Don’t Forget that Marketing Flip Flop!

I originally posted on this topic in 2008, but it appears it needs repeating!

In today’s competitive climate, it shocks me to see that many speakers still start out their home page saying things like “Hire John Doe for your next meeting”.

When the economy tightens, companies and associations have to prove to their stakeholders that their budgets are spent wisely.

The marketing flip flip is about putting the outcomes to the client first, and the speaker (as the solution to their problem) second. Unless you are an entertainer, celebrity or bestselling author, your website should probably not be about you. It should be about the service and solution that you offer.

Here are a few questions to help you evaluate your marketing:

1. When arriving at your website, does the client know what you will do for them (outcomes) within the first 30 seconds?

2. Is the first 1/3 of your home page about them and their needs rather than you?

3. Are you positioned as an expert and a problem solver? Or as a “speaker”?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions consider doing a marketing flip flop to switch the order of your home page copy to be more client and outcome oriented. It won’t take you too long to do this, and I believe it will have an impact.

Try it, and post a comment to let me know how it goes.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: need help with your flip flop?

Check out our new Group Coaching program JUST ADDED!

Starts in November. http://www.speakerlauncher.com/ClubHybrid.html

Advertiser or Expert?

I’ve been preaching the “expert first” idea for a long time, so excuse me if I’m repeating myself.

If a client’s first impression of you was:

a) reading your article in an industry mag
b) seeing a print ad for your business which do you think would have more impact?

I vote for “a”.

If a client’s first impression of you was:

a) seeing you speak at the convention or
b) meeting you at your trade show booth….

which do you think would have more impact?

I vote for “a”.

If a client receives a piece of mail from you:

a) an article that was written by you
b) a copy of your one sheet…

which do you think would have more impact?

Again, I vote “a”.

Whenever you have a choice to position as an expert, take it.

If they throw in a trade show booth as part of your payment, then be there for an “autograph session” after your speech. Be there as an expert, not a sales person.

Position, position, position.

Comments welcome below….

PS:  Club Update:  Club Quick Start for new speakers is now full.  However, I have added another cycle of Club Catapult for seasoned speakers, for details…  http://speakerlauncher.com/clubcatapult.html

Is Your Writing Aiming Right?

Who is your copy writing designed to capture?

During our coaching, a client and I will often spend time deciding WHO we want to speak to with our website or marketing materials.

Sometimes it can be difficult to pin down.

However, skipping this step will certainly lead to confusion when it comes to developing a strong promise statement and writing the copy for your site.

Many people target the audience, when they’d be better off targeting the decision maker.

For instance, a promise that says: “Have fun at work, get along well with others” (speaks directly to the employee)

While…. “Build strong teams who communicate effectively” (speaks more to the leader)

While…. “Building a cohesive workforce that delivers exemplary service” (speaks to the leader AND speaks more to outcome)

When you get a clear idea of who you want to attract to your website, it’s much easier to develop language for them.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

How Strong is Your Carrot?

How many times have you gone onto a speaker’s website and read the words: SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER.

Yaaaaaaawn!

We need more enticing copy when asking people for their e-mail address.

With today’s spam, our “@” has become our most preciously guarded possession.

And some would say, there’s no reason to even have a website if you are not capturing names and addresses for follow up and “fan” development.

Chances are people may not purchase from you (or book you) on the first visit. So you have to keep in touch and continually show them WHY YOU ARE THE EXPERT OR THE BEST IN YOUR FIELD.

So where does the carrot come in?

In order to get people to give up their e-mail, you have to offer them something that they think they can’t live without. You have to dangle a great carrot.

For example, on my Wealthy Speaker System site, I offer a special report called “The Top 3 Mistakes Speakers Make and how to Avoid Them”. http://thewealthyspeaker.com/

As a speaker, wouldn’t you want to know what those mistakes are? Most people do, so they sign up.

So what do you have that people cannot live without? A special report? A white paper? An MP3? An eBook?

If you’ve had success using this method, I hope you’ll comment below to share what has worked (or what hasn’t) for you.

Get those carrots in place and I’ll….

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

New Decade, New Marketing

Yesterday during my workout, I was watching “So You Think You Can Dance”. There was a section where they stopped the auditions and told the dancers what the do’s and dont’s for this year were.

First thing to go? The male booty shake. No surprise there – who wants to see that?

So what’s in and what’s out for this new decade in speaker marketing?

OUT: Positioning as a ‘speaker’. The joke is if your topics list is as long as your client list, you are positioning incorrectly.

