5

Phase III

Fire

Rolling Out to Your Market

If you think making your speech great, positioning yourself as an expert and developing the appropriate marketing materials was tough, you need to take a deep breath. You’ve only just started. Now you need to identify your target market and determine the best method to reach them. You need to roll out your product and continue to build momentum. You’re ready, you’ve taken aim, now fire!

Roll Out

You’ve probably had your audience type in mind all along, otherwise it would have been difficult to write the copy for your website. When we talk target markets, we’re taking that one step further. We might focus on specific industries where your audience decision makers would be.

An example might be that you want to offer a leadership talk. You write your site with leaders in mind. But when it comes to reaching out to them, where do you go? Well, this is where we break it down and try some testing in different industries. Perhaps you target leaders in insurance, financial, and real estate to start. That’s where you’ll focus your outbound efforts.

Public Relations (PR): Fire Your Message to the Masses

There are a number of ways to get your message out. It all comes down to selling yourself — or at least your expertise. Many people start their roll out with a book launch and that includes PR, so we’ve placed it here first. If that’s not the case for you, you might try some of the other roll out techiques before tackling the press. Some speakers don’t put a PR plan into place at all, and that’s okay. Just skim this section for now and come back to it when needed. Or, pick out a few ideas and begin a “PR Campaign Lite.”

Coach’s Question: What methods have you used to get your name, message and expertise out to your target market and potential audiences?

If you’ve been letting the local media know that you are presenting a speech at the local merchant’s group — good for you. If you’ve written a press release about the decline in sales in downtown shops due to the big box mall on the edge of town — better for you. If you’ve been submitting a monthly column in the local paper about retailing — best for you. Whether it be writing articles for your industry magazine or getting a slot on CNN, getting press can help set you up as the expert.

Approaching the Press

Be very focused about getting press before you start your campaign. Some speakers will tell you that a cross-country book tour did not garner any speaking engagements. Perhaps being on the radio or TV during the middle of the day meant that their entire target market was at work while they were being interviewed.

Think of your marketing campaign before taking action. Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

1. Will getting PR in the medium I am considering establish me as an expert in my field?

2. Will it get noticed by my target market?

3. Can I use it to add to my credibility?

4. Will it ultimately help me move toward my speaking goals?

There are many excellent books on getting good PR and many excellent coaches in the field. One of the main reasons speakers would use a PR firm is to promote a book they would like to make a bestseller. For the most part, huge amounts of time, energy, and money go into promoting bestselling books. Ask someone like Jack Canfield, co-author of the “Chicken Soup” series. When they first started out, no publisher would even talk to them. Once they did have a deal, they did tremendous amounts of press, many days getting up at 4:00 a.m. for radio interviews.

Occasionally, press can be a huge career booster — as in the case of motivational speaker Keith Harrell. Keith’s speech on attitude had developed such a following that the Wall Street Journal did a full-page story on him. The article was every speaker’s dream come true. Keith’s fee jumped substantially in the years following that article.

Make sure you are clear on the angle of the story and be very careful before agreeing to an interview. You might just be made out to be a buffoon.

Press can also have minimal impact. Several years ago, I secured a cover story in the local business magazine for the speaker I represented. I thought, “This is it! We’ve made it! We’ve busted through!” Not true. It probably secured us two or three local engagements and that was it. However, we inserted a color copy of that cover in every speaking packet that went out the door from then on, so it did lend credibility, even if it didn’t make our business.

And, as we all know, press can have a negative impact. Years ago a motivational speaker was written up negatively in Fortune magazine and he was absolutely devastated by it. The press may not see the value of what professional speakers do, so tread softly if they approach you about doing a story about speakers. Make sure you are clear on the angle of the story and be very careful before agreeing to an interview. You might just be made out to be a buffoon. That being said, if you do get negative press, don’t let it tank your career. Focus on the value that you give to your audiences to boost yourself.

Press Releases

The mistake that I see most speakers making is sending out a press release that does not answer the question: “So what”? They don’t tie it to anything relevant into which the press can sink their teeth.

One of my clients was putting on a seminar for business owners, so he drafted up a press release stating the details of the seminar with times and dates. Once we talked about the “so what” factor, he changed it to add a very forceful headline, “80% of Businesses Are Designed to Fail,” and went on to give reasons why and what they needed to do to avoid failure. Now his seminar looked more attractive and the press release added value for the reader. Some of the local press picked it up and helped sell more seats to the seminar.

Have a very clear goal in mind when you start a press release and then work backwards thinking about how you can provide value to the press. They need to provide solid content for their readers or viewers and you have content to provide.

Being the Expert in the Press

Rather than approaching the press to sell them on an idea, approach them with the idea that you are the expert with something to offer them. Many talk radio stations and breakfast TV shows are looking for content of interest to their viewers. It’s helpful to know what demographic or market each station goes after before you approach them.

The key is your hook and finding a way to get yourself noticed in the pile of press releases. There are some basic techniques for approaching the press.

1. Have a hook — something that will catch their attention.

2. Make it timely — see what else is going on in the news and if you can piggyback on another story or issue.

3. Be very clear about which issue you are addressing — you are an expert on selling to women, so the headline that you piggyback might read “75% of all buying decisions are made by women” or “salesmen are missing the mark.” You might then offer “Ten tips to help men sell to women.”

Trade Magazines and Blogs

Ideally, in order to establish yourself as an expert in your industry or niche, you’ll want to publish articles in the appropriate trade journals and blogs. Many publications are open to taking content from outside sources. The ideal time to approach a magazine is after you’ve spoken to a group; however, it can often be a way to get your foot in the door for a speaking engagement. Be sure to read the magazine or blog first to make sure you know the audience. You may also choose to customize an existing article for each target market and offer it up for submission. It will take time to become known with the magazines, but if you are consistent about keeping in touch, it will pay off.

I can’t think of anyone who has leveraged media better than speaker and author Jeffrey Gitomer. He has a sales column in almost every business journal in the U.S. Between his books The Sales Bible and Little Red Book of Selling and his column, he is well known as the guy to go to for sales. What better way to make yourself a business household name? When someone reads your column each week, they get to know you personally and become a follower or part of your choir. When Jeffrey runs public seminars, it’s a no brainer that his readership will attend — and, of course, buy scads of his products. They’ve become old friends!

Expert Available for Comment

Journalists go to online services when they are seeking experts on particular topics. You might consider getting yourself listed with some of these services so that you can be found when they need you.

PR Wire Services

There’s a service called HARO.com — Help a Reporter Out — that you can sign up for and receive notices from journalists who are seeking experts on particular topics. You’ll have to dig a bit, but it could really pay off.

There are also services popping up daily that allow your articles to go out on a PR Wire or service. At the time of writing this book, some examples are: newswire.ca, prweb.com, prnewsire.com, just to name a few.

When I asked my PR Firm, EMSI, how they generated so much activity for the Frog book we were promoting (the PR was a huge success, but the book sales were not), they provided the following analysis:

A lot of really big stuff we got for your campaign actually wasn’t from using a wire service. The campaigns are way more involved and require a lot more work than just distributing a piece on a wire service. The big hits we got for you (Huffington Post, Yahoo! Shine, BeliefNet, YourTango, etc.) were from working directly with our contacts in the media.

The wire service we do use, though, is: www.marketwire.com/.

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Check Out: www.marketwire.com, www.newswire.ca, www.prweb.com, and www.prnewswire.com.

Hiring an Agency or Publicist

Self-promotion is not easy for most people and it is a full-time job in and of itself. Hiring an agency or publicist can lighten your load. Some of the things you’ll want to consider before hiring someone to help you promote yourself or your book are listed below. You could also use this list when researching a PR agency.

1. Do they know my market?

2. Do they understand my goals?

3. Do they have the contacts that I need?

4. Do they have a good reputation?

5. What is their track record?

6. Will they work hard for me or will I get lost in the pile?

7. Who has used them with success? Try to find some of your own references as well as the ones they provide. Ask them for at least six people, then call the bottom of the list first.

