11 Online Reputation Management Tools You Need For Your  Business

People from all walks of life have two lives –online and offline. Companies and organizations are not exempt from these two lives and to make sure that their identities are managed well, online reputation management tools have become more and more important.

The emphasis on reputation is not a matter to neglect, whether your company is big or small –a good reputation is vital for its growth. To make sure that no one is using your log-ins (more…)

14 Fabulous Ways to Get Paid Speaking Engagements

by Kristie Tamsevicius

Sometimes finding good leads for speaking gigs can feel a bit like hunting for a tropical spa with umbrella drinks in the dessert. It’s easy to get discouraged. But yet when you see superstars that are booked solid, you know that it can be done. So how do you find leads for paid speaking engagements? Below are 14 techniques you can use to find good contacts and get yourself booked!

1) Define a niche. According to Networking expert, Lillian D. Bjorseth (www.Duoforce.com), a niche can be defined as types of organizations you want to speak for, an industry you want to specialize in, or a subject matter. By defining a clear niche, you instantly set yourself apart. The next challenge of course is to become known in your niche.

When you become the leading authority in your field, people seek you out. Speaking trainer Burt Dubin (www.burtdubin.com) says, “There’s no point in being a fine marketer until you have expertise to offer. And your expertise has gotta be in a specific niche. A niche where folks with cash in their jeans recognize your value and are willing to invest in what you alone know. Here’s how to select your niche: identify the topic or issue in which you’re willing to do endless and ongoing research for a market with the means to pay you.”

2. Free to Fee. Speak for free in places likely to have people who could hire you for fee. Often there are people in these audiences who could hire you. Check your local Kiwanis, Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary
clubs.

After speaking recently in the Women’s Economic Development Outreach event, someone in the audience hired me for a speaking engagement for their group. If they hadn’t seen me speak in person, it’s very unlikely that this person would have contacted me.

3. Attend Events - Go to the events that your ideal clients attend and mingle with the decision makers who could hire you. “The Transition Man” Johnny Campbell (www.TransitionMan.com) says, “Research the event ahead of time. Know who will be in attendance. Have a hit list of people you want to connect with. Ask first what THEY do so you can tailor your 30 second pitch to address how you can help with their specific needs.”

Johnny likes to go to chamber meetings and sit at the far end so he goes last introducing himself. That way he can listen first to who is in his audience and tailor his 30 second introduction. Once he did this and a gentleman was so impressed that he immediately handed him a business card and said, “Call me.”

4. Speaker Directories. There are websites that list speakers for a fee. Meeting planners sometimes go to these directories looking for a speaker on a certain topic.

Here are two that you can check out:

Speaker Services – speakerservices.com
Speaker Zone – www.speakerzone.com

5. Smile and Dial. Flipping the pages of a meeting planner directory and cold calling can drum up business. Most speakers who use this approach successfully make 40- 50 calls everyday. If you are smart about finding the
“right” targeted leads to call, this is especially effective.

Here are three sources for this information:

A) Douglas Publications – www.douglaspublications.com
They make 2 publications: The Directory of Association Meeting Planners and Directory of Corporate Meeting Planners.

B) NTPA Directory (National & Professional Associations) It lists national conventions, meetings, and trade show dates for over 7,700 trade and professional associations with an annual report published each February.

C) Columbia Books, Inc. – www.columbiabooks.com
6. Google your way to leads. Google makes it so easy to find leads. You can search for events in your industry or to find who your competitors have spoken for.

7. Ask for referrals right from the platform. Keynote speaker and master certified coach, Rich Fettke (www.Fettke.com) says this when he speaks to groups “As you can tell, I am really passionate about what I do. If you know of a group who could benefit from this message, please hand me a business card afterwards.”

8. Referrals. Ask for referrals from existing clients who have hired you to speak. If you ever have to lower your fee, you ask for letters of recommendation and referrals as part of the deal in exchange for the discount.

Burt Dubin (www.BurtDubin.com) offers this tip to reward those who refer you.

“Let your clients or customers know they are rewarded for referring folks who invest in what you offer. Give appropriate gifts, depending on the size of the ticket. I give a choice of gifts. A dollar amount in cash or a higher dollar amount given to their favorite charity in their name, or a certain dollar amount in free product. Reward referrals generously.”