IN: Positioning as an ‘expert’. Be the expert, the authority in your field. Even if you consider yourself a motivational or inspirational speaker, figure out what the outcomes of your message are and sell those in your marketing.

OUT: Cheesy speaker photos. If your photo has you holding a mic and you are standing in front of a white screen, then you probably need an update.

IN: Live audience shots. Take your photos in front of your perfect audience. If you want to speak to large audiences, have someone take a shot from the back of the room for you so that your prospects can see you speaking live. There is still a need for some close up shots of you, a well done head shot can show your prospects who you really are.

OUT: Hire Me, I’m a Speaker! I talked alot in 2009 about doing a marketing Flip Flop. This is where we move our marketing to be about the client and their outcomes, rather than it being all about us.

Here’s a link to a past tip on this:

http://www.speakerlauncher.com/blog/68/does-your-marketing-need-a-flip-flop/

IN: A strong outcome oriented promise. Let the client know what will change for them if they work with you. Be clear, be concise. Too many different ideas and your prospects will be confused.

I hope this tip helps you get the New Year rolling in the right direction!

PS: If you haven’t picked up your copy of The Wealthy Speaker yet, what are you waiting for? Here’s the link to the special system price: http://www.speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

Best Speaking-Expert Website Contest

People are always asking me to show them examples of great websites.  Today, I’m announcing the best speaking-expert website contest!

See below to nominate your favorite website or your own site.

PRIZES

1.  First prize wins the title of Best Speaking-Expert Website which includes announcement to Jane’s list of 5000+ speakers and bureau agents (ie:  exposure).

2.  Best website will be promoted on Jane’s blog for up to 6 months.

3.  The person who nominates the winning website (even if it’s their own) will receive either a one hour marketing makeover coaching call with Jane Atkinson OR 5 copies of  The Wealthy Speaker to “pay it forward” to other speakers.

REVIEW CRITERIA AND THEN COMMENT BELOW IN THE “SPEAK YOUR MIND” SECTION
TO SUBMIT A WEBSITE FOR REVIEW.  DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE THE WEBSITE URL!
(Comments make take a day to be posted).

Contest closes  October 30th, 2009.

The winning website will be revealed by November 15th based on the criteria set out by Jane and her expert panel.

CONTEST CRITERIA:  The winning website will demonstrate the following:

1.  “Bookability” is the topic/expertise in demand?
2.  A clear and distinct promise (outcome for client)
3.  Unique positioning or brand
4.  Innovative site
5.  Video that sells
6.  Easy to navigate
7.  Evident credibility – ”expert first” positioning
8.  Decision maker friendly (has what they need)

PANEL MEMBERS:

Jane Atkinson – Author of The Wealthy Speaker, Coach
Joe Calloway – Author of Becoming a Category of One
Marsha Friedman – PR Expert, Owner of EMSE, a public relations firm.
Brian Palmer, Owner, National Speakers Bureau
Kris Young, VP of Martin Bastion Productions Speakers Bureau

NOTE:  IF YOU ARE REVIEWING THE WEBSITES BELOW, AND DON’T SEE A LIVE LINK IN THE BODY OF THE COMMENT, YOU CAN CLICK ON THE AUTHOR’S NAME TO SEE THEIR SITE.

Good News on the Speaking Front

I just got back from speaking at the NSA (National Speakers Association) Northern California Chapter. Several speakers told me that they saw their business improve in the last quarter.

And I’ve been hearing some rumblings to that effect myself.

Are you experiencing a shift?

I asked Joe Calloway what was happening with his business, he said… “The phone started ringing off the hook in the last two weeks and we were able to turn keynotes into bigger projects that were more fun and more profitable. I’m finding that being a resource to help companies advance their strategies, rather than just speaking, is a huge advantage.”

I’d like to know what’s happening with you so if you have some news, please leave a comment at the end of this post. On Saturday, one speaker asked me ‘are you going to talk about a recession strategy’?

Although I can do little about whether or not clients are scheduling events with speakers, I can share with speakers how to position correctly so that when the market does shift, they are ready and waiting to capture the business. (For a step- by-step positioning strategy, read The Wealthy Speaker Chapters 3 & 4).

http://www.speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

And for those who are positioned correctly (as an expert with a clear promise), the following tips may help:

1. Add Value: Rather than negotiating your fee away, find a way to create more value for your client. Add an extra session, follow up with webinars or teleclasses, supply articles or learning materials that they can use post event. Sweeten the deal with books or other products. And as Joe said above ‘be a resource to your clients, rather than a speaker’. Solve problems for them.

