Building Your Personal Brand

Building Your Personal Brand

As a speaker you want to build a personal brand for yourself so that people remember you long after you’ve given your presentation. Here are some secrets.

Six Sensational Secrets for Branding Yourself As A Speaker

By Kristie T of KristieT.com

Wish you could be one of those speakers that people talk about long after the program is over? While people won’t remember everything that you say in a program, they will remember who you were being while you presented. Here are six innovative ideas for how you can inject your personality and brand to create an unforgettable experience for your audience.

Secret #1: Tell your Signature Story

Nothing is better than a good story. Weaving your signature stories into the core of your message turns an ordinary talk into a real crowd pleaser. That’s just the kind of experience that leaves speaker Rich Fettke’s audiences hanging in suspense waiting for more.

Rich is a highly sought after keynote speaker on overcoming fear and achieving breakthrough success. In his spare time, Rich likes to engage in adventure sports like skydiving, bungee jumping, and rock climbing. In his signature talk, “Take The Leap,” Rich tells an adrenaline-fueled, heart-pounding story about his first experience sky diving and shows how anyone can step out of their comfort zone to achieve greater success.

Do you have a turning point in your life that shaped you into the person you are? Do you have a “rags to riches story”? Make a list of your trademark stories that you could share in presentations.

Secret #2: Don’t be Afraid to Show Your Flaws

One of the things we sometimes forget as “experts” is that it’s okay to show your vulnerability. In fact sharing your weaknesses, can actually build credibility and trust. A few weeks ago I had the great privilege of seeing Jeff Blackman speak at a NSA of Illinois chapter meeting. Jeff is a “business-growth specialist” with a full speaking, training and consulting calendar.

Toward the end of his program, he shared a story about a six year old boy who had a speech impediment that caused all the kids to make fun of how he talked. And he told us the story in the voice of the little boy who mispronounced his R’s like L’s. Every day that little boy worked hard to improve his speech. Over the next few years, that boy continued speech correction lessons, until he was able to enunciate, articulate and communicate. Eventually, he grew-up to become a professional speaker, an attorney, a radio and TV talk-show host and…the author of a book called Peak Your Profits. And can you guess who that boy was? You guessed it, that boy was Jeff Blackman.

Do you have a story about a challenge you faced or a hard learned mistake? People really admire when you are not afraid to show their “warts” like that. You know, no one is perfect. Everyone starts from somewhere. And when you see that someone has overcome great obstacles like that it gives us hope.

Secret #3: Create a Signature Presentation Style
and Look that’s All Your Own

Imagine this: you are sitting in a room when all of a sudden, the lights are dimmed, the roaring sound of an helicopter landing fills the room, and on a screen in front of you a helicopter lands and a man climbs out. Then out of the corner of the room charges a man dressed in full army garb. That’s the exhilarating ride that audiences experience when speaker Don Peters, a.k.a. “Big Ticket Ace”, enters the room. Don has developed a reputation as a dynamic presenter and is known for his trademark speaking attire.

While a uniform or costume may be too extreme for some of us, there are other ways to create your own signature style. For example, sales expert Jeffrey Gitomer is known for his blue bowling shirt that has his name stitched on it.

Or even if you just want to position yourself as a world class speaker, having a polished looking suit or even wearing a tie in your brand colors can set you apart.

Secret #4: Pull your Hobbies, and Interests into Your Program

Watch Monday night football and you know that people get pretty passionate about their sports. That’s why weaving your interests, hobbies, and pets into your speaking programs turns regular audience members into raving fans.

The last words of Jeff Blackman’s introduction are this:

“However, Jeff’s greatest business goal, is to some day, own and operate, a World Series Trophy Shop… (Big Pause) for the Chicago Cubs!”

And during his program, Jeff made a couple other subtle references to being a true Cubs fan that makes his program really memorable.

Think about what fun or unique things you would share about yourself during your programs. Do you love karaoke? Are you a dog lover? Do you love to fish? By tying these personal facts into your program you add instant interest.

Secret #5: Add Your Unique Brand of Humor

Humor has the power to transform an ordinary program into a fun experience for the whole audience. For some speakers, their humor bits become their trademark.

