$25- 92 pages Order now

Market Yourself as a Speaker Resource and Study Guide is a rich source of practical hands-on information for speakers, authors, entrepreneurs, business professionals, experts and coaches who are interested in growing their business and income through speaking.

Written and compiled by Susan Levin, Speaker Marketing Strategist and owner and founder of Speaker Services   since 1992.  Speaker Services is a Full-Service Coaching, Marketing & Training Company.  Susan has assisted thousands of professionals to catapult their businesses to six and seven figure incomes.

Susan believes that Speaking is a Business and like any business it needs to be nourished and marketed.

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Through Susan’s marketing guidance I learned new tools that can translate into immediate dollars. 

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Overview of the 92 page Resource and Study Guide:

- 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
- Gain New Clients with the Power of  Social Media

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Partial List of the Content:

Why Will You Speak?,  Speak Right from the Heart, Managing Your Speaker Business, Top Mistakes Speaker Make, Presentation Worksheet, Success Secrets of the Motivational Superstars, Items for Your Presentation Kit, Speaker Buttons for your Website & Content, Negotiating Fees, Fee Schedule, Presentation Agreement & Invoice, Pre-program Questionnaires, Creating & Marketing Speaker Products, Turn your Keynote into a Book, Media Speak & Tips, 30 Brilliant Social Media Marketing, Finding Speaking Opportunities

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$25  Order now

__________

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

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Visit Speaker Services online store for other books, CD’s & MP3′s online store 

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Learn more about our Professional Promotional Materials http://bit.ly/zGDFm7

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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

Susan Levin, publisher/owner
Los Angeles, CA

susan@speakerservices.com
310-822-4922 PST

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

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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

Posted by Susan Levin, owner and founder of Speaker Services since 1992

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

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

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

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

Our 2012 one sheet special is $400 (2 payments may be arranged). This includes the focusing session, rewrite of your copy. and blocking it into sections for the graphic artists. (Fee does not include graphics).

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

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

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

E-mail susan@speakerservices.com if interested in the offer. Or call 310-822-4922 PT.

See a few sample pdf’s one sheers below.

Jothy-one-sheet-2

Melissa Evans one sheet[1][1]

3-Carrie-Flintom-One-Sheet

Marketing & Training Services since’92

http://www.speakerservices.com

Speaker Services E-Zine 1/4/12

CONTENT:

-  Note and Update from Susan Levin

- One Sheets Made Easy, Special Offer for 2012

- New Speakers & Authors

- Tips & Advice

- 10 Questions to Book More Business

- Workshops and Teleclasses

Greetings,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To your speaking and marketing success.

Susan Levin
Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com

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New Speakers and Authors:

See all featured speakers:

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

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

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

See all speakers and authors

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A Gift for YOU

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

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

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

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10 Questions to Book More Business by Lois Creamer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WORKSHOPS in Los Angeles

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read more/register

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

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

 Here’s what will be covered:

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

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

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

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

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

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UPCOMING TELELCLASSES

SPEAKERS COMMUNITY

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

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

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

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

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

_______

TWEETS & POSTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post by Steve Markman

Marketing mix: Your marketing and PR efforts should be in the forefront of your organization, given today’s competitive climate and the uncertain economy. Standing out from the crowd, regardless of your organization’s industry, is a huge challenge. How can you meet this challenge?

Many organizations have recognized the value of holding seminars at which their executives make presentations. The problem with these seminars is that, more often than not, the attendees are existing customers, clients or individuals who are already familiar with the firm.

Companies need to expose their expertise to prospective customers and clients. What is a proven method of accomplishing this objective? By speaking at public forums – at conferences, seminars and forums held by independent event organizations, associations, professional and industry trade groups, and academic institutions and think tanks – enormous exposure is created.

There is much evidence in the field of professional services marketing that speaking in public forums often results in new business, by providing increased awareness of your company in general and specific subject areas in particular, to an audience of your potential customers or clients. Presentations about industry trends or “how-to” talks can make a large impact on your audience.

Speaking opportunities for consulting firm principals, corporate executives and entrepreneurs represent a strong marketing, public relations, and business development tool for the following reasons:

    1.    Attendees get to learn about your firm’s expertise firsthand and can interact directly with your speaker immediately before or after the presentation. An attendee asking for a business card can be the first step to obtaining a new client. The press in attendance also present opportunities for added exposure.

    2.    Gaining increased visibility in vertical/industry sectors or broad-based areas that your firm has determined is in need of greater exposure. This can be an established line of business where your firm speaks from a position of strength and is known as a “go-to” firm for a particular area. Conversely, presentations can cover an area that is just getting off the ground or at an early stage in its development and needs some fast exposure to let your potential customers know about your newly offered products or services.

    3.    Your company gains “advertising” by having its name and your executive speaker’s name published in the agenda of thousands of brochures and promotional announcements mailed or e-mailed by event organizers.

What should your professional services firm be doing to get your executives and managers out on the speaking circuit? Take the following eight steps:

    1.    Decide which product or service area(s) your firm should be targeting for increased visibility. Make sure that you have executives in those areas committed to the idea of making public presentations. Some will resist the idea of taking time away from other business activities so make sure that you have their full support.

    2.    Get the right speaker on board. Proposed speakers should be experienced executives and, preferably, experienced speakers. Small-to medium-sized organizations should nominate their CEO or other senior executive. Large organizations can also nominate staff at the director or manager level, depending on the criteria of the speaking opportunity.

    3.    Speak to the right audience. Thoroughly research the events for which representatives of your firm can be proposed as speakers, as solo presenters or as panelists. There are so many events taking place on so many topics, frequently simultaneously, that you’ll need to choose diligently in order to maximize the time and expense associated with speaking. Identify speaking engagements whose audience represents the customers and industries your organization wants to reach.

    4.    Develop a proactive speaker placement program. It’s fine to evaluate unsolicited speaking opportunities. However, having someone dedicated to the task who will aggressively identify opportunities, develop relationships with event organizers and write and submit speaker proposals, should lead to an increase in the frequency of speaking engagements and thus increased visibility for the executives participating and the firm as a whole.

    5.    Decide on the geographic area to target for speaking engagements – locally, regionally, nationally or even internationally. There are thousands of speaking opportunities held worldwide every year.

    6.    Create high-impact presentations. Audiences want to get actionable information they can take back to their organizations. They don’t want to hear that your firm is the leading firm in this or that subject area. A solid, informative presentation that covers applications or technologies and is not product or company specific will create instant credibility and obviate the need for a “sales pitch.” A presentation that turns out to be a sales pitch will ensure low evaluations by the audience and a one-way ticket home from the conference organizer. The speaker who gives a sales pitch is duly noted and rarely invited back, oftentimes tainting the entire company in the eyes of the event organizer.

    7.    Learn the process for submitting a speaker proposal to the event organizer – follow the format established by the organizer for writing a presentation abstract, submitting bios and speaker expertise, previous speaking experience information, and, of course, meeting the proposal deadline date. Make sure you tailor the abstract and the bio to each speaking opportunity so that they fit the objectives of the audience.

    8.    Follow up continuously and persistently with the event organizer to help your company stay above the noise, since you will often be competing with several other companies for the same speaking slot.

By developing an effective speaker placement program for your organization, you will have taken a big step in meeting your marketing, PR, and business development objectives.

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Steve Markman is President of Markman Speaker Management (MSM) a Needham, Mass.- based speaker placement and conference development firm established in 1994.

This post is from Daphne Bousquet

http://eventstrategysolutions.com/tag/daphne-bousquet

In the previous post, we talked about what you need in order to be ready for a 6-figure seminar.  But what if you are not there yet?  What if you have no list or a just a small list?  Much of your seminar marketing depends not only on the list you have, but also on the responsiveness of that list.

So you can see that building your community of subscribers and filling your funnel is essential not only to your workshops and seminars, but also to your business in general.

If you have no list at all, the first thing you do is to set up your website so that you can start building one.  You can do this with a few simple tweaks to your existing site. My free eBook, “How To Turn Your Website Into A Lead Generating Machine” goes in further detail on how to do that. Once you have that set up, it is time for you to start building.

Here are the 3 top strategies to build your community with people that are eager to learn from you.

Strategy #1 – Host teleseminars
 The easiest way to start teaching your expertise and getting people interested in your topic in your community is to start teaching teleseminars.  All you need is an opt-in page and a phone.  Many of the bridgelines are free to use and will let you record your teleseminar at no cost as well.

Teleseminars are also a great way to test your topic.  When you have a large number of people sign up for your call, you know you have a good topic that people are interested in.  If you have no response, you may have to reposition your topic, get a better headline or more benefit oriented sales copy.

Strategy #2 – Start Speaking 
The second way to build your list is to get in front of audiences, even if they are not your own.  There are lots of groups that need speakers, so contact local networking groups, associations and other groups that share your ideal audience.  Leverage your relationships with other experts that do have their own events, and get on their stages.

Your audience will now have experienced you and have a pretty good idea of your topic, teaching style and how good your event would be. It is a great opportunity to build a responsive list, or even to fill your own seminar by selling your event from the platform.

Strategy #3 – Attend Events 
 People who go to events are more likely to attend your seminar.  So attend seminars, make connections and build relationships.  You will not only find a good pool of potential attendees, but also potential partners that can promote your (tele) seminar, through affiliate or joint venture relationships.
Some of those people present speaking opportunities that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.  You can also introduce some of your new contacts to your own audience and build a list through interviewing other experts.

Bonus Strategy – Create Online Video
Online video is the wave of the future, if not the “Now” wave.  It is rapidly increasing in popularity with consumers and online marketers.  The reason it is so popular is because the technology is getting more and more accessible and easier to use.  YouTube is the largest search engine behind Google and has a huge amount of viewers every day.

Video is also a great way to establish a personal connection with people when they see you and hear your voice, without actually having to be in front of people.  Your audience can get a sense of your teaching style and they can imagine what a seminar with you would be like.

Although there are many more ways of building your list, these are my favorites because of their effectiveness and potential to create a powerful connection with your audience.  They are also some of the quickest ways to build your list.
So start building your community.  They need you and your message.  Get it out there, so you can help more people and make a big impact with your own workshop or seminar.  Read more

This is a post from my colleague Lois Creamer Lois@BookMoreBusiness.com

My next two blog posts are going to address some questions  I’ve been asked constantly ever since I started my consulting practice for speakers. They are:

• How can I get a bureau to book me?
• I’d like to hire someone to get me bookings and give them a percentage of my fee. Is this a good plan?
• I receive solicitation emails from companies offering me leads if I pay them a monthly fee. Is this a good deal?

I’m going to talk about bureaus exclusively in this post, and the next two questions on part two of my post. If I had a buck or two every time I’m asked one of these questions, I’d be enjoying an umbrella drink on a beach somewhere.

How can I get a bureau to book me? My short answer is .. you can’t. Don’t waste your energy. Use your energy towards getting your own bookings. Bureaus are interested in working with “working” speakers. Speakers who are in demand. Those who are getting great reviews out in the industry for delivering great information in a compelling way.

If you don’t work with a bureau, you may want to see if one of your colleagues would offer an introduction for you. Your colleague will want to have seen you and really believe that what you have to offer is a fit for a particular bureau. Your friend may contact the bureau and ask his or her bureau representative to take a look at your material and see if he thinks your information would be a fit for their clients.

