Speaker Services E-Zine, February 2012

http://www.speakerservices.com

Serving the community since 1992

Full-Service Coaching, Marketing & Training for Speakers, Authors, Experts, Entrepreneurs & Business Professionals

Content:

- Note from Susan Levin

- Tips and Advice

- Tweets & Blog Posts of Interest

Greetings,

We have been enjoying beautiful warm weather in Los Angeles and I have been out walking in the hood. This photo was taken as I walked along the canals in Marina del Rey.  I love the reflection in the water.

I hear this comment often from potential clients,  I can’t do this or that until every thing in perfect.  I say start with one step at a time and just do it!  My colleague Mark Victor Hansen said,  Do not  wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions.  So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.  So what are you waiting for?

We have a busy weekend coming up. On Saturday I will be teaching Market Yourself as a Speaker Workshop at the Speaker Services studio in Marina del Rey.  This workshop is  rich source of practical hands-on information for speakers, authors, entrepreneurs and coaches. Here are some of the items I will be sharing with the group:  Position, Present and Package your Message, Prospect, Market and Land Speaking Gigs, Profit from your Expertise – Create Multiple Streams of income, Craft a Presentation Package that Attracts Meeting Planners and how to Gain New Clients with the Power of  Social Media.  I have three slots open for February 4  Check it out http://t.co/vG1xhVJk 

Not in Los Angeles?  I work one on one with folks to build a customized package based on their needs. See http://www.speakerservices.com/marketing.html or  another small step would be to  purchase the workbook Market Yourself as a Speaker at the following link http://www.speakerservices.com/products/detail/94

Here’s another suggestion for folks who are on a limited budget and are taking baby steps.  Join our membership club the Speakers Community. You get 6o days for free to check out the value and benefits.  We interview two experts each month and have archived over 100 mp3′s in the library.  After 60 days it is a mere $19.95 a month.  I always say where can you get training for $10 an hour? Below you can see who the experts are that I am interviewing in February  Join now

Sunday we will be offering Video Works workshop preparing folks to create their message and feel comfortable in front of the audience plus marketing ideas.  Jack Barnard is the facilitator and he tells me he can take one more person. Sign up now

Here’s some exciting news. We have collaborated with Cindy Greenway of Hot Skills Training to offer a teleclass training for Virtual Assistants and Speakers to  learn how to find and land speaking opportunities. There is a preview call on Monday, February 6 and to our delight over 200 people have register for this call.  We think we hit a nerve! Learn more and Register here

There is a five part hands on training following the preview call in mid February and you can check it out and sign up now if you choose too.  It is very reasonable and a worthwhile investment.

Ursula Mentjes Speaker and Author of Sales Coach Now shared the following with me, Wow, everyone is so nice at the Starbucks in Culver City this morning (someone held the door open, someone else told me my hair looked nice! LOL-WOW)! Grabbing a cup of coffee before I share Selling with Intention with a new sales team. Thank you, Susan Levin, for this connection.

This could happen for you too if you are listed in Speaker Services Directory.  Ask me how.

In this e-zine Vickie Sullivan shares  the buzzword you will  hear more of:  meeting architecture. Dan Poynter talks about Apple Unveils iBooks Author and Kindle Publisher Tools and  an interesting post from Forbes Magazine about Three trends that change business: Mobile, Social and Cloud by Maribel Lopez.

Let me know how I can help you Speak Your Way to More Business.

Susan Levin, Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com

310-822-4922 PT

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Introducing  Speaker & Author

Julie Orlov

Psychotherapist and author of The Pathway to Love shows how to navigate relationships to true intimacy and power, and how they can reveal the perfect conditions you need to heal, grow and transform your life.

Communication, Empowerment, Personal Development, Relationships, Womens Issues  See speaker listing 

See all of our Speakers and Authors

________

In the Speakers Community for February

Join us for 60 days for free.  We interview two experts each month in a teleclass format and have archived over 100 mp3′s in the library.  After 60 days it is $19.95 a month.  I always say where can you get training for $10 an hour?  Join now

February 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.


Corporate sponsors are looking for speakers to connect with audience and help promote their brands. As a matter of fact, sponsorship is a $17 Billion per year business, even though sponsorship marketing is in its infancy. Learn more/register

Feb 29, Making Mobile Marketing Work: Best Practices, Mary Barnett 

Are you ready for Mobile Marketing?


Mary Barnett will share key strategies and the information you need for get started with mobile marketing.

Designing a mobile marketing strategy is not simply a collection of isolated mobile campaigns. It involves the integration of mobile into all your digital and traditional marketing channels.  Learn more/register

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TIPS/ADVICE/RECOMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDATION:

Clifton Andersons book:  A Year Wiser: 365 days of inspiration to Create a Phenomenal Year 

Excerpt: Inspiration 91

Laughter is power.  When you laugh, you show that you are above your circumstances.  When you laugh, you disarm tension and sneer at stress.  When you laugh, you nourish your soul with natural medicine.  When you laugh, you are choosing to be happy.  When you laugh, you are saying that you know you will look back on this one day and laugh, so why wait?  The book can be purchased at http://clifton-anderson.com/products/

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Check out Mark Mikelats, Speakers’ Lounge, mark@buildingaspirations.com 

Get his free newsletter weekly with leads. Recent leads.

Canada. The Professional Development Summit needs speakers for their event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on April 18, 2012.  For more information see: http://www.pdsummit.ca/

and

The Special Libraries Association needs expert speakers in the area of Mobile Apps for government.  This event is in Chicago, IL July 18, 2012.  Your proposal is due by February 20, 2012.  For more information see: http://tinyurl.com/7afqsbb

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Ideas for building a platform — Alyson Stanfield

Chris Brogans recent article, 97 Ideas for Building a Valuable Platform should be consumed and dissected by anyone trying to find an audience these days.

Among my favorites of the 97 ideas:

9. It is hard to create consistently without inspiration.

26. AUDIO is the secret to better video.

31. If you are the same as everyone else, how will we notice you?

56. The more you care about the success of others, the more you will be successful.

76. There are very few successes in the world that happened as solo acts.

These, and the other 92 ideas, are expanded upon in this post: chrisbrogan.com/97

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Three trends that change business: Mobile, Social and Cloud

Post in Forbes by Maribel Lopez

Businesses faces a dynamic landscape where both customer and employee demands are changing.  The world is changing, and there are three market shifts that are driving this change  mobile social and cloud. These trends change what we connect, how we connect and how we transact.

Obviously mobile is changing what is connected. We are moving beyond laptops and smartphones. It is moving to billions of connected devices as we connect tablets, cars, machinery and medical equipment. Ericcson and Cisco estimates there will be 50 billion connected devices by 2020 as we look to add sensors in just about everything. These devices can be as sophisticated as a tablet or as simple as a sensor that monitors humidity. Read on http://onforb.es/yfoxdn

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APPLE UNVEILS iBOOKS AUTHOR, Dan Poynter

TO RECEIVE THIS NEWSLETTER F-R-E-E, sign up at

http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/resources/newsletter.cfm

iBooks Author is a tool for building interactive textbooks, although it can be used to create other ebooks as well. Download free at http://bit.ly/AcvI9G

iBooks Author includes templates for ebook layout, offers a WYSIWYG-style editor, supports adding multimedia content and interactive features, and Imports from Word and Pages.

Books can be previewed in iBooks on the iPad, exported directly to Apples iBookstore, saved in iBooks format for sharing, or exported to PDF. Apple is restricting sales of books created with its app to the iBookstore.

iBook Author is available as a free download at Apples Mac App Store.

http://bit.ly/xZiqco

http://bit.ly/wESv9M

http://bit.ly/wnIGm2

http://bit.ly/AjN0r3

One more tip from Dan Poynter

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KINDLE PUBLISHER TOOLS WITH KF8 AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD NOW

Kindle Publisher Tools – KindleGen and Kindle Previewer with Kindle Format 8 (KF8) support are now available for download. Kindle Format 8 is Amazons next generation file format offering a wide range of new features and enhancements  including HTML5 and CSS3 support that publishers can use to create all types of books. KF8 adds over 150 new formatting capabilities, including drop caps, numbered lists, fixed layouts, nested tables, call outs, sidebars and Scalable Vector Graphics – opening up more opportunities to create Kindle books that readers will love. Kindle Fire is the first Kindle device to support KF8 – in the coming months KF8 will be rolled out to the latest generation Kindle e-ink devices as well as the free Kindle reading apps. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000729511

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MEETING OVERALLS ARE COMING,  Vickie Sullivan www.sullivanspeaker.com

Source: http://www.meetings-conventions.com/career-development/articles/reinventing-meetings/a44670.aspx

Like everything else, the structure of meetings and conferences are being overhauled.  And that is  a good thing.  In the good old days, structure stayed the same, then content was plugged in.  What is happening now and in the future: the structure will be designed around learning and experience.  The buzzword you will  hear more of:  meeting architecture.

Yes, the economy is driving these shifts.  But so is a belief we all need to be aware of:  buyers believe that everything they need to know is online.  Yep, our content is not ours anymore.  It is out there and anyone can take it.  So the emphasis now is on interaction and learning.  And we are not talking about using Twitter and text to ask questions.  Think: 30-minute presentations followed by 30-minute breaks.

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TWEETS OF INTEREST

- indle ebooks, copyrights, and your rights as an author when someone steals your work – http://t.co/PSphlHwn

- 2 Critical Elements Every Homepage Must Have [Infographic] http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31097/12-Critical-Elements-Every-Homepage-Must-Have-Infographic.aspx via @HubSpot

- Are you passionate about what you speak about? Short video http://bit.ly/zQG1Wf Customized marketing packets & 1 hour strategy sessions too.

- New Apps to Manage Your Social Networks | Social Media Examiner http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-new-apps-to-manage-your-social-networks/ via @smexaminer

- Are you a storyteller? Good stories allow audiences 2 add visual & emotional components 2 their assimilation http://bit.ly/wgJj9U #speaking

- The 50 Best Bookstores in the United Kingdom  really neat list http://askthebooksellers.com/united-kingdom-independent-booksellers Collaboration & will let our peeps know abt it soon.

- 3 Ways to Promote a Spiritual Book – good stuff here http://askthepublicist.com/3-ways-to-promote-a-spiritual-book

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’m asking the person I’m speaking to 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’m 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, semi­annual? We want to find out how many opportunities a year this prospect may have to hire us.

10. Is there anything that I haven’t 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’s 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! She can be reached in the following ways:

Lois@BookMoreBusiness.com

Everyone knows that times have changed. This includes prospecting. They used to say, “It’s a numbers game.” Not any more…

Prospecting: It’s All in the Process…
By Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling™

Most companies have processes in place for everything… except for prospecting. Managers tell representatives to “go make calls.” And if the representatives are not getting results, well then, make more calls.

Unfortunately in 2011 going into 2012 sheer volume of calls alone is simply not enough to successfully build a sales pipeline. In 2011 going into 2012 it’s imperative to have a process in place to develop and then manage the pipeline.

Here are the elements to have in place to ensure maximum results:

Definitions and parameters of what makes a qualified prospect. Too many representatives waste too much time calling inappropriate prospects.

How many times will a representative reach out to any individual prospect? Most representatives decide after the fact whether or not they’ll call any particular prospect again. They look at the lead and the history and decide, “I’ve called this one enough.” Deciding after the fact makes it impossible to have a good prospecting strategy.

Voice mail. Are representatives leaving messages? If so, how many and what is the frequency? What are they saying? Too many representatives make these decisions on the fly and so if they do leave messages, the messages are not powerful enough to entice the prospect to return a call.

Email. Is the representative going to approach the prospect via email? If so, how many emails will that representative send and what is the frequency? What do the emails say? Too many representatives make these decisions on the fly and so do not send powerful prospecting emails. Prospects then don’t respond, or if they do it’s a negative response.

Complete scripting for introductions, voice mail messages and templates for all emails. This is too important to leave to chance.

Metrics. Most companies measure revenue but not the activity that leads to revenue. For any prospecting campaign measurements must include, Dials, Conversations and Appointments (or Dials, Conversations and New Opportunities.) Software is the only way to track this. If you don’t have metrics you don’t actually know what works. If you’re a manager, you also don’t know what your team is doing.

