Are you marketing your speaking business the same way you did before the great recession? If so, you’re in trouble. The speaking business has changed and speakers who don’t change with it will be out of business. Watch this short video I taped at the Denver Airport. I’ll look forward to your comments. Steve Siebold ( 2:47 )
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Steve Siebold, CSP My name is Steve Siebold. I’m an author with 1.4 million books in print, and a professional speaker and consultant to Fortune 500 sales teams on how to increase sales and retention rates through mental toughness training. My corporate clients include Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, Harrah’s Entertainment, Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Ingersoll Rand, etc.
Steve,
Thanks for your efforts in setting up this network. This is an answer to my prayers. Continued success always for all of us.
You are so right Steve. referrals are a really effective way to go. ‘Word of mouth rules’ at the present time. Which is exactly what we do isn’t it? So how do you get referrals? Ask. if you have just given a speech which has been well received then people will usually comment or congratulate you on it. This is the time to give out a card or CD and casually and professionally ask for a referral. you have a 50/50 chance of success. if you are not in the big league yet then speak for free, or ‘referrals’ its an important marketing strategy to adopt even when you hit the big time. Oh and one other thing folks!! Dont let the word ‘recession’ hold you back.
cheers John
Steve, you’re doing a great job. Keep it up. Looking forward to Atlanta in September.
Ouch, thanks Steve. Constant change is here to stay and I guess we all have to adapt to the modern world for speakers and authors. It is a tough market out there and the good guys will have to rely more and more on referrals. Thanks for the reminder.
Can you tell me of a good mechanic to fix my brakes? That is asking for a referral. When the mechanic, however, asks “do you know anyone that needs their brakes fixed.” That is also asking for a referral but it goes in a different direction and there is a big difference here. One has the money to spend for the service and is asking others for that recommendation/referral. The other is looking for someone to spend their money for his/her service. Same goes for speakers. The H.R. (or whoever) person (the one with the money) is going to ask other speakers if they can referr someone in a special area that this speaker many not talk about. But they will trust that speakers judgment and referral. The hard referral is being a speaker waiting for someone to referr you. Unitl such time as you have “the name and reputation” that would make another speaker recommend you, then you need to fall back on something. That something, to me, irrespective of the time/economy/business climate is good old fashion marketing. It has always been there and it always will be. If you are good at prospecting for clients that need what you talk about, know how to give them a great presentation as to why they should use you, and can close the deal, then you will be speaking. If all you can do is “speak” – good luck.
Hey there Steve–
Great, great topic. My question though, is this: What does a burgeoning fee paid speaker-to-be do to shorten the gap between post Gove-Siebold workshop training, and the time of “ready-to-go-on-stage” at the SSN at Atlanta? Anyone can be referred in the SSN, but what criteria is there to protect “referers” that a new speaker really has a marketable platform that execs are going to be happy with for future referrals? I never see any content that addresses the real meat and potatoes of platform development for becoming a thought leader–and that must be crucial before the referral game begins. How do you know if your platform or philosophy is marketable as it relates to what execs are looking for? There’s an inherent danger of diving in to the referral game, only to come out on stage and be perceived as a charlatan if one doesn’t have their act together. That “gap,” as far as I can tell, can only be closed with successful mentoring. With such a limited access of only ten who can be mentored in the SSN program, is there something else one can do to develop a bullet proof platform during that time frame between workshop training and first fee-paid speech? I would LOVE it if you would address the mechanics of what types of platforms are the most marketable as thought leaders.
“See you next time.”
Ken
I want more of tools to build a business by public speaking
I’ve found the easiest way to market public speaking is to bring up the fact that I speak publicly about the subject I hear people complaining about. Let’s face it, there are a lot of single moms out there trying to make a living–they don’t hold back when they’re uncomfortable!
Unfortunately, I just turned my website over to another company who seems to have difficulty keeping it up. This is pretty serious when it’s the web address I’m passing out, you know?
But keep it natural, keep it on rhythmn through Facebook, Twitter, and in person. If you have a winnnig personality, you don’t really need much more…unless you buy a billboard! (That’s what I’d like to do!)
Thanks, Steve, for being the perpetual thought challenge.
I think you’re right, people frequently have no idea how to market themselves. The more time I spend trying to market myself the more I realize how big a role that social media plays.
Great advice Steve. I will look in to speaking referrals for booking future events. Does anyone recommend a company?