Speaker- March 2011

MAR CH 2011T H E A R T A N D B U S I N E S S O F S P E A K I N G

Repackage and Repurpose to

Boost Revenues!Increase Your

LeveRage:12 Questions to Ask

The BenefIts of a styLe sheetEvery business needs one!

fromyourCORE

TargeTing Hispanic

audiencesPAG E 30

Leverage

Tom Rath, Gallup Global Practice Leader, speaker and best-selling author

Tom rath explains how to

T h e O f f i c i a l M a g a z i n e O f T h e n aT i O n a l S p e a k e r S a S S O c i aT i O n • w w w. n S a S p e a k e r . O r g

Vince Poscente, CSP, CPAE

New York Times BestSelling Author, Business Consultant, Speaker Hall of Fame, Olympian

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March 2011 | SPEAKER | 3

T H E A R T A N D B U S I N E S S O F S P E A K I N G MAR CH 2011

6 Reality Check Putting a fine point on the speaking industry

8 Welcome to My World A snapshot into the lives of people who hire speakers

10 It’s Your Business Advice for enterprising speakers

28 Relevant Resources Time-saving tools and technologies

30 Beyond Borders Exploring cultures, coun-tries and comfort zones

32 What Would You Do? Casting a reality check on real-world conundrums

34 Turning Point A career-changing moment or experience

38 Humor Me Finding the funny in a speaker’s life

Departments

4 News from Headquarters

36 Advertising Index

37 Calendar of Events

COLUMNS DEPARTMENTS

Leverage from Your CoreKnow your weaknesses and develop your strengths.

By Jake Poinier12

national speakers association is a member of the society of national association Publications (snaP). Speaker magazine has been honored with a bronze award in the prestigious 2009 snaP excel awards in the Magazines: General excellence category for best writing, content, graphic design and overall packaging.

Tom Rath, Global Practice Leader at Gallup

20 Good Things Come in Many Packages Communicate value and get real leverage to grow your business by repackaging and repurposing your content. By Ford Saeks

24 What’s Your Style? A style sheet defines the look of your business, from fonts and colors to shapes and words. By Wendy Kinney

FEATURES

Kill Two Stones with One Bird How to turn every experience into an advantage. By Scott Ginsberg16

4 | SPEAKER | March 2011

news fRom headquaRteRsReported by Stacy Tetschner, CAE NSA Executive Vice President/CEO

Welcome: Bill Cates, CSP, CPAE

Managing Your Salespeople:

Zemira Jones

Leading-Edge Tech Tips: Terry Brock, CSP,

CPAE, with Dan Burrus, CSP, CPAE

Feature Interview: Paul Homoly, DDS, CSP

Selling to Large Corporations: Jill Konrath

How the Best Get Better: Mark Sanborn,

CSP, CPAE

NSA Convention Update: Randy Gage

and Theo Androus

Work-Life Balance: Jeff Davidson, MBA,

CMC

Million-Dollar Idea: Steve Gilliland, CSP

President’s Message: Kristin Arnold, MBA,

CPF, CMC, CSP, with Mary LoVerde, CPAE

This Month on V o i c e s o f e x p e r i e n c e®

NSA’s monthly audio magazine

Annual Member Handbook – Online!If you’re wondering about all things NSA, go to www.MyNSA.org and click on Member Services and then Annual Member Handbook.

In MemoriamJohn Reddish, 64, of Chadds Ford, Pa., died Dec. 8 after a short battle with cancer. He was co-chair of the NSA Ethics

Committee. Reddish had diverse inter-ests, from being a business consultant, to helping run a steeplechase, acting in a mystery, and membership on the

board of a famous puppet theater. He was active in his community, and was director of the Chester County Economic Development Council.

Jim Dillahunty, PhD, of San Diego, passed away Jan. 1. He was past presi-dent of NSA San Diego. Dillahunty had over 25

years of experience as a highly success-ful CEO, entrepreneur, sales trainer and public speaker. He also was involved in academic research in organizational leadership to audiences around the world in keynotes, workshops, training, teleconferences and consulting.

NATIONAL SPEAKERS ASSOCIATIONOFFICERS

Kristin Arnold, MBA, CPF, CMC, CSP, PresidentLaura Stack, MBA, CSP, President-Elect

ronald p. culberson, MSw, cSp, Vice PresidentMarjorie Brody, PCC, CMC, CSP, CPAE, Secretary

Scott Halford, CSP, TreasurerPhillip Van Hooser, CSP, CPAE, Immediate Past President

Stacy Tetschner, CAE, Executive Vice President/CEO

FOUNDERCavett Robert, CSP, CPAE

BOARD OF DIRECTORSKristin Arnold, MBA, CPF, CMC, CSP

Marjorie Brody, PCC, CMC, CSP, CPAEKirstin Carey, CSP

ronald p. culberson, MSw, cSpEd Gerety, CSP

Scott Halford, CSPShep Hyken, CSP, CPAE

Ron Karr, CSPLinda Keith, CPA, CSP

Scott McKain, CSP, CPAEJohn B. Molidor, phD

Ruby Newell-Legner, CSPEd Robinson, CSP

Ford SaeksLaura Stack, MBA, CSP

Brian Tracy, CPAEfrancine ward, JD

liz weber, cMc, MBaPhillip Van Hooser, CSP, CPAE

NSA FOUNDATION This Foundation serves NSA members and the public through:• financial help for nSa members and their families • grants to nSa members who need help with their dues or

meeting registration fees• Scholarships for students and professors• Oversight and funding for speaking-related research• grants to help charitable organizations communicate

through technology

Founder and Chairman Emeritus nido r. Qubein, cSp, cpae

Chair Stephen Tweed, CSP

Immediate Past ChairRandy Pennington, CSP, CPAE

NSA Foundation Board of Trustees

speaker EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Editor in Chief Design Barbara parus switchstudio.com [email protected]

Editorial Office and Subscriptions National Speakers Association

1500 S. priest Drive, Tempe, az 85281Tel: (480) 968-2552 Fax: (480) 968-0911

www.nSaSpeaker.org

Advertising Sales Steve Camac

Tel: (718) 710-4929 email: [email protected]

SPEakEr (iSSn 1934-9076) (USpS 012-886). Volume 5, number 6. Published monthly except February and August by the National Speakers association, 1500 S. priest Drive, Tempe, az 85281. Periodicals postage paid at Tempe, Arizona, and at additional mailing offices. contents copyright 2009 national Speakers association, all rights reserved. Subscription rate for nSa members is $35 of $425 annual dues allocated to SPEakEr; non-member sub scription rate is $49 for 10 issues. add $10 for canadian or international postage. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SPEakEr, National Speakers association, 1500 S. priest Drive, Tempe, az 85281.

Kristin Arnold, MBA, CPF, CMC, CSP, President

Francis Bologna, CPALenora Billings-Harris, CSP

ronald p. culberson, MSw, cSpJane Jenkins Herlong, CSP

Don hutson, cSp, cpae

Ron Karr, CSPJohn B. Molidor, phD

Terry paulson, phD, cSp, cpaeSam Silverstein, CSP

Laura Stack, MBA, CSPPhillip Van Hooser, CSP, CPAE

al walker, cSp, cpae

Pamela Jett, CSP, ChairDon cooper

Kelli Vrla, CSPJanelle Barlow, CSP

Mary LoVerde, CPAEMandi Stanley, CSP

June Cline, CSP

CSP/CPAE SummitFind answers on taking your brand and your business to the next level at the 2011 CSP/cpae Summit. collaborate, network and brainstorm with the most successful cSps and CPAEs in NSA, while learning best practices and new ideas to grow your business in this economy. Join us in Dallas, april 1-3. participation is limited to 65 attendees, and you must be a cSp or a cpae to attend. register now at www.MynSa.org.

