From Training to Keynotes
It's a trainer's dream: 45 minutes for the same fee as a full day. The applause, the standing ovation, the referrals. Sounds easy! You already have the program and promotional materials, including audio and video. Training directors rave about your platform skills. Just tell the world you do keynotes and wait for the phone to ring....
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Not from a marketing perspective. Training dominates the corporate market, keynoting dominates the association market. It's possible, but not as easy as you think. Let’s assume that you have the performance skills and the message. Here’s how to enter the world of keynoting from a position of power.
Power Source #1:
The Showcase. The great thing about keynoting is that perception is reality. If someone in the audience is convinced that you can keynote their program, then you are in. The bad news is that there is a built in resistance in giving trainers that chance in the first place. Why? Because while the market still favors substance over "fluff," meeting planners in the association market still expect a riveting performance. The keynote speaker must still touch audience's hearts and do it quickly.
Key strategy: Start with customer service & sales events. Trainers here have to be more motivational and usually can easily leverage exposure with that audience. Best place to leverage: the associations that the sales effort is directed to. Why? Because then you can springboard to the other association markets as a keynoter, after establishing your track record. Associations pay attention to other association choices. (Believe me, they talk.)
Power Source #2:
The Audience. In training, the audience doesn’t have much leverage because they are not usually decision makers. Not now. Your audience - especially managers - may be involved in associations. If they just happen to be on the program committee, then your foot is in the door.
Key strategy: call the folks you researched for the training first, not those who hired you. They see you as a trainer and may not buy the "I can keynote too" belief. An "oldie but goodie" way to create interest from the audience afterwards is with the evaluation form. Put one last question: "Would you like more information about my material?" and pursue those who respond yes. Ask about the associations they are involved in.
Power Source #3:
The Rave Review. Don’t even think that your program outlines will cut it. They won’t. Keynoting is a performance, so show some pizzazz in your one-sheet. If you’re not a computer whiz with graphics, spend some money for a layout and color printing. Make your marketing materials as good as your performance.
Key strategy: focus the one-sheet on how the audience will feel after the presentation. Don’t use "course descriptions" and "objectives." They are educational terms. Superlatives count, but don’t use them to describe you. (Testimonials are a great place for terms like "the best" or "the #1 speaker of all time.")
The key to successful keynoting is the emotional experience, not the information. It's passion, not program; power, not procedure; impact, not skill building. And that emphasis will shape everything a trainer must do to make the successful transition.
Finding the Next "Nonexistent" Booking
Veteran speakers know that the biggest secret is not how to compete for
available bookings. It is leveraging current relationships to create that
"nonexistent" opportunity where the marketing and the competition is naturally eliminated. How to find those hidden treasures? Here are three mistakes many speakers make that shut off access to this very subtle market:
Information: The biggest mistake is jumping too quickly into making suggestions in order to get a quick sale. Hidden opportunities come from "ally" information, combined with your creativity. The more information, the more opportunities. Getting the information you need is part credibility, part rapport and part trustworthiness. Show that you understand the situation and will keep information confidential.
Key strategies: listen to what is not being said and to what is considered a given vs what is considered a "bonus." Address the issue from the "bonus" area and that will open up the discussion. Bonding statements also help: one humorous statement about the issue can show how you "understand" and gives you permission to continue the discussion.
Focus: The second biggest mistake speakers make is their focus, made in two different ways. First is not looking at any of the contributors or influencers of a request, and not discerning where the help fits in the overall picture. Second is to narrowly focus on the few solutions that involve the speaker. This sets up the "problem, solution, problem" dilemma . Sometimes the best opportunities are the partnership between the speaker’s solutions and the things the ally can do themselves.
Key strategies: Have at least four different ways to disseminate your message in any given situation. Redefine the need by asking broader questions. Ask, "Here’s what I hear you describing … Is that true?" What you hear is broader than what they defined, which refocuses the discussion to the newest definition. It also demonstrates your understanding, increases your credibility and puts a "wide-angle lens" on the request.
Timing: Being able to know when to push or to drop the issue is critical in spotting opportunities. Some allies need to know all the details right away, and some allies need seeds planted. Pushing the issue will seem like desperation, cutting into credibility. Veteran speakers have an innate sense of timing, especially those good in marketing.
Key strategies: Ask these questions: "What is your assessment of this situation?" "In your opinion, what would be the obstacles to implementing this?" "I understand this sounds a little different … if we showed the direct benefits, there would be an openness to trying something new?" Listen to the answers closely, and time your follow-up accordingly.
Opportunities can be like windows. So many speakers crowd around them, very few open the window and get in. Move around the process by building your own windows of opportunity.
Ideas are from Springboard Marketing, Vickie’s newest system to build the business of speaking.
How can event-based speaking, like keynotes and after dinner talks, be leveraged?
Marketing one-shot speaking certainly has its challenges: more competition from non-speakers (such as sports figures, authors and other celebrities), and a declining number of keynote type slots (due to the switch from larger meetings to smaller regional ones.) More importantly, most annual meetings don't repeat keynoters for 3 to 5 years. One answer: leverage your "wow" reactions from the audience to create events from scratch and therefore eliminate the competition. The angle: create an event that celebrates and honors.
Think about it… a VP of sales in your audience thinks you're great, but the annual conference is already set. Ask: do you celebrate customer service week in October? Quality month in May? How do you show appreciation to your distributors or clients? How do you increase traffic to your trade show booth? If you're talking to a decision maker, these answers can create a brainstorming session that will lead to more speaking. The key: don't expect your fans to call you directly. They're too busy – create an invitation to call them by collecting cards for give-aways. (old trick but it works!)
Another way to leverage is through sponsorship. You don't know who in the audience participates in what I call vendor associations: trade or professional groups consisting of potential clients. When the trade show person hits on them for a booth, the VP can throw your program in the mix for added exposure and traffic.
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