| An obstacle is something material or immaterial that | | | | earn a living from speaking and rather than take |
| stands in the way of literal or figurative progress. As | | | | responsibility for why you're not booked, blame the |
| an expert who speaks, you're paid to teach others | | | | economy, time and others for insufficient funds so that |
| what you know so that they can overcome obstacles | | | | you can continue to tell your friends and family how |
| and impediments to their own progress. | | | | the results would be different if you only had more |
| How effective are you in overcoming obstacles in | | | | money. |
| securing paid speaking engagements? Let's identify | | | | Solutions to your insufficient funds: Take at least 98% |
| some obstacles that you face, look at the common | | | | responsibility for your results. Reduce the perceived |
| responses and talk about proven solutions for getting | | | | risks that the prospect has of working with you. The |
| more bookings. | | | | higher the risk, the less likely they will hire you to speak. |
| Obstacle: Wanting to be a celebrity instead of a | | | | Learn to articulate your USP in one to two sentences |
| problem solver | | | | because people responsible for speaker selection don't |
| Common response: Create a website that's all about | | | | want to hear your autobiography. They only want to |
| you. Don't create an optin strategy to stay in touch | | | | know what you can do for them. If you are positioned |
| with people who are looking for solutions to challenges, | | | | as a problem solver and you know what solutions will |
| because it's not about you helping them, it's about them | | | | help them, you'll get hired eventually. And when you get |
| knowing who you are. Refuse to identify a target | | | | hired over and over, you'll have sufficient funds and |
| market where you can actually help individuals and | | | | they'll find the funds to pay you to solve their problems. |
| organizations. From the stage, talk about yourself, your | | | | Make contact with past clients, your successful |
| achievements, your wealth and your success in | | | | speaking colleagues, a combination of trusted friends |
| business. Arrive late, don't mingle and leave early. Oh, | | | | and successful business leaders for whom you have |
| and blame the economy, time, money and others for | | | | great respect and admiration. Ask for referrals for |
| not understanding your brilliance. | | | | speaking engagements and a testimonial from each. |
| Solutions: Take at least 98% responsibility for your | | | | Be willing to also ask for any suggestions they might |
| results. After that, become a problem solver. Applause | | | | have for securing more speaking engagements. Then |
| is intoxicating but don't be seduced into thinking it's all | | | | ask what you can do for them. Be prepared to offer |
| about you. The moment you forget that you were | | | | them something in return-either a percentage of |
| booked to serve others, you aren't client attractive. | | | | anything booked or a finder's fee or a gift. |
| Example: If your expertise is in customer service, | | | | If you're losing business because you either don't have |
| penetrate the market in which you first gained | | | | a website or your website is all about you which has |
| credibility. You can generate profits for a life time by | | | | no traffic and no conversion, create a home page of |
| knowing your target market so that you become the | | | | the most frequently asked questions about your |
| leading expert in your field. Celebrity status pales in | | | | expertise, how you work with customers, how you |
| comparison to that. Solving problems is one way | | | | help clients in your target market solve problems. End |
| someone who is not published can shift from being a | | | | with your contact information. This is far superior to a |
| concurrent session speaker to a keynote speaker. | | | | blank page that says, "Website under construction." |
| Obstacle: Holding on to the past | | | | You at least have something to send meeting |
| Common response: Think small. Try to do everything | | | | professionals to so that they can learn more about |
| yourself. Become a control freak. Refuse to delegate | | | | how you can help them. |
| tasks that others can easily do for you with little to no | | | | Solutions to their insufficient funds: Take at least 98% |
| training. Refuse to outsource projects and activities to | | | | responsibility for your results. Then, get to know your |
| product suppliers, duplicators, distributors and affiliate | | | | target market better than you do now. You should |
| managers. Criticize the efforts of others who try to | | | | already know their challenges. Create fee flexibility. |
| help you. Stress out. Get sick. Blame the economy, | | | | There's more than one way to get paid to speak. Go |
| time, money and others for your burn out and lack of | | | | to the articles button on my website for your free |
| production. | | | | copy of the "7 Ways to Get Paid to Speak." |
| Solutions: Take at least 98% responsibility for your | | | | Make it your business to find out how to get in front of |
| results. Hire virtual assistants for booking your travel, | | | | them either for a fee or for product sales. Be flexible in |
| handling your social media, generating publicity, | | | | your speaking fee and arrange to offer additional |
| administrative tasks, Internet marketing, SEO, bill pay, | | | | products and services that you've created following |
| ezines, accounting and almost any function necessary | | | | your presentation. Find related companies and suppliers |
| for speakers. Contact a professional fulfillment house | | | | who would be willing to underwrite your appearance |
| and educate yourself about what needs to be done in | | | | and pay your fee and expenses. Be willing to speak at |
| chronological order when you create a new product. | | | | industry showcases where you have a chance to be |
| Delegate and outsource where you can. | | | | seen and heard by industry leaders who can hire you |
| Focus on your strengths and do what you love to do | | | | in the future. Consider speaking for free to industry |
| like writing, speaking and designing new products and | | | | associations whose members represent organizations |
| services for your client base. Build your strengths, | | | | in your target market that do hire speakers. |
| maximize your best creative thinking and delegate | | | | Generally speaking, the reason that organizations don't |
| your weaknesses. Ask the pros to help you | | | | want to pay your fee is because they don't see the |
| systematize all campaigns and marketing activities. | | | | difference between what you offer and what another |
| Work on your mindset. | | | | speaker offers -in which case, price is all that matters. |
| Obstacle: Insufficient funds - yours and theirs | | | | This is why you have to differentiate your expertise |
| Common response to your insufficient funds: Stay | | | | from your competitors and believe in your ability to live |
| stuck. Give up. Whine. Fail to take advantage of | | | | up to the claims that you make in your relevant |
| hundreds of websites where free tips and strategies | | | | marketing message. When you make it clear that your |
| from information marketers and coaches are offered | | | | content is relevant and valuable, you'll be hired. They |
| to speakers. Refuse to ask for payment plans, barter | | | | get solutions to increase their productivity, profits and |
| opportunities or discounts. Blame the economy, time | | | | well-being and you get paid for your expertise. |
| and others for your lack of money. | | | | As you can see from the examples above, all of them |
| Common response to their insufficient funds: Reduce | | | | are immaterial and they stand in the way of your |
| your fee down to nothing which de-values your | | | | progress unless you become proactive in removing or |
| expertise. Fail to generate new leads. Refuse to | | | | diminishing them. They relate more often than not to |
| demonstrate your value to your target market and the | | | | your mindset. I've asked you to take at least 98% |
| high content of your presentations so that the | | | | responsibility for your results. That way, you can do |
| prospect can see what's in it for them; fail to articulate | | | | something to change your circumstances. The |
| your USP; refuse to reach out to your customer base | | | | remaining 2% covers material and literal obstacles that |
| and sit back and wait for the phone to ring with | | | | you cannot control, but that said, there are super |
| invitations; postpone articulating your ultimate claim. | | | | extraordinary experts who speak who have figured |
| Stay unwilling to gather third party endorsements and | | | | out how to get over, under and around all impediments. |
| relevant facts about you and build that into your | | | | If you're only interested in overcoming obstacles, you |
| compelling marketing message. An unfortunate but | | | | do what's convenient. If you're committed to |
| common response is to give up on your dream to | | | | overcoming them, you do whatever it takes. |