SPEAKER SERVICES NEWSLETTER, April 2003
http://speakerservices.com

I've been hearing that some of you are taking advantage of the Speaker Services Recommended Resource List: http://speakerservices.com/resources/index.html. We added 5 new services this month: Accounting, Book Marketing/Promotional Services, Book Writing, Meeting Space in Santa Monica, CA and TV/Radio Interviews.

For your convenience we have added an interactive monthly calendar so that you can plan your workshop activities for the year http://speakerservices.com/calendar/index.html.

A reminder that the 3 camera shoot, live audience, Video Demo Showcase is June 7 in Los Angeles See http://speakerservices.com/videoprod.html for details. I still have several openings.

I spent the past weekend as an exhibitor at the Mega Book University in Los Angeles with Mark Victor Hansen and associates. It was an exceptional weekend and we met lots of terrific people.

I'll be a vendor at the Breakthrough Marketing Strategies Guaranteed To Make You Money Workshop on April 19 hosted by NEW Entrepreneurs. Please see details below. This is a wonderful networking group for women and I highly recommend their services.

Regards,
Susan Levin
________________________________

Get Listed in the Directory:
Deadline for listing 15th of each month for the following month

http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html

Speaker Services since '92 supports professional people in growing their business through speaking.
_________________________________

PROMOTIONS/ADVERTISING

If you are interested in lecturing aboard one of the top cruise lines in the world and have lecturing experience, excellent presentation skills and love to socialize with people that have a thirst for continuing education and enrichment, then we want to learn more about you. At your earliest convenience, please send your resume, a jpeg photo of yourself, a video/audio tape of your lectures (if available), details about possible presentation topics, cruising background (if applicable) and the names and telephone numbers of three references that can elaborate on your expertise and presentation skills to Heidi Speece at hspeece@sixthstar.com or Paul DiFilippi at paul@sixthstar.com. Alternatively, you can mail the information to: Sixth Star Entertainment & Marketing 21 NW 5th Street Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
_________________________________

Become an Affiliate Partner of Mission Control Productivity.

Simply place a banner ad on your website or e-newsletter. Every person who clicks on the ad and then registers for a Workshop or Webinar will earn you a commission. Guaranteed!

Mission Control® Productivity provides an effective approach to organizing and managing everything there is to do and handle in life.

For more information, please call 1-888-793-8323 or email us at educoin@missioncontrol.com
_________________________________

"People appreciate our newsletter," says John Alston, CSP, CPAE. "They say it's of value to them. It adds to our professionalism. It's more of an investment than an expense. It generates good will and bookings." Hire Jeff Rubin to get similar results from your newsletter. Great sample packet. Jeff Rubin, 877/588-1212;
jeff@put-it-in-writing.com. http://www.put-it-in-writing.com
_________________________________

Breakthrough Marketing Strategies Guaranteed To Make You Money
Presented by: Network For Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Saturday, April 19th, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM, Doubletree Hotel, Santa Monica, CA
Cost: $27 in advance/$37 at door/FREE for N.E.W. Members
Register: www.newentrepreneurs.com or call Christine Kloser (310) 745-0794

Speakers: Dana Erhlich, Alexandria Brown and Jo Ann Pina

You will learn how to: Instantly Communicate Your Selling Advantages In Compelling Terms, Win More Customers More Of The Time, Create Dynamic E-Zines That Attract New Clients, Build Customer Relationships and Increase Sales, Create Multiple Streams Of Income From Things You Already Know and more.

_____________________________________________

TIPS and ADVICE

How to Best Use Testimonial Letters

Nanci McGraw Nanci@Nanci.org

1- ACTUAL LETTERS: If your client does send a love letter on their stationery, wonderful! Use them if you want, and as color copies. But remember people really want information like fast food. If you're going to include copies of the letter, at least highlight key words which make it jump from the page as the client flips through......

2-EMAIL LETTERS - If they seem to be stalling about writing you a letter of support, make it EASY and be satisfied with an email. At least they responded in writing! You can use HIGHLIGHTED segments creatively, by industry or by your topics.

If you want a client to really READ your "walk-on-water" testimonials from other clients---- Take a hint from blurbs for movies, books, and restaurants. Carefully selected SHORT testimonial phrases or even a few words, or ONE WORD is the best. Increase the readability with font style, size, positioning of attribution.

Bottom line: Again, it's the Power of Pithy that Packs the Punch.
___________________________

Maximizing your Book Signing

Greg Ryhal greg@BookmanMarketing.com

Many times, bookstores will do the bare minimum to promote your book signing. Therefore, it is up to you, the author/speaker to do the legwork to make the most of your signing. Here are some tips for doing just that:

Contact the local press. Quite often they will promote a signing for a local author for free.
Make your book signing a speaking engagement. Tie the subject matter of your book into local interests or community concerns.
If you opt for a non-speaking engagement book signing, during downtime engage potential buyers in polite conversation and ask them if you may tell them about your book. Many will be glad to listen.
Develop a pitch about the virtues of your book and how it differs from other books of the same genre. Practice this pitch and be prepared to deliver it 40 times an hour.

___________________________

Create a 'sampler' booklet

Paulette Ensign paulette@tipsbooklets.com

Develop a single tips booklet that includes information from each of your major keynotes or workshops by developing a 'sampler' booklet. Use the subject of each keynote or workshop as a chapter heading in the booklet. Write 10 or 12 tips under each of these chapter heading. This gives you a product to use that reinforces the content of a speech or workshop you are delivering, as well as cross-markets your other topics in the process.

The booklet can be purchased by your buyer to give each person in your session, or your decision-maker may invest in booklets without hiring your speaking services at that time. Either way, you've made a sale that is, at the same time, marketing what you offer. The booklet is a concrete and unique marketing tool for your company while simultaneously being a unique revenue source for you.
___________________________

Making the Leap From Speaker to Author? Be Sure You Can State Your Book's Purpose in 10 Words or Less

Dawn Josephson Dawn@cameopublications.com

Many speakers turned authors face the challenge of wanting to give too much information at once. Instead of focusing on one specific idea, they try to wrap multiple concepts into one book. This approach not only makes it difficult to organize your book, but it also overwhelms your readers.

With any good book, you can state the book's specific purpose in 10 words or less. Realize that your purpose is not the same as your theme or plot. The book's purpose is what you specifically want the reader to do or think as a result of reading your book. Now, a statement such as "to live a better life" or "to run a better business" is not specific. A purpose is not a generalization. It's a specific action that you motivate the reader to embark upon.

For example, if you're writing a business book, your purpose should be to help your readers improve one specific business function, such as its marketing efforts, its customer service, its project management, etc. Your purpose should not be to teach business executives how to create better marketing materials, deliver improved customer service, establish long-term customer relations, increase employee retention, and locate the best new talent. That's simply too much for one book to cover.

Keep your purpose specific so you can deliver targeted and useful information.
_____________________________

Announce Your Arrival Shortly After Checking In

Mike Marchev mikem@marchev.com

We all know we should do it. We often forget due to the hour. It is a courtesy worth your time and effort.

The last time I spoke in Atlanta, I checked in the hotel and promptly went for an afternoon run in an effort to loosen up for my presentation later that evening. Upon my return, I checked voicemail for messages back at my office and heard a frantic meeting planner's voice wondering where I was.

I instantly knew I positioned myself as an amateur by not notifying her of my arrival and I also knew it wasn't the meeting planner's job to simply call the hotel operator to ask if I had registered (which was the easy thing to do).

Many planners don't require this courtesy but all will appreciate your professionalism. After all, you are an integral part of their program and one of the team once you agree to speak. If the hour is late, tell the operator to simply leave a silent message.
_____________________________

Tip for Getting Your Word Out

Jill Lublin info@promisingpromotion.com

Speakers - Find editors of newspapers where your specific knowledge could assist them with their columns. In all cities you will be speaking in, find the names of the local editors that might be interested in seeing you speak for the benefit of acquiring the knowledge you have to offer. Not only will you be helping them with research for their column, but you will promoting yourself as an expert in your industry as well.
_____________________________

Do a sound check before you speak
Jesse Moreno sobriety@cox.net

The best speakers check the sound in a room before they speak. If possible they check the room empty and when it is full of folks. Why? So he/she will know how loud to speak. How much room for movement is available and what the echo in a room will do. The sound equipment people call it the sweet spot.

Speakers must project emotions, Character and logic from one to many.If anything in a room is going to hamper or help a speaker it will only do so in a useful manner if the speaker knows of it and uses it. Your room is your friend or your foe, your picture frame or the silent distraction that took your edge. Don't assume that it will not matter it will.
_____________________________

Generate business from your speaking engagements

Susan Allan susanallan@thedivorceforum.com

Does your introduction make the audience feel excited to hear you?
Is your appearance a big PLUS?
Are your hand-outs or emails or phone calls bringing in business ?
Do you offer a free service that is mentioned in your introduction?
Does the audience come up to you after your talk to continue the
dialogue?
Are you speaking the same language as your audience based on their
demographics and thinking styles and interests?

_____________________________

Give your customers something extra

Rodger B. Price rbp@primalmarketing.com

Adding value for your customers is quick and easy just by offering to write an article for their publication. In a matter of minutes you can put together a simple 500 word message that gives your customers something extra beyond your speech. The benefits to you for a little time are enormous.

An article:

1. Adds value to your fee
2. Builds Credibility
3. Brings more people to your program
4. Promotes your website or e-zine

Where can your customers use this article?

1. Newsletters
2. Magazines
3. Programs
4. E-Zines

The best thing is you can use the same articles over and over again and just slightly modify to fit your target audience.
_____________________________

Entrepreneurial radio show guests wanted
Romanus Romanus@kickstartguy.com

The Kick Start Guy, Romanus Wolter, is seeking high energy guests for his weekly small business success segment on Entrepreneur Magazine's Radio Show. The emphasis of the show is the "psyche of the entrepreneur." Every segment discusses a specific topic and unique action steps people can take to succeed. Interviews are 20-minutes long and will be archived on the Internet for 3 months. If you have a unique twist on success please email Romanus at Romanus@kickstartguy.com with your topic of choice. Discover more at http://www.kickstartguy.com
_____________________________

Speaking for below fee

Mike Moore mikemoore@speakforprofit.com

The other day I was approached by a group to speak to their annual conference. They didn't have a huge budget for the speaker so they found my fee a bit much. Before the woman hung up I asked how many people would be attending and from what walks of life they would come. There would be 400 people from business and industry. I then asked how close her organization
could come to paying me my full fee. It turned out to be about 75% of the full fee. I agreed to speak for these reasons:

I had no other booking that day.
If the people liked my style and content I was bound to pick up a few full fee engagements.
They agreed to send a press release to area papers and radio stations announcing my talk and promoting my message.

When you consider the extended value of my accepting the engagement you can understand why I agreed to speak for 75% of my fee. It beats 75% of nothing......
_____________________________

The Key To The Castle

Nancy Greystone ngreystone@earthlink.net

Into which "castle" do you seek entry? The book publisher's? The speaker's podium? The talk-radio or TV show's? One key unlocks these doors and more. One key brings you success in these venues and others. One key holds the magic to move you forward quickly and confidently. That key is clarity.

Why clarity? Because with clarity comes confidence. With clarity comes the uncanny ability to communicate who you are and what you are all about with mastery that compels. When you're compelling, people listen to you differently. They listen harder, more openly, with more connection to your message. And so clarity brings impact. And impact is great for business. Never thought that clarity could improve your bottom line? Think again.

How well does an un-focused salesperson close his/her sales?
How good are a rambling speaker's back of the room sales?
How many books does a non-compelling author sell at Barnes and Noble or on Amazon.com even with a big, national media tour?
How many hits does a mind-numbingly boring website get?

Here are the answers: not well, not good, not many, none at all.

That's the bad news. Here's the good news.Clarity is a skill that can be taught and a muscle that needs to be taut. When my clients seek me out, I believe it's to get that flabby clarity muscle into shape.I work with, and coach clients on many things, from: preparing them for the media tours of their book launches, to writing their websites, to creating sound bites to give then greater impact in speaking situations. And it always begins in the same place...with clarity.

Want to enter any castle and have the greatest impact once you're in? Be concise. Be confident. Be compelling. But most of all... be clear.
_____________________________

Five Quick Basic Reminders for "being" the Professional Speaker:

Rev. Dr. Louise-Diana (louise-diana@innerfitness.com)

Be prepared for anything when you are walking into a new situation where you have never spoken ( I will elaborate next month on a recent speaking engagement).
Be alert, alive, and enthusiastic! You would think that this would be obvious but many speakers do not tap into their own energy in pursuit of delivering the message.
Be conscious of the time you have to deliver your talk and stay within your allotted time frame. The audience and other speakers are very aware of it.
Be a pro in the first impression you make that begins when you arrive at the event to which you will be speaking.
Be aware of what is going on around you so that you can be helpful and make the event successful beyond anyone's expectations.

_____________________________

BEING THE OYSTER: AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE BLAME GAME
Robert Elliott relliott_@yahoo.com

It's easy to label someone a "troublemaker" or a "problem." For one thing, it gets us off the hook. We're not to blame; the other guy is. For another, it fuels the idea that the power to change our lives lies outside of us. If the circumstances in which we live were different, then we would be different; presumably, happier. So we blame others for our own unhappiness and try, with subtle and not-so subtle means, to change them. This strategy might work for the short-term -- we may "get" this person to alter his or her behavior so that it's more pleasing to us-- but over the long haul it proves disastrous.

