If you've considered creating your own online course but never pulled the trigger because it seemed too complicated then episode 70 is just what the doctor ordered! My friend and fellow mastermind member, Joseph Michael, is here to give us the inside secrets.
Joseph was a pretty typical 9 to 5 guy until he noticed a pain point in the marketplace: Scrivener. Scrivener is a powerful writing software that most users initially found confusing and hard to use. Seeing so many struggle to implement the software he understood, Joseph created an online course and the rest is history.
On today's show, he joins us to share that history, his process of creating that course, how he helps others discover and promote courses for their audiences, and how to build a side income from online courses or a full-fledged business. Dig in with us on this episode of The Speaker Lab!
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If I told you today's guest has had such notable clients as Michael Port and Seth Godin, would you be impressed and pay attention to what she has to say? If you said yes then get ready to tune in because that is exactly who our guest on episode 69 of The Speaker Lab has worked with.
Elizabeth Marshall helps thought leaders and people who want to be seen as thought leaders get their message out to the world. A major milestone came in 2006 when she helped Michael Port launch his acclaimed book: Book Yourself Solid.
And on today's show Elizabeth takes us back to that experience, how to keep a long-term perspective while building your audience and honing your message, as well as the 10 pieces you need to build a strong platform. Get ready to hear all of that and more on The Speaker Lab!
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Many of us as speakers love what we do - so much so we'd consider doing it for free! But since we also need a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs and clothes on our back it's important to know how to negotiate fees for your speaking gigs.
On episode 68 of The Speaker Lab, I'll give you insights based on the lessons I've learned in my speaking career. I'll also get into if you should negotiate and exactly how to do so.
With that in mind I've also included the nine circumstances when it's okay to lower or discount your fees in today's show. Listen in for all of that and more on episode 68 of The Speaker Lab.
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Will having your own book help you land more speaking gigs? Should you write a book before even trying to land your first speaking job? And how exactly do you navigate the self-publishing waters if and when you decide to write your own book?
The man to answer those questions is none other than Chandler Bolt, and he's our guest for episode 67 of The Speaker Lab!
Chandler is the founder and visionary creator of Self-Publishing School, a site devoted to helping you write, market and publish your own book in 90 days. The site also helps you leverage that book into coaching, speaking and other gigs.
On today's show, Chandler shares how his own self-publishing success became the groundwork for the Self-Publishing School, why you should have a book at all, and why you don't have to be a great writer to become a published author. It's all here for you on this episode of The Speaker Lab!
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Have you ever wondered what it takes to host a successful webinar? My good friend and future webinar co-host, John Corcoran, offers some valuable help on episode 66!
John excels in many vital aspects of it, including marketing and networking. He's found that the webinar model is a great business model because it creates so much communication with an audience.
On today's episode, John discusses how he found webinars and how he integrated them into his business. He also breaks down how to research the topic or theme of your webinar, and the similarities between conducting a webinar and speaking live in front of an audience. John is a wealth of knowledge on webinars, tune in to hear all it all on this episode of The Speaker Lab!
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Have you heard of seminar companies? Do you know what they do and if they are of value to your speaking career? Today's special Q&A will answer those questions and more about working with seminar companies.
Seminar companies are companies that present seminars for a fee. Usually they are attended by employees who have been sent by their employers to learn a specific skill like accounting, social media or finance. The seminars happen all over the country on a daily basis.
On today’s episode I’ll talk about the big three seminar companies and what my experience was like working for one. Find out what the pros and cons are of becoming a speaker for a seminar company, how to utilize this avenue fully if you decide to speak for them. Tune in to find out how the pay structure works and much more on the 65th edition of The Speaker Lab.
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Are you interested in speaking to youth or a school audience? On today's episode of The Speaker Lab my close friend and mentor Phil Boyte joins us to share his insights on that very topic. Phil focuses exclusively on speaking in schools, everyone from students to teachers to the district administrative team.
He begins episode 64 by discussing what speaking looks like for him. He also offers his advice on how to truly make an impact when speaking to young people, and why his assembly schedule works well in the school system.
And if you're curious about the most effective way to speak to a young audience Phil talks about that too! Based on his personal experiences speaking to young audiences, he imparts plenty of wisdom on the topics of youth and school audiences. Listen in to hear all of it on this episode of The Speaker Lab!
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Exactly how Phil got his start speaking in schools.
What are the three stages of a speaking career?
How can you speak effectively to a younger audience?
Paul's advice for finding and keeping bookings.
How can you become a "category of one"?
The difference between the success of a program and the success of an individual.
Is there money in the youth and the school market to hire you as a speaker?
What Phil has learned about maintaining a healthy personal life.
And much, much more!
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Would you like to talk about faith or speak to faith-based audiences? On this episode of The Speaker Lab, my friend and accomplished speaker Paul Evans joins us to talk about that very topic.
