Tech Tools

How Speakers, Authors and Thought Leaders Can Capture More Leads, Make More Connections and Close More Sales

by Shawn · 0 comments

As a speaker, author or thought leader, capturing leads, making real connections with those leads, and ultimately converting them into paying customers is the lifeblood of your business.

How are you doing with that?

Evaluate your current lead management practices by answering “True” or “False” to these 10 statements:

  1. I capture and follow up with every business opportunity I get from meetings, networking events and conferences I attend.
  2. When I present to groups or get interviewed by media, I capture and follow up with every business opportunity in the audience.
  3. As an expert and author, I have a system for boosting sales of my book or program and adding every buyer to my follow-up list and community.
  4. I maximize the number of leads I capture at conventions and conferences through contests and drawings — and automatically follow up with all of them.
  5. I can instantly learn who are the most connected, powerful people at any event where I present or capture leads so I can immediately follow up with an exclusive offer.
  6. I use multiple channels to capture leads, including:
    • Web page and blog page registration forms
    • Online event registration forms
    • Mobile text messages
    • Voice recognition phone registrations
    • QR codes
    • Business card scans
  7. I use live Teleseminars, Webinars and Webcasts to inform my prospects and make sales.
  8. I use evergreen and on-demand recorded Teleseminars, Webinars and Webcasts to inform my prospects and make sales.
  9. I (or my support people) use an iPhone to capture leads from business cards we receive and automatically follow up.
  10. I always get the maximum number of prospects to register and attend my Webinars, Teleseminars or Webcasts.

If you answered “False” to six or more of the statements above, sign up and watch this free video series with strategy after tip after demonstration showing you how to automate the ways you collect leads, connect with them and close each sale.

Once you opt-in, you’ll learn about the “Instant Customer Plus” system that can help you with:

  • building a list — fast
  • selling products you create
  • gaining authority in your industry
  • finding rapport with your buyers

I put it to use at one of my events last month and I was thoroughly impressed — attendees were able to opt in to my list before I left the stage, and for those who didn’t, all I had to do was scan their business card with the iPhone app and they immediately went into my automated follow-up campaign.

As a solopreneur — or even with a limited support staff — you have to have an automated sales process or you’ll become your own bottleneck. (If you’re nodding your head in frustrating agreement, do yourself a favor and watch this brand-new free video series from marketing technology guru, Mike Koenigs.)

Here’s a sneak peek at how the “Instant Customer Plus” system can transform your business:

When you opt-in to get your “21 Ways to Instant Customers” video series sent to you, you’re going to discover how to turn on MULTIPLE channels of communication between you and the people that want to buy your products and services.

Register here, and you’ll also have the special opportunity to test the system for yourself for just $1.

Can Speakers Use Twitter?
10 Tips to Make It Work for You… Today!

