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EVENT & TIME MANAGEMENT WITH ESPEAKERS John Beede (SpeakerCareer.com) interviews Joe Heaps (eSpeakers.com)

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JohnBeede:Hello,everybody.JohnBeedeherewithanotherspeakercareer.comexpertinterviewseries.OnthelinewithmeIhaveJoeHeaps.Heisthevice-presidentofeSpeakers,whichiswherealotofonlinebusinessisdoneforthespeakingindustry.Let'ssayhellotoJoe.Thanksforbeingonthecallwithus.Joe,canyoustartbygivingusanoverviewofwhateSpeakersisandanevolutionofit;howitcametobe,whatitis,andastoryortwoofpeoplewhohaveusedtheservice?

JoeHeaps:Youbet,John,thanksforhavingme.I'mprivilegedtobehere.eSpeakersgotstartedbackin1999byaspeakernamedArtBerg.Artwasreallysuccessful.Atthetimehewasaquadriplegicinawheelchair;[he]wasinanaccidentandmadeagreatsuccessoutofsharingthatchallengethathehadinlifewithothers.Hewasveryinspiring.Artwasagreatspeakerandsuccessful.Ithinkhebroughtinsomewherearound$15,000or$17,000aspeechwhenheendeduppassingawayin2002.WhenArtwashere,hewasslatedtobeNSApresidentandwasreallyregardedasafrontiersmaninregardstospeaking.

Oneofthethingshealwaystalkedaboutandhadastrongpassionforwastechnology.Onedayinhisofficehehadthisfeelinglike,“Hey,Icandosomethingbetterwithtechnology.Iwanttobringbureaurepsandothermeetingplannersthatarebookingmeintomyoffice.There'sgottobeawaytodothat.”Wejokeherethatwekindofdevelopedthefirstcloudserviceintechnologybecausehehiredmybusinesspartner,DaveReed,andDave'sjustawizattechnology.HeputtogetherasoftwarepackagethatArtgaveouttohisfriendsandsaid,"Hey,usethis.ThisiswhatI'musinginmyoffice."Iteventuallywentintoabusiness,butatthefirststagesofit,itwasArtsharingitwithhisbuddiesandotherspeakingpartners.

Basically,whatitdidwasallowedthosewhoarebookingspeakerstolookintotheircalendarsandseewhetherthey'rebookedorheld—whateveritmightbe—andtobeabletoplaceaholdonitwhileArt'sontheplaneorsomebodysomewherearoundtheworldwassleepingandsomeonewasawake.Youknowthatwholeschedulemanagementproblemspeakershave.Andsothissoftwarewasborn.IthadgreathopesandthenArtendeduppassingawayin2002.That'showitgotstarted.

Sincethatpoint,eSpeakershasgrownintothisawesomeservicethatprovidesspeakerswithaplatformorasystemformanagingtheirevents,managingtheircalendars.Sure,therearelotsofothergreatcalendaringsystemsoutthere,buteSpeakersisuniquetospeakersspecifically,andtheirneedsinregardstospeaking.Ofcourse,westillhavethatpathwaythatprovidesforspeakersbureausthatarebookingspeakerstolookattheircalendars.Overthelasttwoyearswe'veactuallyopenedthat,createdanewbridgeformeetingplannerstodirectlygointothoseschedulesandbookthemaswell.Sooverthepast15yearsthat'swhereitevolvedfromandwhereitispresently.

Thereareacoupleofspeakerswhohavehadgreatsuccesswiththis.Oneisagoodfriendofours,ChadHymas.Chadactuallyisaquadriplegic.AboutayearbeforeArtdied,hetalkedtoChadandChadwasinthewheelchairandtryingtofigureoutwhathewasgoingtodo.Chadtookthatopportunityandhas


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madeitagreat,successfulbusiness,andusesourcalendartohelpkeephisofficeinsyncwithhimwhenhe'sontheroad.It'saprettybigfeatforsomebodywho'saquadriplegictotraveltheworld,soheusesoursoftwaretomanageallthelogistics.Hehaspeoplehelpinghimineverylocationaroundtheworld,andallthat'scoordinatedthroughoursystem.

Anothersuccessstoryisacustomerofours,MarilynSherman.Wedotheseprofileupdates;wehavetheevent-management/calendarsideofthingsandthenwealsohaveonlineprofilesthatgoalongwiththattohelppromotespeakers.Weoffertheseprofiletune-ups,tolookoveryourprofileandgiveyousuggestionsonwaysyoucanimproveit.Marilynsatdownwithmeonedayoverthephoneandwescreen-sharedandwentthroughsomedifferentthings,howshecouldimprovenotonlywhatshecouldaddtoitbutalsosomeofthemessagingbecauseweworkwithmeetingplannersallovertheworld.Igooutandmeetwiththemalmosteverymonthduringmeetings,sowehearwhattheirneedsandtheirstrategiesareandwecangivethembacktothespeakers.Throughtheseprofiletune-ups,we'reabletofinetunethattoitsbeststateandreallyhelpsellthespeakers.Marilynwentthroughandtunedthatupandwithintwoweeksshehadthreenewbookings.Thatwaskindofafunthing.ShejusttoldmethatlastsummerattheNSAconvention.Sothere'sacoupleofexamplesofhowoursystem'sused.

JB:Thisisexciting.You'vegotaplatformthatcanarrangethetravelofthemostcomplicatedandbusyspeaker,apersonwiththosecomplicatedneeds,allthewaytoaregularspeakerwhojustwantstogooutadozentimesayearortwentytimesayear.Thisplatformcanhelpanyone.

JH:Right,yeah,it'sreallyavailableforanyone.Youdon'thavetobeaseasonedspeaker.Somesoftwaretoolsorsomeofthespeakertoolsthatareouttherearespecificallyforemergingspeakers,peoplewhoarejustgettingintothebusiness,orpeoplewhoaremoreseasonedorsuccessfulatthatstageoftheirlife.Ormaybethey'reacollegespeaker,orwhateveritmightbe.Ourtoolsareforeverybody.They'retogettheemergingspeaker,Irefertoitasastakeintheground,saying,“Hey,I'maspeakerandthissaysso.”We'rehighlyregardedasatoolandadirectoryservicewithintheindustry.Wepowersomanydirectories,over80ontheweb,we'rebehindthescenes.Wehaveourownaswell.Whenyou'reinoursystem,youhaveagreatopportunitytobeseenandgetadditionalexposure.

JB:Ilikehowafewminutesagoyousaidthatthissolvestheproblemsthatyousawhappeninginthespeakingworld.IfweweretotakeastepbackfromeSpeakersitself,whatwouldyousaywerethebiggestproblemsthatyouorArtsawinthespeakingindustryorwithprofessionalspeakers?Forthepeoplelistening,whatarethebiggestpitfallsthattheyshouldavoid,thateSpeakerscanhelpshieldthemfrom?

