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The World According to Vickie
(Quotable Quotes You Can Use)
About the marketplace:
"Everyone is throwing free stuff on the wall to see what sticks. It’s a zoo out there! Here’s an idea: let’s think first about what we are putting out then get strategic about distribution."
"Buying decisions is all about comparisons. If you compare favorably to a buyer’s other options, you’ve got a shot. If you are seen as similar to “good enough,” then your work just became a commodity."
"The opportunities are no longer in plain sight. The big-money deals are buried in the nooks and crannies. If you’re not willing to lift up the sofa cushions, then you’ll never find the treasure underneath."
"You just can’t be good any more. There are too many talented folks out there. That’s why you can’t just diagnose the problem. You have to show the market how you think. And that you know the buyer’s world."
"The higher the price point, the more intellectual property you have to give away. High fee buyers have strong opinions. You have to show your approach so buyers can “discover” you."
"Sophisticated buyers know the price of change. That’s why they don’t make lateral moves. That’s why you have to show that your solutions (and their next level) are worth the journey."
"Buyers get an email and make this snap decision: do I need this right now? If so, they click. If not, that offer gets put aside and the buyer never gets back to it. Whatever you send, the content needs to demand immediate action."
About experts and personal brands:
"The first thing experts do when they put up their shingle is get sales. They network, get referrals and if they are good, get more of the same. That works for startups; you need the cash as soon as possible. But as the business grows, these talented experts quickly reach a plateau. The grass roots branding approach either doesn’t bring in enough work or too much low-fee work. That’s when a brand has to change from appealing to buyers with one option (you) to appealing to buyers who have many options."
Personal brands don’t bring in leads. They close the deal by changing the reaction the buyers have to your work. And that intangible benefit gets urgent when experts lose the deals to an inferior competitor.
"Many experts are good but non-descript. If buyers don’t know what to do with them, the answer will always be 'maybe next year.'”
"It’s tempting to focus on slogans and taglines. That’s why I call them “happy words.” They are fun and creative. But experts need more than that for branding – they need a focal point that will drive higher fee work. Give the market something to focus on – and if they are intrigued, folks will come to you."
"Experts are not like Madonna – it is not helpful to reinvent yourself every other year. Instead, there needs to be an evolution of their brand – the next chapter – not an overhaul. Overhauls should only be done as a last ditch effort."
"The worst thing experts do is to brand their work by creating a model or framework. Consultants do this all the time and shoot themselves in the foot. Buyers take one look at those things and think 'Hey, I already know that. I’m smarter than I thought. Next….'”
"An expert needs to change their personal brand for one of two reasons: 1) they are getting out there but the buyers are ignoring them or 2) their brand is too small to generate any interest from “strangers,” the folks who haven’t fallen in love with them yet."
About professional speaking:
“If becoming a high-fee speaker were cheap and easy, everyone would be doing it.”
“Too many experts are doomed before they ever start their speaking businesses. They focus on producing tools such as demo videos before determining their most profitable path. This is called putting the cart before the horse.”
“The marketplace is leaving behind those veteran speakers who won’t let go of their old material and repackage their expertise. Instead of redesigning their careers, they claim there is nothing new under the sun and lose engagements to newer speakers who are seen as cutting edge.”
“There’s a difference between taking conventional wisdom to a new level and making excuses for intellectual laziness.”
“The biggest reason why speakers don’t get what they deserve is that they don’t know where their messages have the most value. Applying those messages in the appropriate places is the most important challenge.”
“Speakers who want more than $7500 for a speech need to focus on media vehicles and visibility rather than cool demo videos.”
About experts who speak to sell™:
“Too many experts expect their speeches to drive all of the lead generation for their product sales. Instead, the speech should be a focal point for other marketing activities.”
“You can spot ‘free experts’ at 50 paces: They begin their speeches with logistics, tell rambling stories with no point, and have no rousing close that creates a call to action.”
“Experts should ‘just say no’ to half of the speaking engagements they accept. Before going to the trouble of completing an RFP (Request For Proposal), they need to find out if attendees can pay for their products and services. There is no point marketing to organizations that can’t afford the investment.”
“Leveraging a speech is not as time-consuming as many experts think. It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to put a plan on paper and write down a ‘to do’ list. Making it complicated is the #1 reason why leveraging never happens.”
About executives who speak:
“Too many PR firms book speaking engagements that don’t fit the strategy of their executive clients. Instead, they tend to sell the executives on doing speeches they can book easily.”
“Executives who depend too much on speechwriters don’t create a distinctive ‘voice.’ Yet this voice is one of the biggest brand-building tools speaking gives them.”
“The #1 reason why many corporate speakers bureaus are not effective is the lack of knowledge in how to get speaking engagements.”
“Conference organizers love CEOs because they lend a certain cachet to the event. But smart executives won’t accept all speaking invitations. Up front, they ask potential hosts to make a business case for why they should speak at the event.”
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