Jul
02
2009
Check out www.professionalspeakershow.com for some of the best video training on how to earn a substantial living as a professional speaker. Mike Stewart and I developed this video magazine to give speakers inside information on the art and business of professional speaking from a 7-figure per year perspective. As of July 2, 2009, we have over 70 hours of video training on the site, and we’re adding new video’s every month. We took several hours of backstage video last quarter that takes you behind the scenes of speaking to packed auditoriums with thousands of people in the audience. This training will cut years off of your learning curve and help you make money in the greatest business in the world! Listen to this post and then check out the website at www.professionalspeakershow.com Steve Siebold ( 2:00 )
Jun
13
2009
Bill Gove, the legendary father of professional speaking, gave me a piece of advice back in 1996 that changed my life as a professional speaker. These are the two things most speakers miss, which opens the door for new speakers to enter the business and pass them. It’s part ego, part laziness, and part not fully understanding the uniqueness of the keynote medium. 13 years later, this is the model I still follow to rank among the top 1% of professional speakers, and YOU can do it, too. Don’t buy into the ego driven philosophy that say’s speakers are modern day philosophers or even teachers. We are a special blend of performance artist related to actors, comics, and other entertainers with just a light touch of teaching. For the professional keynote speaker, the magic is not in the content…the magic is in the mix. Listen to this 7-minute post and you’ll see what I mean. Steve Siebold, CSP ( 7: 28 )
May
29
2009
If you want to speak at the Siebold Success Network meeting in Atlanta, July 11-12 listen to this audio post and upload your 2 minute video as soon as possible. We have speakers, trainers, coaches and consultants flying in from all Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, England, France, Mexico, Canada and across the United States. Thousands of deals will be done and contracts signed during this 48 hour deal-fest. If you missed the conference call update earlier this week, this post is a 13 minute synopsis. If you haven’t registered yet, go to www.sieboldsuccessnetwork.com. We don’t have a lot of seats left, but there are a few as of today. The format we’ve chosen dictates that we limit the number of speakers and attendees. See you in Atlanta!
Steve Siebold ( 13 minutes )
May
21
2009
One of the best ways to promote your book is by doing TV interviews. TV gives you and your book added credibility, while showcasing your ability to communicate effectively in different mediums. Once you obtain a digital copy of each interview, you can post them on your website for additional promotion. Last week I was a guest on a HOT new morning show with a large audience base of 4 million throughout South Florida, to talk about my new book, Die Fat or Get Tough: 101 Differences in Thinking between Fat People and Fit People. (www.diefatbook.com) As you can see, TV interviews move quickly, so you have to answer questions in short sound bites that grab the audiences attention. This interview was 3:30 seconds in length, but I was able to get the essence of the books message out in the first couple of questions. Check it out and see what you think.
Steve Siebold (3:30)
May
06
2009
Almost 800 speakers from 11 countries registered for the Siebold Success Network conference call last week. For those of you who couldn’t join us, I’ve recorded a 19 minute synopsis of the call on this post. Speakers from all over the world have already registered for the pre-launch event July 11-12, in Atlanta. As of May 5, 2009, we have 92 seats left. If you’re looking for a way to book more speaking dates than you can handle, listen to this recording and then go to http://www.sieboldsuccessnetwork.com to register. Half the seats were filled within an hour after the conference call. Once we’re sold out, you’ll have to wait until 2010 to attend. Don’t wait! Join us now! We’re going to build an army of the most successful speakers, trainers, coaches and consultants in the world that make money referring each other. You’re gonna LOVE this! See you in Atlanta!
Steve Siebold (19:34)
May
03
2009
Back in 2001-2002, post 9/11, over 1200 professional speakers went broke when corporate training and travel budgets were frozen after the terrorist attacks on New York City. This represented the professional speaking industry’s first major economic correction. The middle class of the speaking business went belly up, and almost everyone I knew in NSA thought it was a disaster. The truth is it was one of the best things that’s every happened in our industry. Individuals and organizations had more problems than ever, and were desperate for help, because many of them were suffering for the same reason. Ultimately, they turned to the most innovative speakers/trainers/consultants who had the greatest value propostion and were capable of solving their problems. While the middle class of speakers were still trying to sell pedestrian content and motivational platitudes, the top speakers were getting wealthier delivering creative solutions to increase sales, retention, customer service and every other bottom-line result. In 2009, the speaking business is experiencing it’s biggest correction in it’s 60-year history, and it looks like only the best speakers with the most relevant content will survive. This is GREAT for the customer! It means all of us have to get off the gravy train we’ve been riding for the last 5, flush years of this business and refine even our best material, not to mention our platform skills. Only the best in the business will survive the ‘great correction’ of 2009! In objective reality, isn’t that how it should be?