JH:Yeah,noproblem.Ithinkovertheyearsthatneedhaschanged.Ithinkthat15yearsagowhenthecompanystarted,theneedforconnectionwashuge.Thewayyouusedtoconnectwithpeoplewastocallthemoremailthem,andevenemailatthattimewasn'taswidespreadasitisnow.Peoplewerefaxing,youknow?Whatintheworldisthat?Anyway,Iwasatapresentationtheotherday.Actually,


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thisisreallycrazybecausehe'soneofthegurusoftheindustry,DanKennedy—awesomecontent,thatguyisamazing,buthestillusesanoverheadprojector.Hesaid,“ThisiswhatIuse,”andthatworksforhimbecausehe'swithinafewyearsofretiring,I'msure.

MypointisthatthethingsthatwereproblemsthenIdon'tthinkarethethingsnow.Ithinkthethingswe’reseeingnow,it’snotconnectioninregardstobeingabletoreachoutandtalktosomebody.Imean,socialmediaissoridiculousinthesensethatyoucanreachoutandtalktosomebodyandnotevenhavetheiremailaddress,nothavetheirphonenumber.Youcanmessagethem.Youcandothatthroughsomanydifferentsocialmediaplatforms.Emailthem,callthem,videoconferencewiththem.Therearesomanywaystoconnectwithpeople,soIdon’tthinkthat’saproblemnow.

Ithinkthebiggestproblempeoplehaverightnowisthatthere’sjustsomuchinformation.Whenyoutype“JohnBeede”intoGoogle,you’regoingtogetyourownwebsite,yoursocialmediasites,othersites,articles,alldifferenttypesofsites.Thenaddinthatyou’reaspeakeronleadershipandallofasuddenyougetabunchmoreinformation.It’sjustsomuchtofilterthrough,andthat’soneofthethingsthatourdirectoriesprovide,kindofaneasierwaytofilterthroughthat.

ThebestexampleIhaveforitisAmazon.Amazongivesyouthisreallygreatabilitytohavethousands,orhundredsofthousands,ofproductsontherethatyoucanfilterdownquicklytojustone—whatthebestproductforyoureventis.That’sreallyoneofthebiggestproblemswe’resolvingrightnow:beingabletofilterthroughallthenoisetofindtherightspeakerforameetingplanner’sevent.That’soneofthebigthingsrightnow.

Andthenthereisstillthesameproblemthatwe’veseenovertheyears:howtomanageyourscheduleandyourtimeandkeepontopofthings.It’sjustproductivityandmanagementofyourtime.Ourcalendarandeventmanagementtooldoesagreatjobofthat,trackingthingslikewhatspeechyou’regivingandwhattheaudiencesizeisandthethingsyouneedtodobefore,during,oraftertheevent.Thingslikethat,Ithink,areaproblembecausespeakerstendtofocusontheircontent,whatthey’redelivering.Theadministrationoftheirofficeandtheircompanyisasecondthought.Ithinkthat’soneofthemainpitfallsrightnowaswell.

TheotherthingIthinkthatspeakerstendtodoistalkalotaboutthemselves.Thisisabigpitfall.It’swhatyoudoasaspeaker.You’resetuptosay,“ThisiswhatItalkabout,thisiswhoItalkto,thesearethebooksI’vewritten,thesearethewonderfulthingsI’vedone.”Youknow,ifyou’reCaptainSullyandyoulandaplaneontheHudson,you’regoingtotalkaboutthatstuff,right?That’swhatitis,right?That’swhyyou’reallofasuddenaspeaker,whichheisnow.Butformostspeakers,theyneedtoleadwiththebenefitsofwhatthey’reprovidingtheaudience,andthat’sabigpitfallthatwe’reseeinginspeakers.We’rehearingthisfrommeetingplanners,actually,thebuyers.Theydon’twanttohavealltheinformationaboutthespeakersthemselves;theywantitaboutthecontenttheydeliver,howisthatgoingtobenefittheiraudience?IfIhireyou,great,you’realeadershipspeakerandyou’vewrittensix


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booksandyou’veservedonthesecompanyboards,andthat’sallgreat,that’ssupportingmaterialthathelpsmeputyouintoasmallshortlistofpeople.Butwhatisitthatyou’regoingtopresenttomygroupthatwillhelpthemeitherimprovecompanymoraleorwhateverthedesireofthemeetingis?

JB:Thosearegreatthingsthatgiveyoucredibility,butnowwhatareyougoingtodoforusbasedonthecredibilitythatyouhavetospeak?

JH:Right.

JB:Gotit.

JH:Typically,that’sinformationyou’regoingtofindintheveryfirstparagraphofyourbioorinyourone-linebioorthefirstcouplelinesofyourprograms,thepresentationthatyouprovide.That’stherightspotforthattypeofbenefit-drivencontent.You’regoingtosay,“Hey,myname’sJoeandIspeakonleadershipandwhenIcomeandspeaktoyourgroupI’mgoingtoexplainthesethreethingsandthey’llwalkawayknowinghowtodothesethreethings.”It’sthattypeofapproachthat’smuchmoresuccessful.Thenthefollowingparagraphsinthebioorwhatevercontentyou’reprovidingwouldbeallaboutyouandhowyoucansay,“Hey,I’mgoingtochangetheworld,they’renevergoingtothinkaboutleadershipthesame.”Yougointothingsthatsupportthatafter.That’soneofthepitfallsIthinkpeoplefallinto;theyleadwithinformationaboutthemselves.

JB:Greatstuff,cool.Ithinkforanybodylistening,theyreallyperkedupwhenyoumentionedthatthereare80differentdirectoriesthatspeakerscangetlistedinthrougheSpeakers.Ithinkthemostcompellingaspecttomeisthatyoucangetyourspeech,yourproductessentially,infrontoftherightpeoplethataretherightfitforyou.Ifsomebodysignsupforyourtrialtodayorbecomesafull-fledgedmember,howmanymeetingplannerscantheyexpecttobeinfrontofandwhatassociationsoragencieswillaspeakerbepositionedinfrontofwhentheysignup?

JH:Thewayoursystemissetupisthateachspeakerisgivenasingleprofile,andwiththatprofile,youcontinuallymaintainit,manageit,updatephotosandpricing,andputyourvideoonthere,andupdateyourbioandyournewspeechprograms,orwhateveritmightbe.Soyouhaveonethingtomanage.Thisissomethingthatcameaboutaroundeightyearsagowhenwesawaproblemintheindustry.Everybodymanagedanindividualprofileforaspeaker—allthebureaus,alltheassociations,thespeakersthemselves—andthespeakerwassendingthisinformationouttoallthesedifferentlocationstoupdatetheirdirectory.It’sjustahugeamountoftimetodothatwiththebureausandassociationsorthemembershipsites,forthespeakerandforthem.

Sowecreatedthistechnologythateachspeakerhastheirownprofileinthedirectory,andfromthatprofilethesepublishersofourdirectoriescanreachinandsay,“Iwantallthespeakersonleadership,”or,“Iwantallthespeakersondiversity,”or“Iwantspeakersbetween$5,000and$10,000,”or“IwantspeakersonlyfromArkansas,”or“Iwantallofthem,”whichalotdoaswell.Sowiththese80


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directories,therearedifferentthingsfromspeakerassociations,whichyouwouldhavetobelongto,right,tospeakersbureaustoindependentsites.SmartMeetingsmagazineisagoodexampleofthat.Theyareanindustrysitewheremeetingplannerscongregateandgettipsandtricksonhowtodotheirjobbetter.Sothat’sagreatresource.We’vepartneredwithMPI,MeetingProfessionalsInternational,whichisoneofthelargestmeetingplannerassociations,ororganizations,inNorthAmericanforsure,butworldwide.Thosearethetypesoforganizationswe’reinvolvedwith.

