Speaker Services E-News - 8/09
Training, Marketing and Development
http://www.speakerservices.com

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In this Issue
- Note from Susan Levin
- New & Renewing Speakers/Authors
-Tips & Advice
Article:  What to Do When Your Prospects Fish for Free Answers? Vickie Sullivan

Note from Susan Levin, founder

TGreetings,

Do you know someone who needs a website marketing makeover?  You know that most of the people I work with have way too much copy and not well written copy on their websites?  They wonder why no one is coming to their site or why they are not buying their services.  The first thing I look for is do they have a way to capture e-mails, are they giving folks an incentive for giving up their e mail address and then I look to see if they have a button for speaker/workshops and for meeting planners.  Ask them to ring me or e mail me susan@speakerservices.com for a consultation.

We just finished the 5 day Speakers’ Bootcamp http://www.speakerservices.com/services/thegame.html and as usual it was a life transforming experience for the attendees.  I spent many hours with them on the marketing end of speaking along with ideas and resources for creating products. Jack Barnard does the lion share of branding, media training and teaching a dynamite template that he created that allows folks to easily work out any presentation and of course there is a lot of interaction and practice. The last one for 2009 is November 5-9 and if I were you I would sign up for the easy 3 pay plan now (psst the fee is going up for 2009.) Hope you take advantage of it as we only take 18-20 folks. 

Not sure who we are and who you are too in the world of speaking and marketing?  Check out the 3 for 1 special for the Speakers’ Summit, October 19 & 20
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakerssummit1008 .  Speakers include: speakers and experts include: Jack Barnard, Susan Levin, Gina Ratiffe, Lisa Sasevich. MEET THE EXPERTS: The Blog Squad- Denise Wakeman & Patsi Krakoff, Gayl Murphy, Jean-Noel Bassior,  Ian Rich.

For our new subscribers allow me to introduce to the SPEAKERS' COMMUNITY- Membership Club.  If you enjoy learning by listening to teleclasses and or downloading mp3’s into your ipod this could be a great opportunity for you and you can  join now- 60 days complimentary www.speakerscommunity.com plus you can download a myriad of mp3’s –yes as many as you want in the 60 days.  If you get the value of the Speakers’ Community then you have 3 options for membership at extremely reasonable fees.  August Speakers’ Community Teleclasses (Open to the public) August 14- Make More Money without spending more on Marketing with Lorrie Morgan Ferraro and  August 28- Be Unforgettable! Get the Audience Involved with Kathy Bote.  You can purchase the mp3’s for $29 if you do not want to join the community.

The feature article this month is What to Do When Your Prospects Fish for Free Answers by Vickie Sullivan.  She says, “It's easy to dismiss those long-winded, unfocused conversations – a.k.a. fishing expeditions – as a waste of time. "Professional prospects," those who go from provider to provider looking for free advice, have given such conversations a bad name. But you can't let that bad name stop you from having meandering conversations altogether. Lots of serious buyers want them, not for freebies, but out of a concern for being cautious and doing due diligence.”  Read more below.
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NEW & RENEWING SPEAKERS/AUTHORS

Denedria Banks, Author, Video Demo - S. California, Nationwide
Patient and service provider inspires and motivates people with her unique, dual perspective on disability and chronic illness.
Disabilities, Inspirational, Motivational

Lisa Brisse, Video Demo  S. California
Exercise Physiologist/Fitness Coach inspire and empower you to make healthy lifestyle choices and reach your health and fitness goals – once and for all!
Fitness, Health, Wellness, Work/Life Balance

Jeffrey I Condon, Author  S. California
Attorney/author reveals how to divide your money and property after you are gone -- without dividing your family.
Estate Planning, Inheritance Planning, Senior Issues, Wills/Living Trusts

Jodi Michele Cooley, Video- S. Caifornia
Empowerment Coach shows how to acknowledge, accept, and take action so you can move past your ordinary life and have the extraordinary one you were meant to have.
Disabilities, Inspirational, Self-Care, Parenting

Lauren S. Henry, Video- S. California
Environmental designer applies a curative brush of love to children with special needs – with a focus on autism
Autism, Environmental Design, Special Needs Children, Health

Barbara Niven, Video- Los Angeles, Nationwide
Successful Hollywood actress and motivational speaker presents breakthrough “ACT as If” system that shows how to script the life of your dreams and live it now!
Celebrity Speakers, Eating Disorders, Law of Attraction, Motivational, Women's Issues

Lorenda Phillips, Video  -- S, California
Business coach empowers you to transform your “mom and pop” company into a multi-million dollar enterprise.
Business Building, Entrepreneurship, Networking, Time Management

