John Assaraf, Jeffrey Gitomer, and Shef in San Diego, CA

The way that you position your expertise and style to an event planner makes a world of difference with regard to the success you will enjoy as a professional speaker! Regardless of if you are just starting in the speaking business, or if you are a veteran; these strategies will help you produce great results:

1. Specialize and Customize to Monetize

If your message is for everyone, your message is for no one. “Helping people get the most out of their lives.” is a common reply that I hear when asking speakers about how an audience benefits from their message. With a few very rare exceptions, no one hires a generalist. An example of a better, more focused reply could be, “I help women entrepreneurs with children build a successful business without feeling like they are robbing their family of their time.”  

My previous post titled, Un-Stick Your Speaking Business, contains a few other ideas that will help you.

2. Ask the right questions

If you walked into your doctor’s office seeking relief from a broken leg, but he launched into a long conversation about allergies, you would still have a broken leg and would have wasted your time. Many speakers do the same thing. Your message is not a “One size fits all” type of message.

Some typical information that I require when someone is booking me to speak includes audience size, gender split, income range, and the key objectives and problems that the client is hoping to address with this event. By asking the right questions, you are able to craft your language to become a solution for their problem.

3. Create Pretty Promo

My promo package used to include a cover letter and a few references thrown into a Priority Mail envelope with a couple of my books. When I first visited Speakermatch (an amazing lead source for speakers), I looked at the professional-grade folders that other speakers were submitting.

From that point forward, my promo information is not only customized, but is neatly tucked into a folder. I also include a one-sheet for them to review. (Look at my Keynote Speaker One Sheet Here). Many industries suffer from the same ailments, yet replacing a few words within your promo material can make a world of difference in positioning you as an expert in the client’s eyes.

You cannot steer a boat that is not moving. The only way that you will transition from someone who can speak to a professional speaker is to get moving! Civic clubs are a great place to start. I wrote an awesome guide titled, Tapping the Goldmine of Civic Clubs, and it is yours for free. Just contact my office and request it.

What has been the most effective marketing for you as a speaker?

Staying motivated at work and at home requires work! You must consciously feed your mind a diet of growth, encouragement, and success to keep the negative forces in the world at bay.

I shot this video yesterday on the shores of the Mississippi River, let me know what you  think! What do you do to stay motivated and protect yourself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejpe23JGvqQ

Your Bank Can’t Afford to Play!

Every bank gambles. The bank bets that the customer will repay their loans on time, they bet that their investments will create a respectable return, they bet that their customers will instinctively send solid referrals to them.  2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

Referrals are extremely profitable for any business for a variety of reasons.

•  They have a zero acquisition cost
•  They require less selling on your part because their friend has already “sold” them on you
•  They are 17 times more likely to refer their friends to you than someone who just walks in off the street.

1. Realize that you are your own promoter. You must create and fuel the buzz around what you do, even if it seems silly. Even movies that bomb have a huge promotional schedule to stick to. 
2. Realize that you are the only one responsible for how you feel.
3. Surround yourself with people who stretch you. These are not just people who will sit idle while stay stagnant. They are people who seed more in you than you may see in yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrZlAhoLseM

Please share this video on your social media sites, and comment below on how you create excitement in your world.

Most speakers give up when the “newness” of their business loses it’s luster and it becomes a business, complete with the normal ups and downs of any business.

Here are 3 tips that help hundreds of speakers going when they are ready to quit:

1. Always carry a pocket full of mental floss! 

The right Podcasts and audio books will feed your mind with “can do” when the world keeps throwing “doo-doo” at your dream. When I began speaking, I owned a janitorial business. I was literally listening to inspirational tracks from Les Brown, Jeffrey Gitomer, Zig Ziglar, and Tony Robbins while I was cleaning bathrooms!
2. Attend a multi-day personal growth seminar. 

Surrounding yourself with success-minded people provides you with amazing tools and connections that you won’t find anywhere else. The Think and Grow Rich Summit on April 25-27 is guaranteed to rock your socks off, and is a steal at only $177! You will see amazing speakers like Jeffrey Gitomer, Bob Burg, and a host of others (including yours truly). Get there!

3. Pick up the 300 lb. phone!

Don’t worry about being perfect on the phone, simply connect with people you know and let them know that you would like to speak to their business or civic club. “How can we make that happen?” is a magic phrase that will fill your calendar.

Whatever you do, don’t let your message die inside of you. If God gave you a dream, He also gave you the means to make it come true. What do you do to keep moving forward?

While persevering toward a meaningful goal is an essential trait of all successful people; realize that it is okay to change your goals. During my late teens and early 20′s, I was destined to be a rock star. I invested countless hours practicing my guitar, spent days in recording studios, and thousands of miles on the road…pursuing the dream of “making it” in the music business and needing security to fend off beautiful women who were just trying to get my autograph!

