In Episode 7 of the Skillabration Podcast, Nikki interviews Precious L. Williams about being a professional speaker and the “Killer Pitch Master”.

Precious started speaking when she was 16 years old. She graduated at the top of her class and studied law at Rutgers.

Want to learn how to take your sales, investor, or elevator pitches from trash to straight CASH? Or have your prospects throwing money at you every time you open your mouth? Then, it's time to learn how to convert conversations into currency with the Pitch Queen, Precious L. Williams.

Her company, Perfect Pitch Group, teaches you the tools and tenacity to pitch with power, sell with storytelling, and develop a masterful mindset for communication. It’s time for you to learn how to #SlayAllCompetition

Precious busts norms and shifts perspectives to help teams own their awesome and bring out their “wow” factor. Your leaders and teams will up their game — on their terms — in order to develop the cunning, clarity and confidence that’s been inside them all along.

What’s more, they’ll get unstuck and discover a renewed and refreshed energy to own the mindset of the pitch in a way they never thought possible. If you’re ready to go from milquetoast to memorable, attracting and captivating your prospects while closing the sale in an authentic way, it’s time to #pitchforprofit

And you can bet, you’re going to have fun doing it!

Precious is a 13-time national elevator pitch champion, a 5X #1 bestselling author, and a world-class speaker and trainer for global brands and institutions. She has successfully appeared on ABC's “Shark Tank," CNN, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Black Enterprise Magazine, and has helped her clients win millions of dollars in pitch competition money, secure lucrative speaking and corporate training contracts, and launch their next beautiful NOW.

Her mission is to empower people to communicate their value, showcase their expertise, and inspire their audience with their story.

Highlights From The Episode:

- The Skills necessary for decision making

- Advice for the youth

- Public Speaking 101

- Becoming a paid, professional speaker

- The top 3 skills that have served her in life

- Advice for she would give her younger self

Get the first chapter of her 5th book, "Rainmaking 101 from Day 1" AND "Make It Rain Like Snow in Your Business" pdf: https://perfectpitchgroup.com/free-gifts/

Welcome to the Skillibration podcast, where it's career day every day. Your host, Nikki Lubing, is the owner of Skillibration, an online foreign language school for k twelve homeschool students. Nikki's experience learning Spanish as a second language led her to building a variety of skills that set her up for life, from soft skills to financial literacy. It's her mission to provide those same skills to youth around the world through the Skelebration podcast. Next, we'll be interviewing guests from a variety of backgrounds and careers, ranging from teachers to business owners and blue collar workers. We're excited to uncover their wisdom and experiences. Whether it's mastering a new language, honing leadership skills, or learning the ins and outs of money, we're here to take your skills from zero to fuego. Let's go.

Welcome back to the Skillibration podcast. I'm your host, Nikki Lubing, and today we have precious L. Williams. Let me give precious introduction. Want to learn how to take your sales, investor or elevator pitches from trash to straight cash? Or have your prospects throwing money at you every time you open your mouth? Then it's time to learn how to convert conversations into currency with the pitch queen precious Elle Williams. Her company, perfect pitch group, teaches you the tools and tenacity to pitch with power, excel with storytelling, and develop a masterful mindset for communication. It's time for you to learn how to slay all competition. Hashtag precious busts norms and shifts perspectives to help teams own their awesome and bring out their wow factor.

Your leaders and teams will up their game on their terms in order to develop the cunning, clarity and confidence that's been inside them all along. What's more, they'll get unstuck and discover a renewed and refreshed energy to own the mindset of the pitch in a way they never thought possible. If you're ready to go from Milquetoast to memorable, attracting and captivating your prospects while closing the sale in an authentic way, it's time to pitch for profit. And you can bet you're going to have fun doing it. I can attest to that. Fresh's Elle Williams is a 13 time national elevator pitch champion. Besides helping women entrepreneurs and business leaders, she's a top corporate sales trainer, helping sales teams to create killer communication skills, craft messaging, and understand how to pitch and build sales programs. Precious is a world class speaker trainer for global brands including BMW, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Sirius XM, HubSpot, Conde Nast, Harvard University, Columbia University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Georgetown, George Washington University, intuit.

Quickbooks, Yelp, and more. As an international professional speaker, she is also hired to keynote global conferences, summits, and events. Can we get a round of applause? All right, so tell us, precious, who are you? What do you do? I mean, I gave the rundown, but let's hear it from you.

Well, I am Precious Williams. I'm the killer pitch master, aka the creative outsider, aka the ultimate rainmaker. I'm a former attorney in the great state of New York turned serial entrepreneur, international professional speaker, and five time, five time, five time number one best selling author on books on pitching and business strategy, cutting procedure, decision. What's great about me is I think when people think of speakers, they think they're boring. They're like professors, and I am not. When I became a 13 time national elevator pitch champion, it wasn't because I said, I do this to help. No, no, no. I created a whole proprietary framework for pitching that really elevates people's authenticity and really brings them to the fore.