2. Be Good: This applies in any economy but mostly now. There is no better strategy than to have kick butt content and presentation style.

3. Sharpen the Saw: And speaking of your content, now is the time to ensure that it’s fresh and cutting edge. If you haven’t updated recently, then be like Nike and just do it!

4. Develop new products and income streams. Why not write that next book or develop a new product? And consider expanding your income streams to include non-speaking profit centers.

My post awhile back called ‘Are you Stuck in Your Business Model’ covered some ideas on this. http://www.speakerlauncher.com/blog/298/are-you- stuck-in-your-business-model/

In this uncertain climate, we need to take action around the things we can control and (try) not to worry about the things we cannot.

All the best,

PS: Don’t miss our next teleclass on Thursday Sept. 24th at 1pm Eastern ‘Avoid the 3 Things that Will Stunt your Business (and Annoy Your Clients)’ with guest expert and bureau owner Brian Palmer. No one tells it like it is more than Brian and you’ll learn exactly what you need to do (and not do) to get booked more. http://www.speakerlauncher.com/teleclass.html

Fee integrity, what up with that?

My client is a talented, hilarious speaker.

She worked her butt off for years doing the crappy speaking gigs for $250 in bad venues. She paid her dues.

Now she’s earning $2500 per engagement but her local bureau wants to list her at $4000. (Cause she’s good.)

But here’s the rub, if a client called her directly she would not feel comfortable quoting $4K. She’s just not $4K confident yet. So what does she do?

Easy peasy.

She asks the bureau to list her at $2500 and if it means no bookings from them, then so be it. Many bureaus won’t work with a speaker at this fee but she can always come back to them later, when she’s more expensive.

Quoting two different fees would completely blow her relationship with the bureau. Plus having inconsistent fees is confusing for everyone, including the client.

When you set a fee schedule, print it, post it on your bulletin board and in an ideal world, you stick with it.

So, what if the client wants to negotiate?

Keeping in mind that sometimes, you just gotta pay the bills, here are a few options:

1. Lower your fee across the board (and on your fee schedule) if it’s not in line with what the market is paying. This is my least favorite option from a client perception standpoint, but it’s an option. (And don’t forget to alert the bureaus of your new fee).

2. Work on ways you can add value for the client rather than negotiate. You might offer to deliver a second session, add in some of your books, do some coaching afterward, or hold follow-up teleclasses or webinars. (Some of these could even turn into more business).

3. Include your travel in the fee and get to the event on your own dime or using reward points. Float this idea with your client, sometimes they like this option, it depends on whether travel is a separate budget.

4. Get some trade in return for a reduced fee. They may give you free advertising, monthly column in their trade journal, sponsorship of one of their other sessions/events, products or services that they offer, etc. Really think about what will be valuable to you. Accepting a list of attendees who are not your perfect market is a win-lose.

In a climate like this, clients are wanting to know that you’ll play ball with them. Show them that you are game, but don’t give away the whole ballpark. You’d be surprised at how often they come back to you with another idea or more money in their budget.

For more on fees, check out this article I wrote for Speaker Magazine last year.

Does Your Website Git-R-Done?

Larry the Cable Guy may not be the most profound person you know, but his catch phrase git-r-done is meaningful.

Translated…

You’ve got to take action.

I’m offering 2 THINGS this month that will help you take action on your website.  You’ll drive more prospects to it and close more business once the traffic arrives.

Read more

Does Your Preview Video Get You the Gig?

In some cases, the speaker booking process might
look something like this:

1.  The client decides they need a speaker.
2.  If they don’t already have someone in mind,
they shop around online based on the topic or call
a speaker’s bureau for suggestions.
3.  They view all of the speaker’s materials and
preview videos.
4.  They narrow their list and perhaps set up a
phone call with the 3 or so speakers who have made
the short list.
5.  Then they choose the speaker based on fee,
expertise, talent (as displayed on the video), and
the ability of the speaker to meet their needs.

In this scenario, a poor video could mean that you
don’t get past step 3.  You’re out before the
conference call which means you don’t even get
a shot at telling them how you would meet their
needs.

If your video keeps you in the running, then it’s
doing the job.

Does your video show how great you are?  If not,
you’ve got some work to do.

For those of you who own ‘The Wealthy Speaker’,
check out Chapter 4, for a full segment on video.
Here’s a link to the book if you need a copy:
http://www.speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

We recently did a teleclass with Robin Creasman
called Creating Your Rock Star Preview Video

To check out the MP3 of this class go to:
http://www.speakerlauncher.com/AudioTools.html

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