Susan L. • not sure what you mean however the suggestion is to go to Speaker Services website http://www.speakerservices.com

Linda S. • Hi
Some very interesting content on your site, I will be looking into it further.

Thanks
Linda

Fern L. • Susan, I like your site and your suggestions. Good stuff!

Fern

GL M. • Good info I must check further

Byron T. E. • Good info on your site Susan. I have recently been contacted by several speakers over the last few months asking about how to increase their speaking gigs. It is my professional opinion that in order to grow your business you must "wow" your audience on a consistant basis. When an audience pays your fees and then says that your presentation is the best they have ever heard on top of it....the marketing will take care of itself. That is my thought anyway. What do you guys think?

Susan L. • Thanks for ya all comments. Bryon, your comment, When an audience pays your fees and then says that your presentation is the best they have ever heard on top of it....the marketing will take care of itself.

I do not agree with that. Maybe you were lucky enough to speak to an one audience who thought you were the best but what if you had a stellar one-sheet and a video demo would that be helpful? You must have good marketing materials. Take a look at Melissa Evans speaker listing on Speaker Services http://bit.ly/lSCO5V Please see her one sheet pdf underneath her photo and see how we worked with her to get her 2 sided one sheet.

Bill B. • Hi Byron,

All should hear "Best we've ever heard." But are you speaking 100 times annually and getting fees such as $10,000+? Earning $250,000+ annually?

If not, getting nice/wonderful reviews isn't what Susan is writing about. She's offering advice on how to run a business and grow it. Great marketing materials and a marketing/telemarketing are crucial.

Susan has made the trip and she's very successful. I've met few speakers who don't need a coach. Even Obama has many. I don't think G.W. Bush did.

And a story: I got kudos from an audience member and she added "Our last speaker put me to sleep?" I thought she meant her own company President, but she corrected me. "No, President Bush." Yet, I'm sure someone told him "You were great."

Susan L. • Bill thank you for the compliment and for clearing up what I was trying to get across. Speaking is a Business!

Byron T. E. • Hi Bill,

I understood very well what Susan was refering to and my point was that when someone refers your service to someone else that is something I would want them to say about me. Secondly, yes, my fees well exceed the $10k mark as I am not clear on the relevance of your question. Telemarketing is just not what we do. Again, if your product is good enough why would you have to call them? Why can't they call you. Just my opinion.

I am sure Susan is very successful and nor was I questioning her skills. I was simplying stating my view on how I do my business in response to what she had stated. I don't have a coach either nor to do I believe in a speaking coach. Again, not sure on the relevance of that statement either.

President Bush is not a speaker. That is not his strong suit. Enough said on that.

Bottom line here Bill is that I get a lot of question on how I do and what I do when it comes to marketing verses the one-sheets and Susan's style of marketing. No way am I saying that someone should not use Susan. Heck, later on I might use her. I am saying for me right now that is not what I think is needed.

Bill B. • And most speakers don't invest in themselves. And then they wonder why they (and most) earn so lttle. And also wonder why the speaking business turnover is so high.

Speakers must think like manufacturers and distributors. That is; everything being great from marketing, selling, and with quality with everything through delivery.

But assuming that speakers have great messages, mediocre marketing will achieve mediocre results. The ones that need experts such as you the most are those that don't have a great track record in a corporate field such as Marketing and Sales (not retail).

My forte is turning speeches into 6 and 7-figure retainers. How do I do that? By marketing my retainer services via website, literature, articles, speaking and other avenues . Why do I do that? Because I know that every business, regardless of size and type, need coaches. Being a good speaker doesn't bring me those nice retainers, but Marketing does.



And I voluntarily pay bureaus a modest 10% of my consulting for the life of the contract. They got me the speaking assignment. Without them, I wouldn't obtain the retainers. The 10% is not just good business; it's also Marketing.

In conclusion, I got the entire cover of Dottie Walter's "Sharing Ideas" Magazine. The cover title was "Bill Blades' Speaking Success in Just One Year!" I didn't know that topping $200,000 in my first year (1988) was a big deal, until my coach told me. I was a top-flight VP of Sales and Marketing and had spoken close to 100 times during my corporate. career. I was regularly on trade magazine covers, page 1 in newspapers and on national and international TV many times. Why am I telling this story..to brag? No.

I'm sharing it because all of that didn't matter. I didn't know squat about marketing (and other things) in the speaking business. So in 1988, I invested $25,000 for a coach, a computer and his computer tech to set it up which included an up-to-date mailing list of 20,000+ contacts. I followed his suggestions for my flyer to the letter. Just the standard 8 1/2 X 11 front and back. Later, I coached him as I kept getting better in all aspects.

I lived in Arizona when the big real estate boom (not bust) was taking place. Thousands of people left their careers to become a realtor (Note: not realAtor as many call themselves from N.Y. to San Diego). They did so because even novices were doing good and with little marketing. And when the market started to erode, they fell out like flies. The real pros kept up their marketing in both good times and bad and did okay/well even during the bust. They understood that marketing/marketing/marketing was more important than the old adage of location/location/location.

