3 Tips for Effective Positioning

In the world of professional speaking market positioning can influence your overall branding.

Definition of market positioning:

“An effort to influence consumer perception of a brand or product relative to the perception of competing
brands or products. Its objective is to occupy a clear, unique, and advantageous position in the consumer’s mind.”

The ability to really influence or persuade perception can start with a brief introspective of 3 branding components.

1. Is Your Brand Sticky?
2. What’s Your Purpose?
3. Take the 15 Second Website Challenge.

Homework:

A. Take 15 minutes and write out how you see your brand as being “sticky” or memorable.

B. Jot down your promise statement or tagline and then ask, “will it speak to my target audience?”

C. After taking the 15 second challenge, what will you now change on your site?

If you’d like to share your insights, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

Please place your comment below.

P.S.

The Wealthy Speaker U is ramping up for a new session starting January 2013. If you are a seasoned speaker or even a newbie on the speaking circuit, consider investing in YOU!

The first session starts January 7th for the Emerging Speakers:
http://wealthyspeakeru.com/emerging-speakers-2013/

For the Seasoned Speaker, the first session starts January 9th:
http://wealthyspeakeru.com/seasoned-speakers-2013/
P.P.S.

For more ideas on “stickiness” check out the book “Made to Stick” by the Heath brothers.

 

 

Wealthy Speaker U: Catapult Your Business

The Wealthy Speaker University was a huge hit last year! And we’re starting our 2013 classes in January.

Some of our graduates have said……

“Helped me get incredibly focused”
“My marketing got clearer and more effective”
“The learning curve was reduced significantly”
“I now know how to sell myself!”
“Loved the accountability of meeting each month!”

And on and on.

A combination of private coaching with Jane, monthly calls with your group, and 10 fabulous audio and video learning modules, this program will help catapult your
business to the next level.

If you are a new speaker, you might consider our BACHELORS PROGRAM FOR EMERGING SPEAKERS.

If you’ve been speaking for more than 3 years full time, then our MASTERS PROGRAM FOR SEASONED SPEAKERS might be a fit.

Over 10 months, starting in January, we’ll cover topics like:

MONTH #1 – Picking a Lane that will pay off. Take
the pain out of positioning so that you can get
booked!

MONTH #3 – Building Websites that Sell. Avoid
mistakes that will cost you time & money.

MONTH #5 – Setting and Negotiating Fees. Take your
fee to higher levels and get you paid in full.

MONTH #6 – Technology Tools for Sales and
Marketing. Put systems and social media in place
that will allow your business to grow rapidly.

MONTH #9 – Developing Your Rock Star Demo Video.

And that’s just a few of the topics…

Last year our programs both sold out. So check out this page to get the details and hold your spot.

http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

PS:  Feel free to write to jane@speakerlauncher.com with any questions you have!

Brand Part I: Is Your Brand Memorable?

A brand is a concept or idea that helps to distinguish you from everybody else.

- It may be a personal brand, ie.: Dr. Phil, which may work if you have a large following who know you mostly by name….

OR

- it may be based on your work (my preference) ie: Red Zone Marketing (check out what Mary Beth is doing, she’s really sharp) www.redzonemarketing.com.

OR

A book title might also be a great brand. (ie: 7 Habits, Who Moved My Cheese, Purple Cow, Good to Great). You might not understand the title until you’ve read the subtitle. But a good brand can take on a life of its own.

The brand that I think used to work but no longer does is the “speaker based” brand. i.e.: John Doe, Leadership Speaker. This was effective 5-10 years ago, but as my good friend Brian Palmer of National Speakers Bureau says……

“clients no longer want to hire ‘speakers’, they want to hire smart people who happen to speak”

What’s your brand, and do people remember it?

Stay tuned for part II where we’ll talk about exploiting your brand.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

PS: The Wealthy Speaker University can help you with your brand, your website, marketing and selling speeches.

Two new classes start in January, click here for more details.

 

Get your Book in Print Without Going Broke

Writing the book can often be the easy part!