The things that they are afraid of are the very things that the audience truly needs to hear instead of the perfect story. And honestly, when my back was against the wall, that's when I truly became the killer pitch master. When no one wanted to invest in my first company and, you know, basically told me I was too fat, too black, didn't have an Ivy League degree, I was like, uh oh. Hmm, I'm just gonna defy that because my whole life has been about defying the. To grow up in the inner city of St. Louis, Missouri, to be all the way in New York City, have been here 20 plus years and had billboards in Times Square. Be top of mind with some of the biggest companies in the world. Still be black on both sides.

No brazilian butt lift, no six pack abs. Proud to be 45 years old, being that fun gal about town. And yes, I love what I do because I get to unlock the greatness in others through their pitching, through their presentations, through the ability to make it rain like snow on their business. And again, I am proud to be precious Elle Williams, the killer pitch master, aka now the ultimate rainmaker, who truly, truly, truly can take your pictures from trash to what? Stray cash. Make it rain.

Like, I know I got your tagline down. I've only seen you two times, but I. Your energy just fills the room so much that I feel like I've seen you dozens of times. That's.

People say that all the time. They're like, your energy. And if I can be honest, that is reason why a lot of companies or organizations hire me. They're like, it's a given. You're gonna blow, you're gonna tear up the stage. It's a given that people are gonna feel you, they're gonna be entertained, but they're also gonna be educated, answering. But your energy is unlike any other. And I like you wake up like that.

I said, I actually do. Actually do because it's my second chance at life. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna give it all I got.

Yes. I love that. What about your first time public speaking? Like you said, you started out as a lawyer. Well, how did it turn into public speaking and pitching?

Well, you know, I started speaking at 16. So do you want me to go 16 year old story or are you talking?

Yeah, no, okay, definitely.

So when I was 16, okay, so I went to, I went to go live with my grandparents when I was 15 because, you know, my mother nearly murdered me when I was twelve. My father is and was a drug addict at the time. And, you know, there were times that, you know, I knew I was gonna be sold for drugs. So it was just like my grandparents stepped in. And when I went to go live with them, as the greatest decision I never made, my grandmother did nothing but speak life over me, over my dreams. I didn't even tell her what I wanted to do because I really wanted to host the television show. I wanted to be in New York, baby. But you know, as Joel Wolfstein, the famous pastor, always says in the natural, that look, that, how could that happen? We've never had somebody in our family do it to do the things I wanted to do.

And yet I knew I could. And so when I was 16 years old, the principal of my high school, Mister Floyd Cruz, came to me. He's like, yeah, you know, I'd love for you to speak at an event. Okay. And when you're 16, let's be honest, this is like, like the Olympics where you're preparing. I was like, okay. And my grandmother got me all cute and everything, and my english teachers wrote my space and I got there and did not understand that the nature of what I was about to do, because there were politicians in the room, there's mayor of the city of St. Louis.

And I opened up, because this is back in the day, when you're 16. I opened up my folder and I saw the speech before me and it was just weird. You just, I just knew how to give it. Just knew. Had never seen it before. And I got a standing ovation.

Aw.

And then my next speech was before the governor of Missouri. Who does that? Like, I felt like I was Barack Obama before my time. Like, you know what I mean? I was doing it back then. And the great thing is, I was a teenager, so I didn't have a frame of reference for, you know, it was great to get standing ovations and to, you know, be paid to speak all over the state of Missouri. But I didn't, I didn't think it was really the thing I was really going to do. I did want to go to college. I wanted to be better. I wanted to go to law school, be better than Johnny Cochran, Perry Mason, La Law, law and order.

I mean, come through. And I did it, and. But I became an attorney. But I knew in order to be better than Johnny Cochran or any of these people, it would require me to be in a different field of law. And I just saw that as truly a long shot. And remember, I came out in 2007, 2008, which was with the mortgage crisis. And so at the end of the day, you know, I worked with one of the biggest firms in the country, clerk for federal judge in the southern district, you know, went into medical malpractice products liability, toxic torts, had my own firm doing mortgage foreclosure defense and landlord tenant matters. And I just could not imagine doing this for 40 years.

I was like, nah. So it was like a plot twist, flip the script. And eventually, I met a man who changed my life. And yet the things that we're often told, when you start your entrepreneur journey, ask your family and friends. And they didn't. They didn't believe I could do it. So the only reason I be I truly became a killer pitch master is because my back was against the wall and I had negative $400 in my bank account. And I don't know about you, but I'm going out swinging.

And that's exactly what happened. And went to an event I couldn't afford. Picture the producers of MSNBC, and the rest is history. Never having pitched in real life. Yes, I've spoken since I was 16. But the ability to create a pitch on the spot that the producers instantly liked and then appear on MSNBC's your business with JJ Ramberg February 9, 2012. And kill it. No training, no nothing.

Just let's go. And understanding that the more competitions, the 14 that I was in, understanding, what does that mean? What does it mean when everyone else has a certain framework and yours is different? It wasn't all these sort of things. And how dare I dream that I'm gonna be on shark Tank? How dare I dream that my clients are gonna be funded, and all of it happened.

Yeah. Okay. I do have a question from your story. From when your principal asked you to speak. Why did he choose you? What relationship did you have with him that you stood out to do that? And what was the speech for exactly?

So I believe that my principal came to me because I didn't have a problem being on the microphone.

He already knew that about you. How did he know that?