SEE ALL SPEAKERS & SPEAKER LISTINGS
http://www.speakerservices.com/categories/allspeak.html
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 View a few Videos and someVideo testimonials
 
 Richard Florczek The Private Chef
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWWpzPM6j8M
 
 Video Testimonials:
 
 Eileen Joyce
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddbA5pA4jEI
 
 Kristin MacDonald
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTngtnG_Its
 
 Nancy Solari
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp-6EU-T3YY
 
You can see many more videos on Speaker Services youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/speakerservices
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TIPS AND ADVICE
 
Why Blogs?
Denise Wakeman, The Blog Squad
http://www.buildabetterblogsystem.com
 
 If you're having trouble attracting people to your website, or you're not selling enough products and services, maybe not enough people can find you online.
 
This is a huge problem for many service professionals, authors, speakers and consultants. Usually, we find they're missing a piece of the marketing puzzle.
 
They are not using the powerful tools available to build buzz, drive traffic and convert prospects to clients.
 
What's the solution? You probably know what we're going to say...
 
That's right. A business blog.  Why?
 
- Blogs are search engine magnets. People find you and your services more easily when they search online.
- You control your site; no web designer necessary.
- You control your online reputation and build credibility.
- You interact with readers so you can convert them to clients
- You get more traffic to your site. More traffic equals more leads.
- You save money. No big investment required to set up and manage a blog.
-The bottom line is this: when you have more traffic you have more opportunity to make more money.
 
Does this sound like something you'd want for your business?
 
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** The Marketing Minute ** Tip by Marcia Yudkin, Marketing Consultant, Author, Speaker, mailto:marcia@yudkin.com
 
Write 20 articles and normally you have just 20 articles.  Create a master plan first, however, and after writing 20 articles, you have a solid section of a book.
 
I'm following this strategy with audio interviews now.  Previously, I'd agree to hour-long interviews purely for publicity.  If someone had a large member group, I'd do the  interview hoping to gain visibility with them, pick up  Marketing Minute subscribers and stimulate word of mouth.
 
This year, before I agree to such an interview, I consider  how it can become a brick in the wall of a multi-part audio product.  I create a specific focus for the session.  No  more all-over-the-map conversations!  I prepare the agenda so it's a chunk of content that adds to other interviews I've done or planned, with little overlap.  I also make sure I have the right to use the recording.
 
This way, any publicity from the interview is gravy.  My interviewers and their audiences love the focused content, and I relish the no-muss, no-fuss ease with which I'm  gradually assembling another product.
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 Posted by Get to the Point
Apply the latest research in customer behavior
"Get to the Point: Customer Behavior (MarketingProfs)" MarketingProfs@marketingprofs.chtah.com
 
 i can sell just like you
 
For customers, web-based shopping can be lonely and impersonal—not like shopping in stores, where they can chat with salespeople, tell them more about what they're looking for, and get advice and assistance. Enter the avatar—an animated "person" who can be used as a selling agent online. More and more web-based retailers are using avatars. But are they effective? Do people respond to these things?
 
Well, the somewhat surprising answer is: yes. One recent study showed that consumers had more satisfaction with an online retailer, more positive attitudes toward the product, and more favorable intentions to purchase it when the retailer used an avatar.
 
And, get this: avatar looks matter, too! The type of avatar was shown to influence the sale. Researchers found that:
 
Avatars made to appear "attractive" were most effective when the consumers' involvement in the purchase decision was low (ie, it was a trivial decision involving limited amounts of money).
Avatars made to appear as "experts" were most effective when the customers' involvement in the purchase decision was high (ie, it involved a higher amount of economic, social, psychological, or time risk).
 
... And you thought competition on the human sales team was tough.
 
The Po!nt: Avatars can sell just like you and me. Despite the initial strangeness of an online image "relating" to a customer, it is apparently working for a range of consumers.
 
Source: " The Influence of Avatars on Online Consumer Shopping Behavior," by Holzwarth, Martin; Janiszewski, Chris; Neumann, Marcus M. Journal of Marketing 2006.
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ARTICLE
 
What to Do When Your Prospects Fish for Free Answers?
 By Vickie Sullivan
 
It's easy to dismiss those long-winded, unfocused conversations – a.k.a. fishing expeditions – as a waste of time. "Professional prospects," those who go from provider to provider looking for free advice, have given such conversations a bad name. But you can't let that bad name stop you from having meandering conversations altogether. Lots of serious buyers want them, not for freebies, but out of a concern for being cautious and doing due diligence.
 
And so you have a challenge: When you're selling what's between your ears, how do you walk the fine line between showing your value to qualified buyers and helping someone who has no intention of working with you?
 
Below are two types of prospects and how to distinguish the "fisher" from the serious buyer without spending too much time solving problems for free.
 