Ifyou’reaspeakerandyourprofileisinourdatabase,youwillbeautomaticallyaddedtosomeofthose.Somehavetobechosen;youhavetobeselectedtogoontothem,buttohavethepotentialtogetontothesedirectories—andthesedirectoriesareusedbymeetingplanners.IthinkMPIhas20,000memberswhoarebuyers.It’sjustdifferent.SmartMeetings,Ithink,has40,000or50,000monthlysubscribersorfollowers.OneofournewbureausthatjustcameonisWashingtonSpeakersBureau.They’rethelargestbureau,Ithink,worldwide,andtheycreatedanewbrandforspeakerswhoare$10,000andbelow,speakerswhowouldhavetohaveavideoandtheirprogramsonthere.Theyhavecriteriathatwouldputspeakersintoapoolwheretheywouldthenhand-selectthosespeakers.Soit’snotjustonetypeofsituation.Therearelotsofdifferentscenarioswhereyoucangetpickedupandputondirectories.Thatexposureisreallypriceless.

WhenyouthinkaboutcreatingbetterSEOandGoogleforyourself,whichIwouldrecommendandencourageeveryonetodo,whenyoudothat,you’reamongstalltheothernoiseoftheInternet.Thegreatthingaboutdirectoriesisthatthere’snoarticles,there’snoadditionalsocialmedia.Imean,thereisontheprofiles,butwhenyou’researchingforspeakersonleadershiporteam-building,you’regoingtofindprofilesonthose.It’sjusteasierforthemeetingplannerstosiftthroughthatandfindthespeakersthey’relookingfor.Thisisagreatopportunitytogetabunchofexposure,andyoumayormaynotgetabooking.Wedohavepeoplewhogetbookings;likeIwasjusttellingyou,MarilynShermanincreasedherprofile,whichmadeherprofilemorevisiblewithintheindustryonourdifferentdirectories,andshegotbooked.That’sagreatexampleofthebenefitsofthat.

JB:Canwetalkaboutwhattheeffectiveprofileis?Whatdidyoutellherandwhattipsdoyouhaveforcreatingagreatprofileotherthanwhatyoumentionedattheverybeginning,totalkaboutwhatyou’lldoforthem?Whataresomeoftheotherelementstoinclude?

JH:Yeah,noproblem.IfyougototheeSpeakerswebsiteandgounder“SupportandDownloads,”there’sadocumenttherecalledthe“eSpeakersSEORankingChart.”Thesearesomethingswehaveidentifiedas—fromtalkingtomeetingplanners—keystoasuccessfulpresenceontheInternet,successfullysellingyourself.Ofcourse,weprovidetheabilitytoaddthesetoyourprofile.Mostspeakersgetourprofilesforfreebecausethey’reamemberoftheassociationsortheyworkwithabureauorwhatever.Thentheycanobviouslyupgradethattoaprofilethatgivesyoumorepower,morepunch.Thethingsthatwe’veidentified,alotofthemareincludedinthatupgradedpackage.


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Videoisthenumber-onesalestoolonthewebrightnow.It’sawayformeetingplannerstowatchyou,seeyourstagepresence,howyouinteractwiththecrowd.Theydon’tparticularlyneed30minutesofrawvideoofyouspeaking.Youcandothat,butthat’snotreallywhat’seffective.Themosteffectivevideorightnowisathree-tofive-minutevideo.Itcanbeapromovideo,even,butsomethingthatshowedyouonstage,show[s]youandhowyouinteractwiththecrowd,thingslikethat,somelivecuts.

Thentheotherthingwe’reseeingabigriseindemandforarepersonaltopicvideos.Let’ssayIspokeonleadershipandteambuildinganddiversityinbusiness.Iwouldcreateasmall45-secondtotwo-minutevideooneachoneofthosetopics.Itcouldbemejustsittingatmydeskwithmycomputercameraormyphonecamera.YoucanbealittlemoreprofessionalwithaHandicamorwhatever,buttheydon’treallywantittobethisbigstagedthinginfrontofagreenscreenandeverything.Theyjustwantittobeyoutalking,likeifyouranintothemintheelevatortypeofthing.Itwouldbasicallybe,“Hey,mynameisJoeHeapsandIspeakonteambuilding.WhenIcomespeaktoyourgroup,Iidentifythesethreethingsthatareimportantinteambuildingandthey’llwalkawayknowinghowtodothesefourorfivethingsandhowtoimplementthemintotheirday,theirlife,theirfamily,orwhateveritmightbethatthey’retryingtoworkwith.”That’swhatitis,it’sjustashortlittleclip.Thoselittleclipsaddedtoyourprofilegivealotmorepowertoyourmarketing.We’veseenspeakersaddthosetotheirsocialmedia,totheirblogs,thev-logging,andtokeepthemuptodateandaccurate.

So,ifIwasaleadershipspeakerandIthoughtNelsonMandelawasagreatleader,Imay,rightafterhepassed,addin,“I’maleadershipspeakerandthisiswhatIspeakonandItakealotofmyprinciplesfromNelsonMandela,blesshissoul,hejustpassed,butwecancarryalotofhisprincipleson.”Youkindofgointoit,youmarkitwiththetimestampandshowthatit’srelevant.Werecommendthatyouvisitthoseatleastonceayearifyoudothemandmakesurethey’reuptodate.Videosarethenumber-onesalestool.Ifyoudon’thavevideo,goandmockituplikeIjusttalkedaboutonyourcomputer.

Wegettwoquestionsmostoften.“Idon’thavevideo”and“Idon’thaveanygigs,soIdon’twanttoshowmycalendar.”Thesolutiontoyourvideois[to]gomakeyourown.Ofcourse,theprizepossessionvideoisyouonstage,showinghowyouinteractwiththecrowdandhowyoudeliveryourcontent.Startwiththeselittleshortervideosonyourownandthenworktowardgettingthatotherone.Butthere’snoreasonanybodyshouldn’thavevideo.

Thesecondthingthatcarriesthemostweightinoursystemisrecommendations,testimonials.Mosteverybody’spurchasedsomethingonAmazon;Ijustdon’tbuyanythingthatdoesn’thaveanyreviews.

JB:[laughter]Yougostraighttothestarsandiftherearen’tanystarsforit,I’mlike,yeah,I’llfindsomethingelse.

JH:Itcouldbeagreatproduct,right?Youjustskiprightoveritandgototheonewithreviews.It’soneofthosethingsthat’skindoftricky,butwedohavetheabilitytoaddtherecommendationstoyour


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profile.Thenweactuallyverifythem.Wegiveyoutheopportunityasaspeakertoenterintheemailaddressofthebuyer,themeetingplanner,andthenwesendthemanotesaying,“Hey,we’reeSpeakers,we’reathird-partyverification.WejustwanttomakesureyoudidsaythisaboutJohn;ifyoudid,justhit‘reply’onyouremail.”Theydon’tevenhavetotypeanything;theyjusthit“reply”anditverifiesit.It’sprettylow-level,butitdoesshowaverifiedrecommendationstatusonthat,sothat’skindofnice.

