Build an Attentive Audience for Your Thoughts Better than a Billionaire

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

Did you ever want to have people seeking your opinion on all kinds of subjects?

Have you ever dreamed about receiving a standing ovation for a talk you've given?

Does the idea of changing peoples' lives for the better excite you?

Can you see yourself signing autographs while hundreds stand in line to purchase products that express your ideas?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, this blog post may tickle your fancy.

Today, we'll look at how you can build an attentive audience for your thoughts better than a billionaire.

At first blush, you may think that a billionaire has all of the advantages over you in this domain. For instance, you may be thinking that the name recognition of a billionaire alone would be enough to gather an attentive audience.

Let's test out that idea for a minute. How many billionaires have top-rated television series? It's pretty much just Donald Trump. And his show has more about non-billionaires as they compete to be his apprentice than it does about Donald Trump. He just introduces the assignments and fires people at the end.

A lot of the interest in billionaires could be better described as watching for a pratfall. It's not news when a billionaire does well . . . but let a billionaire stumble, and everyone's interested.

But if a person without wealth does something well, we're all interested. We identify with the success . . . and want to know more. We have a feeling that perhaps we, too, can do better by following their examples.

Study success in the right way and you will be surrounded by sincerely interested people.

Few people are inspired by the example of borrowing $250 million to make a successful commercial real estate development. The billionaire's success seems to us to be unattainable . . . and may even make us feel small. Few people enjoy that feeling.

Here are some places to start that will give you advantages that a billionaire will envy.

1. Since you're not a billionaire, study success from the average person's point of view and needs.

Hardly anyone would feel like they could learn much from a billionaire who seeks to characterize what ordinary people should do. That seems a little like having someone who is 200 pounds overweight report on the top dieting techniques. It just does resonate.

People want an honest report. Interestingly, such a report probably has more credibility coming from someone who hasn't succeeded on their own . . . but who's willing to put the time and effort in to try what others recommend.

We are all naturally skeptical of anyone who claims to be outstanding. Many people overstate their accomplishments, and we suspect that they want to attract our money or hope that we will stoke their egos.

2. Look for subjects that are very interesting to you.

Few can research any subject well unless they are intrigued by the issue. When you are intrigued, you immediately find ways to gain new, first-hand experiences that take you and your audience where they have never been before. Your candid reactions to those experiences will rivet many people.

3. Let your imagination run wild.

If you have always wanted to experience something, there's probably a way you can . . . and others will eagerly assist you.

For example, since I've been writing this blog, many people contact me with information that helps me to gain experiences I've been looking for.

Just this last weekend, I was a guest at the University of Michigan game in Ann Arbor against Penn State. It was an amazing experience and exceeded any college game I have ever attended by a wide margin. The invitation came as a result of having written a blog post where I extolled the potential virtues of attending a top game for a school that a football fan had not attended.

4. Start asking and keep asking.

I was on a conference call for a teleseminar I'm taking a week or so ago, and I asked a question about how to get a great agent for selling foreign rights to older books. Within a day, one of the listeners had sent me an e-mail to introduce me to her agent who seems perfect for my purpose. With this help, my audience of those books will be much greater than it otherwise would have been.

5. Encapsulate what you learn so others can use your lessons.

Keep it simple. Connect the dots. Explain what to do if the first attempt doesn't work for various reasons.

Imagine that you're helping your favorite grandmother to do something important. Your caring concern will impress your audience.

6. Start small and keep it comfortable.

Chances are that your first ideas of what people want to know will be a little off the mark. If you are like me, the mistake you'll make is to cover the subject too much from your own perspective . . . rather than from your audience's perspective.

7. Invite people to give you their candid reactions.

People can tell when you want to get better . . . and when you just want to be patted on the back. If they perceive the latter, you'll never have the chance to gain from the former.

8. Revise what you've been doing to make it more appealing to your audience.

Find what they read or listen to that you've created . . . and give them more in those veins.

9. Invite everyone you meet to read or listen to what you have to say.

I had inexpensive business cards printed up that I can share with people I talk to about my blog or books. People appreciate having a way to access more information without having to take notes.

10. Ask people to share the messages they like with others.

Unless you've developed something that's totally boring, you'll begin to develop an audience that will be delighted by your approach. Try to give them new material whenever you can. A daily blog is great for that purpose . . . but also make short audios and videos available.

Will any billionaire serve her or his audience better and more thoughtfully? I think not!

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N.B. As you can tell, I'm experimenting with color. Let me know what you like and what I should change about my use of color. Many thanks to Linda Grace for her suggestions which I am following!

Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

Here are some upcoming subjects:

Tomorrow, you and I will look at the problems of billionaire David Duffield's plans to build a 72,000 square foot home in Alamo, California.

Wednesday, we'll take a close look at how to be more beloved than a billionaire. Don't miss this post!

On Thursday, I'll share with you the best way to be understood and appreciated by others.

Friday, let's look at how best to celebrate your wedding anniversary better than a billionaire.

On Saturday, we'll look at how to have more fun with your best friends.

Sunday, the post will explore various ways to express gratitude and enjoy your spiritual life more.

If you are new to this blog, be sure to check out the updated table of contents entry that I posted on October 12. The table of contents will help you find earlier entries that may be of interest. I'll update this table of contents every week or so for your convenience.

August 31 was the most frequently read blog entry to date. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many tens of thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

If you like this blog, please let others know who might also enjoy it. E-mailing your favorite post to them is a great idea.

Check out the latest index at http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/2005/10/latest-table-of-contents-to-this-blogs.html to pick out your choice.

Thank you to my many friends, students, clients and blog readers who are spreading the good word about this blog.

If you are visiting today because someone invited you, I'm delighted to meet you! Let's stay in touch.

Remember to also visit

Live Spiritually Better than a Billionaire at http://livespirituallybetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Be More Successful than a Billionaire at http://bemoresuccessfulthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Mansions Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoymansionsbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/,

Enjoy Football Better than a Billionaire at http://enjoyfootballbetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/ and

Be a World Hero Better than a Billionaire at http://beaworldherobetterthanabillionaire.blogspot.com/.

I offer individual on-line tutorials and in-person seminars on living better than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day, creating 2,000 percent solutions (20 times the results with the same effort), developing more profitable business models and designing strategies that work regardless of the business environment. For information, contact me at ultimatecompetitiveadvantage@yahoo.com.

I am available to you as a speaker on these subjects. You can find my background at http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/2005_08_30_livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars_archive.html/.

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell