1. New & Renewing Speakers

2. A Note from the Publisher, Susan Levin

3. Promotions/Advertising

4. Request for Info, Tips and Advice

5. Article: Fees and Negotiating and Reasons to Consider a Lower Fee,

Lillie Walters

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Motivational speaker teaches powerful communication skills through personal contact and participation

Mortgage broker reveals secrets of success, from buying your first home to building a real estate empire

Paralegal services offer do-it-yourself access to legal system while slashing costs

Professional graphologist teaches you to analyze yourself and others through the principles of handwriting analysis

Noted professional speaker and coach provides you with the knowledge and insight to communicate effectively with your targeted business market

The world’s only psychic twins show you how to develop your intuitive gifts and connect with your angels and spirit guides through automatic writing

Feng Shui consultant teaches you how to optimize health, wealth and balance in your personal and professional lives

Former Lockheed Group President shows how to crack the code to extraordinary leadership, get there and stay there

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One of the biggest challenges for speakers/authors is marketing themselves and how to find speaking engagements. All to often professionals don't have their ducks lined up in a row and I have heard many sad stories of ten of thousands of dollars spent with very small returns.

My advice is to work with a speaker marketing coach to develop a marketing plan. Always ask yourself who is my market and who wants to hear my message and what makes me different then other speakers. Then think about developing multiple streams of income from your speaking ie: tip booklets, workbooks, CD's, consulting, in house training etc. A 3 camera video demo should be part of your plan as well.

There are thousands and thousands of meeting planners and program chairs who are looking for speakers for meetings and conferences. So how can you find them? Many of them come to our website http://speakerservices.com (since '94) to find speakers because we bring speakers/authors together with audiences. We are a marketing tool for you. We take no commissions just a flat fee to be listed on our site. Read our advertising packet Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html to learn more and feel free to call me to discuss your needs.

Speaker Services supports professional people in growing their business through speaking. We work with beginning to seasoned speakers. We can help you create a strategic marketing plan as well as designing your talks.

Speaking is a business and a business takes time to nurture and develop. You won't feel overwhelmed if you have a marketing and action plan in place. We work with folks in Los Angeles in person through various classes and consult over the phone. Allow the pros to assist you.

For our speakers we offer monthly leads to associations who are calling for speakers so that you can be proactive.

I also offer have a 2 hour private marketing package that includes leads to organizations and associations for your market. Call me to discuss your needs 310-822-4922.

At a recent conference my colleague Vickie Sullivan talked about current trends in the marketplace. Here are some of her comments. What's hot on the circuit now?  Speakers with military experience who can link their experience in hostile environments with business savvy.  But before you dust off those war stories, make sure you can make them relevant to the problems your audience is facing.  Otherwise, they can do as much damage as bad sports analogies.

Another way to find outside funds is through audience members themselves.  Many associations offer pre-conference and post-conference workshops and willingly split the proceeds from them.  While risky, this is still a great way for branded speakers to get paid more than their usual fee.

If you are serious about speaking you will need a demo tape in front of a live audience. Do you have one? Or is yours outdated? The next Video Demo Showcase is March 6, 2004 in Los Angeles. Please call me or e-mail me for a sample demo so that you can see our outstanding work. Samples in real player are on the website see http://speakerservices.com/videoprod.html

Recommended Resource List of vendors: http://speakerservices.com/resources/index.html. We have resources for book designers to copy writing, duplicating services and credit card processing, PR/Marketing and more.

Susan Levin

Speaker Services

310-822-4922

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I can't say enough good things about Susan Levin's Speaker Services. My business has gotten a tremendous boost from my website listing, the terrific classes Susan offers, and the excellent opportunities Susan provides to speak and get expert feedback. Thank you Susan Levin and Speaker Services!

- David Evans, Speaker

I thank Susan Levin and Speaker Services for "getting me off the dime" at several stages in my speaking career. She offers a superb service and training, not to mention personal support. What more could I ask for? Oh, yeah, and I’ve gotten fast payback on my marketing investment here, every time.