JB:ThisisactuallygoodbecauseIhavetoadmit,youneedtoslapmeonthehand,Ihaven’tcompletedafullprofilebecauseI’vespokenforclosetoathousandaudiences,butifIputmyprofileuponeSpeakersintotal,I’mnotgoingtohaveanyreviews,soit’sgoingtolooklikeI’matotalbeginnerandhaven’tspokentoanyone…

JH:Right.

JB:…soIcanhavethosepastclientscomeinandverifymeorgivestarsforme?

JH:Yeah,well,whatyoudoisyouactuallygoinandenterthequoteinandthenyoucanputtheiremailaddressinandoursystemwill,it’snotactuallyaperson,oursystemtechnologysendsthemanemailtosay,“Hey,thisiswhatJohnsaidandyoucanverifyit”andsoforth.

JB:Gotit.

JH:You’vegottobeabletoputtheminfirst.

JB:So,ifIhavethosetestimonials,whichIdo,Ihavepagesofthem,IcanjusthavethemgoverifythatI’vegotratingsandrankings.

JH:Yeah.Yup.Andthat’skindofwherewe’reatrightnow.Wehavealreadybuiltthetechnologytohaveallthesepositiveandnegativereviews.Alotofthesystemsareoutthere,likeAmazon,butthisindustryjustisn’tquitereadyforthat.Wetalked,wedidsometestingofthemarketandalotofspeakersjustfeltlike,youknow,thenegativereviews,youcouldgiveaspeechto500peopleandbecauseofonenegativereviewitmakesthewholethingsour.It’snotquitereadyforthat.Ithinkatsomepointwewillbereadyforthat,butwhatIguessI’msayingisthattheseareallreviewsthatyouputin.

JB:Gotit,okay.

JH:So,obviouslythey’regoingtobeallpositive.You’renotgoingtoputanegativereviewinthere,right?

JB:[laughter]Gotit,okay.


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JH:Someoftheotherthingsthatareimportantwithyourprofile,theseareallthingsyoushouldhaveonyourwebsite,soifyoudon’tupgradeyoureSpeakersaccountoryoudon’tevenhaveaneSpeakersaccount,youallshouldhaveaneSpeakersaccount.John,I’msureyou’llgivesomeinformationonhowtocontactmeafter,butyoucangotooureSpeakerswebsiteoremailsupport@espeakers.comandsay,“Hey,IwasonacallwithJoeandhewastalkingwithJohnandsaidIcouldhaveafreestarteraccount”andwe’llgetyousetup.TheseareallthethingsyoushouldhaveonyoureSpeakersprofileandthenalsoonyourwebsitebecausethesearethingsidentifiedbymeetingplannersasvaluable.

Thethirdthingisthecalendar.Alotofspeakerswillsay,“Idon’thaveanythingonmycalendar.Idon’twanttoshowit.”Foryearswe’veaskedbureausandmeetingplanners,“Whatdoyouthinkaboutthat?Thisiswhatspeakersaresaying.Whatdowesaytothem?”Andtheykeeptellingus,“Youknow,wedon’treallycareifthey’renotbooked.Wedon’tcareiftheyhaveawide-openschedule.Justbecausetheyhaveawide-openscheduledoesn’tshowthatthey’renotagoodspeaker.”

JB:Gotit

JH:Theywouldratherhaveaccesstoyourcalendarbecausewhenthey’reonacallwithameetingplanner,tryingtogetsomethingdetermined,everythingabouttheevent,they’regoingtolookintheirsystemtoseewho’savailable.Iftheycan’tseeyourcalendar,that’sjustanotherhurdletheyhavetojumpthrough.Thecalendarabove“ComingEvents,”andthenkeepingitfresh,Ithink,isimportant.Alotofpeoplewillgetintheircalendareverysooften.That’ssomethingthatwe’retryingtodoasanindustry,withinanindustry,tokeepthatinformationasfreshaspossiblesothatpeoplearelookingatrealdataandit’svaluable.SomeofthethingsthatI’veworkedwithspeakersonare,thinkaboutyourcalendar.Ifyou’reaspeakeroryouwanttobeaspeaker,itdoesn’thavetobetimeonastage.Thereareotherthingsinyourbusiness,inyourlife,thataretakingtimeaswell.Thosethingscouldbethingsthatyoucan’tgetoutof.Theycouldbewebinars,theycouldbecoachingoranotherjob.

JB:Oryoudon’twanttoworkweekends,soyoublockoutallyourweekends.

JH:Right.

JB:YouwantSundaysasafamilyday.Anythinglikethatyoucanblockoutasunavailable.

JH:Yup.IhaveafriendwhoplayedintheNFLfor,Idon’tknow,10or12yearsandwasaliaisonfortheNFL.He’stoapointwherehedoesn’treallyhavetowork,buthelovesspeaking.Andsothat’swhathedid.Hejustsaid,“Look,I’mgoingtobeavailableTuesdayandThursdayeachweekinthemonthandeveryotherdayisblockedout.”That’swhathedid,hejustblockedoutthoseotherdays,sohe’sjustavailabletoworkonthosedays.So,howeveritworksforyouasaspeaker.Whenyouexplainitthatway,peoplearelike,“Yeah,Idosomeconsulting,Icoachsomepeople,youknow,Ihaveawebinarhereandthere.”Youputthosethingsonyourcalendar,itdoesn’tlookasbare.


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JB:“I’vegotallofAprilblockedouttowriteabook,”anythinglikethat.

JH:Whateveritmightbe,evenavacationforheaven’ssakes,youknow.You’rejustnotavailable,you’renotgoingtodrop—Nowsomepeoplesay,“Iwilldropanything…”

JB:[laughter]

JH:“…foraspeakinggig,”right?Sothat’sonething,too,buttheotherpartofthisisthatyou’vegottoreallythinkaboutkeepinginmindthatthemeetingplannerswantaccesstoyourcalendarbutyoudon’twanttoexposeeverything.Oursystemisthebestofbothworldsbecauseweactuallydon’tshowthemyourwholecalendar.So,John,youcouldhaveonemorejobbetweennowandtheendoftheyearandmaybetwonextyear,andyoumaynotwanttoshowthatyouonlyhavethreeeventsinthenext12months.Oursystemdoesn’tshowthat.WhenameetingplannergoesandlooksforDecember1st,itjustsays,“Isheavailableorishenot?”Youcouldbeavailable,butitalsodoesn’tsaythatyou’reavailable365daysinthefuture.Itjustsayshe’savailablethatday,soit’sjustthedatethey’reenquiringabout,whichisanicemiddleground.Speakersfeelreallyconfidentandgoodaboutthat.That’swherewe’reatwiththecalendar.That’sthethirdmostimportantthing.

Thenextthingonthelistisprograms.Thesearethespeechprograms,thepresentationsyougive.Thesearesuperimportanttooutlineexactlywhatyou’llpresenttotheaudience,whatthebenefitsare,whatthey’regoingtowalkawayknowinghowtodo.Youshouldhaveacoupleofthese.I’veheardpeoplesay,“Ihaveonemainone.”Well,doyoueverspeakforanythingelse?Mostspeakerscouldhavefourorfive,easy.Fourorfivedifferentthingstheycouldtalkabout.