Well, you know, I came in when I was 15 years old to. 15 years old to Beaumont High School in St. Louis. And, you know, when I spoke to my teachers, when I spoke to the principal, you know, I just had a certain way of being. But also because in my years prior to Beaumont High School, you know, I was in mixed school districts, so I was always in gifted and talented classes. So I wasn't a lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. It's just that I think in that school, they had never encountered someone like me. So when I came in, I think I was just kind of like a supernova.

I have no problem talking to adults. I have no problem talking to youth. I had no problem talking to anyone and just matching wherever they were, you know, but I was already in gifted and talented classes from way back.

I was just saying, like, what was your relationship that he knew to choose you? So basically, you just stood out amongst the crowd because your personality. You're charming, definitely.

And also, the nature of what I was speaking about was the problems that the St. Louis public School was having in terms of security, in terms of education. And here I was, a bright and shining example of someone who was in a St. Louis public school who was being featured in St. Louis Post Dispatch. Who was it? Like? There are just things that are so wild to me about my story, and I lived it. So I think, you know, here's a shining example of a student that we know is going to go far. And, you know, what I did.

And so I think I was that representative of youth. Representative of, yes, bad things can happen, but there are some people who are just determined to make it regardless. Then, by the time I finished my school career, I was valedictorian at a class of 1997. I was Miss Beaumont 1990 619 97, which is at queen of the entire school for the entire year parade in the city of St. Louis. There were just a lot of things that were amazing. But had my grandmother and my grandfather not had me up every morning doing affirmations? Had we not had that family meal in the morning? Had my grandmother not driven me to school to make sure I made it through the front door and picked me up every day. Like there was just something different about my story altogether.

And so I knew he knew I could deliver, even if I didn't know. And my teachers knew even if I didn't know.

Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. So tell us a little bit more about what advice you could give to the youth today regarding perseverance, because you've been through it and, you know, you come out the other side. So share a little bit. What are your tips for the youth today?

Well, for our young peoples, our young peeps, I would definitely tell them that your dreams are worth fighting for. And as much as social media looks good, everybody's popping, and they just post. And millions of followers and fans that might not be you. And slow and steady. Number one, slow and steady still wins the race. I promise you. I am 45 years old, and to some people, I am this overnight success. Well, you just heard me talk about when I was 15 and 16.

I am 45. Think about that. I've been in media a long time, and just because people are now hearing about me for the last two or three years, doesn't talk about the 15 years that preceded that, doesn't talk about the times that people said no to me or that my company wouldn't make it or, you know, I didn't have the looks or the charm or whatever they thought I needed. I still made it. I've been in movies and documentaries around the world. I've been on top of television shows and things like that. Heck, I even hosted a show on Fox Business called America's Real Deal. So think about that.

From shark tank to Forbes and all of that. Those are the things I wanted. What is it that you want? And it's gonna change over time. I didn't get my first billboard in Times Square until I was 40. Imagine if I had given up years ago. Something else I want you all to think about is who. Who's around you. If your friends aren't doing nothing, nine times out of ten, you're gonna start doing nothing.

Number three, you need your haters. Trust. Haters only hate. No, people doing something. I know it's hard to believe, but like Katt Williams said, you got four. You need 17 by the end of summer. Trust. I got to be doing something, right.

If they talking, talking, talking mad noise about me, you only talk about people. Somebody doing something, somebody ain't doing something. You just like, bum and keep it moving, and keep it moving. So your haters. I'm not gonna say they're your motivators, but if you ain't got none, you must not be doing nothing. And here's something else. I wanted to succeed. Like my next breath.

So I don't know about the rest of y'all, any obstacle, I'm going through it, not around it. I'm going through it. When they said I didn't, when they talked about my accent, I'd never be doing things. Don't think for a second I didn't send the movie I was in. Don't think for a second I didn't send shark tank. Don't think for a second I did everything you said I couldn't. But the only reason that I could is because I believed in myself beyond what anybody else said. My purpose was set at birth, or I was knit in the innermost wound.

So for people to tell me they can't see it is irrelevant to me, because you didn't create me. And whatever your higher power is, or if your parents or your family or your friends don't believe, okay? Because. And the last thing, if the person who's talking to you is giving you his advice and telling you what's not gonna happen, I need you to observe. They like, are they in trenches? Because I'm in these trenches, people know when I'm speaking somewhere. So it's one thing for me, it's like, girl, you know I'm speaking BMW, you know, you gonna see me at BMW. I'm gonna be in the back. Why? Because it's social proof for all the people who said it wasn't possible for all the people since I was young. No, no, no.

Like Ariana Grande said, thank you. Next. Next opportunity. Exactly. I'm gonna keep it thuggy. If you fight in the trenches or you ain't doing what I'm trying to do, if you haven't done it, why are you talking to me?

Right, right.

Exactly. And yes, young peeps, this is for you. You need that true tea. I'm not gonna come up here, but you know everything. It's just hard work. It's gonna be hard work plus networking. Hard work plus getting your name out there. Hard work plus visibility.

Please believe.

Yes. I love that. Talk about the skills, because this is the Skill Abrasion podcast. So we're talking about skills here. It is more than hard work. I can attest to that, too. You need those skills. Networking skills matter.

So tell us about that. How do you start networking if you don't know anybody?

