Product Creation

Are you the steward or the star?

by Shawn · 6 comments

2011 08 Michael Buble 23
Creative Commons License photo credit: marbla123

Just a simple question for you this week, and I’d love to hear your feedback:

Do you see yourself as the steward or the star in your speaking business?

One definition of steward, according to Merriam-Webster, is “one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution.”

I like that, but it’s not food and drink you’re distributing, obviously. It’s your message. So…

What if, for speakers, we change the definition to “one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of an inspiring, empowering message among the people”?

With this definition, the attention shifts from you to your content, or your message — a message that, while not quite as essential as food and drink :) , you believe people need… right?

Your job, then, is not to position yourself prominently in the marketplace… not to make sure you look good on stage… not to make sure you get all the praise…

Instead, your job is simply to propagate your message and make sure it is consumable by as many people as possible (within your target audience).

You are an essential piece of this puzzle — don’t get me wrong. You are the one who has been inspired with your message and you have unique gifts and talents for delivering the message.

But does this slight shift in thinking change anything?

Now what is your objective when you market to prospective clients? Not just to get a booking and collect a paycheck, but to “distribute provisions” to a hungry, thirsty audience.

What is your objective when you write articles? Not just to add another credit to your list or get exposure, but to help even more people.

What is your objective when you create products to sell? Not just to diversify revenue and create “passive income,” but to make your content consumable for more people, and to make sure there are funds to support the further spread of your content.

Am I being too idealistic? Too dramatic?

Or, is it possible that seeing yourself as a steward could transform your business? (And is it possible that it could, coincidentally, result in you becoming a star?)

Comment below and tell me what you think!

What’s Your Value As A Speaker? It’s Not About What You Know

by Shawn · 0 comments

Your value as a speaker is not in what you know… It’s in what you can help others do.

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Last week we wrapped up the Succeed Speaking Summer Marketing Camp, and I opened the final session by speaking about Dr. BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model. (Dr. Fogg is founder of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University.)

Fogg’s model states that three elements must converge at the same moment for a behavior — or action — to occur: Motivation, Ability, and Trigger.

In other words, someone must be motivated to do something, s/he must have the ability to do something, and there must be a trigger to prompt the action. And if an action doesn’t occur, you know at least one element is missing.

This was very relevant to our marketing camp, because we knew our participants had the motivation to market themselves better (because something about their current marketing wasn’t working), and we gave them a trigger to stimulate action by inviting them to our camp.

But could we give them the ability to market themselves better?

That was our prime objective, and that’s how we’ll ultimately be judged in the weeks, months and years ahead.

It’s the same for you… when you take the stage as a speaker, when you write your books and when you create supplemental products.

But how do you do it?

Dr. Fogg says there are two ways to increase ability:

  1. Train people and give them more skills, and/or
  2. Make the target behavior easier to do — in other words, simplify the desired behavior.

“Training” is the easiest place for us to go as experts — we can share ideas, strategies and tactics all day long.

But as Dr. Fogg says, “Training people is hard work, and most people resist learning new things. That’s just how we are as humans: lazy.”

If you really want to increase the ability of those you speak to, focus on showing them how to easily implement what you teach — or better yet, what they already know! — in their daily lives.

At the end of the day, that’s what drives up your value as a speaker:

It’s not how much you know about selling. It’s how much better salespeople you help your attendees become.

It’s not how much you know about motivation. It’s how much more motivated you help your attendees become.

It’s not how much you know about leadership. It’s how much better leaders you help your attendees become.

It’s not how much I know about the speaking business. It’s how much better and more successful I can help you become.

Right?

There will always be someone who knows more than us.

But if we can simplify the target behaviors and actions to the point that we help our followers do what they need to do and experience better results…

That’s what it’s all about.

Simplicity.

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Five Reasons YOU Need Products – and “More Money” Is Not One of Them

by Shawn · 0 comments

Rarely do I talk to a speaker who is indifferent about having products in his or her business.

