Subject: Newsletter for Sept Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:59:15 -0700 From: Susan Levin To: Dotti Albertine SPEAKER SERVICES http://speakerservices.com Newsletter: September 2000 #23 Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Content: 1. A Word from the Publisher 2. New & Renewing Speakers Articles: 3. Leverage Your Speaking, Vickie Sullivan 4. Humor, Comic Verse, Tom Antion ****************** OUR SPONSORS: Searching for a unique and exciting way to present your topic? AvidLearn.com, Inc. is seeking experts to present live, online seminars. Enjoy tremendous exposure and unparalleled convenience. To find out more, register for one of our free "How To" courses in September at www.avidlearn.com. For further information, contact an Account Executive at (888) 493-2100 or Experts@avidlearn.com ****************** Five Star Publications, Inc. Full Book-Publishing Services Since 1985 >From production to publicity, have it all with just one call! www.BookProducer.com and www.eBookery.com Your partner in electronic publishing. e-mail: radke@fivestarsupport.com (480) 940-8182 Fax (480) 940-8787 ****************** The 2000 International Conference on Business & Consciousness. Acapulco Mexico. December 2 - 7, 2000. Global community explores the future of business. Premier business conference created to help people and organizations incorporate values that will enable them to feel enthusiastic about what they are doing, how they are doing it and how it is affecting the rest of the world. 505-474-0998, message@nets.com, www.bizspirit.com. Mention Susan Levin or Speaker Services and receive a $50 discount on the conference. ****************** A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER Greetings, It was great being at National Speakers Association in Washington, DC in early August. We made new friends, ran into old friends and made terrific connections. Thank you to all of you who bought our audio tapes and books or simply stopped by to say hello. One of the highlights for us was the stretch limo evening with the team of AvidLearn.com. Back home in Los Angeles we launched our teleclass series to great success. The feedback has been wonderful. What's so great about the teleclasses is that it is content driven with lots of interaction and tips from the attendees and you can do it from the comfort of your home. If you missed Successful Speaking, Openings and Closings, Media Training for Speakers and Back-of-the-Room Sales they are available on audio tape for $18. Here's the teleclass schedule for September and October Follow this link for detailed description, registration and or to order the audio tapes: http://speakerservices.com/teleclasses/index.html. September 11 Involve the Audience, Heidi Parr September 19 Add Humor to your Presentation, Paul Seaburn September 26 Speaking Engagements Thru the Back Door, Vickie Sullivan October 5 Get Ready, Get Set, Get Booked, Jeannie Esposito October 16 Fearless Speaking, Louise Diana Los Angeles Seminars For details: http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html September 25 Market Yourself as a Speaker, Susan Levin September 16 Presentations with Power and Purpose, Heidi Parr September 18 Make That Audio Tape Now!, Heidi Parr September 22 Language of Listening, William Hanrahan October 15 Video Demo Showcase October 28 Ready, Set, Close, Heidi Parr In this newsletter I've included an article by Vickie Sullivan on Leveraging your Speaking and Tom Antion, Humor and Comic Verse. Remember, we are committed to supporting you in growing your speaking business. I encourage you to take advantage of our online directory and connecting with audiences that you probably would never find on your own. Take a teleclass, make a video demo, create an audio tape for back-of-the-room sales. Always continue to learn from your peers, coaches and the experts. We are here for you. I'm off to Oregon to visit friends and family however, I will be checking my e-mail and my telephone messages. Have a wonderful holiday weekend. Warm regards, Susan Levin Speaker Services _________________________ New & Renewing Speakers at speakerservices.com FREE Vicki Caiati: Business consultant shares strategies for keeping customers and improving service Susan Hannon: Hypnotherapist shows women how to partner with their dreams and achieve their highest reality Randy Hrabko: Physician and energy healer reveals secrets of optimum wellness John Hall: Career Coach offers survive and prosper stratewgies for mid-career managers FEE Jill Lublin: PR Pro catapults businesses into public eye _________________________ LEVERAGE YOUR SPEAKING, Vickie Sullivan info@sullivanspeaker.com http://www.sullivanspeaker.com I1ve said it here again and again: a differentiated message creates credibility S so now what? It1s time to extend that credibility forward with leverage, the momentum that converts speeches into more opportunities and sales. Without momentum, a speech is just that Ð a speech. And your business is not making speeches, it1s getting and keeping clients. Leverage extends the benefits and goodwill created from the speech and turns those benefits into opportunities. And opportunities to get more visibility, new clients etc. are the reasons for giving the speech in the first place. Two Obstacles There are usually two reasons why most people don1t leverage their speaking, media or anything else. First, they don1t have a "big picture" of what the speech can do for them, so they will implement without any focus. Second, they get overwhelmed with so many details that nothing gets done. Both of these obstacles stem from making the effort too big, which prevents any action. The key to leverage is to keep the effort small but effective. By focusing only on what works immediately, most speakers can double their marketing results. The Big Picture Like "marketing," leverage is just a series of small actions that together create a bigger result. The key is to get really clear about the specific benefits that can be obtained from the speech itself. By focusing your activities on just three or four benefits, the effort will not seem so overwhelming and your implementation will be more focused. Key strategy: Forget about the audience for a minute Ðwhat do you want? Identify no more than four things and make it specific. Examples: more media, product sales, speeches or consulting clients are all too broad. Try: more industry media, speeches from other departments or consulting from a sponsoring organization. The Plan Now that you have focus, let1s take action. Again, people