All bureaus don’t work with all types of businesses. This is an epiphany to some some. There are bureaus that work primarily with corporations, associations, health-care, agriculture, financial services and more. Your program must match the bureaus emphasis and their clientele.

Some bureaus host “Speaker Showcases”. They invite speakers to do 15-20 minutes of their best stuff in front of bureau clients and reps. Some charge for this, some do not. It is a great way to get in relationship with a bureau. It is only effective, however, if bureaus reps show up at the showcase.

Also, be aware that bureaus will expect you to provide what they call “bureau friendly” marketing materials for them. This simply means that your contact information should not appear on the material. The bureau wants the client to contact them, not you. You will want to have printed and PDF’s bureaus friendly.

Bureaus ask for a percentage of your speaking fee as payment for getting you the engagement. Current average is 25-30%. Some speakers think this is too high, and that bureaus are greedy. I don’t. If a bureau brings business to your door, handles all of the details for you, I think it’s worth every penny. Whenever I hear a speaker begrudging paying the percentage I always say, “Don’t work with them!” Bureaus can open doors that many would not be able to open themselves. If you work with a bureau for pete’s sake don’t whine about what you are paying them!

Besides paying the bureau a percentage, you are expected to promote the bureau during your visit and encourage the client to return to the bureau for future meetings. Also, audience members who enjoy the speaker and may want to use him/her are to book through the bureau. This is considered “spin-off” business. If not for the bureau, you would not have gotten the opportunity.. You are expected to contact the bureau and let them do the paperwork,contact the client and take care of the details.

Some bureaus even have “exclusive rights” or an “exclusives” with the speaker. This is the same as having an agent. It means all business goes through the bureau or agent and they take their percentage. Even if they didn’t get the business, if you have an exclusive arrangement, you must run it through them. I suggest to my clients that they never agree to an exclusive arrangement. It will actually cause other bureaus to lose interest in you. They will be expected to split their percentage with the other bureau, and many don’t think it’s worth it. Ultimately it may cause other bureaus to stay away from you.

Because bureaus get paid by percentage of fee they aren’t interested in working with speakers who are real beginners. It only makes sense! They have to make money too.

I always encourage my clients to work with a bureau if a situation presents itself. It’s a great addition to your own efforts to grow your business. You can learn a lot from bureaus about the business of speaking. I have. Some of my clients have been bureaus who hired me to work with their reps to sell speaking services more effectively.

All in all, working with bureaus can help you cast a wider net and that’s what it’s all about!

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
Twitter: @loiscreamer

STORYTELLING-  EVERY GREAT SPEAKER IS A GREAT STORYTELLER

Jack Barnard, Team member of Speaker Services

jackp.barnard@earthlink.net

Susan note:  Storytelling is essential to your presentations.  Stories paint a visual picture and if told properly you will attract business your way.  It is called seeding. One of the ways to support your points in a presentation is by telling a story.  Take it way Jack.

“Once upon a time the prince met the princess. But she was having a bad hair day, and he was interested in her brother, so they both lived somewhat happily ever after, but not with each other.”

“Stories are not just meant to make us smile. Our lives depend on them.”

Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist

 Gathered around the warm fires, listening to the Wise Ones, hearing the history through the Storyteller was the way of our ancestors. It was an honor to be the Storyteller, as the Storyteller spoke the truth of the moment, sharing the wisdom and knowledge that guided the people and protected the children.

We live in a storytelling culture. Our movies are two-hour stories, our sitcoms twenty-two minute stories, our songs three-minute stories, our commercials one-minute and thirty-second stories (and lately, because our attention spans have been confiscated by Twitter, fifteen-second stories). We the people are so used to absorbing through stories that when we don’t get them, the medicine doesn’t go down as sweetly.

 “The truths of how to live in harmony were kept alive by wise Storytellers.”

James Sams and Twylah Nitsch

All the great teachers — Jesus included — were great storytellers. Storytelling is an art. As a speaker you can tell us the point you are trying to make and we may understand it, but we get meaning through stories.

Jack’S TiDBIT:

1) Give me information…it’s in my head

2) Tell me a story…it’s in my heart

3) Involve me…it’s in my gut

We love stories and we learn through the telling of them. Sprinkle your message with stories, anecdotes (analogies and examples) that bring out the flavor of your theme. Stories, anecdotes, jokes and illustrations take the audience by the hand and help them understand what you’re saying. Stories deliver the salient points of wisdom. You can tell us the point you’re trying to make, and we may understand it, but we get the meaning through stories. We’re a storytelling culture.

Know this: there is seldom a reason to tell a story in a speech or presentation unless it illustrates/dramatizes/proves an important point.

 CRITICAL STORYTELLING ELEMENTS

Good stories allow audiences to add visual and emotional components to their assimilation.

1) Show, don’t tell…pretty much the adage in all media forms, be the story, words are great, experiences are better

2) Sensorial language…engage the senses…how cold was it? How tall was he? What was the scent in the air?

3) 1^st person present…here now, here now, as if it’s happening right this moment

4) Descriptive…don’t overdo the details, but give us what we need to co-create the experience

5) Beginning — Middle — End…structure is important, but don’t let it overtake the spirit of the talk

6) Prove point…in a speech or presentation of any kind, your stories are meant to demonstrate an aspect of your message

7) Create impact…if the story doesn’t add steam to your theme, then don’t use it

On time, on point…practice your stories based on different time frames and don’t cheat

Jack’S TiDBIT:

Keep a record of your stories, anecdotes, jokes and great quotes. Put them in a folder, journal, or computer file, so when you need them, they’re easily accessible. Practice your stories. Tell them to a friend, try them out in different ways. Eliminate superfluous parts and irrelevant details.

• 3 TYPES OF STORIES

There are 3 types of stories:

√ Personal…about you, your friends, clients and acquaintances

√ Cultural…about people in the news, celebrities, living and dead

√ Mythic…fairy tales, legends, heroes and heroines

All three have value in proving your points. If I wanted to use stories to demonstrate the value of telling the truth, I could tell a Mythic Story — The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Or I could tell a Cultural Story — Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Or a Personal Story — when I lied to mommy when I was 10, then had to cover that lie with a lie, and another lie, and eventually got grounded till I got married.

Have all three in your arsenal.

Jack Barnard is a writer, performer and presentation coach. He works with speakers, authors and entrepreneurs both one-on-one and in group settings. Jack is the author of We Get Our Cue From You: The Communion Approach to Public Speaking & Presentations and three CD’s: The Soul of Speaking, Mesmerize Your Audience and Storytelling.  See: http://speakerservices.com/products
Read more about how Jack can assist you http://www.speakerservices.com/about.html

Jack and Susan celebrating a birthday

VIDEO ZINGERS

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

Fact Sheet

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

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

Video Video Video:

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

Format possibilities:

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

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

Some content possibilities:

1) Problem & Solution

2) Welcome to Website home page

3) Tip(s)

4) Secret (super-tip)

5) What you do

6) Website speaker page intro and orientation

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

Pertinent/Selling story

9) Current Insight

10) Ask the Expert

11) Show/Demonstrate/Sell Product

12) Explain System

13) Answer Frequently Asked Questions

14) Online Marketing Secret

15) Explain Seminar/Workshop/Webinar, etc.

16) Demonstrate Brand

17) Call to Action

Uses:

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

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

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

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

5) Blogs — spice them up, stand out

PLAN OF ACTION

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

• Preparation Materials

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Teleclass

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Extra

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

COST

$890 total…payments can be requested, if necessary

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

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Samples of one camera videos we have produced

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

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

Libby Higgins
http://youtu.be/ydtJWg42d2k

Guru Tej
http://youtu.be/aFi4WVwvgEw

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

Marketing & Training Services since’92

http://www.speakerservices.com

November 3, 2011

CONTENT:

- Update from Susan Levin

- Tips and Advice from experts

- Teleclasses for November

- Tweets & Blog Posts

I have been busy working with clients on speaker marketing and coaching folks on how to Position, Prospect & Land Gigs Now in collaboration with our team member Jean-Noel Bassior. This four step process seems to have hit a nerve as it is a huge issue for folks. We are sharing the strategies for you or your staff to help identify target markets and decision makers. The end result is that you learn how to leave voice message and or e mails that get call-backs. Not only that you get to practice as I prepare leads for you in your target audience.  Want some of that?

I am heading down to Orange County to teach Speak Your Way to More Clients on Monday, 11/7 for the third time with Ursula Mentjes. Carleen Paul, Skills for Success Reading Center shared.  Speak Your Way to More Clients was packed with tricks of the speaking trade!  Following the examples provided during the workshop will be vital to making my next speaking engagement a great success!  There is still time to register

On Wednesday, November 9 in Los Angeles I am speaking with Linda Hollander the Wealthy Bag Lady at Fill Your Purse Event: Get All the Clients and Sponsors You Want join us http://t.co/ah4kHHQj

I just got off the phone with one of my clients who spoke at a Womens Conference recently and received great reviews and several requests to speak at different chapters around the country.  She was thrilled with the invites and even though there was no pay she decided to go.  Unfortunately she had not taken my class Market Yourself as a Speaker and ran into several dicey situations on her travels.  Had she consulted with me she would have had a link on her website for meeting planners for her AV requirements so that the producer of the event would have all of her needs met before she arrived.

She also had booked another gig and it got cancelled which she did not find out until she arrived at her destination.  I said,  No contract agreement with a cancellation clause and a deposit a head of time to hold the date.  Big lessons learned and money spent that did not need to be spent.  She will be at my next workshop in Los Angeles on December 3, Market Yourself as a Speaker. Speaking is a business. You need to be armed with all the collateral find out more.  Not in Los Angeles?  No worries customized telephone coaching is available.

Greg Montana warmed my heart as he shared his accomplishments with me.  Because of www.speakerservices.com and your coaching I’ve shared the stage with Richard Branson, The Dalai Lama, Mark Victor Hansen, Harv Eker and have had some amazing partnerships. Thanks for the boost! Glad to see you are still incubating us speakers!  Congrats Greg.

To your speaking and marketing success,

Susan Levin

Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com

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TIPS and ADVICE



DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS IS TRUE?  Daphne Bousquet, CMP” daphne@eventsandprofits.com



One of my favorite things to do is busts myths.  And there are a few when it comes to workshops and seminars.  Often times, these myths can stop you in your tracks and prevent you from achieving your potential. Here is one that I hear all the time and perhaps you may even think it is true.

Ready? 

 You need a big event in order to make a lot of money.  
Nothing is farther from the truth. 

While large events have more potential for making more money, that does not mean that small events can not be very lucrative.

Sometimes smaller events do even better. 

When you have a smaller event, chances are you have a highly targeted audience.  Your ideal audience, if you will.
 The people that are at your event are there for a specific reason: to learn from you. Since the event is smaller, you have fewer demands on your time.  

That gives you more opportunities to really connect with your audience.  You can answer more questions and establish genuine relationships with people who will gladly sign up for your high end offer. (You do make an offer, right?)

After all, they know, like and trust you and the value you can bring to them and their businesses.
 
Now that you know you do not need hundreds of people (or even a hundred) in your event room to make a difference and a profit, does that take some of the pressure off?