Here are a quick excerpt from Jeff Blackman’s trademark story.

“The year is 1974. I am a freshman in the University of Illinois. I am wearing a polyester shirt that was highly fashionable and highly flammable. It is set off by a puka shell necklace.

You see, in 1974, men only needed one eyebrow… But, thankfully through therapy and counseling, I now have 2 eyebrows instead of one.”

Apparently Jeff still has that shirt. He calls it his “vintage collection.” And today his teenage son and daughter beg to borrow shirts from his “vintage collection” to wear to school because it’s so cool.

Jeff’s “vintage collection” photo (and the story) is such a hit, that his clients often request that he tell the story and show his groovy “unibrow” picture during his programs.

Secret #6: Share Use your Own Quotes

Often speakers get caught up in sharing the famous words of other speakers. Why not leave the audience with your words as the final thought? Before you know it people will be quoting YOU in articles and speeches.

You can create your own quotes to share during presentations, as instant quotes for the media, and to add to your handouts. Brian Tracy has a set of cards (from Mem-Cards.com) that feature his quotes in the form of advanced selling tips.

And here’s another way to get your quotes in the public realm. Hayley Foster is an editor who works for a CyberNation, a free daily quote subscription service . You can submit your unique quotes to her free daily quote subscription service by sending them to admin@hayleyfoster.com.

I actually did this by having my virtual assistant go thru my book, “I Love My Life: A Mom’s Guide to Working from Home” and pulling out the notable quotables.

Here’s one from my book that reveals my belief about sharing your brand with the world.

“We all have unique gifts and talents. … There are treasures stored inside each one of us. It’s our duty to uncover and use the gifts we were bestowed with. We are all created for a purpose. Pursue your personal purpose and live from that plan.”

– Kristie Tamsevicius

Summary:
So take a moment to look at your presentation. What unique insights and stories do you have? What mistakes have you made in your life that others can learn from? By sharing your unique brand in your programs, you create an entertaining, one-of-a-kind experience they’ll never forget!

I hope you’ve found this advice on building your personal brand helpful.

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Running Your Speaking Business

Speaking Engagements

Speaking Engagements

Feel that you have something of value to share at a speaking engagement but have no idea where to begin looking? There are some great ways you can find wonderful engagements that you can be involved in.

14 Fabulous Ways to Get Paid Speaking Engagements

Sometimes finding good leads for speaking gigs can feel a bit like hunting for a tropical spa with umbrella drinks in the dessert. It’s easy to get discouraged. But yet when you see superstars that are booked solid, you know that it can be done. So how do you find leads for paid speaking engagements? Below are 14 techniques you can use to find good contacts and get yourself booked!

1) It all starts with the niche. Networking expert, Lillian D. Bjorseth (www.Duoforce.com), says that before you begin marketing, you need to define your niche.

According to Lillian, a niche can be defined as types of organizations you want to speak for, an industry you want to specialize in, or a subject matter. By defining a clear niche, you instantly set yourself apart. The next challenge of course is to become known in your niche.

When you become the leading authority in your field, people seek you out. Speaking trainer Burt Dubin (www.burtdubin.com) says, “There’s no point in
being a fine marketer until you have expertise to offer. And your expertise has gotta be in a specific niche. A niche where folks with cash in their jeans recognize your value and are willing to invest in what you alone know. Here’s how to select your niche: identify the topic or issue in which you’re willing to do endless and ongoing research for a market with the means to pay you.”

2. Free to Fee. Speak for free in places likely to have people who could hire you for fee. Often there are people in these audiences who could hire you. Check your local Kiwanis, Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary
clubs.

After speaking recently in the Women’s Economic Development Outreach event, someone in the audience hired me for a speaking engagement for their group. If they hadn’t seen me speak in person, it’s very unlikely that this person would have contacted me.

3. Attend Events – Go to the events that your ideal clients attend and mingle with the decision makers who could hire you. “The Transition Man” Johnny Campbell (www.TransitionMan.com) says, “Research the event ahead of time. Know who will be in attendance. Have a hit list of people you want to connect with. Ask first what THEY do so you can tailor your 30 second pitch to address how you can help with their specific needs.”