NSA All-PEG Pass – Only $100Are you interested in joining multiple Professional Expert Groups (PEGs)? Buy an annual peg pass for only $100, and you will have access to teleseminars and webinars for all 13 pegS. You also will receive all peg e-newsletters. register now at (480) 968-2552

6 | SPEAKER | March 2011

ReaLit y checkPutting a fine point on the speaking industry

Back by Popular Demand

You have a brand, and it used to bring you busi-ness. But to quote a 1960’s pop song, “That was yesterday, and yes-terday’s gone.” If you

have found yourself wondering what to do next, the 2011 CSP/CPAE Summit is the place to find your answers!

You and 64 other CSPs and CPAEs will convene to learn and share ideas that answer three pressing questions for every speaking professional:

• How do I show my relevance?• How do I communicate my uniqueness

in a world where the market is expect-ing something different and everyone is saying the same thing?

• How do I deliver my brand in a way that leverages and acknowledges the realities of today’s marketplace?

Brainstorm with the “Fortune 500” The weekend is designed with a few islands information interspersed in a sea of hands-on work and networking ses-sions with your colleagues. CSPs and CPAEs are the Fortune 500 of our pro-fession, and we’re planning an education and networking experience that is worthy of your status and success.

This event is not a conference; it is a summit where attendees will be expected to bring their questions, share ideas with

others, and take responsibility for their learning in a relaxed environment that includes loads of small group work and networking opportunities with its own advisory board of directors.

What Are Customers Saying?Don Reynolds, economist for Raymond James and Associates, will give an update on what the economy is doing and how it affects our profession. Gail Davis, president of the International Association of Speaker Bureaus (IASB), and David du Bois, CEO of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, will join other professionals in an inter-active panel to discuss what they are seeing and hearing from our customers.

Delivering Your Brand TodayDick Mitchell, branding and cre-ative principal from the Richards Group (www.therichardsgroup.com), a national award-winning branding agency, will share lessons learned from heading up Click Here, the Richards Group’s interactive marketing and website affiliate. He will challenge attendees to rethink their brand to become solutions for their clients. Paula Julian, PhD, former senior vice presi-dent of Rapp Collins Worldwide, a leading branding and market research firm, will explain how to gather the intelligence you need to understand

your client’s needs. Social media and publishing experts also will be on hand to provide updates on the latest trends to help you develop a new brand plan.

Your Own Advisory Board We’re creating an experience that will help you unlock the door to your future success. This is a unique opportunity to share ideas and learn from your own advisory board. The weekend combines intensive work with priceless network-ing opportunities. And it all takes place at The Joule (www.thejoule.com), one of the hippest boutique hotels in down-town Dallas.

Participation is limited to 65 CSPs and CPAEs, so register today at www.csp-cpaesummit.org to be a part of the best and brightest in our profession!

Randy Pennington, CSP, CPAE, Summit ChairSarah Michel, CSP, Summit Co-Chair

THe CSP/CPAe SuMMITApril 1-3, 2011The Joule, Dallas, Texas www.csp-cpaesummit.org

DON’T MISS

How to earn Your CSPTo qualify, you must be an NSA member for three consecutive years at the time of

application and provide five years of information on your speaking business. For an

online application, visit www.MyNSA.org.

Learn more at www.infusionsoftnow.com/climb

If we’re not careful, we’ll miss out on some of life’s greatest rewards – simply because we’re too busy. We have to pass on things like taking a family vacation, slipping out for an occasional lunch with friends, or having the privilege of coaching a Little League team.

But there is a better way. At Infusionsoft, we’ve helped thousands of entrepreneurs save time and increase productivity

with our comprehensive marketing automation suite.

We have all the tools you need to systemize and simplify your business, allowing you to spend more time on what’s really important.

You’re on your way to the top. Leave your competition in the dust – not those you care about.

Forgetting something on your climb to the top

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It’s easy to lose touch with what’s really important in our quest for success. We focus so much on the challenge in front of us that we forget about the foundation of support behind us.

8 | SPeAKeR | March 2011

weLcome to my woRLdA snapshot into the lives of people who hire speakers

Healthy Advice for Speakers

After meeting at the International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB) in 2006, Jo Cavender and Karen Kendig

formed Speakers On Healthcare, the largest healthcare bureau in the United States. They have enjoyed long-lasting relationships with clients and speakers by focusing on one industry and drilling deep. Here, Colette Carlson, MA, delves into Cavender’s 25-plus years of experience.

Colette Carlson, MA: Do you think speakers should create a niche, or be generalists? Jo Cavender: Going deep allows you to become the expert and go-to person whether you’re a speaker or a bureau.

Given your involvement with the IASB, what is a pressing issue or concern?Trust is critical. It develops in face-to-face meetings where clients and colleagues can connect, so meetings will continue to be important and necessary. Yet cutting costs and maximizing meeting ROI is huge, especially since meeting planners are seeing more supervisory review of their work. If you review speakers’ websites and promo materials, too often features, rather than benefits, tell the story. Both speakers and bureaus must be able to articulate the value derived.

How can speakers help sell ROI? All-inclusive fees, including travel expenses, eliminate surprises for planners and judgments. Obviously, you’ll break down expenses for the bureau, as it would receive only the commission on the actual speaking fee.

What is a fair travel allowance? Take a solid booking year, including expenses that represent East and West Coast travel, and divide it by the total number of clients. Also take into account increasing travel costs and that sometimes it’s more expensive to fly locally or into a small, remote airport.

Describe an ideal speaker. The speaker views the speaker-bureau partnership as a team, and refers to it as “we.” Following an engagement, in par-ticular, the speaker should remember to include the bureau in conversations with the client.

How do speakers annoy you? Speakers should not call or send emails inquiring if we’ve closed a booking. As soon as I have an answer, the speaker is the first person I call. It’s also annoying when a client tells me that a speaker rec-ommended someone for next year’s event but failed to add that “our bureau partner works well with that speaker.” This echoes what I said about partnership.

What about speakers who view bureaus as order takers? It may look like order taking when the client already knows who they want, and they’re calling to check availabil-ity. However, the reason they called the bureau is due to the rapport and relation-ship developed to date.

Are printed materials and DVDs necessary? Clients love to view everything on the Internet in our global 24/7 environment.

How do you find speakers you want to work with?First, I check out speakers who are sharing the platform with our speaker. If I see someone I’m not familiar with, I’ll follow up with the planner and ask for feedback or a recommendation. If it’s positive, I’ll reach out. When a speaker makes a personal introduction, I take it seriously because he or she is putting their reputation on the line.

How do you feel about receiving cold calls from speakers?It’s most effective if they wait until they have a hook, such as a recent article pub-lished in a nursing magazine.

Do you have any final advice for speakers?Stay with your topic, fine tune it, be the best at it, and we’re going to hear about you. Don’t be so concerned about building relationships with bureaus, but build your business and we’ll take notice when we see that happening.

In 2005, Jo Cavender co-founded

Speakers On Healthcare to

respond to requests from

organizations for speakers on

specific healthcare topics. She is

past president of the International Association

of Speakers Bureaus (IASB). Visit www.

speakersonhealthcare.com.

Colette Carlson, MA, is a funny

Human Behavior Expert who

motivates thousands worldwide

revealing the power of Speaking

Your Truth! Learn more at www.

SpeakYourTruth.com.

Jimm

Ro

beR

ts / oR

lan

do


it ’s youR businessAdvice for enterprising speakers

Pay Someone else to Do It

I earned my MBA from the University of Colorado in 1991 at 21 years old, and started my speaking business a year later. Out of financial necessity, I was the Jill-of-all-trades and did

everything myself. “My MBA taught me all of this, didn’t it?” I rationalized.

Even after I could afford to get some help, I kept doing it all. After almost burning out at the ripe old age of 27, I realized that even the Productivity Pro couldn’t maintain that pace long term.

As I discovered, interdependence is an important productivity concept. We’re wise to rely on other people to do tasks we don’t have the time, desire, talent, or circumstances to do our-selves. Outsource to others and wisely part with some of your hard-earned money. Surround yourself with a team of contracted experts who can get the job done in less time and reduce your time commitments.

Distinguish between what only you can do and what others are capable of doing for you. Hire out a $25-an-hour task someone else is capable of perform-ing, so you can work on a $250-an-hour task that no one else can do. You must spend your time in higher-value ways that will grow your business: talking with your customers, researching, writing, and practicing your programs.

