1. New & Renewing Speakers

2. A Note from the Publisher, Susan Levin

3. Request for Info, Tips and Advice

4. Article: Dealing With the "No Budget" Blues, Vickie Sullivan

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Accounting, Income Taxes, Business Solutions

Certified Public Accountant offers tools and techniques to help you manage your money and make it work for you

Creativity, Wellness, Mythology

Nationally-acclaimed playwright/director/author uses the arts to educate, enlighten and motivate you to create the life you desire

Healthcare, Wellness, Professional Development

Accomplished family physician and hospital administrator reveals how to survive and thrive in today's challenging healthcare environment

Parenting/Children, Divorce, Stress Management

A unique approach to age-old problems. Sound principles of psychology and learning theory, presented with a refreshing sense of humor.

Learn how to enrich your life by making better ethical choices from this dynamic college professor and marriage, family therapist

Business, Writing, Genealogy

Financial executive, writer and genealogist shares fundamental success strategies

Inspirational, Motivational, Business

Entrepreneur who built five successful businesses with no money, but with a thought and an ideal, shows how you can make your dream a reality

Health/Nutrition, Aging, Wellness

Motivational nutritionist shows how to lose weight permanently, defy aging and protect health — without dieting!

Sales, Networking, Women’s Issues

Former Talk Show Host, Top Sales Performer, and Author shows how "old fashion" is in-fashion when it comes to sales, networking, and daily living

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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

2004 is the beginning of my 13th year in business with Speaker Services and by the way 13 is a very lucky number!

13 years ago we started as a local print directory with 30-40 speakers in Los Angeles and in 1994 I was one of the first 1500 people to get a URL and have a website. Now we have 70-80 speakers in our web directory from all over the country.

I've learned so much over the years and as a Speaker Marketing Consultant I share my expertise in private sessions to support folks in growing their businesses through speaking. I am proud of the fact that I am a "shameless" marketer and that I can reach out to you all through e-mail and let you know what's happening in the world of speaking.

Over the years I gathered a wonderful team of experts who have supported me in doing my work. I am grateful and blessed because I could not do my service without them. Kudos to: Jack Barnard and Heidi Parr, extraordinary Presentation Coaches, Jean-Noel Bassior, my incredible editor, Cid Hunter, ITV Video Team and Sam Levy, The NetMan who keeps my website hosted and handles all the technical stuff and Dotti Albertine, fabulous graphic designer.

In January we are offering Speak Like a Pro, Market Yourself as a Speaker and Improv for Speakers and Coaches see

Wishing you a joyous holiday season,

Susan Levin

Speaker Services

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PubInsider.com's president, Jeffrey Bowen, recently worked with mega-best selling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and speaker, Robert Kiyosaki, on his September 2003 national tour and garnered over 14 million FREE consumer impressions via radio, television, print and online! Over 15,000 people attended Robert's events! What can PubInsider.com do for you?

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A recent item reads "I'm the executive Producer for a Consumer oriented national radio show. I'm looking for energetic, interesting experts to join our well-known host to talk about consumer life related issues: home care, pet care, car care, travel, culinary arts (baking/cooking tips), elder care, genealogical research, organizational skills ... you get the picture! Authors of new books are welcome to inquire. We're

looking for guests who can help our listeners walk away with information they can put to use in their everyday lives.

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I'm looking for authors to interview on my NPR radio show. If you have a book with a personal relationship or emotional/psychological slant, please send a copy and press kit to me to be considered for the show. You and your book will also be mentioned in my nationally syndicated column "Emotional Fitness." Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D. P.O. Box 4502, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359

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WsRadio.com is now powering eBayRadio. Ebay is one of the top ten websites in the world, with 75 million registered users, and over 100 links to wsRadio.com--which gets over a million hits a month and growing rapidly from this partnership.

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F-R-E-E LISTING FOR YOUR EZINE. See

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73,000 Independents Now Publishing!

Publishers Marketing Association (PMA) and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) originally surveyed America's "53,000 independent, smaller book publishers" in 1997, and have just released an update that puts the current count at 73,000. The report finds that the independent publishing industry as a whole "is more diverse, more entrepreneurial, and more infused with new ideas and new information than previously thought."

-- Item above courtesy of Jim Barnes

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Subscriber Florrie Kichler of Patria Press, a member of the PMA board of directors, provided an excerpt from the report, showing that annual sales by midsize and smaller publishers (those with fewer than 200 titles) now total $29 billion to $34 billion -- up from $14 billion in 1997!

These statistics confirm our long-standing view that the traditional publishing industry, dominated by a handful of multi-national giants, has stagnated in recent years. Meanwhile, smaller publishers have made gains, thanks to the energy and creativity of readers like you!