8. If possible, go to their offices and see how organized they are — if it’s mayhem, then you may reconsider.

9. Will I have to sign a long-term contract? If so, then think very carefully. Many speakers have been completely dissatisfied with their PR firms, so make sure you have a trial period before locking into anything long term. Or better yet, use an agency on a project basis.

Not all PR agents are going to have wins every single time. Know your odds and exactly what activities your dollars are going towards. If the cost of your agency is so high that you have to mortgage your home, then don’t do it. There are too many companies out there to choose from to take on more financial burden than you can handle.

PR Agencies

Always bring the costs of your PR agency back to something tangible. For example: I only have to book two speeches for this entire campaign to pay for itself. If you’re goal is strickly to sell books, you may have to evaluate your costs closely.

When launching The Frog Whisperer, I was offered a campaign for $1500 to book 10 radio shows. Although this amount didn’t break the bank, I didn’t take the campaign. Why? Because those shows may not have been specific enough for my market and I would not have sold the 150 books I needed to break even. I decided instead to market directly to radio shows that were dating and advice shows — much more targeted.

When I reviewed the costs of using my PR agency for the Frog campaign, it did not pay off in book sales, despite what we all considered a really great response.

Finding Business

Do you believe that your business doesn’t need to be a struggle? Can you wrap your mind around the idea that if you get very clear on what you want, you can make it happen? Olympic athletes are very good at using their mind to achieve what they want. Because I spent four years working with a former Olympian, I believe wholeheartedly in the power of the mind.

The Attraction Method

Now I know this sounds a little odd to most people, but if you’ll just give the process a chance you may be surprised. The book that I recommend to all of my clients on this topic is called Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity by Stacy Hall and Jan Brogniez. It leads you through a four-step process to attracting the customers that you desire. I won’t go into the entire book, but the first step is getting very clear on identifying your perfect customer. I would break that down even further to define who your perfect audience is as well. If you are just starting out in the speaking industry, you will need to go out and speak a lot before you will really know who is perfect for you. You might have to do a lot of speaking engagements that are not right for you, before you can see clearly who is the best, most perfect audience.

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Recommended Reading: Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity by Stacy Hall and Jan Brogniez.

Once you are clear, you can start drafting a list of the qualities of your perfect customer. As a coach, some of the traits of my perfect customers are as follows: they show up on time and are eager and ready to grow; they are coachable; they want to hear the truth; they pay on time, gladly, and can easily afford my services. In order to develop the profile of your perfect customer, try Coaching Exercise 10.

As a speaker, your list might look something like this: they see me as the expert and trust me; I am the only choice; therefore price is not an issue; they treat me with respect and do everything they can to help make my program a success; they are enjoyable to work with; they pay gladly and on time; and they send me three referrals.

One of the steps in the attraction model is realizing what you need to improve in order to attract your perfect customers. One major step for new speakers is working on the speech. The attraction process will only work if the speech (your product) is ready for the audience that you desire. In order to balance the attraction process, you need to ensure that you can manage the level of business that you want to attract.

In order to balance the attraction process, you need to ensure that you can manage the level of business that you want to attract.

Coaching Exercise 10: Qualities of Your Perfect Customer

The first step is getting very clear on identifying your perfect customer. If you are just starting out in the speaking industry, you will need to go out and speak a lot before you will really know who is perfect for you. You might have to do a lot of speaking engagements that are not right for you, before you can see clearly who is the best, most perfect audience.

Your Perfect Customer: Sample

You’ve been speaking professionally for six months and have been told by several people that you are really good. So you start to draft your perfect customer list. You write that your perfect client has audiences of more than 5,000 people and they are all CEOs.

If in your seventh month of speaking, you speak to this audience, you could be making a huge career blunder. The reason? Unless you are freakishly talented, the odds are that you aren’t ready for this group. It may take two or three years to be able to handle a group of that size and stature and it’s important that you ensure you are ready before you get in front of them. You might start with groups of 50–100 CEOs and work your way up.

Your Perfect Customer

List the qualities of your perfect customer (including what their audience might look like).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

I would highly recommend walking through all of the steps in the book Attracting Your Perfect Customer.

You can also find all of these exercises in a separate and conveniently bound workbook: Wealthy Speaker Workbook and Planning Guide.

Niche Marketing

One of the major benefits of having a niche is it gives you focus. Niche marketing allows you to develop a strong presence within a field. Your niche markets will most likely become your target market. Then when you launch, or relaunch, yourself, you know exactly where to start and who to contact. Without a niche, you’re just throwing darts to see what sticks. That may be okay for a short while, but it’s not very strategic.

Let’s say you want to speak on sales and you want to specialize in the pharmaceutical industry. That helps you have more clarity when reaching out with your marketing, yes?

When searching out your niche, think back on your career and see where there might be opportunities for you to speak.

I had a client last year who came out of the call center industry. He had worked his way up to managing call centers at a very young age and had some outstanding results in the recent years. He was known as a leader in the call center community. When we first started talking, he wanted to speak on leadership to the corporate world. As we continued to dig, however, it made more sense to be a big fish in the call center pond, than to be one of thousands of leadership speakers in the larger corporate ocean.

Take Your Background into Account

If you are having a hard time finding a niche, then take a look back over the last 20 groups to whom you have spoken. Start analyzing them through new eyes and ask some questions.

• Which of these groups did I love?

• Which of these groups loved me?

• Who did I impact the most?

• Who can I help most in the future?

• Which of the groups could afford me without struggle?

• Which groups hold the most opportunity for future speaking engagements?

Finding your niche can sometimes take months or even years. Many speakers work for every group in every industry and that is perfectly acceptable. Often they will have moved in and around companies and industries simply because word of mouth spreads.

When you are starting an outbound marketing campaign, it’s best to have a niche in mind before rolling it out. Again, focus is king!

Positioning Within Your Niche

I said it earlier, in Phase I: Ready, but it bears repeating: positioning is everything. How are you thought of within your niche? Do they know you as someone who is always trying to sell yourself to them or do people know you as the expert, as the only choice? When you are positioned as the expert, fees become much less of an issue.

Elizabeth is a sales speaker in the retail industry. She competes with other sales speakers for client budgets. Elizabeth decides to narrow her focus and become a closing expert. She writes a book, gets a great publisher, and begins a column in the retail journals on closing skills. Now when retailers call Elizabeth to come and speak on closing skills, she is the only choice in their minds. And bonus, her closing ratios have gone through the roof, so she’s become even more congruent with her message.

Your mission: Be the only choice for your clients!

Inner Circle

When getting ready to launch a new business, or a new direction in an existing business, many people forget to explore their backyard. Who is your inner circle? Your core group of supporters or choir? They will include past colleagues and employers, past clients, friends, family, neighbors, etc.

The reaction of your choir to anything new that you are promoting should be your litmus test — the gauge by which you measure the potential of new ideas. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should ask for everyone’s approval or a consensus before moving forward — we know it’s impossible to please everyone. This is a way to find out if your past clients would buy what you are selling. If they say no then you have to go back to the drawing board. Asking your past clients to beta test a new keynote or workshop is a great way to get them on board with it, fine tune the program, possibly film it (if it’s ready) and get some testimonials about the results of the program. The testing process might look something like what is outlined below.

• Put new program/keynote/workshop together.

• Develop a marketing draft, web page or one sheet of the idea and the benefits.

• Run it up the flagpole with your choir — a short e-mail is usually effective.

• Ask past clients to hold an event so that you can deliver this new program.

• Film the event, if the program is solid. (As noted in Phase II: Aim, always wait until your program has a solid delivery before capturing it on video. Jumping the gun on filming yourself is a waste of time and money.)

• Ask for testimonials — what changed as a result of your program.

• Gauge the results and tweak if necessary.

• If successful, roll it out to your target market.