In order to succeed in 2011 going into 2012… it’s all about the process.

Note: Prospect & Land Gigs Now  taught by Susan Levin & Jean-Noel Bassior (one-on-one or group sessions)

Success strategies for you and your staff. Identify target markets and decision makers. Learn how to leave voice messages that get call-backs.

SPEAKER SERVICES UPDATE

Connecting speakers and authors with audiences since 1992

http://www.speakerservices.com

NEED A SPEAKER, AUTHOR OR EXPERT FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT?

SEE a very short video on how to book our speakers.  Click here to view.

CONTACT OUR SPEAKERS DIRECTLY
No agent, no agencies, no middle-men

Visit Speaker Services and browse our ONE-SENTENCE TAGLINES for a thumbnail description of each expert.  Want to know more? One click lands you on a brief, information-packed write-up with a direct contact number an e-mail address. It’s that quick and easy.

or

Search by Category or Name , Speakers for Free (locally for free) or Fee and Authors’ Speak. Now you can search by location.

Feel free to call me with any of your speaking or training needs.

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

Update 9/28/11

Hello,

I was going to save the following information to share with you at the beginning of the month. However, it was so right on that I just could not wait to share it with you.  You see I posted the following two items around on social media and received many comments and I felt this might be of great interest to you now.  Business is changing rapidly and we need to keep our finger on the pulse of the industry.  The is a compelling post Your Conference Audience Is Dead Velvet Chainsaw | Midcourse Corrections, jhurt@velvetchainsaw.com

It used to be that face to face presentations were one of the most important places people would go to get new, cutting-edge, critical information.

They would pay a conference registration fee, airfare, lodging and expenses to attend a conference just to get that new information.

But that has changed with the click of the mouse.

Information Is Ubiquitous

People no longer need to go to presentations to get information. They can Google it.  Or Bing it.

They can get it from blogs, enewsletters, ezines, Facebook, LinkedIn, online reports, Scribd, Slideshare, Twitter or other websites. The thought that your organization has exclusive content that can not be found elsewhere online is absurd and in denial.

Content is now dispersed across multiple platforms and our engagement with it is more fleeting. Our personal habits now control our flow of information. Our willingness to commit to 60- to 90-minute presentation to get a piece of critical information has decreased.

With the proliferation of information everywhere, audiences look for other things to do at your conference. They look for opportunities to become participants, to collaborate, to network and to share.

Read the rest and the bottom line.

My colleague speaker and marketing consultant Lois Creamer, Book More Business wrote the following How to be a Multi-thousandaire Like Me! I can not stand some of the promotions we see promising Make a Million doing this, that or whatever.  In fact, usually I do not even believe the person promoting the event has ever seen a million, forget making a million.

As for me, I am a multi-thousandaire and happy. Do not get me wrong, I would not mind becoming a millionaire. I am just a realist. Truth is, most speakers and consultants I know are more like me in the money department. That said, I love to hang around with people who are much smarter, richer and funner than me. Funner? Is that even a word? It should be if it is not.  Read the rest of the blog post.

I would like to hear your thoughts on the above.

Very powerful information here.  It is as if they put words in my mouth.  I read this information with great interest as this is exactly the way I have been running my business since 1992.

We market and train experts who want to grow their business and income through speaking.  We never promise that they will get 99 clients in 99 days or make a 7 figure income right off the bat. We start at the very beginning if need be and teach our business folks how to put together a compelling talk that can create lead generation.  When ready we can market them to organizations, companies and associations who want them to speak to their audiences.  We accomplish this through a listing in Speaker Services directory.  Our team can write marketing materials, train your VA’s or assistants how to prospect for gigs for you as well as how to leave a voice message that gets you a call back.

Did you know that we offer a complimentary session on speaker marketing? I will give you content and answer your question and make recommendations as to how we can assist you further.  If you are interested e-mail me susan@speakerservices.com and I will schedule an appointment for you.

Make sure to visit our website http://www.speakerservices.com .

If you are in S. California and you are ready to learn how to master your message and market your message and prospect for speaking engagements then sign up right now for the following $99 event.

See program and registration at: http://www.speakerservices.com/talkupyourbizla

Gain Credibility, Boost Your Visibility And

Get More Clients By Talking Up Your Business

These days, if you are a would-be speaker, a business hotshot, an entrepreneur or a network marketer; if you have a product, service or about-to-be-realized dream; you absolutely need to be speaking about it, do seminars & workshops about… you need a kick-butt website, you need to blog about, to social network about, to get great publicity about and you definitely need to know all the up-to-the-minute marketing tricks!

In short: to truly make a lasting impact, you need to be a media maven: a compelling presenter…a website wizard…a publicity hound…a master marketer.

- FIND the niche that suits your passion and skills and what is uniquely marketable about your mission

- PRODUCE presentations that captivate and attract attention…motivate action and get results

- LEARN marketing secrets and strategies to show you how to attract and reach your ideal clients

- IMPLEMENT the latest technologies: social media, blogging, mobile marketing, video, YouTube to boost your visibility

- MASTER the art of speaking and selling with intention

Talk Up Your Business brings together four state of the art experts in their respective fields:

Susan Levin, Jack Barnard, Ursula Mentjes, Jean-Noel Bassior

Date:  Monday, October 17, 9am-5:30pm, Venice, CA
Investment $99, Seating Limited

See program and registration at:

http://www.speakerservices.com/talkupyourbizla

A Speaker Services Production

See you at Talk Up Your Business LA

Susan Levin
Speaker Services
susan@speakerservices.com

Speakers, Authors, Consultants, Coaches,
Experts, Entrepreneurs, CEO’s

Gain Credibility, Boost Your Visibility And
Get More Clients By Talking Up Your Business

These days, if you’re a would-be speaker, a business hotshot, an entrepreneur or a network marketer; if you have a product, service or about-to-be-realized dream; you absolutely need to be speaking about it, do seminars & workshops about… you need a kick-butt website, you need to blog about, to social network about, to get great publicity about — and you definitely need to know all the up-to-the-minute marketing tricks!

In short: to truly make a lasting impact, you need to be a media maven: a compelling presenter…a website wizard…a publicity hound…a master marketer.

• FIND the niche that suits your passion and skills — and what’s uniquely marketable about your mission
• PRODUCE presentations that captivate and attract attention…motivate action and get results
• LEARN marketing secrets and strategies to show you how to attract and reach your ideal clients
• IMPLEMENT the latest technologies: social media, blogging, mobile marketing, video, YouTube to boost your visibility
• MASTER the art of speaking and selling with intention

Talk Up Your Business brings together four state of the art experts in their respective fields:

Susan Levin, Jack Barnard, Ursula Mentjes, Jean-Noel Bassior

Date:  Monday, October 17, 9am-6pm, Venice, CA
Investment $99, Seating Limited

See program and registration at
http://www.speakerservices.com/talkupyourbizla

A Speaker Services Production

You do know Speaking is a business and you know you need to know the nuts and bolts of marketing yourself as a speaker?

Here’s an opportunity for you to get the marketing blueprint and the overview of the industry in a step by step process over a six month period in a virtual group setting that will catapult your speaker marketing business at a most affordable investment and keep you accountable.

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.

Perhaps you have some of the marketing materials but not all or you need a make-over or a review or you are simply starting from the beginning.  That’s fine.

What you do know I hope is that you are an expert in your field and you have tons of content to share however you don’t have a marketing plan in place to monetize your business.

Okay here is the information for the group which is forming right now.

Marketing Works Mastermind/Study Virtual Group – Level 1
facilitated by Susan Levin

Begins August 4, 2011, noon to 1:30pm PT or 3pm-4:30 ET

6 month program includes:

Mastermind/Study Group

6 – 90 minute sessions once a month with Susan Levin

Meets first Thursday of the month beginning on July 7 2011 on the telephone at noon PT – 3pm ET

- 6 Months in the SPEAKERS’ COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP CLUB audio/mp3 library- 2 expert interviews a month plus 4 years of mp3’s in the audio/mp3 library

Bonuses:
5 mp3′s and 4 PDF’s

- MP3-The Business of Speaking, Susan Levin
- PDF

- The Business of Speaking 16 page Special Report

- MP3- Connect, Get Hired by Meeting Planners, Kare Anderson

- MP3  Creating One-Sheets, Karen Saunders

- PDF  All About One Sheets – 24 page report

- PDF  Powerful Verbs That Add Persuasion to Your Writing

- MP3  Online Video Marketing Strategies,  Susan Levin and Reno Lovison

- PDF  Social Media Marketing Report

– 33 page report
- MP3 Self Publish or Main Stream Publish?  Jean-Noel Bassior

and more

_______
Mastermind/Study Group Sessions:

1  What will you speak about-what are you passionate about, what’s your niche, lead generation
2  What planners look for – various elements for your web or blog sites
3  One Sheets gathering all the materials
4   Your introduction
5   About Social Media & Speaking
6   Info Products

Total Value of this six month program is $2,000

Your investment $697

Pay in full
____   1 payment $697
____   3 monthly recurring payments $234
____   6  monthly recurring payments of $116

To register for a workshop or for more information: http://bit.ly/jXEUmT

_________

View a few videos with Susan speaking about Speaker Marketing

_________

Susan Levin is a great mentor with great experience to share and a great heart to match!
- Melissa Evans, Speaker/Author
______

Susan is the reason that I have a career! I have been honored to mentor with her through Speaker Services. She has provided me with the best training anyone could get. I value her friendship and expertise.
- January Jones, Speaker/Author

Got questions?  Call me 310-822-4922 PT

Sat, April 9

Market Your Business with Social Networking Workshop, Susan Levin, $99

Interactive hands on workshop 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.

Don’t get left behind.

LEARN MORE: http://t.co/b4WMNt2
_____

Sat, April 16

Prospecting, Marketing & Landing Speaking Engagements, Susan Levin also offered as a 4 part Teleclass/Webinar series 4/14-5/5. $197
Getting speaking gigs can be a mysterious and frustrating process, particularly if you don’t have much experience.

Decision-makers today are busier than ever and difficult to find. Gatekeepers screen calls, spam filters trap emails and voice mail blocks access.

LEARN MORE: http://t.co/e2Zjti6

Sat, April 30

Market Yourself as a Speaker, Susan Levin, $125

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.

LEARN MORE: http://t.co/bj7FMCb
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Sat, May 7

Low Cost Ways to Convert Your Expertise into Creative, Easily Implemented Information Products & Services Workshop, Susan Levin & Guests  $125

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.

LEARN MORE: http://t.co/2s0gGyv
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Upcoming Save the Dates:

May 20

Speak your Way to More Clients, Susan Levin & Ursula Mentjes

Capistrano Beach, CA

______

June 11

Speakers Summit in Atlanta

SPEAKER SERVICES
Susan Levin, 310-822-4922, susan@speakerservices.com

One of the biggest questions I get asked is:  How do I find paid speaking engagements?

SPEAKING IS A BUSINESS and there are many moving parts to the business and there is no short answer to the question.

If you are committed and passionate about your area of expertise and want to earn money as a speaker I will teach you.

Teleclass Series, 4 Thursdays, April 14, 21, 28, May 5, 2011 or One day Workshop in Los Angeles, Saturday, April 16, 2011 I am passionate about sharing my knowledge. My hourly rate is $250 an hour and I am offering you the information for only $197.

Okay here’s the information see for yourself if it resonates with you.

Getting speaking gigs can be a mysterious and frustrating process, particularly if you don’t have much experience. Decision-makers today are busier than ever and difficult to find. Gatekeepers screen calls, spam filters trap emails and voice mail blocks access.