Paul began his career in speaking after his first wife passed away, and was inspired by his experience with the life insurance company. Since then he has focused on positive encouragement and utilizes faith as a unique aspect in his speaking business.
Paul offers his guidance on several different topics today, including how to communicate your message differently to the various niches you will be speaking to, as well as how to tweak your talk while keeping your experiences the same and staying authentic to your story.
We wrap up the show today by discussing his financial life and by giving you a little taste of our dual training course that takes place on May 19th. Listen in to hear all of that and so much more on this episode of The Speaker Lab!
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Do you have a personal story that could help others, but you aren't sure how to get it out to people? Our guest on episode 62 will share how he took his own experiences and turned them into several businesses and a profitable speaking career to boot!
Joe Sangl owns several businesses, has authored multiple best-selling books and speaks around the world.
His own personal financial journey took him from dealing with debt and living paycheck to paycheck to being a successful entrepreneur, coach, speaker and leader today. And the experiences he gathered along the way are what he speaks about and shares to help others on their own financial journey.
On this episode of The Speaker Lab, Joe talks about how he turned his early experiences and insights into courses, coaching and books. He also explains how speaking naturally arose from those endeavors. Listen in for that and so much more on this edition of The Speaker Lab.
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Have you been asked for your speaking fee but weren't sure how to bill for the travel aspect of your gig? Or have you ever wondered how to handle that topic when it does come up in the future?
Wherever you are at in your speaking career the issues of travel expenses is going to come up. On this edition of the show I outlined the two ways to address travel expenses for your speaking gigs, including the pros and cons of each.
I'll also share which of those two options I personally use and why. Tune in to hear it on episode 60 of The Speaker Lab!
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On today's episode of The Speaker Lab, I have a very specialguest for you! My lovely and amazing wife Sheila Baldwin is here. Ibrought her on the show to talk about what it’s really like to bemarried to a speaker.
Today we share the inner workings of our story and our lifetogether, so you can learn from our struggles and our triumphs.
On this episode of The Speaker Lab, Sheila and I talk about theearly days of our relationship and our marriage, and how we havealways made things work even when we were strugglingfinancially.
We answer a few listeners' questions, and dig into how we as afamily deal with my frequent travel, and how Sheila and our girlshave become accustomed to our crazy schedules. Listen in to hearall of that and so much more on this episode of The SpeakerLab!
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Our "how we met" story.
What it’s really like in the early days of a speakingcareer.
How can your family "find their groove" when you're gone?
How can you avoid being a workaholic at home?
The benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling yourchildren.
How can both spouses stay invested in one business?
How you and your spouse can live a balanced life on abudget.
The story of why we moved to beautiful Nashville!
And much, much more!
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If you are truly serious about becoming a speaker there are twothings I recommend you have: a web site of your very own andownership of your name as a domain. For example I have The SpeakerLab as well as Grant Baldwin.com.
On episode 59 of The Speaker Lab I explain why I have bothsites, and why owning the domain of your own name is so important.I also share why you'll want to create a separate web site ifyou're going to have other speakers present your materials in thefuture, and how this is similar to a franchise model.
Whether your choose to have just your personal name as your website or branch out with a program, both a domain and a site arecritical to being seen as an expert on your topic, and to gettinghired to speak. So listen in to episode 59 to hear all of that andso much more on today's edition of The Speaker Lab!
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Have you ever wondered if you could grow your email list even when you're speaking live? There is a way and our guest, Tim Paige of LeadPages, is here to talk about it. Tim is an expert on email lists, including how to add people even when they aren't at their computers.
If you haven't heard of LeadPages they are a company that creates online tools based on the latest and greatest of what's proven to be working in marketing. They are best known for their opt-in pages but they have also created LeadDigits and are committed to finding the best ways to get more leads and customers for their clients.
Tim shares more about that today on this episode as well as how to get started growing your list and why your social media following matters to getting more speaking gigs. Listen in to hear all of that and so much more on this episode of The Speaker Lab!
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• Why does an email list matter? Tim explains.
• What is the most effective type of following?
• What are ways to build your list offline?
• Why you want to force your visitors to make a decision.
• The simplest way to share the slides from your speech with your audience.
• Why you should create multiple "buckets" for your email list.
• What two types of people are typically in the audience for your speeches?
• How many lead digits does he have working right now?
• And much, much more!
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We're coming down to the final few episodes of our 30 shows in 30 days. In fact this is 27 of 30 and it's another good one courtesy of a listener like you.
Joe Sanok left a voicemail for me and asked the following brilliant question: Which of these two things has a greater impact on a person's speaking career: doing a podcast or hosting a live event?
I love this question and can't wait to share my answer with you. Check out my thoughts on episode 57 of The Speaker Lab.
Whatever level of speaking expertise you have you know the importance of a good demo video. But do you know what actually constitutes a good demo video and how you can create one? After this episode you will!
