Feel the Fear … And Speak Up!
Feel the Fear . . . And Speak Up!
By Sandra Schrift
Fear of public speaking is No. 1. Death is No. 4. So most people would rather get a root canal and pay their taxes than speak in front of an audience!
Ask yourself,
“Wouldn’t it be great to be able to stand in front of an audience of hundreds of people and hold them in complete captivation?”
“Wouldn’t it be great to feel confident and assured the day you’re scheduled to speak before your company’s executives, an association, or a local civic group?”
“Wouldn’t it be great to go into a presentation confident that the attendees are going to love you, be surrounded by their applause, and overhear comments afterwards, such as, “He was excellent,” or, “She made a real connection with her audience”?
Here are some tips to build your confidence in front of others. I have never met an audience that did not want the speaker to succeed.
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Are you a desparate speaker when it comes to fees?
Are you a desperate speaker
when it comes to fees?
By Jane Atkinson
Fees are a state of mind. Either you believe
(inside and out) that you are worth your fee, or
you don’t.
Has this conversation ever happened to you?
Client: I’d like to book you
You: Great! (inside voice, “I wonder if they can
afford me?”)
Client: How much?
You: $5,000 (inside voice, “Geez, they’re never
going to pay that much!”)
Client: Can we negotiate?
Duh! Of course they are going to negotiate, your
inside voice is running the show!
Here are some tips about managing your fees.
- Set a fee that you know you are more than
worth. Look at who you are sharing the platform
with, who you compete with, do your homework. - Draw up a fee schedule, print it, post it and
stick to it. If it’s not on paper, it’s not real. - When the client asks your fee, say it and then
shut up (not even a peep out of your inside
voice). Don’t assume you know how much they have. - The idea of negotiating your fee is a habit -
break the habit! Stop it. Don’t allow it to
enter your mind. - Have very specific criteria for when you do
negotiate (ie: multiple engagements, major book
sales, favorite charity, etc). Note: all clients
will tell you, “it’s good exposure”, you decide. - Most important, be willing to say ‘no’ if they
don’t meet your criteria. Your level of
willingness to walk away is directly proportionate
to how much you negotiate.
Bottom line, stand tall in your fees and believe
in yourself, and you will see your business and
your bank account grow.
Copyright 2005, Jane Atkinson
Jane has been helping speakers double their business annually for more than a decade. As a former speaker’s agent, she has represented numerous speakers who have vaulted to the top 3% (Platinum Level) of the industry including Vince Poscente, Peter Legge and Joe Calloway (all CSP/CPAE’s**). Jane is a full time business coach and consultant dealing exclusively with professional speakers, celebrities and CEO’s. Her clients are the who’s who and the up-and-comers of the speaking world. For more information regarding Jane and her upcoming book “The Wealthy Speaker: A Proven Formula for Building a Successful Speaking Business” visit her website at www.speakerlauncher.com
Habits Sizzling Salespeople Have in Common
Patricia Drain, author of Sell the Sizzle, had the opportunity to interview 177 top sales producers from all backgrounds, both male and female. “Each of these individuals knew exactly what I meant when I talked about selling the sizzle. After interviewing them, I discovered that each individual followed certain daily habits that took them to the level of Top Producer in their profession,” says Patricia. She shares them below.
Habits Sizzling Salespeople Have in Common
By Patricia Drain
7 Habits That Top Sales Producers Have in Common Are:
Habit #1: Develop a PLAN. Sizzling salespeople plan their days, weeks and months.
They set goals in place and work their plan to exceed those goals.
Habit #2: They Create a Clear FOCUS. Sizzling salespeople ALWAYS stay focused on their specialty and their plan. They stay focused by prioritizing each day.
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Build Your Online Expertise With Great Writing
Build Your Online Expertise With Great Writing
By Debbie Allen, All Rights Reserved
Building your expertise online is a no brainer – simply write great text!
Some of the most successful online marketeers are just good copywriters. They know how to build trust with their viewers, connect with their emotions and needs and then get them to respond – this is done by building their expertise in the form of well-written words.
Here are some ways that you can start to build your online expertise today:
- Write A Dynamic Biography
- List your expertise shamelessly – don’t hold back
- Tell viewers why YOU and YOUR company are THE experts
Most people hold back from shamelessly promoting themselves and their expertise – but you must tell people how and why they need to trust your expertise. List everything you have done to build your business expertise.
Here are some questions to get you thinking about what to add to your bio:
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Presentation Skills: Seven Ways to Organize Your Topic
Presentation Skills
Seven Ways to Organize Your Topic
By Karen Susman
You’ve heard that you should “Tell ‘em what you are going to tell ‘em. Tell ‘em. Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” There are a few problems with that rule. First of all, it assumes your audience members are idiots. It assumes you’re an idiot. And, if forgets to tell you how to organize those remarks when you tell them what you are going to tell them. Yes, you should introduce your topic. Yes you should sum up your remarks and conclude. But, what about that middle section where you deliver on the promise of your introduction and set the stage for your conclusion and call to action? Here are seven different ways to organize your thoughts.
- History: Let’s say you are speaking about the economy. You want your audience to see the trends and cycles. You could give an historical timeline of the economy over the last 5, 10 or 100 years.
- Problem/Solution: For the economy program, outline the problems and challenges as you see them. Then offer three to five solutions or strategies for overcoming the problems you stated.
- General to Specific: If you are talking about cars, talk about cars in general and then talk about Volkswagens. Or talk about Volkswagens and then talk about the VW Bug.
- Specific to General: Reverse #3.
- Instructions: How to do something in simple, step-by-step fashion.
- Geographical: What different regions in the country are doing. Global differences.
- Comparative: Compare ideas, solutions, areas, products, etc.
These are seven of the many ways you can organize your remarks. (Contact Karen Susman, karen@karensusman.com if you want more ideas. Choose the method of organization based on your topic, audience, goals and format. Can’t decide which way to organize? Write down your topic and a sentence describing how your content would flow for each of the seven organization modes. See what works. Whoops! I guess I told you what I was going to tell you. I told you. I told you what I told you.
©Karen Susman.
Karen Susman, Speaker/Author/Coach, works with organizations and individuals that want to maximize their performance and quality of life. Check out her free tips and articles at www.karensusman.com. Karen can be reached at 1-888-678-8818 or karen@karensusman.com.