Here is what I will be covering how to:

- Identify your target market

- Discover the problem that you solve for your clients and the best way to communicate it to the decision maker

There’s no point in being a fine marketer until you have expertise to offer. And your expertise has gotta be in a specific niche. A niche where folks with cash in their jeans recognize your value and are willing to invest in what you alone know. Here’s how to select your niche: identify the topic or issue in which you’re willing to do endless and ongoing research for a market with the means to pay you. – Burt Dubin

- Prepare a speaker/author presentation package which includes a one sheet overview that shares the benefits of hiring you and gets you booked

- Design an effective speaker website that gives a meeting planner everything they need to decide that you are the perfect speaker for their event

- Understand how decision makers decide who gets onstage

- Tips and strategies to show you how to attract and reach prospects

- Develop a voice mail message that gets your call returned

- Generate questions that will sustain the interest of the decision maker and move them to action to hire you - , organizations colleges and meetings and key contact people that work with your specific area of expertise.

- Learn to respond an effective response for a call for speaking proposals

- Top ways to make money public speaking

- Set fees and write contracts

- Explore directories that are published with lists of all the paying markets within a niche

-  Implement social media marketing concepts and establish relationships that boosts your visibility

- Understand how publicity and media can lead to speaking engagements Critical Elements of producing a speakers’ video demo

_________

REGISTER FOR 4 PART TELECLASS SERIES beginning 4/14-5/5 http://t.co/e2Zjti6

______

REGISTER FOR 1 DAY WORKSHOP IN LA 4/16

http://t.co/e2Zjti6 _

________

ABOUT SUSAN LEVIN Susan Levin is the owner of Speaker Services. Her company markets, trains and connects professionals with audiences through the online directory www.speakerservices.com. She is a speaker, workshop leader 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.

Susan has worked with hundreds of business folks, entrepreneurs, experts, speakers, authors and coaches since 1992. Her advice and marketing strategies are guaranteed to dramatically increase your income and success in speaking and marketing.

What Clients are Saying:

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

Susan Levin is the Holy Grail for speakers, whether they are just beginning or already making good money. She offers training in everything you need to know: putting your presentation together, writing a book, getting speaking leads and especially how to market yourself in the most current ways, including video and social media. She’s made a huge difference in my speaking career and in the fees I make from speaking, and I can’t recommend her highly enough. – Barbara Niven , Actress, Speaker and Presentation Coach

See short video marketing tip on how PR can land you speaking engagements

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
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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

By Vickie K. Sullivan, Contributing Editor

Want to speak more at industry conferences? Associations are using social media to become the voice of their industry. Read on to learn the top three ways they are participating in Web 2.0 activities and, more important, how you can use their efforts to get the inside track on speaker selection.

YouTube

Last year, Omnipress surveyed 325 association executives and consultants about using social media for conferences and learned this blinding flash of the obvious: the associations’ top objectives are to increase buzz and attendance for their meetings. Enter YouTube.

Many associations already produce videos for education and member outreach. They also look to their speakers to help promote their events. A great way to show that you are ready for your close-up is to create videos and give them to the associations to distribute.

Generate Business via Speaking Engagements Turning Your Audience into Clients: How to Generate Leads from Your Speaking Engagements Want More Business? Speak Up! Speaking in the Big Leagues: How to Get High-Fee Speaking Engagements

But be warned: don’t even think of using a talking head format. That format and one-on-one interviews don’t cut it anymore. Instead provide a “humorous-with-insights” take on industry concerns. It will be a hit and will put you on the inside track with decision makers.

These videos demonstrate that you have a unique perspective, and they help you become known among attendees even before the conference starts. That prominence creates a high buzz factor and makes you a conduit for more attendance.

Sponsored Online Communities

Another “duh” finding from the Omnipress study: 80% use some type of free social network such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. This kind of easy entry is good news. Only staff time is needed to maintain the group interaction. The challenge: getting heard above all the noise.

You do that by being strategic. My best clients use the “learn, lurk, and link” strategy. Here’s how it works:

• Learn: don’t do a thing until you go to the publication section of the association’s website. This will give you the latest challenges of the industry, as well as the latest thinking. Then ask yourself: what can I add to this conversation that hasn’t been said before?
• Lurk: go to the community and just listen in. Don’t respond at first. Look past the comments and check out the authors. Are they board members? Opinion leaders? Create a targeted list of the top guns. These are the folks you want to follow. Respond to others as time permits.
• Link: now is the time to strike. Add your comments and include material you have not presented before. Lead with your best strength, such as original research findings, lessons you learned from prominent clients (especially if they are well-known to the group), killer sound bites—whatever makes you stand out. Also reach out to your targeted list by asking questions and inviting them to join in the conversation. If they like what you have to say, these buyers will check out your website, ask to publish your special reports, etc. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Whatever you do, don’t promote your services, events, speaking engagements, or anything else in association communities. Why not? Two reasons: first, many association leaders are already sensitive to promotion by service providers. The bar is set unfairly high, and the hit to your brand is not worth it. And second, there are already too many spam-like posts, and they are ignored, too. That’s one group you don’t want to be linked with.

Instead, hook the powers-that-be first with content, then privately suggest that this could be a good speaking topic. Or privately offer a sneak peek of your newest video about the latest challenge (see above) and offer to do something similar with the association.

Hosted Online Communities

Why do associations spend substantial staff time and budget to create their own networks? It’s because when you own the structure of social interactions, you own the community. And that’s what 35% of associations have done, according to the Omnipress survey.

Hosted communities can be tied to a trade show, conference, or the association in general. Either way, they are a target-rich environment for experts looking for speaking leads within a particular industry.

The biggest challenge is getting access to these communities, as most are closed. If you have access as an exhibitor, the “learn, lurk, and link” idea works well here. Remember, anything remotely promotional can be fatal. The bar here is higher than on the free forums.

If you don’t have access to an association’s community, do an end-run by joining forces with your favorite clients. Their access and third-party endorsement can go a long way. Your clients can quote you, tell stories about what they learned from your work, or pass along that funny new video.

And don’t forget that targeted list. If you’ve hit it off with anyone in the community, ask if you can participate. Most will make exceptions if they trust you won’t over promote.

Prove Yourself

Association buyers choose speakers who are proven to their members. When you showcase your perspective to the opinion leaders through videos and conversations, you generate interest. And interest generates the next step, usually a visit to your website. If your topics fit the theme, and your demo video shows compelling footage, a speaking invitation isn’t far behind.

Sponsorship: Tips on Finding, Contacting and Securing Sponsors by Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D.

Oftentimes, budgets are limiting when planning a conference, meeting or convention. Meeting planners have the option of trimming back on spending the money they have available or they can seek additional funding. Corporate sponsors frequently are located to boost the budget, thus allowing more resources to go towards programming.

Many of Rosemarie’s clients have successfully obtained sponsors for her speaking services. They have told her how surprisingly easy it was to make a few phone calls to selected vendors.

A sponsor is a company or organization that can benefit from having exposure to your association or organization and can channel resources through its marketing budget to your organization. Sponsorship is not a donation! It is important when you ask for sponsorship that you don’t ask for a donation. Sponsorship is not a handout, but rather you should look at it as a handshake, or relationship builder. Sponsorship is an exchange relationship.

The sponsor gives you needed funds to put on your program and you provide a valuable marketing opportunity. The exposure that you are giving the sponsor will lead to more business for the sponsor. Sponsorship is a win-win situation! The sponsor receives exposure to their target market and you receive funding for the program!

Identify a sponsor based upon their need to be known and recognized to market their products or services to your group. You should think about using more than one company or organization to co-sponsor a program.

To assist you in locating sponsors to have Rosemarie speak at your conference, here are some suggestions.

1. Know what amount you are requesting and the benefits of sponsorship before making the contact.

2. Make a list of potential sponsors and research information about them.

Brainstorm a list of potential sponsors during your program planning committee meetings. Begin making this list early! It takes time to solicit sponsors. Your best resource for finding sponsors is your own members. Who do members of your organization have a relationship with? Who do the members purchase products and services from? Who supplies your organization with products and services?

Look at your current vendors and suppliers. Utilize those relationships. Don’t leave anyone off the list, someone’s realtor or insurance agent, favorite restaurant, local grocer, department store, equipment rental store, spouse’s workplace, local television or radio station, photography studio, just might want to be involved. Don’t say “no” for them; let them say “no” for themselves. Think outside the box. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce and ask for their directory of members if you run out of ideas.

Once you have a list of potential contacts, learn about your potential sponsors. Get on the Internet, read annual reports, talk to others who are familiar with the company. Sponsors appreciate you knowing about their company.

In the past, Rosemarie’s clients have been successful in obtaining sponsors to pay her fees from companies such as: insurance, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, banks.

3. Write a script of what you plan to say when making the call, sending the letter, or making the presentation.

Use these questions as a guide, and be ready to answer them in your communication with the potential sponsor. Use this script to guide you when making phone calls and presenting to each of the contacts.

• Why are they the logical sponsor?
• Who referred you to them?
• Who is your organization and what is its purpose?
• What is the date, time and location of the program?
• How many people will be exposed to the sponsor?
• How much money are you requesting?
• What will the money be used for?
• What is the nature of the program and conference?
• Who is Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D.? Why was she selected for this program? What impact will she have on this audience? What audience needs are being met by this presentation? How will this presentation improve the quality of your conference? Go to this link for her bio: http://www.rosemariespeaks.com/biography/
• How much value will they be receiving for their investment?
• What is expected of the sponsor?
• What do they need to do before the program?
• What must they bring to the program?
• What must they do at the program?
• What exposure, recognition and marketing opportunity will be provided to the sponsor that benefits the sponsor?

• Examples of Exposure and Recognition for the Sponsorship

• Listing of company name and logo in the program and registration materials
• Display signs and banners in the meeting room and registration area
• Display table for literature or products
• Exhibit booth space
• Listing on the organization’s web site
• Ads in newsletter or publications
• Distribution of promotional items (Ex. pens, bookmarks, key chains)
• Company name and logo on all program related materials
• Attendee mailing list
• Opportunity to introduce Rosemarie on stage to the audience
• Their company name and logo on Rosemarie’s handout
• Opportunity to network with participants
• Opportunity to speak at the conference
• Recognition at the program for a representative of the group to stand up in the audience
• Certificate of participation
• Mention of sponsorship in press releases

4. Write a letter and/ or phone the sponsor, and visit them.

Personally contact everyone on the potential sponsor list. A phone call will be needed as a follow up to sending a letter. Schedule a meeting with them if possible. Your success rate is highest when you talk to each contact.

It helps if someone in your group has a personal contact first. Utilize this relationship. Ask them to get involved. Practice what you will say on the phone.

Sample letter:

Date:

Name and Address of Sponsor:

Dear (Name of Sponsor’s Contact Person):

(Organization’s name) would like to give you an opportunity to have exposure and recognition at (Name of the program) on (Date of program) being held at (Location of the program). We have selected you to be a sponsor for our keynote speaker, Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D. Rosemarie has been selected by our program committee in order to inspire the audience to achieve their goals and take charge of their lives. Her message of hope will touch hearts, lift spirits, and inspire action. You can find out more about her by going to her web site at: www.RosemarieSpeaks.com

We anticipate that there will be (Number of people attending). This is a great venue for you to have a presence. I believe that your presence as the sponsor of this program sends a message of caring and support for our organization. Clearly this is a unique marketing opportunity for (Name of company or organization). For your investment of (List dollar amount), you will receive the following benefits:

(Listing of exposure, recognition and benefits)

I would appreciate your response to our request by (Date) in order to secure the sponsorship. Contact me at (Phone and E-mail address).

I look forward to your support.

Sincerely,

(Your name)
(Your signature)
(Your title)
(Your contact information including phone and E-mail, or print on stationery)

5. Follow up!

Continue to make calls until you receive their answer to your request for sponsorship.

6. Accept the sponsorship funding.

7. Thank your sponsors.

Write letters of thanks to all sponsors. Keep the line of communication open. You may want to contact these sponsors again in the future.