-- Item above courtesy of Florrie Kichler

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1. PEACE. Bradley L. Winch in now collecting "chicken soup" style stories that deal with creating peace in our own lives and on the planet.

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3. HAVE YOU DONE SOMETHING THAT WAS DUMB THAT BUT WAS REALLY FUNNY? We all have. Stephanie Marston, Co-author of Chicken Soup for the Empowered Woman’s Soul is seeking stories for Living Stupid: Dumb Things Smart People Do. Now you have an opportunity to contribute to this new series by sharing your humorous, true-life experiences.

I am looking for humorous, true stories, that tickles your funny bone or makes you laugh out loud. It's a story about something you've done that later makes you smack your head and laugh at yourself. (It can even be a funny story about someone else.)

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Good news:  Budgets are loosening up and spending is continuing to rise.  Bad news:  New dollars are being used to increase the NUMBER of meetings, rather than expanding budgets for existing events and venues.  Result:  Too many experts are still hearing "we love you but don't have the budget for your fee."  Below are three paths to get your speaking fee when you hear the notes of the "no budget" blues:

Many experts simply aren't talking to the person who can override the "free experts only" policy that many associations are adopting.  In general, program chairs don't have the power to get more money; they can influence their boards but can't make the decision.  Conference chairs, on the other hand, usually can say yes if they want to badly enough.  The best way to get your fee is by approaching the right people.  If you approach and entice a board member, if can be a done deal.  However, if you approach too low in the decision-making chain, you'll get stuck in the price conversation.  So contact high and generate interest first, then have the fee conversation.

This same approach works in the corporate market.  Two rules of thumb:  The person handling logistics cannot change the policy.  The person with a job title of VP and above usually can.

I have never seen a budget that wasn't flexible enough to deal with contingencies.  Therefore, participation by the expert needs to be a contingency.  Even in these tough times, there is room to maneuver if the buyer wants you.  What makes buyers willing to move money around?  Two things:  (1) they can't easily get a speaker as prominent as you for less money, and (2) someone important to them wants you to speak.

Neither of these reasons have anything to do with the sale verbiage you use.  It's all about your positioning and visibility in the marketplace.

If the above two don't work, then go outside the organization to get funding.  The most obvious path:  sponsorship.  That's when an outside organization that wants to build awareness with your targeted audience pays your speaking fee.  Many organizations have already lined up sponsors, but it never hurts to approach a group with your own.  The best avenue to find sponsors:  Go to your base of corporate clients.  Key question to ask:  "Would duplicating our experience in your target market leverage your trade show plans?"

Another way to find outside funds:  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 these paths don't work, you may have a bigger problem than shrinking budgets.  Inability to get paid can result from positioning or market strategies that are obsolete.

With all the buzz about reinventing the speaking profession, it's a great time to take a macro look at our business models.  Below are three signs from the marketplace that point to the need for a new strategy or revised packaging.

How many times have your best clients said, "We love your work, but we just can't pay your new rates"?  If it's more than 50% of the time, you might have outgrown your market segment.  This happens a lot to trainers and consultants who also do facilitation; they want to charge keynote fees in their current formats and the market won't go for it.

The real issue:  You've outgrown your format.  Therefore, you need to re-position your expertise in a way that generates interest in more high-fee venues such as keynoting.

The biggest myth in the speaking business is that you can "work your way up."  Many experts believe if they get a foot in the door by working with front-line staff, the executive team will "discover" their talents and work with them, too.  The reality is that experts get pigeonholed at the level of the staff they train.  Executives rarely hire experts who specialize in development of all staff levels.

Don't bother trying to move up with current clients; instead, focus on upgrading your client base by repositioning your message to attract people at higher levels, then use media outreach to get their attention.

What would happen to your business if your top three clients went away?  Could you quickly recoup that loss with new business?  Lots of experts couldn't take this hit, which is why so many speaking businesses crashed when the economy did.

If you can't name three things that make you different that a stranger would agree with, then it's time to reposition your expertise beyond your current client base or market segment.  And when you launch this effort, don't go to your loyal clients for help.  They can't see you clearly either...

While wake-up calls don't feel good, they're needed to help us leap into action.  Be hyper-aware of the subtle changes in the marketplace and you'll find the heads-up you need to make necessary changes -- before something happens.

Our marketplace reminds me of the forest fires out west -- regardless of how hard we work, conditions out of our control can make or break our businesses.  Although I truly believe that better times are ahead, I'm less confident that the economy will increase everyone's business like it did last time.  Only those experts who devote the time, effort, and yes, even money, to building profitable strategies will take advantage of the current momentum.  Now is not the time to be in survival mode; those who risk investing will be the ones who reap the rewards

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