Most speakers are either enthusiastic about the benefits products bring to their businesses, or they hate products and say, “I don’t want to sell anything!”

It’s unfortunate that products have come to have this negative connotation to some. Is anyone calling Apple “sleazy” for churning out product after product each year? No. They’re creating products people love, and building a very successful business doing it!

There’s no reason you can’t — and shouldn’t — do the same thing.

I know of at least five reasons you need products in your business:

1. Credibility

If you see one speaker whose website only promotes a keynote presentation on Leadership, and you see another speaker whose website showcases the same keynote presentation plus a training program, webinars, e-learning courses, CDs, DVDs and books, which one appears to be more of an expert on the topic?

The more products you have to share your expertise on a topic, the more of an expert you are perceived to be… before anyone even looks at your bio to review your credentials.

2. Diversification

We’ve talked about this one before, but if more than 75% of your revenue comes from your speaking fees, then what happens if the meetings industry collapses — even for a short time? What happens if new regulations change the way organizations can invest in speakers? What happens if you fall ill for an extended period? As they say, “Expect the unexpected.”

When you diversify your business with multiple revenue streams, you have a stronger business when everything is going well, and you have fail-safe mechanisms in place in the event one system fails.

3. New World, New Economy

One of the speakers at the IASB Convention earlier this month, a futurist, shared some news that should sound very good to you: “Intellectual property will define wealth in the future…”

As a speaker, isn’t “intellectual property” the foundation of your business? Absolutely! That means you are positioned perfectly for this new economy. Lois Creamer said on #speakchat last night, “Remember, you all are in the intellectual property biz.”

The second part of the quote from the IASB speaker puts a little more urgency into the need for you to develop products, though: “…as we are moving to a non-physical reality.”

Live speaking engagements are a very physical means of delivering your message, and I don’t believe that is going away. But there is no question that more and more of our life is going digital/virtual, so make sure you keep up with that in the way you package your content.

4. Exit Strategy

Whether you’re just starting your speaking business, whether you’re in your prime, or whether you’re thinking about the next phase of your life, do you have an exit strategy? If you owned a convenience store and wanted out, it’s simple: you sell the convenience store. As a speaker, though, you are your business. You can’t sell yourself — or at least, I wouldn’t advise it! :)

Developing products or licensing your content to allow others to develop products adds another dimension to your business so you can either continue generating revenues long after you’re off the road, or you can even sell the product portion of the business as a “training company.”

5. Excitement

I mentioned Apple at the beginning of this article, and I want to circle back to them. Do you know why Apple was recently recognized as the Most Valuable Brand? Look at the emphasized words in this statement for some hints:

“The company will most likely maintain its momentum as an image and financial leader with products like the iPad 2, as well as the anticipated debut this fall of the iPhone 5.”

You can apply the exact same strategy to your brand and your business.

Not so much with a single keynote, but it’s a different story if you have a keynote… which gives way to a book… which gives way to an iPhone app… which gives way to a membership site… which gives way to a DVD series… which gives way to a coaching program… which gives way to a spin-off keynote… and a spin-off book… and on and on.

(By the way, if you want to see a real example of this in the speaking world, go to Ken Blanchard‘s website and type “one minute” — no quotes — in the search box in the upper right corner… You’ll see all the number of ways he has spun The One Minute Manager into products, which has kept him and his brand relevant for over 25 years!)

Does this give you some ideas about possibilities for your content and your business?

If so, pull out a piece of paper and list your ideas right now.

Then pick ONE you can tackle this week, and create a plan of attack.

You don’t build a product empire overnight. You build it one step at a time.

(And as a side note, everything I’ve written here applies to my business, too, so I’m going through this process with you right now!)

Let me know how can be more helpful to you.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
FREE Teleseminar – Tomorrow

I just found out about a teleseminar led by Brendon Burchard that happens tomorrow, Wednesday, on the topic of product creation. He’s going to be grilling two guys who have been behind some multi-million-dollar product launches about how to create and package high-value content, and how to market it in a way that generates excitement just like Apple. Register now!


