Are Your Expanding Your Empire?

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/

 

Are you New School or Old School?

As time whips by, the gap between old school and new school is expanding.

If you haven’t quite cottoned on to technology, you could be old school.

If you use terms like “cottoned on”, you might be old school (that’s a joke ).

If your first instinct is to pick up the phone, rather than shoot off an e-mail or a text, you could be old school.

And, if you don’t have any systems in place to pull “fans” into your database, you may be old school. The old school method of call-send-call is not nearly as likely to happen these days. Call a prospect, find out there’s a need, send a packet of information, follow up with a call. At least part, if not all, of the sales process will now be done electronically.

Now some of you might say, but the phone is very effective for me! The key is to know how your prospects work best. Many people these days prefer quick and easy communication, especially since phone calls have the ability to drag on.

In my 2011 Update for The Wealthy Speaker, I said: “Where before you might have been building a relationship by phone, now your goal is to pull people into your fan base and keep them there long enough to impress them.”

To get your copy of the update, click here: http://speakerlauncher.com/2011update.html

Pulling people into your fan base (new school style) can mean using a name capture on your website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogging.  And, of course, if you can get some phone or Skype time with your client, take it!

If you’re new school, then you’re on the right track, woo hoo! And if you’re old school, let’s hope this prompts you to identify what’s not working and make some changes to the way you do business.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

ps: See some of our recordings on new school methodologies (like blogging, creating fame and social media). http://www.speakerlauncher.com/AudioTools.html

 

Winners: Best Speaker Video Contest

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

If Content is King, Are you Royalty?

Last week I tweeted this idea and it sparked a mild debate about which was more important – content or presentation style.

So let me preface this post by saying you MUST be good on stage.

Marcus Buckingham is a great example. He knew right out of the shoot how to be engaging and funny on top of great content. Because of that (a few bestsellers and being a hotty didn’t hurt) he rocketed up the fee ladder very quickly.

Like our marketing, our content also needs to be packaged in a clear, digestible format.

I don’t want to leave your session feeling overwhelmed or needing a nap. But I should be able to tell someone (in 20 seconds or less) what I learned.

Content is going to be what rockets you up the fee ladder as well. Here are some things to rate your content on:

1. Relevance

How relevant is your content to your audience? Can they use it? Apply it? Will it inspire?

2. Timely/up-to-date

Have I seen your content before? How long ago? How can you sharpen it or spin it?

3. Unique/creative approach How much time have you spent molding your content into something unique? Something that your audience has never seen before and reflects your personal style.

4. Demand

Is there high demand for your content? Who is going to pay to hear your message?

This post is meant to give you a kick in the butt to examine your content. Maybe you are in great shape, maybe you need work?

Feel free to share your ideas below with a comment.

See you soon Wealthy Speakers!

PS: Did you know that there is nearly 3 hours of powerful content in LIVE version of the Wealthy Speaker Seminar? It’s available now to download directly to your iPhone or computer. It comes with visuals and at just $47 (no shipping required) it’s a tremendous resource! http://speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

Are You a “Just Do it” Speaker?

When it comes to running your speaking business, there are 3 types of speakers:

1.  The Hopeful Speaker
2.  The 2/3rds Speaker
3.  The “Just Do It” speaker.

The Hopeful Speaker is talented on the platform and has a desire to speak more, but does not know how the industry works or how to excel in it.

They don’t know what they don’t know.

The Hopeful Speaker may sit and hope that it will happen, or they try to hire people to make it happen for them.  And hiring people to launch your business rarely works because you need to understand your own business before you can train someone else to run it for you.

It’s often the blind leading the blind.  No offense to the seeing impaired.

The 2/3rds Speaker is also talented on the platform and has a base of knowledge about the business.

They know that there are areas of the business that they may not understand, and therefore, they may avoid them and allow issues to go unresolved.

For example.  You’ve heard about blogging but you haven’t been sure where to start or what to write about.  So you register a blog or hire someone to develop one for you.  But then it sits…. lonely, unblogged, unmonitored. 

The 2/3rds Speaker may have a bit more luck with hiring.

The “Just Do It” Speaker, is talented and continues to hone their talent.  They take all areas of the business and learn them completely.  If they need help with technology they learn it first and then hire experts to assist.

The “Just Do It” speaker understands and can answer any question about their business whether it be platform mechanics, database management, their sales funnel or technology.

Here’s what I recommend:

To figure out which one of these is you, write a list of all of the aspects of the business (presentation skills, marketing, technology, admin, etc.) and rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being high) on each.

• If you find yourself with a lot of low scores, then you may put yourself into The Hopeful Speaker category
• Just a few low scores, then you’re in The 2/3rds Speaker category.
• No low scores, CONGRATULATIONS! Pat yourself on the back for being a “Just do it” Speaker.

Take the results of the above and work on 1 or 2 issues at a time.  Seek knowledge where it’s needed.  Don’t try to do it all at once, you’ll be overwhelmed and get stuck again.  Of course, how can I resist plugging The Wealthy Speaker when it includes step-by-step help on nearly all areas of the business? http://www.speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

If you suffer from any type of perfectionism, get over it.  When it comes to developing anything from speeches to new websites – do the best you can and then launch it.  You’ll hone and tweak over time and it will be closer to perfect. But don’t wait for perfection or you’ll never get off the ground.

Just do it!

