Monetize Your Message: HOW to profit WILDLY in the new world of Speaking - Part TWO
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Free Download - Success in a Box...OR Stuck in a Box?? The POWER of a Coach for Business Success By Michelle Pippin |
So, in Part ONE of this series for aspiring and experienced speakers, we have acknowledged the changes in our industry and have determined to be INNOVATORS in our field. We have committedto finding our own bottom-line value ....so we can market ourselves profitably to our ideal clients. In Part TWO, we take it even further... PART TWO: Mining your clients for TOP needs - Once you have an idea of what YOU bring to the table as a solution, the first step in becoming MORE relevant and having your clients see you as a completely indispensible part of their success "arsenal" is getting to know your clients better. Even if you have known your clients for YEARS, (or if you haven't spoken to them in years... a big "no no" in the NEW world of speaking where ONE NIGHT STANDS should be forbidden!!) when you are approaching them with a "solutions" mindset vs. a "speaker" mindset, you will be amazed at what valuable information they will reveal. The goal is to find out what are they hungry for. In other words: What problem will they pay to have solved?
Having this type of OPEN conversation requires a shift in purpose. No longer are we asking questions to figure out "if they want to pay you to speak". (P.S. These conversations almost always end quickly with some line about "cutting the training budget.") Instead, we are seeking MUCH more relevant information. We are finding out what they are going through, what problems they are facing, and what specific solutions they are seeking. Here are some suggested ways to start this "NEW WORLD" conversation:
- "I am attempting to be responsive to what the statistics tell us is a changing and shifting market and want to learn more about what YOU are experiencing. Would you be willing to speak with me a bit about the changes you are seeing in your company? What problems are you running into most frequently? Which are most compelling?"
- "We know that EVERY industry is in transition right now and I have committed to offering solutions rather than just speaking... Would you be willing to have a candid conversation with me? You have been a client of mine for X number of years and have hired me for X number of your events. How beneficial have these investments been? I recognize that NO one-time solution will ever solve ALL of your problems, but where did you find the keynote or workshop "fell short" of achieving your goals at the time? In what way could we have extended the benefit of that keynote to better accomplish the goal?"
These conversations will allow you to gain a lot of ground in becoming absolutely RELEVANT to your existing market. PLUS, this will alert your clients that you are REINVENTING to meet their needs. So, they will expect and welcome further communication about how you have incorporated what you have learned into your business model. In other words, your career as a "solution" is being birthed and marketed simultaneously. Now, that is a profitable conversation. (So, be sure to take some notes.)
PART THREE: Uncovering New Profit Centers - Now you have a winning foundation for setting yourself apart from any other speaker out there. Rather than operating under "the old business model" (or the existing business model) you now have the skeleton to build an innovative menu of services that respond to the pressing needs of your clients in TODAY's economy.
Developing a "Menu of Services" beyond the traditional keynote, workshop, or seminar immediately makes you more compelling, more relevant and more valuable than any of your competitors. Essentially, you are moving away from the "one -night stand" mentality of "speaker meets event" and moving INTO a position of becoming an indispensable resource for your clients' success. It is HERE that the future for speakers resides.
Of course you will keep offering "the Keynote"... and your menu will still position it profitably and in a way that does not diminish the power in the "hour". =) However, the beauty of a "menu of services" is that it allows you to follow up with the client to propose a more profitable extension of what began on the platform. Here are some suggestions on what you may decide to ADD to your current menu:
- TRAINING. But I already offer training for my clients. Great. Keep doing that. But be MUCH bolder in your "solutions" language and EXTEND your training to ALWAYS include multiple "touches" and a follow up to see how it is working. Position yourself as a PARTNER to your client... not a hired hand.
- CONSULTING / COACHING. Years ago, you couldn't walk in a local WalMart without running into a "Speaker, Coach, and Author". Now, the economy has "thinned the herd" a bit, but since many speakers are actually coaches and consultants, why not capitalize on and profit from it? Offer consulting or coaching packages allows you to provide ongoing services to your clients.
- PRODUCTS . You can respond to all the information you gathered from your conversations with your past clients and others in your market AND respond to the "budget - aware" training models by creating your own products. This will extend the benefits of your most-requested keynotes and / or to provide a solution for one of the most compelling and frequent "issues" identified by your clients.
Monetize Your Message HOW to profit WILDLY in the new world of Speaking Part TWO - To learn more about this author, visit Michelle Pippin's Website.
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Michiel JonkerAs a Certified Information Systems Auditor, Michiel assists businesses in a professional capacity by evaluating the threats to their businesses. He acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and techniques to minimize a business owner’s risk of business failure and to maximize his chances of high growth and success. He strongly believes that you CAN maximize your chances of business success, by implementing the business solution he has advocated for more than 12 years in your business plan and planning. Michiel has decided to share his experience with business owners by putting almost everything he knows in a business plan and survival guide (compiled in an e-book format) and written as a high growth SMB coaching course for SMB business owners, directors and managers - titled as the “Survival Kit for Small and Medium Businesses - Profit from your Business Risks!” According to Michiel, his goal was to add new techniques to a business owner’s business planning survival kit and instruct him or her in using these in the future - without any help from a consultant! For more information about the benefits of implementing profit protection planning in your business, please visit: http://www.business-around-the-globe.com - Visit Michiel Jonker's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is a best-selling author, top-rated speaker and thought leader on sales development. He is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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