Consider hiring out:Lifekeeping. I used to think, “I don’t need anyone to clean my house for me. I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself.” But then I starting tracking how much time I spent cleaning! When you compare it to the cost of hiring it out, you’ll quickly hire out your yard work and laundry, too.

Computer work. When there’s a computer issue, I don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call my IT guru, who has been working with computers for most of his adult life. I’m sure you could probably learn to troubleshoot errors, write HTML, create WordPress sites and more, but it’s not worth your time and frustration to figure it out.

Finances. If you have a semi-complicated life with the business, investments, children, and rental prop-erties, it’s a no-brainer to hire an accountant. It’s simply not worth the time to do your own taxes. Ditto for a financial adviser and a bookkeeper. Ours picks up the receipts, invoices and statements twice a month, reconciles all of the accounts, pays the employees, and files all tax payments.

Marketing. When my latest book, SUPERCOMPETENT, launched in August 2010, Marianne Nowicki of NoWicki Production created the book video trailer; Judy O’Beirn of

Hasmark Services coordinated my online book campaign; Champion Media handled the televi-sion media; and Lance Gibb designed www.SuperCompetentBook.com. Shell out the money required to create a first-class product that reflects the fees to which you strive.

Errands. Many time-consuming tasks offer a low payback: grocery shopping, store returns, dry clean-ing, prescriptions, bank, post office, and office supplies. By the time you’ve completed these errands, you’ve eaten up your precious weekend! Instead, hire a college student or retiree to be your personal assistant.

Today, I only wish I would have secured help sooner. Just because you can do certain tasks, such as design your website or file your taxes, doesn’t mean you should. Push tasks to the lowest common denominator. Your time is better spent elsewhere. Let the experts practice their expertise; you practice yours. Your partners will become a criti-cal part of your team, and you will be interdependent on each other.

Laura Stack is the 2011-2012

president of NSA. She’s the

founder of The Productivity

Pro®, Inc., a management

consulting firm dedicated to

helping individuals, teams and leaders create

Maximum Results in Minimum Time®.

Funnier Speeches Ad 1.11 1/14/11 2:23 PM Page 1


yourfrom

core

By Jake Poinier

It’s important to know your weaknesses— but it’s essential to develop your strengths.

leverAge

March 2011 SPeAKeR | 13

Speaker: First things first, how does the concept of “leverage” fit into the

research you’ve done over the years?Tom Rath: “Leverage” is a good term for a lot of what we do at Gallup. One of our biggest findings over the past decade and longer is that people really have an ability to be more of who they already are. And in turn, they struggle when they try to be something they’re not. Anyone who’s a thought leader, speaker or expert can expand on their core and natural talents.

What are some of the ways you strategically leverage your research

in books and speeches?TR: I’m conscious about learning as much as I can about the group before-hand — specifically, about expectations and what I can expect as far as long-term followup. My strength is clearly not in being a rah-rah motivational speaker who’s going to get everyone physically energized, but I’m always clear with the event organizers that the goal is for people to be challenged to do their jobs differently because of what they hear. If the time I spend with the group helps them become better managers and leaders, and challenges their thinking, that’s how I’d define success in that context.

Whenever I get a request to speak, I specifically ask the organiz-ers what they expect from a behavior or leadership standpoint three, six or 12 months later. If that’s not on the radar of the people hosting the event, I turn down more opportuni-ties than I accept. It would be so easy to walk into an event, give a talk, and

feel good as I walk out the door. But if you look at the influence you’re having more broadly, whether it’s to help them be more engaged at work or lead better lives, you get a lot more effective plan in place if you ask that question upfront. When an organizer can point to specific things they’re rolling out, and I can see how my team or I can be part of making ongoing measurable improvement in outcomes, then I'm 10 times more interested than a one-hour event that doesn’t have much impact a month later.

If you ask that question upfront, you can envision how you can play a more important role on an ongoing basis, which is also a good way to prioritize your time. The people who organize events also appreciate you’re asking that question. It’s easy when someone asks you to speak when you’re the one being interviewed, but I’m just as inter-ested in interviewing them.

With such a wealth of research at your disposal, how do you iden-

tify audience hot buttons and choose what you present?TR: I’m a little more introverted to start out with, just in terms of my own personality. One way I work around that is to ask a lot of questions and be disciplined about listening to the thought-out responses. That includes people in my organization, as well as our clients. Every night, Gallup asks thousands of people their thoughts and opinions about their workplaces, wellbeing and government, and we do it in 150 countries. What guides our research is finding out the common

By Jake Poinier

Tom Rath, Global Practice Leader at Gallup, is a leading business thinker whose best-

selling books include How Full Is Your Bucket?, StrengthsFinder 2.0, and most recently,

Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements. he recently sat down with Speaker magazine

to share his thoughts on how professional speakers can learn from decades’ worth of

data cultivated by one of the world’s leading research organizations.

leverAge


human needs. People need more mea-surement to be able to manage things in their lives or within an organization.

Do your ideas come from your personal experiences, research

data, or a combination of both?TR: I may be the one who does a lot of the early methodology, documenting and writing up findings, but any given research project involves a minimum of 100 people—from editing to in-per-son interviews to running data sets. Candidly, the best part of my job on a day-to-day basis is the people I work

with—thought leaders and minds here at Gallup, employees and senior scientists from the outside that we get to work with—not just the ideas and the metrics. Even when it comes to gathering stories for the books, we have a lot of inter-viewers who find the best anecdotes across all of our client projects. It’s hard to identify anything that I could claim I’d done in isolation.

How do you keep current on the latest trends, and how do you

differentiate what you view as trends versus fads?TR: I read everything I can get my hands on. I’ll spend two or three hours a day perusing scientific journals and news-letters to stay current on topics in the business world and academic community.

In terms of spotting trends, honestly, that’s fairly simple for us because we’re looking for whatever we can see that explains the most variance in our data. In our consulting business, almost all of our efforts are focused on helping a client or organization grow and have the most impact. If you ask why we zoomed in on wellbeing, we were just trying to find the broadest metric that explained the largest amount of human behavior collectively.

What are some of the ways you can see and measure the impact of

your work?TR: We have a session here in Washington, DC, in which we gather the top several hundred managers from some of the most successful workplaces in the world. You’re hearing the voices of the very high end of world-class man-agement. One guy, for example, talked about the way he’s always viewed devel-oping people as an end in itself and never sees employees as a means to an end. That was an important takeaway for me, because it encapsulated the mindset of some of the best managers we’ve studied.

If an organization with hundreds of thousands of employees can gain an extra tenth of a point in employee engagement, that can translate into several millions per unit in additional operating profits. We can quantify for a company that, at an emotional as well as a financial level, an investment for 10 years in employee engagement will help people have better relationships, be better parents, and have better physical

PaRt of LeveRage is figuRing out what is the one aRea out

of hundReds of thousands wheRe you feeL confident

that you have moRe Passion, knowLedge and exPeRtise.


health. It starts to rede-

fine the relationship between the employer

and employee, and helps them make a much stronger contribution to the communities they live in.

Self-awareness is a recurring theme in your message. What do you see

as the biggest obstacle that keeps people from realizing who they are and what they’re good at? TR: One of the biggest obstacles may be simply spending time fixated on how many obstacles there could be. I know that sounds circular. But it’s easy to get preoccupied with tips about what to do and what not to do to be the ultimate well-rounded speaker, and it’s common to lose track of what you’re good at and what you’re passionate about. Personally, I know I made mistakes early on.

Part of leverage is figuring out what is the one area out of hundreds of thou-sands where you feel confident that you have more passion, knowledge and expertise. There are some people who should spend more time being the classic energetic motivational speaker they’re

born with that. But if you tried to coach someone like me or some of the people on my team into that element, it would ruin their confidence and positioning.

What are some practical steps speakers can take to encourage that

type of understanding in themselves and in their audiences?TR: It’s a very important piece to ensure that you continue measuring what’s important in your career and life, if for no other reason than it’s the only way to hold yourself accountable. The work-place research finding is this: If you don’t have mechanisms in place to tell you how you’re doing every time you’re speaking to an audience or trying to sell something to a client, there’s really no way for you to manage and improve it. It could be as simple as having a few outside people who can give you an honest critique.