Niche Marketing

One of my clients was a general business expert. He worked in and around the corporate world for ten years before stumbling into the niche market of health care. What we determined was that health care understood the concepts best and were in huge need of his services. Sometimes we fall into our niche, and sometimes we choose it strategically. Either way, it helps to have this focus.

Speak Wherever They Will Listen

When you are in the building stages of your career, you may need to spend a number of months doing free engagements (see Figure H: Orbits of the Speaking World). For a short period of time, you may decide to speak to any group who will provide an audience. That might include all of your local networking groups, Toastmasters, Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, etc. From all of these events — perhaps you do freebies for a period of six months — you should have a fairly nice stack of leads for prospective business. If each presentation doesn’t garner some interest for more business, then you must continue to work on the presentation.

You may decide to speak to any group who will provide an audience.

Aside from these freebies turning into some paid engagements, you’ll also want to use this opportunity to build a database. See Building a Database later in this chapter to make sure you are taking full advantage of every speaking engagement.

Running Your Own Showcase

When I was working with leadership expert Betska K-Burr, we decided to put together a showcase in our hometown of London, Ontario, to help her gain more local recognition as an expert. We had made some inroads in our own backyard, but we really needed to build momentum.

I asked the local radio station with our demographic to get involved. We offered them free admission for their staff and gave them a number of tickets to hand out to their clients. In turn they gave us some free radio spots. We charged a small amount to attend and, as soon as the radio announcements kicked in, the phone was ringing with registrations. We also partnered with our local business magazine and had them advertise (quarter page ad) for us in lieu of a sponsorship package that included some free seats, etc. They gave away a trial subscription at the event. All of our partners had their materials on hand and were allowed to put up banners and speak for three minutes each, before Betska spoke.

We invited the press to come free of charge and our local clients and prospects were also given complimentary seats. We arranged barter with the hotel and AV company — allowing their clients and staff to come for free. So our out-of-pocket expenses were handouts and we provided the coffee and tea. That was it. We filled a good size meeting room with about 150 people and everyone loved the event — and Betska. We closed several pieces of business later that week and got the momentum that we desired. I don’t recall if it was a direct result of that event, but later that year Betska got the cover story in the local business magazine. Think about how you can run showcases for your clients or the press and get your sponsors to help fill the room for you! Many of the same principles could apply — finding sponsors, trading advertising for tickets, etc. — for running your own public seminars.

Rolling Out to Your Market

Now you come to the nitty-gritty. It’s time to put everything together and book those engagements. You’ll need to get your attitude set, decide who to call, be creative, and follow through.

How to Book a Gig

When starting out, you’ll need to make a lot of calls and follow up in a consistent manner. A great method is call-send-call. It will be tempting to contact a speakers’ bureau — after all, they are the people who book speakers. Resist the temptation.

First of all, you need to go through the process of contacting prospects yourself. Those initial conversations and follow-up calls will help you hone your client conversations. The value of this feedback and practical experience cannot be overrated.

Once you have a few years’ experience and 30 or more paid speeches per year at a decent fee under your belt, you might be ready to approach a speakers’ bureau. Speakers’ bureaus are an entity unto themselves and you will likely want to run through a ready, aim, fire process just for them. So leave them off your list for a couple of years and when you’re ready, turn to Chapter 6.

Call-Send-Call

In today’s climate, the phone might be considered a bit out of date. Shooting off a query e-mail will probably be the more likely procedure. Just remember that building the relationship is the goal and it doesn’t matter how you go about doing it. Joe Calloway doesn’t hesitate to hop on a plane if a client wants to discuss doing some work with him. A face-to-face sales call might be considered kind of old school, but guess what? It works! We can’t forget the basics of developing relationships.

Remember that building the relationship is the goal and it doesn’t matter how you go about doing it.

Call-Send-Call — The Process

When I first started in the business, roughly 20 years ago, the call-send-call method was the primary way of getting booked into speeches. I learned this technique from Thom Winninger. You’d call someone to establish a need, send materials, and then call back. It was effective! I think for the most part it will always work, but the way the client makes the decision will continue to become more sophisticated. There is a basic seven-step process that outlines the call-send-call method.

1. Identify the prospect.

2. Call or e-mail them and find out when they are planning for their next event.

3. Establish that you speak on a topic that may be of interest to that group.

4. Establish that they can afford you.

5. When they are in the planning stages, provide them with your materials via your website. Ask them what they need to see to make their decision. They may require that you show them some video. They may say that they’ll watch your video online and print pages from your website. Sometimes they have to pass your materials around or send them to a meeting. So it’s important that you have what they need available.

6. Find out when the decision will be finalized.

7. Follow up at the appropriate time.

If there is some lag time during this process, you might send them a current article or testimonials to keep your name top of mind. Try to remind them about yourself without stalking them.

But before you ever pick up the phone or send the e-mail, you want to get clear on your value and make sure that you have the right approach. You also want to research as much as you can about their event. If the information is readily available on their website, don’t waste their time asking the (where and when is your next meeting) questions.

Your Approach

Bringing Value to an Organization

When you are first starting out in the industry you will most likely be thinking about booking one speech at a time. You’re really finding your way in the industry and you have to start somewhere. However, if you can take a broader approach from the beginning and think about the question, “How can I bring value to this organization?” then you’ll be on the right track. Although the techniques outlined are designed to book “a speech,” always be thinking big picture with a company.

Are You Being the Lighthouse?

In the book Attracting Your Perfect Customer: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity, the authors talk about expertise being your lighthouse. You stand tall on the shore offering up your expertise to ships (clients) who need help getting to shore. When a storm emerges, the ships that require your services will follow the beam. What we don’t want to do is have the lighthouse sprout arms and legs and run up and down the beach saying, “Follow me, follow me!” That is not attraction; it’s desperation. You need to make it easy for them to see that you have what they need and allow them to buy (vs. being sold).

Wealthy Speakers stand tall in their expertise, knowing that they have what some (not all) clients need.

Sales tools can definitely be useful when talking to a client. Knowing how to move from probing to close will help you book business more easily. Being in the mode of attraction does not mean taking no action. An essential part of the attraction process is knowing what you need to do to become more attractive to a client and being very clear on the value you bring to the table. Sometimes that means getting your act together in terms of your speech, your marketing materials or your process of moving a client through a presentation. Once you are truly ready, the door of the attraction process is fully open to you.

Flashpoint: Cheryl Cran, CSP

My pivotal moment or “clear” path was when I paid Alan Weiss for an hour of his time. He said a few things that shifted my thinking about the business. He told me there is no conscious barrier for women in the speaking business, but women needed to get over being liked and focus on providing value. This really resonated with me. He also went on to tell me that the only thing stopping me from being a million dollar speaker was my own limited beliefs. In order to grow I needed to dig deeper with my clients and not allow myself to do “one off” speaking engagements that are good for the ego, but not the pocketbook.

Because of Alan I shifted to selling large contracts when contacted by prospects. This was about 18 months ago. Now, when they ask me about a speaking engagement, I move the conversation toward identifying the clients’ needs, their goals, hopes, and visions. What does the client want their company or group to look like in six months, one year? Once they answer those questions, I tell them that a speech is only the beginning of a powerful transformation and that together we could implement programs that would create lasting change. My business model consists of speeches that 90% of the time are followed by consulting and projects.

The result is that I have a deeper and longer lasting impact with the organization, referrals are a no-brainer, and I’m getting reference letters that speak to results, transformation, and change.

I am happier with what I am doing because it gives me great satisfaction to be able to see the difference I’m making. Also I’m enjoying the keynotes more because I’m bringing practical experience and results to them. God I love this business!