Summary Tips When Working with Potential Sponsors

• Description: Give a brief description of your program and what you hope to accomplish. What needs do you hope to fill by Rosemarie’s presentation? Give information on Rosemarie and how she will impact the quality of your program.
• Impact: How many people will be impacted by your program? What will they take away from your program? How will it change their lives?
• Sponsorship amount: How much money is being requested and how will this money be used?
• Benefit to company: How will working with your organization directly benefit the company? Describe how the program will be promoted. The company may have advertising space in the program, brochures, or newsletters. Free booth or table space at event to showcase products or services. Attendance at program for X# of company personnel. Distribution of promotional items and networking opportunities.
• Expectations of company: Will they be introducing the speaker? Will they be providing: a cash donation, printing, postage, meeting space, conference lunches, breakout food, computer usage, audio-visual equipment use, or donation of company products? Think creatively.
• Company’s expectations of you: Make sure you are clear on what they expect from your organization in exchange for their donation. It is a good idea to have all expectations in writing.
• Timeline: Make a timeline and follow up on that timeline. Communicate with your sponsor, make sure you do what you say when you said you would do it!
• Keep good written records: Make sure that you document everything! Don’t just take promises or handshakes. Keep written records and have a method for documentation and storage of documents. It is worth the extra time and effort and your event will run smoother.

http://www.rosemariespeaks.com

Great post by Helena Bouchez in MarketingProf Today

As I always say speaking is one of the best ways to connect directly with decision makers in your industry. Following the noted guidelines will help you better connect with the decision makers who can put you in front of an audience.

Speaker  Services can assist you in preparing your marketing materials and videos so that you will be more professional.  View a short video that I created on Speaker Marketing Plans at the bottom of this page.

Getting speaking gigs can be a mysterious and frustrating process, particularly if you don’t have much experience. You know the drill: Send pithy email offering yourself up (or copiously fill out online proposal form). Hit Send. Wait.

To find out what happens during “wait,” I interviewed a few content directors and program advisers, as well as some Web-seminar and teleseminar producers responsible for booking speakers.

Here is what they said, along with some sage advice on how to increase your chances of getting that breakout gig.

Be Patient

Long lead times for live conferences and events are the rule rather than the exception. Planning typically begins at least six months ahead of time but, depending on the size of the event or industry, can begin up to a year in advance.

Heather Lloyd-Martin, owner of SuccessWorks Search Marketing and program adviser for PubCon, SEMpdx, and major Direct Marketing Association conferences, explains: “There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes…. [When we're considering a speaker, there might be additional planning and logistics, and several layers of approval needed before we can confirm the slot.

" Lloyd-Martin says they approach A-list speakers first and then contact others who they think might be a fit. But, Unknowns, take heart. Lloyd-Martin says if she thinks you will do a good job and provide a fresh voice and perspective, she will bring you on.

Web seminars and teleseminars have shorter lead times (one to four weeks for teleseminars, three to four months for Web seminars) but can be even tougher to get in on because presenting virtually is much harder than speaking in person, says Marty Fahncke, a professional speaker and president of Conference Call University.

"If you are someone who feeds off the energy of people when onstage, the Web [seminar] or teleseminar format may not be for you. Keeping a virtual presentation moving and afloat requires the ability to sustain high, high energy for the entire session.”

Be Online

To be considered for either format, a robust online footprint is essential. “The first thing I’m going to do is type your name into Google,” says Fahncke. “I really want to see a book, but at the very least I should see examples of you being quoted by the media and links to whitepapers and articles you’ve written. Next, I’ll type in a few key phrases that would make sense given your topic. If you’re truly an expert in your field, your name should appear on the first page.”

MarketingProfs’ Web-seminar producer, Shelley Ryan, adds, “It’s best if I have come across your name already on social-media and networking [sites,] such as Twitter and LinkedIn. I want to know what you’re tweeting, are you interesting, are you engaged in conversation within the industry?”

Ryan says when considering someone for a slot, she will Google a candidate’s name to see what she can find out, and go to the candidate’s website and read the bio.

As for websites, all agree that a good one may not get you the gig but a bad one can lose it for you. Ryan recounts an incident with a Web expert she was considering for a presentation.

“He had a pretty good reputation and some interesting things to say about lead generation, and I thought, Gee, maybe… To find out more, I went to his website, but I didn’t stay long. It looked like his nephew had built it for him.”

Traci Browne, president of tradeshow marketing firm Red Cedar Publicity and Marketing, books speakers for organizations, including the Business Marketing Association Philadelphia. She says she looks for online evidence of expertise but will contact the organizers of conferences in which speakers have presented to before to find out what the audience response was.

Says Browne, “In this day and age of Flip cameras, it is almost not acceptable to not have a video sample of your presentation—or several samples. We’re not looking for high production values; we just want to see if you’re a good speaker or not. A video will show us how dynamic you are.”

Lloyd-Martin says she tries to get a sense of a person’s personality and what that person will be like in front of an audience. She also emphasizes that title and position do not guarantee someone is going to be a good speaker (a statement that everyone I interviewed agrees with).

“We’ve had really high-level executives read straight from their notes, which the audience does not enjoy. They might have a fantastic message, but if people tune out, it gets lost,” Lloyd-Martin says.

To avoid that scenario, she taps her network to find someone who has heard the person speak before or has been on a panel with that person. If she doesn’t have contacts, she said, she might dig into what the person has done online.

“Everyone’s an expert and being promoted as [an] expert. But if I go online and find that the person has never written on their topic, and I can’t find any information about them beyond LinkedIn, I have to wonder if they are really who they tout themselves to be,” she says.

Make Contact

How people want to be contacted varies. For example, Ryan prefers to be contacted directly by the speaker, rather than by a public-relations (PR) person or handler.

“Talking directly to the presenter allows me to start a relationship as well as to get a sense of what that person is going to be like for a broadcast.”
She doesn’t have much patience for candidates who play hard to get. Case in point:

“If a Guy Kawasaki [founder and managing director of Garage Technology Ventures and co-founder of Alltop] or Seth Godin [best-selling author and renowned speaker] can pick up the phone and call me directly…” Lloyd-Martin doesn’t mind working with representatives but cautions, “Build a relationship with me but don’t hammer, or I’ll be thinking, If I bring on this speaker, I’ll be bringing on this obnoxious PR person, too. Can I handle that? All agree it’s a good idea to ask what the preferred form of contact is in the initial email and to abide by it.

Browne urges candidates not to underestimate the power and purpose of the online proposal application form, which she uses as a screening tool. “If speakers can’t be bothered to fill out the form, chances are they won’t put much thought into their presentation, either.”

All agree that if there is an online submission form, it’s safe to assume that is the way the organization prefers to receive your application. Other things on which the interviewees agree: (1) Email is the best way to make initial contact, and (2) dispense with the clever subject line (which might be construed as spam) and get right to the point.

If you don’t hear back within a few days, it’s acceptable to send a follow-up email. If there is still no response, then call the person to make sure the email has been received and didn’t get caught in a spam folder. Remember to leave your email address on the voice mail so the person can check.

Pet peeve: people who enable email return receipts. Don’t.

Engage

Browne says proposals from association members and those who have a booth at the show definitely carry more weight. Her advice: “If you do get a booth, rather than staffing it with a salesperson handing out tchotchkes, consider offering free 20-minute mini-consultations to discuss solutions to pain points of participants who might be prospective clients.”

Similarly, Ryan says, MarketingProfs recruits first from its network of member contributors and often will invite candidates to write an article for the site to gauge interest in the topic based on click-throughs and reader feedback.

* * *

Helena Bouchez is principal and owner of Helena B Communications

Do you know what the meeting planners want from speakers?

Listen to this short video and find out.

Susan Levin has over 18 years experience in the world of speaker marketing.  She is a marketing coach for speakers and authors and the founder of Speaker Services since ’92. Her company offers marketing and training services for professionals who are interested in growing their business or service through speaking.

http://www.speakerservices.com

Contact me for a complimentary 15 minute session – susan@speakerservices.com or call 310-822-4922 PT

 Looking for speaking engagements? 

Speaker Services Directory brings Speakers & Authors together with audiences since 1992.
WHO QUALIFIES?

Speakers for Free: Any business person or professional practitioner who wants to increase their business base.

Speakers for Fee:  We prefer that you have a 3 camera video demo, professional photos, a press kit and a fee schedule and letters of recommendation.

Authors’ Speak: Qualified authors only. Included with your speaker listing.

Now you can reach a worldwide audience of decision makers who hire speakers and authors!

Let 6,000 meeting planners and other decision makers who hire speakers and authors know about you!

GET LISTED ONLINE NOW!

Your listing includes:  500-600 word description, photo, telephone and fax number + e-mail address + website address with link + website video demo address with link.

Listed by 3-4 categories.

Call Susan Levin to discuss your speaker/marketing needs and to get listed in Speaker Services Directory 310-822-4922 PST.

Payment Plan Available

Speakers for Free
6 months $750
12 months $1,050
Buy 6 or 12 months, get 2 months free

Speaker for Fee
6 months $900
12 months $1,250
Buy 6 or 12 months, get 2 months free

Authors’ Speak
Included with Speakers for Free or Fee listing

See what our clients are saying about our services http://www.speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html
Read the entire advertising info http://www.speakerservices.com/adv_pkt_info.html

Included with your Speaker Listing:

• Market Yourself as a Speaker Workshop in LA with Susan Levin or 1 hour private consult on phone

• Complimentary membership to the Speakers’ Community Membership Club www.speakerscommunity.com for the length of your contract

• We edit your copy for you and or write it for you for a fee

• Two slots for your videos

• Short audio recording

• Link to your Blog

E-mail as doc or pdf
• Your One Sheet

• Your pitch letter or link to Media Press Room

• Bio

Call Susan Levin to discuss your speaker/marketing needs and to get listed in Speaker Services Directory 310-822-4922 PST.  E-Mail susan@speakerservices.com for listing guidelines.

by Vickie Sullivan contributing editor Rain Today

Many professional service firms will hit the speaking circuit hard to get their message out in an increasingly crowded market. Between the economic meltdown, the AIG effect, and the flood of free experts, the meetings industry has changed a lot. To help navigate this new normal, let’s take a look at what’s next for this year.

1. Meetings are back—but they are under a microscope. While there’s a collective sigh of relief that the recession is over, meeting planners know we’re not out of the woods yet. Travel and entertainment is the second-largest discretionary expense in corporate America, so meetings will continue to be a target for cutbacks. Count on every meeting expense (that includes everything from travel to industry conferences) to be heavily scrutinized. Result: attendance will still be a challenge for industry conferences. For corporate meetings, the mantra is “do more with less.”

2. The AIG effect is gone but not forgotten. Good news: the meetings industry did a great job convincing the federal government that meetings are not junkets. As a result, Uncle Sam backed off on its attack. Unfortunately, buyers are still worried about attacks by the media. That’s one of the many reasons why content will be king as decision makers tout the educational value of their events. This will raise the bar for insightful content for everyone. Reciting basic information found on the Internet and reading from PowerPoint slides will not be tolerated. What’s hot now: implemental information. In other words, they will want less theory and more tactics and ideas that can be put to use right away.

How to Earn $10,000-Plus in Keynote Speaker FeesSpeaking at Remote Events: How to Be Present When Your Body Isn’t ThereSpeak to Sell: 3 Ways to Convert Audience Members Into Clients

3. Tech-savvy audiences drive hybrid meetings. Budget cuts for travel combined with “we can do this easily” technology has opened the door to blend face-to-face events with virtual interactions. Live streaming of the keynote presentation is quickly becoming the standard. If virtual event technology continues its trajectory, look for groups to go beyond the YouTube channels and Facebook interactions and into more real-time, online virtual events.

The poster child for this idea is Cisco’s 2009 annual customer conference, which featured two full days of live webcasts of over 40 sessions, a virtual exhibit hall, and unique content just for virtual attendees. Speakers who not only are comfortable with the technology but also come with an established system to play in both worlds will get the inside track.

4. Former fire sales will continue hard negotiations on fees. When the economy tanked, buyers smelled fear and took advantage of speakers afraid of empty calendars. Because too many speakers panicked by cutting their fee to as little as 25 cents on the dollar, buyers will continue to negotiate hard, citing slashed budgets. If you expect to be paid, then be prepared for negotiation and fee resistance. Know what more you can offer, such as extra sessions and more content for virtual attendees, and when to walk away. Have a “bottom line” fee in mind so you can turn down any opportunities that won’t work.

