How Did I Get Here? 

And you may find yourself 
In another part of the world
And you may find yourself 
Behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house
With a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?

-       Once In A Lifetime, Talking Heads 

I’m honored to serve as your NSA-IL President for the next 12 months and look forward to getting to know each of you.  To briefly introduce myself, I’m a sales trainer who works in a very specific niche: within the ticket sales departments of professional sports teams. 

I’m often asked, “Wow, pro sports! That’s really interesting! How did you get into that?”

In 2001, I was working in radio sales in my hometown of Kankakee. That’s when I saw a news item about a device Apple had just invented, called the iPod.  It could hold “a thousand songs in your pocket.”  I thought this was the beginning of the end of local radio.  Why would anyone need to turn us on if you could have all of your favorite songs in your pocket?

After 25 years in radio, I began to look for a way to stay relevant.  That’s when I found public speaking. Through trial and error, I was eventually asked to present a three-day training program to a group of sales reps at a Chicago sports team. I found my passion, and have been pursuing it ever since. Now I’ve worked with over 100 individual teams over three continents.

How did I get here?  With the guidance and direction I found at NSA. 

As a member of NSA-IL, our question to you is: Where do YOU want to be? 

That’s what your Board will be asking in the coming weeks and months, as we plan some extraordinary new opportunities for you to participate and serve in 2019-20.  

One example is a bold new one-day open-to-the-public event we’re planning for November 9.  It’s called Stand Up and Speak Out: How to Gain Influence, Make Money, and Live the Life You Want Through Speaking.  We already have a unique location: the Conference and Learning Center at Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. (You can view the space by clicking here.)  The day will feature from five to seven LOCAL speakers: each presenting on a specific “how-to” topic within the speaking business.  We will be reaching out to new and professional speakers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana to attend.  The details are still coming together, so please contact me (bill@the800poundgorilla.com or 815-549-9134) to let me know how you want to be involved.  Our Committees are fun, engaging, and can play a part in helping you get to where you want to be! 

Here’s one more date to put in your calendar: our Fall Speakers Academy will begin on September 7, which is just a few short weeks away.  Are you considering taking that next step in your speaking career, or do you know someone that is thinking in that direction?  NOW is the time to register! Check out the agenda here. Or do someone a favor and forward this link to them TODAY:  https://nsa-il.org/Latest-Speakers-Academy.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we’ll be talking soon. 

Sincerely,

Bill

Bill Guertin

NSA-IL President

P.S.  Are you going to INFLUENCE in Denver on July 27-30?  Please let us know so we can meet up and compare notes as a group!  If you’re signing up last-minute, don’t forget to look for the “Discount/Promo Code” section, and type in NSAIL so our chapter can get the “Cash-Back Bonus” for your attendance.  It’s a brand-new National program that benefits all of us!