Success is No Surprise! By Gary Greenfield

If you're going to be a success at living your life, it won't come as the result of a surprise. Rather, it will be because you focused on what success would look like for you. Using the resulting vision of success you planned for it. With that vision and plan as your driving force you then, achieved it.

The fact is your skill at and your commitment to planning will determine your destiny. Think about it this way...around and around you go and where you are you better know. Otherwise, you get confused and lost. The answer to not getting lost on your road to success in life is planning.

Your planning has to be driven by emotionally meaningful goals. What do I mean by "emotionally meaningful goals?" Well, what else do you want? If you have a big enough emotional reason why you want it, then you will get it. In other words, when it comes to a truly, emotionally meaningful goal; you have to be able to figuratively see it, feel it , taste it, smell it, and hear it before you have it, if you're going to ultimately get it.

A detailed plan that includes well defined, emotionally driven goals and the action steps to provide the road map to those goals, can give you the certainty many of us want in our lives. A bright future of personal success is best defined and assured through a written plan and effective execution of the steps in that plan.

Yes...true success in life doesn't come as a surprise!

Enjoy more or my blog posts and follow me on Twitter: My Blog: http://blog.garygreenfield.com/ Twitter: @LifeRider

We Learn From Everyone We Meet: By Barry Roberts

As a speaker, my topics all have to do with how we can use our sense of humor to improve our lives I had just finished an engagement in San Francisco, a city I really enjoy, so I stayed for an extra day. I spent most of that day on my own walking tour of the city. Sad to say, there are many homeless in San Francisco and while I have great empathy for all of them, I cannot offer money to each one that approaches me on the street.

It had been a long day and I was headed back to my hotel with an arm full of gifts and my camera, when I saw her heading straight towards me. She was fairly young, with few teeth, looking very much like the rest fo the street people I had encountered that day. As she came to me, I must admit I was not listening to what she said and I had my reply all ready. “Sorry, I can’t help you today”, I said and kept walking.

After I passed I realized what she had said to me; “I’m not asking for any money, just your credit card and pin number for about an hour.” This with a big smile on her face.

Hey! She had a sense of humor and was attempting to use it to help herself.

I spend my days trying to teach this to business people who, for the most part, have everything they need and many of them just don’t get it. This woman lives on the street, in rags and a cardboard box and SHE GETS IT!! How could I not help her out?

I turned quickly and spotted her making a bee line for her next mark. I picked up the pace, caught up to her and said, “Look, you’re not getting my credit card or pin number, but I hope this helps and wish you good luck.”

She tucked the $5 in her blouse and replied, again with a huge smile, “Thanks…when you live on the street and have nothing else, you gotta have a sense of humor. God bless you, sir.”

Wow! For me that was so powerful. You can learn a valuable lesson from everyone you meet.

Enjoy more of my blog posts at http://tinyurl.com/246w4d5. http://www.barryroberts.com/

How NOT to be rebooked by Connie Gordon

> Mispronounce your introducer's name


> Apologize for being late


> Keep looking around instead of AT your audience


> Don't summarize your speech's value points


> Don't mingle


Note: These "ConniTips" are NOT in her book: Oops and Ahas! http://connigordon.org/ /

conni@connigordon.org

You be the Star!

Another great year has come to an end for the Florida Speakers Association, and as your executive director I would like to thank Ken Okel and the rest of our board of directors for a job well done. Although our membership numbers were slightly lower than years past, I believe that the association provided a greater value with added benefits to its members and has weathered the economy quite well.
As association executives for other professional and trade associations our staff at the Association Source are reporting memberships back on the rise after some trying economic times. With that said, we hope you will join us again this year and renew your dues for the 2011-2012 membership year. Please contact our office at info@florida-speakers.org to renew.

As Gaby Cora takes the reigns this July as president of FSA, the board of directors and committee chairs will be creating an aggressive plan to incorporate more benefits & services to our members. As ideas for these new benefits are being explored and added to the list, if you have any thoughts of what else we could add to your membership packages, please let us know!

Ricky Atkins
Executive Director
Florida Speakers Association

Sad News...

The following is from former FSA member, Rick Fernandez.  Please join us in wishing his family the best during a sad time.

Our son Ricky, 28, left us on his new voyage with some Angels yesterday.  He passed at Jackson Memorial Hospital at 4:30PM after a very violent event.

We love Ricky so much.  We really do not know how we will be able to adjust to a life without him.  He was all we had in this life after we lost Daniel 4 ½ years ago.