5. Flood of free speakers will redefine who gets paid. Free speakers are like crack cocaine for association buyers: one time and they’re hooked. The mantra for these program planners will be, “Can we get this for free?” Between authors speaking to promote their books and experts who speak to sell, buyers have become used to getting good enough speakers for free and will be hard-pressed to start paying. How to beat that competition: a compelling point of view with a strong “cool person doing really cool things” brand that is in demand.

6. Buyers now look at message first, then prominence. During the boom times, the bigger the persona, the bigger the speaking fee. Message took a backseat to a speaker’s background. The recession changed those criteria, and buyers shifted their priority to information that met the meeting’s strategic objectives. For 2010, the buzzword is “return on attendance.” Program planners may love your notoriety, but if they don’t need your message right now, they will move on to someone else. Once you have someone’s attention, you need killer topics to seal the deal.

7. Free speech will get more popular and less profitable. What happens when consultants want to get famous? They write a book and give speeches to promote it. What happens when publishers pressure their authors to hit the speaking circuit? Authors will speak for free to get the gig. Add a dose of tight budgets and a crowded market (see item #5) and you get a flood of folks willing to waive speaking fees for the spotlight and leads.

More doesn’t mean merrier in this case. Flooding the market with up-and-coming gurus willing to speak for free gives buyers plenty of reasons to be choosy. Even worse: association buyers have become very sensitive to pitching from the podium. And audiences yell long and loud when they get more “buy my book” pitch than content. Prediction: speaking for free will get more expensive. This will force well-known authors to start charging higher speaking fees to buyers who no longer have a big budget. Watch for the famous to not necessarily get rich.

As a result, buyers will separate experts into two categories.

1. The ones with “nice-to-have” topics will be seen as competent and talented presenters. Buyers will tell them either “we can get this message internally (or for free)” or “we’re going in a different direction.”
2. Experts with “must-have” topics will get a different response. Buyers will approach them with “this topic is perfect for our event” instead of “we don’t have a budget.” You’ve reached “must-have” status when program planners start talking about the “when and how” you’ll speak instead of comparing you to other presenters.

And the best news of all: we get to choose which speaker we’re going to be.

Position, Prospect, Prosper – The Road Ahead

The public speaking industry has changed, including the professional speaker marketing and training that is so important to your success.
One of the most important changes that affects speakers involve the meetings marketplace. Yes it is no secret that there are less speaking engagements then in the past however it brings opportunities for change and growth in the business model that speakers employ.

The vast world of speaker potential is constantly expanding, the state of the art is in perpetual flux. There are so many new and innovative permutations, so much new leading-edge information to learn to help expand your business.

Our expert speakers and panelists will be offering tips and advice in the following areas:

• Discover your niche that suits your passion and skills
• Create content that meets the needs of your audience.
• Leverage Social Networking skills to grow your business
• Get Paid to speak at High Schools & Colleges
• Make an extra $250,000 to $1,000,000 a year with high impact coaching programs
• Repurpose, produce and distribute content that can be shared and extends the voice of your brand, product and company
• Passion to Profits
• Prospecting for speaking engagements: Systematize the booking process
• Bypass Gatekeepers and Voice mail & Reach Your Prospect Directly
• Explore why video is one of the best forms of viral marketing

Take a look at the program http://www.speakerservices.com/speakerssummit10/program.html

Barbara Niven, Speaker, Actress

It is important to invest in your training and this event is a mere $297 or $397 after 2/26

Listen to preview teleclasses

Post from Kare Anderson for Business@HomeJournal

Even the most time-pressed business owner can attract more customers with less effort through the right cross-promotions. Why? Because when you join forces with other credible people who also reach your market you can reach your customers more efficiently, credibly and memorably with the right offers and services.

To stand out from their competition in a crowded advertising marketplace, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies are enthusiastically adopting this nimble approach to “outmarket” bigger competitors. Their cross-promotions include “bundled” offerings, joint media appearances and events, and unconventional cause-related marketing. It might also include collaboratively produced how-to’s and other resource booklets and videos, co-branding, coop advertising, and shared space.

Cross-promotion has the potential for a big marketing payoff because partners can successfully expand through each other’s customer base. They can gain an inexpensive and credible introduction to more of their kind of customer more effectively than with the traditional “solo” methods of networking, advertising, or public relations.

Here are some low-risk and high-opportunity ways to jump-start your first cross-promotion:

* Print joint promotional messages on your receipts.

* Offer a reduced price, special service, or convenience if customers buy products from you and your partner.

* Hang signs or posters promoting one another on your walls, windows, or products.

* Mention one another’s benefits when you speak at local events or are interviewed by the media.

* Drop one another’s flyers in shopping bags.

* Pool mailing lists and send out a joint promotional postcard.

* Share inexpensive ads in local shopping papers or a nonprofit event program.

* Give a joint interview to local media.
* Give your partner’s product to your customers when they buy a large quantity of your product, and ask your partner to do the same.

* Use door hangers, posters, flyers, or postcards to promote special offers for each other’s products.

Here are some cross-promotion strategies that can really help your company stand out:

* Co-produce special promotions you could not afford by yourself. Hire local community college broadcasting/cable TV students to produce a “how to use” video and/or audio tape that involves you and your partner’s products.

* Have a contest, with the prizes contributed by your partners. For the next contest, roles change, and you contribute your product or service as a prize for a partner’s contest.

* Give customers a free product or service from a participating partner when they buy something that month from all of the partners listed in an ad or on a promotional postcard.

“Sayitbetter E-Zine, Copyright © by Kare Anderson, author, speaker, and founder of the Say it Better Center, http://www.sayitbetter.com. All rights reserved.”

Connect, Get Hired, Get Noticed by Meeting Planners MP3 by Kare Anderson . Learn more.

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

Post from the Jamaica Observer

We have all been there – you and I. Every strand of hair in place, dressed to the nines and new shoes squeezing like the dickens but we have nevertheless rolled up to the function. We are here to give our full support and to hear the pearls of wisdom drop like gentle rain on us by the guest speaker. But oh, what a disappointment it was for us.

We expected to be inspired, to be enthralled, to laugh, maybe to roll in the aisle – but instead we find ourselves crying all the way home. And this is especially so if we had paid more than recession prices to attend the event. On reflection we think that perhaps Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy (in combination) or Elmo might have kept the listeners more awake and entertained than the sad sack who wreaked havoc on the audience’s consciousness for a full ninety minutes. Good Grief. It is definitely time for the speaker to call it quits when the low hum you hear is not the build-up of thunderous applause but the not-too-gentle snores of those persons in the front row.

The choice of a guest speaker is one of the most powerful weapons in the arsenal of any event planner. An occasion’s success or failure hinges on this seemingly minor detail. I am writing as one who has often been on the receiving end of having to listen to really badly selected speakers as well as someone who has had to make suggestions about persons who could possibly be chosen as a speaker for an event for which working people will fork over their hard-earned cash.

Don’t get me wrong. The case of an inappropriate guest speaker is, more often than not, not the fault of the speaker himself. Surface investigation will often reveal a lack of professional advice in choosing a speaker or that the speaker was selected by someone who s/he was interested in hearing said speaker for purely personal reasons which had nothing to do with the audience nor the event itself. The other harried members of that planning team (busy with their tasks) just let it ride without too many questions.

A good place to start in choosing a really good speaker is via experience. It is usually not a good idea to take any reference from ‘Frighten Friday Flo’ who thinks everyone in a suit with the gumption to step to a podium is a good speaker. It may make better sense to have actually heard the person speak at an event yourself. After listening to more than a few dozen speakers over the years you will find that you will have developed a well-attuned ear for who is good and who is not. You get to see for yourself who is at ease in front of an audience and who is not, despite the wealth of knowledge s/he may possess. Because, let us face it there are some persons who are the fount of all knowledge in their chosen field but they just are not comfortable imparting that knowledge in front of a large roomful of strangers.

More than all, in choosing a speaker it is important to ensure that the presenter and the presentation ‘fit’ the audience and the occasion. A speaker who is serving up meat to a vegetarian audience will not go down well and may very well cause a stampede out the doors. If the audience consists of policy-makers, CEOs and decision-makers it might not be such a wonderful idea to invite a little-known operations executive who might not be able to add much to the audience’s storehouse of knowledge.

There are several types of speakers and each has a different purpose. For example, the celebrity speaker is well known and his presence will definitely attract a large audience if that is the main goal of your event. Here’s the thing about some celebrities: they might be good at whatever it is that made them famous but they might not be good speakers. Hence it is a good idea to have ‘experienced’ them first or get a really good reference from someone else who has heard them speak.

Choosing a speaker to impart educational information, to instruct or to teach might be a trifle troublesome. This type of speaker has to have a sense of humour, many relevant stories, and must be able to interact easily with the audience. Lectures can be dull and boring. The best teachers are the ones who do not overwhelm you with too much information, they keep you awake and interested and wanting to learn more. Not everyone has that gift even if they have twenty degrees in the subject areas and the full knowledge at their fingertips. If they do not have the right words on their lips – no one will be the wiser. I have found that even while we openly say we want to learn, audiences more than all, want to be entertained – all the time.

Motivational speakers are supposed to, at the end of their presentation, make us feel good about ourselves and spur us to change things in our lives. They should, at the end of the event, make us feel inspired. You do not want a motivational speaker who makes your listeners depressed by keeping it ‘too real’.

Persons whom we invite to entertain us should not suddenly launch into a twenty-minute dramatic monologue about how they got into the music biz and what a cutthroat world it has been. If the audience has been prepped for musical entertainment – this is all we require – thank you very much. And unless it is a Passa Passa session, it is not a good idea to ‘dedicate’ songs to that special ‘someone’ in the audience. The rest of us will feel left out.

Yvonne Grinam-Nicholson MBA, ABC, is a Business Communications Consultant with RO Communications Jamaica, specialising in business communication, employee communications and financial publications. Contact: yvonne@rocommunications.com; Website: www.rocommunications.com and post your comments.

 Susan’s note:  The worst nightmare for a speaker or meeting planner is putting your audience to sleep.

Need speaker/marketing assistance? Give me a call 310-822-4922 PST.  Speaker Services might be just right for you.

by A Nutt

Most businesses and organizations hire a keynote speaker to deliver a fresh view point. Their purpose is to encourage a sense of team work and breathe new life into a business. You can find a keynote speaker for just about every type of field such as sales, health, business management, information technology, and so much more.

A keynote speaker tends to be an expert in the area that he or she is giving a presentation. They deliver presentations designed to motivate people to look at situations in a new and different light. They also reveal different methods of increasing profitability. The goal of a presentation is to stimulate new thought and creativity.

Before enlisting the services of a keynote speaker, you have to make sure that the session will coincide with a companys needs and values. The following list outlines a number of considerations to be aware of before hiring a keynote speaker.

1) Consider why you are hiring a speaker. Some reasons why companies and organisations arrange for speaking events include: motivate, educate, entertain, promote an organisation, change unwanted behavior, and much more.

2) Consider what type of presentation you want delivered. Two forms of presentations include addressing an audience and holding a workshop. You need to have an idea of what you want viewers to learn from the experience. A speaker who does not tap into the particular issues and concerns of the viewers will not be successful. The speaker should have experience and have an understanding of the particular business or organisation. A good speaker will encourage questions and ideas as well ask for feedback. You want the viewers to be engaged. For instance, a morning address is usually more energizing.

3) Ask if any tools such as overhead projectors or power point presentation will be used. If too much time is spent using these types of tools, the viewers may get bored and tune out. A balance between using presentation devices and speaking directly to the audience is more beneficial.

4) Prior to the event, talk to the speaker about your company and audience. Explain what you are hoping to achieve from the presentation. Provide details about the room, the number of people attending, and the introduction of the speaker. Be sure to let your speaker know what you expect in a presentation. Ask if they follow a philosophy or guideline that incorporates entertainment and professionalism.

5) Make sure the information that is going to be presented is current. Old or out dated information is useless for a business. You also do not want the speaker to sound like a salesperson. Quality speakers will have proof of their expertise. This can be in the form of books, audiotapes or CDs, articles or stories in newspaper columns, magazines, business journals, and appearances on the radio or television.