- Maureen Murphy, Speaker & Consultant

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American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) www.asaenet.org

Association of Professional Conference Organizers (AIPC) www.aipc.org

Connected International Meeting Professional Assn. (CIMPA) www.cicm.com

Insurance Conference Planners Association www.icpanet.com

International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau (IACVB) www.iacvb.org

The Meetings Industry Mall www.mim.com

Meetings Industry Association (MIA) www.meetings.org

Meeting Professionals International www.mpiweb.org

National Association of Independent Meeting Planners (NAIMP) www.naimp.com

National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners (NCBMP) www.ncbmp.com

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At Sixth Star, we are proud to announce that we have been contracted by the top cruise lines in the world to enhance their entertainment packages with the placement of destination and special interest lecturers!

If you are well-traveled, an excellent public speaker and enjoy cruising, we invite you to consider the fun and exciting opportunity to lecture aboard a luxury vessel!

For more information, contact Heidi Speece at hspeece@sixthstar.com or call(954) 462- 6760 ext. 24.

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Reconnect with previous speaking clients by suggesting they purchase a quantity of a tips booklet you write about your speaking topic. Your tips booklet can be an ideal way for your client to reconnect with their client base and prospect list by sending each account a copy of your booklet as this year's holiday greeting instead of an impersonal printed greeting card or calendar. It will help your client to distinguish themselves from among the crowd, and will help market you in the process. To go one step further, the booklet can be sent right after the first of the year to focus on new year's resolutions and starting the year off right!

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Contact Craig Campana at referrals@gonowmail.com to request a "career satisfaction survey."

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2. STORIES OF SUCCESSFUL WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS WANTED. Writer Lois Carter Fay is gathering names of successful women business owners to profile in her new ebook, SUCCESS SECRETS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS, due to be published Spring 2004. If you would like to nominate a woman business owner (or yourself), send the information below to lcf@marketingideashop.com

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3. DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR MOTHER? What kind of special memories do you have? If you want to share those with others, let your mom be a role model, write it down and send it in. Some of you have shared wonderful stories of mothers, all of them unique but more are needed. The upcoming book is, "Remembering Mothers." Submissions should be 500 to 1200 words long. For complete details and guidelines, contact Lucy at lucyoldwoman@yahoo.com or

through her website at http://www.lucysimons.org Be sure to include contact information (email address or website) for replies

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1,001 Ways to Make More Money as a Speaker, Consultant or Trainer:

Plus 300 Rainmaking Strategies for Dry Times

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Lilly, whom you might know from her very famous book "Speak and Grow Rich," took all of the marketing ideas she has ever come across, and put them into a numbered, bite size format! Here are many on Fees and Negotiating and Reasons to Consider a Lower Fee

654. Have a small form made up and ready when potential customers call. List: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. When they ask you to speak for their group, smile and say "Tell me more." After you get all the rest of the information ask this question: "What is your budget for this program?"

655. When clients say they need to negotiate and reduce your fee, do not give them a bargain price for no viable reason. Find a way to exchange value for value. When you do this, customer will have respect for you and the quality of your services you offer. If you do not value your work, no one else will.

656. Showcase Opportunities to Prospective Buyers: If working for this client has marketing opportunities for other speaking, consulting, or product sale. Audiences of speakers bureau representatives, meeting planners, and association or corporate executives fall into this group.

657. Barter part or all of your fee: If the client has a service or product that is of real value to you, barter part or all of your fee in exchange. Speakers have traded speeches and seminars for new automobiles, long-distance dialing credits, boats and many other valuable things!

658. Exchange part of your fee for an ad in their company or association publication: If the audience might prove a good market for your books, cassettes, products, and other services. An ad is a concrete value which has a price which you can negotiate.

