SPEAKER SERVICES Issue # 9-July 1999 For best reading print this newsletter out and read it at your leisure CONTENTS New Speakers A Word from the Publisher ARTICLES: 1 How To Create Book & Speech Titles that Sizzle and Sell 2 Developing Books to Boost Your Speaking Career 3 Radio & TV Interviews­­Get Results ___________________________________________ Welcome to our New Speakers and Entertainers 1 Rich Natole: Multitalented comic impressionist delights corporate audiences 2 Ron Bartels: Look-alikes offer celebrity thrills--at non-celebrity prices! 3 Keith McGough: Teddy Roosevelt delivers a rousing motivational/inspirational speech with old-time zeal 4 Keith O'Neill: Unlock your employees' potential for success a n d g r o w t h 5 L.J. Rose: World adventurer brings back exhilarating message of courage and personal transformation 6 Elizabeth Plourde: Author-medical researcher imparts lifesaving information on women's healthcare issues 7 Terry Mayfield: Author-speaker promises bottom-line benefits through better customer service 8 Linda Sivertsen: Author draws on celebrity interviews to unveil secrets of "charmed living" 9 Hugh Bromma: Investment pro offers advice on retirement planning for lifelong wealth 10 David Kennedy: Crusading dentist offers controversial takes on dental health 11 Max Nunez: Consultant uses personality testing and intuition to identify, find and maintain compatible partnerships 12 Claudia Rose: Empowerment expert offers secrets of intuitive leadership 13 Carmen Robinson: Expert challenges women: "Seize your own power and become 'woman enough'!" 14 Lorna Rowland: Technology troubleshooter and coach advises executives worldwide ___________________________________________ A Word from the Publisher....Susan Levin Our audio tape series continues to grow. Now available is How to Mesmerize Your Audience-openings and closings and humor with Jack Barnard and Market Yourself as a Speaker with Susan Levin. Both are two-1 hour tapes and are $23 which includes shipping and handling. Soul of Speaking and Storytelling sold out in three weeks. No worries, I have them in stock again. You can order through our website order form (with full descriptions) or e-mail me for the order form: susan@speakerservices.com. Our newest addition to our website edition: http://speakerservices.com is a Resource Directory. This section is for merchants who have a services or products that enhances and support speakers, authors, consultants, entertainers and trainers for growing and running their businesses. Take a look and see if you can utilize some of the services. We'll be posting additional services on a weekly basis. Seminar highlights in Los Angeles: August 21, Speakers Spectacular with Jack Barnard includes: connection, storytelling, visual aids, Fripp is back, September 25 & 26-Boost Your Business Through Speaking. Day 2 is advanced techniques. October 9, Market and Create Speaker Products with Dotti Walters. I welcome your e-mails and phone calls and look forward to talking with you soon. Best wishes, Susan Levin ___________________________________________ Developing Books to Boost Your Speaking Career by Marilyn and Tom Ross Marilyn@about-books.com Is there a proven method for attracting new clients, building your professional reputation, and boosting your bottom line? You bet! The key is identifying your special knowledge, then packaging it in book form. Capturing ideas on the printed page can catapult a speaker into overnight "celebrity" status. It gives you a reason to be news -- to be noted and quoted. Using a Book to Position Yourself and Create New Opportunities Print has permanency. While producing audio and video programs makes sense, they have limited advantages. Books, on the other hand, can lead to fame and fortune. The general public perceives authors as experts. When you've written a book, you are considered the authority. This positions you above the competition. It gives you more clout in the minds of your prospects. Not only does it lay the groundwork for getting more business, several speakers tell us they command higher fees once they gain author status. Some savvy speakers use a book as their calling card instead of a brochure. Brochures are tossed. Promotional kits also hit the round file. Books aren't thrown away. Instead they are placed on bookshelves...where they may be readily retrieved whenever a need arises. Meanwhile, they serve as impressive reminders of who you are and your area of expertise. Prestige, however, is only part of the payback. Books work superbly in conjunction with audio or video albums. You'll sell more of these high ticket products if you offer a book as a free gift. Of course, your book is a wonderful passive income generator. Once it's done and properly promoted, it earns money for you month after month and year after year -- while you're out on the road speaking or consulting. During tough times, this