Marketing & Training Services since’92

http://www.speakerservices.com

Speaker Services E-Zine 1/4/12

CONTENT:

-  Note and Update from Susan Levin

- One Sheets Made Easy, Special Offer for 2012

- New Speakers & Authors

- Tips & Advice

- 10 Questions to Book More Business

- Workshops and Teleclasses

Greetings,

Happy 2012. It was a beautiful warm (85 degrees) day in Los Angeles on the first day of 2012. The sun was setting in Santa Monica as a group of us celebrated the new year together.

Do you know that Speaker Services is a  Full-Service Coaching, Marketing & Training Company for Speakers, Authors, Experts, Entrepreneurs & Business Professionals? Over the past twenty years we have coached and nurtured many of our clients to create six and seven figure incomes.

As a speaker marketing coach and owner of the online directory Speaker Services I am always keen on seeing how I can improve and assist my clients to grow their business and income through speaking. There are several ways we can work with you.  One on one marketing consultations customized to your needs, get listed in the directory and connect with audiences who want to hear your message, workshops, teleclasses, video workshops and more.

Speaking is a business and we want you to be successful. E-mail me if you would like to set an appointment to discuss your needs  susan@speakerservices.com

Last week I opened my e mail to a delightful and surprise message from MJ. All I can say is, I did not pay him to write the following message and he is right on! Here is what he wrote.  Yes, I knew I needed a One Sheet. So, I looked at a few dozen of One Sheets  then modeled mine after the one I like the most. No luck.

Your post on LinkedIn suggests to us that we email you for samples of your work. I am interested, many of us should be. New speakers may not be thinking of our one sheet as being very important but it seems that it is an intricate but overlooked part of our ‘first impression.

There is no better time than now for many of us (newbies) to invest in a professional to develop our one sheets. I believe the real selling benefit is that our tiny investment could pay for itself in just one event.

What MJ is referring to is the offer for One Sheets Made Easy.  If you missed it here it is.

Event producers are more likely to hire you if you have a double-sided, 4-color one sheet which tells them in a nutshell what you speak about, and then some.

We know that it is sometimes tricky to write your own copy, so we have developed a coaching package called One Sheets Made Easy.

Jean-Noel Bassior, our team member, is a journalist who specializes in speaker, author and celebrity interviews, and she will focus, coach and guide you by phone as you fill out a template that gives event planners a colorful snapshot of what you have to offer their audience. When you send the completed template back to Jean-Noel, she will turn it into the copy for your one sheet.

Our 2012 one sheet special is $400 (2 payments may be arranged). This includes the focusing session, rewrite of your copy. and blocking it into sections for the graphic artists.

Thinking about getting listed with our directory? See what our speakers are saying. http://www.speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.htm

To your speaking and marketing success.

Susan Levin
Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com

_______________

New Speakers and Authors:

See all featured speakers:

- Meet Jacqueline Robertson. Successful author and entrepreneur known as “The Dream Sister” shows how using only 20% of your effort can bring you 80% or more of what you want when you work with proven universal laws.  http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/66

- Meet speaker & authors of Nude: Unveiling Your Inner Beauty & Sensuality Kym Jackson &Theresa Roemer. Two fun-loving girlfriends offer life-changing advice to help women look, feel and be the best they can be. http://t.co/G1AFoRlh

Meet speaker author & actor Stephen Tako.  Actor and motivational speaker shows how to find the courage, drive and enthusiasm to act on your passion and dreams at any age.    http://t.co/FGcdX2Vv

See all speakers and authors

_______

A Gift for YOU

I am re gifting a fantastic resource to you from my colleague Donna Gunter.  She shared, If you have not made any resolutions for improving your marketing efforts this year, promise that you will steal at least one tip from this free PDF ebook, The Best of Get More Clients Online Business Automation Tool of the Week of 2011 and do it.

This is offered to you as a New Year’s gift–along with my enthusiastic recommendation to re gift it to your friends and clients.

Feel free to re gift this to your friends.  No opt in required!  Just send them to this page http://www.getmoreclientsonline.com/best-of-2011/, for their own copy!

_______

10 Questions to Book More Business by Lois Creamer

1. Does your company used paid, professional speakers? I say paid because many use speakers, not all pay.

2. How is the decision made regarding speakers? I am asking the person I am speaking to confirm he/she is the sole decision maker.

3. Who have you used in the past? This may give you an idea of what topics they have historically used and how much they have paid for this information.

4. Do you have a specific meeting date set? Pretty obvious what we want here.

5. When do you begin to plan your meeting? Great to know when the meeting is, but important to know when plans are made so we can make sure we are talking to them at the optimum time for getting the booking.

6. Where will the meeting be held? Here I am looking to see if I may create some kind of competitive advantage for myself. For example, I live in St. Louis. If the meeting is going to be in Chicago my expenses would be very reasonable. If they are deciding between me and a speaker in LA, I may get the job based on travel.

7. Is there as theme or focus to this meeting? Again, pretty obvious.

8. Is there a budget I should be aware of? Here is the money question! We need to bring up fee! Remember to talk about your fee as if it were a commodity. See previous post on fees.

9. What type of meeting is this? Is it quarterly, annual, semi ­annual? We want to find out how many opportunities a year this prospect may have to hire us.

10. Is there anything that I have not asked you that you would like me to know about your meeting? This is really a closure question. They will bring up any other questions they may have.

If you have the answer to these questions you should be able to quantify how likely it is that you two will be working together or not.

That is it! 10 little questions that will move you from prospect to client! Now go do some prospecting!

Copyright 2011, Lois Creamer. Lois Creamer works with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes! 

_______

Vickie Sullivan shares: Predictions for this year are still coming in fast and furious. 

The new A list speakers:  traditional  I have  been on the circuit for years speakers are in for a wake up call.  Speakers with less experience are getting the big fees.  Who are they?  CEOs of cool companies.  Public speaking is now the favorite way to get your ideas out there.  As more CEOs write books, speaking is sure to follow.  Their experience changing the world trumps delivery style.  It is gonna be a bumpy ride for many speakers.

Those with the most followers win:  want to be famous?  Start on social media and rack up those followers.  It used to be popular authors got the attention.  Look for popular bloggers with big followings to be courted by publishers and media.  And, yes, they will get on the speaking circuit, too.

Meetings are not going away.  Some say that virtual companies will replace conventions and conferences.   Not so fast.  As long as business is being conducted face-to-face, meetings are here for a while.

My prediction:  the movers and shakers will show up.  The less interested or low price folks will stay in the bleachers.  Remember, meetings are not just about the information.  Folks go to meet people.

_______

WORKSHOPS in Los Angeles

What’s the fastest way to get booked as a speaker? If you’re an author, coach, entrepreneur, CEO or expert at what you do, and you want to speak about your area of expertise, there’s a lot you can do on your own to get gigs. You or your Virtual, Personal or Admin Assistant can learn to successfully contact meeting planners!

Teleclass series- Jan 16, 23, 30 & Feb 6, 2012  Find and Land Speaking Opportunities four part teleclass series  register 

or January 21, Find and Land Speaking Opportunities Workshop in Los Angeles, Susan Levin & Jean-Noel Bassior learn more

____

Saturday, February 4,  Market Yourself as a Speaker, Susan Levin

Are you a seasoned expert with years of advice and experience to pass along? Whether you are an executive, educator or salesperson you could be missing out on an important source of your income: THE SPEAKING CIRCUIT.

The information, techniques and tools that you’ll receive from attending Market Yourself as a Speaker are essential to building your speaking business.

Read more/register

____

Sunday, February 5, Video Works:  Everybody Needs Video Workshop, Jack Barnard

This 7-hour workshop will bring you totally up-to-speed regarding video and the best uses for you.

 Here’s what will be covered:

- Content: So many possibilities, what are the most important aspects for you to cover?

- The Art of Small Talk: Your audiences are already sound-bit, delivering your material in 30-90 seconds in a succinct, interesting, authentic manner is essential.

- Presence: Information is important, but all the magic happens in the present moment. How do you do that looking straight into a camera?

- Marketing: Susan Levin will enlighten the class on all the ways that short professional videos can utilized.

- Practice video shoot: At the last part of the day, participants will be videotaped by a professional videographer and then critiqued trying out one of their favorite themes. This is for practice & reflection. Participants will be given a copy of the recording to study at home.
Learn more

_____________

UPCOMING TELELCLASSES

SPEAKERS COMMUNITY

See what the Speakers Community Membership club has in store for 2012.