It's a waste of time to put energy into changing others. They must act out of their own initiative. We can invite them, inspire them, support them, alert them to another mode of behavior, perhaps even one that would please us, but we can't make them do it. Not really. They may acquiesce, but acquiescing is not the same as committing. Besides, you might not get the change you desire. "OK, I'll do it," she says, though somehow you have the sinking suspicion that the arrangement isn't as "clean" as it appears...... Something is lurking in the shadows that could eventually come back to haunt you, or bite you in the rear.

Our attempts to "fix" others ultimately fail. When we invest our energies in others with the hope of bettering our own lives, we experience repeated disappointments, or at the very best, short-lived outcomes. Feelings of powerlessness and lack of self-worth emerge with a vengeance.

"Trouble" or "problems" are inevitable. There isn't much we can do about it. As the blues song goes: "You don't have to go looking for trouble; trouble will find you." It doesn't matter what sort of life we lead; difficult situations arise; our path becomes a rocky road and we're faced with two, perhaps three choices: Will we project our "difficulty" onto another person and describe him or her as the obstacle to our happiness? Will we interpret this "trouble" as a threat to our survival? Or will we accept our present challenging circumstance as an invitation to further our own growth?

The power to change our lives lies within ourselves. By taking full, 100% responsibility for our own role in any "troubling" situation in which we find ourselves, we free ourselves from the "us versus them trap." The prison of opposition melts away; the bars of our cell dissolve, and what we're left with is an opportunity to bring greater happiness into our own and others' lives. Something arises that doesn't please us -- we can learn from the oyster, who takes that irritating grain of sand that enters its shell and transforms it into something beautiful.
_____________________________

Speaker Services Recommended Resources

http://speakerservices.com/resources/index.html

Do you need a meeting/workshop space in Santa Monica, CA?
Do you need Book Marketing/Promotional Services?
Do you need help with Book Writing/Ghostwriting
Do you need Book Mentoring?
Do you need Book Shepherding?
Do you need Editorial/Publishing Services?
Do you need Tips Booklet information?
Do you need Newsletter Services?
Do you need Transcription/Secretarial Services?
Do you need Media Training?
Do you need Presentation Skills Training?
Do you need a Public Speaking Success?
Do you need a Graphic Designer?
Do you need Presentation Graphics?
Do you need Book/CD cover design?
Do you need Computer help?
Do you want to be booked Radio and TV?
Do you need Accounting Services?
Do you need Credit Card Processing?
Do you need an Organizer?
Do you need an Audio Production and Recording Studio?
Do you need Video Production Services?
Do you need Video, CD or DVD Duplicating?
Do you need Custom Chocolates?
Do you need a Photographer?
Do you need Web Design and Web Hosting?

Click on this link http://speakerservices.com/resources/index.html to find these services
_____________________________

I welcome you tips and advice and short articles please send via e-mail to .

***********************************************
PROMOTIONS/ADVERTISING RATES:
Get your message out to speakers 6,000 plus and meeting planners in this fast growing newsletter.

$50 a month, 25-50 words of text and a link to your website, or 6 months for $275 paid in advance.

Terms:
Deadline is one week before the end of each month
Payment must be received in advance

To get started:
1- Email your advertising copy to
2- Provide payment by credit card-specify length of time
************************
Previous issues are available at
http://www.speakerservices.com/nl/index.html

To contribute information to this newsletter send via e-mail to:
. Letters and comments are happily accepted.

To remove yourself from this newsletter send an e-mail message to
with remove in subject.

************************
Book Speakers/Authors:
http://speakerservices.com.

Get Listed in the Directory:
http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html

Workshops:
http://speakerservices.com/calendar/index.html

Video Production Services: http://speakerservices.com/videoprod.html

Speaker Audio Tapes/Books
http://speakerservices.com/products/index.html

************************

SPEAKER SERVICES NEWSLETTER, April 2003 http://speakerservices.com

Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html

NEW & RENEWING SPEAKERS FOR April '03

See Entire List of Speakers http://speakerservices.com/categories/allspeak.html

Tabi Katouzi: http://speakerservices.com/free/katouzi_t.html

Ellis Levinson, Author: http://speakerservices.com/fee/levinson_e.html

Dina Silver: http://speakerservices.com/free/silver_d.html

Debra Talbert: Author, http://speakerservices.com/fee/talbert_d.html

Dr. Frank Varese: http://speakerservices.com/free/varese_f.html

_______________________________________________

A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER, SUSAN LEVIN

Get Listed in the Directory: Deadline for listing 15th of each month for the following month