JB:Formyaudience,wecallthose“learningpoints,”soforanybodylistening,thisiswhathe’stalkingabout.Yourthreetofivelearningpointsthatyou’resaying,“Thisiswhatyouraudiencewillwalkawayhaving.”

JH:Yeah,yeah,exactly.I’veevenhadsomesay,“Ionlyhaveonelearningpoint,butI’malsoacoach.”Or“I’malsoatrainer.”Soyoucanputinanotherprogramthatsays,“Hey,thisismytrainingprogramandI’lltrainonwhateveryouwantmeto.”Orcoaching.Sothere’slotsofdifferentthingsyoucanputinthere,butthat’svaluable.

Yourfeeisanotherthingthatissuperimportant.Somespeakersmakethemreallydifficulttofind.Itisthenumber-onethingindeterminingthespeaker,evenbeforetopic.It’sbecausemeetingplannersarestuckwithabudget,andalotoftimestheyhaveabudgettohit.Now,theymayhaveatonofmoney;itmaybeabigconventionandtheywantabigheadliner/keynoter,andtheymayhavealotofmoneytospendtothrowatit,butthereasonthey’rebringinginthatbigspeakeristoput…

JB:Buttsinseats.


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JH:...buttsinseats.Exactly.Soit’sstillabudgetissue.Themorepeopleintheseats,themorepeoplewhoattend,themoremoneytheymake.It’sjustawholeprocess.Sofeeissuperimportant.Makesureit’svisibleonyourwebsite,Rangesaregreat.Idon’tencourageanythingmorethana$2,500range.Ifithastobe$3,000;$5,000istheverymost.

JB:Ofthespread,notthe[inaudible,34:22].

JH:Yeah,I’veseenpeople,like,“$2,000to$15,000.”I’mlike,“Whoa.”IfI’mabuyer,Iwantthe$2,000.

JB:Yeah,ofcourse.

JH:Whatwedo,inoursystem,youcanjusthaveasolid$5,000feeor$10,000orwhatever,justonenumberinsteadofarange.Buttheotherthingyoucandois,inoursystemweprovidefeedetails.However,youwanttodothatonyourownwebsites;Iwouldencourageyoutodoso.Whatthatmeansisthatifyouhavearangeoraflatfee,makeavailableinyourfeeschedulethingslikeifyou’respeakinginternationallyorifyourtravelisincludedornot.Orifyoudoalocalevent,alotofpeoplewilldolocaleventsforcheapbecausetheydon’thavetotravel,theycangetthereonthesameday.It’snobigdealandthey’dliketomakesomemoney.Somakesureyououtlinethoselittlepiecesandpartsofyourfee,ifyouchargemoreforaleadershipkeynotethanyoudoforateam-buildingoneorviceversa.

JB:So,youcoulddoakeynotebeing$5,000andthen$7,500forakeynoteandthreebreakoutsessions.

JH:Right.

JB:Gotit.

JH:Actually,rightnowthetrendintheindustry,andyoumightjustthinkaboutthisasspeakers,thetrendisthatmeetingplannersareaskingspeakerstocomeanddoakeynoteandstaytodoatleastonesession.Thesessionisusuallyrightafterthekeynoteorshortlyafter,so,youknow,itcouldbeabooksigningoranactualsession.So,John,youcouldgospeakonleadershipandthenthesessioncouldbeonchangeorsuccess,someofyourothertopics.Andwhileyou’realreadythere,they’llsay,“Look,I’llgiveyouakeynote,butIneedyoutodoasessionaswell.”Imean,areyougoingtosayno?

JB:[laughter]

JH:Imean,youmightifyouhadanotherjobontheexactsamedatethatwaspayingyouthesameormore,butmostspeakerssay,“Yeah,I’lldoit.”That’skindofthetrend,soyoumightjustbepreparedforthatasyoumoveforwardbecause,asI’mtalkingtomeetingplanners,they’restartingtodothatmoreoften.

JB:Yeah,Ihighlyrecommendthat.AndIsellmoreproductsinthosebreakoutsessionsthanIdoduringthekeynotesbecausethosearethepeoplewhoreallywanttoseeyou.


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JH:Yeah.Yup,Iagree.Oneofourcustomerstoldusthatthekeynotewasmorebroadandwhentheygotinthesessiontheyactuallytookachapterorsectionoftheirbookandpresentedsomethinginthereandsaid,“Thisisfrommybook.”Thatjustbroughtupallthesediscussionpointsabouthisbookand,yeah,hesoldabunchofproducts.It’salittlebitmorepersonal.

JB:Anythingelseabouttheprofile?

JH:Yeah,twootherthings.OneisphotosandarticlesandbookjacketsandPDFsanddocumentsandallthat;wecallthoseourmarketingmaterials.Everybodyalwayshasamediapageontheirspeakerwebsite,buteasyaccesstoallthearticlesyou’vewrittenorthatyou’reincludedin,accesstoroomlayoutsandone-sheetsandallofthat,isreallyimportant.

Nowlast,onpurpose,butjustthelastpointIwantedtobringupissocialmedia.Socialmediaisahugedrawandit’sagreatwaytogetbookings.It’sagreatwaytogetexposure,andwe’refindingmoremeetingplannersareactuallycheckingsocialmediatomakebuyingdecisions.

JB:Really?Sothey’llgototheTwitterorFacebookofthespeaker.

JH:Yeah,right.AsI’vegottenmoreintothemeetingplanningsideofthingsit’sbeeninterestingbecauseI’veonlybeendealingprimarilywiththespeakingindustry.Forspeakers,Facebookishugebecauseitgivesyouaplatformtoexpressyourthoughtsandcontent,thingslikethat,alittlebitbetterthansomeoftheothers.Inthemeetingplanningindustry,Twitterishuge,soifyouwanttogetinfrontofmeetingplanners,getaTwitteraccount,startputtingsomecontentoutthere.AndthenLinkedInisjustanawesometool.Everybodyusesthatkindofonaprofessionallevel.We’refindingmoreandmorespeakersaregettingbookedthroughLinkedIn.Meetingplannersareusingit,sothosearestillkindofthebigthreeinregardstosocialmedia.Butthat’saboutit.

JB:That’sawesome,awesomestuff.Thanksforbeingsothoroughwiththat,that’sbrilliant.Let’sgothroughsomeofthelittleitemsthatstuckouttome,thefeaturesofeSpeakersthatmaybearen’tasprominent.OneofthefirstonesthatIwasreallyinterestedinwasautomatedemailmarketing.Howdoesthisworkandwhatcanitdoforaspeaker?

JH:Well,everythinginoursystempivotsontheeventitself.So,John,you’respeakinginLasVegasonDecember5th.Everythingpivotsonthatdateandthatlocation.Whattheemailmarketingdoesisgiveyoutheabilitytouploadallofyourcontacts—past,futureonesyouwant,peopleyou’reworkingwith,orwhateveritmightbe—intoyouraccount.Basically,that’sthenameoftheclient,theemailaddress,andthestateorprovinceandcountrytheylivein.Thatinformationisjustuploadedina.CSVfile.It’sprettyeasytoexportthatoutofyourcontactdatabaseandimportitin.