6) If you have hired previous speakers, consider which ones were successful. Think about what your viewers liked about the presentation. You can even ask viewers what they liked best about a particular speaker.

7) Asking for references is a great way to find out if a speaker is good.
Think about your viewers needs. Make sure the speaker will appeal to the audience. For instance, consider such aspects as age and gender. An audience that consists of only women may relate better to a female speaker.

9) After the event, ask viewers for feedback so you can determine if it was a productive session. This will allow you to improve future presentations. You should also discuss the event with the speaker to see if any improvements are needed.

Keynote speakers can be an asset to any company and organisation. Asking the right questions and imparting your vision will result in an educational, entertaining, and memorable event.

About the Author:

Canadian Corporate Comedy Entertainment is an agency that provides standup comedians to Keynote speaker and corporate entertainment events, news headlines and general content relating to British entertainment and culture. If you hire a comedian in Toronto this agency provides.

The following post is by Seth Godin

Posted by Seth Godin on May 19, 2008 Seth’s Blog

If oil is $130 a barrel and if security adds two or three hours to a trip and if people are doing more and more business with those far afield…

and if we need to bring together more people from more places when we get together…

and if the alternatives, like video conferencing or threaded online conversations continue to get better and better, then…

I think the standard for a great meeting or a terrific conference has changed.

In other words, “I flew all the way here for this?” is going to be far more common than it used to be.

If you think a great conference is one where the presenters read a script while showing the audience bullet points, you’re wrong. Or if you leave little time for attendees to engage with others, or worse, if you don’t provide the levers to make it more likely that others will engage with each other, you’re wrong as well.

Here’s what someone expects if they come to see you on an in-person sales call: that you’ll be prepared, focused, enthusiastic and willing to engage honestly about the next steps. If you can’t do that, don’t have the meeting.

Here’s what a speaker owes an audience that travels to engage in person: more than they could get by just reading the transcript.

And here’s what a conference organizer owes the attendees: surprise, juxtaposition, drama, engagement, souvenirs and just possibly, excitement.

I’m on a roll here, so let me add one more new standard:

If you’re a knowledge worker, your boss shouldn’t make you come to the (expensive) office every day unless there’s something there that makes it worth your trip. She needs to provide you with resources or interactions or energy you can’t find at home or at Starbucks. And if she does invite you in, don’t bother showing up if you’re just going to sit quietly.

I’ve worked in three companies that had lots of people and lots of cubes, and I spent the entire day walking around. I figured that was my job. The days where I sat down and did what looked like work were my least effective days. It’s hard for me to see why you’d bother having someone come all the way to an office just to sit in a cube and type.

The new rule seems to be that if you’re going to spend the time and the money to see someone face to face, be in their face. Interact or stay home!

SETH GODIN is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change. Godin is author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world. His titles include The Dip and Meatball Sundae. Free Prize Inside All Marketers Are Liars His books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. Permission Marketing and A Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. Website

Related Posts:

Speaking On The National Associations Circuit: How To Catch The Fast Track To Bookings

Marketing Strategies and Tips to Position Yourself

Yesterday, I spoke to a group of authors who are going through a year long program called Quantum Leap. The Harrison brothers owners of RTIR and producers of the Publicity Summit invited Jack Barnard and me to talk to the authors on how to grow their businesses and services through speaking.

I spoke to them about the marketing end of speaking and gave them an overview on how to create a winning strategy. We also know that authors have a tricky time speaking about their books and need a bit of help in the presentation department. Jack shared how to play the game of speaking and how to get the ticket. Several of the folks resonated with that and signed up for our 5 day Speakers’ Bootcamp at the end of March.

Today Wendi McNeil weighs in on Marketing Strategies and Tips that will help you to position yourself…

Becoming a professional full time speaker isn’t easy…everyone knows that, it takes a lot of dedication, determination and most important you have to have the passion, if the passion isn’t there then my suggestion would be, don’t even attempt it! I could spend days teaching you how to package yourself as a professional speaker and how to gain more exposure, but the following article as been bundled to give you just a few quick tips and ideas so you can start implementing them into your business.

1. Niche Yourself

Yes, I know you have heard this many times and it couldn’t be truer! One of the biggest mistakes a speaker can make is having too “general” of a topic. You want to narrow your expert niche as much as possible. Become the Speaker of Choice, research your topic industry so you know “what’s hot” and “what’s not”. Take that research and develop a niche around it, be sure it is something you have experience with and will be able to present it as a professional expert speaker in that field. Don’t waste your time, energy and money on developing a “niche” that just isn’t going to get any recognition because it isn’t something that planners will be looking for! Do your research and I do put emphasis on this tip! Once you have discovered your niche, you must continue to practice your speaking skills and update your material and presentations to keep-up with the trends and changing issues.

2. Build your credibility

There are many ways to build your credibility and become known as an expert, but this tip is about building your credibility by knowing your audience.

Your job as a presenter is to take the context you will present and put it into a form that your audience will understand and can relate to. You want them to really understand what you’re saying. Always remember your presentation is not about you, it’s about the audience, what they want to know, and what they want to know is what’s in it for me? How will you help their business grow?…How will you help them save time…save money…How will you make them feel!

Vision yourself sitting in the audience you will be presenting to and ask yourself, “What do I want to get out of this?”, “What do I want to learn?”, “What’s in it for me?” Once you can perceive yourself as a participant of the audience than you can start putting the pieces together in building a top notch presentation that your audience will remember and one that will have members coming to you and asking you to get your schedule out because they want to book you.

The more you relate to your audience, the more you know your audience, the better your chance of building your credibility…you have an audience that is happy, engaged and drawn to you and one that is saying…Hey, this speaker knows his stuff…he knows us!

3. Develop an eye-catching media kit

Planners get hundreds if not thousands of proposals and media kits every year. You have to “wow” them immediately to grab their attention, before they set it down and go to the next one!

Make sure that your media kit is up to date, precise and professionally put together. Nothing else turns away a meeting planner or organization more than an unattractive, boring, and unorganized media kit. They won’t even bother with it nor have the time of day to look over the remaining contents if they don’t like what they see at first glance and many times the hours, days and money you have spent in putting it together are now wasted as it sits on the planners’ shelf gathering dust. I know this seems a bit harsh, but being on the ‘inside’ I know this to be true, as I have seen it many times, so just spend some time on your kit when putting it together or possibly re-do the one you already have, remember you want to catch the eye of the reader to draw them into reading more.

4. Have an online presence

Develop a website with information on your experience, topics you cover, promotional material available and testimonials from previous clients. You don’t need a big, fancy, or expensive website to attract visitors and the attention of meeting planners, just make sure you are catering to the planners needs and have the information easily accessible and downloadable. If you’re an article writer make sure you add your articles to your own site.

If your budget doesn’t allow for your own web site, join speakers’ organizations and add your name to their online listings – The more exposure you get, the better your chances of being found by people seeking speakers.

5. Work with meeting planners

Very important: be willing to work with them. Don’t be so stubborn that you talked yourself right out of one of the most important speaking engagements of your career. Most planners are eager to work with the speaker, but you also have to be willing to “give a little to get a lot”. Remember you want to be a magnet to planners and the “hiring” company, not an itch under their skin. So be pleasant and be negotiable and give them the best performance possible and in return they will continue to book you and recommend you!

You want to position yourself within the meeting planner realm as being enjoyable to work with, fun, and easy-going! Trust me on this one, there is nothing worse then working with a stubborn, un-pleasant speaker who is unwilling to budge or negotiate, it doesn’t matter if they are well-known or have years of experience, planners don’t have the time for this nor want to deal with it. I also want to mention, don’t be too quick to pass on a free speaking engagement as this can bring you more opportunities (Many great enterprises were built from small opportunities).

6. Introduce yourself as a contingency speaker

This is one way to get your “foot” in the door. One of the biggest fears of a meeting planner is a “no-show” or cancellation of the scheduled speaker. You can send out a letter via email or regular mail to event planners, program managers, etc.

Your initial contact with the event planner should be on eliminating one of their largest fears. If you have a properly written letter and have done your research, you will more than likely make an immediate friend. This is where the business relationship begins and in most cases, the event planner or “hiring” authority will book you in because you have approached them this way.

7. Marketing yourself

Add this to your weekly business tasks, this is of course a must, if you don’t market you all know they won’t find you! You have to go to them…let them know you are unique, you are knowledgeable, you are the best and that you can knock the socks off their audience. Don’t be afraid to approach meeting planners, you want to keep your name fresh in their mind! Be PERSISTENT!

Standing out from the crowd is a major challenge for today’s professional speaker. Marketing yourself and your company, should be one of your major priorities, which requires to be done on a regular basis. Unless you have ample time on your hands and the expertise it takes to market yourself effectively, one of the best suggestions we can make is hire a professional marketing specialist or consultant/public relations company. Find someone that will work side by side with you in developing a marketing campaign that will benefit you and your speaking career.

If your budget does not have room for the expense of a professional PR agent then there are many ways you can gain exposure and become known as an expert in your field by doing some simple marketing techniques that are sure fire ways to get you the attention you need. Remember to be unique!

8. Interact with potential clients

It is very important to mingle and network! Get yourself noticed. Hand out business cards every where you go. Talk to everyone you meet. Go to seminars and meetings that are the same as your expertise. Watch and pay attention. Who are the attendees, what is their reaction to the speaker on the platform? Most importantly, be very personable and agreeable with every meeting planner you meet. You want to leave the impression that you are easy going and willing to make adjustments at the last minute. Meeting planners don’t like to work with difficult and irritating speakers, it doesn’t matter how well known you are in the speaking industry. They look for someone with humor, an abundance of energy, flexibility, and great content!

9. Write a book/ info products

This is a BIG credibility builder. I know it’s not as easy as it sounds, but if you are an expert in your field and you have information you want to share, I would suggest writing a book or some informational products. This is an excellent marketing tool and an addition to your income. We know you have the speaking ability and you know what you want to say, but some speakers just don’t know how or have the time to put it in book/product form. You do have the option of outsourcing that task. There are many companies who specialize in that field and can assist you with your project.

10. Article writing

Almost everyone knows about article marketing and submitting them online, but I just want to mention it again. I would have to say I bring up article marketing at least 5 times a day in many different conversations because that is how important I feel article marketing is. You are a speaker…you are an expert…so you shouldn’t have any trouble writing a simple article. Add article writing and submitting them online to your marketing plan and do it on a regular basis. This is one of the best and FREE ways of promoting yourself and your business, and also gaining more visitors to your website!

Many times I see an excellent article that was written with just the authors name, no contact information…nothing! Well, if you’re like me you don’t have the time to try and do a search on this author to find their site and learn more, you want instant contact information by just clicking your mouse so you can be taken directly to where you want to go. So, don’t forget to add an eye-catching bio at the end of your article so readers can find you and learn more. Be sure and include your contact information including website and email address.

Wendi McNeill is the owner of Charli Jane Speaker Management and while working closely with speakers for many years, she assists them in growing their business and shares her expertise, knowledge and passion that are needed to grow your speaking business. She knows what planners are looking for and how to make a good impression by using simple techniques that can cut off months of research, save you money, time, and energy by mentoring and guiding you in the right direction. You can also learn more about speaking leads, visit www.CharliJane.com to learn more about her services.

by Burt Dubin http://www.speakingbizsuccess.com

Here’s how to make every presentation lead to requests for you to speak again at other events. Make building your reputation and enhancing your perceived value the primary function of every presentation.

Here are seven tested, proven methods I’ve discovered from my study of the skills of the masters of the professional speaking business. Use this concentrated wisdom to improve your speaking business skills from booking to booking!

1. Satisfy the decision maker and the meeting planner

- With your skills, credentials, experience, books, articles, and media coverage.
- Make your program description show exactly what your presentation delivers.
- State your recommendations, guarantees, and endorsements.

2. Exploit your window of opportunity

With associations that have annual meetings, make your initial contact about one month after their last annual meeting. Ask when their planning starts for the next meeting. Ask when the theme is selected. The time window for booking your presentation opens at that point. This window to book more speeches lasts as little as one month.