On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, Wes Wages joins us to answer those questions and more. I brought Wes on to the show because he does all of my video content!
He is an accomplished videographer who began his career by shooting weddings with his wife. After growing tired of endless weekend work he moved into helping entrepreneurs with their video needs.
Today, Wes shares his expertise on how a great demo video can advance your career, what exactly should be included in your video and how long it should be. He also shares his advice on including audience reaction in your demo video, how to incorporate a good "hook", and how long a video can be before losing the audience's interest.
Listen in to hear all of that and so much more on this episode of The Speaker Lab!
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• Wes shares why having a demo video is truly important.
• How to avoid "selling yourself" and instead showcase what you do.
• What can you do to personalize your demo videos?
• How to professionally include your contact information.
• What types of conferences should you focus on?
• Wes' 9 tips for an enjoyable experience with your videographer.
• What is a "raw file" and why do you need to request a copy of it?
• How to shoot a video without a videographer.
• And much, much more!
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Do you have different topics you would like to speak about? Do you have expertise in multiple areas and want to know how (or even if) you should give a speech for each area?
Those are the questions being asked and answered on this episode, thanks to webinar viewer Marti who raise the topic originally.
Join me as I dig into this rich subject on episode 55 of The Speaker Lab!
As a speaker it's our privilege to share what we know and impart our wisdom on others. And it's also our privilege to get paid to do so!
On episode 54 I'll be answering specific speaker fee questions from listener Danny. He wants to know if speaking fees should be priced per employee and if those fees should be available on your web site.
Check out today's edition of The Speaker Lab to hear my answers and get the scoop on speaking fees!
Today's question is coming from our friend Joe. Joe called in wanting to know if it's better to speak at other people's events, or host your own and speak at it?
What are your thoughts - when should you speak at other people's events and when would you be ready to host an event on your own and be a speaker on the agenda?
I'll give you my thoughts and experiences on this matter. Listen in to episode 53 of The Speaker Lab to hear my advice.
With the advent of the Internet there are third party sites cropping up for everything, including booking speaking gigs.
Should you use these to book a gig for yourself? That is the question someone asked on Facebook and I'm sharing my thoughts with you here.
Check out my answers today on episode 52 of The Speaker Lab.
On today's episode of The Speaker Lab, I have the privilege of talking with one of my very own Booked and Paid to Speak students, Melanie Deziel.
Melanie is currently beginning her speaking business, and offers a unique perspective as she starts her journey. She's as adventurous in beginning a new speaking career as she is in other aspects of her work - she is preparing to go to New Zealand for a job! She shares about that too on today.
On this edition Melanie also shares how speaking fits into her current position as a content strategist, what her first speaking experience was and how it sparked her interest in making a career move into more speaking opportunities.
In addition she offers her guidance on how to tweak small aspects for each client, and why she enjoys speaking even though she's introverted. Listen in to hear all of that and so much more on this episode of The Speaker Lab!
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Have you wanted to speak at a school but didn't know how to reach the right person on staff? If you said yes you are not alone.
Mettie asked this question on Facebook and I wanted to share my answer and my thoughts with you on this episode because it's an important topic for all speakers.
Listen in to hear my insights on how to find the right person to contact at any school on episode 50 of The Speaker Lab!
A common topic discussed among speakers is whether or not to speak for free in the early days of your career.
On episode 49 of The Speaker Lab I'll give you my thoughts as I answer the question of whether to speak for free, and when (if ever) it's appropriate to do so.
I'll be diving deep on this, listen in and join me on today's edition of The Speaker Lab!
Something you may not know is how much overlap there is between how to get sponsorships, and how to land speaking gigs. The art of finding, connecting and working with the right people is critical to success in both arenas.
And a man who has succeeded in both of those areas, landing sponsorships and speaking gigs, is our guest for today's show. Mr. Jason Zook joins us to talk about the early days of his speaking career, why he's put that part of his career on hold right now and everything you could possibly want or need to know about securing sponsorships for your business.
On episode 48 of The Speaker Lab, we distill the immense wisdom Jason has gained in 8 years and pass as much of it as we can on to you during today's show. From sponsorships to speaking to finding oddball size shoes, it's all here so sit back and enjoy.
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There are many speaking groups out there but one of the most popular is Toastmasters.
On episode 47 of The Speaker Lab I weigh in on whether you should join your local Toastmasters, and whether it's relevant to you and the success of your speaking career. Intrigued?
Good! Lend your ears a few minutes to hear this edition of The Speaker Lab!
Welcome to another edition of The Speaker Lab! This is number 46 for those of you counting at home.
Today our topic is how and where to find a speaking agent. This is a question I have heard many people ask over the years, and it's a relevant one for anyone with a speaking interest or career.
To find out the answer check out this episode of The Speaker Lab!