residual income can mean the difference between profit and loss, survival or extinction. And if you've handled the publishing arrangements astutely, you can sell large quantities of your books to corporate and association clients and make a bundle of money. Organizations that have hired you as a speaker are already "sold" on you. Convincing them to purchase your book for internal training reinforcement is one option. Or they might buy your books as gifts for their customers -- or to use as a prospecting tool to attract new business. For a creative speaker there is extensive life beyond back-of-the- room. A book equals more bookings, more revenue, more exposure. It gives you a reason to be "news" -- to be noted and quoted and gain exposure not only for your writing, but also for your speaking. By packaging your knowledge between covers, you'll have greater visibility, credibility, and profitability. For many, self-publishing is indeed the "write" way to success. With this method, you invest in your own book, maintain complete control, and reap all the rewards. You can turn out a product in mere months. For those who don't have the time or inclination to actually do everything themselves, turnkey consultants like About Books, Inc. are available to handle all the details. (c)Copyright 1997 Marilyn and Tom Ross ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How to Create Book and Speech Titles that Sizzle and Sell by Joe Sabah Benefits, Benefits, Benefits. This is the key to a GREAT speech or book title. Offer your audiences lots and lots of benefits. But, I get ahead of myself. Why does one speech become a gotta-get-that-speaker-or-die while another falls flat, flips or flops? The BIGGEST reason: It's ALL in the title! Consider this title: "The IRS Tax Code of 1986" equals Hohum, vs "How to Avoid Paying Income Taxes this Year and EVERY Year" Which speech or seminar would you put out big bucks and stand in line to hear? Here's Joe Sabah Rule #1 for a good (or better yet, a GREAT) speech title: If the Meeting Planner has to ask "What's it about?" you've got the wrong title. Your title should have them saying "I want to hear this speech." or "How soon can I attend this seminar?" We've all heard the expression "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression." This applies to speech titles as well as appearance. I came out of the Dale Carnegie era. In the middle 1950s I enrolled in both his courses. Each ended up in the form of a book with a sizzling title that sold and still sells, each with a point that is helpful to speakers. The textbook for his most popular course is "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Think about this. Dale wrote this book in 1937. It outsold every book except the Bible. Carnegie's title, in addition to perfect timing (right after the depression), has TWO BENEFITS: Winning friends, and influencing people. Carnegie followed with book #2 "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living," another best seller, also with two benefits. Who in this life does not want to "stop worrying," or "start living"? Joe Sabah Rule #2 for a great speech title is to create one that sizzles and sells: Offer the buyer or customer specific, appealing benefits that will get you booked with a discerning meeting planner. Your speech title must appeal to two different audiences, the meeting planner and the audience. The challenge is two-fold, to capture the fancy of the meeting planner for his or her job requirements, politics, boss, group, organization, etc., and then meet or beat the perceived needs or wants of the audience. The title must do double duty, that is, please both parties. The criteria are simple: It must satisfy a want, meet a need, answer a question or fulfill a curiosity -- benefits, benefits, benefits. What benefit does your speech title offer your attendees? Will it help them grow hair, lose weight, improve their love life, get more freedom, make a difference or make more money? (Just kidding... or am I?) Here's some easy homework that will be helpful and keep you out of trouble. On your next visit to the grocery store buy a copy of the National Enquirer and Reader's Digest. (Yes, they are tax deductible for business research purposes). These two publications are outstanding examples, each with dozens of titles that SELL. Study the titles and the content, then the titles once again. Analyze what makes them work. Joe Sabah Rule #3 for a great speech title is start yours with "How to...?" When my son Joe was about 10 he commented to my adult friends "My dad will buy any book with the title that begins with 'How to'." You know he's right. Check your own book shelves. What do they reveal about you? I searched our local library via the internet and found more than 5,700 books in print whose titles begin with "How to." Consider "how to" make your speech title catchier by starting it with "How to ...?" Joe