Decisions on keynote speaker and other general session presentations are made first. This may be 3 months before Breakout Session presentations are selected.
Study your market and know that market intimately. Think like your market’s decision makers think. Get the right promotional materials before the right person at the right time. It is a critical to demonstrate your professional skills at this time.

3. Give decision makers and meeting planners the value they want

- Provide in-depth knowledge, wisdom, and strategies on a topic or issue that is hot at the time.

- Offer two, sometimes three programs. For example, offer a keynote speech for the major program followed by a breakout session addressing the “how-tos”.

- Offer also to speak on a panel or lead a presentation to senior executives. Use your skills and ingenuity. Deliver extra value. Offer pre-event presentations or training, too. Add value every way you can.

4. Generate areas of expertise

Topic expertise. Get known as the skilled specialist – the expert who speaks.
- Platform artistry. Showmanship skills are everything.
- Promotional expertise. Market yourself professionally.
- Negotiating skills. Make their booking you win-win.
- Credibility as an expert presenter in your topic. (See 5, below.)

5. Develop your credibility
- Become a celebrity.
- Publish articles and books.
- Document your skills and accomplishments; be recognized; earn academic degrees and industry certifications.
- Create a proven track record.
- Develop a client list. Big names are best.
- Earn magnificent evaluations.
- Keep your fees appropriate, even a bit less than you’re worth.
- Seek prestige engagements. Target well-known prospects.
- Answer your office phone professionally.
- Upgrade your promo kit and your brochure.
- Upgrade your demo tapes, both audio and video.

6. Make yourself worthy of higher fees

- Improve your topic expertise, presentation skills, negotiating skills.
- Ask for what you want. Be prepared to reject inappropriate offers.
- Relate any difference in fees to the total meeting budget, total head count at your session, cost of the luncheon or banquet per person.

7. Fit the Budget without altering your fee structure
- Offer multiple programs at the same engagement.
- Offer multiple engagements of the same presentation.
- Offer to split travel expenses between meetings of other organizations at the same time in the same city.
- Offer a flat fee; combine speaking fees and expenses into one quote.
- Offer a product sale arrangement. Sell product and reduce your speaking fee.
- Offer a separate presentation the next day at no extra charge.
- Find a sponsor. Have a profit-making organization or member sponsor or co-sponsor your presentation, paying all or part of your fee.
- Offer to barter for something they have that you want, for example a free booth at their trade show or a master videotape of your presentation.
- Offer to permit the association to market videos and recordings of your presentations as well as your products and you share the revenue with them.

The following article comes to us from RainToday.Com

Editor’s Note: In this two part article, Michelle Palmer looks at why invitations to events work well to generate quality leads. Part two, featured in the upcoming February 6 issue of Rainmaker Report, will list how to craft effective event invitations.

I used to consider “event population” or “filling seats” a necessary evil for event marketing.

Seminars, webinars, conferences, speaking engagements – they are a whole lot of work, resources, time and energy, and for what? A fifty percent drop-off rate? A few dozen people straggling in late, eyeing the free Continental breakfast?

Granted, when you do get qualified attendees, you get the opportunity to showcase a much greater scope of your services than you would during an introductory sales call, for example.

It also seems that live events enjoy a higher prospect-to-client conversion rate than less interactive lead generation methods, such as receiving RFIs through your website or attracting visitors at a trade show.

In fact, in-person seminars ranked number one in a recent MarketingSherpa survey, Most Effective IT Lead Generation Tactics, with 88% of marketers deeming them effective or somewhat effective in generating qualified leads, with direct mail, telemarketing and search advertising ranking much lower.

But, still… I used to question if it were best to devote all those human and financial resources to speaking events…

At last, I’ve had a final change of heart. I’ll even say that populating speaking events are now my favorite marketing programs. But here’s the shocker: I don’t really care if my events are particularly well attended.

Why?

I discovered the event is actually secondary to the benefits a marketer gains from the invitation process itself. In fact, there are few better ways than inviting prospects to a special event to create exposure and brand name recognition, and spark actual interaction with prospects – in my opinion, it’s one of the best brand building exercises available.

The Invitation Process Is Key

Your messaging still gets through whether your prospects attend the event or not. From a lead generation standpoint, I’ve found the invitation – in any of its written or verbal formats – opens more doors, more easily, than a cold sales call, an e-mail or any other type of unsolicited mailing. It gives you the all-important reason to speak with your prospect and, more importantly, a reason for them to listen.

Here are a few reasons why:

The invitation: Invitations are a great technique to begin a dialogue with new prospective clients, because they don’t threaten the recipient.

For most of us, as soon as we hear a sales pitch, our defenses go up and we start brainstorming excuses. On the other hand, prospects tend to regard an invitation as a “value-based offer.” They tend to give them more consideration than a typical sales flyer – and they may not end up in the trash as quickly, either. We relax when presented with an invitation. (Maybe it’s because we can always use the “schedule conflict” excuse.)

Who… me? Most people like invitations because it makes them feel special. It makes them feel like an important part of their community or industry. The very fact that you’ve singled someone out to participate in a special event makes them more likely to tune in to your message longer.

The Importance Of The Value Based Offer

Some people refer to a value-based offer as the “what’s in it for me” factor: whenever we receive a marketing message, we ask “how does this apply to me?” Business professionals like to learn things that will help them in their jobs – and especially things that can make them look good at their jobs.

Invitations to events, particularly educational-type seminars, are truly value-based offers because there is, in fact, something in it for them: the chance for them to learn something that could help them succeed.

According to the white paper Making Lead Generation Work for Professional Services, by Wellesley Hills Group, a marketing and consulting firm, seminars, webinars and other offers are among the best methods for professional services firms to market themselves because they “allow you to approach prospects via thought leadership.”

You’re able to provide insight on a topic of interest to them and simultaneously demonstrate your expertise – without “selling” them on yourself.

The research report also makes the point that such a value offering is also highly effective in introducing additional areas of your services to existing clients who currently only utilize a portion of your services. An invitation to your seminar will make them aware in a non-threatening way.

What’s In A Name? Your Value Proposition

As you promote your event among your targeted audiences, remember that they will be seeing your event topic repeatedly. So it’s critical that the title of your presentation effectively reflects both the need they have and the solution you will provide.

Think about it. Each time someone receives information about your event, you are reminding them of the problem/need they have. This enhances top-of-mind awareness of the issue. Better yet, your name is automatically associated as a solution to that problem.

For a sales consulting firm, consider the seminar topic “Close More Sales by Selling on Value, Not on Price.” The very title identifies a prevalent problem facing most sales executives competing in global, price-driven markets. Recipients will immediately relate to the problem presented, and associate your company as a solution provider.

For human resources professionals, a seminar titled “Offset Rising Medical Insurance Costs with Creative Value-Added Options,” addresses a growing problem for many HR departments, and hints at some potential solutions. “No Need for Layoffs: Reduce Operating Costs through Workflow Improvements,” shows executive management that you understand the real impact of rising costs how to offset them.

You’re viewed as the expert. Even if they’re not ready to move toward a solution right now, you’ve set yourself up as a valuable industry resource that they may turn to in the future.

Michelle Palmer is President of Leading Edge, a marketing firm that specializes in developing and implementing lead generation programs for mid-market companies. You can reach her at mpalmer@LeadingEdgePrograms.com.

By Vickie Sullivan,
from Rain Today

ZZ Top said it best: “I’m bad…I’m nation-wide.” And it’s true; speaking at national associations has a certain cache and can give you access to the movers and shakers of a particular industry. Getting to the podium, though, can be quite a trip. When it comes to selecting speakers, associations use two processes. The key is to participate in both processes simultaneously. The following is an insider’s view of the system and tips to get on the fast track.

The Call For Presentations

First is the published process, known as the call for presentations. This process is mainly used for concurrent speakers but keynoters can post too. The notice is distributed to the association’s membership and publicized in industry media. Many association websites announce the call with a downloadable form.

I was a volunteer program chair for a national association for four years, the point person for both keynote and concurrent session slots. Due to a small staff, I was the first person to get the proposals.

And the games began. Responses would flood in first from the members themselves. Everyone wants to be seen as the “rising star” in the industry, so speaking at their association is a natural way to get national attention.

The delicate balance facing the association is between the in-the-trenches content that attendees crave and the inevitable boring speaking styles from the amateurs. This is why associations have set up program committees – a democratic process to choosing speakers gives everyone a fair shot and ensures no hard feelings among the rejected.

Insider’s Tip: The best way around these folks is the “research” angle. Develop your program around any findings relative to the membership. It can be an online survey or just your multiple years experience dealing with a gazillion folks just like them. This content is a great balance to the case studies that the members present. The program needs both; your proposal won’t be seen as competition to the members.

Proposals That Didn’t Make The Cut

These requests for proposals are sincere; the responses are examined by a real-live human being. (For four years, that was me.) They are also fishing expeditions, where many of the fish are “released” after being caught. Here are two of the most common reasons why 75% of these proposals didn’t get past my initial screening:

First, the content and format didn’t fit our needs. My personal favorite: a national firm hired a PR person to get speaking engagements for their execs. When I got the proposal, it demanded a three-hour time slot. Our slots were an hour (yes, it said so in the form), so they were asking for three slots, or an entire afternoon.

After I stopped laughing, I looked at the title and session description. The topic was geared for large companies. Our audience was smaller, more boutique firms. The proposal was a shotgun blast to many associations. It was clear that no one did their homework. It was logged and went into a very special “round” file.

Insider’s Tip: The information in these forms is golden. Most associations will tell you what they are looking for. Read the form carefully and follow the format. Topics that go narrow and deep get a second look. Position your content as an original slant to a relevant challenge. Make the format consistent and to the letter. If you are unknown to the association, don’t ask for any favors. Red herrings slow down the process and make it harder to say yes to you.

Second route to the round file: the proposal sounded too promotional. The content was unique and the speaker had credentials, but the tone of the proposal sounded too much like a pitch from the podium. This strikes fear into any program person’s heart. Any blatant selling will result in revolt from attendees, complete with multiple feedback forms that breathe fire. I’ll never forget the time that one speaker was so promotional that the conference chair was cornered in the ladies room and given “feedback” with demands that she step in and stop the presentation.

The dead giveaway of a pitchy program is in the list of learner outcomes, benefits that the attendees will receive from a program. One potential speaker actually wrote, “the attendees will benefit from having access to my book.” I am not making this up. This speaker didn’t have a chance.

By Invitation Only

The second process is much more subtle and more effective. It is used to decide both keynote and concurrent session speakers. Getting the inside track here takes more finesse, but when done right, your proposal is placed in the “special” pile.

In many associations, the key players get together and decide who they would like to present. At first we were dreaming, thinking of the major celebrities that would really draw attendance. Then reality set in and we focused on who we’ve heard that would make the grade. Anyone on this shortlist had the spot to lose.

For the keynote slot, we considered speakers who were personally previewed by myself, and the team or the board. Someone we know had to, personally, vouch for that speaker. For concurrent sessions, content was king. Those with good press and a killer website were seen as thought-leaders and got on the fast track.

Insiders Tip: You can’t beat this dynamic, so you might as well join it. If word-of-mouth gets you on the speaking radar, make sure your website has a great presentations section with original topics and rave reviews. Compelling articles and special reports show your thought-leadership. Media shows your prominence.

How The Shortlist Gets Longer

Two other groups enter the fray through this door. With political clout, they are formidable opponents.

First are the sponsors. In 2007, associations are projected to get almost $400M from folks who want to sell to their members. The associations can’t put on the conference without them. These partners are asking for more for their money and speaking is on the top of their list. Two delicate problems arise here: 1) the association has to balance the program so the conference doesn’t become a pitch fest, and 2) anyone that looks like a vendor can’t speak without upsetting the sponsors that requested and were refused a speaking slot.

So if you’re speaking to promote your services, be prepared to get hit up on by the sponsorship chair. Many associations are now either banning any vendors from speaking or charging a fee for the privilege.

Insider’s Tip: Position yourself as a credible outsider with “independent” content. If you are considered a prominent thought-leader that is above the fray, sponsors won’t see you as competition.