I think that's about everybody. Especially since we were in a pandemic. Everybody was doing things online. So this is what has helped me. In fact, it's part of my third book, pitching for profit, you know, basically turning conversations into currency. So, years ago, get paid to connect people together. I don't do that anymore. I connect people without all of that.

But the biggest thing is looking at who's around you. What do they know about you? What do they know? And most people only know the surface parts of us. So the first thing that I would suggest to our young people or, you know, people our age, is get clear who the vip's in your network are, who do they know? And then see if you can set up a little time with them. I don't care if it's a zoom. I don't care if it's a phone call. I don't care if it's like a little coffee thing. And I want you to take the time to share more about yourself with them and the things that you are looking to do. Why is this important? People don't recommend people.

They only know a surface level. They just don't. But if they know more about you and the things that you want to do, they're. They're like, oh, okay, okay. They start. They start to get it. The second thing that I would do is every, maybe every quarter, I would send those vip's things that I've been working on, some successes that I've had, some things that I might have been challenged by, and make a big ask. Make a big ask of them.

So, because you're putting in front of them, these are some of the things that I've been able to do. Here's some things that challenge me now. They feel that they're a part of your journey. So if you want to make the big ask, like, what, uh, what organizations, what. What events should I be at and why? And let them tell you. And if you can go, go, go and see who they want you to meet up with. The next thing is, if you do happen to just go to networking events and you've been doing it all wrong, you don't have to meet everybody in the room. I do want you to say hello to the host, even if you don't have a long conversation.

And then if you can meet between two to five people and have, like, conversations and take it beyond who I am and what do I do? Because when people start off with that, I'm like, I'm not even trying to hurt it. In fact, you notice about me, I walk in a conversation. What y'all talking about, man? I'm trying to be a part of the cool kids crew. People like, and they kind of just. It's so shocking because they're like, yeah, y'all put a cool kids for what we talking about, and then they'll be talking, and then we'll just get to talking about silliness, and then it'll come around to, you know, what do we do and what are we looking to do? And things like that. See, I want to build relationships. And in networking, if you're looking for a transactional, like, they're gonna. We're gonna do a deal right then and there.

Good luck to you. Good luck. But that's why you don't have to meet everybody. But just entering conversations with genuineness, wanting to hear what they're talking about, asking questions of them. Now, they curious about you, and you're gonna be ready with what? Your ph. O game, your heart. But the most important thing is, remember, it's about building relationships. And I know we've all had times when it was too much weak at the end of the money.

You need those clients. Your clients are probably gonna come from people who know you, who know how to pitch you, who've been aware of what you've been doing or trying to do, and they're gonna say your names. So networking is more than showing up at events. It's also been strategic about who do you want to meet with? Who are some people? That's just like a smorgasbord. You just want to meet just as, just to talk, whatever. And the more you keep going to certain events by certain organizations, you truly stand out. So me and queen, we met at the IC retreat two years ago.

Yeah.

And then I came back to do something with young guns. So I'm not in Wisconsin. I lived in New York. So she doesn't see me all day, every day in Wisconsin, I'm in New York. However, because of social media, she is able to see that I'm speaking, I'm training, I'm getting awards here and there. She's keeping a breath. But she met me in real life at least twice, so she knows I'm the real deal. She sees me at these different places, and that's part of networking, too.

What can people pull up about you? If an opportunity comes? She's going to know, oh, you need precious. Who's precious? Oh, let me hit you up with her. LinkedIn. Go and check her out. But I tell you, that's what she's going to need. That's what she's going to need. And that's what's great about networking. It's not a chore unless you feel like it or you may be doing it wrong, which a lot of us did.

Can we be honest? Queen a lot of shit in the beginning. Jobs, too. Getting jobs.

Yeah. And for me, coming from a teaching background, because I was a public school teacher before I, you know, that's not in our vocabulary. Networking is not part of what we do. You be, like, hard pressed to even find a teacher on LinkedIn. I've always pretty much had a LinkedIn just because I think I have more of a business mindset from the get go. But, you know, when I first started networking, I just thought, let me talk to as many people as possible. But then I realized, no, have quality conversations with just a few people. Right? Yes, yes.

And even with precious, like, I haven't. We haven't necessarily talked talked, you know, since the last time I saw you. But we've been engaging with each other on social media for the past year, so. And then when I was launching the podcast, I thought, let me invite precious. She would be amazing for the youth today to hear her success story, so. And I'm so grateful that you. That you came and, you know, that you did this with me. So.

And again, that goes back to, you know, it is celebration you have to talk about. Networking is a skill to be developed, and you're not gonna get it right the first time, I promise you. That's why you have to keep. I'm 45, y'all, and ask me, I'm like, I can't even imagine. Imagine I'm having a better time. This is my. So this is the softest girl era for me. And let me be very clear about softest, softest girl era.

You've heard some of the trauma, drama, stress I've gone through. I mean, in my adult life, I've been homeless. In my adult life, I've dealt with things that didn't even make sense, but because I stayed in the game, because I went where I was celebrated, not tolerated. See, I don't hang with people who don't like me or who always tell me, no, no, no, I'm sorry. Come on, dirty. Let me holler at you. I'm not hollering at y'all. I'm only gonna be around those who are.