A viewing will be held starting at 4PM until midnight on Wednesday, June 22nd, at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Funeral Home (8 Street and 33rd Ave.) in Miami, and a Mass and Burial will occur on Thursday, June 23rd at 10AM at St Raymond’s Church in Miami (3475 SW 17th Street, must enter via SW 37th Ave and . You may send flowers to the funeral home if you wish.
 
Viewing:

Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Funeral Home
3344 SW Eighth Street, Miami FL 33155

Time To Saddle Up!

During a recent NSA teleseminar, a speaker was asked about the success of his book.  The author talked about how he had trouble making his material stand out from the crowd.  Publisher after publisher rejected his work.

Unsolicited, he then talked about how he got help to better define his brand and his book.  Suddenly, he had publishers in a bidding war for his book.  Who helped him make this transformation?  Vickie Sullivan, our June 11th presenter.

We all have great material but is it what the marketplace is buying?  Find out what you need to do to beef up your bookings and command your full fee and beyond. 

To wet your appetite, back by popular demand, is a preview call we did with Vickie.  To download this preview call, click here.  Vickie does not hold back on "telling it like it is" on several common speaker mistakes.

To join us for this special meeting, go to http://www.florida-speakers.org

Clients pay Vickie a lot of money for her advice.  Did I mention she'll be holding some "hot seats" for the audience.  Don't miss your chance to get some priceless one-on-one advice for your speaking business.

Special reminder:  This meeting will be held at the Westin Hotel, which is on the NE corner of I-95 and Cypress Creek.

Natalia's Notes: Joachim de Posada Presentation

Many thanks to Natalia Locatelli for providing us with these excellent notes from Joachim's presentation.

Don’t Eat the Marshmallow Yet!

During this presentation, there will be moments where I will stop presenting and give advice by using examples of how to improve your own presentations. Here are three tips, before I begin, that you should consider when giving your own presentations:

• Create a sense of urgency: why is your topic important right now?
• Include the audience: the only way they’re going to stay with you is if they’re invested in what you’re saying.
• Give interesting information to inspire change in the audience: this makes the talk more relevant and adds a personal interest to the audience.

The Gazelle and the Lion
Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning in Africa, a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle, WHEN THE SUN COMES UP, YOU BETTER BE RUNNING.

What Does This Mean Today

• There are huge opportunities out there, both for the Gazelles and the Lions of the world
• Now we can all compete on the same level, on an even playing field
• This is a new way of life – it wasn’t always this way
• Economies are cycles
• Find what to do in the right moment during the correct moment of the cycle
• Whether you are the Gazelle or the Lion, there is always a way to find your ideal cycle
• Always make the audience laugh
• The predator now has to think “What do I do differently?” because the prey is thinking differently
• How is your target audience thinking differently?
• “I need to be more effective and learn something new”

“Hire slow, fire fast”

• I believe if someone is not doing great from the beginning in a position they love, I need to find someone else
• How can you spend 33% of your life (the amount of time you spend working) not doing something you love?
• When you think about that person, you must think: “Here you have failed, so you must go and find your passion”
• Don’t waste your life
• You may know someone who doesn’t love their job but is doing well. To that I say: sometimes in life, you may not be that good – but you may be lucky
• Sometimes, luck will carry you but you cannot depend on luck because if you depend on it, it goes away
• Even a broken clock will give you the right time twice a day

Sir Francis Bacon

“Knowledge is power.”

“Applied knowledge is power.”

“If you know and don’t do… you don’t know.”

People don’t care what you know. They care about what you do

1. What results can you bring?
2. You used to be able to get away with a lot of activity but few results
3. Now, activity is not as important – results are what really matters

Example: Netherlands Microsoft Office

1. We only care about results, not if our workers are at the work in our building
2. No one has an office
3. There is just an update of wherever people are
4. Sign: “If you leave anything here, it will be thrown away.”

The Three Frogs
Three frogs are floating down a river on top of a leaf.

One decides to jump in the river, how many frogs are still on the leaf?

Answer: Three. Because deciding and doing are two different things.

One simple idea, applied, can change your career.

Results
When I come into a company to consult, there is a usually a problem with bad communication/communication breakdown

• Understand what the other person is saying
• Communicate what you really mean
• Example: German coastguard video
• “We are SINKING.”
• “What are you THINKING about?”

My Favorite Principle
“Don’t Eat the Marshmallow Yet”

• Self discipline
• Motivation
• Success
• Trust
• Influence

• Find different ways to communicate your point in your presentation
• Cute things that help your message – look at your audience
• Do things that please the audience and will leave a memory for the audience
• “Guess what happened?” (PAUSE) – the Pause is one of the most important tool a speaker has

What is one of the big lessons I learned from the Marshmallow Experiment?