Join for 60 days for free & access past mp3′s http://t.co/Q9rpTiAS

1/12, Build Your Speaking Empire with Info Products, Toni V. Martin, learn more/register

____

1/26, Happiness Is An Inside Job, Lisa Cypers Kamen. Flourishing Outside of the Box. How to Create Opportunities to Share What You Know & Love With Others, learn more/register

______

2/15, Get Paid for Every Speaking Event You Do, Shannon Cherry, Whether you get paid to speak or not, you could make more money for every presentation and not with back of room sales but with sponsorships. learn more/register

_______

TWEETS & POSTS

- Read the No-Harm Marketing Manifesto and pass it along: http://yudkin.com/noharm.htm

- Implement the business of speaking Workshop 2/4 in LA or one-on-one w Susan Levin Speaker Services owner http://t.co/q29BKy4H

- Thanks Susan Levin for an awesome interview yesterday on Marketing Matters. Discover the essentials of becoming a great speaker, marketing tips and how to generate leads from your audience. Catch the replay at http://t.co/PTcN8jeU

- SpeedConsulting: fun meeting format for member-based orgs to spur member-to-member learning, friendship & collaboration http://bit.ly/aTeYbB

- Marketing Concept: 14 Questions for Completing and Remembering 2011 http://www.doitmarketing.com/blog/bid/79873/Marketing-Concept-14-Questions-for-Completing-and-Remembering-2011 via @dnewman

- How Timeline Radically Changes Your Facebook Marketing Strategy http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30305/How-Timeline-Radically-Changes-Your-Facebook-Marketing-Strategy.aspx via @HubSpot

- Create a Custom Welcome Tab for Your Facebook Fan Page http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/2011/03/create-a-custom-welcome-tab-for-your-facebook-fan-page/ via @chilihead

- Top 10 Facebook Apps for Fan Engagement and Building Community  Social Media Examiner http://t.co/sjNdBdzE  via @smexaminer

- Video Works: Everybody Needs Video Workshop in Los Angeles http://bit.ly/u27N1a

- Speakers Your Marketing Plan video tips http://t.co/xiRHGJIO   Ask me about our one sheet 2012 special susan@speakerservices.com #speaking

- Post How can I get a bureau 2 book me? I would like 2 hire someone 2 get me bookings & give them a percentage.. Is this a good plan? http://t.co/1BaA4roe

- How Sponsors Define Value  Market Yourself as a Speaker: http://bit.ly/s0XbnE

VIDEO ZINGERS

A co- production of Speaker Services with team member Jack Barnard

Fact Sheet

All programs are customized & offered one-on-one or in workshop format

Definition: One-camera presentation video, 30 seconds to 90 seconds in length, the purpose of which is to demonstrate the uniqueness, the agenda, the personality and the presence of the client — the video subject.

Video Video Video:

These days, everybody is aware of the power of video. If you’re connected to the internet (and do you know someone other than your great grandmother who isn’t connected to the internet?), chances are a) you receive half a dozen cyber-invitations a day to look at someone’s video product, b) you surf YouYube or one of its clones, c) you’re seeing more and more videos showing up on your favorite social-networking sites.

Format possibilities:

1) INTERVIEW: (As if) Answering questions during an interview

2) INTIMATE: Personable, straight ahead, into the camera, one-on-one, as if talking directly to the viewer

Some content possibilities:

1) Problem & Solution

2) Welcome to Website home page

3) Tip(s)

4) Secret (super-tip)

5) What you do

6) Website speaker page intro and orientation

7) Back story: why you’re so qualified, why you do what you do, how you got into it

Pertinent/Selling story

9) Current Insight

10) Ask the Expert

11) Show/Demonstrate/Sell Product

12) Explain System

13) Answer Frequently Asked Questions

14) Online Marketing Secret

15) Explain Seminar/Workshop/Webinar, etc.

16) Demonstrate Brand

17) Call to Action

Uses:

1) YouTube — Justin Bieber isn’t the only budding star discovered on YouTube…it happens everyday. Bottom line: we’re watching.

2) Social Media —  Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter…the more we see you, in all your glory, the greater the connection

3) Website — these zingers can be sprinkled all over your website

4) Marketing — for example: mp4s, as part of your delivery package

5) Blogs — spice them up, stand out

PLAN OF ACTION

Preparation Materials…One-day Workshop…Teleclass…Video Shoot

• Preparation Materials

Before participants gather for the workshop, they will receive a Pointers & Due Diligence packet from coach Jack so that when the group meets for the workshop, they will be already in motion.

• One-day 7-hour Workshop, January 28, 2012, led by Jack Barnard…focusing on:

1) Content: With this program, you can create 5 Video Zingers…what will you cover?

2) Small Talk: your audiences are already sound-bit, delivering your material in 30-90 seconds in a succinct, interesting, authentic manner is essential.

3) Presence: information is important, all the magic happens in the present moment. How do you do that looking straight into a camera?

4) Marketing: Susan Levin will enlighten the class on all the ways that these Video Zingers can utilized.

5) Practice video shoot: At the last part of the day, participants will be videotaped  — and then critiqued — trying out one of their Zingers. This is for practice & reflection only.

• Teleclass

90-minute follow-up to workshop — with Jack  — in the following week.

• Video Shoot…within 10 days of the workshop…staggered schedule…3 clients/day

1) One-on-One, with camera-person and coach Jack Barnard

2) 2 different backgrounds, change of clothes, change of venue (Interview format vs. Intimate format) so that it won’t feel like the videos were all done at the same time — or in the same way.

3) Shooting time: 2 hours. Each participant should be able to pull off 4-5 different Video Zingers in that time

4) Post-production is minimal and included in the VZ package.

5) Clients will receive finished/edited Video Zingers in a format of their choice

• Extra

1) As part of the VZ package, each client will be able to have succinct captions for 2 of their videos. If more than this is desired, there will be an extra post-production cost.

COST

$890 total…payments can be requested, if necessary

Contact:  susan@speakerservices.com, 310-822-4922 PT or jackp.barnard@verizon.net, 310-993-8762 to enroll.

_____

Samples of one camera videos we have produced

Lisa Cypers Kamen
http://youtu.be/CLK53rgwxsA

Susan Levin
http://youtu.be/U-vwIsXLSgo

Libby Higgins
http://youtu.be/ydtJWg42d2k

Guru Tej
http://youtu.be/aFi4WVwvgEw

___________

Coach/Video Director: The Video Zinger coach is Jack Barnard, a forty-year veteran of the media world. Jack is a former radio host, president of a six-station radio chain, concert producer, theatrical production company owner, master presentation coach, media trainer and writer. In this latest 15-year chapter, Jack works with speakers, authors and entrepreneurs, both one-on-one and in groups.

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

Speaker Services: http://www.speakerservices.com

In this issue:

- A note from Susan Levin

- Tips and Advice

- Teleclasses & Workshops

- 5 Tips to Avoid Losing Your Shirt with Your Seminar

- How Sponsors Define Value

- How to Ensure a Powerful Introduction Before You Speak

- Tweets & Blog Post of Interest

Greetings,

Did you have a good holiday weekend?  My gang of friends met at Ellen Reid’s place to celebrate the holiday weekend.  She is my friend the Book Shepherd.   The photo is of me and Kiki Ellen’s dog.

Weekend before last Jean-Noel Bassior our editor for the past 25 years and I were vendors at the ICF LA’s Coaches Expo in Culver City.  I met many wanna be coaches and certified coaches that were very interested to know more about how Speaker Services could help them grow their various expertise. It was not a huge event but the quality of the people who stopped were extraordinary and the conversations were helpful and fruitful.

The Inspired Improv 5 week workshop in August filled up very quickly.  Jack Barnard is teaching it and the people who signed up are in for a treat. I will be there too as it is so much fun.  Do you speak gibberish?

At the end of July Ursula Mentjes and I are offering Speak Your way to More Clients Workshop for the second time in Capistrano Beach, CA.  Last time we sold out.  

We’ll be sharing how to discover the problem that you solve for your clients and the best ways to communicate it to the decision maker and how to create your “Top 25 Target Client List”and more.

“Susan and Ursula delivered awesome value!  The content was complete, thorough and fun.  They are both committed to providing the missing links for the clients they serve. I feel totally prepared to begin the new branch of my work—creating clients through speaking!” -Dorbe Holden, Transformational Coach

Check it out and register: http://tinyurl.com/3h2el9f

Not in LA?  No worries here are some options for you:

- Speaker Marketing Works Virtual Mastermind/Study Group now forming http://bit.ly/jXEUmT

- Budget Minded and enjoy listening to mp3’s?  Join the Speakers Community Membership Club. 60 days complimentary and a mere $19.95 a month plus 4 years of past interviews in the library ready for you to download.  I always say where can you learn from the experts for $10 an hour. I am looking forward to interviewing Dr. Stpehen Jones about the Fear of Speaking- Get Over it! Does the thought of speaking in front of a group evoke fear, make you sweat, start your heart pounding? It’s likely you have glossophobia – the fear of public speaking.