Who are moving and shaking, even if they have these down moments, which we all do. That's the kind of people you need. And so I'm not going to tell you, this is going to be easy, but when I say softest girl, I just moved into my new space. I've been in. I was living in a two bedroom apartment in my pastor's house for five years. To be here on my own on the highest floor, and knowing I'm going to the penthouse next, that doesn't tell you all the. I wake up extremely early to get a lot of work done, take care of a lot of things. My rent is too darn high, and yet I pay it.

I live in New York City. I get flown all over the world for the times. I didn't get flown for the times. People said no to me for the time. People said I didn't match up with what they thought. I lived long enough for time to catch up with who I was. And that's the gift and the curse of being a visionary. That's the gift and curse of having a skill set that people didn't know they needed to develop until they finally saw me.

So thank you, Queen.

Yes. It takes time to get that success. And that networking has that domino effect, too. Like you're saying, keep showing up because you just, like, every time you go, you meet somebody different and you're top of mind to the people in that network.

You better. So you better say that.

Yeah, exactly. So you get introductions from other people once they get to know you. All right, so let's talk a little bit. We're going to backtrack a little bit. Going back to that perseverance. What about, I've seen a post that you had recently, or maybe a few months ago. It was about failure. Do you remember the one I'm talking about? Yeah, I think you did a little live about it, but anyway, I'm sure you'll fail.

So my question is, is failure really failing?

No, it really isn't. It's not. It's not? No. So I don't think failure is really failing. It's a lesson learned. And I kind of think about it like Rihanna, she has never a failure, always a lesson as a tattoo. But for real, it is like. So my first company, people would say, oh, did it fail? No.

It completed in 2016. In 2018. 2019. The rebirth of perfect pictures by precious. And then that completed in 2023 to give birth to perfect pitch group. The truth is, I started over with experience, and I know things that most people who've never started a company will never know. There are things that we've gone through that if you do have a job, if you have a regular job, you will never understand why we have to make certain decisions, why sales and marketing are so key, why networking is so key to your career. I never knew that when my first book that came out when I was 40 would blow up the world for me.

I didn't know that the lessons I learned in pitching, starting that company, would give birth to something else. Where Forbes magazine reviews it leads to a billboard in Times Square. Then my second billboard, because of Forbes magazine, revealed my third book. What it did is say that was good for them. But your true gift was pitching. Was my birth a failure because my parents and I don't have a relationship? No. Actually, part of what, part of my lesson learning from them is their dreams didn't come true, but mine did. So I wasn't a failure or mistake.

No matter what people say, I was born with a specific purpose, and that purpose is to unlock the greatness in others, too. I first had to do it in myself and fight the odds of poverty and homelessness and alcohol addiction and all the things that people are afraid to talk about. I'm not, because I need you all to know the truth. It took a lot to get me here. It took bad relationships, it took bad parenting. It took great parenting. It took women taking me under their wings when I wanted to give up on life. It took programs.

It took kings and queens who saw something in me when I didn't see anything in myself. The only reason I can talk to y'all with a smile on my face at 45 years old is because there were always these angels around who would tell me to hold my head up because there were so many people looking at me thinking it was over. And then there are other people waiting to know, oh, it just began. And if she can do it, so can I. And it won't be easy like social media. It won't be the perfect story, but it'll be your story. It'll be a story that transcends. Failure is not fatal.

It just. It just isn't. And if any of the people you ever looked up to in life, whether they're entertainment, sports figures, business people, you're gonna hear if you're blessed enough to read their books, you're gonna. You're gonna read about stories you've never thought. People living in their cars, people eating out of garbage cans, people being beat up and left for dead on the side of a road. Yeah, I've been there. And the reason why I can smile today is because I live long enough to out do every no for time to catch up with the brilliance of pitching, presentation skills, networking, being able to be myself in a world that wants, that celebrates young people, and just being like, at 45, baby, I'm just getting started. And every bad thing they said about me.

Too fat, too black, no Ivy League degree. Didn't stop me from teaching at Harvard and Columbia University, business school and law school. How did that happen? Because I'm the best in the world at what I do do. It didn't stop me from being in media. It also didn't stop me from working with some of the world's greatest companies. And I don't have a tech degree. I'm not a computer scientist. I'm all, I am a master, world class master communicator.

And that got me into spaces, being able to be personable with people, being able to use my extra verdict, gregarious personality. And for my introverts, the ones who don't really want to talk to too many people, you can still win, too. Get your pitching skills up, get your networking skills up. You already know the right people. You just. They just don't know enough about you to put you on front street. Okay.

I love it. Precious. Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

All right, so let me ask you about decision making, because you make a lot of decisions as a business owner. Oh, can you give us, talk us through, like, what skills do you need to make when you have those big decisions? What skills come into play when you're making those decisions?

Honestly, the greatest skill that I have in my arsenal is wise counsel. I have a business coach. I have, you know, I think they change it from idea collective to sb.

Yes. Small business community. Yeah.

Have y'all. I have just trusted individuals that I like to run things past. But the first thing I do is just see how it sits with my spirit, how it sits in my good. Is it in alignment with what I'm doing or what I'm going to do? There will be many opportunities that will come your way, that will sound like the best thing since sliced bread, but they won't be right at the right time. There are times when I'm inundated with people who want me to speak at all of these different things, and it's just impossible. One, two. Some of them don't have the ideal people I want in them. So that's a no one GP and then some.