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7 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR MARKETING IN 60 SECONDS OF LESS by Sarah Goliger @hubspot.com

We all know it is not always easy being an inbound marketer especially a good inbound marketer. The things we do to optimize our landing pages, create killer content, keep track of all our analytics they take time! Therefore, to be both a successful inbound marketer, we must be able to use our time efficiently http://www.hubspot.com/social-media-monitoring-in-10-minutes-ebook  to drive the best results in the fastest way possible.

The good news is, even when you do not have a lot of time on your hands, there are lots of little things you can do to dramatically improve your marketing . Here are 7 things you can do in 60 seconds or less to drive more traffic to your site, convert visitors into leads at a higher rate, and increase your ROI.

Tip 1. Respond to a comment, post, or tweet.  A big part of inbound marketing is engaging with your fans, followers, and customers, especially through social media. Take a minute to reply to a tweet or a post on your Facebook page, even if just to say, Thanks for the feedback! or Glad you liked our ebook! Following up with your fans  will show them that you value their comments and will help keep them engaged with your business, making them more likely to convert into leads.

Read more
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Top four book promotion activities you can engage in to sell more books in today’s world 
 @John Kremer


, www.bookmarket.com

1. Speak. Speaking builds a word-of-mouth army better than anything else. Speak locally – at garden clubs, libraries, bookstores, Rotary clubs, JCs, poetry nights, story swaps, book club meetings, etc. Then expand out to a wider area, to nearby cities, to nearby states. Eventually, expand out to an even wider audience.

When someone hears you speak, they become a bigger fan than if they had just read your book. If they like you when they hear you speak, they will tell ten times more people than by just reading your book.

2. Book yourself on national TV. TV is still the largest mass market media. It still reaches more people than any other media – and with more impact. It is worth spending the time contacting the ten or twenty news and talk shows that reach your audience. For most national TV shows, you can get the contact information in one of two ways: 1. from their websites, and 2. via your network of friends and fellow authors.

Your appearance on one major TV show will not only expose you to millions of viewers, but it also opens the door to dozens and sometimes hundreds of other media: newspapers, magazines, radio, more TV shows, etc.

3. Create relationships with high-traffic websites. How many major high-traffic websites that attract your target reader have you created relationships with? Are these real relationships where you contribute content to them on a regular basis?  In today’s world, Internet relationships are the key to marketing success.

Uncover five to ten top websites that already reach the audience you want to reach. Look over their sites until you find a way to contact someone behind the site – a webmaster, an editor, the founder. Then email them with an offer of free content for their readers: an interview with you, a review copy of your book, a free article (that is really good), some tips for their readers, a Q&A column on your specialty, etc. Their obligation, in return, is to link to your website or sales page.

4. Do a Superstar Blog Tour. Or a Mega Blog Tour. Or a Blogpalooza. I’m not talking about the old-style humdrum virtual book tour of 15 or 20 blogs. I’m talking about an event blog tour that creates Internet buzz on a major scale. Event blog tours can build brands, create incredible website traffic, and sell tons of books.

The neat thing is that effective event blog tours take less time to carry out than the traditional Amazon Bestseller Campaign – and are almost always more effective in selling books, building a brand, and driving traffic.

If you want to know more about event blog tours, check out this recording of me speaking about the value and method of carrying out an effective impact blog tour: http://www.bookmarket.com/blog-tour-palooza.htm.

These four book marketing techniques work for almost any kind of book: fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, children’s books, how-to, spiritual, business, even cookbooks. You don’t have to do all four. Start with one and work it hard – you’ll get better results than doing Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, EzineArticles, or other Internet marketing flavors of the week.

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Everyone is always looking for the best deal.  Do I have one for you.

Do you know Speakers Community Membership Club ? Over 100 mp3s 60 days free JOIN NOW http://bit.ly/rUSbGI

UPCOMING TELECLASSES

11/16 -  Organize & Optimize Your Social Media Efforts interview with Kim Beasley
- Have you ever felt overwhelmed while trying to figure out how to use social media to get your message out?

- Do you feel stuck in a rut when it comes to connecting with your target customers on social media?

- Are you trying to figure out how to use Google + to develop your business brand and your personal
identity?
Read/register

11/30/11 -  Amazon Bestsellers with Denise Cassino

Discover an affordable way to launch your e-book to #1 Bestseller on Amazon!

All programs apply to both print books and ebooks!

- The steps and strategies of a bestseller campaign?

- How to reach a large targeted audience without the expense of advertising.

- Why it is a win-win situation for the author, the partners and the book buyer.
- The value of joint ventures

 Read/register

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Tweets and blog posts you might be interested in

:

- Top searches on my blog how to market yourself speakers,  speakers schedule of fees, membership site,  making money as a speaker I can help

- Blog Post 10 Social Media Tips for Professional Speakers.  Use Each Form Of Social Media To Strengthen the Others.  http://bit.ly/sK5HeJ

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Professional Marketing Materials see list of services http://t.co/5PkGA894 new coaching program Position, Prospect, Land Gigs. Can we help you?

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2011 and 2012 Marketing Trends – Be On The Cutting-Edge, Not The Bleeding-Edge! http://steveslightbulbmoments.com/?p=521  via @StevesMoments

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Mary Cimiluca I am so proud of you landing several fantastic and high paying speaking engagements. Happy to have you in my corner and that you followed my advise to ask for more and they said YES!

- Grab Your Audiences Attention Right off the Bat http://t.co/fXCnPrBs The opening statement is important do not blow it.

- 

Prospecting: It is All in the Process @wendyweiss The Queen of Cold Calling™ Tips to ensure maximum results http://bit.ly/tejApu

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.

October 20,  2011 – Speaker Services Update

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

Speaker Services http://www.speakerservices.com

In this issue
- Note from Susan Levin
- News from our colleagues & friends

I am preparing to attend Maurice DiMino’s Presentations that Sell Bootcamp in Los Angeles the next few days.  In this Bootcamp the attendees learn how to craft a talk and once they have it together they are challenged to connect with audiences.  Here’s where I come in. Maurice invited me to have a vendor table  as I am a great resource for the attendees. I am looking forward to connecting with them tonight at dinner and over the weekend.

I just downloaded Seth Godins latest book We Are All Weird.  Jacqueline Novogratz wrote a terrific review of the book.  We Are All Weird is a song of freedom, an exuberant manifesto with the richness of choice that comes with wealth, the markets, the internet, our increasing connection with one another across the globe. He argues that the era of mass marketing is over (thankfully) and that as humans we seek not just to consume but to connect, and therefore we find those who love what we love and, when it works best, create or join tribes. We are allowed, indeed, encouraged to be individuals, to specialize rather than fit in or be normal and this is where richness begins. As Seth says, Stuff is not the point. Connection, choice, pursuing what we love is.  BTW:  It was only $2.99!

Are you a speaker, expert, author, coach or entrepreneur attempting to connect with audiences who want to hear your message?

Have you considered adding speaking to your marketing plan?

Do you know how to monetize your speaking gigs?

Would you like one-one coaching with a marketing expert? http://www.speakerservices.com/marketing.html

Are you attempting to find gigs on your own and not getting a response from the event planner?

Would you like to know the names of the decision makers in the college and association and corporate markets?

Maybe you need a coach to assist you in branding and helping you put your talks together?

Wondering how to get a great video(s) for your website and social media?

Speaker Services team can assist you.

Whether you are a beginning speaker or further  along the path our agency can customize a package to fit your needs.

Here are some options for you to consider:

CONNECT WITH AUDIENCES via Speaker Services online paid listing directory brings speakers together with audiences since 1992.   We connect you with audiences that you might not find on your own.  We reach out to 5,000 event planners every month who are searching for experts for their audiences. See http:www.speakerservices.com

INVEST IN A WORKSHOP

Saturday, October 29, Market Yourself as a Speaker, Susan Levin in Marina del Rey http://bit.ly/pxk58a

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

Immediate Benefits:

- Design a masterful presentation package that attracts meeting planners to hire you

- Create your one-sheets, introductions and rating forms

- Customize your programs with pre-program questionnaires and more

Monday, November 7, Speak Your Way to More Clients, Capistrano Beach with Ursula Mentjes and Susan Levin http://www.salescoachnow.com/speak-your-way-to-more-clients/

You will leave with a Proven Formula to Create the Perfect Speaking Business Plan for YOU in 2012

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Like to listen to mp3s?

SPEAKERS COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP GROUP

Join the Speakers Community Membership 60 days for free & a modest $19.95 a month.  Listen to the expert interviews live or download mp3s.

NOTE: 10/26 Complimentary teleclass

Post Do You Have Professional Marketing Materials? http://t.co/GwZ7x94o & comp teleclass 10/26 same topic register http://t.co/5JxUQ8R0

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NEWS & TIPS FROM OUR COLLEAGUES

The new frontier, Seth Godin

 http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/10/the-new-frontier.html

What, exactly, is wrong with the old frontier?

When Google + launched, millions of formerly optimistic people became optimistic again. Maybe this was going to be the one, the social network with just the smart people and none of the lame stuff, none of the spam or the pitches or the people we’re trying to avoid.

And the same thing is true when the pack runs to the new nightclub, the new technology, the new suburban subdivision. Maybe this will be the one…

Of course, it rarely is. So much disappointment and so much bitterness. It’s never as great as you hoped it would be. Ennui and then, eventually, waiting for yet another new frontier.

It’s the old frontier that actually presents the most interesting opportunities, because the shine has worn off. This is your platform for real innovation, innovation in a place or a market or a situation that truly is ready for it

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Need Some Marketing Inspiration? Download @HubSpot’s New eBook: 101 Marketing Quotes: http://t.co/oItXB2tn #101Quotes

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Did anyone catch our speaker and author Author Carole Lieberman on TV Sat night talking about the Michael Jackson case? She is an expert witness too. See her speaker listing http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/413

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Learn the latest trends in the world of speaker marketing 10/29 in LA w Susan Levin Market Yourself as a Speaker Wksp http://t.co/XwKiTPYQ

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New blog post How Sponsors Define Value: Vickie Sullivan, http://t.co/PSkPZsYK

Blog post Is Cold Calling Dead? 6 tips to success http://t.co/4AyLkhXz

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What our clients are saying about Speaker Services:

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

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

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

I am ready to answer all your questions and concerns and make suggestions to fit your budget and marketing plan.  E-mail me at susan@speakerservices.com for an appointment to chat.

Susan Levin

Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com

310-822-4922 PT

SPEAK YOUR WAY TO MORE BUSINESS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11/9/11-  In LA Speaking & Sponsorship Fill Your Purse event $35 http://t.co/2bHPUqVV your hosts Linda Hollander and Susan Levin

October 2011  E-Zine

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

Speaker Services http://www.speakerservices.com

In this issue
- Note from Susan Levin

- Meet our featured speakers & authors

- Tips and Resources

- Teleclasses

- Tweets

My phone rings and a speaker says, I do not understand why I am not getting a call back from the business or association planner when I leave a message.  I ask what was your message?  The discovery is there is no compelling message. Instead of saying I am a speaker and speak about….do you have an opening for me to speak?  How about this? How does this sound? BTW:  This was a pitch in Reporters Connection from a radio producer looking for an expert.  A report featured in Reuters shows, in the past three years unprotected sex among teens is up 39% in America. Fewer teens know about safe sex, what contraceptives are available and how to use the ones they are familiar with.  I am an expert on why the increase and how parents can approach the subject with teens.  We have been getting so many calls like this that my team and I have put together a crash coaching series coaching series that will get you or your speaker booked.  Give me a call if we can help you out.