Are You Holding Out On Them?

by Shawn · 0 comments

Let me begin by asking you a series of questions.

Do you believe you have a valuable message to share?

Of course…

Can you share all of your insights/expertise in 45-90 minutes (a typical keynote)?

Of course not…

So are you offering some way people can “take you home” — ideally, more than a book — at the end of your presentation?

Are you talking about products?

I am.

According to the most recent membership survey by the National Speakers Association, the average speaker makes about 13% of their annual gross revenue from product sales… but 19% of speakers make NO money from products and 42% of speakers generate just 1-10% of their revenue from products.

What does that mean?

It means many speakers are selling their audiences — and their businesses — short. Are you one of them?

We’ll talk about what this means to your business next week, but for now, let’s focus on your audience members — they need your help.

Some speakers don’t have products because they don’t know how to create them or they just don’t have time to create them. That’s understandable, but both problems are easily solved — there’s plenty of great training available, or you can outsource the product creation all together (email me if you like the sound of that).

What concerns me more are the speakers who don’t have products because “I don’t want to sell anything” or because “Products are slimy.”

1. I don’t want you to sell anything, either. I want you to offer something.

2. Products are not slimy; a few people who pitch products are slimy. Don’t let those people dictate what you do in your business — you’re not like them.

Going back to question #3 above — if you’re not offering products (or “resources” or “materials”) after you speak, you’re not giving your attendees the opportunity to consume everything you have to offer. You’re holding out on them.

Have you ever thought about products that way?

Remember: You are the answer that someone is looking for.

When you deliver a meaningful message to your audience… when you connect with them… don’t leave them hanging.

Give them a way that they can bring you into their homes or businesses on a daily basis so you can truly change their lives.

You plant seeds with your keynote. What are you doing to help those seeds take root and grow?

Want more on this topic?

Check out the 9-step “Create Anything” outline to guide your product creation and also get the free 50-minute training video that shows you 12 simple-to-create products and programs to advance your message and bring in recurring revenue for your business.

 

9-Step “Create Anything” Outline for Information Products

by Shawn · 1 comment

 

Brendon Burchard's Total Product Blueprint

 

Do you have a message and/or expertise that can help people? Of course you do.

Are you able to “download” everything you have to offer in a 45-90 minute keynote? Of course not.

So do you currently have products or resources that allow your attendees to “take you home” with them? I hope so.

But if not, Brendon Burchard just released a new training video with his 9-step “Create Anything” outline to help you get started creating your first product TODAY. Here are the highlights from the outline, and you can sign up below to get the full 50-minute training video (you’ll love it!):

First, provide context

1. Introduce Yourself: “I help [target audience] do [activity] so that [key benefit].”

2. Ask: “Have you ever had these challenges?” (What challenges will your program help them overcome?)

3. Connect with Them: “Me too” (Share your own struggles before you share your successes)

4. And Then: Share your story of finding a solution

5. And Then: Share the results you’ve created in your own life/business, or in the lives/businesses of your clients/customers

6. Now: Old world/new world/myths+trends (In other words, “The old world doesn’t work anymore… In the new world things have completely changed… To succeed now, you have to do it this way…”)

Then, deliver content

7. Outline and Expand Your Solution Framework: This is the meat of your program

8. Identify Most Common Mistakes: Give them the do’s and don’ts to keep them on track

9. Now What? Tell them the first action to take so they can get on their way to achieving the desired results

And there you have it! You can follow this outline to create any one of 12 possible products — e-books, audio series, seminars…

Would you like additional training – free?

Sign up below for instant access to Brendon’s free 50-minute training video and he’ll provide further insight on the 9-step outline and walk you through all of the 12 possible information products you can create — and show you how creating just one of them can add $100,000 to your annual revenue!