At the end of the month it is my honor to interview my long time speaker, author client Michael Hingson. Michael is the author of Thunder Dog: A Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero. God does not present insurmountable problems. Instead he gives us challenges, waits for us to overcome them, & then he rejoices . Join now.

- Workshops in LA, Orange County and Atlanta.  See all workshops

- One-on-One consulting on Speaker Marketing and or Presentation Branding Skills and Book Mentoring on the phone or in person in Los Angeles.  This month we are hosting a client from Colorado for a private three day training.  How can we assist you?  We customize for your needs and concerns.

Speak Your Way to More Business

Susan Levin, Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com

_________________

TIPS & ADVICE

LinkedIn Group

Professional Keynote Speakers – by Jorge Olson

Discussion: How do you become a public speaker?

- Lenny Laskowski, http://www.LJLSeminars.com

Many people who start out in the speaking business need to remember that it “IS” a business and you need to learn and understand how the speaking business works. Like most business it does change and you need to find what works for you in terms of growing your business. For every business who swears by using “cold calls” as an approach you will find other’s who NEVER use cold calls.

Find yourself a mentor who is doing what you want to do and in the industry you want to work in and learn from them. Take marketing courses and seminars. Attend workshop and seminars on the speaking business and learn from others. At the same time, you need to find what works for you and what style of marketing works for your personal style.

Also, do not remember to keep good records and who you speak to and interface with so you can follow up.

_________________

5 Tips to Avoid Losing Your Shirt with Your Seminar

Daphne Bousquet,  http://eventstrategysolutions.com

It happens to too many people. Grand plans, big vision. You plan, you project, you try to manifest and then you find yourself in a huge hole that you spend the rest of the year trying to get out of.

Yes, I am talking about events. Has it ever happened to you? You poured your heart and soul into planning a seminar and all you ended up with was an empty wallet and crushed dreams? And you wonder what happened?

You see other coaches and expert put on huge seminars and they are making a fortune. What could you have done differently? What do they know that you don’t?

It breaks my heart, because workshops and seminars are powerful tools that transform people’s lives, both attendees and seminar leaders. When done right, they are extremely lucrative and I am not exaggerating when I tell you that you can make more money in a single weekend than most people make in an entire year.

Our coaches tell us to think bigger, they show us what is possible. However, many times what works for them, may not work for you. So you dive into planning the workshops and seminars thinking big, all the while you are missing some critical steps that make the difference between success and utter disappointment.

What can you do to avoid that? Here are 5 tips to avoid losing your shirt and make your next seminar truly one that is transformational for you.

Start small

You may want a seminar for 100 people, but if this is your first one, start small. Keep it intimate and exclusive. It will give you a chance to test the waters, your marketing and your conversion rates. It also keeps your costs down, which is important for obvious reasons.

Focus on your ideal attendee

Who is he/she? Talk to that person and that person alone in your marketing. If your seminar tries to be too many things to too many people, it will not be anything to anybody. Your marketing becomes too broad and ambiguous and no one responds to vague and generic. Be precise. What benefits does your seminar offer and who is it perfect for?

Book your venue as late as possible

I know I am going to get in trouble with my former colleagues in the hospitality industry, but the fact is this. Most seminar leaders who have lost money on their event ended up paying thousands of dollars to hotels for rooms and services they never used. Start marketing and selling tickets before you sign your contract. Once you sign it, you are committed, whether people show or not.

Allow plenty of time for marketing

Start promoting now. Yes now. The more time you have to market your seminar the better. Most seminar leaders fail because they didn’t allow themselves enough time for their marketing campaign. For a multi day event, you will need 6 months. Minimum. Preferably 8 months. That gives you time to add value, build your list, line up promotional partners and create a campaign that gets the butts in the seats.

Have a back end plan

Your seminar should not just depend on tickets sales. You should have a comprehensive plan for generating revenue with your seminar. That means multiple streams of seminar income. Know what you are offering and when. Don’t rely on only 1 or 2 ways to make money from your seminar. There are at least 10, so use them to your advantage.

Daphne will be a featured speaker at Talk Up Your Business, Master the Message, Master the Marketing, Atlanta Sept 30 & Oct 1.  See http://t.co/cu0bNfE

_________________

How Sponsors Define Value

- Vickie Sullivan, http://www.sullivanspeaker.com

Many experts who speak are looking for sponsors to pay their hefty speaking fee.  And sponsors are still doing that buy asking host organizations “how can you provide more value?” first.  Here are a couple of ideas inspired by veteran sports professionals in their sponsorship deals:

Community outreach.  Every sponsor wants more exposure than the event.  How about finding out who their target market is and participating in that?  For example, if your banking sponsor wants to reach out to business owners, why can’t you do an extra session for that audience?

Product placement.  TV shows and movies have taken this to a whole new level with more subtle references.  Can speakers do the same with examples and stories that feature the sponsor?  Let’s go one step further:  in the name of interactive learning, is there any way to demonstrate the sponsor’s product or service?  Use them as a case study perhaps?

Business-building opportunities.  These sponsors are partnering to expand their reach.  Does your community have value to them too?  How could you facilitate introductions between the sponsors and your business contacts?  A reception maybe?

Suggestions that go above and beyond might be refused by the host organization but your offer will not be forgotten.  Great way to position yourself as a partner rather than just a speaker for the convention.

Vickie Sullivan is recognized as the top market strategist for experts who want strong brands with high-fee buyers. She speaks and consults internationally about selection trends in high-fee markets and strategies that position experts for those venues. Vickie’s articles have been published in national publications ranging from USA Today Magazine to Handbook of Business Strategy. This update is sent to thousands of experts throughout the U.S. and 17 other countries.

_________________

How to Ensure a Powerful Introduction Before You Speak

Post by Lisa Sasevich, www.theinvisibleclose.com

There are two types of introductions—the one where you introduce yourself toward the beginning of your talk and the one that your host reads to introduce you to the audience before you get up on stage. Now, that second introduction may seem like a minor concern, but it’s not; it plays a huge role in establishing your credibility.

Building credibility—the impression that you are an expert with proven results who can be trusted to deliver—is the vital first goal of your presentation. If you want your audience to listen to you and eventually buy from you, they have to see you as credible.

So here is my secret formula and two important tips for creating a powerful introduction for your host. An introduction that sets you up to gain credibility and helps people feel open to you and quickly start to build the trust that is needed to invest with you.

Proven Formula for Getting a Powerful Intro Before You Speak When you’re writing your host’s introduction, keep it short: only 30 seconds to one minute long. Hit the high points and include these elements:

A. Have the host tell the audience why they invited you. For example, your introduction might begin: “We know that you or people you know have been affected by the drastic changes in the housing market. We invited our next speaker here today because her program has been proven to work during challenging times.” This is also where they would include any personal testimonial they have to add if they, in fact, have worked with you.  read on http://bit.ly/kjonkI

_________________

WORKSHOPS IN LA, ORANGE COUNTY, SAN DIEGO & ATLANTA

See all workshops

July 29, Speak Your Way to More Clients, Ursula Mentjes & Susan Levin, Capistrano Beach

“Are you tired of figuring out where to find new clients? It’s time for them to find you!”

Ursula Mentjes (Sales Expert) and Susan Levin (Industry Expert) have teamed up to teach you how to grow your business through speaking!

“Speak Your Way to More Clients was packed with “tricks of the speaking trade”!  Following the examples provided during the workshop will be vital to making my next speaking engagement a great success!”, Carleen Paul, Skills for Success Reading Center

“This is the perfect blueprint for pursuing a successful speaking career!  Getting the actual “HOW” was absolutely priceless!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!” – Janise Graham, Janise Graham Insurance and Financial Services

Learn more

_________________

August, 13 – Market Yourself as a Speaker led by Susan Levin, Marina del Rey

Nuts and bolts of lecture circuit.