Sabah Rule #4 for a great speech title is to upgrade the obvious (but possibly somewhat dull) title into an appealing speech title with creativity, imagination and emphasis, code for "have fun with this." It was a natural that my first seminar was titled "How to Get the Job You Want." Later I decided I could do better than that and changed it to "How to Get the Job You REALLY Want." Attendance (and income) increased. The seminar (and subsequent book) really took off when I added, "and Get Employers to Call You." Benefit, benefit, benefit. The expanded title that became "How to Get the Job You Really Want and Get Employers to Call You" has gotten me on 628 radio talk shows, which sold more than $357,000 in book sales ALL at full retail. I was on a roll. I had entitled another popular speech, "How to Get On Radio Talk Shows." I've used the title for over 16 NSA chapters and publishing associations across the U.S., and this title continues to draw large audiences everywhere. After I used "creativity, imagination and emphasis," my second book came out with the title "How to Get On Radio Talk Shows All Across America Without Leaving Your Home or Office." My latest work started out with the obvious title, "How to Build Your Successful Homebased Business? After I used "creativity, imagination and emphasis," this hot-seller was entitled "Have Fun * Make Money * Stay Home: Building Your Successful Homebased Business." Again, Benefits, Benefits, Benefits. This is the key to a GREAT speech or book title. Offer your audiences lots of benefits. Now let's get down to business, your business. Here's the formula to help YOU create YOUR speech title that sizzles and sells, called market research. First ask six to eight friends over for dinner and a brainstorming session. Yes, you feed them first. Next, without any explanation, read your title to your friends, pause, repeat it a second time. Then ask them to vote (with a show of hands) "How many of you would give this a 10, 9, 8, 7 etc." This will give you the pulse of your audience. Ask for feedback "Why did you give this an eight?" "Why did you give this a two?" Remember people love to give their opinions. Companies pay big money for surveying what people want. Next, ask your audience for ideas to strengthen your title. By this time you will have come up with 5-10 possible titles. Thank your friends for their dedicated hard work. The last step is to type these five to ten titles on a sheet of paper and fax them to a dozen or so other friends. Ask these people to circle the ONE BEST TITLE that they would consider booking or buying. Then ask them to fax the result back to you. You may wish to survey local meeting planners and ask for their opinions. Joe Sabah Rule #5 for a great speech title is to extol Benefits, Benefits, Benefits. This is the key to a GREAT speech or book title. Offer your audiences lots of benefits. Make the Joe Sabah five-rule formula work hard for you... but only if you do. Get started today. Create the title of your next best selling speech or book. Joe Sabah's Five Rules for Great Speech Titles 1. If the Meeting Planner has to ask "What's it about?" you have the wrong title. 2. Create a speech title that "sizzles and sells" 3. Start your speech title with "How to...?" 4. Upgrade the obvious title with creativity, imagination and emphasis 5. Extol Benefits, Benefits, Benefits Joe Sabah has appeared as a guest on 628 radio talk shows. He sold more than $357,000 worth of books. Book #2 How to Get On Radio Talk Shows All Across America Without Leaving Your Home or Office has already passed the $258,000 mark. Joe is also founding president of the Colorado Speakers Association and has been a member of NSA since 1982. His latest book is Have Fun * Make Money * Stay Home: Building Your Successful Homebased Business. Joe Sabah can be reached at 303-722-7200, fax 303-733-2626, email JSabah@aol.com. ______________________________ Radio and TV Interviews Get Results by Tom and Marilyn Ross Marilyn@about-books.com Selling books through radio and television can be one of your most profitable marketing strategies. It's virtually free and, done properly, extremely effective. The checklist we provide here is designed to give you a thorough overview of strategies. It will not only help you set up interviews, but handle them adroitly. Getting exposure on radio and TV is only half the battle. If you don't use that opportunity properly, it's a lost cause. With these techniques, however, there's no reason you can't sell books all over the country. Remember the call letters of that special station, WPEI-AM? If you bear these in mind, you'll always be a success. What is WPEI-AM? With Preparation and Enthusiasm, I Am Magnificent! There's no reason you can't be a media dynamo and sell thousands of dollars worth of books. The opportunity awaits. Pre-Interview Tactics 1 Re-read your book. Months, sometimes years, will have passed since you wrote the book. While few reviewers will read your baby cover to cover, some will. It's most embarrassing if they ask you a question from the book that you're unfamiliar with. 2 Write a mission statement. This is a 20- to 30-word statement, covering the core thrust of your book. It will help you get -- and stay -- focused as you think through the interview process. 