 1. The Storyteller
 
These prospects come to you without a clue. They didn't know they needed your help until they discovered you. They read your book, or heard you speak, and "just know" that you can help them. But they don't know how you work, or how to use your services. So they start with "their story" to brainstorm ways to proceed.
 
The storyteller's agenda: These folks are strong believers in context. They evaluate your services by how well you understand them, believe in them, and are excited to work with them. They want to make sure there's chemistry and that you "get it." You can qualify which prospects are serious and which are not by the amount of information they share and the time it takes them to share it.
 
Serious buyers will give you the Reader's Digest version and then move on to asking you how you can help. They are looking for feedback on what to do next. Once they know you understand, they move quickly to logistics.
 
In contrast, "fishers" will spend too much time giving you too much information. Boldly going where no initial conversation should ever go, they are looking for enough validation and advice to move on without you. These pole-in-the-water people want the "atta boys" and ideas they can use immediately. They are content talking to people without making actual progress on their goals. They say they'll work with you "someday," but don't count on it.
 
Your best response: Answer the prospect's questions by asking your own in-depth questions to chart their next move. Once you get the Reader's Digest version, politely interrupt with a question that feeds back what you've heard and that identifies a next step.
 
For example, I would ask an emerging speaker with an inspiring story this question, "So it sounds like you are ready to launch a profitable business so your story could empower and inspire others, correct?"
 
This question acknowledges their altruism but also moves on to creating a profitable business, and the approach allows you to create value by focusing the prospect's thinking without offering premature solutions that are educated guesses at best. In this example, I would "talk shop" about what's going on in the motivational market and what it takes for speakers with stories to succeed.
 
Serious buyers will be okay with not getting specifics. They will take this next step and want to explore further. "Fishers" will be disappointed and will want to talk more about their story and get specific ideas. You now know when to end the conversation.
 
 2. The Problem-Solver
 
These prospects are on a mission. They have a problem and are looking for ways to fix it. They've been looking for a while and your name popped up on their radar. They know either they have a problem that is hurting their business or have the high-class problem of managing growth and don't want to plateau.
 
These folks have more urgency to act but are not necessarily more decisive than the storytellers above. They may or may not know how you work, but they are intrigued enough to reach out and find out more.
 
The problem-solver's agenda: These problem-solvers are focused on the issue at hand and want to make sure you can really help them. They evaluate your services by your insights about their problem and by your experience and approach to resolving their challenge.
 
They are most afraid of spending money and time on a solution that will cause more harm than good. They are more jaded prospects if they have tried other vendors/solutions and it didn't work.
 
Serious buyers qualify themselves by the questions they ask. They will briefly outline their situation and ask more focused questions about your experience and approach. They will have a timeline for making a decision; they are ready to act. Serious buyers want a workable solution they can afford.
 
"Fishers" will ask for minute details about what they should do next. They will give lip service on the importance of the problem, having no plan for when they will solve it. The false buyers want ideas they can implement on their own.
 
Your best response: Problem-solvers feel uneasy, and so empathy is a great springboard. If I see a pattern, I'll respond with, "Ya know, I see this problem a lot, so you are not alone." And then I reframe the issue by identifying a common underlying cause.
 
For example, when speakers raise their fees too fast, they begin competing with colleagues who are better branded than they are. This results in a huge drop in speaking engagements because they went from top dog in one category to the weaker option in another.
 
In this case, I'd say, "If we were to work together, I'd focus on either rebranding you in the new category or maximizing your revenue in the lower-fee one." This approach allows you to create value by helping the prospect understand how they got into their predicament and offering options to consider. And this approach allows you to outline a focused approach without establishing a step-by-step plan (which you shouldn't have yet anyway), for free. Real buyers will move to explore both options.
 
Fishing Expeditions Can Work
 
Unfocused inquiries, like fishing expeditions, are a sign that your marketing activities, or bait, are doing their job.
 
Your brand is intriguing enough that folks contact you and want to learn more. Your articles pinpoint a problem and show how you can help, so prospects want to know if your solutions will work for them.
 
I have found that professional service pros are generous people. They got into the service business because they have something to share and genuinely want to help others. By walking the fine line between showing your value and helping yourself out of an assignment, you can get more assignments from serious buyers who want to work with you but need to go fishing first.
 
 Vickie Sullivan, President of Sullivan Speaker Services, Inc. is nationally recognized as the top market strategist for experts on the professional speaking circuit. Since 1987, she has worked with thousands of experts in a wide variety of industries to launch their big-fee speaking, professional service and book/product empires in highly lucrative markets. Contact Vickie by e-mailing info@sullivanspeaker.com.