We are closing the doors for registration for Talk Up Your Business Los Angeles Workshop on Monday, October 10.  The event takes place on 10/17.  If you are planning on attending please register now.

Enjoy the advice and resources and tweets that I have provided for you in this month’s e-zine.

Susan Levin

Speaker Services

310-822-4922 PT

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Featured Speakers

Nicole Roberts Jones Author, Video  Massachusetts, Nationwide
Empowerment coach, trailblazer and visionary shares powerful, asset-based formula that moves you from darkness into a life beyond limits.
Topics: Inspirational, Personal Development, Professional Development, Women’s Empowerment, Work/Life Balance

Terence Dixon S. California
Ultimate Fitness expert shows how to harness the power of Intention and Focus to gain a new body, new faith, and unstoppable self-confidence.
Topics: Christian, Fitness, Health, Personal Development

Grant Garris Author, Video, Atlanta, Georgia & Chicago, Orlando
Adoption and life coach addresses sensitive topics like surviving childhood abuse, sexual identity in corporate America, and adopting a child, with empathy, humor and compassion.
Topics: Abuse, Adoption/Foster, Parenting and Children, Sexuality

Michael Hingson, Author, Video,  San Francisco, Nationwide, International
Blind sales executive and Guide-dog user who survived 9-11 reflects on trust, teamwork, ethics, diversity, animal-human bonds, and human values.
Topics: 9-11, Diversity, Motivational, Team Building

Brenda Lane-Oliver, Author,  Maryland, Nationwide
Performance coach/author reveals how to bring out the best in teams, managers and employees and shows women how to move up the career ladder with passion, dignity and determination.
Topics: Leadership, Marketing, Success, Women’s Issues

Michele the Trainer, Los Angeles
World-class health, fitness and weight-loss expert reveals how to feel younger, more agile, confident and productive, and transform your body into the healthy one you deserve.
Topics: Fitness, Healthy Lifestyle, Time Management, Women’s Health

Lawrence Polsky, Author, Video, New Jersey, Nationwide
Executive coach reveals practical ways to energize you and your team as you face new challenges filled with conflict and change.
Topics: Change, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Team Building

See All Speakers and Authors

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TIPS & RESOURCES

Our friend and colleague William Yelles is offering a training on Oct 15 & 16 in LA  called WordPress Website in a Weekend http://wordpressweekend.eventbrite.com/ You’ll learn all the ins and outs of building a great looking site to start making money and reaching customers online  and best of all, it takes just one weekend.
This course is perfect for the small business owner or entrepreneur who does not want to spend thousands of dollars  or weeks, even months, of time  with hiring a developer.  Contact William 310-913-8454 cell
williamyelles@yahoo.com
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What if people could ask you questions while they read your book? That’s the goal of @author, a new feature introduced by Amazon for its Kindle e-books. Readers questions can now be tweeted directly to authors via the @author handle. Tim Ferriss, author of the mega-bestsellers The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Workweek, is one of the first to use the feature. If a trendsetter like Tim is doing this, you probably should consider doing so, too, when the service becomes available to all authors. Read this Business Week  http://t.co/StU8dFKl story for a thorough explanation of @author.
~ Bill Harrison at Reporters Connection
Not already a member? Join now to get our free media leads http://www.ReporterConnection.com/JoinNowFree/
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Make Your Blog Your Home Base, Joan Stewart,  The Publicity Hound

It is darn near impossible to sell something directly from Twitter, or even the snazziest Facebook page.

 But not from your blog. Your blog is the place where you can promote your expertise, explain how to use one of your products, answer readers questions about your services, or go into great depth explaining why visitors should donate to a worthy cause you are promoting. It is also the place where you can convince journalists that you know so much about your topic that they should be using you as a source, and probably even interviewing you for their articles.

You can post photos and videos at your blog, too. After you’ve hooked visitors and convinced them they need your products or services, you can link to a sales page at your website. 

The big mistake on social media sites is that most people skip the blog. They try to take their followers directly from Twitter to a sales page. Spend a few minutes reading all the junk in your Twitter feed and you will see what I mean. 

If you are not blogging yet, it is not too late to start.

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Older People Flocking to Facebook, Other Social Networks
By Josh Wolford – smallbiznewz

Use on the rise for those aged 50 to 64

The Pew Internet Project has just released some findings from a survey it conducted over a one month period that give us a look into the shifting demographics of the world of social media. The main takeaway:  Social media use within the older demographic is on the rise.

That’s right, places like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace are expanding from institutions for the young to institutions for everyone.

Have you noticed a broader demographic when it comes to social media use?  Let us know in the comments.

 The survey asked 2,277 adults (aged 18+) about their social media use.  What they found was that use among folks aged 50 to 64 has jumped to 32% – that is up 60 percent  from last year’s number which was only 20 percent.

  Read the rest of the article.

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WHERE CAN YOU CONNECT WITH SUSAN LEVIN?

10/17   Talk Up Your Business Los Angeles, Master the Message, Master the Marketing Workshop learn more

10-21-23   Maurice DiMinos, Presentations that Sell Bootcamp I will have a vendor table so make sure to say hello if you are there.

10/29  Market Yourself as a Speaker workshop, Susan Levin, learn more

11/7  Speak Your Way to More Clients, Capistrano Beach

11/9   Wealthy Bag Lady, Fill Your Purse Event, Get All the Clients & Sponsors You Want, Linda Hollander & Susan Levin, $35, Learn more

11/12  Mesmerize Your Audience, Jack Barnard, Los Angeles learn more

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Upcoming Teleclasses

SPEAKERS COMMUNITY Membership Club

FREE for Speakers Community Members.  Join now and get  2 months complimentary

October 13,  Get Massive Publicity Fast, Bert Martinez, learn more

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COMPLIMENTARY Teleclass
October 26, Marketing & Promo Materials that Gets you Booked, Jean-Noel Bassior & Susan Levin register

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Tweets of interest

- Learn 2 master yr message, marketing & prospect in LA Talk Up Your Business Workshop 10/17 http://bit.ly/rgjOJJ No hard sell-just the facts http://twitter.com/http://twitter.com/http://twitter.com/

- RT @donnagunter Top 5 Favorite WordPress Themes for Service Business Owners bit.ly/p3Nfpd Incredibly helpful info thanks Donna

- Reading: Seth’s Blog: The forever recession (and the coming revolution http://twitthis.com/at84t8

- Update Speaker Services Your Conference Audience is Dead  http://bit.ly/pje7Mq

- Speaker Services online store of products MP3′s, books, manuals & workbooks. Improve your speaking & marketing skills http://bit.ly/qB5MSB

Leave Voicemail Messages That Have Prospects Begging To Meet You | Market Yourself as a Speaker: http://bit.ly/qC6EzN

- How 2 be a multi thousandaire like me! http://j.mp/qFFZ2X thanks @loiscreamer 4 posting on LI Speaker Services Group. So agree with ya

- Check this video out Mistakes Speakers Make http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-vwIsXLSgo&feature=share via @youtube

Speaker Services- October 17,  2011 Update

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

Speaker Services http://www.speakerservices.com

In this issue
- Note from Susan Levin
- Tips and Advice
- Teleclasses & Workshops
- Tweets & Blog Posts of interest

Hello,

I spent the last two days shopping for a car with my friend and it was exhausting.  We finally made the deal and as you can see I am pretty darn happy and relieved. He got a Scion XD.

Does this sound familiar to you? My assistant or I have been making calls attempting to get speaking engagements and am not getting any call backs? You know you are an expert at what you offer and yet you are seeing changes in your business, bookings, prospects and your bank account. Could it be that you have been speaking for years and never had to treat your speaking practice as a business?  It might be a time for a tune up.

Are you investing in your continuing education and or updating your marketing materials? If you can relate to what I am sharing with you perhaps you would like some solutions.  Send me an e-mail susan@speakerservices.com for a complimentary session on the phone and lets see if we can customize a dynamite package for you based on your budget.

My colleague Dr. Letitia Wright, D.C. shared the following in a message to her LinkedIn contacts.  The Gurus Are Back. Have you noticed more emails from the “Gurus” lately? You know, the people who used to have these huge meetings with anywhere from 250 -1,000 people? They would tell you how to have the good life (whatever you consider the good life to be) and then charge you money to help you do it? They sell information packages with strategies that no longer work or ones they have never actually used to make their success.

Many of the Gurus filed bankruptcy (just like regular people) and disappeared for a while. Now they are back selling something slightly different. Some are in jail or on trial for murder, fraud and a lot of other things. A few have committed suicide over the last few years. Yes the economy hit them hard too because they depend on the rest of us to give them money. When we did not have it, they did not either.  I will add that it makes me furious as they ruin the trust level of our potential clients who have every right to be mistrustful.

I always share with my potential clients that it is a good idea to work with a heart-based business and not run after the shiny objects that offer flamboyant promises.

Susan Levin

Speaker Services

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Complimentary teleclass 10/26

Marketing & Promo Materials that Get you Booked

Susan Levin and Jean-Noel Bassior register http://www.speakerservices.com/teleclasses/detail/238

________________

Meet Susan Levin, owner and founder of Speaker Services at the following events in Los Angeles or Orange County.

10-21-23   Maurice DiMinos, Presentations that Sell Bootcamp I will have a vendor table so make sure to say hello if you are there.

10/29  Market Yourself as a Speaker, Susan Levin learn more

11/7  Speak Your Way to More Clients, Ursula Mentjes & Susan Levin, Capistrano Beach learn more

11/9   Wealthy Bag Lady, Fill Your Purse Event, Get All the Clients & Sponsors You Want, Linda Hollander & Susan Levin, $35,  learn more

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TIPS & RESOURCES

Discussion in a LinkedIn group re getting booked in colleges or high schools

Nicole B. Simpson CFP

You can take an independent alternative by contacting each college individually. Find out who is on the planning board or planning committee and submit your information there. They make the executive financial decisions.

High School

You must first review what the states core curriculum requirements are and see where your program best fits. Once you have determined that, you can do one of two things-you can approach each high school or you can go straight to the Board of Education. I have found the individual high schools work best. If you can get one school to walk to you to the board (who will ultimately have to pay), then you can go to the other schools in that district having already been approved by the board.

They both take a lot of time to do so be prepared to invest the time. Most people give up because the results are sooooo slow but once you are in, you are good, unless you blow it.

LOL-I recently did the legwork for myself. Realistically, it took me about 1 hour to accumulate an average of 6-7 real contact people. However, once it is done, you have the list. I went from state to state and my goal was ten schools in each of the states. I made it my business. Now I have a list to tackle. My topic was time sensitive (9/11) and they generally do not operate as soon as they get back to school but I already confirmed myself as a keynote for Rutgers for 2012 so it made it totally worthwhile. The schools have the budget to pay so it is truly worth it in the end. Another route you can take is to find out what schools have presenter conferences.

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New Sponsorship Opportunities

Vickie Sullivan vickiesullivan.com

In this jumpstart to next years elections, we hear a lot of bad stuff about ObamaCare.  Here is a silver lining: drug store chains are getting into the health insurance business.

That is right,  Walgreens plans to sell health insurance products later this year. Why do we care?  Because they are using sponsorship deals to promote their health and wellness positioning.

This industry leader is looking for both local and national opportunities, as new deals range from national sports teams to community events.  Idea:  any expert in this area with strong ties to their community (or a broad-based national brand) has a shot getting their speaking fee paid to those public health events.