• Kids often lack willpower. So, in order to beat that flaw, that lack of willpower, they will focus their attention on other things in order to remove the temptation of eating the marshmallow right away

15 years after the initial experiment, there was a follow up study

• 100% of the kids who had not eaten the marshmallow right away were successful
• They got 230 points higher on entrance exams, great grades, doing well socially, good relationships with teachers, good future ahead of them
• The ones who ate the marshmallow early were: broke, didn’t go to college, crime and addiction was higher, dropped out of college, or had bad grades, etc.

Success in some instances can be attributed to genes; some people are born with the success gene

• Whatever you’re born with, it can be changed – you can be taught emotional intelligence and taught techniques to have patience, to look long-term, to help be successful
• Anyone can be successful but the ideal is to find what YOU’RE good at and where YOUR strength is
• Some people are not motivated by money BUT you should always save 10% in order to live well
• My book was translated into 20 languages and my TED talk was translated into 29 language

The question you need to ask yourself:
How will you be a benefit to someone? Society? A company?

• Don’t go into a situation thinking how much money you’re going to make
• Make a decision with your heart

The impact of a speaker, trainer, coach, or professional who has a book is considerably higher than that of a peer who doesn’t have a book

• Better if you have it translated into different languages
• Think international

Some ideas for you to write a book

• Devise a strategy and THEN write
• Think it through before you start
• Look at your world, market, and identify a hole/need that you can fill
• What angle is not being covered?
• What new perspective will you add? Why should this book be written?
• What is your differentiator, why will they buy your book?
• Provide a service
• The book is not about YOU – no one cares about YOU
• Who is my audience? (Most important)

Why be less, when you can be much more?

Principle One: Applications of the Marshmallow principle
Verizon example: Sales

• If you give your clients exactly what they asked for and then leave, you are eating the marshmallow right away
• Learn about the headache before you throw in the aspirin
• What is it that your client really needs? Not just what they say they need
• Create the headache first before giving the aspirin, because then the aspirin has worth
• Help make others successful and it will come back to help you later
• Companies: Investing in employee development
• Customer service: look at the relationship, not the transaction
• How much can I make here?
• No – look at the whole relationship, years on the road, how much can BOTH of you make?
• Everyone in this room is one applied idea away from a smashing success, a quantum leap

The Marshmallow Decision
“Go through the pain of discipline or later on in life, suffer the pain of regret.”

• You cannot rely on technology
• The speech must go on

• Principle Two: Letting go of the elephant

• Sports analogy
• Swimmer of Panama
• 14 year old with the genes to be the best swimmer
• She needed the genes first
• THEN the motivation

Note: don’t say a brand name during your presentation; say “soda” or “food” instead because you never know who is in your audience

The Trapped Elephant
When elephants are very young, they are tied to a wooden pole. They are so small at the time, that even if they try to escape they cannot. They try and they try, but it’s no use.

Finally, one day, they say: “I will never ever escape, so I will never ever try to escape again.”

This is why, when you go to the circus, you will see a full grown elephant, massive and powerful, kept immobile by a tiny piece of wood in the ground. Because of the fear that was ingrained in them when they were small. It is this idea that holds you down, even in a place you do not want to be when you are strong enough to escape.

I add a humorous slide at this point in the presentation to help people get out of that strong moment of reflection that the Aileen/trapped elephant story inspires
Group exercise: What is the big elephant’s anchor in your life? What is a big obstacle that deep down you know you must get rid of? Divide into groups of three to discuss and get some ideas on how to pull free.

Principle Three: Successful people are willing to do things that unsuccessful people are unwilling to do
NBA superstar example

• A player (Larry Bird) comes early to the games in order to study the court
• He knows that in order to be successful, he must prepare himself for all situations, including something as simple as which direction the ball will bounce on an uneven floor
• You must love what you do
• Your mind will not allow you to put in all that effort if you don’t love what you do
• The only exception to this rule is when you have a long-range goal to reach that which you really want, and the only way to get there is to suffer a little along the way

Example: if someone goes through a year of waiting tables in order to pay for school so that they can graduate with a degree in something they love
Group exercise: What could be one thing that you would be willing to do for your clients that others are not willing to do?

“I am honored that you have invited me to speak in your country. However, in your country there are groups and people in need who need someone to motivate them. As my thank you to you for hiring me, I will do a session for any charitable group in your country at no charge – you will pay for a session for those people but I will not charge you myself.”