I need to bring before my wise counsel to make sure that I'm not overextending myself or put too many things on my plate, which I've been guilty of. But having wise counsel people that I can go to prayer to. Just please guide me, heavenly father, guide me. Because I don't know. It's like the bright shiny object syndrome that we all suffer from. From, like. Like, I like makeup. I like eyeshadow palettes, but I don't buy new ones at all.

Like, they just come out. I got some oldies but goodies that, you know, I want to see the test of time with them. Okay. They've been around a year. Okay, now I'm gonna get it. You know, I don't want to get the, oh, it's so great. It changed my life. I'm like, I don't know any eyeshadow palette that can change your life.

But. And this is not a shameless plug, but this is a nourish shadow palette. Right? I didn't have this and just started using it. I didn't had it for a year and a half, and now I'm using it because I finally forgot the right brushes. See, it's this kind of stuff I'm talking about that seems insignificant, but it's not, because you want to go with people who've been in the journey, who have had a business, who are actively in businesses or supporting those businesses that can. That you can talk to and not people who ain't never done anything in business but can tell you everything about where that's not going to work. Really? Really. House.

How? Like, like Kanye said, house White. How.

What you know about this exactly?

Riddle me that.

I like how you talked about wise counsel being in alignment, using prayer. Those are great tips. I mean, even for me, with business decision making, it took me, like, up to maybe last year. I started asking God, like, hello. Hello, I need help with this decision making.

Right. It's like, hold up. Like, hold. Like he was responsible for me moving. Five years to the day that I moved into the pastor's house, and I really had a two bedroom. I started off in a room. Yes, I started off in a room and within a two bedroom, because I got a contract that paid for my entire rent. Even in the pandemic, my rent was paid.

Did y'all hear what I said? Even in a pandemic, I ain't take no more torn. I. Which allowed me to have a track record to move in here. And you accepted it one day.

Yeah.

Do y'all know the piece I have here? The piece? Yes. Anybody running past? Do y'all hear anything? I know I'm on. I know I'm on my headphones, but.

Exactly.

And I don't mind y'all seeing my kitchen because you know what? Like pitching. We cook. You're proud of it.

Yeah.

Crock pot. You know, I'm saying, listen, I'm giving you that word. I want you to eat. I want you to eat and be satiated. There's a reason why I do a lot of things, and that's. That's truly God given. All these years, I held back on showing my personality. All those years I was trying to be, hi, I'm precious.

Fuck that. I'm precious Williams, the killer pitch master. Slaying all competition with a killer pitch. What you want in these streets?

Yes, exactly.

Everyone at the highest levels ever said, you know, precious, we just think you're just a little too much. That's what you think they're gonna say, and they don't. They're, like, refreshing. Oh, Shane. After us.

All right, let's talk a little bit about public speaking. Do you. Because you mentioned introverts, do you have to be fearless? Have you helped people who have a fear of public speaking? Like, you know, because that's one of the number. That's one of the top fears.

Yeah, it's probably number one next year. Death and taxes, too. Yes. I've worked with a variety of introverts and ambiverts and extroverts, and when it comes to my introverts, because they're. They're kind of blown by me. And I'm like, I'm not making you the second, precious. I want you to be the quiet storm. And you've heard me say that there are people, when they speak, they speak very little.

So when they speak, it's like, everybody shut up. Hold up. Wait. I'm telling you, there's a reason. So I want you to harness the power of that. If you, a person of very few words, make the work. Make those words count. In public speaking, you might walk out and drop a set of books.

Now you got, like, two pack and give it to them like, I come in like a dungeon dragon, like, but an introvert's gonna walk in. But I want all eyes on you. Even if you stand there until he gets silent. You got them. Take them on a journey. Still. I cannot imagine having ten of me in one room. You need both of us in a room and at conferences and at summits and at events, because you need to see that there are different types, types of speakers.

Some speakers are very few words, but their words are so powerful that it hits you in your solar plexus. And then you have some speakers that hit you like, I'm the emotional speaker. Yes, you're gonna learn, but I hit the heart, and most speakers don't talk about that. I'm the emotional one. You're gonna get a lot of emotion. You're gonna get a lot of me just throwing things at you from hip hop, country, rock, all. And just be like, where's she coming from? My gift has made room for me to throw out all of that. So, you know, I don't dial it in.

And from my introverts, there ain't nothing wrong being an introvert. In fact, I feel like the older I get, so I can do all the big stuff, but I come into peace and quiet. When I was younger, I was always in noise. This feels good to me. That's why my space has to be peaceful. It has to be because I need a place to just. So, introverts, I got you trust. And then when it comes to your messaging as introverts, making sure every word really counts and that you're not.

You're not feeling like you got to compete against a big personality, not bring yours to the table and make them compete with you.

Love it. So let's talk about making income, being a public speaker. Does it come from people you know? Do you get paid to present, or is it from the books? Is it from the coaching?

I can tell you what it does for me. So I'm not a public speaker, queen. Public speakers speak for free. I do not. I speak for pay. That makes me a professional speaker.

Gotcha. Gotcha.

So, as a professional speaker, I do earn money through keynote speaking.