Are you a seasoned expert with years of advice and experience to pass along? Whether you are an executive, educator or salesperson you could be missing out on an important source of your income: THE SPEAKING CIRCUIT.  Learn more/register

“Susan has given me a great deal of personal advice which has helped me go forward in my career as a speaker and consultent. I am honored to know Susan and to have the opportunity to work with her.” - Michael Hingson, Speaker & Author

_________________

Tweets & Blog Posts of interest:

- Speakers, Authors, Experts R yr marketing materials professional? R u getting noticed? No? Might be the writing! http://bit.ly/pUNiLa

- Social Media Use Nearly Doubles as Audiences Grow Older : MarketingProfs Article http://t.co/pihtYzt via @marketingprofs

- Seven Ways to Name the Decision Makers http://t.co/Lfrj3Kb via @wendyweiss

- 7 Steps to Increase Facebook Fans http://t.co/E3BoCJY via @pc4media

- If God Is Your Co-Pilot, Switch Seats http://huff.to/mrhQPD via @huffingtonpost by BJ Gallagher

- Excellent post How to Create a Value Proposition Positioning Statement with Your Value Proposition – RAIN Group http://t.co/FqhutRB

- 10 Easy Ways To Prepare A Powerful Introduction http://t.co/XXrVEZJ

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

Speaker Services: http://www.speakerservices.com

Greetings,

Today we are trying out a new e mail format.  Let me know if you like it.

There are a few items I want to share with you today that you may not be aware of that we offer.

I have been noticing that some folks come to workshops, buy home study courses and do not implement the information.  I know many of us including myself are in overwhelm  and probably could use some hand holding. So I decided to form a virtual group:  Marketing Works MasterMind Study Group.  It will meet once a month on the telephone for 90 minutes with a six month commitment. Each month I will be teaching a new element re speaker marketing and during that month you will digest the content and get the work done until we meet again.

I find that many folks sorta know what they need to do but sorta don’t get around to implementing.  This group is designed for just for that.  I will start the group once we have 10 people enrolled. It is a small monthly investment. Read more

Here is my second offer: Our team can put together your promotional materials ie: one-sheets, bios, speaker listing, interview questions, press releases.  I asked this question in my linkedin groups a few days ago, Not getting the speaking gigs? Do you have professional marketing materials?  Wow that stirred up a lot on interest and some controversy.  I took a look at what some speakers and authors thought were good marketing materials and sad to say they would never get booked for speaking nor media with what they had or didn’t have.

E-mail me susan@speakerservices.com for an appointment to discuss your needs and for us to recommend and customize the perfect package for you.  You do not have to be listed as a speaker in our directory to take advantage of this stellar service.  We  make you look professional so that you can get the gigs and media interviews.  See an example of a two sided one sheet that we created for our speaker and author Melissa Evans, The Guru of Implementation. Melissa Evans one sheet

In Los Angeles we are looking for 9 people to be part of an Inspired Improvisation Group for Speakers and Authors led by our master branding. media and presentation coach Jack Barnard. It is all about presence.  Jack shares,

“In my coaching I work from a model I call the Communion Trio: 1) Content 2) Connection and 3) Comfort. All three are equally important. You can have your topic nailed, memorized word-for-word, but if you are not present, in the moment, comfortable in your body, free in your emotions, somehow or other we know it, and the results of your presentation are greatly diminished.”

E-mail jackp.barnard@verizon.net if you want to play for 5 weeks in August with us.

Okay onto more stuff…

Susan Levin, Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com
310-822-4922 PT

_________________

TIPS & ADVICE

I asked this question to some of my LinkedIn groups. Interesting responses. Are you passionate about what you speak about?

Speak Your Passion video http://t.co/QblXAld

Richard Kent Matthews – JFK once said that the only reason to give a speech is to change the world. Without passion, that isn’t possible. If you’re not convinced about what you speak of, how will anyone else be convinced.

______

Steve Jobs:  Love what you do. Marketo Blog Secrets of Lead Generation Superstars

The founder and CEO of Apple Inc., Jobs believes that entrepreneurs must have a passion for what they’re doing. If you don’t love it, he reasons, you’re not likely to have the drive to successfully manage lead generation initiatives. You’re also more likely to eventually give up altogether. Loving what you do, he says, can make all the difference in the world.  Read more. http://bit.ly/iNt1VN

______

Reporters Connection – For media leads

Not already a member? Join now to get our free media leads http://www.ReporterConnection.com/JoinNowFree/

A sample of what you will receive on a daily basis.

Business & Finance

1.  Looking To Interview Entrepreneurs Who Have Experienced Spectacular Failures In Business (HireYourVirtualAssistant.com/Blog)

2.  How Did You Successfully Outsource Your B2B Sales Leads Generation? (HireYourVirtualAssistant.com/Blog)

Food & Cooking

4.  Heart & Soul Food (Kardea Kitchen Online/Book)

5.  Have Any Great Summer Family Entrée Ideas? (Various Blogs)

Health, Nutrition & Fitness

6.  Seeking Personal Injury Attorney In New York City Area For Cable TV Show Interview (Local Access Cable Television)

Psychology & Self-Improvement

7.  Fallen Ministers (Civitas Press)

8.  Seeking Stories About Overcoming Adversity (KXRB Radio)

______

Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound shares Google’s +1 Button

1. Install Google’s +1 Button

When Google, the King of Search, gives Publicity Hounds an easy way to let our websites and blogs stand out, we need to embrace it with all four paws.

The newest tool is the +1 button, shorthand for “this is pretty cool” or “you should check this out.”

It’s already popping up on websites and blogs, including  my blog.

Here’s how it works:

When you install the code that makes the button visible on your own site, people who like your content can click on it and tell Google and others that they’re recommending it. It’s Google’s equivalent of Facebook’s Like button.

But here’s the really powerful part. When you recommend somebody else’s content, your photo shows up when that person’s website is listed in Google’s search results. Your photo will show up only if you already have a Google Profile.

Do these four things today:

–If you don’t have a Google Profile, create one.

–Install the button at your website and blog. Or save yourself the headache and have your webmaster do it for you.

–Start recommending content you see elsewhere by clicking on the +1 button.

Reprinted from “The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week,” an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email the handy cheat sheet “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

________________

WORKSHOPS IN LA, ORANGE COUNTY, SAN DIEGO & ATLANTA

See all workshops

July 29, Speak Your Way to More Clients, Ursula Mentjes & Susan Levin, Capistrano Beach

“Are you tired of figuring out where to find new clients? It’s time for them to find you!”

Ursula Mentjes (Sales Expert) and Susan Levin (Industry Expert) have teamed up to teach you how to grow your business through speaking!

“Speak Your Way to More Clients was packed with “tricks of the speaking trade”!  Following the examples provided during the workshop will be vital to making my next speaking engagement a great success!”, Carleen Paul, Skills for Success Reading Center

“This is the perfect blueprint for pursuing a successful speaking career!  Getting the actual “HOW” was absolutely priceless!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!” -Janise Graham, Janise Graham Insurance and Financial Services

Learn more

______

August, 13 – Market Yourself as a Speaker

led by Susan Levin, Marina del Rey

Nuts and bolts of lecture circuit.

Are you a seasoned expert with years of advice and experience to pass along? Whether you are an executive, educator or salesperson you could be missing out on an important source of your income: THE SPEAKING CIRCUIT.  Learn more/register

“Susan has given me a great deal of personal advice which has helped me go forward in my career as a speaker and consultent. I am honored to know Susan and to have the opportunity to work with her.” - Michael Hingson, Speaker & Author

______

TELECLASS

Teleclasses are complimentary if you are a member of the Speakers Community Membership Club.  Join now. 60 days complimentary. Your audio/mp3 library of expert interviews twice a month.

see all teleclasses

7/29 Teleclass: It Takes More Then Talent- Marketing Your Speaking Services Interview with David Rohlander http://bit.ly/j2EIf4

______________

Tweets & Blog Posts of interest:

- Secrets of Lead Generation Superstars – http://t.co/vlU1EU4

- 5 Foolproof Ways to Generate Leads From Facebook http://t.co/jpoDhbc via @HubSpot

- Heartfelt Marketing: Allowing the Universe to Be Your Business Partner a must read book Jacquie Jordan cover photo by Starla Fortunato

- 10 Social Media Tips for Professional Speakers | Market Yourself as a Speaker: http://t.co/gHMX8kF Tip Search Engine Optimize Your Blog

- New blog post 75 Tips for Using Video in Business: Carol Roth’s Blog Read full  http://bit.ly/lXgokq

- Experts Do u have yr marketing presentation materials ready? We make u look professional Speaker Services team can help http://t.co/jMqTUtd

- Leverage yr expertise 4 more business. Create a magnetic presence. Talk Up Your Biz Atlanta check it out http://t.co/cu0bNfE

- Blog Leave Voicemail Messages That Have Prospects Begging To Meet You http://t.co/pPkVFcB 5 strategies 2 increase your enticement quotient.