I get to help those who need me, the company I work with looks great because I am making them look good, and the charitable group gets help that I can give them. Everyone wins. I get booked year after year because of this.

Principle Four: In uncertain times, everyone must assume responsibility

• Arun Gandhi
• Never lie
• Assume responsibility
• If you are not responsible for anything, you can’t fix it
• If you are responsible, you can do something about the problems around you

Principle Five: Teamwork

• No one can do it alone
• None of us is worth more than the sum of all of us
• When I was training in Puerto Rico, I went to a psychiatric facility and saw people with severe mental disorders. One of the orderlies seemed calm among the chaos so when I approached him, I asked him why the people around him didn’t frighten him. He said: “The crazies are the least of my worries. They are all involved in their own problems, in their own heads. They will never work together. There are a hundred separate crazy people, not one group of one hundred.”
• One person can make a bank fail, a memo can’t work, may lose you a client
• That one person DOES matter
• You must get people to work as a team
• Find the strength of each member of your team and encourage them to do better

To consider
DECIDE TO BE FAMOUS
It must be a conscious decision. If people know my name, they will hire me. It will take steps, work, and persistence to reach that stage.

BUSINESS CARD
Marketing weapon. Find a way to make yours memorable.

BE MEMORABLE

Vickie Sullivan Preview Call

To wet your appetite for our June 11th meeting, listen to this preview call with our speaker, Vickie Sullivan.  Vickie is internationally recognized as the top market strategist for experts. Specializing in branding for high-fee markets, she has launched thousands of thought leaders since 1987.

Trust me, it’s well worth your time to hear this call and attend the June 11th meeting.  They complement one another.

If you’re worried about not getting enough bookings, not getting paid what you’re worth, and not offering what the marketplace wants to buy, then you need to hear what Vickie has to say. 

There are two ways that you can listen to the call.  Through your phone:

Dial - (712) 432-0211
Enter Access Code - 129074#
Reference number # (Yes, just hit “#” at the prompt.)

To download it as an mp3, go to:
https://www.yousendit.com/download/MEtUZm1kWkJsamRjR0E9PQ  This link will be active until May 23.

Toward the end of the call, Vickie talks about some one-on-one training opportunities that will be available during her visit to South Florida. 

To register for our June 11 meeting, go to http://www.florida-speakers.org

Why Joachim... 5 Reasons

There's a lot to be excited about for Joachim de Posada's Florida Speakers Association presentation this Saturday.  Here are five reasons why this is a meeting you can't afford to miss our March 14 meeting.

1. Joachim wrote a good book and made it an international bestseller.
2. He has presented at TED U as well as from the main stage at an NSA Convention.
3. Joachim's client list reads like a global Who's Who that includes IBM, Merck, Monsanto, Pfizer, Sprint, Verizon ... even the U.S. Navy!
4. He has engaged, entertained, educated and enthralled audiences in over sixty nations.
5. Joachim was declared the Most Distinguished Hispanic Speaker by the Latino Speakers Bureau in 2007, recognized as one of America's 25 Hot Speakers by the National Speakers Association in 2009.

Join Joachim de Posada as he takes you behind the scenes of his speaking business.  This is your chance to learn the tricks of the trade from an international superstar.

To register, go to http://www.florida-speakers.org

So You Think You Can Speak Contest

How would you like to speak at this year's National Speakers Association convention?  Imagine the exposure this could give to your business.

There will be a special session at the 2011 convention titled So You Think You Can Speak!, and one person will be crowned, NSA's Rising Star 2011.

The rules are simple: You must be a member of NSA for two years or less. You submit a video of three minutes or less, showcasing your best stuff to your Chapter President. Each Chapter will select their best contestant and submit one video to NSA headquarters. 

The winner will receive the title of winner of So You Think You Can Speak, recognition on the association website and Speaker magazine, a trophy and $1,000 credit towards future NSA events!  

 

Don't panic, the deadline has been extended until April 10th.  To enter, send your video clip to  tvguy@kenokel.com.

Meet Lynn Rose - Our March Presenter

March 26th, Lynn Rose will be speaking and coaching at The Florida Speaker's Association - www.florida-speakers.org - Anyone is welcome, come get the power of WOW, Speaking Fearlessly, Authentically and Powerfully. 

Lynn has trained Billion Dollar CEO's, Celebrities and Top Speakers in the Industry to those just starting out - all of whom have made life-changing quantum leaps in the power of their speaking and their impact.  Get to experience the power of this work firsthand for yourself with actual processes and coaching on the spot.