3 Request an advertising media kit. This is typically used by the station to sell ads on radio. It will help you pinpoint the demographics and target audience of radio stations. This allows you to slant your comments more specifically to the appropriate listening audience. 4 Think of ways to help people relate. If you must use statistics, equate them to something listeners and viewers can get a handle on. Rather than saying X number of Americans suffer from a certain disease, break it down to one in X Americans suffer from...Get the idea? 5 Use controversy whenever possible. There's no question that controversy sells books. Of course it also leaves you more vulnerable. You must be able to express yourself effectively and know your facts. It takes a cool and confident person to handle antagonistic people during a call-in show. 6 Develop a list of possible hooks. What will work on one show will flop on another. If you offer several approaches, you're more likely to intrigue a producer with one of them. While the main thrust of a book might be about parenting, there could be angles for grandparents, step-parents, and foster-parents. These might parallel a news issue. And what about completely parentless children who live in orphanages or group homes? Perhaps you could even turn this into a story about abortion -- showing the plight of unwanted children. 7 Contact the right person. Always get the name of the appropriate producer or guest booker and the correct spelling so you can direct correspondence to the right individual. After a couple of weeks, follow-up with a phone call. Speak only to the producer or guest booker. There's no point in trying to woo an assistant, or even the host. They don't typically decide who will appear. Upon reaching the proper party, you'll only have a minute or two for your pitch. Be polite, persistent, and prepared. 8 Offer to help set up a program. Many shows depend on a panel of complementary or opposing guests. As the expert, you know the field better than the producer does. By volunteering to take over responsibility for setting up a program, you put yourself in a power position. An extraordinary program can often be developed around dissimilar viewpoints, or with related experts. 9 Prepare for the hard questions. This way you'll never be caught off guard. If you have a controversial book, be sure you know the other side of the issue. And if you're asked a question you find yourself stumbling over, write it down after the interview so you can practice how to handle it better the next time. 10 Think in term of "sound bites." These are short, spiffy, provocative statements covering the three or four main points you want to address during the interview. Politicians, CEOs, and others adept at media interface often talk in sound bites. Thus they're very quotable. Once you have these three or four sound bites as a skeleton, you can then flesh them out no matter what length interview you have. If you only have a few minutes, you won't get much beyond the three points. Yet if you're going to be on for half an hour on a radio show, you can embellish each point with stories or examples to enrich the message. 11 Practice out loud. Use a tape recorder and listen to how you sound. Critique the way you're coming across. Note not only voice inflection, but also pacing and organization. 12 Should you give away a freebie? This might take the form of a quiz, a checklist, or a flyer. Always ask for a self-addressed, stamped envelope or a token payment to cover the expense. Of course, you will also respond with ordering information for the book when you receive freebie requests. 13 Have an 800 number. Today's it's very inexpensive to offer toll-free ordering. This increases your sales tremendously. The other component, however, is to accept VISA and MasterCard. A toll-free number with no response vehicle is like a swimming pool with no water. 14 Prepare 3 x 5 "leave behind" cards. This is how you help folks contact you after the fact. The cards should contain the book title, author, price, plus publisher name, address, and toll-free phone number. Give one to the telephone operator (or mail one) before the interview. One goes to the host or hostess, and one to the producer. That way people can readily track you down after the interview segment. 15 Arrive early. If you do encounter road construction or an accident, and you've allowed plenty of time, you won't be sabotaged by these unexpected inconveniences. 