Nurturing Speakers

I love encouraging others to speak in their business community.  It is the fastest method to become well known as an expert and establish their credibility.

Most business owners are willing to speak about their business, but when I ask them to speak for an hour, most will balk. It’s not that they can’t but it seems like a threatening task to do.

Since I was one of those who never wanted to speak but was encouraged by my mentor to just do it, I thoroughly understand the challenges people face and how to get them through the challenges.

I created a business course to teach entrepreneurs how to speak in their business community. It’s practical and easy enough for them to apply in a short period of time and when they do, their business escalates beyond their wildest imagination.

One of the examples is a member who was starting from scratch on a brand new business venture. When I told him speaking would escalate his level of success beyond anything else he could do, he just did it. In 18 months he went from zero income to $40,000 a month. He was hired as a platform speaker in London after speaking at a trade show in Canada and earned more than $80,000 for a one hour presentation. Every presentation he did lead to no less than two new clients and at least one new speaking engagement.

Whatever you are doing now for speaking, speaking in your business community is the easiest method for you to develop your credibility and add to your client base.

Speaking Series

I met with an event planner, Margie on Wednesday. She used to be the main event planner for a large non profit before she went out on her own last year.

I have wanted to produce an event call Your 1 Day MBA for over five years, but I need someone to manage the event. After a very short conversation, Margie agreed to work with me on the event! Hurray!

After we talked about the details and have decided what we need to do next and how we will plan it out, we moved on to talk about another idea I’ve had for more than five years which is a speakers series.

Margie got very excited about the idea. She’ll approach the 46 chambers of commerce in the Bay Area and offer a monthly educational program for the members of the chamber. They will decide on a price they feel comfortable charging for the event. The chamber and the speaker will keep 40% of the revenue each and Margie will retain 20% of the revenue. I also suggested the speaker share 50% of the revenue 50/50 on any back-of-the-room or after market sales such as training or class.

Even if only 20 people attend, it is a great revenue generator for everyone concerned. Team work is a great way to go! Everyone gains by working together and when you find someone who has the work ethic, there is no limit to what you can accomplish together.