Let’ssaytherearethreepeopleinVegaswhomyou’vespokentointhepastandlet’ssaytherearethreemoreyou’dliketointhefuture.WhenyouorsomebodyinyourofficegetsacallinAugustthat


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says,“Hey,we’dlikeJohntocomeandspeakonDecember5thinLasVegas,”yousay,“Oh,great,”andyouputinthesystemthattheevent’sinLasVegasonthisdate.Oursystemrecognizesthatandgoesthroughandfindsthosesixcontactsand30dayspriortoyougoingthere,thesystemsendsthemanemailwithaphotoofyouwithcontactinformationonhowtogetincontactwithyou.Itsays,“Hey,John’scomingtotownonDecember5th.Takesometimetopreviewhiseventorbookhimwhilehe’sintown.”Wegetareallygreatresponseonthis,peoplearegettingpiggybackbookingsoffofthis.“Hey,whileyou’reintowncometalktomygroup,”thattypeofthing.They’regettingnetworkingopportunitiestospeakwithpeoplewhomaybedidn’thaveaneventatthattime,buttheycouldgovisitthemwhilethey’rethere.

JB:Thisisawesome,actually,Iteachtodoboththesethings,thatwhenyouhaveanevent,let’ssayit’sinAtlanta,tocontactothermeetingplannersandinvitethemtoyoureventandsay,“Hey,comeandwatchmespeak.”Sothiswilldoitforyouautomatically?

JH:Itdoes,yeah.

JB:Ohmygosh.

JH:Onceyouuploadthatlist,thelistjustsitsthere,right,becauseweknowtheemailaddressandthestateorprovinceandcountrytheylivein.Theneverythingpivotsonthateventdate.Thethingaboutoursystemisthatyoucanputtheeventinthesystem,butoneofthekeythingswithourcalendarisweactuallyhaveastatustogglesoyoucanhavetheeventina“held”status,ina“lead”status,orina“confirmed”statusora“cancelled”[status].Eachoneofthosestatusestriggersdifferentthings.Those“speakertracks”wecallthem,thatemailmarketing,theydon’tgooutunlessit’sin“confirmed”status.

JB:Gotit,okay.

JH:Sothat’soneofthethings.

JB:That’sgreat,soit’snotlike,“Hey,showupattheevent”andyou’renotthere.[laughter]

JH:Right.

JB:Gotit.That’sactuallyagoodtransitionintothenextquestionthatIhad,orthefeature.There’sanitemthatrefersto“thousandsoflocalleads.”Two-partquestiononthisone.Ifsomebody’snotinterestedintravelingtospeak,howdotheygetinfrontoftheirlocalleadsintheircity?AndthenbacktotheAtlantaexample,ifyou’regoingthereandyoudon’tknowwhoarethemeetingplanners,canyoureachouttothoselocalleadstotrytocreatethosepiggybackbookings?

JH:Youbet.Whatthisparticularfeaturecamefromwasourspeakertracksystemwherespeakersweregoingtotownandhavingsomuchsuccesscreatingnewbusinessbyhavingthatemailgoout.Theysaid,“Youknow,whoelseisouttherewhomwecouldcontact?”Yougoouttoacity,Atlanta,andyouflyin


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andyouspeakandyouflyoutandyoucomehomeandyou’relike,“Well,IjustspentallthattimegettingthereandspeakingthereandIleftandIdidn’tgeneratenewbusiness.”Sowecreatedwhat’scalledthelocalleadpool.THELLPissetup,again,basedonthelocationoftheevent.Soyou’regoingtoAtlanta.Whenyouputthateventinthesystem,youcangeneratealocalleadpoolreportthatwillbringupallofyourowncontactsinthatarea,inAtlanta,thatyoumightwanttoreachoutto.It’llbringupallthechambersofcommerce,it’llbringupallthemedia,allthecorporatemeetingplannersandassociationmeetingplanners.Itcomesupwiththeircontactinformation,everythingexceptfortheiremail.Weleaveemailoffjustbecauseemailisawholedifferentthingtotackle,withspamandallthat.

Actually,wefoundsincethatspeakerslikedoingitalittlebitdifferently.Letmetellyouhowthey’redoingitdifferentinasecond.Essentially,youwouldgenerateareportforeachofthelocationsyou’regoingtoandyoucanstartmakingcallsorcontactthemandjustsay,“Hey,I’mgoingtobeintownandwouldlovetomeetwithyou.”Speakersareusingthistogeneratenewbusiness.They’realsousingittogetnetworkingtimewithpeople,keyindustrypeople,bureaus,ormedia.They’regettinginterviewsormeetingwithmeetingplannerclientswhomaybedon’thaveaneventatthattime,butthey’regettingtoknowthemfortheirnextevent,thattypeofthing.Thishasbeenareallygreatsuccess.

Oneofthespeakerswhousesthisinadifferentway,hisnameisSteveGilliland.Stevecreatedapostcard,Idon’tknowhowmanythousandheprinted,butheprintedabunchofthem.Heprintedonesidethatwasallcolorandapictureofhimand,“Hey,Steve’scomingtotown,”thattypeofthingonthefront.Onthebackitwasblank.Thenhecreatedaformattedsheet—apageinWord,Iguess,orWorksorwhateverhewasusing—withtheinformationabouttheeventitself.“I’mspeakingatthisparticularconferenceandwouldlovetospeakwithyouwhileI’mintownorspeakforyourgroupwhileI’mintown,here’showtocontactme,”andthentheaddressesofallthecontactsinthelocalleadpool.Thenhisoffice,theygothroughandtheydownloadthelocalleadlistandmergethattogetherwiththistemplate.Itputsalltheaddressesinthereandtheyprintthatonthebackofthepostcardsandsendthemout.Ihaven’tcheckedwithhimthisyear,butlastyear,in2014,hegotsixjobsjustoffofthat.

JB:Thatisawesome.[laughter]

JH:He’sa$15,000speaker,sothat’sconsiderable.

JB:[laughter]Ofcourse.That’sawesome.

JH:Sixjobs,that’sprettygood.

JB:Anybodylistening,thisisstuffthatI’vebeendoingmanuallyinthepastandI’mjustgetting,like,acombinationofslappingmyselfintheforeheadandchillsabouthoweasyit’sgoingtobemovingforward.Thisisawesome.Anditdoesthemediaaswell?Soyoucangetthelocalradiostationsandprintandalltheircontactinformationaswellsoyoucansendthempressreleases?


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JH:Yup

JB:Awesome.

JH:Sothat’sonewaytodothat.Theotherwayis,wedohaveaserviceinternallyhereateSpeakers,awayforyoutogoinandmarktheboxesofthepeopleyouwanttocontact,andthenwehaveaninsidesalesstaffthatwillcallonyourbehalfifyoudon’thavethebandwidthtodoit.Wejustcallandsay,“Hey,I’mcallingonbehalfofJohnBeede,orwhoever’soffice,andhe’sgoingtobeintownonthisdateandwouldlovetogettomeetwithyouorseeifyou’reinterestedinbookinghimwhilehe’sthere.”