For their audiences, one thing speak-ers can do is to challenge people to step back and think about what core strengths they need to double down on or rein-vest in. And they should ask questions of the people that they’re closest to, to see what they think. It’s always interest-ing to me when someone goes through a StrengthsFinder assessment and says that a theme or talent doesn’t quite fit—but if you have them ask their spouse or a friend, that person will put their finger right on it. Sometimes the people observ-ing you might have a unique window on the things you’re missing.

What role did your grandfather Donald Clifton (the recognized

grandfather of positive psychology) play in how you approach your life and work? TR: There’s no one who had a bigger influence in my work and life, and on the things that I derive meaning from on a day-to-day basis. The years that I spent working with Don before he passed away were some of the most

meaningful in my entire career. He challenged me to stretch my imagi-nation, saying not just “Can we have a thousand people learn about their strengths in a given year?” but “Can we get it to a million?” Well, we recently had a million people take the assess-ment in a single calendar year.

He also stressed managing around blind spots and weaknesses, so it was fun to talk about some of the things at the bottom of my own StrengthsFinder. For example, there’s an item called harmony, when you’re always trying to keep the peace, or empathy, which my wife can tell you I don’t have enough of. There are things that I don’t do that well, and I knew early on in my career that I need friends and partners who work on cohe-sion and relationships at a level I don’t naturally get to.

Don cited one specific case (the study of 1,000 POWs from a

North Korean camp conducted by Dr. William Mayer) as the catalyst for his work. Was there a similar seminal moment for you?TR: There is on a daily basis. It’s some-thing I picked up when I was younger, and Don was an influence. I wake up every morning and get a report on how many people we’re reaching in differ-ent countries and areas, and that’s what keeps me going.

When I step back and think about it, if you are able to spend as much time as possible in your areas of natural talent, and in a topic that you have confidence and competence in, and you’re passion-ate, there’s really no substitute for those things as far as being effective.

Contributing writer Jake

Poinier conducts an annual

survey of the freelance

industry . . . but he’s a long

way from having a million

respondents. He blogs regularly at

DearDrFreelance.com.


Killwith

12 Questions to Convert Every Experience into an Advantage

B y S c o t t G i n S B e r G


s much, leverage must become an essential component to your entrepreneurship lexicon. Leverage is “increasing the rate

of return from an investment.”But leverage isn’t a word or a

strategy or something you do to make money.

Leverage is a lifestyle, a way of thinking, and an approach to doing business. Take it from a guy with no background, no job experience and no credentials—who turned a simple idea like wearing a nametag every day into a successful enterprise. Twelve books later, if that’s not leverage, I don’t know what is.

You don’t need an idea—you need an “I did.”that’s how you close the execution gap. that’s how you convert thoughts into things. And that’s how you convert experiences into moneymaking wisdom.

The following series of leverage questions will help you kill two stones with one bird.

If everything you’ve done up until now is just the beginning, what’s next? Past is prologue. Past brought you here. Past made you who you are. When you start to align your thinking with this truth, a new world of possibilities opens up. Your challenge is to extend gratitude for—and embrace the value of—every-thing you’ve already accomplished. At the same time, don’t overvalue prior successes. Arrogance will bite you in the ass. As John Mayer explained during a 2009 interview with Esquire, “To evolve, you have to dismantle. And that means accepting the idea that nothing you created in the past matters anymore other than it brought you here. You pick up your new marching orders and get to work.” Will you view the past as a crutch or a fulcrum?

What will you do differently next time? Kaizen is the Japanese term for continu-ous improvement. That’s exactly what this question is all about: Honoring


other people left off, you see their idea through a new set of eyes. And sometimes that’s all it takes to lever-age garbage into gold. Some people look into a wastebasket and see trash; other people see treasure.

How does this fit into your theory of the universe? Your expertise is a filter. The challenge is to bring ideas from one field of knowledge into another field of knowledge. You have to observe your encounters objec-tively by asking, “What’s the key idea here, regardless of the context?” Other variations of this question are: “What does this have to do with me?” “How does this have to do with my expertise?” “How is this a symbol or example of my expertise?” “How could I use this as an example in my work?” Make connections between seemingly unconnected things.

What else can be made from this? The key to leverage is to look at something you’ve created and then play with its potential. It’s called “Movement Value.” For example, if you’ve been posting on your blog every day for a year, could you combine those writings into a book? Or, if you have collected a stack of pictures from various customers over the years, why not create a “Meet Our Clients” slide show and post it online? Accumulation is equity.

What else does this audience need to know about me? On your products, you should cross-sell your website. Throughout your website, you should cross-sell your workshops. In your workshops, you should cross-sell your teleconferences. During your telecon-ferences, you should cross-sell your ezine. In your ezine, you should cross-sell your products. See the pattern?

into a new industry? Does it repre-sent an organization you would hate to lose? Does this new thing represent long-term business potential? Does it serve as a reference or example for other clients?

How can I make this idea last forever? Anchor your expertise in that which is timeless. Democratize and genericize your thoughts so they outlast you. Always be on the lookout for ways to increase the shelf life of your mate-rial. Ask questions like, “In five years, will this idea still be irrelevant?” “Is this a fad, a trend or an evergreen?” and “What is a bigger, more stable theory of the universe that I can attach this idea to?” Remember: If you’re not current, you’re not cred-ible. Remember to run your expertise through the wringer of time. Stabilize your content.

How can the basic concept be applied to different areas? If you have an idea, product or service that works in one discipline, discover how you can transfer the basic principle to another. For example, if you set up a statewide Web directory, think about the other states. What if they copied your same model? Could you license your templates to the other 49 states and make money while you sleep? If it worked in one venue, it might work in another.

How can you reuse, resurrect or repo-sition something people threw away or quit on? Many sculptors, artists, musicians, inventors and innova-tors have built impressive careers by reusing trash, litter, recycled materials and other forms of discarded content in their work. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to go trudging through a landfill. But, when you pick up where

your current performance, yet chal-lenging yourself to envision an enhanced future. In my first five years as a professional speaker, I employed this philosophy as a post-speech ritual. After my presentation, I’d take 15 minutes to write a stream-of-consciousness list, including every thought, every feeling and every evaluation of my performance. What worked? What didn’t work? What killed? What bombed? Then, when I was done, I’d make a note at the bottom of the document that read, “In my next speech, what I plan to do differently is ____________.” This simple ritual grew into a profitable practice for continuous performance improvement as a speaker. How could you apply the same reflection process to your job performance?

What’s next? My readers and audi-ence members frequently ask which one of my books is my favorite. After eight years, the answer is always the same: “My next one.” I challenge you to embrace that same attitude of “What’s next?” in your work., first on a micro level in terms of productivity, and then on a macro level in terms of projectivity. Ask yourself this question throughout your creative process to ensure consistent execution. What is your legacy for taking action?

Does this new thing …? Does this new thing allow you to command higher fees than before? Does this new thing allow you to learn new skills? Does this thing enable you to leverage more than in the past? Does this new thing expose you an important future opportunity? Does this new thing increase (not just sustain) an existing relationship? Does this new thing lead to future work with the same organi-zation? Does this new thing lead you


That’s the epitome of cross-selling, and it works because you already have a captive audience. And they’ve given you permission to market to them. So, the hope is that they will hope-fully investigate your other services further, providing they like your stuff. NOTE: Be careful not to overdo it! Don’t make 20 percent of one service a commercial for another service. Just casually let people know what else you do. Everything you do should reference something else you do.

What type of list could you immedi-ately make your idea into? Lists are easy and fun to write. Lists are effi-cient ways to transfer value. Lists force you to clarify your thoughts. Lists give people who don’t like to organize a great way to organize. Lists make it easy to expand and stretch

your main idea. Listing is the sim-plest, quickest and most efficient way to capture your ideas before they fly out of your head. Listing stimu-lates creativity. Ideas connect with one another, crystallize and produce insights you never would have discov-ered by writing a five-paragraph essay. Listing subconsciously creates pat-terns, groups and “piles” of material that seem to come together on their own. After all, the human brain is a self-organizing machine. Start making a list, and order will come later.