You DO NOT want to miss this! See you there! (you can learn more at: www.wowyouraudiences.com)

Homework for Saturday...

For those who are attending this Saturday's afternoon session with Dr. Ramirez (register here), you'll need to do some preparation ahead of time. During the session, he will teach you how to measure your return on investment from all of your social media activities.

The afternoon session will be very hands-on and interactive. All attendees will need to bring their elevator speech and speaker intro (100 word bio) with them (WRITTEN DOWN) as well as 5 specific targeted clients they are seeking in the first quarter of 2011 (also WRITTEN DOWN). The meeting room will need internet connect and those participating in the afternoon session will need to bring laptops and be able to log on to the internet

Objectives:

• Increase revenue
• Improve reputation-based marketing response
• Integrate network of on-line and in-person referral sources
• Increase introductions to qualified leads
• Reduce cost
• Improve response rate per dollar spent
• Optimize time focused on marketing and sales activities

Preview of January 22 meeting

Dr. Maurice Ramirez describes his presentations for our January 22 meeting:

The morning session will have a brief section on how to select the best (social media) platform for your business model, then concentrate on Facebook for the remaining 100 minutes as your members requested.

The afternoon session will be very hands-on and interactive. All attendees will need to bring their elevator speech and speaker intro (100 word bio) with them (WRITTEN DOWN) as well as 5 specific targeted clients they are seeking in the first quarter of 2011 (also WRITTEN DOWN). Those participating in the afternoon session will need to bring laptops and be able to log on to the internet.

I plan to have this program professionally video taped so please let your members know that their enthusiastic participation is most appreciated.

Happy Holidays,

Maurice

To register, go to www.florida-speakers.org

Note: The afternoon session is an optional presentation.

Speaker Boot Camp Preview #2

This is the event that will change your speaking career. Two days of intense learning. Information you can use right away.



To find out more and to register, go to www.florida-speakers.org

Natalia's Notes: Bruce Turkel

FSA General Notes
Our next meeting will be January 22
- Take our online poll to vote on which social media platform we’ll focus on for the morning session
- Afternoon session: how to measure your return on investment as a speaker in terms of social media

Speaker Bootcamp (February 26 & 27)
- Platform excellence – have your audience in the palm of your hand
- Selling from the back of the room
- Many more topics

Bruce Turkell Presentation (Building Your Brand)
Five Years Ago
- I’d had my business for 22 years in the business when we almost went out of business
- We were $45,000 debted for a "fast pay, slow pay, no pay" routine
- I wrote an article about what happened to us: "If you want to go into the professional ad agency, you need to get professional help. Not just psychiatric help but professional help from people who can help in your business (accountants, graphic designers, whatever you need). People who are experts/helpers in your business."
- I was asked to come speak for a group and Gordon McKenzie, the Creative Director of Hallmark Cards also spoke
- I found out just how much he was making (way more than me!)
- Speaking is a business - do your research!

Best way to learn to speak
- Get in front of a bunch of kids and speak (I went to colleges and universities) - be okay with the fact that it doesn't matter if they like you or not
- Watch speakers to learn how they do what they do
- Speaking: it's not about content, it's about playing a particular role: the charisma, the personality, the character
- Most important part: "Messaging: roles, issues" – it’s not about content
Example: Political debate: marketing battle
- "Hope and Change" for one side = consistent the whole time
- Kept selling different messages = not consistent the whole time
- "Pulling the plug on grandma" - healthcare blunder
First question: "What is your message? What is your issue? Tell me in three/five words. If you can, can you tell me in a way that I find compelling? If I hire you, will you bring value to my group and make my job easier?"

Assignment
- Write down 3-5 speakers you know are really good
- Write what know about them:
"We know they're really, really good"  almost irrelevant at this point
The trick is the first part of the sentence: "We know" (awareness)
“It's not what you know, it's who you know”  not true; it's who knows you! (That's where the success is.)

Getting the Message Out
- How do you get this message out so people know who you are?
- Branding
NOT just a logo, tagline, or catchphrase.
It is a way of telling people who you are before they see you.
It is a promise of a relationship.
Logos are important when they reinforce the message.
Ex: Starbucks - getting the free, unlabeled Starbucks vs. buying the $12 cup downstairs for the labeled cup

Three Components
*Issue (you) - who are you and what are you going to talk about that people care about?
*Brand (how people see you) - manifestation of that issue; what do I know comes with the decision if I hire this person?
*Distribution of message (blogging, PR) - how do you get the word out? Note: don't advertise; it is not the way to make money. Be "media agnostic" - stop worrying about the "distribution vehicle" and focus on getting the message out.