- Visit Speaker Services online store. Improve your skill set learn from the experts

My colleague David Newman at www.doitmarketing.com shares this exceptional list of  ideas with you.

As John Jantsch likes to say, “social media is a tactic, not a religion” and I have to agree. Here are 10 social media tips for professional speakers that will help you balance your mix…

1.    Youtube One Of Your Speeches – The best form of advertisement when it comes to professional speaking is showing your abilities online. When people have seen your electrifying speeches, they will be more likely to want to book you. Adding in a small link to your site during your Youtube video also will bring traffic to your website. Adding your Youtube video to your website will also get buyers more confident in your skills. After all, with many decision-makers and meeting planners, even the most eloquent writing will mean nothing to them if they cannot watch you in action. Try and get video in front of a high-octane audience. The more excited the audience is, the more dynamic your video will be.

2.    Post Blogs On Related Subjects – If you are a professional speaker who makes a living from leadership speeches, having a blog that offers daily leadership tips will get more targeted leads to your site. Moreover, having extremely good leadership information and articles will also get people spreading the word about your site. There are plenty of authors out there who were able to sell books through their blogs; why should you be any different? As a general rule of thumb, the more content that you generate, the better your marketing results will be.

3.    Podcasts Are Your Best Friend – Audio recordings of some of your shorter speeches or “snippets” are a great way to advertise your expertise. Including these in a feed will keep fans and customers updated on your latest work, and also will help spread the word about your speaking abilities. Even better, selling audio programs on your site might just make you a little money. Remember to add a little audio blurb in each audio program telling your audience how to book you for their next event!

4.    Link It All Together – On each of your social media profiles, add your website link, your blog link, and upload some videos, photos, and audio recordings if possible. Making yourself as accessible as possible will let people know that you are serious and open for new business. People also will enjoy the convenience of having everything linked together in an easy-to-access way no matter where they may land in your web empire.

5.    Get As Much Social Bookmarking As Possible – Got videos online? Get them ‘liked’ on Facebook. Encourage your audience to Tweet links to your website, blog, or show pages. Whenever possible, install as many social bookmarking tools as possible, and try to use all of them (Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon). The more that you can get people to share with ease, the more your expertise will spread.

6.    Twitter Is Great – Tweeting your updates is an easy way to keep people informed about your latest thoughts, insights, and audiences. However, the best way that you can use Twitter is to engage your fans and prospective clients. Being able to chat with you via Twitter will show people that you are still a real person, and that your fans/followers matter to you!

7.    LinkedIn Is Best For Corporate Speakers – LinkedIn has long been known to attract professionals in just about every field. For business speakers, it’s a smart move to put your biggest social media efforts into LinkedIn. Then take those relationships offline – perhaps even networking with local managers in your area to get you some steady gigs as their favorite professional speaker.

8.    Keep It All Short N’ Sweet N’ To The Point – No matter what social media tool you are using, make sure to be direct and impactful in your communications. No one is going to read a page and a half of advertising. No one is going to show up at one of your events if you forget to give the date and time. Expect people to have short attention spans.

9.    Use Each Form Of Social Media To Strengthen the Others – For instance, using Twitter to get more Facebook likes will give your Facebook advertising more power. People who have friends on Facebook will see your ad, and then ‘like’ it themselves. Getting people to post your YouTube videos on their walls will make your YouTube marketing efforts more successful.

10.    Search Engine Optimize Your Blog – If your blog gets picked up by search engines like Google, using your social media tools to market yourself will be easier. The best part of using SEO to increase your hits is that you can often do it yourself combining titles, tags, and key words into some simple strategies to greatly improve your organic web traffic.

I want you all to know that I am adding many new event planners to our database. In addition to approx 5,000 meeting planners who are on our database at the moment I have identified about 800 more associations, companies and organizations, schools etc. who hire speakers.  I am researching them and contacting them as well to let them know about our speakers and authors plus our services.  I will be able to give you qualified leads in your target market if you are willing to go the extra mile to make contacts (especially if you are listed with Speaker Services.)  A speaker listing is helpful to promote yourself and it is a very good idea to have a one sheet overview and a video demo for you to get hired.  Not sure about the one-sheet?  We can help you out.

If you are in Los Angeles and have not taken the class Market Yourself as a Speaker I encourage you to attend on Saturday, 1/15 or 3/19, 10am-2pm.

This is about the business of speaking and essential to your success in securing gigs. . See what I cover in the workshop http://www.speakerservices.com/services/marketyourself.html .

With a lot of coaxing from my clients I am going to teach a workshop on Saturday,  February 12, Market Your Business with Social Networking Workshop, 11am-4pm, $99  there are several openings at the moment.

This interactive hands on workshop is designed for busy, smart people who feel they “should” be active in the social media marketing revolution, but they also feel like they’ve missed the boat.

Well, it’s not too late, you can catch up… Learn the basics you need in just a few short hours.

Marketing is being completely transformed. The days of traditional advertising are numbered. Social media has profoundly altered the way we market and communicate.  Don’t get left behind.

I will show you step by step how I get 75% of my business via social networking. read more

Saturday, January 22, noon to 6pm, $99
Web Video & Marketing Workshop, You on Camera, Barbara Niven & Susan Levin
Psst this may be the last time we teach this class and there are 5 spaces open at this moment

In this interactive workshop we will show you how to create and market dynamic videos for your website, social media, video tips, video blogs, You Tube, info products, video email and more. Learn more/register  http://t.co/qltHtIH

NEW
March 5, 10am-5pm, $125

Low Cost Ways to Convert Your Expertise into Multiple Streams of Income, Susan Levin & guests

Got content?  Want to earn more from your expertise?  You will walk out of the workshop with a product in place and ideas on how to create at least 20 more products from just one product.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one   – Mark Twain
Read more: http://t.co/2s0gGyv

One-on-one consultations http://t.co/adHPp5y

Susan Levin, publisher/owner
Los Angeles, CA
310-822-4922 PST
______

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/speakerservices
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.levin
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanlevin
SpeakerServices Utube Channel http://tinyurl.com/2e3dzjm
______

Web Directory: Speaker Services:
http://speakerservices.com
We bring speakers/authors together with audiences

Get Listed in the Directory:
http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html

Speaker Marketing Consultations
http://www.speakerservices.com/marketing.html

Speakers’ Community –a membership club
http://www.speakerscommunity.com
60 days complimentary

Workshops/Teleclasses
http://www.speakerservices.com/services/la.html

5 Ways to Use LinkedIn Groups to Build Influential Connections

By Stephanie Sammons via Social Media Examiner

If you want to build truly influential relationships online, you have to find places where you can consistently add value, spend quality time and have engaging conversations with members of your target demographic.

LinkedIn Groups offers one of the best ways to make the most of your social media engagement time, but you must adopt the right strategy to be successful. This article will show you how.

LinkedIn allows you to join up to 50 groups, but you can’t possibly be effective and spend enough time to make a difference in 50 groups.

What works best is to focus your time and effort on a deep and narrow approach in order to build influence within LinkedIn Groups, enhance your credibility and generate new connections.

Read more

By Mike Sachoff – Tue, 11/23/2010 smallbiznewz.net

Susan note:  Would like to hear your comments.  I believe that social media is a terrific way to market yourself if done properly.

Facebook and Twitter viewed as important marketing tools

Small businesses have increased their use of social media tools and plan to focus more on those efforts in 2011, according to a new survey from Constant Contact.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) cite Facebook and 30 percent cite Twitter as important tools for marketing, up from 50 percent and 25 percent, respectively, from March. In addition the survey indicates that small businesses now see Facebook as equally important as face-to-face interactions; 62% cited face-to-face interactions as important. Traditional marketing activities, including websites, email marketing, event marketing, and online surveys, all saw modest increases in importance this fall.

“Today’s reality is that everyone is trying to do more with less,” said Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact.

“Small organizations don’t have the luxury of full-time, dedicated social media staff like larger companies do, but that’s not stopping them from using social media marketing to broaden their marketing reach.”

When looking for new customers, 91% cite the value and importance of word of mouth. Other online tools rate as very important as tools for finding new customers; 68.8% rate a company’s website and 58.6% rate email marketing as very important for finding new customers. Nearly 75% of respondents said they expect their businesses to grow in the next year.

“While we can’t predict the economy, we expect that small businesses will continue to survive and thrive in 2011 by finding new, innovative ways to grow their businesses using limited budget and resources,” said Goodman.

“We anticipate further adoption of social media marketing tools as a way to give added lift to other proven marketing winners, including email and event marketing.”