Johnny likes to go to chamber meetings and sit at the far end so he goes last introducing himself. That way he can listen first to who is in his audience and tailor his 30 second introduction. Once he did this and a gentleman was so impressed that he immediately handed him a business card and said, “Call me.”

4. Speaker Directories. There are websites that list speakers for a fee. Meeting planners sometimes go to these directories looking for a speaker on a certain topic.

Here are two that you can check out:

Speaker Services – speakerservices.com
Speaker Zone – www.speakerzone.com
5. Smile and Dial. Flipping the pages of a meeting planner directory and cold calling can drum up business. Most speakers who use this approach successfully make 40- 50 calls everyday. If you are smart about finding the
“right” targeted leads to call, this is especially effective.

Here are three sources for this information:

A) Douglas Publications – www.douglaspublications.com
They make 2 publications: The Directory of Association Meeting Planners and Directory of Corporate Meeting Planners.

B) NTPA Directory (National & Professional Associations) It lists national conventions, meetings, and trade show dates for over 7,700 trade and professional associations with an annual report published each February.

C) Columbia Books, Inc. – www.columbiabooks.com
6. Google your way to leads. Google makes it so easy to find leads. You can search for events in your industry or to find who your competitors have spoken for.

7. Ask from the platform for referrals. Keynote speaker and master certified coach, Rich Fettke (www.Fettke.com) says this when he speaks to groups “As you can tell, I am really passionate about what I do. If you know of a group who could benefit from this message, please hand me a business card afterwards.”

8. Referrals. Ask for referrals from existing clients who have hired you to speak. If you ever have to lower your fee, you ask for letters of recommendation and referrals as part of the deal in exchange for the discount.

Burt Dubin (www.BurtDubin.com) offers this tip to reward those who refer you.

“Let your clients or customers know they are rewarded for referring folks who invest in what you offer. Give appropriate gifts, depending on the size of the ticket. I give a choice of gifts. A dollar amount in cash or a higher dollar amount given to their favorite charity in their name, or a certain dollar amount in free product. Reward referrals generously.”

My personal thought is that a heartfelt note, a Starbucks gift card, a phone call, or even flowers is a wonderful way to say “thank you – I appreciate your referral!”

9. Get on Your Prospect’s Radar Screen. Top of mind status comes from word of mouth of your clients, being “seen” in the pages of print media, and from testimonials of audience members.

Know where your audience goes and be there. This includes your prospect’s ezines, clubs, organizations, bulletin boards, and magazines.

10. Speaker Website. An effective speaker website gives a meeting planner everything they need to decide that you are the perfect speaker for their event. You’ll want to include downloadable one sheet (brochure), testimonials, program descriptions, media coverage, results gained for other clients, and your speaker video.

Lillian D. Bjorseth, the Networking Expert, (www.Duoforce.com) shared how she got a lead from a major company who wanted to hire her and found her on the website. The person came back to their planning committee who said, “You found her where?” “Have you even seen her speak? My reputation is on the line here.” Then after reading testimonials from clients who hired Lillian to speak, they were happy to hire her.

In the past 2 weeks, having a speaking video on my website has gotten me the job. A client was hemming and hawing and said, “Can we see you speak somewhere locally first?” I told them where they could view my speaker video on my website and in 5 minutes they called back to book me.

11. Join organizations where people can hire you or might be able to refer you to people. Review your organization memberships at the end of the year before you renew to make sure that the fees was worth it.

12. Publicity rules! Red Zone Marketing speaker, Maribeth Kuzmeski (www.RedZoneMarketing.com) says that hiring a full time publicist has made all the difference in her speaking career. She says that when people have seen your face enough times in publications they get to feel like they know you.

13. Invite prospects as your guest when you speak to groups. That way they can experience you firsthand. After they experience the power of your speaking, they are likely to hire you or even refer you to others.

14. Building relationships. Communication expert, Cyndi Maxey (www.CyndiMaxey.com), says her secret is to keep in touch with her clients and prospects. She sends articles to them to let them know she is thinking of them. She also likes to send cards and call them from time to time. As Cyndi says, “Never let them forget your name. You want to be top of mind when they are ready to hire.”

