When to Tell Your Compelling Story
You've gone through a traumatic experience. After much pain and hard work, you're ready to help others by telling your story and share the lessons learned. Should you center your speaking business on this story? Speakers who enter the market in this way are finding that getting booked isn't as easy as they thought. Before you hit the conference circuit with your hard lessons learned, here are three very delicate, strategic questions to ask yourself:
What is my motivation?
Do you want to help others in similar situations? You can volunteer to speak at support group meetings. A sustainable speaking business can't be launched with speeches that don't pay speaker fees. And forget about sponsors paying your fees to those groups. They want speakers who have a built-in audience, with a ready-made platform and national media campaigns.
Want to share your experience to remind others of key life lessons? Look yourself in the mirror and ask, "Am I speaking as part of the healing process?" If you are, don't go to the conference circuit. It won't be a healing experience.
Is my story both compelling and visible?
The indomitable human spirit is alive and well on the speaking circuit. That means buyers have access to very compelling stories of triumph, such as adventurers who climb Mt. Everest, and tragedy, such as one speaker who was shot by terrorists. How does your story compare? It sounds crass, but...put yourself in the buyer's shoes. If you're looking for a compelling story, which one would you choose?
And in this competitive marketplace, compelling isn't enough. Did the media cover your story? Were you a guest on national media talk shows? One way buyers are choosing compelling stories is by how much media it generated.
Do I have great content to go with my story?
Content has become king for many keynote addresses. Translation: just telling your story isn't enough to sustain a full-time speaking business, especially one that has fees over $5,000. Buyers expect your experience to be a springboard for compelling content with insights that provide a different "twist" to everything else that's being said.
So if you want to generate large speaking fees, be prepared to use the story as seasoning, not the main course. Speakers who find it difficult to put the story in the background might want to check their motivations again.
One of the most rewarding things about bouncing back from tragedy is creating some good from a bad experience. A speaking business is just one way to do that. Volunteering is another way, a legitimate contribution to the greater good. Be clear about what you want to accomplish and proceed accordingly.
Finding the Springboard Opportunity™
All your hard work has paid off -- opportunities are flowing in. The key question now: how to find the "Springboard Opportunity™", those venues that create momentum to build your empire. Your best opportunities will have these three things in common:
An "out of the box" buyer
If you have used your credibility to full value, you probably don't bang on closed doors. Does the buyer know you? Is your credibility off the table, so you can both focus on content and how to make the event the best ever? If so, then this buyer probably is open to "out of the box" thinking and will go above and beyond to help you leverage the speech. This dynamic will make creating more opportunities effortless. It will make marketing FUN!Example: One buyer I know made a special point to invite not only his boss, but also other buyers within the same division. He also made introductions and pre-sold the expert prior to the program. Result: speaking engagements were solidified BEFORE the program was given.
Beyond the money
A Springboard Opportunity™ goes beyond revenue streams and contributes to the overall momentum of your business. While you want to remember financial considerations, don't forget occasions that brand your expertise. Does this opportunity tie your solutions to a bigger cause? People love to join forces for something bigger than themselves. They want to contribute to the greater good of their community. And when that happens, you'd be surprised what happens to your grand, your empire.
Example: A friend of mine used to be the president of a national association. Her role gave her access to major mainstream media such as The New York Times and Fortune Magazine. Although she was identified as "president of _____" the relationships she formed with media allowed her to promote her book to those publications the following year.
Setting the stage
A Springboard Opportunity™ will create momentum for the next level by forcing you to think big, beyond your standard revenue streams. When you focus on the impact of your solutions, momentum opens up in the most surprising ways. The key: make sure the opportunity has more than one leverage point; don't be tied to advance just one revenue stream such as speaking or consulting. You have no idea where hidden opportunities are; they appear when we just choose to "show up".Example: a client of mine was in the first year of launching her speaking business when a chance encounter lead to a speaking engagement. That speaking engagement lead to a licensing deal with a public seminar company to teach her content to thousands of participants. Would this opportunity have been on the radar if she just focused on getting more speaking engagements?
The good news: Springboard Opportunities™ abound! You just have to set your "radar" to find them, and have these standards to help quickly separate the momentum builders from the "energy drains".
The first sign of getting old...
Is when time goes by so fast! I just CAN NOT believe that it's been 17 years since I started working with speakers. Each and every one of you has honored me with your presence. I appreciate your willingness to allow me to contribute to your dreams. May we continue to create great things together!!
It's almost done...
I'm just now putting the finishing touches on the second edition of Springboard Marketing™. I focused more on building a platform that launches empires, going beyond high-fee speaking engagements to generate revenue in a myriad of ways. To celebrate my 17th anniversary, I'm offering a special pre-publication price with the same bonus gifts as the teleseminars. This offer is only valid through March 24, so check out the details here today!
Heading east...
Writing a book? Whether you are looking at topics, still writing, or it's already at the publisher/printer, NOW is the time to think about marketing issues. Best-selling author Mark Victor Hansen has cracked the code on this, and he's invited top experts in the field to his Mega Book Marketing University on March 26-28 in Atlanta.
I get rave reviews from the audience and my clients love me; but for the past two years, business is down. How can that happen when I give such great presentations?
This happens a lot with speakers who have better presentation skills than content. In this case, your clients don't see your message as having multiple applications, so once they hear your speech, they are on to the next program and you're not getting enough repeat or spin-off business.
You never mentioned why your clients value your program, which brings to mind the second possibility: you're seen as "just a great speaker" without a specific message. No message, no "strategic fit", and no way to determine if your speech would be the best for the group. You might make the first cut, but not the final decision because the buyer isn't clear how your program would fit with their audience.
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