16 Don't book too many shows in one day. You lose track of what you've said if you package six interviews or more in one session. It's extremely unnerving to wonder whether you've covered a point in this interview -- or two interviews back. In Phoenix Marilyn appeared on seven shows in one day. The last one was a nightmare. Memory became mangled. She couldn't remember if she was making a fresh point -- or repeating something she had already discussed on this program! Conducting the Interview 1 Use the name of the host or hostess occasionally. We all like to hear our own names and it behooves you to make a good impression with this person. 2 Develop a stalling phrase. This will be a big help if you're asked a question you aren't immediately ready to answer. Something like "that's a very good question" gives you a few seconds to organize your thoughts. So does repeating the question. 3 Keep conversation generic. Don't mention a specific time of day, dates, holidays, comments about the weather, or make any statements that would otherwise date your interview. Many taped programs are run in subsequent time slots. If you've said "good morning," however, talked about some current issue in the news, or mentioned a holiday, this precludes using that interview for future airing. 4 Avoid jargon. Your listening or viewing audience will not understand insider terminology or acronyms. Be sure you're talking so everyone can comprehend your message. 5 Keep the interview fresh, upbeat, and stimulating. If you're not excited about your topic, how do you expect other people to be? 6 Project and perform. If you're talking from your home or office, getting a longer telephone cord and standing or walking while actually delivering your message will give you a more powerful, resonating presence. Movement also helps release tension. 7 Mention the title of your book several times. Referring to "my book" doesn't help a person if they've recently tuned in and don't know what your book is. How can they go to a bookstore and order "my book?" There are ways to insert your title without being obnoxious. Here are some of the ways we do it: "At the end of our Complete Guide to Self-Publishing we include a Publishing Timetable. It gives fail-safe step-by-step guidance on what to do when..." Or "What readers tell us they like most about The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing is..." Or "The eight strategies we talk about in The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing cover..." 8 Link your topic to current events. While this isn't always possible, many times a book can be given fresh life by connecting it with a newsworthy item. Watch for ways to make your subject more timely by piggybacking on what's presently hot. 9 Avoid "yes" and "no" answers. Even if you're given a closed-end question that requires a yes or no, embellish it by taking the topic a step further. Such comments as, "The reason for this is . . ." allows you to carry the interview forward. Being Sensational on Radio 1 Do wonders from your home or office. Radio "phoners" are very popular today. This is a process where a radio station from anywhere in the country calls you long distance at a pre-arranged time. The interview is conducted by telephone. It is a wonderful way to save travel expenses and still get your message to the far corners of America. But, don't use an instrument with a "call waiting" feature. This is very disruptive in an interview. 2 Throat lubricant tip. For radio interviews you do from home, keep a glass of slightly warm water laced with lemon juice handy. If your throat begins to tighten, this is a great lubricant. 3 Begin with a bang. If you're listening to a radio show and someone new comes on who sounds lethargic or boring, you flip the dial. Right? Don't cause that yourself. Be animated and excited -- passionate about your topic! If possible, it's a good idea to experience the show before you appear on it. Notice the time length of the interviews, the format, what the host or hostess are like. Are they cordial or adversarial toward guests? Do they seem well prepared, or is it up to the guest to carry the interview? Knowing these things in advance will help you to be more effective. 4 Rehearse, then converse. Once you know where you're going and you've prepared yourself, relax! Have a friendly conversation with the host or hostess. Think in terms of a kitchen table chat, as opposed to a formal presentation. There's nothing worse than parroting a scripted message. 5 Have pertinent information written down. In the excitement of an interview, you can go blank at the most embarrassing times. If you always have your toll-free number and your address written down, you'll have a back-up system if you don't immediately remember specific information. 6 Restate your main points in longer interviews. If you are going to be on a half hour or more, people will be tuning in all the time. Many will not have heard the title of the book or your main points, so recast what you have to say in a slightly different way throughout a long radio interview. 