by Shawn · 1 comment

  1. Use Twitter Search to find speaking opportunities. This is far from the optimal way to benefit from Twitter, but if you really want to give it a try, you can. (Tip: Use the advanced search to filter out unwanted results — for example, if you were searching for tweets that include “keynote speaker,” you might want to avoid words like Yamaha, JBL, etc. that would most likely indicate tweets about audio speakers.)
  2. Share an interesting picture of you with TwitPic. If you want to let people on Twitter know that you’re a speaker, do it in a way that they’ll care about — and who doesn’t like to see an interesting picture? Did you just share the stage with a celebrity — and you have a picture? Or are you the celebrity, and you just took a picture with one of your fans? Or did you just see an amazing sunset after that San Diego convention? Your followers will want to see these pictures, and they just happen to be connected to your speaking work.
  3. Use Twitter Search to get input from people in the industry where you’re speaking next. Whereas #1 is one of my least favorite uses of Twitter, using Twitter to connect and LISTEN is one of my favorite uses. In this case, you could use the Advanced Search again and search for keywords related to the industry you’re targeting.
  4. Use Twitter Search to interview customers of the business or type of business where you’re speaking. If you were speaking at the Tanning Expo, for example, you might search for the keyword “tanning.” There are lots of tweeple whose updates mention tanning, so you could send them a tweet and ask them a question about what they like about tanning, or what they like about their favorite salon, or what they wish was different. Use your imagination. (But be careful: My tanning example could get a little weird, but asking people about computers or cell phones or cars — depending on where you’re speaking — would be much safer.)
  5. Instruct your meeting attendees to tweet using a certain hashtag during and/or after your keynote. If you’re Jane Smith, for instance, and you’re speaking for the Arkansas Hospitality Association, you could have people tag their tweets regarding your presentation with #jsaha (your initials plus association initials). Now you can monitor those tweets during your presentation (if you really want instant feedback) or after, and you can engage with your attendees on Twitter. Not only is it a great way to connect, but it’s a great way to see what questions people are asking about your material, or what they like most… then you know where there are opportunities to enhance your business.
  6. Engage with your fans, followers and attendees. Even if you don’t want to play with hashtags, you can at least mention your Twitter handle on your website, in your book, and DEFINITELY at your events — encourage people to “contact me on twitter @yourname if you have any questions or comments – I’d love to connect.” The great thing is that when people tweet to you, you show up in their twitter feed, so you never know who you might get in front of. It’s all about expanding your reach (with real, helpful communication).
  7. Tweet a recommendation to a speaker/author/authority you look up to. Is there someone you’d like to connect with, but you don’t want to pick up the phone to call them? If you’re a leadership speaker, maybe you admire Ken Blanchard and his work has had a major impact on you and your material. Send him a tweet with “@kenblanchard just wanted to say I love your work” (the more specific you can be, the better). Will he care? Of course. Everyone loves applause. And you never know, he might reply, which means your twitter handle was just seen by his followers! (Just to be clear, though, you should only do this if you sincerely want to express thanks or admiration. The reply mention just happens to be a nice benefit. Sincerity and authenticity rules.)
  8. Tweet an offer for something free to your followers. Do you have an audio to give away? A video? E-book? Give something away that’s really valuable and 1) you’ll build more goodwill with your followers, and 2) it just might go viral and explode your network.
  9. Reply to someone else’s tweet — without promoting yourself. Pay attention to what your followers are talking about and chime in every now and then. Did someone just mention going somewhere interesting? Ask them about it or make a comment. Does someone have a question that you can answer (even if it’s not related to your core business)? Answer it. Contribute and participate in the community.
  10. Find a chat to participate in (last night was #speakchat for example — I missed it). There are chats for HR professionals, tech professionals, and on and on. Here’s a directory of over 330 Twitter chats — and it’s still growing! These chats are a great way to engage and yes, you might get some business out of it, but you’re guaranteed to come away with a better understanding of what professionals in a particular field care about. (And that is priceless when it comes to creating and marketing your services.)

BONUS: Recommended Twitter Apps for Your Smartphone

Have questions? Leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to help. Or, have your own Twitter tips to share with other speakers? Success stories based on the tips above? Let’s hear them!

Thanks for reading!

Speakers 2.0 – Lessons from Conan

by Shawn · 0 comments

There was a fascinating piece in the Tech section of Fortune.com a few days ago about how Conan O’Brien (former host of NBC’s The Tonight Show; currently host of Conan on TBS) found his life “disrupted by the digital world” and reinvented himself to become even more popular, reaching even more people.

When you have time to read 3900 words, go check it out and I think you’ll find that Conan’s story has more relevance to your speaking business than you might imagine. In the meantime, I’ve included some of my take-aways below. (By the way, if you don’t know about the Conan O’Brien-Jay Leno-NBC fiasco of 2010, you can find part of the backstory here).

  • Conan awoke to a new reality when he found himself banned from late night television — his livelihood for some 17 years — for six months and had no idea what his future held after leaving NBC. Reading this article, I couldn’t help but think about what speakers experienced when the recession of 2007-2009 hit — and we’re still trying to figure out how to navigate this “new normal.”
  • Conan embraced his new reality, said goodbye to business as usual, and came out on the other side bigger than ever. One of the biggest keys: social media. (Conan’s primary social media tools, FYI: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, FourSquare, Flickr and Tumblr)
  • What Conan learned: “performing now means engaging.” In other words, his audience “doesn’t want to be just an audience — they want to be participants.” It’s not so different from speakers. You could just as easily say, “speaking now means engaging.” To achieve real success for today and the future, you can’t just get up on stage, talk for 45 minutes, collect your paycheck and go home. You must engage your audience — and not just from the stage. Think of yourself as the leader of a movement and invite your followers to join you.
  • Conan’s Executive Producer “views Conan above all as a brand, and his social networks as a content system through which to carry the brand as far and wide as possible.” Are you employing a similar strategy in your speaking business? With the technology we have access to today, you can and you must have a “content system” (including, but not limited to, social networks) that takes you and your material “as far and wide as possible.” It’s not just about speaking at live events. It’s not just about writing books. It’s not just about selling CDs. You can do more — and it’s a beautiful thing!