JB:Youguyswilldothat?

JH:We’lldothat,yeah.Wehaveaninternalsalesstaffthatdoesthat.

JB:[laughter]Awesome.

JH:Itdoescostyou.

JB:Uh-huh.

JH:But…

JB:Butifyou’regoingtogeta$10,000,$15,000gigorevena$5,000gig,that’sgoingtopayforitself.

JH:Sothat’saprettygooddeal.That’stough,Imean,it’stoughforusto,wedon’thavesomemagicwandthatmakespeoplewantto—It’sstilltoughforus.Wecancallabout10or11peopleanhourandtalktothem.We’vehadsomegoodsuccessoffthat,peoplehavegottenbookedandpeoplehavegotteninterviews,butit’stough.It’sjustastoughforusasitisforyou.Butifyoudon’thavethetimetodoit,thenwecandothat.Peoplearedoingone,twohourspercity,andit’ssomemarketing,someexposuretotryingtogetsomenewjobsthatway.

TheotherthingIwasgoingtomentioninregardstothelocalleadpoolisthatMarilynSherman,shewantedtospeakinDallasbecauseshewasgoingthereforawedding,Ibelieve,andwasalreadygoingtobethere.Shesaid,“IwanttospeakwhileI’mthereifIcan,Iwanttomakesomemoney.”Sosheputtheweddinginherbusinesscalendar—andyoucandothatwithoutshowingwhoyou’respeakingto.Inthatcaseshe’sjustgoingtoawedding.

JB:[laughter]She’sspeakingtoGrandmaatthewedding.

JH:Yeah,shegeneratedareportforitandstartedcallingandgotajoboffofit.

JB:That’sawesome.


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JH:So,that’sgreattoo.Orifyoudidn’tevenhaveawedding,youjustwantedtospeakinSeattle,Washington,youjustcreateafakeeventinSeattle,Washingtonandstartcallingonit.Generatethereportandcall.That’sawayforsomeofyouwhomaynothavetheevents,ifyouwanttospeakinanareaorifthejob’snearyou,that’sawaytofindouthowto—Thepurposeofthiswastogiveyouashortcut.It’snotanythingyoucan’tfindontheweb.Ifyouwantedtofindsomemediacontactsandplanners,youcanfindallthat.It’sjustashortcut.Savesyoutime.

JB:Absolutely.CanthisreplaceaCRM?

JH:No,that’sactuallyagoodpoint.Weencouragespeakerstohavethreetoolsinouroffice.One’saCRM,one’saneventmanager,whichweprovide,andthenafinancialmanager,sometypeoffinancialsoftware.Wethinkthatwiththosethreetoolsyoucanprettymuchdoalloftheadministrationofyourspeakingbusiness.It’simportantthattheCRMiscontact-centricsothatitfocusesonthecontactandtheneverythingrevolvesaroundthat.Oureventmanager,youputtheeventinandeverythingrevolvesaroundtheevent.Itcouldbeadifferentcontacteveryyear,butthat’showwe’vechosentodoit.Wedon’tstorealotofthecontactdetails;westoreeventdetails.

JB:Gotit

JH:Wedointegratewithlotsofcontactmanagersandthat’sgreat,butweencourageyoutohaveagoodCRM.Somepeoplesay,“Oh,Idon’tknowwhichCRM.”Itdependsonwhatyouwanttodo.Ifyou’rereallyintoemailmarketing,thenyououghttogetsomethingthat’scapableofdoingsomethinglikethat.Butifyou’rejustlookingforsometypeofcontactmanagertomanagebasiccontactinformation,Imean,GoogleContactsisgreatanditintegrateswithmostsoftwareoutthere

JB:Youofferone-clickcontractsindocumentsaswell.InthepastI’veusedAdobe’sDocuSign,whichallowsthemeetingplannertosignontheiriPadandsenditrightbackovertome.Ortheycanjustdigitallysign.Isthissimilarfunctionality?

JH:It’snotparticularlyasigningelementtoit.Whattheone-clickcontractsanddocumentsis,iskindoflikeamailmerge.Ifyou’veevermailmergedinWordorExcelforlabelsorletters,youtakethespreadsheetofinformationandyoumergeitintoadocument.That’swhatourone-clickcontractsanddocumentsdoes.Youcreateacontractthatyouhaveyourclientssign—oritcouldbeathank-youletterorthedetailsoftheevent,somepeoplehaveaone-sheetonthat—andyouputallthedifferentlittlecodesinthetemplate.Soyouhaveyourcontractandyouputinacodeforthedateoftheevent,thepriceoftheevent,location,50percent’sdueonthisdate,allthosedifferentpiecesandpartsofthecontract.Yousaveitanduploadittoyouraccount.Thenonceyouputalltheinformationabouttheeventin,yougoovertothecontractandclick“Contract”andoursystemwillmergeallthedatayoujustputintoeSpeakersintoyourcontractsoyoudon’thavetoretypeit.That’saneasywaytosaveyousometimebyputtingallthatinformationtogethermanually.


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JB:That’sawesome.Ireallylikeit.Cool.Let’skeepmovingon.I’minterestedinbureaus;yourbureau-blastfeature,andthat’sthelastofthefeaturesIthinkI’dliketoaskabout.Whatisthat?Ithinkit’sabigquestionforspeakers.“Whatdobureausdo?Whycan’tIjustdoitonmyown?”Howdoesthishelp?

JH:Sure.Youknow,Igetaskedthisalotaboutbureaus.Bureausareagreatresourceforyouasaspeaker.Somespeakerssay,“I’mnotevergoingtoworkwithbureaus,theytakea25percentcommission.WhywouldIdothat?”Somepeopleworkonlywithbureausandsomepeopleareinthemiddle.Myanswerisalways,“Whynot?”Ifyou’regoingtogetadditionalbusiness,whynot?Soyoulost25percent;theyboughtyouajob.SoIdon’thaveanyproblemswithbureaus.Ithinkbureausareagreatresourceforspeakers.

Really,whatitcomesdowntoisbureausserveadifferenttypeofclient.Bureausservekindofafull-serviceclient,wheretheycantakesomebodyandtheycanservethemfromsteponetostep25intheprocessofhiringaspeakertohavingthemspeakonthestage.Thenyouhaveothertypesofmeetingplannerswhoareself-service,theyliketodoitontheirown.Justlikewhenyougotothegasstation.Idon’tevenknowifthereareanyfull-servicegasstationsanymore,butforthoseofyouwhorememberorknowaboutthat,youdriveupandyoucangotothefull-servicetanksorself-service.Andself-service,yougetoutanddoitonyourown,andthat’sokayforthosewhowanttodoit.Fullservice,youjustgoandtheydoitallforyou.Yousitinthecarandyoupaythemthroughthewindowandyou’redone.It’snodifferentinthespeakingindustry.Bureausprovideagreatpathwayforthosewhowanttoworkwiththem.