Cheryl Cran

It’s been five years since I wrote about my business in Jane’s book — time goes fast when you are having fun! I am still invested in this business with heart and soul. I have worked with Jane more than once over the past five years to continue refreshing my brand. The uncertain economy has really helped me to continue to define my value proposition for clients. I’ve worked with different coaches and in January 2012 I worked with Alan Weiss again. Here is where I am now:

1. I am continuing to invest time in building myself as a thought leader in my area of expertise, which is leadership, generations, and technology. I have worked to hone the art of stagecraft, deliver value for clients consistently, and build my keynote brand in North America. Alan Weiss says, “Not all consultants are great keynoters and it’s rare for someone to be good at both.”

2. I am refocused (for a while I got too busy and was leaving money on the table) on looking longer term with my clients. In fact I just presented two keynotes and landed two major consulting opportunities by simply having strategic discussions at the time of booking, when in front of the client, and as a follow-up practice post-keynote.

3. I believe that the future of business is about focused diversity. This means focusing on your expertise but being diverse with your delivery methods. Technology is adding to the delivery channel options we all have. When we focus on our expertise and have diverse channels of delivery we can expand our value to our clients while continually developing material and value based on our expertise.

4. The biggest change in the past five years for me is having a life. I am less intensely focused on the drive to get somewhere and instead am enjoying “being here.” I meditate twice a day, I have healthy habits, and I am enjoying my life versus delaying the enjoyment. This business is fantastic. It allows us to give in a big way, get rewarded in big ways, and continually grow.

Matching Versus Cold Calling

When you are preparing to make your phone calls or send query e-mails you want to be wearing your attraction hat rather than your sales hat. It wouldn’t hurt for you to know how to sell, but, basically, when you are picking up the phone it should be to see whether or not the client has a need that your services match. That being said, get yourself into attraction or matching mode by thinking about the value that you have to offer (you are the expert) before picking up the phone. Coaching Exercise 11, The Value You Offer, can help keep you focused when making calls. Now that you are in the right mode, you’re ready to start making calls.

Coaching Exercise 11: The Value You Offer

List the value that you bring to an organization. Organize your list and print it out in bullet form and post it in front of you before picking up the phone to make “matching” calls. Remember when you are talking to prospective clients to give them stories that they can “hang their hat on.”

The Value I Offer: Sample

1. I provide a strategy for increasing sales.

2. My strategy covers three areas that are integral to selling success: authenticity, integrity, and value.

3. My average clients ROI is a 25% increase in customer loyalty.

4. My client, ABC company, used these techniques to close two $50,000 deals within a one-week period.

The Value I Offer

1.

2.

3.

You can also find all of these exercises in a separate and conveniently bound workbook: Wealthy Speaker Workbook and Planning Guide.

Who to Call

Being specific about your target market or focus is always the way to go. That doesn’t mean you won’t try some things that will fail and then move on to new ideas, but you want to be focused in your tests. Choose a target market that matches the following criteria:

1. What industries need your message?

2. What industries can afford you?

3. What industries have enough business to keep you speaking for several years?

4. What groups of people are you passionate about and enjoy presenting to?

If you are a speaker who has a message about leadership, you may decide to define your target market as business owners. From there you would want to find associations that cater to business owners (National Association of Small Business Owners, or if you want to target women, National Association of Women Business Owners). On the other hand, you may decide that your topic is on the lighter side, like lowering stress through laughter. You could offer this up to industries that are “helping hands” types, like teachers or nurses. In this case, you might have to do some digging to discover what types of associations those people join.

You want to be doing what the competition isn’t doing and there are many ways to market your business.

Why Start with Associations?

I will preface this by saying that almost every speaker has the same idea of marketing to associations, so if you know of a different path — take it! You want to be doing what the competition isn’t doing and there are many ways to market your business.

The association market is a good starting point for many reasons.

• They are consistent — almost every association has at least one meeting or convention each year.

• It’s easy to find out from their websites when the meetings are held and if they use outside speakers. This is where knowing your competition will come in handy.

• Many associations frequently hire professional speakers.

• Association audiences are full of hundreds or thousands of people from corporations. Why not speak to people from 500 different companies? The exposure couldn’t be any better.

You can research nearly every type of association in the U.S. and some of Canada by going to asaenet.org and using their directory search feature. If you want to search sales associations, then just use “sales” as your search phrase and you will see a list of hundreds of sales associations and links to their websites.

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You can also buy a directory of associations for about $250. You might consider paying a little more to get your updates electronically, so that your list is as current as possible. I don’t recommend one over the other. Take a look at the association directory in the library and compare it to asaenet.org before making a decision for yourself.

Associations

The association market has not been immune to the economy in the past three or four years. They’ve taken a hit! If you can help them bring value to their members or pull in new members, then you will be valuable to them.

Cold Calls Versus Query E-Mails

Let’s imagine that your prospective clients — association meeting planners — are getting an average of 150–200 e-mails per day. That’s probably not too far from the truth. Now imagine how many meetings they have to attend and how many voice messages from speakers and speakers’ bureaus they would have once they return. You can see that getting their attention is going to be a challenge, so you need to think outside of the box. Use the list of attention getters below to start your creative juices flowing.

• Call and leave an after-hours message — short, sweet, and to the point. “This is John Smith calling. I’m the author of Selling with Integrity and I’m calling about your July 20XX conference. If this topic is of interest, please check out my website at sellingwithintegrity.com and drop me a line or call (555) 555-1999.”

• Offer them something for free. John Smith might have an article that the association would like to put into its newsletter.

• Send them a postcard.

• Send them a one- to two-line e-mail that asks one open-ended question, such as “When will you be planning for the July 20XX event?” It gives them an option to reply very quickly.

• Send them a bulky package (candy or something) with a thumb drive with your video.

• Try to meet them in person. Attend one of their events or offer your services to their office.

• Invite them to one of your speaking engagements.

• If you know a speaker who has already spoken to the group, ask them to put in a good word for you. Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing method.

• Partner with a sponsor who wants to get in front of the same groups you do. If you speak to sales audiences, you may want to partner with a company like Sage Software, which manufactures ACT! software for salespeople. Sage Software gets to be the hero by sponsoring your talk and you get to speak in front of your target audience.

Cold Calling — Questions to Ask

Make notes about the person in your database so you can continue the relationship every time you talk. Remember that this call is about meeting their needs. Don’t “show up and throw up.” This means don’t call them and start spouting all of the great things about you as a speaker.

Your opening might be something like, “This is John Smith calling about your July 20XX event. Do you have a minute?” Once they give you the go ahead, then ask questions to establish a need. If they say “No, this isn’t a good time,” do your best to reschedule. You will often find that they are not the key contact. Some key questions are listed below, and note that you must be respectful of people’s time. You might only get one or two questions answered when you notice that they are anxious to hang up.

Remember that this call is about meeting their needs. Don’t “show up and throw up.”

• Are you the person who is in charge of booking the speakers for your upcoming conferences? If not, who?

• When is your next event?

• When will you be planning for this event? If they say six months from now, try to gain more information about the event and schedule a time to call back.

• How many paid speakers will you book for this event? “Paid” is the key word. If this association doesn’t pay its speakers, then move on.

• How is the decision made? By one person? Who? By committee?

• What topics will you want to include in this year’s conference? Ask if your topic would be of interest to this audience. Make sure you state the benefits of the speech.

• What is your budget for each speaker? Breakout? Keynote? Ask about your specific slot.

• In what city will the event be held? You should know this ahead of time.

• How many people will attend?

• What is the demographic? What job(s) do they do?

• What is your theme? This is your opportunity to talk about how your speech would fit. Keep asking questions about the group’s needs to keep his or her interest. You may even suggest he or she go to your website while on the line with you.

• Who did you have speaking last year? Try to know this ahead of time as well and be prepared to discuss how you might follow up with that speaker.

• When will you make the decision regarding speakers?

• May I send you materials? Which format suits best — web, e-mail, mail, video, DVD, CD?

• When will you be reviewing my materials?

• When should I get back in touch? How? Phone, e-mail?

