Even for people who don’t celebrate, the holidays are a busy time of the year.

I thought this would be a good time to re-visit my strategy around moving through distractions.

Here’s Video Blog (vlog) #2

Happy holidays to all and I look forward to helping you grow your business in 2012.

PS: In 2012, what will you do to ensure that you are moving your business forward every single month? If you need help with this, you might
consider The Wealthy Speaker University. Our Masters program is full, but there are still spots left in the Bachelors.
http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

In the year 2012, how many times do you intend to stop working “in” your business, long enough to work “on” your business, i.e: move your strategy forward?

What if you could have an expert in your corner to help you avoid time consuming and costly mistakes?

The Wealthy Speaker University was created to offer you a systemized approach to moving your business forward every single month. http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

There are 3 separate programs to choose from:

Self Study: For the individual who wants a low cost option and can work through the program on their own.

Bachelors (6 openings left): For the speaker who is in the early years of their career and wants to catapult more quickly.

Masters (2 openings left): For seasoned speakers who have reached a plateau and want to ramp up some serious forward momentum.

The Bachelors and Masters programs offer small group sizes and a combination of learning modules (audio and video), monthly mastermind calls and private coaching time with Jane. There’s a bonus retreat for the Masters program.

What’s the bottom line outcome? You’ll walk away with clear positioning, marketing materials that work to get you booked, a deeper understanding of how to win the business and focus on the things that matter to propel you ahead. Plus, you’ll have a coach with 20 years in the business at your side!

Feel free to send me an e-mail if you have any questions. jane@speakerlauncher.com

http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

PS: I am well aware that there are programs popping up every day for speakers – many by other speakers. But I do know that what I bring to the table is unique. Having worked with hundreds of speakers, I’ve seen all angles on our industry and I have what it takes to help grow your business! Check out the testimonials…. http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

PS: I fully intend to keep my speaking coaching as my #1 priority. I have 2 spots that just opened for my club starting this month. Here’s the link: http://www.speakerlauncher.com/ClubHybrid.html

I love this post so much I’ve reposted it and there is a bonus at the end, check out the PS!

My summer time goal has shifted quite drastically over the past 5 years.

Where I used to be aggressively thinking about marketing and how to ramp up biz for the Fall, now I base the success of my summer on my flip flop tan line (and my bank account).

If the tan line well defined and I’ve got some money, I’ve done a good job!

Is it silly and not very strategic to base success on a tan line?

Perhaps, but isn’t the point of having your own business to be able to dictate how you spend your time? To me it’s proof that I’ve had fun!

If you are in the early stages of your business and you’re working like a dog – please know that things will get better!

Why not set the goal that next year, you’ll take 2 weeks off? And in 3 years, maybe a month?

(I’d love to hear your goals or your summer time wins – just comment below.)

For me, the best feeling in the world is to be sitting at the cottage on the porch, sipping a glass of wine and I hear “cha ching” from my laptop.

That means I just made a sale.

Closing a deal or making a sale while doing nothing is absolutely brilliant!

So this summer you can be thinking about:

a) what product you can develop to increase your cha-ching

b) what do you need to let go of in order to move your business forward this fall

c) what other passive incomes streams can you consider (clubs, membership sites, online content)

d) and, how can you take more time off next year!

I’ll see you soon Wealthy Speakers.

ps: The Wealthy Speaker is all about creating the lifestyle of your choice.  If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you’ll check out this bonus that includes 2 full Chapters.  And, by all means, please pass it along to other speakers!
http://speakerlauncher.com/PassItOn.html

And which Orbit would you like to be in?

One of my Club Members Jim Czegledi, was talking about how he’d improved his business over our 10 months together. He said “I’ve moved into a new orbit which is richer with decision makers”.

It brought to light that there are stages in our business and I love that term “Orbit”.

Orbit 1 (Chicken Dinner) This is stage 1 for many speakers; although some do skip past it. This phase is where you get out and speak for anyone who will listen. It’s your practice phase with mostly services clubs and free chicken dinners from local associations.

(This phase can also be called the Rubber Chicken Circuit).

Orbit 2 (Squeaking By) This stage is where you start to get paid. The fees aren’t super high, but you are feeling more appreciated. Local small businesses and local associations may be your clients.

Orbit 3 (Making a Living) At this point, you are no longer taking any freebies. You are working at the state or provincial association level and the corporate groups are starting to get larger with bigger budgets. Now you are making a good living at speaking! Woo hoo!

Orbit 4 (Sweet Spot) Your clients have started to send limos for you at the airport, cool! Your fees are now above $10K. You’re working with seasoned meeting pro’s who want a unique experience and ROI. Your clients are corporate and large associations.

Orbit 5 (Speaking Celeb) You’ve become a celebrity within the industry. You may have a bestselling book and your fees are beyond $15K. Limos are a common thing in your world and you may have a team of people that help your business and travel run smoothly. Chances are you are dealing with heavy hitter executives with Fortune 500′s and National or International Associations.