Steve Siebold (7:08)
Apr
29
2009
Since my last post and promise to do a 100 speaking deals in 100 days, I’ve signed 19 deals in the last 13 days, including a few with some of the biggest names in the professional speaking business. I’m projecting around $100,000-150,000 in additional revenue from these deals alone in 2009. And that’s in the last 13 days in the worst economy since the great depression! Listen to this post and see how YOU can use this system to do the same thing. (and more) Join us Thursday evening, April 30th, at 9pm eastern for a FREE conference call explaining the details. www.sieboldsuccessnetwork.com Steve Siebold, CSP
Apr
15
2009
If you’re looking for more keynotes, training contracts, consulting deals and coaching clients, there are only two ways to make it happen: wait for the phone to ring or make the phone ring yourself. Like you, I love it when the business chases me, but in crazy times, it’s not happening as often. So instead of waiting, we’re banding together with hundreds of other speakers, trainers, coaches and consultants around the world to launch the Siebold Success Network. Imagine doing 100 deals in 100 days? It’s possible, but only through mega-leverage marketing. Listen to this post, and if you like what you hear, go to www.sieboldsuccessnetwork.com and watch the 2-minute video. This is SO HOT!
Steve Siebold, CSP
Apr
04
2009
I just returned from speaking at a convention in Las Vegas and had the opportunity to see professional speaking legend Jim Cathcart deliver an exceptional keynote. Everytime I watch Jim onstage the thing that strikes me most is his masterful stagecraft. I’ve never seen a smoother speaker. From his gestures to his timing, Jim Cathcart glides across the stage like he was born there. I spoke the next day, and watching Jim really helped remind me of how important stagecraft is. As Bill Gove used to say, ” speaking is more than words”. Jim Cathcart is a shining example we can all follow. Listen for more about Jim on this audio post. And check him out at www.cathcart.com
I’ll look forward to your comments. Steve Siebold (3:31)
Apr
01
2009
This is something you already know, but many new speakers ignore. Doing the hard work of getting good on the platform isn’t always fun and it’s certainly not sexy. Long hours of building your speech, editing your material and endless hours of rehearsal when no one is listening takes discipline. The truth is it takes years to build a million dollar speaking career unless you’re a celebrity getting paid to appear and sign autographs. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If they’re trying to convince you this business is easy, they are profiting from you believing it. Bill Gove, the father of professional speaking and the most successful speaker trainer in history, always told his students they would have to pay the price. He was from the old school and an era where coaches served the best interests of their students whether it was profitable or not. He lived in the days where a handshake was a binding contract, and doing the right thing was what counted most. When I hear speaker coaches telling students how easy the professional speaking business is it reminds me of the character in the movie Rocky 5, George Washington Duke, who was a characature of boxing promoter Don King. Rocky warned his star pupil about listening to this flashy promoter promising huge money and easy times. Rocky pleaded with his pupil to pay the price and do the work, and one day his opportunity would come. If you saw the movie you know what happened: Rocky’s pupil, Tommy Gun, falls prey to the empty promises of the slick promoter and ends up ill-prepared when he enters the ring. It’s only a movie, but unfortunately, I see it happening every day in the speaking business. New speakers are so hungry to get on the platform and get paid that they ignore their instincts and follow people who promise to make them instant speaking stars. And when the flashy, P.T. Barnum, Wizard of Oz, phony marketing scheme lands them on a world class convention, the speaker bombs and is instantly branded in the business as an amateur. Meanwhile, the speaker marketer has made his money and moves on to the next unsuspecting speaker. PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS POST…and then follow your gut instinct that tells you nothing good comes easy. The speaking business needs you and your message, but it needs THE BEST OF YOU. Steve Siebold (5:57)
