Reinventing Your Speaking Business
The challenging economy has given experts a compelling reason to take another look at their speaking business. Result: "reinvention" has become the buzzword among many established speakers and experts.
Consider these shifts while on your reinvention journey to bigger speaking fees and a full calendar.
From Message to Identity
What do Dr. Phil, Tom Peters, and Zig Ziglar all have in common? Beside huge speaking fees, everyone of them has become "bigger" than their message. Their identity and personal style--not their message--have become the reasons they get selected. "Who they are" allows them to say just about anything.
Similarly, experts who want big speaking fees must go beyond their message and focus on identity and personal style. Identities like these are hot (and will continue to be): Cool person with a cool message (Zig Ziglar); voice of a demographic (Dr. Phil); leader of a movement (Tom Peters).
From Stealth to Momentum
The booming economy helped many speakers get enough business within their inner group of clients and advocates. It fostered a "stealth" marketing strategy based on personal relationships rather than momentum from leveraging visibility. Not any more--experts now focus on creating momentum through media and books to carry them to the next level. Their new best friends: a publicist and a publisher.
Yet many publicity campaigns will fall flat. Here's why: no strategy behind the identity or the message. The strategy must get tested in the marketplace first to create initial momentum (and if it doesn't, the strategy gets refined). After that happens, THEN books are launched and become best sellers.
This is exactly what made Dr. Phil's book a best seller. He looked at what worked while he was on Oprah and duplicated that success in book form.
From Bootstrapping to Serious Business
Are these transitions difficult? You bet they are. Which is why you shouldn't do this alone. It's time to invest in your speaking business like business owners invest in theirs.
Many experts seek help "on the cheap" by asking other speakers for advice. One of the best things about speakers is their willingness to share advice with their colleagues. One of the worst things about speakers is assuming that this advice will work. Reinventing your business by polling your speaker friends is dangerous for two reasons: a) their advice is based on who you are now, not who you could be, and, b) their reactions are based on their experiences, not on future trends or market intelligence.
An in-depth market analysis of your unique situation is needed, not a collection of opinions. If you're going to reinvent your business, get serious and get outside help. That old saying about lawyers who represent themselves applies to speakers and consultants, too
Reinventing Attitudes
Reinventing our business often means reinventing our attitudes. In our quest to become more confident in unknown and high-stakes territory, we can unknowingly tip our hand by coming across as arrogant when interacting with others.Key players often see obnoxious behavior as "not ready for prime time." Listed below are ways to look confident and accomplished without crossing the line into "Prima Dona without a reason."
Choose your Battles
The biggest tip-off to undeserved arrogance is in the area of making requests. Too much drama for too little payback tells the other person what level your game is. It also creates an assumption that you'll be even more difficult in interactions that have bigger stakes. Example: I get many requests for free advice. If I can answer quickly, I will; for in-depth brainstorming or questions, I suggest a strategy session for a nominal fee. Saying yes to that is a quick, easy decision for most folks, but one "established" expert had a temper tantrum. Resulting impression: big head, little person. It's OK to ask for what you want, no matter the size of the request. Just remember: the input should be worth the output. Choosing what to raise Cain on tells others what's important to you.
Choose your Approach
The fine line between attitude and arrogance often lies in approach. Your approach telegraphs who you are loudly and clearly and lets everyone know how you would respond to similar situations in the future. Let's use the previous example: This expert and I didn't know each other, so it's reasonable for her to want to talk more before investing in a session. Instead of asking more questions or explaining her need for a sales conversation, though, she threw a temper tantrum that included disparaging remarks about my work and several challenges to "prove" I'm as good as my reputation. My silent reaction: No thanks...I don't know you and, therefore, don't have the need to prove anything to you.
Choose your Response
The biggest test of all will be resolving those sticky situations. While it might be tempting to respond in kind...don't. "Playing in the mud" makes both of you look like children. Instead, turning down the opportunity to strike back makes you look "above it all" without burning bridges. Often a simple statement of refusal, with specific reasons and delivered without judgment, can lead to a happy ending. I acknowledged the expert's concerns, gave specific reasons why I couldn't help her and graciously wished her luck. She apologized and asked to meet with me at an upcoming event. Who knows? We may even laugh about this incident by then.
Bottom line: A confident attitude with deference will give the impression of "we're peers -- let's figure this out together." Asking questions or explaining your needs is a good way to make your case for special treatment. When you acknowledge the good in others, you get that graciousness back.
Time is flying by!
I just can NOT believe it's Spring already...yes, even in the desert of Phoenix, we enjoy colorful flowers and plants. This is the time of year to plant seeds and make the changes necessary for future growth. I'm no exception, as I've been busy creating new programs for experts in all stages of development. Below are just a couple of my new adventures. Stay tuned for more service and product lines to make your speaking more valuable!
Let's share the wealth!
For the past 16 years, I've been so blessed by folks raving and referring my CDs and audiotapes to others. After three months and hundreds of hours, I'm ready to give you a piece of the action. Our brand new affiliate program resource center is now up and running, so sign up and earn a commission on every product your friends buy. This is new territory for us, so I'm looking for feedback to make this system even better. (Please be gentle...)
Ready for those high fees?
This changing marketplace requires a complete rethinking of who we are and what we talk about. To make this happen for more experts, I've put my systematic approach and toolbox on CD. "Your Position of Power: Packaging Your Expertise for High Fee Markets" will give you the mindset and processes you need to become more valued in this competitive environment. Click here for details and to order online.
I speak on attitude, a topic that would work well in any group. Is there a list I can obtain for getting more speaking engagements?
Many businesses go to a mailing list broker for launching a direct mail campaign (though I've not heard of any broker who has an effective list for general motivational speakers).
Check out "National Trade and Professional Associations" by Columbia Books. It has over 7,500 associations and is available at the reference desk at most libraries. Or you can purchase it at www.columbiabooks.com/ntpa.cfm (Columbia Books also has mailing lists you can purchase.)
Another source close to home could be your nearest Convention and Visitors Bureau. Given tight budgets, you can tout travel savings as a good reason for groups that meet there to hire you. To find the bureau closest to you, check out www.iacvb.org/iacvb/index.asp
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