Great post by Wendi McNeill.  I could not agree with her comments more.

I can’t stress the importance for each and every speaker to create a strong online presence. Today about 90% or more of your buyers are going online to find their experts and you want to found quickly and easily. Below are a few tips to help you build a strong online presence.

The most obvious of course is a website. Have a site that speaks directly to your audience and one that clearly states your message so there is no confusion in the visitors mind as to what you do, what you have to offer and how you can benefit them our their audience. Make your site is easy to navigate and has all pertinent information. No flash, it not necessary and it’s a distraction plus it makes your site load slow and they will close it and move on to another website. Be sure and have your media kit online because this is where buyers want to find it. Don’t send hard copies through the mail unless requested.

Create videos and more videos! Today a lot of your marketing tools online are free or low cost so you all should be taking advantage of them because they will boost your online presence. Use YouTube to get your videos online and then copy and paste the HTML code and add the video to your website and blog. Your video can become a viral marketing campaign and be shared worldwide. It will also give the buyer a little taste of what you have to offer them.

Blog. Set up your blog and post on a regular basis you will be amazed at the results. Consistently be adding new content to your blog…search engines love new content. Many put off blogging because they feel its time consuming or they’re not sure what to blog about and this is a mistake. Remember your blog post doesn’t have to be the length of an article, it can be a short paragraph, some helpful tips or you can even share a post from another blogger, but be sure you add their blog link. Blogging will allow you to voice your opinion and stand out from the crowd and show the readers that you’re the expert in your subject matter. It builds credibility and increases exposure. You can set up a free blog platform using several blogging services.

Write articles on a regular basis, this is another top marketing technique. You are an expert and you know your subject matter very well, you speak in front of hundreds, so writing a short article on a regular basis should be a breeze for you. Once written make sure you submit it online to several article marketing submission sites and I highly suggest using EzineArticles to start. Offer your article to other bloggers who you feel may be interested, pitch your article to local, regional and national publications and add the article to your website. Remember to share your article as well with your social media followers. Article writing will expose you as an expert and give you more credibility. Your article could very well end up on a website you never dreamed possible so don’t hesitate on this one…just get it done.

Social Media. Yes we mention SM again and again and the importance of being involved with social media. This one I can go into length on but to briefly touch on it I would say that the two top and obvious ones to get involved with are Twitter and Facebook. Share high content and be helpful, this is not the place for hard selling but creating relationships and sharing your expertise. If you go the extra mile and truly share from your heart you will be amazed at the results social media marketing will bring you.

Sharpen your search engine process. Make sure you are clear on the keywords you use and be specific so buyers can find you. Most buyers will do a search when looking for an expert so make sure you don’t just have keywords such as professional speaker, workshop leader, coach or trainer. Use keywords that fit your subject matter.

Sign up box. Don’t forget to add this to your website. You can do all the marketing in the world but if you do not have a way to capture your visitors email and name it can be for waste. Your site has many purposes but the top two are going to be to showcase and grow your mailing list. Don’t use your ezine to entice visitors to sign up this doesn’t work anymore. Offer them something of value; create urgency as to why they need to sign up for it NOW. Be very target specific and let it speak directly to your audience.

Have a monthly ezine that you share with your readers. It’s important to stay in touch with your readers and always giving and sharing helpful content. Don’t oversell in your ezine or you will find people opting out. You want to provide information that will help them grow or solve their problems. Be a resource for them, let them come to like, know and trust you this will open the doors to communication, relationships and many opportunities.

Become a Media Magnet. With this I mean get yourself out there and everywhere so the media eventually comes to you for interviews and guest spots. The more media attention you can get via radio, TV, publications, etc. the more you will build your exposure and credibility. This will open many, many doors for you including speaking events and product sales. If your new to this start little by contacting your local media outlets and when you have done a few move on to regional and then national. Don’t forget about all the online media outlets as well. You want to become the ‘Go To’ expert in your field. Also, make sure you add all your interviews, guest spots, etc. on your website because this will build your platform and shows visitors that you are the expert they seek.

Send out Press Releases. You can do this to announce your upcoming events, new products, teleclasses, workshops, etc. If you have news to share be sure and get it out there via a press release and there are many free press release submission sites, simply do a Google search.

The above are just a few ideas and there are so many but it’s important to get yourself out there and be everywhere you possibly can online. You want the buyer to find you easily so when they type in your keywords, for example: Career Transition Expert you come up in the top on the Google search results, you want to have many pages of information just on you so they can see that yes you are indeed the expert they seek.

Wendi McNeill, Founder of Charli Jane Speaker Services and has been “Opening Doors of Opportunity” for public speakers since 2002. She is an expert in positioning and marketing public speakers, a workshop leader, speaking agent and also provides experts to media professionals and buyers.

You can find Wendi and plenty of resources and tips on www.CharliJane.com and also on http://www.Facebook.com/Wendi.McNeill

An important element of your business is testimonials.  I teach my clients to collect their testimonials from their speaking engagements and add them to their marketing packets, blogs. flyers and websites.

LinkedIn has a recommendation section where you can write testimonials about your colleagues.  The following testimonials came from LinkedIn.

Here is how I will use them:  Posting it right here on my blog, adding it to my speaking coaching page on my website.

It is tricky to say I am the greatest…however, if you use a third party endorsement you can say Executive Coach, so and so said ….. Now you can add it to your bio and speaker introduction.

I love the following words.  This is how my colleagues and clients rate me on LinkedIn.

Qualities: Great Results , Personable, Creative, Expert , Good Value, Integrity

“Susan is a brilliant, dedicated and enthusiastic teacher and coach. She has helped my sister to develop professional skills in public speaking, in front of live groups and on video. Her seminars and newsletters are chock full of invaluable information yet despite her popularity, Susan treats everyone as a unique and important individual. I would highly recommend her.”
- Sigrid Macdonald, Writer , Freelance

“Susan offers a great deal of information at an affordable price. Her speaker services calls and services offer a great deal of support for speakers.”
- Jeanette Chasworth, Interior Designer

“Susan helps speakers grow in their skills and marketing capabilities. She invests her time, energy, passion and expertise to develop others. I worked with Susan at a speaker showcase and video production session in Beverly Hills, and got fantastic results from the event and the video. I highly recommend Susan to anyone who wants to boost their speaking career to the next level.”
- Gene Mage, Speaker

“Susan provides a toolbox of services and experts for the business person or author who wants to develop a revenue stream from speaking engagements. I used both her training and directory and more than doubled my speaking revenue in less than 90 days.”
- Betty LaMarr, Executive Coach, Speaker

“Susan Levin will push you into greatness. She knows what needs to be done to help you and she will make sure you get there. She has an amazing capacity to attract some of the best speakers and teachers to her seminars.”
- Gurutej Khalsa

“I had the occasion to refer a client to Susan and Speaker Services. The reports from my client were glowing, beyond her expectations. She reported tremendous value from the experience with Susan. I will refer to her again and again.”
- Rory Cohen, Founder and President , Entelekey, Inc./Take 10 now

“Through her web site, www.speakerservices.com, I have received several speaking invitations which turned into contracts. Susan is well connected in the speaking community and is willing to share her connections and vast knowledge. Whenever ANYONE asks me how to begin a public speaking career my FIRST recommendation is that they visit Susan’s web site and join her networks. Susan has also given me a great deal of personal advice which has helped me go forward in my career as a speaker and consultent. I am honored to know Susan and to have the opportunity to work with her.”
- Michael Hingson, Speaker

“Susan is a great resource for anyone who wants to expand their talents in speaking and writing. I have worked with Susan on several occasions and she has always been helpful with great advice. You can count on Susan to give you un-biased advice that is in your best interest. Her company, Speaker Services is worth your investment if you want to become a speaker or writer for profit.”
- Steve Martinez

“I first met Susan at a meeting for the National Speakers Association and heard her speak. She offers wonderful services for anyone who is thinking about becoming a speaker professionally. I recommend her services highly.
- Basia Chris, Marketive”

“Susan is just amazing at getting new speakers up and running in the profession.”
- Debra Valle, Coach

“Susan’s years of experience pay off! She is able to help clients always create a professional product that will take them to the next step on the way to their goals.”
- Camille Leon, President , WAVEgeneration