Moral of the case study:  organizations use sponsorships to introduce new products to their customers.  Help them and you can get your share of the ever-growing sponsorship pie

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Sharings from our Speakers

Nan Vaughn wrote: Good news I got a free gig from SS for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, and after the presentation last week in Palm Springs, they contracted me to do four 50 min. telecoaching sessions as a follow up.  I did not have to submit a proposal or even negotiate and I am getting $2500! Also, they are interested in me for several other training/facilitating opportunities woohoo!

Speaker and Author Carrie Flintom shared

- Partial list of speaking gigs

- Simi Valley Hospital foundation

- WOW – Wonderful Online Women organization

- Womens Wellness Weekend

- University of Dominguez Hills

- Orange County Association of Educational  Office Professionals

- California State Employees Association Womens Committee Conference

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Tweets of Interest

- Check this video out — Your Marketing Plan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP58srL4bm4&feature=share via @you tube

- Jane Honeck Author & Speaker Has a double sided 1 sheet on her speaker listing. Thanks to our team for putting it together see http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/379

- Happiness is not what makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. David Steindl-Rast, A Listening Heart

- Download @HubSpot‘s free eBook: 99 Tools to Help You Generate Leads with Social Media

-Google+ Launches Real-Time Search and Hashtag Support http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/27206/Google-Launches-Real-Time-Search-and-Hashtag-Support.aspx via @HubSpot

- How Sponsors Define Value http://bit.ly/nmWQMZ In LA Speaking & Sponsorship Fill Your Purse event $35

- 60 Ways Personalization is Changing Marketing http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/13829/60-Ways-Personalization-is-Changing-Marketing.aspx

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

B2B Cold Calling Best Practices

By Maria Pergolino Marketo blog

This is a great post as it provides six steps to getting the sale and getting past the gatekeeper. How a business can realize tangible results from this marketing method?

Is cold calling dead? Patrick Donnelly said cold calling was in a blog post recently, but only if it has not evolved from the smile and dial of years past.   Even as social media and web applications become mainstream B2B marketing platforms, cold calling remains one of the most effective ways to make contact with decision makers, but only if done right. Cold calling can increase the number of prospects, appointments and sales. So how can a business realize tangible results from this marketing method?

There are some smart tips and techniques to fulfilling a successful cold call campaign:

1.    Target. Aim for the right industries. Seek out contacts at the right level. Get the direct line of someone that can make decisions on what you have to offer.

2.    Research. Can’t make the connection? Use online resources. Information sources like LinkedIn, Data.com and ZoomInfo can be indispensible for making contact. This may also help you understand more about their business.

3.    Strategize. Sometimes it takes some prospecting to find and talk to the right person. Once the right person is found, gatekeeper administrators can keep you away. Some great times to call in order to reach the right person are midweek and early in the morning, just before the top of every business hour or between 5:00 and 6:00 PM.

4.    Include. Cold calling shouldn’t stand alone. It should be fully integrated into your marketing campaign, as it is often most effective when accompanied by email and direct mail communications.

5.    Propose. Once contact is made, make an offer that is compelling. Address one of the major challenges your prospect is likely facing. Being capable of solving a problem can bring you half-way to a sale.

6.    Relent. There is a fine line between persistence and annoyance. Once the line is crossed, it can be hard to get the prospect back. Before making another call or sending one more e-mail, put yourself in the prospect’s shoes. What actions would make you turn away from a deal?

Cold calling is an invaluable B2B marketing technique for businesses. Even if a prospect isn’t ready to buy, the phone offers a great opportunity to personally introduce your brand. By leaving a positive image, cold calling encourages and nurtures the possibility of a future sale.

Need some help putting your message together to leave a voice mail that gets you a call back?  Speaker Services offers coaching.  E-mail susan@speakerservices.com for a complimentary appointment.

This post comes from my colleague Donna Gunter from her Blog Get More Clients Online

The blogging platform, WordPress, has proven itself to be a robust host for an online content management system (CMS), especially with the development of new WordPress themes and plugins.  I was skeptical at first, as I was a devout user of Typepad and kept hearing of so many tech troubles that people were having with their WordPress blogs.

However, in the last year, WordPress has exploded as the primary web site design platform.  I became convinced to switch all of my sites to WordPress when I saw so many developers creating fee-based themes and plugins for the platform.  Now, WordPress can do almost everything except clean your house and cook you breakfast!  The number of free themes and free plugins number in the thousands, and the number of fee-based ones are quickly rising to that number, as well.

Since I’ve been creating many, many WordPress sites as of late, I’ve discovered that there are a few themes that I routinely use again and again.

Here are my top 5 choices for WordPress themes for service business owners:

1.  Socrates:  Originally developed for affiliate marketers, I’ve used this WordPress theme again and again to develop full-fledged web sites that include static pages, squeeze pages, and a blog.  The theme offers a built-in header creator, which makes it attractive to those who are graphically-challenged.  Tech support for this theme is amazing, and I’ve often asked other WordPress-related questions there and have gotten answers to those, as well.  The theme offers flexible layout options, along with a number of page templates. The instructional videos are top-notch, and if you’re looking for a robust workhorse theme, I highly recommend this one.

2. Optimize Press:   This is the WordPress theme I come to time and time again to create squeeze pages and product launch sites. The number of options offered here is overwhelming, but once I took the time to begin to review the video training, I was amazed at how easy it was to create a squeeze page and a membership site. One of the unique features it offers is all of the short code options to help you create downloads, testimonials, and guarantees. You have a number of options from which to pick to display on a page, without any heavy lifting involved.  If you need to create quick squeeze pages, this is your go-to theme.

3.  Profits Theme:  I really like the layout and options of this WordPress theme for membership sites. Whether you offer a fixed-term membership, a recurring membership, or just want to create a membership login option for the information products you sell, profits theme readily lets you do all of the above.  While Optimize Press also handles membership sites, I find the membership site layout of Profits theme a little more to my liking. Optimize Press and Profits Theme will both serve you well, and there’s not really any need to buy both.

4.  Artisteer:   This is really a web site design program, rather than a theme.  Artisteer lets you create a customized WordPress theme, including header, colors, navigation menu, etc.  Once created, you export it as a theme and then import the theme into WordPress.   What I don’t like about this program is that once you have imported the theme into WordPress, you don’t have the flexibility of changing the theme colors, header, etc. like you do in other theme programs. Well, actually, you can if you speak CSS stylesheets, which I don’t.  Instead, you have to go back to Artisteer, update your theme, and upload it as a differently named theme to WordPress.  It offers an amazing number of suggested templates, so I highly recommend this program if you like to change the look and feel of your site often.

5. The Client Machine:  This is an amazing theme that incorporates a great portfolio, invoicing system, and proposal system, as well as the ability to add testimonials to the sidebar or footer..  If you’re a freelancer who does any type of project-based work, you may want to check out this theme for your web site.  It’s got unique features and functions that make it very easy and fast for freelancers to build a website that attracts leads, captures prospects, and compels visitors to hire them.

Bonus:  WP Twin and WP Twin Auto Backup:  While not a theme, I think this software is essential if you are maintaining your WordPress blog or regularly create new blog sites.  This software has saved my bacon on more than one occasion when I’ve goofed up when updating a site and have blown out the formatting.  I simply go into my hosting account and pick up the latest backup of the site, reinstall it, and I’m good to go again.  It takes only a few minutes to create a chron job to backup the site on your hosting account, and because it backs up EVERYTHING, including all of your plugins, settings, users, etc., there’s really nothing that has to be reinstalled when you “deploy” the clone of your site.  And, if you create sites based on a template them with a defined set of plugins, it’s very handy to create a new duplicate site in a matter of minutes rather than hours.

If you haven’t yet changed your static web site over to a WordPress, now is a great time to do so.  With an abundance of themes to choose from, you should have no problem finding a WordPress theme that’s right for you.

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

September 21,  2011 Update

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

Speaker Services http://www.speakerservices.com

In this issue
- Note from Susan Levin
- Tweets & Blog Posts of interest

Greetings,

I want to personally invite all of our Los Angeles business folks, speakers, authors, coaches and entrepreneurs to join us on Monday October 17 for a one day event Talk Up Your Business, Master the Message, Master the Marketing .  Only attend though if you are interested to Gain Credibility, Boost Your Visibility and Get More Clients By Talking Up Your Business.

Here are a few of the items that Susan Levin, Jack Barnard, Jean-Noel Bassior and Ursula Mentjes will be sharing with you.

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

- DESIGN an effective website that helps your clients hire you on the spot for their event

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

-  COMMUNICATE your key message to the news media and learn how to get publicity that increases your credibility and lead generation

-  EXPAND your short talk into any length presentation, for any audience, for any purpose

My promise to you is – tons of content, interaction and no hard sell.  Your investment is only $99 with a money back guarantee

Jump right onto the website now and  read the program and sigh up at the incredible reasonable investment of $99.

Our team has been training Virtual Assistants for speakers and authors this past month. The question that we always get asked is, “How do I prospect for speaking gigs and then how do I get past the gatekeeper to the decision maker and what kind of message can I leave to get a call back?” My answer is,  :It all has to do with your website and your marketing materials. No one can book you if we do not have a clear idea of the problem you solve for your target industry.”  Do you need help?

Say you have landed a speaking gig.  Do you know how to ask the event coordinator the proper questions to customize for their audience?  Do you have a  pre program questionnaire? Hint it resides under the link For Meeting Planners. Joyce Newman shares in a blog post, It is always amazing when speakers do not ask the meeting organizer questions about the audience in advance of writing their presentations. Lets start with the most obvious one: – Who are they and how were they selected to be participants? – How many are attending?   Read the rest of the post.

Need help? Since 1992 Speaker Services has been supporting professional folks in growing their business and income through speaking.  Speaking is a business.

Speaker Services team can support you in several ways.

Meet Speaker Services team

- Join the Speakers’ Community Membership Club, Audio/MP3 library of experts. 60 days complimentary.

- Workshops: Los Angeles & Orange County

- Get a speaker listing in our paid listing service since 1992.  We bring speakers and experts together with audiences. Read more

-  We can write your promotional materials which include: a speaker listing, call for proposals, speaker/author one-sheets, media profile, your bio and introduction with team members. See list and descriptions

-  Branding, Presentation, Media Training with team members.

- Private One on One Marketing Consultations with Susan Levin.

For a complimentary 20 minute conversation & or review e mail Susan Levin at susan@speakerservices.com  for an appointment.  Allow me to put together a customized program just for you.

TWEETS & BLOG POSTS OF INTEREST

- Amazon Continues to Disintermediate Publishers – BusinessWeek http://buswk.co/o5uRd0 via @BW

- Join us for Websites that Sell 4 Experts, Authors, Speakers teleclass interview w Kriste Rimmele 9/26, http://t.co/olPwK2b2

- Google+ Now Available to Everyone, Adds Search Functionality more via @HubSpot

- @donnagunter Article Marketing: 7 Steps to a Great Author Resource Box That Drives Targeted Tra.. t.co/T1QghDxe always great info

- “Everything in your life is there as a vehicle ⁰for your transformation. Use it!” – Ram Dass

- Blog post: The Point of Humor http://bit.ly/plvEMX Humor relaxes the audience, breaks the tension& creates an opening.