Then…my goals changed. I hung up the guitar and picked up a vacuum cleaner. I was learning the world of direct sales and sales management. That decision afforded me the ability to travel around the world, build huge sales organizations, and introduced me to the world of personal development. From there, I launched a successful speaking career and have written several books. The goals changed, but I never gave up (Although, I thought I would be signing a boob, not a book!)

Shef’s Hair Band Days

Here are 3  ways that any speaker can grow their speaking business by being flexible:

1. Always ask, “So What?”

No matter how awesome or heart-wrenching your story is; the audience will remember you when you show them that you are tuned into their needs. If you think that your story is different, it’s not. Get over it.

2. Get to know your audience before the event!

So many speakers miss the mark on this one! Here are a few basic questions that every speaker should know:

- How many people will be attending?

- What is the gender split of the audience? (anything heavier than 70% either way will require customizing. Women often respond best to relationship and feeling based stories. Men like achievement, recognition, and legacy.)

- What are some challenges that they are dealing with currently?

3. Ask the event planner, “What would make this an awesome event for you?”

Winning a game is so much easier when you know what winning looks like! If you event planner wants the audience to walk away with a particular feeling or action plan; frame your program around that. Talk to several attendees and ask them what they would like to hear. It doesn’t matter what you want; it matters what they want.

Being a great speaker requires constant improvement and flexibility. Continue to hone your craft, and realize that you will never get noticed if you blend into the background. For additional marketing ideas, read my previous post here.

What are some ways that you customize your speaking programs?

There are mountains of cliche’s and outdated tactics that people will swear by. Whether you are new to the speaking industry, or a seasoned veteran; I will share 3 simple ways that top ranked professional speakers create a buzz around their brand and effectively book speaking dates. (Please comment below with examples of marketing that has worked for you).

Event planners will forget about you if your brand doesn’t stick with them, and your goals will slip your mind unless you make them sticky enough to hang onto. Here are 3 simple tactics that many of my high achieving clients and I have found useful:

1. Stop getting ready to get ready and speak at a few civic clubs!
Momentum beats motivation…every time! When you get out there and speak, people notice you. Civic Clubs are a fantastic place to grow your business. They won’t pay you, but who attends Rotary, Optimist Club, Jaycees, and the like? They are usually filled with prominent people in the community who are influential. Influential people book speakers.

My daughter, Molly Cain, doesn’t let grass grow under the feet of her speaking goals. I have been working with her for the past several months on building a successful speaking business. (Many of the techniques I use with my clients are found in my Tapping the Goldmine of Civic Clubs e-book which you can download for free here) 

Incidentally, Molly suffered a traumatic brain injury 10 months ago, was in a coma for 2 weeks, went through months of intensive rehab at two different hospitals, and had to relearn how to do everything. (Speaking, walking, combing her hair, etc.) She is making a great recovery and has booked four speaking dates in the last 30 days. What is your excuse?

Are you afraid that you won’t do well your first couple of times speaking? You won’t! However, if you practice consistently, you can be a rock star! Now pick up that phone!

2. Write!
Blogging is a simple and free way to instantly publish your content one way that my coaching clients publish their books in a very short period of time is that they blog their way to a book. Regardless of your subject area, people are searching for the knowledge that resides in your head. Give it to them.

Writing white papers, special reports, and e-books is another terrific way to build your expertise within your niche. Creating videos of your content is also extremely profitable. Brendon Burchard is easily the best example of effective and simple video marketing. Check him out.

3. Use multiple methods of contact.

There is no silver bullet when it comes to effectively grabbing a prospect’s attention. Create a marketing strategy. Email newsletters are an extremely effective way to build your list. I personally recommend MailChimp for beginning speakers because it is totally free (check with MailChimp for size and sending limitations on free accounts).

Printed mailings are also very effective, but make sure you are targeting your prospect list with accuracy. James Malinchak is a master at creating awesome mailers that have worked for a lot of speakers. Postage and printing can be expensive. Lumpy mail is also a great method of grabbing an event planner’s attention. Whether you are sending a bank bag, tennis balls, or any other strange object to grab their attention; you will make an impression.

I also strongly recommend a subscriber service for speakers called Speakermatch. They are awesome at helping you get in front of the right people.

The speaking industry is strong! You do have a message inside of you, and I’d encourage you to share it with the world! What are some ways that you have successfully marketed your services?

Everyone possesses their own Siri (even  those people without an Apple product). Siri is like an electronic version of your subconscious mind. The subconscious (sometimes referred to as unconscious mind) never stops working, cannot tell the difference between what is vividly imagined and what is real, and will find answers to whatever questions you ask of it. The problem is that most people ask really terrible questions of themselves.

Imagine that you were wandering aimlessly in a strange city, pushed the button on your iPhone to summon Siri and asked, “Why am I always getting lost?” Naturally, her response will be something like, “Where are you going?” or “What can I help you find?” If you are like 97% of the population, you would say, “I dunno. I’ll know it when I see it though!” Sounds pretty ridiculous, doesn’t it? In this article, I will share 3 simple success tips that you can apply today and achieve positive results instantly!

