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

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!

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

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!

I think it’s healthy to learn from your mistakes, don’t you?

And in this situation, by sharing, I might help you avoid some of my biggies.  So let’s get right to it:

FIRE, BEFORE READY AND AIM

You know I have people coming to me every day who want to book more speeches (Fire) when they aren’t really clear on what they are selling (Ready). So it surprised me when I did the same thing!

Mid way through the year, I decided I wanted to put on The Wealthy Speaker Masters event. I would bring in some smart people for a weekend and we’d have a great time. I got all the way thru to the marketing stage when I realized “I don’t know what value I am providing”. Yes, it would be fun to have an event, but “what was the point?”

So, after doing some research and seeing that a bunch of speakers were running events as well, I pulled the plug and went back to the drawing board. AND, with the knowledge that I wanted to provide some steady, and solid learning, combined with accountability, I came back out with The Wealthy Speaker University – Self Study, Bachelors and Masters programs (10-12 months).

The results? My two main programs sold out and I’ve added a great new revenue stream.
http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

How can you expand on your current offerings? And when you develop them, how will you Ready, Aim, Fire?

BOOK MARKETING 101

My second blunder of the year was launching a book into a market that didn’t know me. If I had my time back, I would start blogging 3 years before launching “The Frog Whisperer” (a book on love and dating). That way, I’d have an audience, some credibility and people that know me waiting to receive the book.

I had that luxury with “The Wealthy Speaker”, but I didn’t realize how much it was worth.
http://frogwhisperer.com/

If you’re thinking about launching a book, my advice is to build your market first – either through speaking or writing.

Want to share some of your blunders?Please comment below.

PS: The Self Study program of The Wealthy Speaker University is a terrific first step for anyone wanting to launch a speaking business, or take a 3-5 year business to the next level. Drop me a line if you have any questions.

http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

Movies, stand up comedy and even pizza are seeing evolutions in their business models that are game changers.

Here in Canada (home of the overpriced pizza) Little Caesars developed the $5 hot and ready pizza. Total game changer. Why pay $20 when you can pick one up for $5?

Comedian Louie CK offered up his latest live video on his website without any restrictions for a $5 immediate download. Unheard of since pirates could have a field day, but he did it fearlessly and created a game changer. He also made a bundle. http://ow.ly/8m4fu

In his latest movie, Newlyweds, Indy film producer Ed Burns got story ideas from Twitter, found some of his stars on YouTube, offered an unsigned artist a song in his movie and made it available directly for download. All game changers. http://ow.ly/8m4er

What’s your version of game changer in your business?

Joe Calloway doesn’t always give speeches, he’s often asked to interview a CEO on stage, allowing the corporate message to be heard in a unique and interesting way. (And no one makes others look like heros better than Calloway, so of course, his clients love it!)

How can you create something that no one else has done before?

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: My game changer a few years back was developing my group coaching model. It’s been very successful and has now evolved into The Wealthy Speaker University. We have just 1 or 2 spots open. Please check this out and drop me a line to check availability and wait lists. http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

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/

For years I’ve been talking about how speaking is just one of the ways we distribute our knowledge.

We write books, consult, coach and a whole host of other things that help drive revenue. Since the economy keeps shifting, the days of the $15,000 speaker doing 50-70 gigs a year might be behind us.

We must distribute our knowledge in other ways.

For instance, the first time the economy dipped a few years back, it hit my coaching business pretty hard. That was when I developed the “club” idea. I thought “okay, if people can’t afford private coaching any more, then we’ll do it in groups”.

It was a big hit.

And for 2012, I’ve expanded on the idea even further with The Wealthy Speaker University.
http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

I tell you this for two reasons.

1) Of course, I want you to take a look at the University as a possible method for driving your business forward next year. Self serving, sure.

But 2. I wonder what your own version of The University might be? Think about what your clients want from you and work backwards from there. Do they want more time with you? Do they want training that you could provide in video?

There are many outlets for us to use to expand our empire.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: The Wealthy Speaker University has programs for 3 different levels. Please give it a look as we’ve added a bunch of cool new features. The big benefit? Every month, for 12 months next year, you’ll be moving your business strategy forward! What’s that worth? http://wealthyspeakeru.com/

In The Wealthy Speaker 2010 Update, I talked about our new approach to marketing. Our goal is to pull people into our fan base long enough to impress them (so they buy from us).

Get your PDF copy of the update here.

The success of this approach really depends on the strength of your lists, or your fan base.

When someone like Seth Godin, who’s written gobs of books, puts out a blog post or a new book people sit up, take notice, and more importantly BUY THE BOOK.

There are different levels of fan loyalty.

The EXTREME LOYALTY fan base: I suspect this is Seth’s group – they follow closely, hang on every word and purchase often.

The HIGH LOYALTY fan base: I would say this might be my base (thank you, I appreciate you) they enjoy much of your work, and a good percentage of them purchase.

THE LOW LOYALTY fan base: This group would be the least desireable. They sometimes pay attention and rarely buy from you. They follow mainly for the freebies that you offer.

Which fan base are you developing right now? Which one would you like? The more aware we are, the easier it is to make changes and improve your base.

QUICK TIP: When pulling people into your fan base via your name capture on your website, make sure that you are asking them to buy fairly early in the cycle. By providing only great value without asking for the sale, you are tee’ing them up to be LOW LOYALTY.

NEXT TIP: I’m going to introduce you to my new project The Wealthy Speaker University. There are 3 terrific new programs for speakers at all levels. We’re just putting the final pieces in place, stay tuned!

PS: If you don’t have a copy of The Wealthy Speaker, or the Wealthy Speaker System (a great value if I do say so myself) then, check it out. http://speakerlauncher.com/tools.html (See, this is me walking my talk and asking for the sale!)

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!