What’s your Noticeable Number? If you want to be more remarkable, memorable, credible and revisit-able, ask yourself: “What’s the most remarkable/unique thing about my business?” “How could I quantify that in a remarkable way? Then, record it,

publish it and lever-age it in every marketing

medium. Examples include, “4,000 hours of training!” “2 million copies sold!” and “Worked with 347 of the Fortune 500!” I use the number of days I’ve been wearing a nametag (4,000). Actions that validate your commitment are priceless.

Ideas are overrated. If you want to make a name for yourself—and build a bank account—ask yourself these leverage questions to kill two stones with one bird.

Scott Ginsberg, aka “The

Nametag Guy,” is the

author of 12 books,

including Ideas Are Free,

Execution is Priceless. Big

companies rent his brain to learn how to

delete average. He lives in St. Louis where

he can usually be found doing yoga.

Anchor your expertise in that

which is timeless. Democratize and genericize your

thoughts so they outlast you. Always be on the lookout

for ways to increase the shelf life of your material.

in

COMMunICATe

VALue AnD GeT

ReAL LeVeRAGe

TO GROW YOuR

BuSIneSS


BY Ford SAekS The traditional model of booking a speech

and earning all of your income from speak-ing is dead … and it has been for a while.

Sure, you can earn money—even big money—from keynotes, workshops and training events, but if that’s all you do, you’ll always be chasing the next booking. the last couple of years were really tough for speakers with that business model.

Get leverage by repackaging and repur-posing your content. Start by taking an inventory of your main areas of exper-tise, target markets, revenue streams and the main industries you serve. An easy way to accomplish this is to create a mind map so you can keep the creative capture process fluid. This shouldn’t take too long and it will be a valuable asset in your repurposing.


On the other hand, those who focused on packaging their content in a variety of methods through multiple distribu-tion channels thrived.

If you’ve heard me present at NSA or other conferences, then you know that my primary question is “How do I add value and make a profit?” I focus on positioning my expertise as a valu-able resource, and package the content in multiple methods and formats.

The key is identifying and offer-ing content in the method in which my prospects want to consume it. That ranges from free to fee, from physi-cal to digital products and services, and everything in between. They are avail-able with several options, packages and bundles, and all targeted to solve

a specific need or move the prospect through the sales funnel.

How do your prospects and clients want to consume your content? This isn’t necessarily an absolute method, but an assortment based on your pros-pects’ needs. For example, I help organizations improve their online mar-keting results, so they want to consume the content in my products through online video, audio and Web experi-ences. Sometimes that includes desktop software video recordings or tutorials.

Don’t over think this—just look for new ways to expand your digital footprint by sharing your expertise. Everyone can benefit by adding more keyword-rich content to their website, blogs and social media websites.

REpaCkagE and REpuRpOsE

There are several websites that allow you to upload different formats of content. One, in particular, is www.SlideShare.net. SlideShare lets you share PowerPoint® presentations, documents and even video. You can repurpose your content from PowerPoint, or create new PowerPoint content that you design specifically for SlideShare. You might be gasping at the thought of PowerPoint from all of the horror stories of “death by PowerPoint,” but this article is about repurposing and repackaging your content.

If you created a series of slides for a short presentation with the right content to educate and entertain your target prospects, they would be intro-duced to you and the benefits you offer. This builds trust and drives traffic to your brand and website. It also gives you another listing on search engine results pages. So, do this only if you want more business.

I’m not sug-gesting that you upload all of your presenta-tions for your competitors to plagiarize. You should think about the medium and then open your mind to the idea of presenting certain

If you have a blog, check your topic cat-egories and see if you need to add, delete or consolidate any topics. Check your blog traffic and analytics. See if you’re getting any comments on your posts. That will help you measure your impact and remark-ability.

Look through the last few years of clients to find new opportunities. Review your website. Most likely, there will be several sections and pages that may need to be updated to be congruent with your level and service offerings. Once you have a snapshot of your main topics, expertise and revenue model, then you can review your social media footprint.

There’s a lot of hype about social media, so you should look for ways to share your insights and use your exper-tise in different formats, such as video, to build relationships and generate leads for your business.

YouTube and other video-sharing sites offer fantastic opportunities for you to

share your expertise and presentation ability to your target market.

Consider taking some of your blog postings and turning them into video posts.

Take content from your books or other products and create a short video on the subject. People will forgive poor video, but not poor audio. If you’re using a Flip© camera, then make sure you’re within three feet for clear audio or get a video camera with an external mic input and use a mic so you have a clear and audible recording.

As a thought leader, expert, speaker, trainer or consultant, you should post samples of your speaking events, as well as topic-related video segments. This should be easy for you. Make a list of the main questions that audiences and consulting clients ask you. Turn their questions on the subject and then create the answer on Video. This formula trans-lates to new blog posts (with and without video), guest articles and guest blog posts, too. Keep it value-based and benefit-ori-ented, not blatant self promotions that people will tune out.

We helped Randy Gage create a series of short videos and branded them around “Prosperity TV.” (Go to www.Youtube.com/RandyGage.) Now, before you send me emails about the audio quality of Randy’s videos, keep in mind we bought him a great camera and mic system, but he prefers the simplicity of the Flip Camera.

Make a plan this week to create at least two to five video segments using your existing written content and con-verting it video segments. Consider your introduction (intro) and closing (outro) with a specific action step at the end of your videos. It might be to call you, visit your site, download something, rate or subscribe. Keep the videos short, but long enough to make your key point. If you have multiple points, then separate them into different video segments. Then, post them on YouTube, Facebook Video and other video-sharing websites.


BOOst YOuR BlOg

COnduCt a Full REvIEw

CREatE YOuR vIdEO EmpIRE

lEt It slIdE!

content via that medium to invoke a specific result. It can be a very effec-tive lead generator and it builds social proof. As with YouTube videos, con-sider including a specific action step and then measure the results.

While we’re on this idea, you should consider the syndication of your content throughout different social media websites. For example, in LinkedIn, you can have content from your Wordpress™ blog and SlideShare syndicated automatically. Similarly, you can have your blog posts and YouTube video content show up in Facebook.

If you’re using an email management program, such as Constant Contact or Aweber, there are features that allow you to send out automatic notifications to your lists when you post a new blog. The question to ask: How can I share my content with as many people as pos-sible in my industry or target market?

I’m all for repurposing content, but some strategies may backfire when it comes to Google rankings. If you’re writing and posting your articles on your website, don’t submit them to be posted on other websites or other blogs, too. Keep the content and articles on your site as unique as possible so that

Google recognizes you as the author and authority of that content.

If you have the same articles on your website as you have on sites like ezinearticles.com, magazine websites, or media outlets, Google gives credit to the site that it deems is the author, and that’s weighted by which website has the most content and other algo-rithms. You can search Google for “duplicate content policies” and read all about it. There are huge benefits in sharing your content on other websites and through traditional and online media sources, but make sure it’s as targeted as possible.

To repurpose my articles for differ-ent industries, I change the headline, customize it to another industry, and change the structure so the content and flow are at least 30 percent different.

Repackage your content and increase your revenues. This concept covers several areas, from updat-ing outdated content to creating new content to repackaging it into different formats or new markets. We touched on this earlier, so to expand on the topic, review your product titles and target markets.

As you look forward into 2011 and beyond, think about how you could customize your existing products into new products by changing the title and adding a few new segments. Here’s an example from one of my consulting clients, who will remain anonymous for confidentiality. She hired me to help her increase non-speaking revenues and residual income. Speaking drove

her consulting and product sales, and she wanted to leverage an upcoming speaking event.

The meeting planner allowed her to sell prod-ucts tactfully, and not pitch from the plat-form. She didn’t have any product other than a book for $20. After a

short brainstorming session,

we created a new product targeted to the needs of that particular audience and it was priced over $1,000.