Once you have finished your manuscript, the real work begins. Having just run through the process for the 3rd time with The Wealthy Speaker 2.0, I’d like to offer you a few tips:

http://www.thewealthyspeaker.com/

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EDITOR. I think the single most important relationship in the process will be between you and your editor. And if you’re lucky like me, you’ll stumble across someone who can manage the entire project for you. It’s like having a general contractor, which is helpful because dealing with bar codes and library of congress stuff may not be in your wheelhouse.

If you don’t click with your editor, the process can be brutal. So the tip is “hire slow, fire fast”.

I adore my editor, Cathy Leek http://greenonionpublishing.com/

SUPPLIER RELATIONS. The test of a supplier/author relationship really comes when your project hits a snafu. How they handle it, will tell you whether or not you continue the relationship in the future. My book design company showed their true colors when we had a problem with a print run of my workbook. They weren’t sitting flat and I was embarrassed to sell them. My company, researched a better printer and we ran the entire lot again. I was 100% happy with the new binding.

I adore my book design team at Heidy Lawrence Associates. http://wemakebooks.ca/

WHEN TO SAY “WHEN”. When you get into the editorial process of your book, it’s easy to continue to make changes and never ever want to let your baby leave your hands. But at some point, you just to say “this will be good enough for now”. If you continue to stress about each word, you will never get your book into print. As my buddy Joe says “let it go”!!!

PRE-SELL TO COVER COSTS. A great way to cover some of your up front costs on your book is to offer a pre-order to your fan base. After all, they should be chomping at the bit waiting for your new product if you have been planting seeds for a few months. Thirty days out is a reasonable time frame on your offer and you can give an incentive to purchase up front.

And of course, I must model this for you by offering you an special advance copy price of The Wealthy Speaker 2.0 which is due out on July 20th, just weeks from now! (I couldn’t let this sweet opportunity pass, now could I?) http://www.thewealthyspeaker.com/

Best Website Contest Winners (+ surprise)

Well, many lessons (several for myself) have unfolded during this year's Best Speaker Website
Contest. http://ow.ly/bqocE

First, an unexpected youth speaker named Yahya Bakkar
(pronounced Yaya) came off the big winner with 68% of the 
votes, congratulations!!

http://www.yahyabakkar.com/

His website is fresh and energized.  His video used testimonials
brilliantly and was effective, all while being just over
2 minutes. (His market is the YouTube generation, short
video is a must). The video and the website matched in
terms of high quality.

Next, I learned a lesson about Facebook polling. Next time I
will be trying a polling app by Survey Monkey instead of the one I used which was problematic.
(Not all APPs are created equal).

Why did I take it out to Facebook? You may ask. Driving people to my blog for the contest and to
"like" my Facebook page was a part of the strategy.

Here are few tips for your next website:

1.  A website doesn't have to be complicated or flashy to be effective - does your website grab
the attention of your visitor within 15 seconds?  If not, you might lose them.

2.  A strong promise statement (tag line) that speaks to the outcomes of your work is essential. Many
sites in the contest missed the mark on this.

3.  Ensure that your web designer is on board with making your website friendly across all platforms
(iPhone, iPad, various browsers, etc).  Never assume that because it's 2012 that is a given.

4.  Keep in touch with your suppliers every few days so that your project does not get neglected.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

And just by coincidence (ha ha), I have MY NEW SITE now ready to launch!

http://www.speakerlauncher.com/

Check it out.  You can be my beta testers and help me work out the bugs.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

Best Website Finalists! Come and Vote!

I’ve been pouring over the Best Speaker Website entries all day and I’m excited that we have such

an amazing group of finalists!

There were many great websites that did not make the cut. Either they were a bit off in their

positioning or just not quite as good as another site. I’m sorry! If you’d like a 2-minute

website feedback via e-mail let me know and I’ll provide it.

I NEED YOUR HELP!

I’d like you all to choose the winner.

FIRST: You’ll need to check out all of the finalist websites below, you’ll see just a few

words describing why they were chosen.

SECOND: To vote, go to http://www.facebook.com/Jane.Speaker.Launcher and

check out our contest and cast your vote.

FINALISTS:

1. http://www.nancynoonan.com/ - The right components.

2. http://www.jacksims.com/ - Innovative.

3. http://www.daviddeeble.com/ - Straight up entertainer.

