First up, Jim Rohn. Not exactly the most exciting speaker, but what really interested me was that he was the main speaker for this year. A business philosopher, kind of a weird combination but he does have some really interesting points.

1. I wanna be 75, and still be running around the world having new experiences and still improving every single day. (Yes, Jim is 75 this year)
2. What is easy to do, is easy NOT to do (And that's why we see so many people failing at their endeavours isn't it?)
3. From testimonials, and personal experience, we HAVE enough information to conclude, that it IS possible to design and LIVE and extraordinary life. (and may I add, to help other people do the same thing as well. Oh, that's part of living an extraordinary life... heh)

Ron Kaufman - I thought that he's that bald guy from Who's line is it Anyway. He looks the same, talks the same, and is absolutely HILARIOUS. He talks on service, and creating customer loyalty.

1. That the more you ask GOOD questions and explore, the easier it is to deliver what it is your customer really wants. (Asking good questions is a whole art all by itself)
2. Consistency, and Reliability are HUGE. (I suck at consistency. I am learning, really I am)

I missed most of Brett Mcfall and Tom Hua's segment on Internet Marketing, so I'm gonna take the info from the workshop I attended the next day. The stuff that they have on creating sales letters, and exploding any business online is seriously exciting for me. You really can make a pretty penny from very very little money down.

1. There are a MILLION ways by which you can sell stuff online and make people pay you money from it. (I came up with several while I was listening to them. It's really exciting)
2. Database is KING. Your contacts and your database of contacts are worth absolute GOLD.
3. You don't have to do it all alone! You don't have to be super good at selling stuff, you can find people to do that for you. Likewise, if you can't find products to sell, there'll be people out there that'll GIVE you products to sell for them.

Dolf De Roos is a real estate investor. He's quite a good speaker, but at the same time, I didn't get too much from him simply cos I'm not really into real estate investment.

1. That anyone, with some knowledge can really get it going in real estate. (Singapore is big now seriously, as well as Shenzhen. If anyone can find a way for me to invest in real estate, let me know. I'll get you the funds, and together we can all share the gains)
2. Deal of the decade comes ONCE every WEEK.

Scott Friedman is not as funny as I expected him to be, but he IS the humour coach, so who knows? He does have some good tips though.

1. The first 10 minutes in the office sets the mood for the rest of the day.
2. When people laugh and are playing, that's where most of the best ideas come.
3. Harmless practical jokes are absolutely hilarious and can lighten up moods for many days to come, as well as work the humour muscle (Oh yeah... I have had a taste of this BIG TIME)

I almost missed the last speaker James Skinner. I thought that this guy is gonna talk about some financial stuff, and I am not really interested. I am eternally grateful that I went back, sat down and listened to the SINGLE MOST POWERFUL speaker in the entire NAC this year. I was completely blown away. For a more detailed look at his speech, check out Alex's blog.

1. GUTS. Do you dare to dream? Do you dare to go out there, put everything on the line and do whatever it takes to make that dream succeed?
2. FOCUS. That's the ONE THING that businesses now lack. FOCUS, and SELL that ONE thing, and you'll see your business skyrocket.
3. You do NOT need more money. You need more faith. This one statement is worth every single cent that I didn't pay for NAC. James gave the example of how he wanted to bring 100 orphans to Tokyo Disneyland. His secretary told him that they have no money in the bank. He told her to go get the kids. He'll take care of the money. After he got all 100 orphans, he went to all the big shots that he knew, or don't know, and ask each of them to not only fund one kid, but to also spend the day with them, so they can have a role model. He got sponsors for all 100 kids. When the event ended, he still had US$2000 in the bank.

At the end of the day, everything comes down to taking action. To combined everything I learnt, it is really to dare to truly dream big, and believe that you can achieve that. Have fun doing it, and help others to achieve their dreams as well.

There are tons more that I learnt, or have my mind expanded. If you want more, just buy me dinner.