“Susan has a tremendous wealth of knowledge pertaining to the speaking world. Her events are extremely entertaining and filled with useful information from people at the highest peak in their speaking careers. I was introduced to Susan three years ago at the start of my new career. I wanted to learn how to become a more effective speaker, however life and mainly fears gave way to me avoiding a phone call to Susan. That changed a year ago when I enrolled in the Speaker’s Bootcamp. Along with Jack Barnard, Susan has taught me so much that week about the art of speaking but mainly, the spirit within me to capture my audience. I highly encourage anyone interested in learning about how to become a speaker to contact Susan and her band of merry teachers. You will be a better person for it; even just to be in her network.”
- Keav Ung , Financial Consultant , Retirement Benefits Consulting

“Susan does such an amazing job of putting on seminars that really help people improve their speaking abilities and effectiveness in any environment. She also has an ability to attract great people to her workshops so that you are surrounded by high level instructors and fellow students. I highly recommend her to anyone interested in speaking.”
- Raul Martinez

“Susan is a long-time pro when it comes to helping people get going in the speaking business, and I say that in a good way. She is constantly looking for ways to help new speakers get their acts together-literally-and to help them create successful speaking businesses. The people she hires to help her are all.”
-Alan Stafford

“Susan is incredibly generous in sharing her knowledge. Her private consultations yield great results. She also creates powerful events with wonderful networking opportunities as well as top-flight experts in the speaking industry. Susan has a deep commitment to offering high value at reasonable prices – I highly recommend her and Speaker Services!”
- Moira Shepard

“I would strongly recommend Speaker Services to anyone who is thinking about using speaking in public to enhance their business. Susan is professional, available, knowledgeable, generous and I always had an excellent return on my investment from Speaker Services!”
- Jessica Waters [Duquette]

“Susan is a tenacious networker. This manifests itself both through her exhaustive online as well as offline projects. She really spends all day, every day, keeping her ear to the ground to be aware of opportunities, best business practices and the latest useful tidbits. While this would have the potential to be distracting in another individual, in Susan it creates a comprehensive knowledge of the speaking industry at all levels and from all points of view.”
- Sam Levy, Netman

“Susan Levin is an expert in the field of Speaking and Training and has truly helped me launch my speaking career. In addition, she has connected me with phenomenal speaking opportunities and wants to see all of her clients and business associates succeed. I highly recommend Susan and her company, Speaker Services!”
- Ursula Mentjes, Author, Speaker

“I have taken Susan’s Media Speak, Speaker Summit and Market Yourself as a Speaker workshops. Susan offers AMAZING value and goes above and beyond to make sure that her students are successful. Her speaker listings are excellent. I recommend Susan as a top professional as well as a compassionate and caring person.”
-Carole Hodges, Speaker, Coach

“Susan has a passion and dedication to helping business people demonstrate their expertise through speaking and getting media attention. She knows the best people and is a wonderful resource. She really wants you to succeed.”
- Dr. Jeanette Raymond, Therapist

“Susan has been an invaluable resource for me. Because of Susan, my presentation skills have increased, my confidence as a speaker has increased and she has introduced me to wonderful people who have been tremendously helpful in other ways. This includes media experts, radio and TV hosts, etc. In addition, the video demo on my website was done by her company. If you want to make speaking a career or use speaking as a vehicle to enhance your business, choose Susan Levin as your # 1 resource.”
- Todd Creager, Therapist, Author, Speaker

“Susan is a great coach in professional development. I’ve learned a great deal from Susan Levin and her organization on public speaking presentations, self promotion, and marketing. I highly recommend her for your professional needs.”
- Susan Orosco

Just thought I would let you know that I have been getting hit after hit after hit on a comment I made on a CNN article on Professional Speaking for a living. EVERYBODY wants to know how to get their name out there.  I am letting the folks who contacted me regarding a career in speaking know about your services and the upcoming Speakers Summit. The support I have received from you has TRULY paid off.
- Marja Lee Freeman

Susan Levin is a marketing consultant for speakers and authors.  She is the owner of Speaker Services since 1992.  The online directory Speaker Services brings speakers and audiences together.  She can be reached at susan@speakerservices.com

Post from Chris Brogan

I’m presenting to the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) conference today. These people all put on conferences for a living, a multi-billion dollar industry (note: I also put on conferences), and work with an events solutions company. What they’ll want to know is how all these social media tools can improve attendance, drive collaboration, extend the value of events, without taking away any potential revenue. They’ll want a very safe path, tried and true, with a step by step understanding of what will add to the bottom line and how to avoid things that will detract.

After years of attending and running events, I can tell you that it’s all still very much a lab environment. That said, here’s what I know.

Social Media Buzzes Up Potential Attendance

Hooking Twitter to your registration system such that it tweets out a message like “I just registered for PodCamp Boston on Jun 14th. Are you coming? http://bit.ly/regpcbos” is a powerful way to get more attendance. Also distributing discount codes and early birds via that method is equally effective.

Jeff Pulver did a lot of his promotion and ticket sales via Twitter for his 140 Conference, but then again, that’s an event about Twitter and real-time social media tools of its kind. Would it work as well for a less technology-based show?

It’s hard to say. The demographics of people joining Facebook, for instance, are promising. 650,000 new people join a day, mostly within the age range of 31-55, a little more than half are women. If your show is less technology-focused, there’s still a potential that you could find attendees via Facebook, as people use the tool in many ways in their off time.

But don’t be too optimistic. I’ve yet to find reports or case studies of Facebook having as successful a conversion for attendance. If you build a fan page, it’s just another place to have to push eyeballs and hope for conversion. To the plus, there are more people visiting Facebook than your website. To the minus, they’re not as well targeted. There’s potential there, but it requires a lot of effort. And Facebook ads have shown mixed results.

What’s required is a kind of social media sherpa, who can find you the audience you seek, who can reach to them on the platforms where they are already congregating, and who can help promote in tasteful ways that fit the sensitivities of the networks where your audiences are found.

Social Media Extends Communities

There are a number of community platform tools in all price ranges that might appeal to conference organizers. Some are custom-built to tie into registration systems. Others are separate-but-robust and allow your attendees to build a profile, make meetings at the event, share media, and a whole host of other potential uses. The upside is that this gives organizers a new way to provide sponsors and exhibitors a new place to make relationships. It’s another potential property to advertise on.

To the downside, these communities are rarely heavily used. I’ve been made to sign up for them in the past (and “made to” is the key takeaway for you), and the return on effort wasn’t exactly there. They can appear to be ghost towns, which might drag down the experience of the attendees and send false signals to all involved. Some are costly and require a lot of customization before putting them into practice.

Here’s the thing about communities, bottom line: if you’re going to build one, realize that you need a community manager capable of making content, capable of keeping the “cocktail party environment” going on the site, and capable of understanding potential business introductions of value that would give all involved some yield for being there.

Video and Audio Materials Drive Awareness

Creating video for a YouTube or other video channel of your best presentations is a great way to build awareness of the event, and a way to give your sales team something to talk about when calling up prospects. It’s also a great way to help prospective attendees realize what they could see at the event. Consider the difference between a printed brochure with a bunch of heads on it versus a series of video posts that show highlights or the entire presentation of past presenters.

There are lots of great ways to use video and audio materials to drum up business. Rick Calvert and Jim Turner did this expertly for Blog World Expo, including creating many anticipatory audio podcast experiences. The double benefit of how Rick and Jim did it was that they got their influential speakers to do these pre-show activities and then those were promoted to some extent, thus driving even more potential sign-up.

Here’s where most show organizers worry that they’re giving away the show, and that they can make money on after-show DVD sales. If you’re making a killing on that business, then don’t listen to me. However, I’ve rarely seen many people tell me with a straight face that their after-show DVD sales are a huge stream of revenue, or that the prospect of trading that stream for more paying attendees wasn’t a worthwhile trade-off.

Remember: this video and audio material makes for good sales lead conversational material, not just attendee awareness.

And just sticking the video on YouTube doesn’t mean you’ll have someone knocking down the door. We can talk about all the various elements that need to go into it, including calls to action and the like, but that’ll be another time.

Nothing Is a Slam Dunk, But It All Can Work

After years of experimentation with the various shows I produce or collaborate on, there are lots of ways that social media tools can add to the experience, and there are lots of ways that it can go horribly wrong. The positives are that shows extended by social media get talked about more, get more coverage, get more exposure, and have better potential to grow using non-traditional marketing methods. The negatives are that bad news travels fast.

All in all, the recommendation is to work with someone who understands and can build the strategy around the tools, instead of just throwing a bunch of tools together that you read about in various places. There are no shortcuts to building social media into events, but the yield from taking an intelligent approach is very much worth it.

I’m always happy to talk with you about how events can be extended. Drop me a line on my contact form and I’ll get back soon.

How Have You Seen It Done, Good or Bad?