The Click — The Good Kind

Hopefully the prospect doesn’t hang up on you — that would be the undesirable click. The good kind of click is when you are talking to a prospect and you feel a shift in energy when he or she becomes interested — as opposed to being polite. That is when you know you have his or her interest and can start building a relationship. If you never get the “click,” then it’s an uphill battle.

Coach’s Question: What can I say to prospects on the phone that will result in gaining their interest — the “click”?

Do your research. Bring up specific details about the company, such as what is on the website. You also need to listen carefully and respond to the needs they express. Don’t forget to mention your value/benefits, but phrase it in terms of their needs. Make it about them. For instance, you might say, “Joanne, when I was studying your association’s website, I noticed that you had a lot of sales training scheduled throughout the year for your people. Would a program that could help them build 25% more customer loyalty be helpful to your audience?”

The Other End of the Line

Picture the client hanging up from your conversation and picking up the phone five minutes later to have the same conversation with another speaker or bureau. You must always be aware that they may be overwhelmed by calls from people. If they are not really interested, they may use the “Can you send me some materials?” line to get you off the phone. If that happens, try to qualify a little more before hanging up. You need to be sympathetic to what they go through in a day. Try to make light of it. Ask if they have a giant hole where they throw all of the speakers’ materials or talk to them about how harried their day might be. The more you can understand their position, the better you will be able to build the relationship. Remember to place notes about the conversation in your database for future reference.

Mark Levin, Executive Vice President of Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute, describes planning for his institute’s annual meeting.

When our association’s annual meeting is coming up, we start getting intense about six months out. That’s when we have to start making final decisions on programs, speakers, off-property functions, etc. Although we (as a small association) try to book speakers that are geographically close to our meeting site, it’s certainly not the determining factor. In recent years we’ve been getting many speakers who quote us airfare-inclusive fees that make it easier to make a final decision.

In general, our “outside” (outside of our specific industry) speakers are booked based on three or four key issues.

1. The right topic for our group (usually humor or personal development).

2. The right delivery, based on one or more criteria (in order of priority):

• I’ve seen them live.

• I’ve seen them on their website via video clip.

• I’ve seen an actual video.

• Someone I trust completely has seen and recommended them.

3. The right price.

4. How the first phone call felt? (Were they interested, responsive, and friendly; did they ask me the right questions about our group?)

Screening/Selecting Speakers

Mark Levin goes on to say that in today’s market, there are a couple of other ways I screen/select speakers.

1. I still look at websites and website videos, but now a speaker’s YouTube channel might have a wider variety of their speeches on it than just what’s directly on their website. So I check that out, too.

2. Is sponsorship a possibility? Does the speaker have corporate sponsors that I can contact or does the speaker have something I might be able to present to my larger corporate members?

Meeting planners are looking for any reason to put you in the “yes” or “no” pile just so that they can make a decision.

Like everything else, timing is key. If the speaker contacts me during that decision-making period and getting to see the speaker in action is easy and quick, there is a good chance I’ll make a decision quickly. Meeting planners are looking for any reason to put you in the “yes” or “no” pile just so that they can make a decision.

The Simple Things Get You in the Door

Surprisingly enough, I’ve started many conversations with the weather. Living in a place like Canada is an advantage because your U.S. clients are curious and can’t help but ask you some questions. The key is to allow the relationship to grow gradually. If you present yourself like the answer to all of their problems — before you even know their problems — then you are going to lack credibility with them.

Know the needs of your client well before you start providing solutions.

When I was selling speakers, my goal was always to build the relationship first and to pitch my speaker second. The best case scenario is that you have a friendship happening before they even look at your materials. You want them to give you an honest answer about whether or not you are a contender.

Follow Up

When you are following up with a client, don’t be a stalker. If you have left several voice messages and not received a call back, try a quick query e-mail such as this:

John, I’ve left a couple of messages — don’t want you to think I’m a pest. Have you had a chance to review that e-mail I sent?

When you are following up with a client, don’t be a stalker.

That’s it. Not two or three lines about how great you are, just a question that they can hit reply and say, “Sorry, Jane, I haven’t had a chance — touch base with me next week.”

Never Assume You Know What’s Happening at the Client’s End

I have made this mistake many times. I thought a deal was dead because they hadn’t returned calls. It just turned out that something more pressing was on the agenda and they came back to me later.

When you befriend your clients, you can ask them questions about your style and marketing materials and get an honest answer. Of course, every planner has different tastes and ten people might give you ten different answers.

Many planners appreciate a don’t-waste-my-time, just-get-to-the-point style, while others might like to build a relationship with people they hire first. It’s up to you to gauge the person’s style.

Again, read up on sales and behavioral styles so that you can use your skills to build long-term relationships.

Ways to Stay Top of Mind

You might try a combination of phone calls, e-mail, and postcards to keep yourself top of mind with prospective clients. If you know they are close to making a decision, you might try to connect every four or five days, but if you are not sure then every two weeks is enough. If a client is not in decision mode, then once a month is plenty to touch base.

If I know a client is making a decision soon, my contact might go something like this:

Day 1 — send information (probably by e-mail)

Day 5 — e-mail check–in: “Did you get materials?”

Day 12 — phone call, if no response, voice mail: “Just checking to see if you’ve reviewed materials.”

Day 19 — quick e-mail: “How are things going — did you get a chance to look over the materials?”

No response.

Day 26 — phone call: “Don’t want to bug you, but I know your deadline is approaching. Is my speaker (or am I) being considered (or did we make the short list)?”

No response.

Day 33 — postcard: “Thanks for considering my speaker. I’ll assume you are set and will be in touch for next year.”

This final postcard let’s them know that you understand the industry, don’t take their lack of response personally, and are going to leave them alone now.

Right or wrong, this approach has worked for me in the past — but I will say this: new times call for new approaches. Be creative, try different approaches, and see what works for you.

Work It Like a Farmer

If you think about your business like a farmer’s field, it might keep you moving forward. Your initial contact with the client is the stage where you are planting the seeds. It truly is a numbers game so planting seeds constitently will be key.

Next, comes fertilization. I can see where some of you might think that you need to pile on the s**t here, but I mean rich fertilizer. Something meaningful that you can send to say “keep me top of mind” or “I have good information for you.” That might look like a copy of an article or a link to a blog post.

Top 12 Marketing Strategies

Here are a list of a dozen top strategies to keep you in your clients’ thoughts.

1. Sales Calls or E-mail Queries — The call-send-call method (outlined previously in this chapter).

2. The Article Placement Strategy — Place articles in your target industry’s publications and blogs.

When you have done enough seeding and enough fertilizing, that’s when the harvest will come.

3. Direct Mail — Series of postcards and articles.

4. Social Media — Pull people into your fan base with daily Tweets and updates that establish you as the expert.

5. Shake the Trees — Work your inner circle and past clients to drum up new business. You should be talking to past clients once a year to stay in touch.

6. Outbound Broadcasts — Send out newsletters and eTips that help drive people to your website and often they will result in business.

7. Quiz or Audit — Adding this feature to your website could tee up conversations that result in business.

8. Media Darling — be quoted as an expert and be seen by the media as someone who can comment on your specialty.

9. Freebie Speeches — Speak to anyone who will listen to generate momentum.

10. Marketing Calendar — Develop a 12-month system to ensure that you are “touching” clients on a regular basis.

11. Blogging — This was invented to help drive people to your website. Ensure that you are blogging consistently.

12. Public Seminars — Run your own public events to generate cash flow and gain access to companies.

The Outcome

At some point a decision will be made — you will get the engagement or you won’t. Remember, don’t take it personally. You simply were not a match this year.

When a meeting planner tells you that you are not a good fit for their meeting this year, politely ask whether or not you will be considered in the future and schedule a call for next year. Don’t argue or try to change their mind.

When I was working at the speakers’ bureau, agents would often tell me about speakers getting angry on the phone when they were told they were not a fit. They had no idea the kind of impression this behavior left on the bureau agent. That agent, and that bureau, would never book that speaker now. And meeting planners feel similarly.