7 For call-in shows, set up a friend. Prime him or her with a provocative question. It's embarrassing to have the lines thrown open for questions -- and have no response. It usually only takes a couple of calls to get the ball rolling. Be sure to give your friends the correct number for call-ins. It's often different than the station's regular business line. TV Pointers 1 TV Posture. Sit comfortably, but lean slightly forward to give an air of alertness and authority. Ignore the cameras. Address your remarks to the host. 2 Don't fidget. Keep your hands free to gesture, rather than fiddling with the mike cord or wringing your hands. 3 Use natural gestures. Not only will they help you burn off nervous energy, but they'll also make you appear more vivacious. 4 Dressing for TV. Men should avoid white shirts; go for blues, grays, or pastels. Also wear long socks so when crossing your legs there isn't a strip of skin between the pant cuff and the top of your socks, points out Al Parinello in his excellent book, On the Air. Women shouldn't wear dangly, noisy jewelry as it will be picked up by the microphone. Besides, long, dangly earrings distract from a woman's face. Both sexes are wise to avoid any herring-bone or tiny plaids. These patterns tend to "dance" on the camera. Overall Strategies 1 Concentrate your efforts. Use the 80/20 rule. Once you've become proficient at handling local radio and TV interviews, it's time to concentrate on the top markets. The top ten in order of importance are: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington DC, and Houston. Remember it isn't just the wattage of a radio station that counts. Location, especially in one of the top markets, can be indicative of a huge audience. 2 Use sound checks to your advantage. Before an interview, you'll typically be asked to do a sound check. Take this opportunity to say something other than "testing, testing, testing." Repeat your name and book title instead. This not only gives the engineer the needed audio levels, it also refreshes the interviewer's memory. 3 Get video tapes of your TV appearances. This can be done by simply having a friend tape you on their VCR. If it's a very important interview and you want tape from the station, always bring one with you and ask before hand for a dub. 4 Before doing a radio interview, request a duplicate of the tape. Never do this afterward, as it is more complicated for them. If you're appearing in person for your interview, take a new cassette tape. 5 Study these tapes! You can learn a great deal by listening to or watching your past interviews. Note what you did well -- and where you could improve. 6 Send a thank you note. It's amazing how few people do this, yet it's common courtesy. It's a good idea to thank both the producer and the host. If you did well on the air, and were gracious in your response afterward, guess who's name is going to pop into their mind when they're looking for a future guest? (c)Copyright 1997 Marilyn and Tom Ross ____________________________ RESOURCES: Printing Industry Exchange http://www.printindustry.com Free input for printing specs-receive prices from across the U.S. and beyond. _____________________ SPONSOR THIS NEWSLETTER! Get your message out to speakers and meeting planners in this fast growing newsletter. $25 a month, limit to 6 lines of text, 60 characters per line issues $125 paid in advance. E-mail susan@speakerservices.com for number of subscribers, payment information etc. Previous issues are available at http://speakerservices.com/nl/index.html To contribute information to this newsletter send via e-mail to: susan@speakerservices.com. Letters and comments are happily accepted. To remove yourself from this newsletter send an e-mail message to susan@speakerservices.com with remove in subject. ************************ Meeting planners looking for speakers for free and fee or entertainers for your programs check out our Internet Edition of Speaker Services: http://speakerservices.com. Speakers and entertainers great rates for photo listings for the Internet Edition of Speaker Services: http://speakerservices.com. Presentation skills and marketing workshops offered in the Los Angeles area. Customized trainings , Online Bookstore Audio Tapes Grow Your Business Through Speaking Soul of Speaking, Jack Barnard Storytelling, Jack Barnard Mesmerize Your Audience, Jack Barnard Market Yourself as a Speaker , Susan Levin Books: Market Yourself as A Speakers Resource and Study Guide, Susan Levin We Get Our Cue From You: The Communion Approach to Public Speaking, Jack Barnard ************************ Speaker Services Susan Levin 4023 Meier Street La, CA 90066 310-822-4922 FAX: 310-822-9025 Toll free- 877-773-2800 e-mail: susan@speakerservices.com website: http://speakerservices.com