I hope you’ve found these tips for getting a paid speaking engagement useful.

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Running Your Speaking Business

How to Make a Sale

How To Make a Sale

Building your business on the internet is no small feat. You’ve got a lot of things to consider and get in place and then you have to start selling. Here are some great ways to show your potential customers value and how to make that sale happen.

‘Dip your Toe’ Ways to Prove Value and Make the Sale

By: Kristie Tamsevicius

One of the problems you face when marketing your product on the Internet is that the whole transaction is based on trust and proving value. Your web site plays the crucial role of presenting your message of what you are about, why clients need you, how you can help them, and to build trust. You need to prove the value of your product to the customer so that they aren’t afraid to risk their hard earned money. Building trust is especially important if
you are selling a higher priced item and people need assurance that your product/service is “worth” the money.

Here are some ways to build trust with customers by letting them “dip their toe” in the water and try your services in low risk ways. After they experience the value for themselves, then they will be ready and eager to “jump in” and purchase your full-blown or tie-in product
offering.

1) FREE TELECLASS – Offer a free 1 hour teleclass on a given topic. If you “wow” them with the free teleclass, then they’ll be eager to take the follow up for fee teleclass that offers more comprehensive coverage on the topic. Just make sure you don’t give it ALL away in the
freebie. Give them a sexy tease into what the fee class will do to build upon what they learned in the free class.

If you are looking to learn more about how to create and conduct a teleclass, you’ll find more information from Phil Humbert’s site here: http://www.philiphumbert.com/Bridge.htm. He teaches many successful for fee teleclasses and has taught others to do the same.

2) PROBLEM/SOLUTION APPROACH ARTICLE – Write an article the presents a problem and shows how your product/service solves the problem. This proves your value “up front” and tells customers how to contact you to “solve” the given problem your article addresses. At the end of the article, include an author bio, which includes: a teaser about your product, contact info, and a “special” discount, which makes it an offer, they can’t refuse! Read this cleverly written article about “The 5 Tactics Your Internet Business Must Employ Immediately if You Want to Prosper in the Next 90 Days” which leads you to sign up for his ezine. Clever huh?

3) FREE EBOOK – Write a mini ebook/brochure that presents a problem and offers a solution. Think of it as an “infomercial”. Say for example, you figure out what the top 10 problems are for your target audience. Then, either give them the answers, or give them the questions/tools to help them access their level of need. In the back of the ebook, you can offer a discount and information about the products/services you offer that will help them solve these problems.

4) FREE AUTORESPONDER COURSE – Create a free 5 week course designed to help them with a particular issue. Offer the autoresponder course on your web site. To get a better idea, here’s a FREE 5 day marketing course you can sign up for: Once they see the value of the information your present, they will want to buy the full-blown version of your product/service. A great free sequential autoresponder is http://www.getresponse.com

5) RADIO INTERVIEW – Think of this as an “audio” infomercial. By doing a radio interview you get a great chance to showcase your expertise. When people hear your voice in person, they feel as though they know you. It provides a believable forum for you to present your marketing message. My radio interview about from Money Room and Let’s Do Biz Online do a great job of showcasing my ebook expertise and really boost my ebook sales. Take a listen here: http://www.kcustom.com/cgi-bin/sgx/d.cgi?ultimate-10000 .

6) TESTIMONIALS – Testimonials let the customer live vicariously the experience of others using your product. If you have customers who love your “stuff”, I strongly encourage you
to ask if they’d mind writing a testimonial for you about their experience using your product or service. There is NOTHING more powerful than the words of a satisfied customer to build trust. For example, I know that contracting a web developer will cost roughly $1000 to create a small business site. I show the value of my extra friendly killer customer service thru the testimonials on my web site here: http://www.kcustom.com/testimonials.htm. This proves up
front the level of service I offer and goes a long way to build trust with my future customers.