659. Exchange part of your fee for an ad their event program brochure. These ads can bring you cash sales. An ad is a concrete value which has a price which you can negotiate.

660. Trade should be taken at least in full dollar-to-dollar retail value of the item, or even more. The mark-up on items the client barters is often 75 percent over the wholesale cost. Exchange your normal "listed" full fee, for the value in retail list price on their items.

661. Sell a large number of product with the presentation. If the buyer pre-purchases a large number of your products as training materials or gifts for attendees, offer a volume discount. For example, if your regular is $3,000, and the client needs 1,000 of your cassette albums on the subject to present to the attendees, and the albums retail for $89.95 each you might offer them for 50% off retail with your full speaking fee. Or, discount your speaking fee to $2,000, and offer 30% off the retail album price.

662. The client usually has a separate budget for educational materials. See if you can negotiate product sales as part of that budget.

663. If you are skilled at several topics, do several at the same meeting or event. Offer to do one of your other topics at a lower, or no fee, if they buy the first one at full price. They get the advantage of paying only one set of expenses (plane tickets and hotel rooms) and gain an additional program at a bargain price.

664. Sell a second presentation at the same event

665. Sometimes there is another budget for special sub-groups attending this event: spouses, children, managers, presidents, etc., who will be attending the conference. Find out who is in charge of this program, suggest they call this person, or let them know you will call them and see if you can work out the trade. They are able to combine the two budgets.

666. Sell multiple dates in the same contract. If the client needs several speakers or seminar leaders during the year for different audiences and/or locations, offer to present a series of performances at a lesser fee.

667. When they tell you, "Cut your fee on this talk, and then we might use you in a series." In which case you reply, "This program will cost full price, but I will be glad to add a clause stating: 'If a series contract is signed within one year of this date, $_____ will be deducted from the series price."' This is a business approach. Remember, the person you are negotiating with may not be with the company or association next year, or even next month. So get full price for this program and put the future discount into the contract. While it may seem tempting to accept a "cut rate" on the date at hand with the hope of a future contract, it is not a good idea. This offer might be made only to reduce your fee. with no real intention of offering a future series. In addition, you might pass up other bookings because you are holding a series of dates

668. Another way to negotiate multiple contracts is to write all of the dates of the series on the original contract, with a deposit due on all of them, including the first one. The balance on each contract date would be paid two weeks before each program day. Stay in touch, and bill the client appropriately, with a copy of the contract sent each time. Bookkeepers also change.

669. If a customer is sincere in their promises, they will not hesitate to sign a firm contract for a series at the lower rate. If the dates are not set, just write into the contract, "four programs within ____ [their time frame]."

670. Sell a set of articles. Offer to write a set of, perhaps, twelve monthly articles for your client's own publication. Discount your regular price for the articles because you offer volume of 12 or 24 articles, but charge full price for the presentation or training.

671. Ask if the buyer is willing to pay you in full at the time the booking is made, instead of half with the contract and the balance two weeks before on the date of the presentation (see more on cash discounts later in this chapter).

672. A discount is offered by most suppliers, in most industries. Most businesses, big or small, like a discount. Consider offering a discount for paying 100% immediately, including expenses, with the signing of the contract. Then, after the event, you are not chasing money, but able to be in the position to do follow-up. Besides, when you are calling to chase money, you cannot be asking for referrals, another booking or a thank you letter.

673. See if the company will pay for transportation, hotel, and meals for both you and your spouse which extend beyond the dates of the meeting so that you can have a vacation. Often, a large convention has complimentary rooms and discounts on airfares. This is a perk which costs them very little, but can mean a wonderful time together for you at a beautiful resort.

674. No matter whether you charge for each item you included, or offer a "package" deal, use an itemized bill which spells out the high value of each item the customer will receive. Have the invoice say, "Actual value," then the special negotiated fee you will be charging the customer.

675. Sometimes you might make a great deal more by taking a lessor fee, but having a percentage of the profits.

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