If they did not like your video, then you are going to have some work ahead of you to get another shot. That’s why it’s so important that your video is good and reflects you well.

Here are a few tips on handling rejection from actor and speaker Mike Pniewski.

There is no doubt in my mind that actors are the most rejected people on the planet. Statistics from the Screen Actors Guild bear that out by concluding that 98% of their 100,000+ members can’t make a decent living. So as I began my career, I knew I would need to prepare myself with a strategy that allowed me to keep the inevitable rejections from being an obstacle for myself. If I was going to be in that two percent, my focus needed to be on my goals and not the everyday frustrations. My strategy has three parts.

First, rejection in business is never personal and that is always my choice. I have defined for myself very clearly what is business and what is personal in my life and understand that my work is all “business,” even if it is a business about people. Second, I empower myself by having command of my craft. I do whatever it takes to be at the top of my game at all times by being properly trained and prepped, knowing what my “customer” wants, and having the right “tools” to do the job. Third, and most importantly, I keep my priorities in order so that no rejection in my work cripples me to the point of being ineffective. My self-worth and purpose are controlled by me at all times.

This came in handy several years ago when I traveled to Los Angeles from my home in Atlanta to audition for the popular TV series The West Wing. It was a terrific role that had been difficult to cast to that point. When I got the call from my agent, he said the casting director told him I was perfect for it and would love me to come and meet with them. After reading the material, I was thrilled for the chance to audition for this part on such an acclaimed show. I was fully prepared when I went into their office and performed about as well as I could. The feedback in the moment from those in the room was very positive and they thanked me many times for coming. A couple of hours later my agent called and said they had picked someone else. They loved my work, thought I was great but I wasn’t the one. Was I disappointed? Yes, this was not an inexpensive trip for an audition! But this is the nature of my work — sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. However, you’ll never win if you don’t take the shot.

After I processed this, I came out on the other end enormously grateful for the opportunity (hundreds of other actors would have given anything to be in my shoes!) and confident that the good impression I left will serve me well at some point in the future. Hopefully soon!

Mike has gone on to work in other great TV show, like The Good Wife and Drop Dead Diva, so he really walks his talk.

Building a Database

Everything you do in this business needs to have a strategy behind it. Here is a great question to post on your bulletin board: “Is this task getting me to where I want to go?” Many people spend time on the low pay-off activities and forget to do some of the most integral things that can help grow their business — like building a database.

From day one of your business, you should be adding names to a database and putting them into categories. Are they “speaking prospects,” “book prospects,” “friends,” etc. You may want to categorize your clients by year (20XX Keynote Client) so it’s easy to pull them all up at the end of the year to recap or to send holiday greetings. If you aren’t putting names and addresses into a database, you are going to miss opportunities down the road.

My favorite contact management software, and the two that many speakers use are ACT! and Salesforce. You’ll read more on this in Chapter 7 in the High-Tech Speaker on the Road section. It allows you to customize many fields for information that you are going to need each time you talk to a prospect, as well as information that you will merge later into a contract once the deal is closed. Here is some of the information for which you will want to set up fields.

• Organization (this and all of the standard info like address, etc., is already set up)

• Contact Name (if there are multiple meeting planners, you can easily set up a group)

• Date of Next Meeting (make sure that you put it in a format that you can easily search)

• Location of Next Meeting (what city)

• Planning Month (when will they be doing their planning)

• Number of Speakers (they use at their event)

• Fee Quoted

• Industry Type (you may want to set this up as a drop down list, again for easy searching)

Eventually, this information will lead to a contract and you’ll have most of the information already in set fields so that you just merge the information into an agreement template.

On the other hand, if you intend to build your business online, you may also want to consider building your database in a shopping cart software. The one I use is called One Shopping Cart and it manages my credit card sales at the same time.

Reprinted with permission of Sage Software SB, Inc. All rights reserved. The Sage Software logo and ACT! are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software SB, Inc. or its affiliated entities.

Before buying anything, think through your needs and your long-term goals. Knowing these factors will help you choose the software that is most effective for you. Whatever software you choose, make sure that the contacts can be downloaded into other applications, should you change your mind later on.

If you aren’t putting names and addresses into a database, you are going to miss opportunities down the road.

Database and Contact Management

By the time the ink dries on this version of the book, this information will be outdated, so here’s the latest as of today. There are several things to consider when building your database, and you’ll most likely end up having lists in different places. Ideally, we house our information out “on the cloud” so that there’s no longer a need to load bulky software onto our computers (see Technology Tips 2.0 by Masters Joe Heaps and Dave Reed, later in this chapter). When things are available “on the cloud” they allow more than one person to work within the program on your behalf.

Here’s what you need.

• CRM/database System: This is what I’ve used ACT! for in the past. It gives you the option to keep every conversation with the client documented, brings sales call reminders and to do items into your calendar, merges documents with templates, etc. The best systems are customizable.

• Autoresponders: This is a way for you to group people so that you can send out broadcasts. Many speakers use Constant Contact or Mail Chimp, but I use my One Shopping Cart for this.

Ideally, we house our information out “on the cloud.”

• Shopping Cart: If you want to sell product and accept credit cards you’ll need this platform. Many shopping carts offer autoresponders.

• Name Squeeze: Where do the people who sign up for your newsletter go? For me, they get dropped right into a “Prospects” autoresponder within my One Shopping Cart.

You’ll probably have a totally separate database of people in Social Media, but we’ll keep that separate for now.

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Check Out: Salesforce, ACT!, Infusionsoft, One Shopping Cart

The only software that I know of so far that combines all of these together is called Infusionsoft. When I researched it last, it was a fairly expensive undertaking for a speaker who is just getting started, but perhaps reasonable if you had some traction ($300/month). You may opt for separate systems to get you started and move over to an integrated system later on.

Database Building Strategies

There are many ways to go about getting more people into your database. It’s important to be clear about the purpose of your database. Are these people going to book you for speeches, are they going to buy products from you later on? If you intend to write a book that everyone in business would benefit from, then you’ll want everyone from your business audiences to be added to your list.

You have a way to manage the contacts, now you need to add to your list. Take advantage of every speech using the following techniques.

• The “Help Me” Speech

• Feedback Forms

• Business Card Draw

• Help from the Meeting Planner

• All Roads Lead to Your Website — handouts, PowerPoint, dangle your carrot (newsletter)

• Social Media

The “Help Me” Speech: Ask for the Business

Thom Winninger, who is a master at getting spin-off gigs from each engagement, taught me something huge many, many years ago. I call it the “help me” speech and have tweaked it some, but many speakers have used Thom’s technique effectively to build their businesses.

When you are nearing the end of your presentation, preferably right before your closing story, insert the “help me” statement, or something like it, to let the audience know that you do this for a living and you’d love their help. Here’s the “help me” line:

As you can see I am passionate about _______ (your topic). If you know of any company or association who could benefit from this material, please come and hand me your business card afterwards.

That’s it. Two lines that if missed could cost you thousands in spin-off business from every single event. People want to help you and they also want a reason to come up and talk to you afterwards. So you are just allowing them to do what is natural and you are being specific about what they can do for you. When people hand you their cards, write down the details of what they say on the back (April event, 500 CEOs) so that you don’t forget when you are following up. And one more thing … Follow up!

A Note about the “Help Me” Speech: There are speakers who feel strongly that the “help me” speech is not a great idea for some corporate audiences. The meeting planner hired you to do a job and although it’s only two lines, it’s inappropriate. I would suggest that you be more vigilant about doing the help me speech in the beginning of your career and, most especially, when you are doing free speeches. Later in your career, it may no longer be necessary or appropriate. Bottom line, you are asking for the business and you’ll have to decide whether or not to do it and how to go about it. Be creative.