Susan Levin, Speaker Services, 310-822-4922

The following post is from Speaker Services team member Jack Barnard. jackp.barnard@verizon.net

Jack says “it’s important to get your information and structure together but you can have perfect form and still not hook the audience. What makes your information come alive is what will be covered in Mesmerize Your Audience the workshop.  Openings, closings, storytelling, humor, involvers (exercises and processes) — the sizzle that really helps audiences keep their excitement levels high.” This post is focused on one of those elements humor.

“We’ll now take a ten minute break. Those of you who are asleep
can wake up. And those of you who remained awake can take a nap.”
From Current Comedy Newsletter

Of all the sweeteners, humor is the sweetest. We all love to laugh. Humor relaxes the audience, breaks the tension of digesting the material and creates an opening. The audience opens up their bellies for you to put the gift in. An added bonus of including humor in your talk is that listeners make an unconscious assumption that you must have great command of your topic if you also know how to make it fun and funny. In speeches and presentation, humor looks like lacing your points with stories and anecdotes, including jokes, playing with the audience, laughing.

The Point of Humor…Humor can be part of every presentation.
1) The main value of humor is it’s softening effect. It loosens up the audience so your gift (message) can be more deeply embedded. Here’s another way of saying it: Humor is a digestaid, it allows your audience to open up and assimilate your more challenging points. (And let me add, if you’re not bringing us material that is a bit challenging, you’re not much of a sherpa.)

2) It gives the audience a psychic and emotional break. Especially if you’ve been pounding home your message, a little humor allows the audience to regenerate their focus.

3) It lends credibility to your presentation. An audience subconsciously assumes that you must really know your stuff if you’re able to lighten the load with a touch of humor.

“Pardon me, I don’t tell jokes!”
18 out of the 20 people in just about any class I’ve taught

Most people don’t think they can tell jokes. Of course, there is a big difference between jokes and humor. Jokes are meant to make you laugh. Humor is meant to make you laugh and reflect. Generally, humor — especially as used in presentation — is more believable and illustrates a point.

“It’s great to be among friends — pity none of them are here.”
Max Hitchins

Now, I know that everyone has a sense of humor buried in there somewhere. Bringing that humor out is part of the work I do. It takes a little trust to tickle the funnybone. Humor relies on timing and confidence.  You’re funny if you think you’re funny and if you stay committed to your unique style and viewpoint. In any case, jokes are just a small part of humor. Even if you can’t tell jokes, even if you have difficulty relating humorous stories, you can have fun. you can have fun!

And if you have fun, we have fun. Lightheartedness fills the space. That’s 3/4 of it. If you have fun, we have fun. Not everyone is a great storyteller (although you’d better learn to tell stories if you want to create lasting impact), you don’t need to deliver a fabulous punchline, you might not have a knack for creating an improvisational environment. But, if you have fun — it offers the same result as being funny — and everything important pretty much takes care of itself.

“As far as impact is concerned,
being funny and having fun is the same

Jack Barnard is a writer, speaker, performer and group leader. His eclectic background blends business, human potential facilitation and artistic expression. He is the developer of SourceWork, a playful technique of dynamic expression; a mixing of the ceremonial, the theatrical and the mysterious. Jack has facilitated hundreds of SourceWork events in both the US and Europe.

Jack works with speakers and would-be speakers one-on-one and in workshops. His technique emphasizes the specialness of the individual, focusing on the permission to bring forth one’s unique expression and style. Jack is the author of We Get our Cue from You: The Communion Approach to Public Speaking, and Presentations.

Join us in for Mesmerize your Audience Workshop, 11/12/11 in Los Angeles, lmtd to 10 peeps

Read more and register, $125

Resource: CD or mp3- 2 hours, Mesmerize Your Audience, $25

Order and learn more

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

September 2011 E-Zine

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

Speaker Services http://www.speakerservices.com

In this issue
- Note from Susan Levin
- Meet our featured speakers & authors
- Tips and Advice
- Teleclasses & Workshops
- Tweets & Blog Posts of interest

Today I am sharing with you new reports about the meeting attendees that several of my colleagues posted in their blog or e-zine.  Also be sure to read tweets and blogs of interest as there are many interesting items ie: 17 Things Marketers Should Delete From Their Facebook Strategy NOW.

I am wondering Are you talking up your business?   Speaking is the fastest path to more clients, more credibility and more business.  As an author, consultant, coach, service professional or entrepreneur, speaking establishes your expertise, while marketing you at the same time.

But how do you get those speaking gigs? What do you need to have in place to get meeting planners to book you? How do you create a compelling message that you can adapt to any audience, lengthen or shorten at will and create a huge impact? How do you create massive visibility from your speaking gigs and leverage this publicity into more leads and more clients?

Whether you are new to speaking or are an expert with multiple speaking engagements under your belt, there are ways to profit from speaking that you probably have not even considered.

There are so many moving parts and angles that you have to master.

You can find the answers at the Los Angeles Talk Up Your Business, Master the Message, Master the Marketing on Monday, October 17

See the website and the program and sign up now as the seating is limited and it is only $99. http://www.speakerservices.com/talkupyourbizla

The Improv group led by jack Barnard finished their class with a performance.  Friends and family members had a great time.  In this photo is Ryan Jackson, Norah Edelstein and Raj Sharma doing a scene.

Enjoy the holiday weekend.  I hope you have some fun activities planned.

Speak your Way to More Business.

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

_______________

FEATURED SPEAKERS & AUTHORS FOR SEPTEMBER 2011

Click on name for full description and contact information.

	Michael Hingson — San Francisco, Nationwide, International Blind sales executive and Guide-dog user who survived 9-11 reflects on trust, teamwork, ethics, diversity, animal-human bonds, and human values. Topics: 9-11, Diversity, Motivational, Team Building
	Devin C. Hughes — San Diego, CA Coach, trainer and former athlete shows how to conquer the sense of alienation called “The Isolation Syndrome” and get your life back. Topics: Bullying, Cultural Diversity, Learning Disorders, Motivational, Parenting and Children
	Brenda Lane-Oliver — Maryland, Nationwide Performance coach/author reveals how to bring out the best in teams, managers and employees and shows women how to move up the career ladder with passion, dignity and determination. Topics: Leadership, Marketing, Success, Women’s Issues
	Susan Levin — Los Angeles Susan Levin specializes in helping business people attract a steady stream of ideal clients by marketing their business and income through speaking. Topics: Business Building, Business Opportunities, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Speaker Marketing
	Ursula Mentjes — Anaheim, S. CA Certified NLP Coach, author and sales expert Ursula Mentjes offers mindset shifts and strategies to make selling easy and significantly increase sales. Topics: Business Building, Entrepreneurship, Goal Setting, Sales
	Lawrence Polsky — New Jersey, Nationwide Executive coach reveals practical ways to energize you and your team as you face new challenges filled with conflict and change. Topics: Change, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Team Building
	Jothy Rosenberg — New England, Nationwide Author, extreme athlete, entrepreneur and two-time cancer survivor empowers others to say “I CAN” in the face of major challenges. Topics: Disabilities, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, Inspirational, Motivational, Success
	Kathryn Tull, MFT — Los Angeles Relationship specialist, therapist and trainer offers powerful techniques that help you feel heard and appreciated as you boost self-worth, honor your past, and reclaim your power in the present. Topics: Abuse, Family, Motivational, Personal Development, Relationships
	Christy Waters, RN, BSN, MA, CLNC — Los Angeles Registered Nurse and Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC) with pharmaceutical background shows legal professionals how to review medical data so you can decide if a case is worth your time and effort. Topics: Health Care Business, Legal, Medical & Nursing Malpractice

SEE ALL SPEAKERS

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TIPS AND ADVICE

- New Report About Meeting Attendees

Vickie Sullivan  www.sullivanspeaker.com

Do you think virtual attendees  those who attend conferences from the comfort of their cubicle multi-task more than the audience you speak to right in front of you? Nope everyone (over 80%) is checking their email during your presentation, according to this fascinating study about meeting attendees both virtually and face-to-face.

Conducted in May by PCMA (Professional Conference Management Association), so this data is pretty fresh.  Most interesting finding:  the different motivations between virtual and physical attendees.  The former signs on for the value of the content (97%) and ease of use (90%).  The latter gets on a plane to meet with the speakers and colleagues (68%) and to meet more customers and prospects (56%).  And everyone (over 80%) seems very comfortable networking with strangers both online and off.  (Thank you, social media!)

Pay attention to this finding content marketing and distribution needs are not being met.  Distribution on all devices yes, that means smart phones is now expected. Getting information before, during, and after the event is important to both types of attendees.  Content is still king; the demands for searchability and availability are a given.  And we are not just talking white papers either.  Videos and other interactive formats make a difference.

As experts who speak, we always want to know more about our audiences.  This report is a treasure trove of cool information.  Click here to get the report (sign in is required).

______________

Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy Convention Industry Council

- Mary McKay, turnkeyspeaker.com

You will be interested to know that the Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy Convention Industry Council 2011 just reported last week that 205 million people attend 1.8 million meetings a year in the U.S.  And as Meetings & Conventions reported last year, planners say that motivational messages are among the most appropriate keynote categories: of the 116 meeting planners who responded, 69 % say that an uplifting speech is highly appropriate followed by the second highest category, industry related topics at 62%.  They also reported that while 15% of respondents do not pay their keynote speakers, 28% budget less than $5,000 and at the high end of the spectrum, 3% can pay more than $50,000 for a top name.

They also reported that word of mouth if the prevailing method of finding speakers.  There is only one way that you can become word of mouth.  And that is if someone hears you and recommends you.  So those free gigs you are doing right now can make a big difference.

______________

- Approaching prospects — Ron Katz

I have been doing a consulting gig on the other side of the desk for the past couple of months and amazed at how many bad pitches I have received from speakers, trainers, and other assorted presenters. Most of the worst ones are all about the wonderful things the presenter can do with little or no effort made to find out what the organization I am working with needs. In other words, it is all about them. Remember to do your homework, find out what your target might need, and then sell them on the benefit of hiring you. No one is going to hire you because it is good for you. One person actually had the nerve to tell me he had  work for less than his usual fee because he really needs the work right now. You will only get the work if the target organization can see how it will benefit them

______________

- Authors Who Visit Book Clubs

Bill Harrison  Reporter Connection  http://www.reporterconnection.com

GalleyCat has created a new way to connect book clubs with authors who want to visit them in-person, by phone or via Skype video. It’s called, quite simply, “Authors Who Visit Book Clubs.” The directory already has more than 300 authors and can be found here. Want to add your name? Go to GalleyCat’s Facebook page to sign up for free.

You’ll probably find the real payoff from such appearances won’t be in the number of books you sell, but rather the chance to connect with your fans and get valuable feedback. For instance, Jim Collins decided to write Good to Great, a business bestseller which has sold over 4 million copies, after dinner with a reader of his previous bestseller Built to Last.
______________

-  7 Things Marketers Should Delete From Their Facebook Strategy NOW from HubSpot Blog

What to Axe From Your Facebook Marketing Strategy

1. A Business “Profile,” Not a Page: First things first. Before you even think about anything else, know this: businesses have Pages, people have Profiles. If you haven’t already, create a Facebook Page for your business immediately. If you’ve already set up a Profile, Facebook enables you to convert it into a Page. Pages are specifically built for companies, brands, and organizations, and they provide all the right functionality (e.g. generating fans) for your business’ Facebook presence.