Issue
- How do you determine your issue?
- Use the Brand Positioning Pyramid
Bottom layer: Features
Next layer: POD (Point of Difference)
Next layer: Functional Benefits
Next layer: Emotional Benefits
Top layer: The extra, unidentifiable something
- As a speaker, YOU are the product, it is you - you win and you lose all by yourself
- You must create a persona, a product to sell - you must adapt that persona on the podium when you speak
Ex: Nexium
Features: gel, proto pump inhibitor (these can be pages of stuff)
POD: absolutely nothing; the same as all the other products on the market; the ONLY difference is that it is purple: "The Purple Pill" - religious color, uplifting, regale, and royal purple: "Ask your doctor for the purple pill."
Functional Benefits: stops your stomach from producing excess stomach acid (Most marketing stops here): here's what our product is, this is why it's different, this is what it does.
Emotional Benefits: I will feel better; I can eat whatever I want and feel better; I will be a better parent because I won't be in pain; I can travel when I couldn’t before (this is where the real money is)
Nexium is the most successful of all its competition.
Another example: Viagra ads.
Before: "Rinse, lather, repeat” was a great line
BEST LINE: "If you get a four hour erection..." for erectile dysfunction. Think about it: if a man is suffering from erectile dysfunction, that is being unable to maintain an erection, being told that one of the dangerous side effects may be an erection that lasts for hours, even though it is a “warning,” it is also a benefit.
- Very few companies "own colors"
Breast Cancer awareness with pink
Tiffany with powder blue (the only product you cannot buy in the store is the powder blue signature box)

Notes for when you fill out the Brand Positioning Pyramid for yourself
Be honest; include the bad stuff
Ask a friend to honestly tell you your benefits and help you fill out the pyramid
You do not have to share this with anyone BUT DO IT
Companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to do this
- Functional benefits: are easy; you MUST say these no matter what
- Emotional benefits: this is the key; you must make your audience feel better about themselves (not taking yourself so seriously); you cannot figure this out by yourself, you need people who will tell you the truth
Issue – all that stuff that you talk about; ends at the “functional benefit”
Brand – how you jump into the emotional benefits and become your message and issue

Speaker Types
- Two kinds of speakers: experts who are speakers; speakers who are experts at speaking
- Experts: real experts who have an actual background; "pseudo" experts who can talk about any subject they decide
- Experts who speak and who have real credentials - they are better because people know about you and believe you when you speak
- Speakers who are experts have a cap on how much money they can make - they are a dime a dozen
- If you talk the talk, you'd better walk the walk

Brand
- It is not a difficult procedure but it will take time and effort
- You may need to discard certain things in order to align your message and your brand (find a common thread)
- You must think of yourself as a product, not a person - you must be able to sell yourself to consumers – as a speaker, know that they are hiring you
- The key to building the brand is differentiation - you MUST differentiate yourself from the competition
Your competition is NOT the other person who speaks on the same thing you speak on
If you have no competition, then probably nobody else wants whatever it is you’re talking about

The Three As
- Automation: everything that CAN be automated/produced by a computer WILL be automated/produced by a computer
- Asia: anything that CAN be produced in the developing world for cheaper will be sent there. In this case, if a company can hire a new speaker who will do it for less money than you, THEY will get the job
- Abundance: there is too much of everything. There are things that we WANT but nothing that we NEED (true for speaking too) - Daniel Pink
The only way to get around this is to be Madonna/Lady Gaga – so unique that they cannot be automated, cheapened, or overproduced.
- We must separate ourselves from everyone else
- We must concentrate on the PROMISE, not the logo (which is the flag you put up)
- You are going to lose some people when you first make this internal shift because what you stand for may not be what other people are looking for (narrowing your focus will narrow your audience to those who are searching just for you)