Second are recommendations from the powers-that-be. Board members, chapter presidents and the industry’s “giants” are on the lookout for great speakers. They don’t hesitate to call the conference chair, the program chair, and the meeting planner with their latest discovery. And they take their suggestions personally. The slightest indication that their speaker was not fully considered results in a flood of emails to board members, the president, even the pope if necessary. I handled these suggestions with kid gloves.

Insider’s Tip: This is another dynamic you can’t stop, so your best bet is to join in. Who are your clients and what associations do they belong to? Are they willing to recommend you? You’d be surprised who is on those boards or program committees.

Industry insiders report ten possible speakers for every slot they need to fill. Between the deluge of proposals and politically-charged recommendations, getting the invitation to speak can look daunting to outsiders. But it is possible. At the end of the day, everyone on the team wants a great program. Use the “by invitation” system to get in, and use the call for presentations system to close the deal. When you have the shortcuts, the maze doesn’t look so complicated after all.

Listen to a 9 minute audio/mp3 with me Susan Levin talking about the purpose of speaking.

Why-Why do you speak?

Who- Who is your audience?

What- what is your message?

Where- Where you might speak

How-How will you give your presentation?

Included below is a presentation worksheet/checklist for you.

PRESENTATION WORKSHEET

• What are you passionate about?

• What topic creates a great compassion in you for your listeners?

• In one sentence, what is the purpose or mission of the specific presentation you want to work on?

• Who wants to hear it?

• If you have no choice in picking the audience or topic, how can you analyze this audience to find their wants, needs, attitudes, and capabilities?

• Once you’ve made an educated guess about the audience’s attitude, will you need to design the presentation using more benefits or humor?

• Are you prepared? What will it take in rehearsal and study to ensure you will not have stage fright and a fear of making changes in your presentation?

• Are you an expert in the topic area you will present ? What else must you do so you will view yourself as a credible expert?

• What overall theme will you use to substantiate your mission?

• What three or four main points must your listeners take home?
1
2.
3.
4.

• How will you organize the material, what format do you like?
Analogies, Storytelling? Problem, cause, solution?

• What mood does the meeting planner wish to be created with this meeting? Fun? Serious,, Educational? A special dress theme?

• What title have you given the presentation?

• What can you do to ensure your listeners will listen, understand, believe and retain the information?

• What else can you do to ensure you will have rapport with your audience?

This is me Susan Levin with Jack Barnard, Master branding, media and presentation coach at the NSA Convention

I’ve got meeting planners on my mind. I am organizing a campaign to reach more event coordinators and or meeting planners who book speakers and authors. My mandate for my business since ’92 is to bring speakers/authors and audiences together. Speaker Services is a one-stop shopper for planners to find speakers of their choice and call on them directly. I expect to be calling hundreds of planners to remind them about our service and to be e-mailing many more in the next few weeks.

Corbin Ball, CMP (certified meeting planner) shares inside secrets in the following article on what meeting planners expect from speakers. I will also add, whether you work with us or you book yourself please make sure that you have a proper presentation packet together along with a short audio and a 6-7 minute 3 camera video shoot. Having all these items will surley help you get booked quicker.

Take it away Corbin..

Inside the Mind of Meeting Planners: What Do They Expect and Want from Speakers? Reprinted from the National Speaker Association’s Professional Speaker magazine. July/August 2004 Issue

I have seen both sides of planning meetings: 18 years as a meeting planner running citywide international technology meetings; and seven years as a professional speaker whose target audience is meeting planners. I have spoken before tens of thousands of planners for more than 40 meeting industry organizations in 20 countries. What do meeting planners want from speakers? Read on.

The Meeting Planner Profile
Meeting planners have a lot on their minds. Meeting planning can be compared to putting together a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Every piece must be in place or there won’t be a complete picture. If the planner forgets or does not adequately communicate a need at a seemingly small event — a coffee break for example — or predicting the number that will attend a banquet the ramifications can be huge. With angry attendees and questioning bosses, chances for failure lurk at every turn.

The analogy of the stately duck floating on the top of the water but paddling like crazy beneath the surface has never been more apt. In well-planned meetings, things seem to flow seamlessly with meeting planners working invisibly behind the scenes. If something goes wrong, his or her job becomes the javelin catcher.

Meeting planners are 75% female. Successful planners tend to have good people skills as well as excellent attention to detail. They are garrulous; they like to work with people with whom they have established a relationship, and they typically possess a strong sense of fairness. They are also very good at networking.

Their job hinges on the success of the meeting. Happy attendees and good evaluations are a part of how planners’ success is rated. Selecting speakers is often part of the job, but only a small part. They are usually juggling lots of balls.

What Meeting Planners Expect:

For You to “WOW” the Audience
Your role is to move the audience. This can be accomplished in a number of ways: through a visually dazzling performance, a soul-stirring program that lifts the audience or an insightful presentation that gives new meaning and clarity to a topic, for example.

A recent trend in the meetings industry is to carefully measure ROI (return on investment) from meetings. The MPI (Meeting Professionals International) tagline says it well: “Defining the Power of Meetings.” To this end, speakers will see meeting planners use more evaluation forms and other tools in determining future speakers and whether they will rebook you. Strategic planners know that what happens on the dais is crucial to the success of the event.

Absolute Reliability
Once you are booked, planners need to count on the fact that you will be there as scheduled. Book your travel so that you have backup options in case a flight is cancelled or there is bad weather along your route. Be there early and be prepared. Plan for contingency backups for travel, A/V, course notes or anything else crucial to success.

Absolute Integrity
This goes without saying. But to reinforce this, the meetings industry is very well networked. There are about 50,000 meeting planners in the U.S. and many belong to professional associations. And they talk. The word gets around quickly about suppliers with unscrupulous or unreliable business practices.

Make the Planner Look Good
The best way for a speaker to make the planner look good, of course, is to do a terrific job on the platform. But beyond this, nurture relationships with planners whenever you can. Let all of your actions with the meeting attendees shed a positive light on the planners. In the planning stages, the meeting planner will often appreciate your advice as an experienced speaking professional when it comes to how to structure your presentation, the timing and the events surrounding it. Send thank-you notes and praise their good work to supervisors if the opportunity allows. Never publicly criticize planners or their organizations — not only because it’s unprofessional but because planners often have a significant voice in whether to book speakers again.

Quick Responses
With so much on the meeting planners’ plates, a quick response is often the difference between getting the booking or not. One trend in the meetings industry is increasingly shorter lead times for meetings. We are all living in an age where FedEx is not fast enough. A quick response, preferably by e-mail within the day, or two days at the most, is what they expect. Either you or your staff, and preferably both, should have honed technology communications skills.

What Planners Want From Speakers:

Be Flexible
Back to the jig-saw puzzle analogy. Things are crazy behind the scenes at many meetings – thousands of pieces are being put together. Schedules change. Stuff happens! Speakers who can roll with the changes and still get great evaluations are like gold to planners.

No Prima Donnas Please
Be easy to deal with! Unless you are on the very top echelon of the speaking circuit and can ask for just about anything, remember that you are just a piece of the puzzle, albeit a very important one. If you are a prima donna, your chances of being rebooked will decrease. If you are particularly difficult, your reputation will precede you.

Have a Very Clear, Complete Contract
Planners often have contracts with hotels, speakers and other suppliers. The trend in the last few years is for lengthier contracts that cover all of the contingencies. Planners want clearly written, balanced and complete contracts/letters of agreements. No legalese, please. Particularly important, in addition to times, dates, rates and place are: details on cancellation (both sides); reciprocal act of God (force majeur) clauses; what travel charges will be covered; specifics on A/V if you use it; and emergency contact information. I also routinely include in my contract the information I know they will be asking for anyway, such as my bio, a link to online high-resolution publicity photos, the full course description (with learner objectives), and anything else I think they need.

Provide Your Information Online
Planners are turning to the Web to research hotels, cities, suppliers and, increasingly speakers. This is partly due to increased time pressures. It is simply a more efficient route. I have followed the principle that anything that I would send out in paper, or any question about my speaking services that I get asked more than twice, I put online. My calendar, bio, publicity pictures (both high-resolution for printing and low-resolution for the Web), course descriptions, clients, testimonials, travel expenses, steaming video, sample introductions, past speaking engagements, you name it – it’s all at my Web site.

The model changes a bit in working with speaker bureaus, but the trend is to put more information online instead of less. Planners prefer it.

Be Prompt and Very Clear with Your Billing
To use an old Broadway phrase, “if it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage.” The implication is that any charges must be clearly detailed and agreed upon in your contract before you speak. There should be no surprises. My billing typically goes out no later than two days upon return to my office from the engagement. To speed delivery, I always send my bills via e-mail (as a formatted, attached Excel spreadsheet that looks like an official bill when printed out.) I also scan all receipts for expenses (.jpg format) and send them as attachments as well.

One of the strategies speakers use to widen their marketing reach is to speak to associations. Presenting to associations gives you a natural link to their member organizations.

Thw following interview is with speaker Elizabeth Jeffries excerpted from http://www.nsaspeaker.org article bank discussing how to make those connections and develop clients from association audiences.

Why should speakers target association audiences?

Elizabeth: Relationships with associations can be the entry into the organizations. Hopefully you are booking regularly with associations, have built relationships, created alliances and you are adding value. You can also co-sponsor programs for which you split the profits.

How would you narrow down which associations to target?

Elizabeth: If your market is healthcare, you might choose hospitals, nursing homes or home health and really concentrate on that one industry. For example, my husband and business partner Stephen Tweed, CSP, continues to niche in home health and has built a very good business in just that one industry. I don’t go there at all, because they don’t have the money for seminars and coaching like they do for strategic planning.

You might also want to consider the “who” of your audience. Who do you best relate to? It’s hard to move from the front line to the executive suite in the same organization. We can get positioned and branded before we know it.
How can speakers perform specialized research on one group or industry?

If you want to do research, consider your association audiences. Create a questionnaire and ask for their help in the program. Give them something for their time, such as a special bookmark. If you want to do research with executives or a certain professional group, do it with those you know. Today, people are swamped with surveys, questionnaires and information that infringe on their time. They will more likely to respond if they know you or your name.

Is there any other advice you can give us about working with associations?

Elizabeth: Mostly, remember this entire industry of speaking has changed so much. We are all reevaluating our materials, market, sales techniques, passion and uniqueness. Each industry has its own set of challenges with staffing and regulations. People want solutions! If you can show them how you can provide solutions, you’ll be ahead of the game. People need learning today that they can use tomorrow.

One more thought: if you aren’t in a mastermind group, you might consider forming one. It could benefit you to have three to four other speakers to bounce ideas off of, help you through transitions and generally support you in your business.

Elizabeth’s Top Ten:

1. When setting up work with associations, ask them for a list of attendees and the privilege of making your learning materials available to them. (Some speakers do this in exchange for “an association fee,” which is somewhat less than regular in-house fee).

2. Go through the list after the program and send e-mail notes to the ones you want to get involved with. I usually summarize key points from my program.

3. You can also send the group to your Web site with a password for follow-up handouts, “10 steps to…” or a multitude of take-aways.

4. Pepper your association program with comments about your in-house work, stories and examples to teach as well as to let people know you do in-house work.

5. Have something you can e-mail or send to people. Ask for business cards for those interested, send them the information and follow up.

6. You can also tell people in your audience that you offer in-house programs, and if they have a conference coming up or want more information, to give you a business card with a note on the back such as Send newsletter.

7. Have articles and tip sheets on a back table. Anything you provide should also have your name, credentials and contact information.

8. If you really want to niche, customize your materials with that industry’s language and examples.

9. Do your pre-work. Talk with and interview the association president and board members at their facilities. If you plan to do any research, you will want to talk to this level of folks. This is also a great way to find out about changes in the industry, regulations and staffing issues.

10. Use the Web! Research not just the association, but the organizations of the board members and leaders. Know who the big players are in that business and just call them.

Elizabeth Jeffries, RN, CSP, CPAE, works with organizations that want to put their mission into action and with leaders who want to multiply their performance. She is a keynote speaker, seminar leader, executive coach and the author of The Heart of Leadership: How to Inspire, Encourage and Motivate People to Follow You. www.tweedjeffries.com