4. http://www.adamlodolce.com/ - Hip and modern.

5. http://www.yahyabakkar.com/ - Really strong video.

6. http://www.janicehurleytrailor.com/ - Beautiful. (try visiting it a second time)

Again, go to http://www.facebook.com/Jane.Speaker.Launcher to

cast your vote for your favorite site! And feel free to add comments for the finalists to see what

you think. And let’s all remember that we should be viewing these websites thru the eyes of a

decision maker within the person’s market.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

 

PS: If your website needs a marketing makeover, we still have 2 spots left in the Sizzling Summer

Marketing Makeover group. Check it out, we start June 14th, so there is still time!

http://speakerlauncher.com/summer.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Website Contest is Back!!

Wow, it was 2009 when we ran our last “Best Speaking Expert Website Contest”.

Times have changed, websites have changed, so it’s time to run it again!

Simply comment below if you’d like to nominate a website.

So what are we looking for?

1. A unique, fresh and original site. One that looks interesting and would pull in a decision maker.

2. Website is outcome oriented. This means that the website is about your clients rather than all about you.* If I visit your website and it says “hire me, I’m a speaker” then you may not be a contender.

* some exception apply i.e.: an entertainer

3. Clear Brand and/or Promise. When visitors view your website, do they understand the outcome(s) of your work very quickly?

Note: Although we’re not making video a criteria, a strong video clip, or demo may give you the competitive edge.

That’s our contest for this year. If you think you qualify, or someone that you know qualifies, place your comment below to nominate a website by adding the link.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

PS: Do your marketing materials need a make over? We’ve got just the thing for you! Check out our Sizzling Summer Marketing Makeover group coaching starting next month! http://speakerlauncher.com/summer.html

Stop, Drop and Roll into Your Greatness

Over the past 20 years, time and time again, I’ve heard speakers utter the words “But, I don’t FEEL like an expert”.

I don’t know if I need to tell you the benefits of standing tall in your expertise, but if you do not stand tall, your business is going to have a hard time growing. Here’s my 3 step ‘Stop, Drop and Roll’ approach:

STOP! COMPARING

When you look at all of the experts who have come before you in your topic area, stop comparing yourself to them. And start focusing on why you are different from them. Okay, so maybe you didn’t climb Mt. Everest, but what is your formula for success? What have you done? If you feel your content needs some enrichment, then get out there and beef it up.

Just remember, no one lands at the top of the mountain. All of your heroes started somewhere similar to where you are today.

DROP! THE STRUGGLE

There are some industries that seem more conducive to struggle than others. Actors, musicians, entertainers, for instance, are known for their “starving artist” element. Struggle is a state of mind. And when you step outside of it, imagine playing big, and then take action until you get it, you are on the right path.

ROLL! PAST SELF DOUBT

There’s often a little green man sitting on our shoulder telling us we’re not good enough. When you fill up your “atta-boy” or “atta-girl” file with testimonials, that’s your go to spot when you feel your mojo slipping. When the little green man is driving the bus, you are not going in the direction of your desires.

So the next time you’re waffling on how great you are, Stop, Drop and Roll!

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

If it Ain’t Broke, Should You Break it?

I’m in the process right now of deciding whether or not to revamp my website. It’s been around for a few years and has served me well.

So what’s the problem?

1. Many people tell me that they love my existing site, so I can easily move into fear when it comes to changing. What if this one isn’t as good?
2. I get good traffic and I don’t want to mess with something that’s working. I own a few search terms organically and that’s hard to come by.

But the bottom line is that we need to push ourselves to get to the next level in our business. And I have to remember my motto…”most decisions based on fear are wrong”.

So what are you reluctant to shake up in your business?

What have you been putting off?

How much is fear driving your decisions?

I hope you’ll think about these things and push past some of your obstacles to take your business to the next level.

PS: Need help with your website makeover? Sign up for one of my Focus 40 sessions – I can help you make changes that will get you booked more! http://speakerlauncher.com/focus40.html

[video] 2012 Goals

We’re already in month two of 2012, how’d that happen?
Here are 3 quick tips that will help ensure that you’re going to reach your goals this year!

Feel free to comment below!

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