Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #16 (of 101): Focus & Get More Speaking Gigs

Market narrowly – deliver broadly! Notice how a cheetah gets his dinner: He carefully approaches a herd of gazells, zebras, or some other yummy herbivors… he approaches super carefully… then he picks his target – only one target out of the hundreds or thousands of dinner pottentials in front of him (or her, to stay […]

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #15 (of 101): Entertain Your Audience

Help your audience members release “negative energies” through laughter. It is a scientific fact that people who suppress laughter build up gases that will in turn make them feel bloated… and if you don’t help them annihilate those gases through laughter, those gases build up to a point that they’ll blow up. Ok, don’t run […]

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #14 (of 101): Capitalize on Your Strengths

Many of us became speakers – or want to become speakers – for one of two reasons: Saw some great speakers (or one great speaker), like Anthony Robbins, Jack Canfield, Seth Godin, Barack Obama…. or maybe it was a religious leader at your church or one you saw on TV… or perhaps it was a little-known […]

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #13 (of 101): Attract Coaching and Mentoring Clients with Public Speaking

I’ll tell you in a seocnd a few ways to attract new coaching/mentoring clients, but first I just have to give “homage” to public speaking: Public speaking is the greatest way to make a living… Just think about it: you get paid for doing what you love to do you often get paid an unbelievable […]

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #12 (of 101): 5 Tips to Create a Powerful First Impression

“I’m sorry, I’m not really used to speaking in public.. so please bare with me…” “Hello! Can everybody hear me in the back…? We all heard such borring and no-impact openings… Never open with similar openings: check your VA equipment in advance and never start with an apology (unless you knock over someone’s hot coffee […]

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #11 (of 101): Position Yourself as an Expert

People do business with people they know and trust… and we agreed that one of the best ways to get people to know you and trust you is through public speaking: worksops, seminars, keynotes… That’s all true, but there’s a magical loop going on here. The more you speak, the more you are perceived as […]

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #10 (of 101): Take Massive Action – Make it Happen!

“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue hapiness. You have to catch it yourself.” ~ Benjamin Franklin ~

Commit to contacting 5 to 10 businesses per day [or more, if your stomach can take it], ideally in person, or by phone. Once you exhaust your local area, use the phone [I travel as far as 70+ miles to speak in person with company reps, and at imes I’l only see the receptionist… I believe that nothing is as powerful as showing up in person and letting the other person see who s/he’d be dealing with if s/he hired me as a speaker.]
Practice your skills by speaking at least once a week – ideally 2 to 4 times.
Enroll in your local …

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #9 (of 101) – FailProof Your Speaking Business

Paid public speaking – or professional speaking – is very competitive; there are literally tens of thousands of speakers who want to make a living, or some on-the-side income, by presenting at conferences, association events, college and high school events, company training, or wherever they pay a speaker to deliver their message.

The attraction to paid speaking is understandable. An average speaker gets paid anywhere from…

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #8(of 101) – Increase Your Bookings with Good Follow-Up

when you get a lead and you promise to follow up, do so promptly, on the date you promissed you’d do it.
the same applies if a meeting organizer – or speakers’ bureau – emails you or lives you a message on the phone, DON’T put off answering those messages
after speaking engagements, make sure to send a thank you card the very next day… Plus, you can add a reminder that if they rebook you within the next 3 month, they’ll get a 3O% off your regular fee.
Trust me, these little habits can add at least double your number of speaking engagements…

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Secrets to Paid Public Speaking Success #7(of 101) – Create a Professional Web Presence

In the 21st Century, you won’t be taken seriously if you do not have a website; but if your website is of poor quality (and God knows I could list you a few bad examples) then you are worse of than not having a site at all… Well, maybe I’m wrong with this one; I believe no matter how bad your site is, if you have a great offering, you’ll get at least a few local engagements…

I see several mistakes that ineffective speakers do on their websites:

1. They pay an

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