2. A Lengthy Page URL: So now you have a Page. What comes with it is this really long, unidentifiable, impossible-to-remember URL. Make it easy to communicate your Facebook presence to others by creating a vanity URL and username that’s easy to remember and share. For example, HubSpot’s Facebook Page URL is http://www.facebook.com/hubspot. (Note: Once your vanity URL is set, Facebook doesn’t let you change it, so make it count!) Read more

______________

- The Ultimate Google+ Cheat Sheet
hubspot.com

Google+ is growing like crazy. In fact, it is the fastest growing social network ever. Just as with any other social network, marketers have a lot to learn and do. So we thought we would invest some time into making your life easier. In this post, we’ve compiled the best content about Google+ from all across the web. Use it to learn how to leverage Google+ for both business and personal uses.

Google+ Vocabulary: Quick Reference Glossary

Stream:  the list of messages that is displayed on the Google+ home screen and for each Circle of contacts

Hangout:  a platform for group video chatting and collaboration that is used by Google+ members

Circle:  the method of organizing connections into groups for more targeted sharing and better privacy

Google Profile:  your personal home on Google+, which allows you to share interesting, work experiences, personal information, and much more

Sparks:  the magazine of Google+, which bring together information on a topic for easy viewing. Enter a keyword, and see public Google+ posts on that topic.
Read more:

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SEPTEMBER  TELELCLASSES
SPEAKERS COMMUNITY

Teleclasses FREE for Speakers Community Members. Join now and get  2 months complimentary
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September 15,  3 Steps to Success: Niche Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Speaking Business Profitably, Susan Friedman, CSP

In this dynamic and high-content session, you will learn a unique 3-Step Riches in Niches Success Formula to build your speaking business faster and with less frustration. This practical framework of powerful, proven, and simple-to-use success strategies, makes it easier for you to find and cash in the right niche market for your business.

Join Susan Friedmann, The NichePreneur Coach, to discover simple steps to success to grow your speaking business profitably.  Read more/register

_______

September 26, Websites that Sell for Experts, Authors, Speakers, Kriste Rimmele

Learn proven strategies to help you effortlessly attract customers, get more leads, and command higher fees.

Discover:

-  5 tips to help you skyrocket the profits on your website

-   How to build an effective speaker website that gets you booked

-   How to build a personal brand that makes you unforgettable.

Kristie Rimmele knows first-hand how to build massive publicity and sales online.  She is the found of Webmomz.com, a community for work at home moms, president of Branding on the Net, and author of several books including I Love My Life: A Moms Guide to Working from Home. Read more/register

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WORKSHOPS IN LA & ORANGE COUNTY

Monday, October 17, Talk Up Your Business, Master the Message, Master the Marketing Workshop, Los Angeles

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

SPEAKERS, AUTHORS, EXPERTS, COACHES, CONSULTANTS

Gain Credibility, Boost Your Visibility & Get More Clients by Talking Up Your Business

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.

GREAT, practical advice and training, energizing and inspirational presenters from whom I learned a great deal.  Strategies I know I’ll use over and over.  Thanks to Susan and Jack for a weekend that left me confident and prepared!
- Melinda Bates, Author, Clintonista, A White House Memoir

See the program and register

_________

Saturday, October 29,  Market Yourself as a Speaker, Susan Levin

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

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

Market Yourself as a Speaker workshop is the dash track to making the changes necessary to reach your target market.
- Suzanne Takowsky, Beverly Hills Times Magazine

Learn more and register

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Monday, November 7,  Speak Your Way to More Clients, Capistrano Beach, Ursula Mentjes and Susan Levin

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

Establish yourself as an Expert through speaking  a powerful marketing tool that lifts your business or service to the next level. Begin now to build a profitable speaking business that gets your message out to the world!

- The Tools to Establish Yourself as the Expert in your Industry
- Generate List Building Systems to stay in front of your Prospects and Clients
- Proven Strategies to Land more Speaking Engagements
- Discover the Problem that you Solve for your Clients and the best way to Communicate it to the Decision Maker
- Create your Top 25 Target Client List and more
Read more/register

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Tweets of interest

- 10 Reasons Why an Online Speaker Kit Gets Meeting Planners to Book You! http://bit.ly/r5AU40 so what do you speak about?

- I luv my AudioAcrobat http://bit.ly/pDSQ6J do you use it? If not check it out. My favorite resource.

- Resources 4 speakers, experts & authors Blog: hundreds of posts http://speakerscommunity.com/blog & videos Utube Channel http://tinyurl.com/2e3dzjm Rock on!

- Get Booked on Radio Talk Shows http://bit.ly/p0oRIv Alex Carroll shows you how to Get Rich & Become Famous Being A Guest on Big Radio Shows

- Do you have an mp3 library? Favorite resource for speakers/authors. Hundreds of interviews, 60 days free. Join now http://www.speakerscommunity.com

- 17 Things Marketers Should Delete From Their Facebook Strategy NOW http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/23603/17-Things-Marketers-Should-Delete-From-Their-Facebook-Strategy-NOW.aspx via @HubSpot

-ASU LEARNING: University bringing more speakers to campus and community http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/aug/29/asu-bringing-more-speakers-to-campus-and/

-The Ultimate Google+ Cheat Sheet http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/23765/The-Ultimate-Google-Cheat-Sheet.aspx via @HubSpot

- Interesting article about Groupon http://www.smallbusinessnewz.com/topnews/2011/08/29/daily-deals-groupon-down-livingsocial-up-facebook-out

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

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

BUSINESSES FOLKS, EXPERTS, ENTREPRENEURS,

AUTHORS & SPEAKERS

Are you talking up your business?

Putting butts in the seats for  your events?

Getting media coverage?

Turning your expertise into profits?

Join us for a complimentary interactive preview teleclass  call with the speakers for the Atlanta Talk Up Your Business Workshop, Master the Message, Master the Marketing on August 11 at 4pm PT or 7pm ET.

Register at http://bit.ly/pWYwyA & the number to call will be sent to you.

Planning on attending?  September 30 and October 1 in Atlanta

Take advantage of the registration fee of $147 by August 30.

See program http://t.co/cu0bNfE

On August 11 I will be interviewing our guest speakers about their areas of expertise.

Even if you can’t make it sign in and I will send you the mp3.

MEET THE SPEAKERS:

Jack Barnard...the emcee for this stellar event and the first presenter — is a master presentation coach and media trainer, a true maverick in the business. He will be teaching us the importance of nailing your core message, and how that impacts your presentations of any length, your branding, media interaction and your promotional strategy.

Susan Levin…the owner of Speaker Services, the co-producer of this event. She is a marketing consultant for speakers and authors and will offer advice and marketing strategies to dramatically increase your income and success in the world of speaking.  Susan show you how to speak your way to more business.

Daphne Bousquet… works with speakers, coaches, and service professionals, who want to increase their client base, boost their visibility and add as much as 6 figures to their bottom line with their own workshops and seminars.

Rick Frishman…is a best selling author, publisher and speaker.  He works with and trains authors, entrepreneurs, and business owners to get more visibility for themselves and their businesses by leveraging the magic of publicity.

This event is produced by Speaker Services and is reasonably priced at $147 for 2 days.  That is the early registration investment fee which is good until August 30.

Here are a few of the items I will be asking about.

-  Find out how to fill your workshops

-  Expand your short talk into any length presentation, for any audience, for any purpose

-  Tap into powerful strategies for lead generation

-  Build an entire product line of information products around your expertise

-  Turn your expertise into profits

- Why you need video demo

-  Familiarize yourself with speaker marketing materials

-  Learn why media exposure is a critical element to your success

- Discover why publicity is 100 times better than advertising

What people are saying about Speaker Services Events

Every time I come the Speakers’  Summit I learn more and meet people to who help myself and my business  grow towards the success I dream of.
- Jentana Dabbs

Thank you for a highly motivating and powerful event, and for being such a gracious host. The Speakers’ Summit definitely opened my eyes to improvement opportunities and ways to share my gifts in the world more powerfully and easily. Thank you again, and I look forward also to growing our connection and network!
- Barry Selby

It was an extraordinary experience.  I didn’t have any expectations going in and I didn’t know what I would come away with.  It is through these past couple of days that I have discovered that I must find a way to express what I have experienced.  It is time for me to go to the next level.  I’m not a coach that fits into any of the usual categories but I do have something to say and share.  These past couple of days have shown me that there is a forum for me to get my message out there.
- Carol Pilkington

August 2011 E-Zine

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

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

In this issue:

- A note from Susan Levin

- News from our speakers and colleagues

- Teleclasses & Workshops

- Tweets and Blog Post of Interest

This past week I had the pleasure of teaching Speak Your Way to More Clients with my colleague Ursula Menjtes.  We also had the pleasure of coaching a client from Colorado for three days in person who you will be hearing about in a few months as soon as we complete his branding and speaker listing.  As a marketing consultant for speakers, authors and experts I am always talking about the need to have promotional marketing materials.  I am sure you have heard me say speaking is a business and it is essential to have well written materials. So if you are not getting the media attention you deserve or attracting new clients or not getting speaking gigs it could be your promo materials.

Speaker Services team can assist you with speaker proposals, one sheets, bio’s, interview questions, press releases and more.  I have posted the services on our blog along with a description of each item see http://bit.ly/qIRbHL We are offering complimentary intakes with a suggested plans of action.  E-mail me susan@speakerservices.com if you would like a session.  You may also be interested in reading 10 Reasons Why an Online Speaker Kit Gets Meeting Planners to Book You! http://bit.ly/nfNRqf

If you are in Los Angeles you could attend Market Yourself as a Speaker Workshop on 8/13 where you will learn about professional promotional materials from me.  See details

Are you doing anything for fun this summer?  Jack Barnard, our master branding. media & presentation coach along with 15 folks are.  What exactly are they doing you ask?  They are in a 5 part Inspired Improvisation class learning how to get out of their head and into their bodies and to think on their feet.  Lots of belly laughter the first evening. The last evening 8/29 is a performance and you are invited to attend complimentary.  It is in Venice, CA.  E-mail me for the information and if you are interested in attending or for the next series.

As you may know we are going to Atlanta on Sept 30 and Oct 1 for Talk Up Your Business Workshop.  On August 11, I am offering a free teleclass preview with our speakers on Talk Up Your Business.  You can meet Daphne Bousquet, Rick Frishman, Jack Barnard & Susan Levin, register here

In Atlanta see workshop info http://www.speakerservices.com/talkupyourbiz . Psst there is an early registration fee by 8/30 of $147.  We have had many requests from out West Coast peeps to offer a similar workshop in Los Angeles and I am working on it as I write and will be announcing the date soon.

Speak Your Way to More Business

Susan Levin

Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com

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Welcome to our new speaker for August 2011

Devin C. Hughes is a Coach, trainer and former athlete shows how to conquer the sense of alienation called “The Isolation Syndrome” and get your life back.
Bullying, Cultural Diversity, Learning Disorders, Motivational, Parenting and Children

See all speakers and authors

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Speakers’ Community Membership Club

Teleclasses are complimentary for members of the Speakers Community  join now 60 days free

Wednesday, August 24

Heartfelt Marketing: Allowing the Universe to Be Your Business Partner interview with Jacquie Jordan teleclass

Once again Jacquie Jordan does an excellent job of telling how it is. Anyone who is interested in the marketing field no longer has to experience sleepless nights, fear and anxiety. What you need is here in “Heartfelt Marketing”. Jacquie knows what she’s talking about.   Learn more and register.
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WORKSHOPS in LA & Atlanta

Friday & Saturday, September 30 and October 1

ATLANTA-  Talk Up Your Business, Master the Message, Master the Marketing

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

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.