7) FREE CONSULTATION – Consider offering a free half hour consultation to prospective clients. This is an especially successful way to get your foot in the door with clients interested in your products/services. Remember the Kirby Vacuum salesman who shows up at your home to show you why you need a better vacuum and how his product will solve your cleaning needs? Use this time to access your client’s needs and tell him the specific ways that your service would address his needs. The conversation time allows you to build a personal rapport
and trust.

SUMMARY:
The biggest profits are made from people who have remarkable ideas that change the world. By proving the value, you take the risk out of purchase. It’s all about proving “Will your product so what you say it will do and does” and “Does that product provide enough value for the price? By giving customers a low risk way to realize the value of your product, you’ll make it build the necessary trust to make the sale.

If you’ve found this article on how to make a sale helpful, have a look through some of the other articles in the link below.

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Blogger vs. WordPress

Blogger vs. WordPress

It’s the same debate again and again, with Blogger vs WordPress and which is the better blogging platform?. Some people love blogger and some people love wordress. Here are five reasons why wordpress is better.

How WordPress outguns Blogger: 5 compelling reasons why WordPress is superior to Blogger for blogging

By Sherman Hu

Read more

Passive Residual Income

Passive Residual Income

Creating a passive residual income is the dream of many online entrepreneurs and it can become a reality with some planning and good business sense. Here are eight keys to building your passive income online.

8 Keys to Creating Passive Income

by Kristie Tamsevicius

Every online dream begins with the vision of opening your email box and “like magic” the money comes rolling in. It’s true — building a passive income is your key to earning more money without working harder. While it’s unlikely you’ll earn millions overnight, building a passive income is a smart way to supplement your existing income. Here are some ideas for how you can build an automatic income source for your online business.

1) AFFILIATE PRODUCT PROGRAMS
Affiliate programs allow you to earn income selling other people’s products. There are literally THOUSANDS of affiliate programs that you can sign up for in every category imaginable. Whether you are interested in selling ebooks, toys, magazines, or kitchen utensils, I guarantee there is a shop in that category with an affiliate program.

Here are some criteria to use when selecting an affiliate program. Choose a quality product that you personally believe in. You need to actually try and buy the product yourself. This allows you to personally buy into what’s great about the product so you can write a killer personal testimonial. Additionally, try to find products that offer higher than average commissions. Why work your buns off selling a 5% commission product, when you can sell one that offers 30, 40, or even 50% commissions?

If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You can investigate a company by Checking them out with the Better Business Bureau in the business’ native state. http://search.bbb.org/search.html

2) CREATING YOUR OWN INFOPRODUCTS
What is your secret to success? Success sells, and if you have your own personal method to getting there, others will pay to hear it. That’s why ebooks on how to succeed are topping the sales charts. Ask yourself, “What you know that is special, unique, and could help others?” The answer to that will make a successful infoproduct.

=> Do you know how to:
fix something, find something, save something, do something more quickly, do it better,
do it more efficiently, do a greater amount of it, do it with greater quality, do it less expensively, do it more easily, do it more often, be happier doing it, do it automatically, or more effectively, take existing knowledge and apply to a new situation

3) CREATING YOUR OWN SYSTEM OR SOFTWARE
Franklin Covey has created a whole income by showing others the secrets to his prioritization and organization. He packaged his methodology and sells the tools, classes, and equipment to help people achieve those same results. http://www.franklincovey.com. Do you have a unique form, software, or process that you use that makes your work easier? Document your process, find a developer to package your software, or package your process as an infoproduct, cd, teleclass, or ecourse.

4) RESELLER OF SERVICES
As a businessperson, your customers will often ask for recommendations for reputable service companies. This puts you in the perfect position to earn commissions reselling those goods and services. Make a list of all the services your customers use. For example, as a web developer my customers use hosting, merchant accounts, shopping carts, newsletter broadcasting services, and domain name vendors. Here is a list of the top 50 reseller programs to get you started. http://www.webaffiliateprograms.com/

5) PARTNER COMMISSIONS
Do you recommend consultants services to others? Often my customers need assistance with proofreading, multi-browser compatibility testing, copywriting, virtual assistance, and animated graphics. I have sought out partnerships with companies in these key areas. When I refer a client to them, they pay me a referral fee and vice versa. Who do you know that you could create similar deals with?