Mm hmm.

Through training, through workshops, through my books. And sometimes people bought my books to see is she. Is what's in her books. Can we bring her into training? Teach? In fact, tomorrow I am speaking at Blue Cross Blue Shields. That's a big insurance company, for real, all day. So I have a keynote, I have pitch trains. I'm gonna have a barbecue. Like, all these sort of things are gonna happen, and I'm not.

I have never forgotten when people didn't want to, didn't even want me in the room. So there are multiple ways licensing, online training, live events. There are many ways that I make money at as a speaker, international professional speaker. And so it's on stage, it's virtual, it's through my books, it's through my online training courses, like my rainmaker speaking in branding accelerator to something new that we're going to be unleashing called pitch bowl profit gold. So, yeah, I have the ultimate pitch bundles I have the pitching for profit master classes. But yes, there are ways that you can make it as a speaker. Whether you're the keynote workshop, summits, comfort, like all little sort of things, there are many ways. And you usually start getting paid when you make sure your niche is defined.

If you just say that, you're just a speaker, good luck with that. Nikki Queen. Nikki. They hired me because I'm the killer pitch master or the ultimate rainmaker or because there's something compelling about my story that resonates with a particular audience. I've spoken to men, women. I've spoken differently. Abled, disabled, black, white, Latino, Asia Pacific Islander, white. Like, I've run the game.

I've spoken to young people, teenagers, those about to have a quarter life crisis, you know. So yeah, the depth and breadth of my range has allowed me to be in spaces. And yes, it's usually through communication. I will speak on a lot of topics because that's not my zone of genius. But if it's pitching sales, business development, client acquisition, branding, I'm your girl.

Do you pitch yourself to these groups like, let's say with Blue Cross Blue Shield? Did they come to you or did you go to them?

They actually did. So I was in Austin, Texas, celebrating my 45th birthday. I was getting ready to go home the next day and I woke up at 06:00 a.m. i woke up and there was a message on my LinkedIn from a woman who heard me speak three years ago. And she's like, yeah, my blue cross blue shield. Yeah, I heard you speak three years ago. I mean, what the race looking like? Because I want to bring you into blue cross blue shield. You're like, hold up.

And, you know, I made sure that she got connected with my agent and my agent and her took care of things. I was supposed to speak in March, but they just could not find room for me. So I'm speaking tomorrow and one of my friends is going with me all the way there since I was 2 hours away from my home in Brooklyn and going by car service. And just, just think about that. There was a time I used to drive. Now I'm being driven. So that's a change of life. But also, I don't usually pitch myself anymore.

In the beginning I did in the middle, but I have an agent. And also there are people who look at, and this is skelebration. Let's talk about it, y'all. People watch my social media and they're like, if she's speaking there, she can speak for us. Come through what the race looking like, because they know you're not coming for free. Let's be very clear. They know you're not. I'm just gonna come to speak to.

Everybody wants to speak free. I would not be able to sleep if that were true. And also, when you put a dollar amount on it as a different type of worth, I'm just letting you know now, do I do some pro bono speaking engagements? I actually do, actually. But that's my choice, and that's one of his choice.

Okay, so can you walk us through a little bit of your first. The first time you got paid to speak? Like, what did that look like? Perfect pitches. Was that the train?

Perfect pitches? I think the first. The first thing I ever got paid was 2500, which I was like, okay. And, you know, and it's. It's. It's. It's just. It's truly gone up from there. Right.

So in the pandemic, you know, I had all these speaking engages I was supposed to fly out for. Well, we just had to convert them into zooms. That's all I had to happen. So, you know, I've been paid as high as 30. Yeah.

Wow.

Travel.

Yeah.

Hotel.

Right. You have to have to count your expenses, folks.

Transportation.

Yeah.

And you're hearing this now? Do y'all know this is my 29th year speaking? I didn't start taking it seriously until after my pitching career, which is 2011 to 2013. And then there was a break because I was, you know, I suffer from homelessness and severe alcohol addiction. So on the lat from 2019 to 2024, this is five years. Five years. So what year? So the greatest that I've ever made as a speaker have been in that last three. Think about that. Think about that. So, you know, been paid as little as, you know, 1500 to do something for 15 minutes.

4000 for 15 minutes. And I'm doing it video wise versus showing up in person. So it could be 15,000. Like, you know, 20,000. So it has taken years. And also my mind of what. Not just what I deserve of my words, but the value I bring and being able to negotiate. So did I start off making bank? Like, you see a lot of these people, I have a craft.

And let's not forget, I'm still black on both sides. No brazilian, but lift. No six pack abs. There are some people that initially may think that it will be free, and I have to correct them that it won't. And my agent usually has those kind of calls to be like, hold up, wait, she doesn't. And this is her rates, depending on if there's a company, nonprofit foundation, small organization, we have different prices. But it took a long time to truly understand that what I bring to the table is not what most people do, which is why having a niche starting off is great. Great.

And then going from pitching to rain, making sales, business development, client acquisition, that's just adding on now. And it's also changing the narrative for all I can do is pitch. Actually, no. I've been speaking since I was 16, so that's 29 years. And also understanding that where we are in the economy, there are some people who are. You probably used to get 100 grand or 50 grand. That might have to go down to 30, 20, 1510. Be very clear that the economy is dictating a lot of things.

