Self help and motivational gurus such as Tony Robbins, Paul McKenna and Stephen Covey- spin doctors or the real deal?
I attended the National Achievers Congress at London's Excel Centre. It made me wonder, are these guys worth the £2000 + fees they command?
Let me confess, I do like to buy and borrow self-help books. They have helped me. Not all of them are great, but some of them do give some useful tips. But, I am also a huge sceptic.
So back to my experience at London's Excel Centre. This is a big venue, which allows an audience of 9000 people so it can be rather impersonal.Ticket prices ranged from £77 to £1297. So the cheapest priced tickets provide an affordable means for mere mortals to see and hear these masters who meet and work with the stars and billionaires. They sell the opportunity to gain a little wisdom, offer hope and sell the dream of making it rich.
I did learn a handful of tricks and it has made me think a little more about how I can become more successful financially. We all want to become more financially secure in these uncertain economic times.
The stars of three day event for 2012 were Tony Robbins, Lord Sebastian Coe and Donald Trump. But there are a number of other presenters. Andy Harrington gave some interesting pointers about presentation skills. He offers some free advice online. Adam Ginsberg talked about his experiences selling on ebay.
What was the most disappointing was that overall the National Achievers Congress is an event in which the presenters are constantly trying to sell tickets to future events. It was one sales pitch after another. If you truly do find value in these expensive seminars then this is a great forum and you should attend it. It showcases a range of speakers. However, be careful as I found that some speakers simplified the idea of making money and that many people who are none the wiser may end up losing money based on the advice given or on buying seminars on the spur of the moment based on these 'great offers'.
So how much is spin? These guys are masters of making you feel good, giving you confidence and a little bit of knowledge which could be a good or dangerous thing. How much can you learn in 3 days? Can they really impart knowledge and set you on the path of success? May be. Ultimately it will come down to your personal experiences, attitude, common sense and many other factors. They can be a useful tool but remember that their gleaming stories about this person and that person presents only one side of the story.
To really make the most of these guys, it's worthwhile to read their books, check out the dvd or cd first to see if you like what you are getting before you decide to get into debt and buy a seminar on your credit card. Don't be fooled. These guys are not going to magically make you money. There is a lot of hard work and you will need to invest your hard earned cash first without guaranteed results. But potentially you could be one of those success stories.
Some websites you may be interested in:
Seminar Review comments on what you could expect from attending -
NAC review
Here's a positive review from last year-
Great experience and privilege. Here's one blogger who thought it was a scam -
NAC Scam
I've read about half of Tony Robbins' Awaken the Giant Within. It's only taken me nearly 10 years! When I first bought it. I found it very inspiring, and I told everyone I knew about it and they bought it too. We only read about 20 pages. I started reading a page a day recently and I've found it to be more useful and digestable. Given Tony's course is £2000 for personal development or £6000 for a business mastery, I'm going back to my £10 book and trying to make the most of it.
The National Achievers Congress was held in London October 2012.