At first, the speaker said that no one in the audience would buy a product for that much money. But I say, let the marketplace decide! Sure you have to plan, test and know your market, but as long as you can deliver value and price it based on value, people will find the money to purchase. Again, it’s a value for value proposition, not a question of price.

The event was only two weeks away and there was no time to master and produce the product, so we used the sample-selling method. We created a special one-sheet promotion with a product mock-up and benefit-oriented sales copy with a specific action step and a special offer if the product was ordered at the event. The flyers were included in the back of the speaker’s handout and didn’t interfere with the keynote presentation.

Although there were only 400 attendees, she sold more than 90 units. Not bad for a couple of hours of work! Yes, we had to produce it, but it was her content packaged into 12 new video segments and a study guide. If you collected credit card charges for over $90,000, couldn’t you master a few video segments and create a new product to sell to future prospects?

So what are you waiting for? Put down this magazine and start making your plan for repackaging and repur-posing your content to generate more sales from your speaking, training, products and consulting services.

Ford Saeks is president of

Prime Concepts Group Inc., a

business growth communica-

tions firm that specializes in

helping businesses attract a

constant flow of customers and increase

profits. Subscribe and read to his blog at

www.PrimeConcepts.com/blog

BEwaRE OF COntEnt duplICatIOn

There’s a lot of hype about social media, so you should look for ways to share your insights and use your expertise in different formats, such as video, to build relationships and generate leads for your business.”


March 2011 | SPeAKeR | 25

Cons is tency Shows Credib i l i tyMy style sheet defines the boundaries for my logo. It specifies what can be reversed and what cannot, and the ratio of height to width (regardless of the size). This guarantees that my business will always look professional.

The style sheet also enables me to have the following conversation comfortably: “My style sheet has a 1:3 ratio for my logo, and it looks like it got squeezed into the program.”

U s e Fonts to D i f ferent iateMy business uses three fonts, which were recommended by my graphic designer. These are different than the fonts used in my logo. According to my style sheet, the

logo font is sacred to the logo, and only my printer uses the logo font.

I use fonts called Frutiger and Raleigh, which are not common. I had to buy them. One is serif and one is sans serif. My style sheet dictates that headlines on my collateral will be in the sans serif font (18 pt.). Subheads will be in san serif (14 pt.), and body copy will be in the serif font (12 pt. or less). I also have a script font to be used only for quotations in breakout boxes.

Be Memorable with Co lorMy logo is a money green color, and is officially referred to as PMS 3415. What else is in this shade of green? The ink in my pen, my paper clips, my file folders,

What’syour]

[raleigh]

[frutiger]

B y W E N D y K i N N E y

you’ve probably heard the term “style sheet.” It’s a set of rules for a business the way a dictionary is a set of rules for words. When a graphic designer completes a logo, the final deliver-able is a style sheet that specifies how the logo and colors can be used. Every publication has a style sheet. Style sheets provide many benefits: They help us delegate. They make us look profes-sional. They make life easier.

]

and my envelopes. This commitment to my style sheet gives me a marketing hedge called a Referral Activator. For example, if I’ve done a program for you and you get an email from someone using a green font, you’ll think of me automatically. I received a message this morning from someone I haven’t worked with in several years: “Hi, Wendy. I’ve been thinking of you.”

Glenda doesn’t know why she’s been thinking of me, but I do. My style sheet attracts repeat business.

Get in Sh apeMy message is referrals. My shape is the triangle. If it’s a triangle, it’s for me. I found green triangle paper clips at a museum, and my style sheet authorizes me to purchase them.

My style sheet also states that when I use the triangle as a gesture, it begins to the viewer’s left (my right), and it goes across, then down and then up. It’s easy for me to finger draw a triangle and talk at the same time—no thinking required.

Make Wo r ds Pr opr iet ar y Pr op ertyMy style sheet contains these words:• GateOpener: Always two capital words,

no space in between them.• Referral Activator: Always capitalized,

never lower case.• Referral Trigger: Always capitalized,

never lower case.• Referral: Not capitalized in general use.

Every person in the office proofreads every product before it goes to print. If someone asks about a word that isn’t about the style sheet, whether it’s an office person or a designer, it gets added to the style sheet. The style sheet is everyone’s responsibility.

F i les : The Name GameI send files to busy people. I want them to be able to find and identify my docu-ments easily, because being easy to work with is a benefit for me. I have devised the following system for naming files:

My Name, space-hyphen-space, Item Type, space-hyphen-space, Program Name, space-hyphen-space, Event Date. Here are some examples:• Wendy Kinney – AV Requirements – It’s

Raining Referrals – 13 April 2011.doc• Wendy Kinney – Content Sheet – It’s

Raining Referrals – 13 April 2011.doc• Wendy Kinney – Contract – It’s Raining

Referrals – 13 April 2011.doc• Wendy Kinney – Headshot, left facing –

It’s Raining Referrals – 13 April 2011.doc• Wendy Kinney – Room Layout – It’s

Raining Referrals – 13 April 2011.doc• Wendy Kinney – Program Bio – It’s

Raining Referrals – 13 April 2011.doc

Ph oto F ixYou might be thinking, “I don’t email files. My website has everything my clients need. They just download it when they want it.” Been there—done that. I’ve tasted the frustration of not being able to find a downloaded file because the name doesn’t tell me what it is. Result? I have to open everything, or download it again.

I should direct the frustration at myself because I should have renamed it and filed it where I could find it. I’m still peeved at the person who renamed her headshot IMG_34219.

Nothing is uploaded to my website or Facebook until it is named accord-ing to my style sheet rules. My headshots, for example, start with my name, space-hyphen-space, and a description:• Wendy Kinney – left facing.jpg• Wendy Kinney – left facing, eyes right –

Red.jpg (shown)• Wendy Kinney – arms open.jpg• Wendy Kinney – big toothy grin.jpg

Candid photos are not about me; they’re about the client, the event, or the other person. So, I name my candid photos accordingly: Smith and Howard – 2010 Awards Banquet – Richard Smith. The pictures are easily identi-fied and will be used in newsletters and

event recaps. The style sheet under-scores my value to my clients.

Start a Sty le Sheet• Open a document, name it, and save it

with your business collateral items.• Next, insert a table with two columns

and 10 rows. • Type areas in the left column, as

shown below:

Logo

Fonts

Colors

Shapes

Words

File names

Headshots

Now, split the right cells to add details, for example:

Serif: RaleighBody copy, 12 pt. or smaller

San Serif: FruitgerTitles: 18 pt., subheads 14 pt.

Cursive: PristinaBreakout boxes only. Never italic

Create your style sheet now. It will be used and changed as often as you create a new product, confirm a new project, or plan another dimension. And it will be used to your be benefit each time.

Wendy Kinney starting prepping

for business as a child by

practicing on her grandfather’s

adding machine, filling out

discarded checks, and daydream-

ing about running an office. Today, referral

marketing is her niche. Contact her at (404)

784-0699 or visit www.

ReadySetGoMakeMoney.com.


If You Are a Speaker,Trainer, Author, Coach,

Consultant or Other Leaderthat Influences the World—

You Need to Be at:

2011 NSA Convention • July 30–August 2, 2011Anaheim Marriott • Anaheim, California • www.influence11.org

INFLUENCE ’11 is like no other event you haveever attended! Rad. Relevant. Fresh. Practical.Fun. Thought-Provoking.

Register through May 31 to take advantage ofearly bird savings! www.influence11.org

Glenna Salsbury, CSP, CPAE Lou Heckler, CSP, CPAE Kyle Maynard Ken Dychtwald

Keynotes from some of the world’s best speakers

Les Brown, CPAE Larry Winget, CPAE Terri Sjodin, CSP Nido Qubein, CSP, CPAE

Master Classes from Experts

Powerful Topic-Specific Sessions from: Tony Hsieh, Scott Stratten, Jim Rhode, CSP, Jeffrey Gitomer, CSP, CPAE, Rebecca Morgan, CMC, CSP, Ford Saeks, Lisa Jimenez, and many, many more!

Brought to you by:

• Contrarian Café • So You Think You Can Speak • Running Your Trap game show • NSA Tonight! • Social Media Marketing panel • CSP/Bureau Speed Dating!