Here was my big take-away from this article:

In the “old world,” Conan O’Brien was just a television personality. In the new world, Conan’s television work is just one part of his entire platform. It’s a key part, obviously, but of the 5 million people he reaches each month, only 1.5 million of them are watching his show each night on TBS. Most of them are connecting online — he has 2.3 million followers on Twitter, over 1.6 million fans on Facebook, and over 10 million monthly views of his online videos.

See what he’d be missing if he were only on TV?

Likewise, you’re missing lots of people if your business stops at your speaking events.

If you haven’t realized it already, speakers don’t live in the “old world” any more than Conan O’Brien does. Gone are the days when speakers can thrive just by being speakers.

Sure, you must speak and speak well, but don’t stop there.

You are a content creator, and speaking is just one way to deliver your content.

Expand your content system. Have more fun. Reach more people. Make more money.

What do you think? What’s your take on the “2.0″ version of life as a speaker? Chime in below!

How Can Professional Speakers Use QR Codes?

by Shawn · 3 comments

From the Succeed Speaking newsletter:

Chances are, you’ve seen one of those funny-looking boxes by now (like the one on the right). What the heck is it? Do you have one of your own? Do you need one? It’s time for some answers, starting with…

Yes, in my opinion, you need one.

But let’s back up.

First of all, it’s called a Quick Response (QR) code, and by Mashable‘s definition, it’s “a two-dimensional code that can be scanned by smartphone cameras to automatically pull up text, photos, videos, music and URLs.”

They’re already everywhere in Japan (or so I hear), and while they’ve been a little slower to catch on in America, “the question isn’t whether the codes will reach the level of ubiquity found in Japan; rather, it’s how quickly will they be a part of every day life, like reading a URL address.” (Inc.)

As a speaker, here’s how I see it: These codes can give people fast access to you and your materials and the easier you make it for them to get to you, the more you stand out from other speakers and the better your chances of getting a shot at business (whether you’re talking about getting a booking, selling products, or anything else).

What might you link up to a QR code? Here are some ideas:

  • Your phone number (think “call me now”)
  • Your Facebook page
  • Your E-newsletter sign-up form
  • Your demo video
  • A free ebook or special report (EXAMPLE: the QR code above gives you instant access to an ebook compilation of Succeed Speaking’s “best of” for 2010 – you’ll need a barcode scanner app like this one)
  • Your website (kind of boring, but it’s something)
  • A testimonial page where your event attendees could leave instant feedback

Two things to keep in mind: 1) People will be (usually) following your QR code from a mobile device, so don’t send them to something that just won’t work on a phone. 2) Like anytime you’re asking someone to take action, remember to ask: What’s in it for them? Why would they want to do this?

Now, the next question is, where would you put one of these codes? How about…

  • On your business card
  • On your handouts at events (great place to link to your newsletter sign-up page OR a “bonus” report that is a follow-up on “what we just talked about today”)
  • On your promo materials (specifically, one-sheets/brochures — how about a link to “Watch my video now!”)
  • On your book jacket (for bonus chapters and such)
  • On anything else that’s printed (or even your website)!

Are you still with me? If so, think about what you want to link to and go get your code right now (it’s free):

I recommend either Kaywa’s QR code generator or this one built on Google Apps for simplicity — you just put in your destination link, choose the size you want, and out pops your code — or for a more elaborate solution, look at iCandy which calls itself “the desktop publishing of QR codes.”

Any questions? Want to share your own QR code experience? Let’s hear from you in the comments below!

Need some help integrating QR codes into your marketing plans for 2011? We can help with that.

Create a Paperless Speaking Business

by Shawn · 0 comments

As a speaker, you’ve got lots of papers to manage, right? Receipts… Contracts… Questionnaires… Evaluation Forms…

YUCK!