Justtohelpyouunderstandthem,theirprimarycenterofbusinessistheirrelationshipwiththemeetingplanners.Themeetingplannerscallthemupandsay,“Ihaveajob,thisiswhatIneed,”andtheydoallthework.They’regreatforthat.ButlikeIsaid,therearetwotypesofbuyers:there’stheself-serveandfull-serve.Withbureaus,Iwoulddefinitelyencourageyoutoworkwiththem,andourBureauBossisagreatwaytodothat.Onceyouhaveuploadedallyourinformationintoyourprofileanditreallylooksgreat,youcansubmitabureaublast.Itgoesouttojustunder500bureaurepsworldwide.It’sanHTMLemailthatgoesouttothem.Weonlysendthemeverytwobusinessdays,neverontheholidays,sowedon’tinundatethem.It’snotspam.There’sabouta30-to45-daywaitingperiodonit.There’salinetosendthemout.Onceyousendit,thenitwouldgoouttothebureaurepandtheycanaddyoutotheirdirectory,theycanhireyou.Peoplehavegottenhired,beenaddedtodirectories,peoplesaying,“Nexttimeyou’reintowncomelookmeup,I’dliketotalktoyou,”or“You’renotreallymytypeofspeaker,butIwishyouwell,”allthattypeofthing.There’sabouta20percentopenratewithit.Itdoescost$349,sowhatIusuallytellpeopleisthatitwouldbeprettytoughtoputapostcardinthemailtomorethan500people—withthedesign,mailing,printingofit—for$350.

JB:Totally.


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JH:It’sanotherwaytoreachout.Bureauslikeitbecausetheygetinundated,theyhaveroomsfullof,well,DVDsnow,butinformationaboutspeakerstolookthrough.Thisisagreatwayelectronicallythattheycanreviewyouasaspeaker,andifthey’reinterestedtheycanaddyou.

JB:That’sawesomestuff.Thisisvery,verycompelling,Ithink,foranybodylisteningwho—Idon’tknowhowtheycouldn’tifthey’reaspeakerbesoldoneSpeakersandwantingtosignup.Orlikeyousaid,iftheywanttogetintouchwithyouorgetsomemoreinformation,let’smakeitreallyclear.Wheredotheygo,whatdotheydo,andhowdotheymoveforward?

JH:IfyouhaveaneSpeakersaccountandyouwanthelpgoingoverthatprofile,someofthebenefitsofit,definitelyreachouttous.Youcanemailsupport@espeakers.comandwehavesomereallygreatpeoplehereateSpeakerswhowillhelpansweryourquestionsandbeavailableforyouninetofiveMountaintime.We’rereallyresponsive,oryoucancallinaswell.

Foranybodywhodoesn’talreadyhaveaneSpeakersaccount,[email protected],“IwasonacallwithJoeandJohn,andJoesaidIcangetanaccount.”We’llgetyousetup.Onceyougetyouraccountsetup,yourgoalistofilloutyourprofile,addyourphotoandyourbioandyourtopicsandyourfees,similartowhatJohn’sdone.Ifyouwanttoseewhatthislookslike,youcangotoespeakers.com/marketplace,soforwardslashmarketplace,andjustsearchforsomebody.Youcansearchbytopics.Thisisactuallyareallygreattoolforanybodywhoiswondering,“AmIintherighttopicmatter?WhatshouldIspeakon?Whatareotherpeoplesayingwhospeakon‘womeninbusiness’or‘businessgrowth’orwhateveritmightbe?”Lookupthosetopicsandlookattheprofilesinthere.Readwhatpeoplearesayingandhowthey’repositioningthemselves.It’sveryvaluable.

JB:Mm-hmm.Gotit.Studyothersuccessesandhopefullyyou’llfollowandbesuccessfulaswell.

JH:Yeah.So,anyway,wedefinitelywanttogetyouonboard.Wearethelargestdatabaseonlineofspeakers,andourgoalistohelpgetyouasspeakersmoreexposure.We’vegotdirectoriesinAsiaandSouthAfricaandAustraliaandEuropeandCanadaandtheU.S.andevenacoupledowninSouthAmerica,Brazilandstuff,sothat’sexposure[in]someplaces[where]youmayneverthinkaboutgettingexposure.Yoursingleprofilecouldpotentiallybeseenifsomebody’slookingforsomebodyonthatparticulartopicinapricerangeandthingslikethat.That’sthebestway.Youcanalsogotoourwebsiteatespeakers.comandgounder“Speakers”andgetquiteabitofinformationthereonthedifferenttoolsweprovide.There’splansandpricingthereaswell;youcansignupthereifyouwant.Icangetyouonboardedprettyeasilyandwithnocostjustbyemailingusatsupport@espeakers.com.

JB:That’sawesome,Joe.Thankyousomuch.Sothat’ssupport@espeakers.com.Andthenitwasespeakers.comforwardslashmarketplaceforthedirectory.They’regreat.Feelfreetobeintouch,everybodyonthiscall,Ihighlyrecommendit.


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Lastquestionforyou,Joe.Somebodylistenstothiscallandtheysay,ayearlater,“Joe,IheardthatcallwithyouandJohnandhere’swhatI’vedonesincethen.”Whatwouldmakethemastarcustomertoyou?Whatwouldtheyhavedoneinhindsightduringthatyearperiodthatwouldmakeyouincrediblybothproudofthemandofyourservice?

JH:Ithinktwothings,andI’vealreadysaidtheminthiscall,soyoualreadyhavealltheinformationaboutit.Oneisyou’vegottohaveanonlinepresence.It’sgottostandout,it’sgottobeunique.You’vegottohavesomethingthatiscompelling.Myencouragementtoyouis,what’scompellingisnot—ItcouldbeifyoulandedaplaneontheHudson,that’scompelling;forCaptainSullythat’swhatmakeshimaspeaker.Butformostspeakers,it’snotthethingsthey’vedone,it’smorethecontentthey’vewritten.Iguessit’sprobablyamixture,actually,ofboth,butwhateveritis,youmaximizethatandmakesureyourprofilereallyzings,reallysells.Thatit’snotjustabiography,butasellingbiography,asellingprofile.Itliststhethingsyou’regoingtoreallydoforaudiences.That’sonething.

Thesecondthingisgetyourcalendaronline.Ourbasicfreeserviceprovidesabasicprofileandabasiccalendar.Sogetyourcalendarinthereandstartthatprocessofmakingsureit’seasytofindyou.Byputtingyourcalendarandyourprofileonlinewithus,you’regoingtogetgreaterexposure.Thendothosethingsonyourownwebsiteaswell.Ifyouhaveawebsite,it’sprobablygoingtocancelouttheprofilesideofit,butputcalendarsonyourwebsitetoo.Thosearetwothingsthatifyoucamebackinayear,Iwouldmakesuretosay,“Hey,look,whereareyouatonyourprofile?Doyouhaveacalendaronline?”And,ofcourse,thebasicprofiledoesagreatjob,buttheupgradedprofilejustsellsyousomuchmore,withvideoandtestimonialsandstuff.Thatwouldbethenextencouragement,toatsomepointfindawaytoupgradeyourprofilesothatyoucanhelpmarketyourselfevenbetter.

JB:Awesome.JoeHeapswithespeakers.com,thankssomuchforyourtime.Thishasbeenfantasticinformation.

JH:Yup,thanksforhavingme,John.

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