What are the ways you’ve seen companies attempt to use social media in events, and what do you like or dislike about it?

Chris Brogan advises businesses, organizations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value. You can reach him at: chrisbrogan.com

Social networking sites offer businesses and individuals both networking and marketing opportunities, all at no cost. However, if you don’t know how to make your social networking site work for you, you might end up losing business instead of gaining it! Here’s how to put your best foot forward in the cyber world:

Though there are many social media websites out there, it is important to select just two or three to focus on that will help you in achieving your business development goals.  These goals might include; branding, marketing, sales, or even branding for new talent in your organization.  Marketing 101 would suggest that you have a clear plan and definition of your objectives, strategies and tactics in order to head in the right direction.

Once you’ve selected the best two or three sites, focus on the core competencies of each.  For example, if the media is LinkedIn, consider the media’s various applications for your business.  Whether you are looking to create inside connections, find new marketing talent or build your brand, it is important to become familiar with the site and understand its full potential.   If you are interested in branding yourself as an expert in your field, check out the various LinkedIn groups that surround your industry.

Becoming an industry leader and a well known entity online is one of the newest and fastest ways to become famous. Eagerly answer questions and begin discussions that will allow people to see your expertise.  A close friend of mine used this strategy on Twitter and became known as a foremost expert in his field.  Less than one year after building his own personal brand, he was aggressively sought after for his expertise and experience in his field.

Another idea that has been of great help to me and my clients has been the use of social media shortcut sites like Tweetdeck and Ping.fm.  These sites help you save time when using social media by allowing you to send out messages simultaneously from one site.  Ping.fm actually includes Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn all in one, which is really useful for heavy users to ping all three media’s in one shot.  One benefit of Tweetdeck is that it lays out all of your activity into workable columns.  You can easily view and manipulate the messages you’ve sent, mentions you’ve had, searches you’re conducting and much more.

When using Twitter, remember that one of the most effective ways to find new clients or opportunities is to know how to effectively use the search feature.  If you are selling a product and want to know if other people are Tweeting about it or to find out what your competition is up to, this is the feature for you.  Simply type in the phrase or key words that someone might use when searching for your business and expertise, and then keep track of the search.  For example, if you are selling a CRM product called ACT, just type in the key words, “ACT OR ACT CRM.” You can also type in a phrase that relates to your search like, “What is the best CRM out there?” Either way, you have the opportunity to oversee the entire world of Twitter to see if your product is being spoken of.  Once you get a hit, you have the ability to begin a dialogue with the other party and see if there could be some business there or answer a question they might have.  This can be a powerful tool for creating new business using social media.

Many users of social media often want to know how they can judge their results. .Fortunately, there are a few useful tools out there to help in understanding your overall effectiveness with social media sites like Twitter.  Check out Twinfluence.com or Twitalyzer.com to see how you are really doing on Twitter.  These sites measure the amount of combined influence you are having on the Twitter community.  They track things like, Reach, Velocity and Social Capital, which in part defines how successful you’re being with Twitter.  As defined by Twinfluence, reach is the number of total followers a Twitterer has, which includes first and second-order followers. It is a measurement of one’s potential audience.  Velocity averages the number of first and second-order followers attracted per day since the Twitterer first established their account. The larger the number is, the faster that Twitterer has accumulated their influence.  Social capital refers to the average first-order network of a Twitterer’s followers.  It is the best way to measure how influential a Twitterer’s followers are.  By understanding where you need to focus your time and energies in order to get the best reach, velocity and social capital, the more effective you will be in obtaining the desired results.

Overall, the world of social media is changing every day.  Just when we think we have it under control, they add another feature that improves on the last.  It is an incredibly exciting time for sales and marketing people to take advantage and reap the rewards of working these media’s.  As for me, I am making new connections and creating new business opportunities everyday from using these tools.  As a speaker on social networking, I do get my share of nay-sayers and non believers in the audience from time to time, but they’ll come around.  I believe this because if they don’t, they may not be able to effectively compete in three to five years.  Whatever you might be doing with social media, stay focused on the social media’s that make the most sense for you.  By tracking and evaluating what’s working and what’s not, you will always come out better in the end.

Post by Steve Fretzin who is a networking expert and president of Sales Results, Inc.

NOTE: Workshop 10/24/09 in LA taught by Susan Levin  Social Media Marketing:  The New Frontier learn more

The New Frontier Workshop with Susan Levin

Saturday, October 24, 1-5pm, $99,  Marina del Rey, CA

Social media has profoundly altered the way we market and communicate.

Social Media Marketing is the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-create value.

Content + Context + Connections + Community = Social Media Marketing

Marketing on social networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter can help increase the size of your email list and grow your business. The key to success is making sure that members of your target market are in your network.
 
In the workshop you will learn tools, tactics and implementation techniques to:

- Build your business with social networking and increase your online visibility
- Develop a social media strategy presence across the key social media platforms
- Leverage and create content, connection, and community
- Explore why it’s never about the sale, it’s always about the relationship
- Produce and distribute content that can be shared and extends the voice of your brand, product and company
- Discover how articles writing, blogs, utube can create brand awareness and buzz

Susan Levin is the owner of Speaker Services and a marketing strategist, Her expertise includes: speaker marketing materials, lead generation, building and boosting an online and social media presence, creating speaker products and creating multiple streams of income

______________

Register: http://www.speakerservices.com/teleclasses/detail/151

310-822-4922 PST

Excellent overview of leading and coincident economic indicators for our industry including:

Submitted By Anne Thornley-Brown from LinkedIn event Planning & Management Group

Anne Specializes in Facilitated Business Team Building Retreats, Executive Retreats, Sales Rallies, & Incentive Travel

1. Group bookings lag into and lag out of major recessions.

2. Smaller groups pose less risk than larger groups.

3. Mergers, acquisitions, and the vanished.

This trend indicates fewer large players, more small bookings, and slow going until at least 2011.

4. Commercial real estate loan defaults.

5. Look to the credit markets for guidance.

If and when credit is again made available to small businesses, and even to many large AAA-rated companies, then three to six months later, the booking pace will renew.

6. Unemployment and the stock market tell us little.

7. For coincident indicators, look at capital investment and consumer spending increases, especially for durable items.

This will tell you when the meetings industry recovery will begin, although it won’t tell you where, how big, or at what price. Those final factors are localized and are market specific.

Their Impact?

- Innovative companies will seize opportunity in 2010 and 2011.

- Group rates remain low until 2012.

Read more

By Chris Crum

Network Regularly Offers Useful Tips

LinkedIn has been running a series on its company blog in which guest authors (small business owners in some cases) share some ways that LinkedIn has helped them run their businesses.

The series is clearly a way for the company to get people using LinkedIn more, but not only is this a good strategy on LinkedIn’s part for corporate blogging, it also happens to be a valuable resource for business owners who are still unsure of what they an really get out of LinkedIn, and in some cases social networks in general.

The series includes posts like:

- Helping Your Contacts Find You at the Right Time

- Gain Quick Market Awareness by Participating in Groups and Discussions

- From Concept to Execution: LinkedIn Tips to Small Business Owners

- Here’s how LinkedIn Changed the Way We Did Business

- Helping Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners Win Global Clients

The posts in this series talk about things like asking the LinkedIn community to comment on best practices in certain niches and regarding specific technologies, as well as marketing, and finding people of influence. They talk about generating leads and referrals, and even gaining some perspective on web design and navigation.

Here are a few interesting facts about LinkedIn:

- It has over 43 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world.

- A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and about half of the members are outside the U.S.

- Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.

These are just some things LinkedIn wants users to keep in mind. To benefit from LinkedIn, you’re going to have to “develop a network that lasts,” and a while back, LinkedIn VP of Marketing and Advertising, Patrick Crane shared the following tips on how to do just that:

1. Upload your address book.

2. Focus on nurturing your network by seeing what questions their asking and helping them when you can.

3. Check your network updates frequently.

4. When you find someone you want to work with, pick the strongest connection you have to introduce you. (try advanced search).

5. Write recommendations for the people you trust and respect.

The moral of the story is that you should read the LinkedIn blog on a regular basis to get a variety of helpful tips on how you can use the professional social network to benefit your business. It’s not just fluff. You can actually get some solid ideas and use them to improve your own experience. By the way, if you are still unsure about the whole social networking thing in general, this study may interest you. It shows a direct correlation between brands engaging in social media and their bottom lines.

About the author:
Chris is a content coordinator and staff writer for SmallBusinessNewz and the iEntry Network. Subscribe to SmallBusinessNewz RSS Feeds.