My first job in the industry was with Betska K-Burr, a leadership expert. Betska was a really smart business woman who had come out of 3M. She taught me a lot about business. The one thing that helped us grow so quickly was that she was great at asking for business from the platform. When I started working for her, she handed me a huge stack of business cards. They were all warm leads that she had collected giving her “help me” speech. I spent my first three months working with Betska following up those warm leads and they filled our pipeline for the next three years.

I have an extremely high-tech gathering device for collecting those business cards — the one and only plastic Ziploc baggie, usually snack size. I put a label on it — name of event and date — before going to the event and come back with a baggie full of leads. After I have followed up and added them to my database, they go back into the baggie, in case I ever need to track a business card down.

Feedback Forms

Getting the entire audience list could be beneficial. Using a feedback form guarantees most of the audience will respond and you’ll get information beyond a database entry. There are five uses for feedback forms:

1. to find out what the audience likes and doesn’t like about your presentation,

2. to gather testimonials,

3. to gather names and contact information for your database,

4. to get referrals, and

5. to get more business with this audience.

Every speaker bombs every once in awhile. Know that you are not alone.

1. Audience Feedback — Asking your audience what they liked and what can be improved about your speech is very helpful, especially in the beginning of your career. Resist the urge to concentrate on the 1% of negative feedback when you have 99% positive. But always ask yourself if the information could be useful to you. You will rarely please 100% of the people in your audience, so don’t be too concerned about every piece of negative feedback. Always be willing to learn and grow. Every speaker bombs every once in awhile. Know that you are not alone.

2. Testimonials — When asking for testimonials, ask the question, “What will you do differently as a result of this presentation?” or “What have you learned that you will apply?” We want testimonials rich with ROI not a bunch saying “You are a good speaker.” Every speaker has those.

3. Database Building — When asking for contact information, be sure to gather the minimum data — name and e-mail and, if possible, mailing address. Having addresses on file will allow you some flexibility in your marketing down the road.

4. Referrals — Although you do your “help me” speech, you can also ask for referrals on your feedback form. The standard line, “Who do you know who could benefit from this material?” would work.

5. More Business with this Audience — You could ask the group what else you might do for them and list the topics that you could come back to deliver at a later date.

Be strategic about every event. Ask, “How can I turn this into more business?”

Try your feedback form a few times and then tweak it. If you find you’re not getting enough back, you might be asking for too much. A short keynote may not be as appropriate for a feedback form, but you do want to leave some sort of paper trail whenever possible that includes your contact information and URL. Be strategic about every event. Ask, “How can I turn this into more business?”

Business Card Draw

An easy way to collect contact information from every person in the audience is to arrange a business card draw with the meeting planner. After your speech the planner can bring up the basket and have you make the draw. Then, you take home all of the cards and all of those people become prospects for your next product. You should announce from the platform that if they do not wish to be added to your database to make a note on their card. If you are giving away some of your back of room materials, try to do the draw before the first break, otherwise people will wait to purchase from you until the end of the session.

Help from the Meeting Planner

The meeting planner is your partner on the event, so you’ll want to collaborate with him or her and offer up all of the things that you can do to add value to the event. In order to keep your message alive, you might ask the meeting planner to send out a follow up e-mail after your speech. You can include a few more tips in the e-mail (value), as well as your URL (you want to drive people to your website). The meeting planner may also provide you with the list of names to do the e-mail yourself. Be respectful of these situations and make sure that you don’t start spamming groups of people. Trust me when I say that unauthorized use of any list will come back to haunt you. Anytime I have been overzealous in my marketing in the past, it has backfired. Always get permission to send an e-mail to a past audience. Once they hand over their business card, there may be an unspoken agreement that they’ll be added to your list, but you’d be wise to mention it and allow them to opt out.

You might also ask the meeting planner if he or she is interested in publishing any of your articles before or after your presentation. This is great added value for the organization and keeps your name alive with the group for as long as possible.

All Roads Lead to Your Website

Any speaking engagement is an opportunity to drive potential clients to your website. Your website should have some way of collecting names and e-mail addresses (see dangling carrot below) of the visitors who come to your site. There are entire online strategies available from some of the Internet gurus. Do your homework and learn all of the methods, then decide what is best for you. When you are collecting information online, you might ask only for name, e-mail, and state or province. It’s helpful to know where they live in case you run seminars there. Below are some methods to encourage attendees to visit your site.

• Paper Trail — Leaving a paper trail is a great way to ensure that you’ll get some activity on your website after each speech. Leaving behind anything from a handout to a workbook, bookmark, promotional product (pen, calendar, postcard, etc.) or even a sports card is a good idea. Try to keep your giveaway at a low per-unit cost, since your audience numbers will climb.

• PowerPoint — Your presentation should advertise your website without going too far. It should be present, but not overwhelming. Just remember to keep it balanced.

• Dangling Your Carrot/Newsletter — While on the platform, you want to entice your audience to head on over to your website to get your freebie (see Phase II: Aim, under Your Website). That will get them directly into your database. Between your business card draw, PowerPoint, handouts, and carrot, people from your audiences should be able to find you.

• Social Media — Many speakers will ask their audience to follow them on Twitter or Facebook. You might even use Twitter during your presentations to engage the audience. The goal? Pull people into your fan base and keep them there until they buy from you. Technology expert Scott Klososky uses a technology called Join Speaker from the platform to have the audience ask questions live. How cool is that? (See Scott’s Flashpoint in Chapter 7.)

Bottom Line: When you are paid to speak at an event, you must first provide value, then people will be more inclined to help you get spin-off. Being too pushy or aggressive diminishes the value that you have provided.

What If I Work Alone?

If you are a sole proprietor reading this, you’re probably thinking, “Yeah right, I have time to follow up with every client this way.” That’s okay. If you are working this business on your own and have no desire to hire and manage staff, then you are going to want a different approach. Your operation will need to be an easy, flowing system with many of your processes prepared ahead of time.

Systems in Place

You’ll need to plan ahead so that you can manage the business while taking care of business. Below are some ideas that will help get you set and keep you moving along.

• Your speech must be great, so that you don’t need to market as much.

• You need to have processes in place to follow up leads and not let potential business fall through the cracks.

• Your “help me” speech must be a part of every presentation. (See the Database Building Strategies earlier in this chapter.)

• Have templates built into your e-mail system for everything. That way, when a client gets in touch, you have something ready. If you want to send the client information that is specific to his or her organization such as testimonials, then you might send those separately to stay top of mind and to keep your process as quick and easy as possible.

• Have a virtual bookkeeper or someone in your neighborhood set up to do invoicing and travel expenses for you. Put a 4 × 6 brown envelope into every client file with the essential information printed on the outside — client name, address, date of event. Fill in the airfare, ground travel, hotel and miscellaneous expenses, placing the receipts into the envelope and putting it into the bookkeeper’s “In” basket. You can set up a template in ACT! that will merge the client’s name, event date, etc., right onto this form.

• When you return from a trip your file should contain a Ziploc baggie full of business card leads from your “help me” speech and the brown expenses envelope. The business card leads need to be entered into your database (another $10-$12/hour job for someone that can be done locally or virtually). You might even do this yourself on the plane ride home.

• Send thank you cards to the meeting planner and bureau. You might have two or three postcards placed in each file with labels printed from the ACT! file before you go. If you want to go electronic with this, sendoutcards.com will do the sending for you!

• This is most important. Follow up with those people who gave you their business cards! Drop them a line over e-mail on the plane. These are hot leads. Every day that goes by diminishes the heat. Follow up within two to three days.

Consistency is Key

All of the ideas in this book are useful, but only if you follow through on them with some consistency. Discipline is hard for many of us, but I’ve learned that without it, your office can fall apart very quickly. You may be losing business simply because you are not doing things in a consistent manner. When things start slipping through the cracks, eventually it leads to client’s not being serviced properly, deals lost or something worse that makes you miss an engagement.

You may be losing business simply because you are not doing things in a consistent manner.

You’re Booked — Now What?