See the program and register.  Early registration ends 8/30. $147 for 2 days.

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New workshop:  Monday, October 17 in Venice, CA

Charisma: Great Leaders Have It Workshop

For Executives, Coaches, Entrepreneurs, Speakers

Led  by Jack Barnard, Susan Levin and Tony Perez

Charisma: a strong personal quality that makes other people like you and be attracted to you.  Macmillan Dictionary

Charisma: a personal magic of leadership arousing special loyalty or enthusiasm. Merriam-Webster

Read more

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NEWS From OUR SPEAKERS & COLLEAGUES

See Jean-Noel Bassior’s video and write up in Day In The Life: Executive Chef at Westwood’s W Hotel – Westwood-Century City, http://t.co/XzdZcO9

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Story On Biking: the amazing story of Jothy Rosenberg http://t.co/ANRSk0p
Jothy is an author, speaker and extreme athlete, entrepreneur and two-time cancer survivor empowers others to say “I CAN” in the face of major challenges. He speaks about Disabilities, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, Inspirational, Motivational, Success see his speaker listing http://bit.ly/nphM9F

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Speaker and author Helaine Harris shares:
I am thrilled to invite you to register for a FREE Teleseminar series specifically designed for folks who want more love and abundance in their lives. It’s called the Activate Amazing Prosperity with Heart Energy! You will hear from 13 experts, authors and speakers in activating your heart and power centers to attract amazing abundance. Do you feel like you’re doing something WRONG?  No matter how hard you try and or whatever new thing you do, you don’t have enough money?  That is all about to change http://www.hzharris.com/telesummit

Helaine is a leading-edge coach and therapist reveals deep connection between love and abundance, shows how to attract clients and customers who appreciate you, and how to access your inner wisdom to fulfill your life purpose.  See Helaine’s speaker listing http://bit.ly/p7KCtT

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Bill Harrison wrote, Simon & Schuster reports that, in its first week, Jaycee Dugards’s memoir, A Stolen Life, sold approximately 700,000 copies. On the very first day it was published, Jaycee’s book sold 175,000 copies – & almost 100,000 were e-books. That’s an e-book record. What are you doing to tap the e-reader market?

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Lessons, Tips, Laughs and Gasps from ‘Shedding the Corporate Bitch’ by Bernadette Boas

Bernadette Boas Author, Speaker, Radio Personality, Change Agent, Brand Maker – Shedding the Bitch, Raising Capital – ASK ME

Have you encountered a bully or nasty boss, or an aggressive team member in the office… even at home? Have you ever wondered what motivates them to be who they are? 

For twenty-five years, I was that corporate bully, and now am thrilled to announce that my first book, Shedding the Corporate Bitch, has just been published on August 1. 

It’s my apology to all of the road kill that I left behind, while it also educates those afflicted by those nasty people about what causes them to lash out and create a challenging work environment. 

Now available everywhere, my personal story provides insights into the successes, failures, lessons learned, influences, and overall impact that my professional persona (Corporate Bitch) had on my career. 

 

Available now at your local bookstore, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, and online at www.sheddingthecorporatebitch.com where you can also get a free autographed copy!!

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Who says complimentary speaking does not turn into paid gigs?

“I got a free gig from Speaker Services for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, and after the presentation last week in Palm Springs, they contracted me to do four 50 min. tele-coaching sessions as a follow up. I didn’t have to submit a proposal or even negotiate—and I’m getting $2500! Also, they are interested in me for several other training/facilitating opportunities—woohoo!.” – Nan Vaughn, Speaker/ Author. See Nan’s Speaker listing

Want what Nan has? Our service has been connecting speakers, coaches, experts and authors together with audiences since 1992. http://www.speakerservices.com

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Pat Mussieux writes Any opportunity to speak is a gift, as far as I am concerned. It’s a chance to get your message out, to transform lives, to practice your presentation/skills, etc. – the critical piece is to ensure it is your ideal audience! And the critical piece is definitely ‘seeding’ throughout your presentation – and follow-up! Follow-up! Follow-up!

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Dr. Carole Lieberman weighs in on KTLA TV on Casey Anthony case http://t.co/W98oGHT .

Dr. Carole is the go-to guest for Oprah, Larry King, Katie Couric, Bill O’Reilly, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and other major media outlets when they need expert insight into the top news stories of the day or how to deal with life’s ups and downs. See Carole’s speaker listing

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SEE WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR SERVICES

Susan Levin is a great mentor with great experience to share 
and a great heart to match! – Melissa Evans, Guru of Implementation

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

I really appreciate Susan Levin, she is intelligent, practical & a very nice person & offers solid advice about the speaking industry. She has great information on her website and is very professional. She really has a passion for the speaking industry & is not just in business for the money. I do not hesitate to recommend her. – Tiffany Bradshaw, Bradshaw & Co. Business Consulting

Get a speaker listing with Speaker Services and connect with audiences who want to hear your message: Learn more.
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TWEETS AND BLOG POSTS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN:

- Learn marketing secrets & strategies that attract your ideal clients speakerservices.com/talkupyourbiz/ Atlanta 9/30 & 10/1 get your seat now

- Blog Discover how to secure your income for the rest of the year.The Top Item To Sell At Your Workshop @daphnebousquet http://t.co/lBAdvmA

- Check this video out — Susan Levin, What Meeting Planners are looking for in speakers http://t.co/YfDoEew Various formats for presenting.

- 15 Tips to Conquer Fear of Public Speaking: http://t.co/20D0Hx0 @dianediresta

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Follow us on

Twitter: http://twitter.com/speakerservices
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.levin
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanlevin
Read the Blog http://speakerscommunity.com/blog
SpeakerServices Utube Channel http://tinyurl.com/2e3dzjm

post by Daphne Bousquet

Drumroll, please……..

After looking at the top 5 things to sell in the back of the room at your workshops and seminars, we have finally come to number 1.  Many entrepreneurs have used this particular piece to turn their seminar into an event that made high 5-figures, 6-figures, multiple 6-figures and even 7-figures.

This is what secures your income for the rest of the year and isn’t that a nice feeling?

Let’s review the Top 5:

#5 – Your Next Event

#4 – Continuity Programs

#3 – Professional Services

#2 – Information Products

#1 Coaching

Coaching is a highly personal service and not many people hire a coach that they are not really familiar with.  Content marketing and especially workshops and seminars are very effective tools to fill your coaching programs.

Your audience gets to see you in action and you get to display your skills and your knowledge.  The nice thing is that your potential clients get a real feel for who you are, your style of interacting with others and if they would enjoy working with you.

In the back of the room, there are 3 kinds of coaching packages that you can sell:

One-on-one coaching

As a coach, you obviously know what this is.  You take a person and help them achieve their goals in your area of expertise by collaborating with them and holding them accountable for their actions. Yes, that is not the official definition.

According to the International Coach Federation, coaching is “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”

What this means is that you can offer your attendees a 6-month long or year long coaching package that will help them achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

The disadvantage is that this is a time for dollars business model and you can only coach so many clients before you run out of time and hit the ceiling of your income potential.

Group Coaching

In this model you take a group of people on  a quest to achieve their dreams.  The nice thing about group coaching is that you can charge your clients less, but get paid more for your time.  It is all in the power of leveraging.

If you charge $250 per hour for one-on-one coaching that is all you get paid for that hour.  But if you have a group, you can charge 5 people (or more) $150 for per hour.  All of a sudden, you get paid $750 for that same hour.

By the way, this hourly rate is just an example.  I know you do not sell your coaching by the hour, but only in packages.  (And if you do sell coaching by the hour, STOP!)

Hybrid Coaching

The hybrid is the perfect package to sell in the back of the room.  You include a group component in your package, but also have some individual coaching in there as well.  You can design it any way that works best for you and your clients.  Your clients get the benefit of access to you, as well as a group dynamic that can turn it into a mastermind.

This works even better when your clients all come from the same event.  They already know each other and have gone through the same seminar and that creates an instant bond.

Of course selling coaching is only 1 way to make a profit from your workshops and seminars, albeit a powerful one.  To learn more about the other streams of revenue to tap, to make your event truly powerful and lucrative, check out the Event C.A.S.H. System.

Do you agree that coaching is the top item to sell in the back of the room?  What do you think of the list?  Do you think anything else should be in the top 5?

By Kristie Rimmele of Branding on the Net

1. Meeting planners want to hire a speaker that makes them look good – an online media kit gives them everything thing need to know to decide now if you are the right speaker.
2. It allows meeting planners to see first hand what programs you offer and the specific takeaways that audience members will receive.
3. It helps meeting planners to check out your credentials so they are sure they are hiring someone with a high level of expertise and experience.
4. It provides meeting planners with a way to instantly see a video of you doing your best stuff.
5. Meeting planners get to read praise from others who hired you and be assured that you are a real pro who delivers.
6. It shows meeting planners the caliber of other clients who have hired you to present.
7. It gives meeting planners all the promotional materials they need to make their event a real success.
8. It tells meeting planners exactly what to do to book you now.
9. When the meeting planner DOES contact you – they are a hot lead – ready to book – you just close the deal.
10. Your competitor has one – if you don’t have one then guess who gets the job?
    Bottom line – if you want to book more speeches and fill your speaking calendar, you need an online speaker kit!

Article by Kristie Rimmele – Dubbed as the “Marketing Maven & Brander Extraordinaire” Kristie Rimmele turns entrepreneurs into the lavishly paid in-demand experts in their field. Learn how branding helps you to attract customers, build income, & gain visibility while successfully promoting your business online with our FREE report “Web Branding Secrets” by visiting www.brandingonthenet.com .

* Speaker Services offers professional writing for your presentation packets and consulting. Do You Have Professional Marketing Materials?  See http://bit.ly/olWlcb

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

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

In this issue:

- A note from Susan Levin

- Tips and Advice

- Teleclasses & Workshops

- 5 Tips to Avoid Losing Your Shirt with Your Seminar

- How Sponsors Define Value

- How to Ensure a Powerful Introduction Before You Speak

- Tweets & Blog Post of Interest

Greetings,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Speak Your Way to More Business

Susan Levin, Speaker Services, susan@speakerservices.com

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TIPS & ADVICE

LinkedIn Group

Professional Keynote Speakers – by Jorge Olson

Discussion: How do you become a public speaker?

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

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

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

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

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5 Tips to Avoid Losing Your Shirt with Your Seminar

Daphne Bousquet,  http://eventstrategysolutions.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Start small

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

Focus on your ideal attendee

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

Book your venue as late as possible

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

Allow plenty of time for marketing

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

Have a back end plan

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

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

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How Sponsors Define Value

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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How to Ensure a Powerful Introduction Before You Speak

Post by Lisa Sasevich, www.theinvisibleclose.com

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

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

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

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

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

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WORKSHOPS IN LA, ORANGE COUNTY, SAN DIEGO & ATLANTA

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nuts and bolts of lecture circuit.

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

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

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Tweets & Blog Posts of interest:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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