have a tendency to "go big" and weigh themselves down with a large action plan. By limiting the action items, you are forced to only do the most effective. Remember that you have more than one speech to leverage, so keep the focus on what will work immediately. Key strategy: Identify TWO action items that are the most effective in getting the benefit. Every benefit will have two action items each, for a total of 6 to 8 items. Then decide deadlines for each item. Examples: develop media kit with quotes from speech, or make list of decision-makers from other departments to preview you. Using Virtual Assistants It1s one of the best problems to have: so many leads are coming in that you can1t follow up on all of them. Instead of letting opportunities slip away, think about using Virtual Assistants (VA1s). Beyond Clerical A cross between a COO and a coach, VA1s can head up the routine procedures and even bring in income. Plan for Growth According to Donna, VA1s bring in a wide variety of talents, from writing and marketing to website design. "VA1s have emerged from a wide variety of backgrounds, including management and marketing directors who now want a more flexible work schedule," she says. "The relationship you can have with a VA is limited only by your imagination." Result: the VA1s duties can grow as you need them, allowing you to consolidate services such as graphic design, writing, or even website design/updating. VA1s can also qualify leads, send material and follow up. VA vs. Temp The biggest mistake you can make is to confuse a VA with temporary employees. Temps come in and do what you tell them to do and need supervision. VA1s can use their own processes, and often take initiatives. "Most of my clients will say Îhere1s the outcome: make it happen1 says Donna. "They don1t want to know how I do it." Better yet, a VA will get to know your business and will alert you to any upcoming trends or challenges. They can generate ideas and plans, as well as implement. If you are already established and are reaching for the next level, VA1s can reduce the pressure of implementation. Logistics, etc. Other things to know about VA1s: All material and databases are kept confidential. You can pay as you go or have a retainer. VA1s can grow with your business, some working up to half time. For general information about VAÎs, go to http://www.assistu.com ________________ HUMOR TECHNIQUE, COMIC VERSE Tom Antion tomantion@aol.com http://www.antion.com Often a short poem will illustrate your point better than hours and hours of talk. Poems can be inspiring and motivating as well as funny, and they also add variety to your presentation. You must flawlessly memorize any poetry you use. Any stumbles will ruin the effect of the verse. If the verse is long, you may want to consider reading it, but total memorization will have more impact. Poetry, whether funny or not, should be used sparingly in any business presentation. Always look for the points that a piece of comic verse could illustrate. You normally don't want to use any kind of humor that does not support the points you are trying to make. POINT: Get going to achieve your goals. You have the tools, but you must pick them up and use them. Sitting still and wishing Makes no person great. The Good Lord sends the fishes But you must dig the bait. Anonymous POINT: Look forward, not backward. The lightning bug is a brilliant thing But the insect is so blind. It goes on stumbling through the world With its headlights on behind. Anonymous POINT: Everyone starts at the bottom. That won't keep you from being great. Do not worry if your job is small And your rewards are few. Just remember that the mighty oak Was once a nut, like you. Anonymous Tom's rewrite of the last verse (to make the audience feel superior to me) Do not worry if your job is small With rewards you can't see. Just remember that the mighty oak Was once a nut, like me. POINT: Ride out the tough stuff in life. When the tides of life turn against you, And the current upsets your boat, Don't waste those tears on what might have been, Just lay on your back and float. Ed Norton The Honeymooners POINT: If you have a problem, do something about it. Life is real, life is earnest If you're cold, turn up the furnace. Herman Munster LIMERICKS POINT: Be careful whom you deal with. There was a young lady from Niger, Who smiled as she rode on a tiger. They came back from the ride With the lady inside, And a smile on the face of the tiger. POINT: Are you just coming along for the ride? A silly young man from Port Clyde In a funeral procession was spied. Asked, "Who is dead?" He giggled and said, "I don't know. I just came for the ride." POINT: Quit fighting. There once were two cats in Kilkenny. Each cat thought there was one too many. So they scratched and they fit And they tore and they bit, Til instead of two there weren't any. In the famous words of Marie Antoinette Keep cool when all's done and said Above all remember, don't lose your head. (Excerpted from "Wake 'em Up Business Presentations) ____________________________ SPONSOR THIS NEWSLETTER! Get your message out to speakers 2,000 plus and meeting planners in this fast growing newsletter. $50 a month, limit to 6 lines of text, 60 characters per line issues or 6 months for $275 paid in advance. Previous issues are available at http://www.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 Speaker Services: http://speakerservices.com. Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Presentation skills and marketing workshops offered in the Los Angeles area. http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html Audio Tapes 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 http://speakerservices.com/products/index.html ************************ 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 ____________________________ Web Directory: Speaker Services http://speakerservices.com Susan Levin, publisher/owner Los Angeles, CA 310-822-4922, FAX: 310-822-9025 Get Listed in the Directory http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Seminars, Teleclasses, Audio Tapes & Books http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html http://speakerservices.com/teleclasses/index.html http://speakerservices.com/products/index.html Private Consultations: Speaker Marketing Free monthly E-Mail Newsletter and past issues for speakers and meeting http://speakerservices.com/nl/index.html Healthy Lifestyle Fair http://speakerservices.com/services/healthy.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 1.2Type: Macintosh File