Hundreds of colleagues have told me they don't know anyone who turns a speech into the large retainers I gather. It's a niche I created and I fertilize it by continuous Marketing. I don't need the 100 speaking engagements as I did intially. I reduced it to shooting for just 50. If I had only 25, I would still be doing very well because I recession-proofed my business. When times are tough, my consulting segment balloons.

The only speaker coaching I provide is for business-topic speakers and it's geared on turning the speech (not 'gig') into on-going,retainers. I only do a small amount of speaker coaching, because I found out quickly that many wanted it, but few would invest in it. They are too cheap in designing their careers. One just canceled as "Money is tight." For him, I'm afraid it always will be such. So I Target Market where I'm wanted and needed.

You are today what you will be in 5 years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read. Make one of those people a Marketing Coach and her books.

Bill B. • Hi Byron,

Just read your latest posting. Please understand that my comments were not directed to you, but to all of the forum readers.

If you're exceeding $10,000 per speech, you're doing terrific. And I agree with you 100% that word-of-mouth is the best form of marketing. My flyers/marketing pieces are mostly used for those requesting them. My biggest use of materials is for certain countries that are more facts-conscious than word-of-mouth from the U.S. Some want 5 reference letters and some want 25. If they want a flyer and 25 reference letters, they get them. You commented on a telemarketing person. I've always had a part-time assistant to gather the details, prepare the contract and all of the details I don't want to do. She's not just cold-calling, but doing the necessary things to make us more money and save me time.

Since your fees are good and others are asking you for advice, you might wind up being a Coach yourself. You mentioned speaker coach. I never used one either. I used a Marketing Coach.

Cheers,
Bill

Bill B. • Hi Byron,

I earlier mentioned Obama. As these chats continued, I went to your site and there was the first quote...from President Obama.

Good for you,

Bill

Byron T. E. • Thanks Bill.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Ellen J. • I've been reading this thread with interest. I've been speaking for years at local, state, and national conferences, mostly not getting paid. It's been only in the past few years where I'm getting paid for it, of course, including my travel, etc. expenses, and I enjoy it a lot. My bread and butter is consulting and conducting training seminars. This is my twelfth year in business.

Bill, I'm so interested in the idea of ongoing retainers. I'd like to know more about it. I hate to admit that I've been so naive, but until recently, I didn't realize that speakers SELL things and/or services. I guess my head was buried in the sand. But it's coming out into the light, slowly but surely.

First, I hired someone to totally revamp my website - it's still in progress, but it's finally up there, including my new blog! He's someone I know, and I've been actively tweaking stuff every day. So much fun!!! It's www.earlychildinfo.com

Then, I spoke to an editor of a major education publishing house who is interested in my book in progress - so I'm working on that as well. I'm on the way to higher speaking fees and developing more products/services.

It's an exciting time for me. When most of my contemporaries are retiring, I'm busy reinventing myself.

Susan L. • Update: In the Speaker Services E Mail update yesterday http://t.co/bl1wdE7 I talked about.. Our team can put together your promotional materials ie: one-sheets, bios, speaker listing, interview questions, press releases.

I asked this question in my linkedin groups a few days ago, Not getting the speaking gigs? Do you have professional marketing materials? Wow that stirred up a lot on interest and some controversy. I took a look at what some speakers and authors thought were good marketing materials and sad to say they would never get booked for speaking nor media with what they had or didn’t have.

So I ask you do you need assistance? Read more http://t.co/bl1wdE7 BTW: I included a PDF on a speaker author double sided one sheet in the update of Melissa Evans

Jane O. • Hi Sue,

I have to agree with you on why speakers do not get speaking jobs. If a speaker is not ready, event planners will not pick them up for a job. It real does not matter if you pay to be come a member of SpeakerMatch or Steve Siebold. You most first be ready professionally and every thing else will fall in place

Susan L. • Jane right on and we see that happening all the time. I turn potential clients away from our online directory SpeakerServices.com cause I would be out of integrity taking peeps money to get a speaker listing if they are not willing to invest in their promo materials. So when someone says I listed with this service or answered a call for proposal or a media call and nothing happened I know their is an issue there.

Part of what we do offer for a speaker or author is to write their speaker listing for them and we get them focused and then I teach them how to market themselves as a speaker via workshops, one on ones, Marketing Works-Mastermind Groups and so on. Speaking is a business.

Jane O. • Thanks Sue,

I will like to work with you one-on-one if I can afford it.

Do you work with SpeakerMatch? I like speaker Match very much and willing
to work with you.

A speaker most be willing to develop from pops and moms to professionally
presentable gig.

What does your services cost?

Regards,

Jane.

Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:25:20 +0000

Susan L. • Jane I can't quote a rate to you until I talk with you to access what your needs are and then I can make recommendations that fit your budget. Please make an appt to chat with me on the phone via e-mail susan@speakerservices.com and we will schedule a good time for both of us.

Aurelia M. • Awesome discussion! I am an attorney and speaker working on promotional materials and admittedly struggling with it a bit. Great insights from all of you!