Your Next Steps

The process to become a contract training vendor for Fred Pryor Seminars and CareerTrack includes three phases.  Each phase is specifically designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your training ability and learn more about us along the way.    Phase 1 - Vendor Audition Phase 2 - Vendor Evaluation Phase 3 - Vendor Certification Phase 1 - Vendor Audition The first step toward becoming a contract training vendor is the audition.  You may audition in person (live) at our corporate headquarters in Mission, Kansas, OR a satellite office located in Lancaster, PA. You may also audition online.  For more information about online auditions, click here. You may also submit videos online at YouTube or send us a link to your Web site where we may view video clips of your training. YouTube provides very clear and easy directions for uploading your filmed video to their Web site and giving others the link to view it. Auditioning online in any of our formats is the quickest and easiest way to be seen. Our corporate headquarters are located at 5700 Broadmoor St., Suite 300, Mission, KS 66202. 1.  To request a live or online audition appointment, please e-mail a copy of your resume to speakerapp@pryor.com. In the subject line of your e-mail, please specify if you are requesting a live or online audition, as well as which location you prefer for live auditions. Include a cover letter telling us why you would be a successful training vendor for Fred Pryor Seminars and CareerTrack.   (HINT: Review the Required Competencies section to find out what qualities make a trainer successful in our business.)    To schedule an audition and receive more information, please send an e-mail to speakerapp@pryor.com.  Unfortunately, due to the volume of auditions we receive, we are unable to offer feedback. You are, however, welcome to audition again at any time.   2.  Please print our Contract Trainer Questionnaire, answer all questions, and bring it with you to your live audition.     Tip: Make sure that you do not try to cover too much information in your audition. Make a point, explore that point, let the audience work with that point, and then provide application of that point for the participants to use when they return to their workplace.     Hot Ideas for a Great Audition Please view our outline of General Required Competencies .  Your live/recorded audition will be evaluated on the following elements. You may want to use this as a checklist to help you prepare a successful audition.    Dynamic Presentation Skills   Energy: Your overall demeanor needs to convey to the participants that this will be a fun 7 minutes.   Gestures/Movement:  Use the space provided rather than just stand in one spot. Be sure your gestures are noticeable and not small and contained.   Rate:  Are you speaking at an appropriate rate of speed?   Resonance:  Are you easy to understand? Too loud? Too soft?   Vocal Variety: Fluctuate your voice. Make sure that there are times when you are loud, times when you are soft, times when you speak more quickly, times when you slow down. Don't forget to pause!  Confidence: Are you comfortable in the front of the room? Does it show?
Training Ability   Interactive: Make it about the participants. Plan a short activity. This can be a group or individual activity. (Example: Take a few seconds and write down ...") Be sure to debrief the activity to help us understand its purpose.   Have a Clear Point:   Be specific about your intentions. Why should we care about what you are going to cover? This is a great place to include benefits. (Example: "We are going to learn an easy method for prioritizing your to-do list so that you can devote less time to organizing your to-do's and more time doing them.")   Use Examples: Are you using examples that help us understand what we are supposed to do? Do your stories and statistics support points you are making?   Storytelling Ability: A story is the best way to engage the audience. Great storytellers are great teachers.   Knowledgeable: If you show us clear application, we will believe you are knowledgeable.   Application: At the end of your 7-minute audition, are we able to do something differently? Do we have the knowledge to accomplish something that we may not have been able to previously do? This is tricky, because just giving us knowledge about something won't accomplish this goal. It is important to train us how to do something in order to get credit for this in your evaluation. Sales Minded — You are not the expert, your resources are!   Teach from Resources: This doesn't mean to incorporate direct quotes. In order to accomplish this goal, you will need to teach us something you learned from a resource. (Example: I was listening to Jack Canfield teaching in Self-Esteem & Peak Performance. It never really occurred to me how negative my self-talk was. "You are such a dummy! Can't you do anything right? You're never going to get this done on time." Because I give myself a constant diet of this negative talk, it's no wonder I don't get heard in meetings or when I make suggestions to my boss ... or even in my own home! My communication suffers and so does my credibility. Does any of this sound familiar? What I learned from this man, who has become one of my personal coaches, are two techniques I want to share with you. The first is repetition. As you drive to work each day say to yourself, "No matter what you say or do to me, I am a worthwhile person." Do this for 30 days and it will become an automatic response. In fact, I want you to write down that phrase to use until you develop one you like better. (Note: This will also help you achieve the interactive goal for your evaluation.) You might even practice saying it out loud once. Another technique is a success chart. Jack Canfield suggests to actually write down the successes in your life. Most of us advocate this for others, but we tend to overlook our own success ...")   Continuous Learning Message: If you let us know you are a life-long learner and let us know the value of life long learning, you will accomplish this goal. Credibility   Professional Appearance:   Wear a monochromatic business suit. Men should wear a tie. Women should wear long sleeved jackets and closed toed shoes, and if you wear a skirt, don't forget panty hose. This is not about being stylish. It is about looking professional. Think of a local news anchorperson. Would you want to get your news from someone who looks sloppy or unprofessional? Our customers will see an unprofessional, unpolished trainer as incapable or training them in business skills.   Professional Attitude:  From the time you walk into the room, to the time you leave, are you acting the part? You should still be yourself, but you should also be the business version of yourself. This should not be the same you that goes out with your friends on Saturday night.   Appropriate Language and Examples: Don't use the name of a business in a negative example. Don't use swear words. Poor grammar is acceptable only if it is used as part of a story or example to make a point. Personality — People Buy from People They Like!   Likable & Approachable: Have fun and be yourself at the front of the room. You should be the same person during your 7-minute audition that you are when chatting with people before your audition. People will like the real you a lot better than some fake "trainer person" you could morph into. DON'T FORGET TO SMILE!!!
Back to top       Phase 2 - Vendor Evaluation Each prospective vendor who demonstrates the skills and qualities we are looking for will be invited to enter the Vendor Evaluation Phase of the process.  For qualified trainers, this evaluation phase will begin about 2-3 weeks following the Audition Phase .  Each trainer who successfully completes the Vendor Evaluation Phase will be invited to Phase 3 -- Certification.   During this phase, we are evaluating your past work experience and your level of commitment to becoming a top performer. This process may include a phone interview and/or verifying customer references.     Back to top       Phase 3 - Vendor Certification This final phase is designed to help you learn how to match your training and presentation skills to the expectations of our customers. Phase 3 includes a 5-day, intensive vendor certification program at our corporate offices. Only a select few make it to this phase, so when you come to our offices you will be among the top training vendors in the industry. You will get to:

1.  Prepare and practice an actual Fred Pryor Seminars or CareerTrack topic