Finding the Perfect Speaker Agent

“I’d love to find someone to sell me.”

That’s a statement I hear about once a week. But from what I’ve seen over the past 20 years, it’s easier said than done. Having been in the role of agent for the first 10 years of my career, I understand it well.

The job description may include: Sales, marketing, customer relations, database management, gig management, product management, and so on… it can go all the way down to feeding the office fish! (Thanks Vince).

The key to hiring successfully, I believe, is on the front end. Making sure that you have the right person and then training them well.

Here are the steps:

1. Preparation: Ensure that your business is streamlined (sales and marketing systems) and that you can sell yourself. You may have some work to do on your positioning, focus and marketing.

2. Timing: When you are losing business because you can’t handle all of the opportunities, that is the perfect time to hire. Asking someone to “launch” you is much trickier because you may not have a big budget to fund the start-up period (6 months minimum).

3. Finding Staff: A great place to find a staff person is in your audiences. If someone greets you enthusiastically after your presentation, take that opportunity to build the relationship. Other places to find staff: church, networking events, social media, thru friends and family, etc. Refer to The Wealthy Speaker 2.0 Chapter 7 for a list of traits, job descriptions, pay rates and where to find staff.

4. Finding Agents: If you are looking for someone with serious experience, there are a number of great speaker agencies (ie: SpeakersOffice and CMI). If you Google “Speaker Management”, you should find them. But beware and make sure they are legit. There are more and more people in the “make money from speakers” business than ever before. Some agents may expect a monthly fee plus commission.

5. Training: When you hire staff, spend time on the front end to ensure that they understand how to sell you. Have them attend several speeches and listen to your conversations with people afterwards. Have them shadow you on the phone with clients. See my note below about my new staff training program.

Hiring someone to help you is best done when your business is running smoothly to begin with. The pressure of hiring someone to “save” you can be overwhelming for that person. Take your time, and do it right.

See you soon Wealthy Speaker.

PS: I’m so excited to announce The Wealthy Speaker University’s newest course for Speaker Staff. Check out the details here:

http://wealthyspeakeru.com/staff/

Why Does “Real” Sell?

One of the greatest moments at this year’s Oscars was when Jennifer Lawrence, who won for “Silver Linings Playbook,” fell up the stairs on the way to her acceptance speech. During the subsequent standing ovation, she said “you guys are only
standing up because I fell and you feel bad. That was embarrassing!”

This girl is real. She doesn’t take herself too seriously. That’s what we want to be as speakers. People who can laugh when we stumble.

On the other hand, Anne Hathaway is a terrific example of poised and polished, but guess what? Nobody likes her!

Some of my favorite moments during speeches are when someone handles a potentially awkward situation with grace. Fire alarms, cell phones,technology failures, hecklers, etc.

Now, I know you all have a dozen stories to share, so I’d like to hear your best one. Will you post it as a comment below please?

Bottom line, “real” sells.

Coaches Questions: How can you engage your audiences more by being real?

PS: I’m getting some really great feedback on our new 90 Day Catapult program. Check it out here if you
think you’d like to boost your career quickly!

http://wealthyspeakeru.com/90-day-catapult/

How Will You Measure Success in 2013?

Late last year I became involved with Dan Sullivan’s Strategic Coach program (even a coach needs a coach).

One of the things that struck me was Dan’s take on recognizing achievement.

The theory is that while some people look backwards to see how far they have come, others look forward towards their big goal and never really feel satisfied (because there is always more to do).

Let’s say you have a goal to speak 50 times a year and you’re sitting with 25 engagements on the board. Do you focus on the fact that you booked 25 or that you still haven’t achieved 50?

Which one are you?

I know that I have the ability to look at things from the negative standpoint. Years ago one of my speakers got 200 great evaluations and 2 negative, and I honed in on the negative.

So I’m working on that!

After reviewing last year’s Wealthy Speaker University launch, I successfully graduated nearly 30 people. But 2 people dropped out half way through the year. So my goal? It’s to focus on those 30 graduates and the fact that two years earlier, the University didn’t even exist. I must focus on what was accomplished and how far I have
come.

(BTW, We still have a few spots in the University which starts next week). http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

Q. When measuring success, will you focus on how far you have come or the vast distance between you and your ultimate aspiration?

By focusing on your achievements, both big and small, you will find that you are happier and more committed to success in the future.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

PS: The Wealthy Speaker University has 5 spots left in the Master program and 6 spots left in the Bachelors program. Click Here To learn more……

Gratitude for an Industry

At age 25, I lacked direction, focus, and ambition.

It was the early 90′s and I was working as a temp at 3M and waitressing at night. I had nearly finished my contract with 3M’s marketing department and was thinking about what was next.

One evening I stumbled across Les Brown’s PBS special entitled Live Your Dreams. I was hooked immediately and watched it over and over again. Les talked about being resilient, steering clear of negative people, and using books and information as a form of power.

Wow!

I decided right then and there that I would go and work for a motivational speaker. And as synchronicity sometimes works, it was only a matter of weeks before I had a job as Director of Marketing for my first speaker.

Looking back over a 20 year career, first as an agent, then as a coach, I can honestly say I could not have chosen a better field.

The speakers I represented early in my career were fantastic mentors and role models. The bureau I worked for in Dallas was a phenomenal wealth of experience. Some of my best friends in the industry are people I met at my first NSA conference over 18 years ago in Washington.

