An evening with Ron Kaufman – Friday 20 June 2008
 - By Shirley Taylor



‘Off the record’ and ‘unplugged’ was his promise, and that’s just what Ron Kaufman delivered. Best-selling author of ‘Up your Service’ and guru of customer service, Ron Kaufman was very generous with his advice as he shared his wisdom to an audience hanging on his every word.

Ron’s first message was: WEALTH = Value x Leverage. He pointed out that as Singapore is a small country, if we don’t give value, people will soon talk. Similarly, word will soon spread if we do give good value. Singapore is also a ‘no risk’ culture, so we must be safe to buy from. Therefore, the most important thing has to be value, and as value equals our performance, we have to perform well!

‘Get rich in your niche’, Ron said, stressing that we must decide on our specialism and stick to it. Although it can be an aching decision, it is essential. People will be happier to pay good fees if we really know what we are talking about. So we must do our homework and focus on our specialism. It’s also important to learn to say no. Ron said: “You know you have a strategy when you can say no.”

Once we have decided on our domain of action, we have to earn distinctiveness by  differentiating ourselves and standing out from the crowd. We can do this by building up a credible brand. “Don’t be cheap!” was his message, reminding us to produce high quality, corporate materials, fliers, banners, and do a regular e-newsletter. Good quality materials say ‘safe’ and ‘professional’, so don’t scrimp! He also stressed that if we want to become the voice of authority in a topic we need to write a book on our chosen specialism.

Our ‘Evening with Ron Kaufman’ certainly didn’t disappoint. If we all take Ron’s advice, we can certainly ‘UP’ our brand, ‘UP’ our performance, and ‘UP’ our value!

"This my first visit to an APSS event, it was sure a pleasant experience. I was so blown away by the presentation of the legendary Ron Kaufman. I Instantly signed up as a member after the presentation. What I like was the fact that he let the floor determine what topics he was  to  cover. Well, I guess going by the theme, "Ask Ron Anything" says it all.

It was a blast to have had the opportunity to meet some friendly professionals too. I am looking  forward to the next APSS event."

- Colin Seet, Member APSS

Asia Professional Speakers - Singapore (APSS) is an Association for Professional Speakers and aspiring professional speakers in Asia. We provide opportunities for speakers to network, learn and share with each other, expanding their experience and expertise. As a member of the International Federation for Professional Speakers (IFFPS), we are connected to the global community of Professional Speakers in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Malaysia, South Africa and other countries.

As a member in APSS, you will receive 10 monthly issues of the Professional Speakers magazine and Voices of Experience CD - where experts worldwide share their exertise to help you learn and grow. Professional members are also listed in a global speakers website where your profile is easily accessible by customers and potential clients from around the world. To find out more about us, kindly browse through this website or come to our next monthly meeting. For answers to any further questions, email to admin@asiaspeakers.org