What orbit are you in? Please comment here, we’d love to hear from you.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: I’m maxed out on my personal Facebook page, please come by and “Like” me at:
http://www.facebook.com/Jane.Speaker.Launcher

After returning home from one of the best CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) meetings I have ever attended, I am evaluating my behavior.

More specifically, my PRESENCE at the event.

Not, “was the event worthwhile?” It was indeed.

Not, “was I seen as an expert?” That was on track.

But, was I actually “present”?

Being consciously present while interacting with your fans or customers, especially in a crowded room, takes some practice.

I’m going to give myself 6 out of 10.

Why?

There was one emerging speaker who approached me at the very end of the last evening’s gala. I was leaving the event, (exhausted after 3 days and 3 presentations) nearly at the elevator when she breathlessly approached, “Jane, do you have a minute?”

She was a fan of The Wealthy Speaker and has been following my work. She came to Montreal BECAUSE I was speaking! I tried to be present, but I’m afraid I failed. (If you are reading this, please accept my apology).

I could have engaged more consciously. I could have inquired about her first convention experience or any number of things. Instead, I am certain that I was distracted.

How often do we let our “fans” down?

How often do we mentally check out before we’ve actually left the venue?

Next year, I will do better and I hope you will keep this in mind at your next speaking or networking event.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

PS: Today’s teleclass with Sam Horn should not be missed by anyone to wants to get their book out of their head and onto the paper. Join us! Wealthy Speaker purchasers and clients get in at no charge!

http://speakerlauncher.com/teleclass.html

A powerful performance is your #1 form of marketing. 

Capturing that on video will allow your clients to see your talent and the value of the content that you provide.

We had 59 entries for this contest!  It takes a certain amount of bravery just to post your video, so kudos to all the entrants!

To review the contest entries and criteria again, click here.  http://ow.ly/36ds6

THE WINNER OF THE BEST SPEAKER VIDEO CONTEST IS:

JOHN YOUNG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfbDgKHFfs0

What the judges appreciated about John’s video:  great energy, solid content, unique, relevant, high production quality, positions as an expert.

Congratulations John!

RUNNERS UP ARE:

Simon Bailey (commands the stage brilliantly)
http://www.youtube.com/brilliance777#p/a/u/0/veREsqHhUHg

Bill Stainton (Fun, unique, great energy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdUdKjzX2NY

Steve Shapiro (pulls us in)
http://www.vimeo.com/15265556

Michelle Ray (energy, audience engagement)
http://www.michelleray.com/demo.html

Kris Belcher (great funny stories, she’s real)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7UqrBYt4QY

Congratulations Runner’s Up!

And special thanks goes out to the panel, Joe Calloway and Robin Creasman, for their wisdom and expertise!

And, if you wonder why your video wasn’t selected, this post called “Video: You Might Lose Me If” might help. http://ow.ly/36WMI

Last year about this time, we ran a contest to find the best speaking expert’s website.

I was overwhelmed by the response. If you missed it… http://ow.ly/2Fh68

Well, this year I’m on the hunt for the best speaker video.

We’ll be reviewing videos in search for:

1. First 45 seconds – how well you capture our attention

2. Quality of presentation content (storytelling, humor, message, etc)

3. Stage presence -how well you command the stage

4. Relevence – Is your information current and useful

5. Unique – Are you showing us something we may not have seen before.

TO ENTER: Please post a link to a video (any length) on below under “Speak Your Mind”.

NOTE: The panel will ONLY REVIEW THE FIRST 5 MINUTES of your video.

CONTEST CLOSES: October 31, 2010

Panel includes: Me – Jane Atkinson

Joe Calloway – speaker extraordinaire http://joecalloway.com/

Robin Creasman – speech coach and video producer http://www.robincreasman.com/home.html

Choosing the winners of this connection contest was no easy task!

There were alot of really terrific ideas. Really! And if you didn’t see all 42 of them, I would encourage you to take another look.

http://ow.ly/27zmA

The point of the contest?

It was to help people think more about the audience, become more “them” focused.

Based on the responses, someone reading this post will have a lot of great ideas to learn from.

The winners of the book with the top 5 ideas are:

Steve Hughes
Rhonda Scharf
Amanda Gore
Gary Minor
Marion Grobb Finklestein

Congratulations!

At my very first NSA conference back in the early 90′s, I remember hearing a speaker named Barb Schwartz say “no body ever said bigger was better”.

Barb and her husband were burnt out from trying to support all of their employees in their speaking and training business. I’ve always kept that idea top of mind when planning my business growth.

Today, I have a whole team of people (blog experts, virtual assistants, book editors, graphics designers, traffic generators) but NOT ONE OF THEM is my employee. They are all independent contractors and we work together virtually.

“This is where both large and small businesses are heading,” says Rod Collins, author of “Leadership in a Wiki World.” “Companies will need to be flexible in order to compete in the global arena.”

Of course, there are exceptions. Speakers who have an in house team of people may find that that model is best for them. My point is that we don’t all need to aspire to the same shape and size of business. There is no one size fits all.

So what’s your perfect business look like?

Feel free to comment below!

PS:  There are 5 spots left in Club Catapult (for 3+ year speakers) to find out more click here
http://speakerlauncher.com/clubcatapult.html