I have been blessed to coach some of the smartest and most talented people in the world and because of them, I have owned my own company for over a decade, written 3 books, and get to live the life of my dreams.

Thank you speaking industry. I don’t know where my life would have gone without you!

See you in the New Year Wealthy Speakers!

Jane

PS: Do you have people or an industry that you want to recognize? Please post your comment below to say thank you.

 

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 II: Exploiting Your Brand

When you develop a strong brand, one that is sticky (ie., people will remember it) you’ll want to splash it everywhere!

Here are some tips for exploiting your brand:

1. EMAIL: Using a Gmail (or heaven forbid an AOL) email address instead of your brand.com or your name.com is missing an opp.

Every time people see your e-mail address, you have an opportunity to promote your name or your brand.

EXAMPLE: john@johns_brand.com VS. john@aol.com

2. PRESENTATION TITLES: Imagine that you are hired by ABC Association to deliver a keynote.

Chances are ABC Association is going to promote that keynote for many months leading up. Imagine that the 500 or 5000 members of that association see your presentation title (which happens to be your brand) on several occasions. By calling your presentation something generic, you have lost this opportunity.

EXAMPLE: The Wealthy Speaker Seminar vs. Get Rich Speaking Seminar

3. BLOG/SOCIAL MEDIA: By using your brand in your Blog title and Social Media page titles, you are continuing to hammer away at your visibility.

EXAMPLE: Jim Harvey’s Presentation Skills Blog vs. Jim Harvey’s Blog

By exploiting our brands, we are one step closer to becoming known in our market and being positioned beautifully when our topic is needed.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: The Wealthy Speaker University is starting to fill up and we haven’t started promoting it yet!

Check it out www.wealthyspeakeru.com

What’s Your Definition of “Wealthy?”

Being a Wealthy Speaker may mean different things to different people. My idea of “wealthy” is making money while I sleep and travelling just a few times each year. Most of my clients, however, want to do more gigs, which means travelling more frequently.

The first step to becoming a Wealthy Speaker is defining what “wealth” means to you and how you want to spend your time.

Developing clarity around your business model usually takes a bit of trial and error, but once you figure it out, life can be beautiful!

We’ve got so many choices on how we deliver our content: Keynotes, Training, Seminars, Workshops, Breakouts, Webinars, Books/product, Coaching, Consulting, Membership clubs, and the list goes on…

So think about it. How often do you want to travel? If you have small kids, chances are, local business or business delivered online (ie: product sales or memberships) may be your focus.  One of my clients is so fortunate to have a huge base of business within a 3 hour drive of his home. (I know we all may not be so lucky).

It may take awhile to achieve what’s perfect, but with focus, you’ll get there!

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: The Wealthy Speaker 2.0 contains many
different business models and business building
techniques. Don’t have a copy yet? The eBook is
only $10, what are you waiting for?

http://speakerlauncher.com/bookstore/

Conscious Competence in Sport and Speech

The late great Stephen Covey once talked about moving from Unconscious Competence (you’re good but you’re not really sure why you’re good) to Conscious Competence (you’re good because you planned it that way) **.

Recently on the golf course, I saw a change in my game. I used to swing and pray. Sometimes I’d hit the ball well – sometimes, not so much. But when I stopped to strategize exactly what outcome I wanted and how I had to hit the ball to achieve it, things started working better. This week I hit a chip shot from 3 feet off the green and rolled it about 13 feet into the cup for a birdie. I planned it, and it worked. It wasn’t just a fluke.

The same idea applies to your speech.

When you consciously craft a solid speech, and you deliver it with talent and precision – you are moving from “I’m pretty good but I’m not sure why” to “I’m great because I worked hard and crafted it that way.” Please note that I’m not saying your speech should be rigid or plastic, more like you plan great content and stories and show up authentic.

Questions:

- Are you consciously competent?
- When did you last work on crafting your speech?
- When did someone from the outside help take your speech to new heights?
(Although speech coaching isn’t my wheelhouse, I do know some great coaches.)

Remember, there is no better form of marketing than a great speech.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: To start sharpening your tools, check out The Wealthy Speaker 2.0 (which has some great
presentation tips by Victoria Labalme and our Killer Keynote Quartet

** Please note I’ve taken some creative liberty with Covey’s original idea.

 

Can’t See the Label from Inside the Jar?

Sometimes my clients say “oh my gosh, I can’t believe we’ve solved the problem in 15 minutes and I’ve been struggling with this for months!”

But despite my desire to feel like a brilliant coach, it’s not me at all.

It’s very difficult to see your own business clearly. And as one of my (truly) intelligent clients shared with me, “it’s hard to see the label when you are inside the jar.” (Thank you John Marshall Roberts.)

It sums up the issue, don’t you think?

It really is much easier to see the flaws when you are looking in from the outside of the problem.

As speakers we can sometimes get:

- too close to the issue
- too caught up in the words or the language
- too focused on why something may not work
- too paralyzed in fear to make a move.

Consider stepping outside of the jar to see things more clearly. Maybe that means finding someone to help?

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: Need help stepping outside your jar? No surprise, I just happen to have a group coaching session starting soon. It’s called the Fall Marketing Makeover and starts Sept. 13th. We have only 4 spots left.

http://speakerlauncher.com/fall/

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