Ps:  I am a 2/3rds person moving towards Just Do It.  Three weeks ago when we did the blogging teleclass with Scott Ginsberg, I was pretty “blog-norant”.  But today I know more.  Check out my new blog and let me know what you think by leaving a comment or Tweet.  http://www.speakerlauncher.com/blog/

Does Your Speaking Menu Look Delicious?

Have you ever been to a restaurant where they
matched the food with the wine that they
recommend?  Yum, love that!  And it makes it
easier for you, the customer.

When working with speakers on their websites,
we’ve recently started to match up product ideas
with keynotes and workshops.

By doing this you are adding value for the client
and also increasing your income by selling up.

For instance with a leadership keynote, we
recommended a book called ‘The Authentic Leader’.
Another client had a Safety Keynote that we
matched with a Safety Strategy Guide (workbook).

When you are promoting your services, why not tell
the client exactly how to order off of your menu?
And why not make it delicious?

Here’s my menu of ideas for you, take your pick:

- show your clients exactly how to utilize your
services, ie:  When using Michael to open your
conference with a keynote, consider his ‘Creating
a Championship Team’ breakout to further hit home
the content.

- when mailing out an agreement, always include a
sample of the product that you’d like to see in
the hands of every member of the audience.  Plant
the seeds for volume pricing in your cover letter.

- for those of you who have a Meeting Planners
page on your website, product should be promoted
there as ‘take home’ or ‘turn down’ gifts for your
audience.

- during the interview stage, ask your client ‘how
long would you like this message to last?’.  When
they answer ‘as long as possible’ then you can
talk about which product will help provide that
longevity.

- offer teleclasses, podcasts or webinars as a
follow up to add value for the client and build
some extra into the fee.

- if you have a workbook or companion piece to go
with a breakout session or workshop, offer up a
more customized version for an extra fee.  And
make sure to promote it along with the workshop on
your website.

- use a promo bar on your website so that your add
on items may appear off to the side yet the client
can easily see what you ‘also recommend’.  This
idea works very well for Amazon on the ‘people who
bought this book also bought…’.

- for your online product purchasers use the
‘related products’ feature in your shopping cart
to upsell (if it is available). I’ve just started
using this more and it often adds a nice chunk to
the order.

When you show your clients exactly how to use your
services, you are helping them see the best ways
to utilize you.  You’re also doing business in a
way that works perfectly for you while increasing
your bottom line.

PS:  Have you heard about Club Quick Start for new
speakers?  Registrations are rolling in quickly -
hold your space now.
http://www.speakerlauncher.com/quickstart.html

PPS:  If you know of a friend who could benefit
from these tips, please turn them on to
http://www.speakerlauncher.com/
All tips are posted on my blog.

Are You a Triple Threat of the Speaking Industry?

With all of the competition style reality t.v., we hear a lot about ‘the triple threat’.  That’s someone, for instance, who is an actor, a singer and a dancer all rolled into one.

Or, in the case of the Olympics, USA’s Michael Phelps might be considered the ‘triple threat’ of the swimming world.

Well I believe the speaking industry has people who are triple threats as well.

These people will grow their businesses more easily than most and will thrive. Those are people who speak well, sell well and stick well (to their lane).

Let’s see how you stack up:

Speak Well:  When you go to a speaking engagement, does it often result in more business? Would you consider yourself to be a killer keynoter?  (I’ll stick to keynotes for the purpose of this tip but feel free to improvise based on your business model).

I just returned from NSA in New York and I saw  a keynoter who I thought had the ‘speak well’ piece nailed.  Marshall Goldsmith was genuine, polished (but not too), conversational, funny and highly thought provoking with fresh material.  I gave him a 10.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your speaking skills?

If you rated them low, then you may want to put something on your ‘to do’ list that will help move your skills up a level.  There’s no better form of marketing than a great speech.

Sell Well:  I’ve often had clients tell me ‘I can’t sell my  way out of a paper bag’.  They have a mental barrier that selling isn’t their thing and it gets in the way of building a booming business.

Take someone like Jeffrey Gitomer for instance. Now, obviously, he’s a sales expert so he has a jump on all of us.

Do you think when he’s on the phone with a client, he’s thinking to himself  there’s no way this client will have the budget to bring me in’?

Heck no!  He’s confident that he’s got what they need and if they want him badly enough, they’ll find the money!

On a scale from 1 to 10, how strong are your sales skills?  Are you closing business? Many speakers think ‘oh I’ll just hire someone else to sell me’.  But who is going to train them in the techniques that result in closed business? Often, it’s the blind leading the blind.  I would guess that 70% of these relationships fail due to poor training.

My advice?  Become a sales guru yourself and if you must hire, find someone to help with administration.

Now the third strength could be any one of a number of things. But when thinking about what could make or break a speaker’s career, I truly believe (no surprise) that focusing on a ‘lane’ or sticking to an expertise is the key.

If someone speaks well and sells well but is all over the place in their focus (which would then translate to their marketing) they are sunk.

Remember that old saying… a confused buyer never buys.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how strong are you when it comes to being clear and sticking to your lane/expertise?

(For a step-by-step process for picking a lane, read Chapter 3 in The Wealthy Speaker). http://www.speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

In an industry where a large percentage of speakers struggle to have a thriving business, you must consider sharpening the ‘triple threat’ tools in order to build a long term highly profitable business.

Happy sharpening!!

PS:  To assist you with tool #1 – Speak Well, we’ve had guest expert and triple threat Joe Calloway on a recent teleclass called ‘Recession Proof Your Speaking’. http://www.speakerlauncher.com/AudioTools.html