Way to Build Your Brand
1) All About Them. Stop thinking about yourself! It's not about you, it's about your audience. ("I want to talk about you. What do YOU think about my hair?") How does your brand tell THEM how you are going to help them?
2) Hearts, then minds. Make an emotional connection with your consumer before you make an intellectual connection. Once I want you, I need all your credentials SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN SELL YOU. (RTB - Reasons to Believe.)
3) Make it simple. We are so busy talking about all this complicated stuff: make it simple! Example: Volvo stands for safety. Volvo is a HUGE company that does a hundred other things, but when you say “Volvo,” the word that pops into your head is “safety.”
4) Make it quick.
5) Make it YOURS. What are you going to own that no one else in the business can own? What do you stand for? It does not need to be something you talk on either. Even if it's something you think is stupid. What you want is after you speak, for people to come up to you and already recognize you.
6) All five senses. We think marketing is about sight and sound but we make decisions with all of our senses. We are always first and last a sight person. How do you make it sensual? How do you make it something people taste? Smell? Get your audience involved. Use the senses to tickle emotion.
7) Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. When you figure it out, you say it over and over again. When you get sick of your message, people are just starting to get it. BUT you cannot be repetitive! You must update your message but there must be something to tie it all together. "I make my client's brands more valuable. We do not change what you do, we change your clients' perspective of what you do to pay you more money."

Distribution of Message
- How do you get the message out to people who need to hear it?
- You don't need a book, you need a BESTSELLING BOOK ($20-40K) - Books vs. Bestsellers
- "If you want to speak more, speak more ANYWHERE." Speak even for free because you WILL get more bookings from your audience
- Speaking is distribution - "Speaking begets speaking"
- Price integrity: however much you get paid for what you do

Two ways to do Distribution of Message
- Online (theoretically free): pay in time and effort
- PR (Public Relations)
- If you decide you want PR, research the newspaper reporters you are interested in, call them up, tell them who you are and say, "I am not selling anything and you don't need to write about me. I just want to take you to lunch and get to know you." Create relationships.

Online
- Blog, social media
- As a speaker, you MUST write because you think and organize what you talk about when you write
- Writing is a way to think quietly and come up with things that you feel strongly about
- When I started, I wrote purely business marketing blogs and I thought that was what people cared about
- I now write personal stories with a marketing bent

Blogging
1) Must come out on a regular basis (if not, people won't know when to expect it and you won't write it!) – the best is once a week.
2) If you can tie business, your personal life, and how it applies to your readers - THAT will have the highest return.
3) Be media agnostic: it's not about being a blog, Google, or anything else. It's ALL of it - I don't sell anything on mine but Randy Gage is always selling something on his. Forget about the medium – use what works for you and what you will update consistently and often.
Should I video chat, podcast, or blog? YES.
Trademarks are essentially worthless - your information has to update regularly. Don’t get stuck on “owning” something.

Reporters
- Build a relationship and tell them what you do and how it is important to their readers and how you can help them by giving the reporter information.
- Become a source for them. Get into the "Golden Rolodex."
- Trick: NEVER EVER LIE TO A REPORTER. There is a difference between being factual and being truthful. Let them see you are an unblemished source.
- PR: Don't call reporters on deadline, don't yell at them, don't take it personally, don't demand corrections.
- You may have a hard time finding them so check out Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Speak in sound bytes. Do the Pyramid exercise to figure out how to speak in sound bytes.
- Remember that you have no right to demand a story from reporters.

Required Reading
"I Can See You Naked" by Ron Hoff
"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

January Meeting Survey

For our January 22 meeting we'll be learning about social media from Dr. Maurice Ramirez. For the morning session, he will discuss one social media tool. The goal is to really focus in on how to use the platform to help your speaking business. We want to go beyond the basics.

Please pick the platform that interests you the most. While there will be a winning entry for the meeting, all of the responses will help us shape future programming.

FYI: We will likely have an optional afternoon session about how to measure you social media return on investment.

Click here to take the one question survey.

What Is The Spirit of NSA Day?

To honor NSA Founder Cavett Robert, CSP, CPAE, and continue NSA's legacy of sharing and giving, November 14, 2010 will be our 4th Annual Spirit of NSA Day, a national day of advocacy encouraging NSA members to support one another. This year, and on every November 14 going forward, the day serves as a reminder to NSA members, encouraging them to:

· Focus on giving back

· Provide genuine support to speaking colleagues

· Take time to connect, help, mentor or refer business to other members without any expectation of reciprocation

Help the legacy continue and build a bigger NSA pie by participating in Spirit of NSA Day on November 14, 2010!

How you can participate in Spirit of NSA Day:

· Provide peer to peer encouragement

· Introduce a colleague to a potential client

· Refer business to a colleague

· Mentor an emerging speaker

Click here to read stories about those who helped their colleagues or emerging speakers. Click here to read the stories about how someone made a difference.

Upcoming NSA meeting and Offer

The NSA UNconference will take place on February 18-20 in Atlanta, GA.

