One ongoing problem we solopreneurs have is getting our message out to a bigger audience and maximizing our revenue.

This is especially difficult for those of us who hate selling.

We know how great speaking can be for getting out message out…to position ourselves as trusted advisors…to pre-sell working with us or our offerings…
And we know there are people who are profiting from their speaking.

Speaking is especially good for experts who also have a book, so whether you’ve already got a book done, have one in progress, or are looking to create and use a book as a marketing tactic…you’re going to get a lot out of this episode.

My guest Gretchen Breuner, packed her 3 kids ages 5, 9, and 11, into an RV and saw 19 states in 3 months. She blogged about it, turned the blog into a book, and turned the book into a speaking career.

When she first started as a speaker, it took enormous amounts of time and effort to learn how to get speaking opportunities — but it paid off. Not only did she keynote nationally and internationally, but Gretchen also appeared on San Diego's TODAY show and other local TV programs.

She was featured on the front page of the travel section of America's seventh largest newspaper as well as in PARENTS magazine and on KPBS radio. These successes were the direct result of her taking consistent, actionable steps and following through for best results.

Before long, Gretchen had a line of clients, all asking her, “Will you pitch me?”

After working with a number of private clients, Gretchen figured out that it was the speaker’s support person that should be trained on how to find speaking gigs. This way, the Talent which is what she calls the speakers could get on stage, and their Team knew just what to do to make that happen. Finally, everyone was happy.

So, here today, Gretchen will share with us why speaking is something every business owner should do, and how any Admin or VA can add “speaker services” to their resume and get more clients.

She’ll reveal…
• The Common mistakes made when looking for gigs that can cause you to think speaking doesn’t work
• The minimum amount of time you need to spend just looking for gigs to speak at
• The things that impact your success getting speaking gigs
• A little known, sort of back door way to use Linkedin to find great speaking opportunities
• Why having someone do the research and pitching for you raises your status as a professional
• How to make the leap from free gigs to paid very easily
• How to figure out if a gig is right for you
• What sort of paid offer you should make at events where you’re allowed to sell on stage
• And lots of other great tips and strategies

Be sure to listen all the way to the end to get your cocktail exercise and action step for this episode.

Terms That Might Be New to You
Close Percentage - The percentage of sales you make compared to the total number of potential sales you could have made based on an opportunity. If there were 100 people in a room and you had 10 of them buy from you then you have a Close Percentage of 10%.

Qualify - This is a term used in sales that refers to making sure that the person you're talking to (or in this case the audience you're talking to) is truly ready, willing, and able to purchase what you offer.

Pitching - As used in this case it refers to talking to an event host or event producer and telling them about a speaker and his / her topic with the intention of having the event person say "yes" to the presentation.

VA or Virtual Assistant -- An administrative or technical expert who is hired on a project or retainer basis but who is an independent contractor and doesn't work onsite.

Speaker Reel -- Video clips of you speaking or appearing on TV

One-sheet -- a marketing document that promotes a speaker, author, or book
Speaker kit -- all the materials that a speaker needs and uses to promote him or her self

Headshot -- professional photograph you have taken that you make available to the event host or event producer

Swag -- free stuff to give to audience members or handed out at an event

Kill-fee – deposit that’s paid and is unreimbursable

Links and Resources

Bob Bly
Dr. Wayne Dyer
Red Elephant

LinkedIn

Mike Michalowicz

Michael Gerber 

Guest Resources and Links
Gretchen's website -- Get her free 52 tips for speakers
Gretchen on LinkedIn, Facebook
Gretchen's free list of associations for potential speaking gigs!
Gretchen's training program at 50% off!

Additional research
Identify Speaking Opportunities, from the book Branding Yourself

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About Us

Winnie Anderson is an award-winning copywriter and brand strategist, a
best-selling author, and respected instructor. She writes books,
creates courses, and provides limited one-on-one consulting with
and for introverted entrepreneurs who are ready to get their
message out in a bigger way and who hate selling. Learn more about
her here or connect with her on social media including Facebook and Twitter.

Judy Jordan is a virtual production assistant who helps
entrepreneurs get their message out in a bigger way using live and
recorded virtual events like webinars, teleseminars, live mobile
streaming, podcasts, and virtual conferences. Learn more about her
at her LinkedIn page or connect with her on Facebook.

Sue Brettell of JuJu Digital is brand developer and designer who acts as Winnie's creative director. Sue helps entrepreneurs communicate their brand essence by creating compelling visual brand elements and coordinating them into a strong, unified visual brand. Learn more about her through her bio at the bottom of JuJu's website, at her LinkedIn page. Connect with her on Facebook.