You can actually replace a lot of papers using a variety of web apps that are available. A few ideas:

  • Use Wufoo or Formstack for your pre-event questionnaires and other forms
  • Use Docusign for electronic contracts (with digital signatures)
  • Use FreshBooks for electronic invoicing

Even so, it’s hard to go completely paperless on the front-end of your business — for one thing, many of your clients and other partners aren’t paperless, so you have to doing business in a way that’s compatible with their needs. You can still go paperless on the back-end, though, by using a system like this:

Creating the Paper-Free Mac Office

All you need are two tools:

  1. A document scanner that automatically converts scans to PDFs
  2. A piece of software to organize your new electronic documents

And even though that’s a model for a Mac-based office, PC users can do the same thing. (Here are a few PC tools to get you started.)

Clutter in your office = clutter in your head = a less-than-optimal business operation. Time to get rid of some papers!

Do you have any paperless tips or success stories to share? Chime in below!

P.S. DO NOT print this blog post! :-)

What is Social Media, and Why Does It Matter to You?

by Shawn · 2 comments

I’ve been reading David Meerman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing & PR since being given a copy at the National Speakers Association convention last week. I haven’t finished it yet, but I can tell by what I’ve read so far that this is absolutely a must-read if you’re trying to figure out how — or if — social media fits into managing and growing your speaking business. (And if you are, you’re not alone.)

Social media is a subject of confusion and frustration for many speakers. Does it matter to me? Can it really help my business? How do I plug in with social media and not waste my time?

A good place to start is getting a good understanding of exactly what social media is — then you can figure out what to do with it. David answers this question — “What is social media, anyway?” — very effectively in his book:

Social media provides the way people share ideas, content, thoughts and relationships online. Social media differ from so-called ‘mainstream media’ in that anyone can create, comment on, and add to social media content. Social media can take the form of text, audio, video, images, and communities.

And here’s the bottom line:

The best way to think about social media is not in terms of the different technologies and tools but, rather, how those technologies and tools allow you to communicate directly with your buyers in places they are congregating right now.

After reading those statements, is there any question that social media needs to be a part of your business strategy? As someone whose livelihood is based on creating and delivering content, one could argue that no one can make better use of social media than professional speakers, authors and thought leaders. To use David’s words, sharing “ideas, content, thoughts and relationships” is what your business is all about. Right?

As perfect as the fit is between speakers and social media, though, don’t think you can just jump right in and get results. You must know what you’re doing. Otherwise, you are guaranteed to waste your time at best, and hurt your reputation at worst.

That’s why you need to read a book like David’s — which, as Mark Levy writes on the back cover, “…teaches readers how to launch a thought leadership campaign by using the far-reaching, long-lasting tools of social media…” — or check out a comprehensive social media coaching program like Social Profit Formula offered by Don Crowther.

Don is one of the “Big Kahunas” when it comes to social media and his Social Profit formula program may be the perfect solution if you’ve been wondering how to make money (whether by booking dates, selling product, getting coaching clients, or otherwise) with social media, or if you’ve tried social media and given up in frustration because it didn’t work for your business.

Social Profit Formula is only open for a limited time, so check out this preview video (and you’ll also be able to access some high-content free training videos) and see if it may be right for you — watch to the end and you’ll see that Don is the real deal… Otherwise he couldn’t offer a never-before-seen $5,000 GUARANTEE that you will make money from his coaching!

NOTE: I’ve been so impressed by what I’ve seen from Don that I set up an affiliate relationship to help him promote Social Profit Formula. That means he’ll pay me a commission if you enroll in his training/coaching program through one of the links in this blog post, and that means I can “give back” something special to you: If you enroll in Social Profit Formula and stay in for 31 days or more, I’ll get on the phone with you for a free one-on-one, one-hour coaching call to help you adapt Don’s social media training to your speaking business — You know your speaking business, Don knows social media, I know the speaking/meetings industry… together we can do something special!

The final word: Social media does matter to your speaking business and it’s worth your investment of time, energy and money to figure out how to do it right and get results — whether that’s buying David’s book, enrolling in Don’s coaching program, hiring an independent social media consultant, or something else.

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