1. The quality of your questions determines the quality of your outcomes.

Most people ask terrible questions of themselves like, “Why am I so fat?”, “Why won’t anyone hire me?”, and “Why am I no good at (whatever)?”. Your Siri (subconscious mind) goes into overdrive seeking answers to your questions. Here are a few questions that I use to shift what could be perceived as a negative situation into a positive one:

- What can I learn from this situation?

- What is great about this situation?

- What about this situation would make a funny or meaningful story that audiences would enjoy?

2. Where are you at currently? 

I can ask Siri for good Chinese food, but the answers will vary greatly dependent upon what city I may be in. She must know where I am at currently so she can help me get to where I want to go. The same is true in everyone’s life. Knowing a starting point is a crucial ingredient to getting you to your destination. If you are committed to getting in shape, but can’t even see you shoes because of your gut; admit it! Don’t ask, “Why am I so fat?”, a better question would be, “How can I create the body I deserve, and enjoy the process of creating it?”

3. Remember your contact list.

Siri can locate people on your contact list. For some strange reason, when many people decide to begin a new business or pursue a goal, they are unwilling to ask the help of others. When pursuing a goal, business, or any other venture; NO ONE does it alone! Build up your personal board of directors who will not only support you, but will also hold you accountable to your commitment. The power of the Mastermind has been around since the dawn of time and is a common thread in any success story.

Gadgets are great, but the greatest computer ever created is the one between your ears. Feed it well, exercise it, and use it to it’s full potential!

What are some of your most empowering questions?

Think about the untapped resource of a child. I don’t know about you, but when my son was born, he didn’t come with an instruction manual or a crystal ball of what potential he had inside. What would you do if someone told your child that they wouldn’t amount to much in life, were incapable of pursuing their dreams, and were destined to a life of simply getting by based upon the dole which someone decided they were worthy of? I don’t know about you, but I would immediately remove my child from such an environment before that toxic belief became anchored in my child’s psyche!

The other day I was having a conversation with a gentleman who is 68 years old. He mentioned that he really loves to work in the industry which he is very experienced in, but he can’t earn too much income, otherwise the government will take away his Social Security allowance. It dawned on me that despite the massive bureaucratic expense and inefficiency associated with anything run by a bureaucracy, the most expensive price of admission was the soul of the people whom the very program was designed to assist.

When I look at what God says about the potential of a child (regardless of if the child is 2 months old or 80 years old), He says that amazing blessings are waiting for you. He warns against lying, cheating, and the power of the words you choose to live with. His promise for me and my life is very different than what any government entitlement program promotes. 4 soul-sucking Government Entitlement beliefs include:

1. You are not competent to live your own life. Some bureaucrat will assign you some sort of benefit, under the guise of protecting you from the risk of failure.

2. You could improve your situation in life, but that may be unfair and we will penalize you. Since a bureaucrat cannot mandate hard work and success, they focus on penalizing those who bust their asses, take risks, and improve their lives. After taking risks and sacrificing time and resources, they are called “lucky”. Whether this is regarding financial, physical, or relationships; everyone desires more. Desiring a better job, bigger bank account, better relationship is healthy, it helps us grow. Beware that you don’t view this as an opportunity to become jealous or you will lose your focus. I write about the power of words in a previous post, Kick Out Your Negative Words.

3. Self determination. I realize some people feel the need to badmouth the United States of America and how “Unfair” we are, yet I don’t see many people running to the prosperous borders of Cuba, Liberia, or Nicaragua. Any country has it’s flaws, but there is no more fertile ground in the world to plant the seeds of opportunity than right here. Check out  Bob Burg’s post, Liberty and Societal Prosperity on Randy Gage’s page.

4. A desire for the truth. Everyone from God on down despises lying. (The exception would include most elected officials). One of the greatest authors alive today, Andy Andrews, wrote an amazing book titled How to Kill Eleven Million People. It doesn’t mention any political title or affiliation, but it reminds us of the importance of telling the truth.

It is impossible to improve your lot in life by villainizing those who have something which you covet. Our abilities are merely a seed within us that have the potential to produce great results. Regardless of someone’s religious beliefs, faith can be defined as a belief in something that you can’t see, hear, or feel…yet.

When you think of someone who you may want to model your life after, perhaps someone who opened your eyes to what you could truly accomplish; chances are they were encouraging you to release something from your past to achieve your goals. Dig deep and unleash your untapped greatness!

What are some examples of overcoming obstacles that you have witnessed? Please comment and share!

The staff at the Four Seasons did their best to handle the comfort of their guests the best they could, but they also reminded their guests of what they do best; which is providing 5 star service.

Check out this video below and leave a comment!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8asPxVyvcvc