My personal thought is that a heartfelt note, a Starbucks gift card, a phone call, or even flowers is a wonderful way to say “thank you – I appreciate your referral!”

9. Get on Your Prospect’s Radar Screen. Top of mind status comes from word of mouth of your clients, being “seen” in the pages of print media, and from testimonials of audience members.

Know where your audience goes and be there. This includes your prospect’s ezines, clubs, organizations, bulletin boards, and magazines.

10. Speaker Website. An effective speaker website gives a meeting planner everything they need to decide that you are the perfect speaker for their event. You’ll want to include downloadable one sheet (brochure), testimonials, program descriptions, media coverage, results gained for other clients, and your speaker video.

Lillian D. Bjorseth, the Networking Expert, (www.Duoforce.com) shared how she got a lead from a major company who wanted to hire her and found her on the website. The person came back to their planning committee who said, “You found her where?” “Have you even seen her speak? My reputation is on the line here.” Then after reading testimonials from clients who hired Lillian to speak, they were happy to hire her.

In the past 2 weeks, having a speaking video on my website has gotten me the job. A client was hemming and hawing and said, “Can we see you speak somewhere locally first?” I told them where they could view my speaker video on my website and in 5 minutes they called back to book me.

11. Join organizations where people can hire you or might be able to refer you to people. Review your organization memberships at the end of the year before you renew to make sure that the fees was worth it.

12. Publicity rules! Red Zone Marketing speaker, Maribeth Kuzmeski (www.RedZoneMarketing.com) says that hiring a full time publicist has made all the difference in her speaking career. She says that when people have seen your face enough times in publications they get to feel like they know you.

13. Invite prospects as your guest when you speak to groups. That way they can experience you firsthand. After they experience the power of your speaking, they are likely to hire you or even refer you to others.

14. Building relationships. Communication expert, Cyndi Maxey (www.CyndiMaxey.com), says her secret is to keep in touch with her clients and prospects. She sends articles to them to let them know she is thinking of them. She also likes to send cards and call them from time to time. As Cyndi says, “Never let them forget your name. You want to be top of mind when they are ready to hire.”

Article by Kristie Tamsevicius – Dubbed as the “Marketing Maven & Brander Extraordinaire” Kristie Tamsevicius turns entrepreneurs into the lavishly paid in-demand experts in their field. Learn how branding helps you to attract customers, build income, & gain visibility while successfully promoting your business online with our FREE report “Web Branding Secrets” by visiting www.brandingonthenet.com.

Yesterday, during my workout, I was watching ‘So
You Think You Can Dance’. There was a section
where they stopped the auditions and told the
dancers what the do’s and dont’s for this year
were.

First thing to go? The male booty shake. No
surprise there – who wants to see that?

So what’s in and what’s out for this new decade in
speaker marketing?

OUT: Positioning as a ‘speaker’. The joke is if
your topics list is as long as your client list,
you are positioning incorrectly.

IN: Positioning as an ‘expert’. Be the expert,
the authority in your field. Even if you consider
yourself a motivational or inspirational speaker,
figure out what the outcomes of your message are
and sell those in your marketing.

OUT: Cheesy speaker photos. If your photo has
you holding a mic and you are standing in front of
a blank screen, then you probably need an update.

IN: Live audience shots. Take your photos in
front of your perfect audience. If you want to
speak to large audiences, have someone take a shot
from the back of the room for you so that your
prospects can see you speaking live.

There is still a need for some close up shots of
you, a well done head shot can show your prospects
who you really are.

OUT: Hire Me, I’m a Speaker! I talked a lot in
2009 about doing a marketing Flip Flop. This is
where we move our marketing to be about the client
and their outcomes, rather than it being all about
us.

IN: A strong outcome oriented promise. Let the
client know what will change for them if they work
with you. Be clear, be concise. Too many
different ideas and your prospects will be
confused.

I hope this tip helps you get the New Year rolling
in the right direction!

PS: If you haven’t picked up your copy of The
Wealthy Speaker yet, what are you waiting for?
Here’s the link to the special system price:

http://www.speakerlauncher.com/tools.html

Jane Atkinson
Speaker Launcher
1326 Huron St. #339
London, Ontario N5V 2E2
519-951-6934

http://www.SpeakerLauncher.com