4 Days and 5 Nights to Help You: • Increase Bookings • Get New Clients • Write Better • Mesmerize Audiences • Build Your Brand • Clarify Your Message• Define Your Market • Connect with Your Tribe • Explode Your Creativity • Challenge Your Thinking • Create Cash Flow • Manage Your Biz • Make a Difference!

Convention ad 2 2/11/11 10:25 AM Page 1


3Gadgets & Widgets

Google Gadgets are miniature objects that live on Web pages and offer cool and dynamic content, such as a to-do list, a calculator, Wikipedia, translation tool, news, blogs, games, etc. Choose the type of gadget you’d like to create and customize it. Update your gadget anytime from your iGoogle homepage at www.google.com/ig.

Widgets are simple, fun and useful applications that can be embedded on a webpage, blog or social media page. Widgets allow you to create customized content with no coding knowledge. If you can type text and choose colors or images, you can make a personalized widget in less than five minutes. http://widgets.opera.com/widgetize/:

2Blog About It

Bloglines.com is one of the largest news and RSS feed aggregators in the world, with over 2 million users who can subscribe, create, manage and share news feeds, blogs and rich content from across the Web.There is no software to download and install and it’s com-pletely free.

BlogTalkRadio.com: You can host your own show at this leading online radio show or pitch yourself or your book.

Technorati.com: Register your blog here.

ReLevant ResouRcesTime-saving tools and technologies

What's a Widget?Do you give a HootSuite about Wordles, Widgets or SWIX? Social media is evolving so fast that it’s difficult for even the experts to remain up-to-date. Stay ahead of the learning curve by keeping this list of handy resources at your fingertips.

1Brand Management Tools

Klout measures influence across the social Web. Klout allows users to track the impact of their opinions, links and recommendations. Do you have Klout?

TweetDeck, the most popular Twitter application, is an Adobe AIR desktop application for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Buzz, Foursquare and MySpace. It interfaces with the Twitter API to allow users to send and receive tweets, view profiles and divide the people they follow into groups. An iPad version was released in May 2010, and a beta version for Android was released in August 2010.

HootSuite is a social media dashboard that enables users to monitor keywords, manage multiple Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Ping.fm and WordPress accounts.


Mary LoVerde, CPAE, is the president of Life Balance, Inc., and the author of

three best-selling books. She specializes in helping her audiences find creative

ways to blend work and family life. LoVerde has appeared on ABC World

News Tonight, 20/20 and the Oprah Winfrey Show. For more information,

visit www.maryloverde.com.

4Check Your Stats

Bit.ly is a URL shortener service that is popular on Twitter. It provides tools to view statistics related to users who click on generated links. The company behind bit.ly launched a similar service for online videos to determine what videos are the most popular on the Web.

Friendorfollow.com. Who’s following you back on Twitter? Who are you not fol-

lowing back? Who are your mutual friends? Find out! Just enter and submit your Twitter username.

Google Analytics lets you measure your advertis-ing ROI and track your Flash, video, and social net-working sites and applications.

SWIX is a social media analytics appli-cation that monitors all of your social media properties (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and 20-plus others). SWIX gathers visitor and usage data on your sites daily, graphs it over time, and puts everything in one convenient place so you always have the latest engagement stats right at your fingertips.

Tweetrush is an Ireland startup that provides the latest stats updates about Twitter usage. Users can view total tweets of the last week along with an hourly average. The simple service is powered by an analytics engine called “Rush House,” with an aim of providing esti-mated tweets updates.

5Content Management Tools

Delicious, formerly de.lic.ious, stores your bookmarks online, which allows you to access the same bookmarks from any computer and add bookmarks from anywhere, too. On delicious, you can use tags to organize and remember your bookmarks, which is a more flexible system than folders.

DIGG.com is a community of Web users who submit and share favorite websites. Once some-thing is submitted, other people see it and Digg what they like best.

Flickr.com is a widely used online photo management and sharing application where users can share and show off their favorite photos and videos securely and privately.

Reddit is a social news website for what’s new and popular online. Reddit learns what users like as they vote on existing links or submit their own. Other users may then vote the posted

links “up” or “down” with the most successful links gaining prominence by reaching the front page. Users also can comment on the posted links and reply to

other commentators, consequently forming an online community.

Twellow.com is the “Yellow Pages” of Twitter users and lets them add their Twitter profile to the vertically categorized directory, along with basic per-sonal information, their website and number of followers (all taken from a Twitter account). All Twellow users get their own personal profile page, with a link to their website.

Wordle is a Web toy for generating “word clouds” from text you upload. The clouds give greater weight to words that appear more often in the text. The beauty of Wordle is that there is no signup or login, and the whole process can be completed in as little as a minute depend-ing on the complexity.


be yond boRdeRsExploring cultures, countries and comfort zones

Targeting Hispanic Audiences

Fifty million Hispanics reside in the United States today, and among them are doctors, CEOs, poli-ticians and business

owners. The United States has the second-largest Hispanic markett in the world, trailing only Mexico. It is comprised of subcultures from over 20 countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean and Spain, with the majority (63 percent) of Mexican heritage.

Why not expand your speaking business to the millions of Hispanics who are thirsty for knowledge to improve their lives, and the thousands of U.S. companies that want to inte-grate themselves into this community? (Walmart, for example, employs 171,000 Hispanics in the United States alone.)

To sell to this mushrooming demo-graphic group, you must understand your specific Hispanic audience. It is not merely a matter of using Latin music to accom-pany your presentation. The culture, beliefs, opinions and consumer behavior patterns of U.S. Hispanics are not iden-tical, due to differences in their native countries’ geography, indigenous ancestry and colonial origins. For example, a word used commonly in Puerto Rico could be offensive in Guatemala.

Family FirstFamily is a top priority in the Hispanic lifestyle, so speakers should make sure their presentations uphold family values. An ad campaign for a well-known airline failed when it focused on getting away from family members. Why? Because Hispanics want to be with their family.

Close interpersonal relationships, both within and outside the family, are impor-tant. Hispanics greet each other with hugs and kisses, and pulling back may be mis-interpreted as a lack of interest of even disrespect. So, smile and be extra friendly!

Start ConnectingProfessional speakers need to learn all they can about their target Hispanic audience, including customs and reli-gious beliefs. Start with local grassroots groups and business associations. On a national level, check out:• National Council of La Raza (www.

nclr.org)• U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

(www.ushcc.com)• National Hispanic Business Group

(www.nhbg.org)• National Hispanic Corporate Council

(www.nhcchq.org)• Latino Professional Network (www.

lpnonline.com) • National Association of Latino Elected

and Appointed Officials (www.naleo.org)

One of the best ways to connect with these groups and their members is to submit a well-researched, culturally rel-evant article for their trade publications and websites.

Your success rate with corpo-rate clients will depend on your networking ability. Ideally, you should present yourself as the expert on your topic.

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) created the “Hispanic Public Relations and Marketing Strategies Tour” to help its members learn about Hispanic and multicultural

public relations strategies. For speakers, this is another source of information on what’s trending among Hispanics.

Social media and the Internet draw mil-lions of Hispanics daily. A recent study by AOL shows that 77 percent of Hispanics use the Internet, and English-language sites are more trustworthy than those in Spanish. In fact, because the Hispanic pop-ulation residing in the United States is second- and third-generation, most are fluent in English. So, that’s a plus for you, as you will not have to get your materials translated. If you are going to translate your materials, be sure the translation is tailored for your specific Hispanic audience.

Frances Rios is a professional

speaker and consultant with a

bachelor’s degree in communi-

cations from Loyola University.

Her experience includes many

years as a top executive and spokesperson for

Fortune 500 companies in the United States

and Puerto Rico. Visit http://francesrios.com.

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client paid 50 percent of your fee up front

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what wouLd you do?Casting a reality check on real-world conundrums

1. I would ask the organizers: ‘This is a tough situation. What are your thoughts?’2. I would give a presentation to the people in the room, even if it’s only three people who organized the meeting.3. I would keep the deposit and expect the other 50 percent per the contract. I might offer a discount on a future engagement as a show of good will.4. I would see if I could round up any people in the lobby. This might turn into a serendipitous opportunity to serve more people. And that can result in new leads.