The entire UNconference is focused on how to make you more money in your speaking practice - that's right - it is all about the enterprise of speaking. Attendees will walk away from this meeting with strategies to grow their business and ideas to innovate and create new business opportunities that will take them into the future. Attendees will learn to master the craft of speakership and make their speeches more actionable, listenable and spreadable during the opening session. www.NSAUNconference.org

NSA will give every chapter one $100 meeting certificate that they can raffle off to chapter members who are registered for the UNconference.

October Teleseminar Sneak Peak: Work Life Balance

Here's a sneak peak of our latest member teleseminar. Dr. Gaby Cora gave you lots of wonderful tips on how to balance your personal life with your speaking career. FSA members will soon receive the link to download the entire call.



Don't forget our next meeting coming up on November 13th.  For more info, go to www.florida-speakers.org

Natalia's Notes: Ed Rigsbee Part 2

(To see Part 1, click here.)

Ed Rigsbee - Afternoon Session

Writing Your Articles

- Wordsmith Your Articles

1) Title with benefit hook

- The title is the first thing your reader will see so you have to get their attention immediately. For the internet, use a keyword at the beginning for search engines to pick you up (Search Engine Optimization or SEO); if the article is in print, begin with the benefit instead.

Benefit vs. Feature

-Example: FSA. A feature of FSA is the networking and the benefit is how the networking makes your life better. The networking itself is not a benefit because it does not accomplish anything alone.

- When writing, think of the other side (your client). When people search the internet, they tend to search for the problem, not the solution. Instead of offering the feature (how to solve the problem), use the problem to help searchers find you.

- Certain subjects/phrases are tired; "Work/Life Balance," for example, has been so overused as to be overlooked. Use something fresh.

- "It's easy to be nasty, hard to be clever." Strive to be clever.

2) Grab interest in first sentence

- Take the title and use it to create something more

- Use it to relate to what you have offered the reader in the title - the whole reason you brought them to your article

3) Bullet points or numbered points 

- 3-7 points that relate to the title and first sentence; readers' eyes will automatically go to bulleted/numbered material (readers also prefer odd numbers)

4) Sloganize bullet points if possible

- Make the bullet points easy to remember

- Search idioms and phrases

- Rhyming dictionary (more in #5 about that)

- Favorite sayings from relatives

- This will make your advice more memorable to the reader and easier for them to read

"I can see clearly now..." <-- (great title for Ed, as he used to sell sunglasses)

5) Buy a copy of The Complete Rhyming Dictionary or search online for one

- This will help you to sloganize your ideas

6) Plan about 750 words per magazine page

7) Keep your language simple

- Many trade association readers are not highly educated

- Think fourth grade reading level

8) Close your article with an offer for them in which they must request it via email

- This will help you to build your future eZine list (group of contacts that will continue receiving your articles)

- Email request

- Website downloads

- KickStartCart: http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?pr=31&id=88159

Notes on the article-writing itself

- Body of the article is for the reader; the Bio and Signature are for the author, as it is essentially free advertising space

- NEVER refer to your products/services in the body of the article

- "White paper" is a term used to describe a long article where you say "Go to my website for a white paper on ____." The article should be about 3,000 words, on PDF, with a link to the website at the end.

- Charge for a "special report" --> up to date information that should be updated at least once a year.

- Blogposts tend to be shorter than "white paper" articles (500-1500 words)

9) The end of your bio, at a minimum, should include your toll free telephone number and your URL

- Should include your toll free telephone number (cell phone now or some other verbal communication)

- And your email address

- And your URL (website)

- Some magazines will shorten your bio so put your website FIRST and then everything else

- Short positioning sentence

- Photo

Additional Resources on Ed's Website (www.rigsbee.com/downloadaccess.htm)

- Ed's articles

- Speaker feedback form

- Developing Strategic Alliances, Chapter 1

- Take the Alliance Partner Quiz

- Partnering Agreements

- Strategic alliance resource websites

- Relationship value update form

- Mastermind alliances

SucceedInSpeaking.com/DownloadResources.htm

- Presentation Slides for "Paid Association Bookings Through Article Publishing" (10.7 MB) - the presentation we just saw

- Program Handout for "Paid Association Bookings Through Article Publishing"

- M&C 2006 Meetings Market Report

- Generations and the Future of Association Participation Published by The William E. Smith Institute for Association Research

- FutureWatch 2005 Report from Meeting Professionals International & American Express

- Speaker Sales Presentation Feedback Form

Required Reading: Sam Horn, Tongue Fu


Psst:  Do you know about Speaker Boot Camp?