I'm always asked what is the best time for selling. My answer? AWAYS! There is never a bad time to sell. Some feel Friday's aren't a good time. I have found that I have reached some decision makers on Friday's that I feel I may not have earlier in the week.
Don't use the day of the week for an excuse not to sell!
I had a great buying experience yesterday. I bought a car. Too often we hear that this is a TERRIBLE experience. I admit, usually I would rather have a root canal than buy a car. Yet, off I went with my college age daughter to get her a "gently used" car.
What fun! If you are in the St. Louis area and need a car, visit Dean Automotive and ask for Matt. He made the experience painless.
A true pro, he knew his product, saw my "blue book" and realized we both knew what the car was worth. Instead of bickering back and forth over a price, we came to an agreement in record time.
Did I get a good deal? I hope so. Regardless, I left with the sense that I had made a good deal! (Just as important). Was there a lesson here?
Sometimes the typical stereotypical sales stories are not true. The next time I buy a car I'll have a different attitude. I won't feel defensive. I won't feel like a victim.I hope you have a great experience like this the next time you buy a car!
By the way. I called the owner of the dealership to tell him what a terrific employee he had in Matt. He appreciated the call. It seems most don't call to compliment their car salesmen.
I worry that chapters in the National Speakers Association are going out of business. I hate this. We can't become an elitist club. The chapters that are having the most success have two membership groups:
1. Members
2. Associates
Associates are NOT members. They can become members, and can hold some volunteer positions - not board positions.
NSA - are we chapter driven or national meeting driven? Do we want there to be no local chapters only a national organziation?
I think this would hurt speakers in the long run. Certainly we wouldn't be encouraging those early in their careers. Too many call these "wanna bees". I call them "members in waiting". I also call them US before we made it.
I recently sent a tip out on the value of press releases. Lots of times the press won't publish releases. I don't care! Why? The value of a press release in a marketing packet is huge. The readers don't know if the release was ever published or not. In fact, they don't care!
If you have something to say or announce about your business, say it in a press release!
Speaker Bureaus are a terrific! They can open doors that you may not be able to open yourself, they can reach a large number of clients as well as dig into their own list of loyal clients. My concern? Bureaus who tell you to lower your fee, or, raise your fee.
For years bureaus have been preaching the value of fee integrity. Now, they are asking speakers to lower a fee to get a job, or quote a fee that may include expenses.
Now, you can do whatever you want with your business, but my advice? Keep a fee schedule that does not change depending upon who you are working with. A prospect should pay the same regardless of whether they work with a bureau or call you directly.
Maintaining fee integrity will always serve you well.
Even if you've been in the speaking or consulting business for a long time, be aware that you may need to take a new look at your business.
You should revisit how you are positioned in the marketplace from time to time. I recently worked with a very successful speaker. He hired me to help him speak less and raise his fee. This is a constant request from experienced speakers.
One of the major things he needed to do was create/update his positioning statement. The current statement he was using wasn't as effective any more. Why? He had changed his marketing to a highly niche market. He needed to make sure that his statement reflected that.
The reality of positioning is this. If you niche market, let your prospects know it! The people in our business who target are the ones who are making the most money right now.
This doesn't mean you must market to only one market segment. Pick two industries, and a few markets within that industry. You'll have enough prospects to wallpaper your office doing that.
Any buisness that comes to you, by a bureau or a referral, is terrific! You can work with anyone who comes to you and who you believe is a good fit. However, in the finite amount of time you have to do your outbound marketing, practice targeting. You'll like the results!
One of the challenges of traveling in my type of business is concern about illness on the road. This was brought home to me this past weekend when one of my dear friends, Tony, fell ill far away from home. Thankfully, his wife was with him. Turned out he needed multiple heart bypass surgery. Mercifully, the surgery went well and we are all praying for a full and complete recovery.
I want to share an option we have that I think warrants your attention. It's called "MedJet". The website is http://www.medjetassistance.com. Go there and become a member. If you fall ill when away from home, they will get you home via private jet if it is necessary. The cost is small when you think about the important benefits you receive.
Most of us think that nothing will happen to us. I thought that too - until 2004 when I spent 8 long weeks in the hospital. (I was afraid my insurance company was going to try and come "in the night" and put a pillow over my head!)
Thankfully, my mastermind group was able to come in and take care of my business. We had reviewed where each of us kept calendars, files, etc. in case of an emergency after 9-11 happened. I'm happy we did. Because of my masterminders, my business survived. Will yours?
Make sure you have a survival plan in case of emergency. Stuff happens. I know. So does my insurance company.
I believe in speaking for free, however, I don't call it speaking for free. I call it "waiving my fee". Is it a matter of mere semantics? No! Whether I get paid or not, I do a professonal job. Further, I'm not a free speaker, so why say I am?
I just did a program (waived my fee) for MPI (Meeting Planners International). They had their Mid America meeting in Nashville last week. I had a ball!
Things don't always go as you plan. I didn't get to use my powerpoint because the LCD machine wouldn't "talk" to my computer. (That's how it's explained to me.) We went on with program anyway. Guess what? It went well! It went very well!
This was a reminder to me that information is king, not technology. In this situation, the attendees were looking for information. Powerpoint would have been nice, but over and over I heard the comment "you didn't need powerpoint". Interesting comment! I use powerpoint for the audience, not for myself! I believe that it helps the "visual learners" in my audience.
Things don't always go as planned. Doesn't matter! If you have great information, that's enough. That's what the attendees want, that's what the people who hire us want us to deliver. If something unexpected happens (and don't kid yourself) it will, go on. True professionals can deliver under any circumstances.
Greetings to all! Welcome to my new blog. I work with speakers and consultants that want to book more business and make more money.
I will be using this blog to post comments, trends, concerns, etc. about the industry. Also, I hope to answer any questions you may have.
The state of the state of professional speaking. It is more competitive than ever. I'm often asked, "is this a tough business to get in?" My answer is yes! However, there is always room for talented experts who speak.
There is NOT room for people who want to be all things to all people. I've actually been asked "what should I speak about?" This sends flags up immediately. If you don't know, you shouldn't speak. You should know you area of expertise, and seek to improve your communications skills.
More coming on the state of the business!
I'm a consultant and professional speaker with one daughter and a spoiled dog.
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