Posts Tagged ‘Vickie Sullivan’
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
So you want to be a thought leader? Here’s one way to do it: tell your clients what they want before they know they want it.
This Fast Company article has some great ideas. My favorite tip is the second one: check out the work arounds. This idea doesn’t just apply to consumers. Think about it: how many times do we do mental “work arounds” that keep us from seeing the big picture? Or assessing our situation from a different angle? And helping our clients do that…isn’t that our job as experts?
Scott Anthony, author of The Little Black Book of Innovation is right: we don’t have to depend on random flashes of brilliance. As thought leaders, we can focus our thinking to find (and talk about) what our clients don’t know — yet. Click here to check out the other ideas.
Tags: consultants, experts, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012
Whew! We’re running like the wind with the first call in the Big Fee Speaking Engagement series. Talk about drinking from a fire hose. I was tired by the end of the hour. I can only imagine what the attendees felt like.
The game-changing distinction: it’s not enough to describe your topic, or your background or what you do. That lasts five seconds at most. To be the benchmark these buyers compare other speakers to, you have to be fluent enough to apply your expertise into a specific situation. Their situation. In real time.
This is easier said than done. Why? Most of us work off of a script or notes when talking to buyers. That’s a good idea for low-level folks who get excited easily. And it helps you to be succinct. And…high-fee buyers can spot a script at 50 paces. They want to know if you really know what you are talking about. They test you and then decide if you’re for real. Pass the test, and they’ll talk further. Don’t pass and you’re done. That decision is made within ten seconds.
BTW, it’s not too late to sign up for the series. Yes, I’m recording the calls so it’s easy to catch up. And besides, the next call — on how to spot the false buyers — will be an eye-opener for sure. Click here for more details and to sign up.
Tags: conversations, experts, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
In this crowded marketplace, labels can give you a leg up. A snazzy title for your business or for your campaign can capture interest and kick off market momentum. It’s a popular request from my clients.
This handy article from Entrepreneur magazine offers a quick and easy way to come up with a name. What I like: this article gives you three options so your creativity is not limited by one process. What I recommend: use this system for more than naming your business. These tools are great for naming anything that needs three words or less.
Warning: don’t use this for naming your speeches or articles. Titles here need more description.
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
You’ve talked to the buyer several times. They are so enthusiastic about your topic and expertise. You just KNOW that you’re gonna speak to this group. You can just see all the spin-off business now…
And then reality hits. All this time you’ve been talking to a false positive buyer — someone who can say no but can’t say yes. What’s worse: you asked them if they were a decision maker and they said yes. Did you just get lied to?
Kinda-sorta, but not really. Here’s what happened: the person you talked to was assigned to find a speaker. They were assigned by the real buyer, who found someone themselves and told the false positive folks to shut down the process. It happens all the time. Too often.
Which is why I am stepping out of the bat cave and getting on the phone. I’m launching Big Fee Speaking Conversations for one reason: because too many speakers with good leads still aren’t getting business. Why? Because they don’t know the new magic words to say to buyers. When you say the right words to the right people, magic happens. I’ve helped my high-end clients with sales conversations for years. It’s time to help the rest of you. Join me on February 29th. What you say to buyers is about to change forever…
Tags: conversations, experts, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, February 16th, 2012
Where there is money, there are more then two people trying to get it. And when it comes to speaking for big fees, there are a lot of folks going after that gig. The problem: branding at 30,000 feet will get you in the door, but your conversations get you the invitation. Any expert who wants big speaking fees has to deal with these two very strong competitors:
- Internal Resources – in corporate, it can be the president or someone from the C-suite. Buyers know they aren’t the best speakers, but sometimes politics trumps common sense. In associations, they can be panel discussions featuring members or sponsors.
- The Favorites – these are speakers the buyers know and love. If you’re one of them, great. But don’t assume you are alone. Buyers know they have at least ten people vying for every speaking slot. If you’re not, that’s okay. You can get in, but you have to neutralize the folks in this group. It’s possible, but — as we say in Oklahoma — it takes “some doin’”.
- And the third is the most deadly of them all. It’s the option buyers fall back on before the decision is made. Speakers who don’t prepare for this competitor get blind-sided all the time.
Want to know more? That’s why I’m launching the Big-Fee Speech Conversation series on February 29th. We’re not talking at 30,000 feet here. I’m drilling down on exactly what to do and say to get these lucrative opportunities. Click here for more details. Space is limited.
Tags: conversations, experts, opportunity, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
We all have fans — folks who just love our work. We all have places we hang around for years because that’s where we started. We’ve met our BFFs (business friends forever) there. As you grow your business though, things change. Question: how do you love your community when you’ve outgrown the group? Do you stay involved or do you leave with fond memories?
Places where I used to market no longer work as I raised my fees over the years. So, when I’m asked to speak or volunteer, I have a different benchmark. If I have the time to give, I do it. But I don’t file my involvement under marketing. Why? Because I don’t want to fool myself into thinking, “Hey, I’m marketing — I’ve got three speeches this month.” Because if I think that, I’ll slack off on marketing to groups who are willing to pay my fees.
When I was young and silly, I used to love ‘em and leave them. Not anymore. Now I stick around and change my mental agenda. Because everyone needs a place like ‘Cheers’ in their life. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
Tags: conversations, experts, Marketing, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Here’s an interesting way to get your expertise “out there”: a new service (yep, it’s free) to post your business-related content for others to admire. Tech firm Copper Services is calling their project “YouTube of business information”. Here’s the deal: you can post white papers, videos, anything you want. You can put it out there for free or even charge for it. Posting is free; the company will take a percentage if you sell anything. (Want more details: check out conveycontent.com.)
Here’s the Catch 22: Copper Services is marketing to meeting planners as a way to monetize their conference content. Translation: a bigger audience to sell your stuff and get all the money. Question: should speakers ask for a share of this revenue? Or just give it away if they are speaking for free anyway? If the group owns the rights to your presentation to them, can they do whatever they want with it? Do services like this cannibalize your product offerings?
It’s one thing to sell the content to attendees and members. It’s another to sell it to the entire free world. Hmmm…what would you do?
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, speakers, Speaking, trends, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
This is what happens when I try to be social. Someone I don’t know well asked for a LinkedIn connection. He’s in our community so I said yes. Within 24 hours, I’m getting spam e-mail about an event I couldn’t care less about. Asked him twice to take me off his list. He finally did and apologized. I’m happy with the conclusion.
This situation did leave me with some big questions. Now that I know LinkedIn is handing out my email with every connection, should I limit who I connect with? Do you limit your community to only those you know and, if so, how do you “meet” new people? Where is the balance between meeting new people and being too vulnerable to those who harvest e-mail addresses for affiliate purposes? I bet I’m not the only one grappling with this issue. What do you think?
Tags: conversations, social media, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
Posted in strategy | 1 Comment »