You’ve got a booking. That’s great! Give yourself a pat on the back — now back to work. Not only do you need to prepare for the engagement so all is in place, you will still have work to do after you’ve received your standing O.

Flow of the Booking

Every time you book an engagement, a series of things should fall into place — either by doing them yourself or with help. As mentioned earlier, consistency is key so develop a system with a checklist and stick to it.

• Agreement and Invoice — (See Chapter 7 for Agreements and Contracts.) Agreements are a top priority because they bring in money and confirm that the client is serious. Agreements will always be the first and most important document you create. You may want to send a copy of your book (or other product) with every agreement to plant the seed about quantity discounts, so that they pre-purchase books for everyone. Leave a copy of the agreement in the file so that you can ensure that you follow through on what you have promised the client. If you have promised books or something extra as a part of the deal, then make a calendar note to ship them two weeks prior to the event and put a reminder in the file. Never rely on your memory because eventually all of your engagements will run together, so you must have procedures in place to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.

• Client Folder — If you aren’t 100% electronic yet, prepare and label a client file folder. Keep your client files a different color so that they are easy to spot among other files. You might use a color that signifies wealth to you, like green or purple. Your label should have the client name, the date and the city, so that five years from now — after several repeat engagements — you know which gig is which. You may want to do this electronically — just be sure you have reminders that “pop up.” Print some extra labels.

• Leads Baggie/Envelope — While you are making your label for the file, make a second one for the leads baggie or envelope.

• Thank You Cards — And since you are making labels, you might as well make address labels for the client and the bureau and put them on your thank you card envelopes. It’s perfectly acceptable to hand write these from the road if you prefer. Don’t forget to add the postage so you can hand them over to the hotel staff or drop them in a mailbox from the road.

• Contact Management — Make sure that you tag your client properly in ACT! (or whatever contact management software you use), so that you can easily reference all clients for that year at once.

• Event Details Form — You may develop this document using merge files from an ACT! database or you may wait until right before you travel and download the info from eSpeakers. (More on eSpeakers in Chapter 7.) An Event Detail Form includes all of the information from the agreement: client details, event details, travel details, flights, ground, hotel and any other pertinent information.

• Expenses Envelope — Again, because this is all personalized with the name of the client and the date you should do this all at once.

• Handouts — If you know at this point what handout you will use, then place the original in the file. You may want to send the original with your contract, along with your bio, introduction, photo and pre-program questionnaire if you have one. All of these items may be available on the meeting planners page on your website. Keep a spare copy of your introduction in the file. The MC will often forget to bring a copy to the meeting.

• Product Ship Date — Schedule a product ship date and make notes on what you plan to send.

Having a checklist that you refer to before departure will ensure you are not showing up frazzled for your speech.

That’s a summary of what needs to go into your client file before you hit the road. We’re getting everything set up as a system. Refer to your checklist at least six hours before departure. No leaving it to the last minute in case there is something pertinent missing! Having a checklist that you refer to before departure will ensure you are not showing up frazzled for your speech.

Making the Most of Each Speaking Engagement

Your work is not complete just because you received a standing O. You need to be thinking ahead — to the next booking, or your overall contact with this client. Is there more work here to be done? Perhaps some consulting? Here are some ideas that can help increase your chances of more business spinning off from each presentation. These should also be a part of your process so that you are never missing opportunities.

• Once the client has chosen you for the presentation, ask them how long they want your message to resonate with their audience? They should say “as long as possible” and this tees you up to talk about how you might develop some depth and continuity to your speech by placing articles in their publications before and after your speech or doing more training.

• Offer to meet with an inside group of people before your speech for a meal or a special workshop (this might include the Executive Group, Board of Directors, Inner Circle, etc.).

• Request a meeting with the Big Cheese (President, CEO, Executive Director) and find out during that meeting how you can customize your presentation to help them in their mission. This also adds to your credibility once on stage because you sound like you are buddies with the boss.

• Immediately following your presentation, ask the meeting planner to send a follow-up e-mail from you to the group. You can add a few points that you missed or didn’t have time for and direct them to other articles of interest on your website. You can also point them to your online store. If the meeting planner is open to giving you the e-mail addresses, then you may send the e-mail directly to them.

• As we said earlier, having a door prize draw during your presentation allows you to collect the business cards of everyone in the audience for a giveaway. This will showcase your product — hopefully your book, or whatever prize you give away — and give you all of the audience’s business cards. The biggest issue will be getting these people added to your database in a timely fashion.

• Use your “Help Me” speech. (See Building a Database earlier in this chapter.)

• When you are talking to the client about your speech, find out what other meetings take place throughout the year and the purpose of each — you might fit into those as well. Also talk about initiatives that the company is undertaking and plant seeds about what you can help them with.

• Thank them for their business after your speech. You might send a gift along with your thank you note at this time or you might wait and send a gift during a holiday. A copy of your book may or may not qualify as a gift. Hopefully by the end of your engagement you know something about them so that you can personalize it.

• Make your follow-up call to the client a week or two after your presentation.

– Ask them what has changed as a result of your presentation. If they start listing things, ask if you can quote them and send them an e-mail confirming what they said. This prevents you waiting for a testimonial letter.

– Ask them how you can support them in the future.

– Ask who else they know who could benefit from your material — other departments in their company or other chapters of their association, colleagues, etc.

– Schedule a follow-up call or a note in the future. A quick e-mail asking how things are going six months later may put you in line for more business.

The Minnesota Fats Approach

I heard about the Minnesota Fats Approach at NSA. The idea is that, like the legendary pool player Minnesota Fats, you are not only focusing on the shot that you are making, but on the next two or three follow up shots. You’re planning ahead.

When I worked at International Speakers’ Bureau in Dallas as an agent, I wanted to work with speakers who would help me close business and cue me up for future business. I was speaking with a client who was in need of some sales training and I immediately thought of a speaker named Jim Pancero. I sent the client to his website, while we were talking on the phone, and she said he looked like he might be a good fit. She had also mentioned that they had a new product launch in three months and I knew that new products were one of Jim’s specialties. She was excited. I had Jim call the client the next day. He closed that deal for me and the deal for the new product launch. No videos were exchanged and the contract was in place within 48 hours of the initial contact. It was a bureau agent’s dream deal. Jim and I teamed up for the Minnesota Fat’s Approach — cue up the second ball, while pocketing the first.

Expanding Beyond the Speech

In today’s market, we must always be thinking beyond the speech. Yes, that may get our foot in the door, but how can we move into a long-term relationship with this client to get the maximum results from our content? Some new ideas for expanding your brand beyond the speech might include:

• An add-on follow-up package that involves customized video messages to the participants turning your one-day event into a six- or twelve-month training program.

• Monthly calls with the audience so they can join your club or membership program to get more time with you.

• An additional session with a special group, such as a leadership retreat following your session.

• Put a program into place where they bring your message all the way into the organization with promotional products (posters, coffee mugs, door knockers).

• Additional training to further hit home the message. If people are really serious about change, then one session may not be enough.

• If they need more time with you, have a brainstorming style session on your menu that allows them to pick your brain for the day. The more time you spend with them, the more likely they will incorporate your message fully.

Know Your Revenue Flow

Ideally, we want to be clear about how our revenue can start with a client and what it might lead to. It can happen in various scenarios, but it might start with an association keynote, then several companies hire you for consulting, which leads to some training and product sales. Check out my example of the umbrella (see Figure A in Chapter 1 under So What Else Is New?) with the revenue flow and think about what’s perfect for you. Use the blank version below (Figure I) to create your own scenarios.

Coach’s Question: How many opportunities (for speeches, consulting, training or coaching) did I let slip through my fingers because I was focused on closing one speech?

Did you follow up on all the leads you received after your gig or have they cooled off? Did you spend enough time investigating the training opportunities with that fellow from AT&T? Have you followed up on that successful gig with the Missouri Bankers and asked for a referral for their national conference?

Figure I: Your Revenue Flow