6) ADVERTISING SALES
You may be sitting on valuable real estate and not even know it. If your web site gets lots of traffic or you have a popular ezine, you may be able to earn income through advertising sales. Some ideas for how to package your advertising packages can include banner ads, text ads, sponsorships, partnerships, paid classifieds or business directory listings. Another ideas is to create “co-branded” paid or free ebooks with advertising space.

7) REFERRAL NETWORK
Think about who your audience is, and then ask yourself, what other types of professionals have the SAME target audience. By creating your own referral network, you can charge businesses to become a member and agree to promote them to your audience. This is on the idea of how the 1-800-Dentist concept works. Dentists pay a fee to be part of the dentist network. When someone phones 1-800-Dentist asking for a dentist in their area, they look at their list of dentists and match you up with one bearing the qualifications you are seeking. Then 1-800 Dentist gets a small commission from the dentist for sending them a qualified customer.

For an idea of how this can work in a web application, you could create a preferred network of web developers. Web developing companies pay a small fee to be included in your referral network. Then offer an area on your site where people can search to find a web developer in their area. When a visitor signs up with one of the web developers in your network, you get a commission.

THE PAY PER INCLUSION CLUB
If you are an expert in your field, you can create a community where others can learn your secrets to success. By offering a free level of membership, you can allow visitors to poke around and see that you know your stuff. Then you can offer them a paid membership to your member’s only section. Internet Marketing Challenge is one such community built by Internet Marketers geared toward the aspiring entrepreneurial crowd. CoachVille by Thomas Leonard is another community built for the business/personal coaching audience.

SUMMARY
According to Think and Grow Rich, the wealthy of the world are people who have a brilliant idea that has changed the world. I believe that those who resell those brilliant ideas will become rich. Take advantage of the power of passive income and you too can be working less and earning more!

You can build your passive residual income, I hope this article has given you ideas how to do so.

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Multiple Streams of Income

Marketing Your Business Online

Marketing Your Business Online

If you’re new to marketing your business online, or just frustrated, here are a few things to consider before you dive down into the more detailed tasks.

Do You Have Marketing ADD?

By Stephanie Frank

So you have a website, email address, and you’re getting your newsletter out there (well, at least a little bit). You’ve been to seminars, bought information about how to promote your site, and you’re ready to implement.

You decide to start creating keywords for search engines. Then, someone tells you to do pay per click, ezine advertising, write articles, participate in discussion forums, start a blog, update your newsletter, write a sales letter, write a better headline, automate your mailing list, do joint ventures…Ack! This marketing stuff is hard!

It doesn’t have to be that way. Before you dive into the specifics of any marketing campaign, you must know first exactly what you want to accomplish with your efforts. There are 3 major results you will receive with your marketing:

1. Visibility – Visibility is getting your company or product name out there to your marketing. One of the best ways to get visibility is simply to advertise. You can advertise in online or offline publications that are read by your target market – the people who will want to buy your company’s product.

2. Credibility – To get credibility, one must get an endorsement by another person or company. This result is most useful for independent service professionals who need to be known as an expert to get clients. Credibility can be easily produced through writing articles, speaking or press releases.

3. One-To-One Connection – Once you have prospects or customers, you will want to keep them up to date and informed of your products or services. This can be done in the form of a simple thank note, or in a more broad sense through the use of technology such as newsletters. One-on-one connection builds and maintains relationships with your prospects so when they are ready to buy, they come to you.

Once you know the end result you want to achieve, you can then begin to drill down into the specific strategies and tactics that you can use to achieve that end result. For example, if you need credibility and decide to write articles, then study the specific article format that successful article writers use to generate traffic to their website. Get really good at ONE THING and watch your profits soar!

This Marketing Business Online article was brought to you by:

Stephanie Frank is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker and entrepreneur. Take the free quiz “Do You Have What It Takes To Be The Next Accidental Millionaire?” and receive over $1,574 of business building tools and resources at http://www.AccidentalMillionaire.com

I hope you’ve found this article about how to take your business online and market it helpful.

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