—Tom MarcouxSan Francisco, Calif. It’s happened to

me. It isn’t my fault no one shows. I showed up. I expect full fee. With a good client, I did offer a discount if they wanted to rebook.

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How you make your client feel is much more important than a fee. Do the right thing. It will pay off big in the long run.

—Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAEHighlands Ranch, Colo.

The only things a speaker has to sell are time and expertise. If someone books you and doesn’t promote the event, that is not your responsibility. You can’t recreate the time you lost. an unexpected crisis like 9/11 would be grounds for sharing the burden, but a sudden client crisis would not.

—Jim TudorFalls Creek, Pa.

one of my largest clients recently had a seminar out of town and only one person out of 55 showed up. obviously, someone didn’t do his or her job. I cut the client some slack and gave a small credit to use on a future booking. I think it all boils down to the relationship. We need to be business people, but we’re also in this for the long run. Nice people win.

—Marty GrunderMiamisburg, Ohio

I would stick to the payment terms, but I would offer to conduct a seminar on another date at no charge. To help secure attendees, I would offer to work with the event planner on marketing strategies to draw participants. For a preferred or long standing client, I would consider deferring payment until my services are actually rendered.

—Sara CanadayAustin, Texas

This happened to me with a local company. I told the client that I was keeping the deposit and they owed me the balance; but since it was local, I would reschedule the program the following month. The client was extremely grateful, and I’m a hero in their eyes. If I had flown to the event, I might have offered to come back on a future date for half the fee.

—Laura Stack, MBA, CSPHighlands Ranch, Colo.

What Would You Do? is a regular column that presents a real-life dilemma faced by professional speakers. nSA members are encouraged to submit a dilemma for possible discussion in this column. Please submit dilemmas to [email protected]. nSA reserves the right to edit submissions for length and style. All dilemmas will be anonymously attrib-uted. Opinions expressed are those of the individual respondents, not nSA.


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The Two-Minute epiphany

My turning point? The day I was asked to be on the closing panel of a con-ference held

over the holidays. Pulitzer Prize winners, astronauts,

Fortune 100 CEOs and Nobel physicists were on the panel and in the audience, so I was excited about this opportunity.

The challenge? I had two minutes max to share an intriguing epiphany with the group.

The night before the panel, I skipped the New Years’ celebration to work on my remarks. My son Andrew came back to our hotel room after midnight and found me still up.

“Whazzup, Mom?”“Well, I’ve got something to say, but

I know it’s not special.”“Do what you always tell me to do

when my brain’s fried. Get up early in the morning and the ideas will come when you’re fresh.”

“Good advice, Andrew. Thanks.” I set the alarm for 6 a.m. and went to bed.

The next morning, I went in search of some caffeine to kick-start my cre-ativity. I turned around after getting my coffee and bumped into a petite pow-erhouse with big red glasses. I smiled at her and said, “Happy New Year.”

She looked at me, eyes bright, and said, “Start to finish.”

I was instantly intrigued. “How did you come up with that great phrase?”

She said, “Want to set for a spell and I’ll tell you?”

I had a decision to make. Was I sup-posed to go back to my room and work

on my two-minute epiphany or was Dr. Betty Siegel my two minutes?

Suffice it to say, I went with Betty (literally and figuratively).

Betty, President Emeritus of Kennesaw State University, is, quite simply, the best storyteller I’ve ever known. She doesn’t tell; she shows. She illustrates each idea with a vividly told, real-life example so we see what she’s saying.

Our conversation not only yielded a fascinating story for my closing remarks and was the start of a reward-ing friendship, it dramatically changed the way I communicate and crystal-lized the following epiphany:

People don’t want more informa-tion—they want epiphanies.

And they don’t get epiphanies from ideas. They get them from vividly told, real-life examples that cause the lights to go on and the band to play.

As a result of my encounter with Betty, I developed a Disruptive Communication Manifesto called the 70–10–10–10 Rule® that I use in all of my written and spoken com-munications. It is an evolutionary way to soctratically engage people so they relate what we’re saying to their circumstances and choose to do some-thing differently; not because they have to, but because they want to.

Thanks to Betty, I now avoid “neck-up rhetoric” by introducing every point (yes, on the stage and on the page) with a relevant example that segues into an Aha, Ask and Act. It’s a way to capture and keep attention . . . from start to finish.

Sam Horn, The Intrigue

Expert and author of POP!,

has been featured on NPR,

MSNBC, BusinessWeek.com,

and in Investors Business

Daily and The New York Times. Her

speaking clients include Cisco, Intel and

NASA, and her consulting clients include

the former presidents of ASAE, NSA,

ASTD, ICF and the Disney Institute. For a

copy of the 70-10-10-10 Rule®, contact

[email protected].

tuRning PointA career-changing moment or experience

WANTED: Students for NSAScholarshipsScholarship Grant - $5,000 Do you know a student who has a burning desireto become a professional speaker? He or she maybe eligible for an NSA Foundation scholarship.The Foundation awards four scholarships annuallyto full-time college junior, senior and graduate students at an accredited university.

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adveRtising index

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c aLendaR of events

CSP/CPAe SummitApril 1-3, 2011

The Joule

Dallas, Texas

Global Speakers SummitApril 13-16, 2011

Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin

Noordwijk, The Netherlands

nSA/uS ConventionJuly 30-Aug. 2, 2011

Anaheim Marriott

Anaheim, Calif.

For more information on any NSA

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NSASpeaker.org. Details for Global

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humoR meFinding the funny in a speaker’s life

The Man Hug

the emcee asked if I would stick around after my program to help with the awards ceremony, so I obliged. You may ask why I agreed to stay and shake

the hands of recipients I don’t know, but the reasons are simple: I always give of myself to the client, and I had not yet been paid.

So, while I was presenting the plaques, a robust gentleman came forward to receive his award. But, before I continue my story, the following information is critical for setting the stage:

I did not see him carrying a small cup of coffee in his left hand.

I glanced away when he placed his cup on an elevated table behind me.

As I turned back to him, it appeared that he wanted to hug.

Now, the key thing with a man-hug is that both man-huggers must be on the same page. But we weren’t on the same page. We weren’t even in the same book.

In mid-handshake, I thought I had to

convert to a hug, so I leaned towards him completely off balance thinking I could steady myself by leaning on him. He wasn’t planning on hugging me, so he also was caught off balance.

We were like two drunken overweight ballerinas performing a routine beyond our capabilities, and neither of us wanted

to be in this dance. I believe it was Plato who said, “Nothing ever good or graceful has come from reluc-tant huggers.” (I could be wrong on that quote.)

Anyway, we didn’t have the grace or athleticism to pull this off. Our feet got tangled up, and we stumbled, tripped and hit the deck like a WWF takedown. Ka-boom!

This man didn’t want me hug me, and he certainly didn’t want me to lie on top of him with my head buried in his chest. My arms were pinned under his beefy frame, and I couldn’t get up. From virtually any vantage point in the room, it appeared that I was very comfortable cuddling with my new friend.

When I tried to get up, the only thing I could move was my behind, so it was sticking up in the air. (Pause and reflect on this image.) At this point, I sensed my new friend was not at all

pleased with the

situation, probably

because he yelled, “What the

hell are you doing.” (I’ve always been good at

picking up clues.) The good news: Once we both stood

up and the audience knew we were okay, they burst into room-shaking laughter. And you know me … I’ll do anything for a laugh. The bad news: We shared a hug, a laugh, and a roll on the floor, and I haven’t heard from that guy since our close encounter. No flowers, no phone call, nothing.

Mark Mayfield, CSP, CPAE,

speaks about very serious

things in a very funny way.

Known as the Corporate

Comedian, he offers solid

business wisdom in a brilliant comedic style.

Visit www.markmayfield.com.

“We were like two drunken overweight ballerinas performing a routine beyond our capabilities, and neither of us wanted to be in this dance.”

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Speaker- March 2011

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