Are there as many live events. So in skill abrasion, I want you to understand, you could ask for top dollar. It doesn't mean you're going to get that. And if you have nothing to back it up with, see, I got receipts for days, weeks, months, and years. There are testimonials on linked out 300 plus from some of the biggest companies, from people. One pitch competitions with my training, don't play with me. I got receipts. Not someone who's gonna come in, yo, give me a 30 grass.

You know, I'm gonna do this. They could be like, first of all, who let you in? And my agent handles a lot of this, so I don't have to.

At what point did you get an agent?

It was. It was like three years ago. A friend of mine, C Das, she introduced me to a speaker agent, and I remember the conversation distinctly. She was just like, oh, I'm not taking on new clients. I said, I didn't ask you. I'm going to be hired regardless. Like, that's how confident I was in myself. So two weeks later, she comes back.

She's like, you know what? She's like, I did some work on you, and people know you. She said, you know what? We should work together. I said, but she already had me booked this up. Do you hear me? And she's commissioned, which a lot of people come at people and want to pay, and I've often seen that nothing really materializes. This woman knew I had a name and a brand. It might not have been the biggest name or brand, but she knew if she said my name, people will always say killer pitch master, which means I had a brand, and I was warm, and she was like, ooh. Cause cold. She ain't dealing with you.

You got to have some.

Right?

And now we red hot and tempted. Come.

Can you explain? Explain.

Cold.

Warm, hot. Like, what does that mean?

Don't nobody know you. You ain't got no kind of name. Don't nobody mess with you. Warm. You know, people starting to know your name. Starting to get a little cachet, starting to get a little traction. Warm. Slide in the hot.

You started becoming fire, you know, by the right people. That what? That will pay for your expertise?

Yes.

Okay, I'm hot. But even if I can slide back in the warm, I can do that and slide right on back in the hot.

What did. Did perfect pitch group start after shark tank?

No, perfect group actually started last year. Perfect. I mean, that 1013, it was there. It completed in 2023 to make way for the perfect pitch group, because our clientele has changed. Yeah, we work so much more with companies, corporations, foundations, nonprofits, associations, and not as much with individuals. So, perfect pictures by precious, my name, I felt, in some way would make it seem like I'm a one woman team when I have a team and I'm training the next generation of pitch masters to the perfect pitch academy. So. So this is my legacy now.

I love it. All right, well, precious, what are the top three skills in life that have served you?

The top three skills? Being persistent. I don't take no for an answer, but I know you'll be back to being consistent, because while you're saying no today there's no grass that grows under my feet, and you gonna keep hearing my name until you circle back. And just being bold, I want you to understand what a bold personality can do and that I'm not milk toast. I'm not. I want you to feel something. You either hated me or love me. Either way is a real visceral reaction. And that has served me because the very people who said they would never hire me, half because they can see that other people were hiring me, people who said they never buy my books, started buying them in bulk because they were like, there's companies that you never thought would want me, did want me, because I was shaking up.

I was shaking up the business world, and I looked like myself, talk like myself, and that was something they hadn't seen before. So going against the grain, being persistent and consistent, what did I do? I beat all resistance.

I love it. What advice would you give to your younger self?

To my younger self, little precious, I would just be like, girl, you know, fortune favors the bold. The bolder you are, the more people keep throwing hate your way. You just keep knocking out be like, every brick thrown at me gave me the fuel to build my impact. Trust.

All right, precious, where can our skillibration listeners find you?

Your skillibration listeners can find me at my website, www.perfectpitchgroup.com. you can find me on LinkedIn under Precious lwilliams. You can find me on Instagram iG. At perfect pitch group, you can find me on TikTok Williams. You can find me on Facebook. At perfect pitch group, you can find me on YouTube. Perfect pitches by precious. We haven't figured out how to change the thing.

The perfect pitch group. And yeah, you can find me there. And if you want to try a free gift of mine, you can go to www.perfectpitchgroup.com. backslash the word free. F r e e dash. Gifts. Gifts. And you'll get the first chapter of my fifth book, rainmaking 101.

Packaging, positioning, and pitching secrets exposed. And you'll also get a cool PDF called make it rain like snow on your business.

Thank you so much. Precious, is there anything else you want to share before we end this episode?

Yes, I want to share that I know I have a cool personality, and I know sometimes people are kind of like, is she all personality? I assure you, the greatest companies in the world don't hire for personality back to back repeatedly. There has to be substance. And I'm 45, not 15. So embrace. Embrace the age, embrace your youth. Embrace going against the grain, because you go, y'all gonna have to. Y'all already going with the grain from our generation. And you all are teaching us something about, yeah, I don't really like that.

So I'm gonna go do something else that's a plot twist and flip in the script that we're all able to embrace. And I'm 45. I'm living my best life. I ain't going back and forth with nobody. I'm living my best life. Yes. And again, I am precious Williams. I'm the prop founder and CEO of the perfect pitch group.

Group. I am the killer pitch master, aka the creative outsider, aka the atmosphere shifter, aka the ultimate rainmaker. Thank you all for having me.

Yes, thank you for being here. All right, we'll see you in the next episode. Celebration, listeners.