Latest / The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson / Jane Atkinson on Becoming a Wealthy Speaker

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Jane Atkinson on Becoming a Wealthy Speaker · The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson

• 0:00
  3, 10, 1, 0, ignition, liftoff,
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  Ending small business failure.
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  Welcome to the Small Biz Chat podcast with a number 1 small business expert Melinda Emerson.
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  Bolinda's goal is to end small business failure, and she'll give you the information
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  you need to succeed and live the life you've dream of.
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  Now here's the small biz lady herself.
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  Melinda Emerson.
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  Hi, everybody.
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  I'm Melinda Emerson.
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  Small biz lady and welcome to small biz chat, you know, small biz chat started as a little
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  tweet chat over 10 years ago on Twitter but we have evolved.
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  And, listen, we have an amazing show for you tonight, but let me tell you first about why we
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  do Smolker's chat.
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  We created small business satellite because we wanted to have an opportunity for small
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  business owners to get peer to peer device in a safe environment without having to pay a coach
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  or a mentor.
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  And we really wanted to have people, you know, have an opportunity to add questions and get
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  information that they don't even know that they need to know yet.
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  The mission of small business chat is to end small business failure, and that has been our
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  mission since day one.
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  Now let me tell you a little bit about what our goal is.
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  We wanna give you tools and tips and information so that you can have the
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  opportunity take your business to the next level by hearing advice from top experts.
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  Alright.
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  Now I'm gonna get to my guest miss Jane Atkinson, who I've known since I first got
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  started as a professional speaker, and she her nickname is the speaker launcher.
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  About she's known, but she is gonna give us the lowdown on how to build a successful speaker
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  business.
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  But First, before I do that, I wanna welcome everybody who's watching on my small business
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  lady fan page.
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  All of you guys giving us a shout out over on my YouTube page.
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  And don't forget my Twitter peeps.
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  Y'all know I love you, so we're broadcasting live on Periscope on Twitter as well.
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  And we wanna make sure that you know that small business chat is about helping you succeed as
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  your own boss, and our mission is to end small business failure.
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  Alright.
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  Now it is time to talk about building a 6 figure speaking business as a business coach
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  for speakers.
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  My guest Jane Atkinson's specialty is to help speakers identify and move past the things that
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  may slow business growth.
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  She helps speakers at all levels develop and launch their businesses and solidify their
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  brands And more importantly, she is all about monetizing a speaking visit.
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  There's a whole bunch of people out here speaking that aren't getting paid, Jack, and
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  she is she is the anti to that So her signature training program is called the wealthy speaker
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  school.
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  She offers online courses and coaching and mastermind to help speakers at every level of
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  the journey.
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  Jane, welcome, welcome, welcome to small business chat live.
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  It's so good to see.
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  Thank you so much for having me here.
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  I am thrilled to be on your show, Melinda.
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  I've been seeing it all over the place for years.
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  You're blowing up out there.
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  Oh, well, thank you so much as high praise coming from you.
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  Listen, If somebody wants to become a professional speaker, what should they do to
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  get started?
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  Well, they really need to think about and and Calvin alluded to this a little bit earlier.
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  What is their lane?
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  We call it picking a lane, which is kind of like a ready aim fire process.
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  And when it comes to picking away, we're really talking about what topic do you wanna be known
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  for say 5 years from now?
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  Because a lot of people out there and no doubt many of your listeners and viewers are really,
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  really smart people They could be doing a whole bunch of different topics and they see a
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  speaker and they're like, oh, I wanna do that.
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  That is such a cool thing.
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  To get up on stage and then to get paid.
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  What?
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  And so really being able to identify what your expertise is and what your lane is is really
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  the first step.
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  And to do that, you know, you just kinda filter back through your history.
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  And if you've built a small business successfully already, then you're really
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  thinking about why did this work?
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  What am I really good at?
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  Mhmm.
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  So do you need a speaking strategy then?
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  Yeah.
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  Well, game fire approach.
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  So in the ready stage, We get crystal clear on what we're selling.
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  Very difficult to go farther if you don't have this in place.
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  And we pick a lane.
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  We develop some marketing language and we kind of identify who our our target audience is
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  going to be.
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  Then we can move into aim.
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  And that's where we develop out our marketing materials.
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  We're talking about website.
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  We're talking about maybe video at this stage.
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  And then and only then do we fire and we roll it out to our target markets?
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  And I think a lot of people just wanna get on the phone and start talking to people because
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  what?
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  That's the fun part.
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  Right?
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  Talking about yourself and what you can do to help them.
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  But really, we like to make sure we have all of those things in place because if you do get on
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  the phone before you have that clarity, I think you'll lack confidence.
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  We have a saying Clarity equals confidence.
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  And so that's really job 1.
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  I love it.
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  Clarity equals confidence.
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  That is tweetable and definitely something we should all keep in mind, but You know, where
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  where do you see people stumble though in executing?
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  Like, is it it it is it getting on the phone too early?
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  That could be one thing.
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  It could be that because they are thinking, okay.
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  Well, I'm gonna go out to the market.
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  I'm I'm gonna have three offerings.
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  Where they find it difficult is when they're talking to a client.
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  They're trying to filter through.
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  Okay.
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  Well, which one should I offer them?
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  Plus when they go to write their website, writing your copy for your website when you
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  have a lack of clarity is very, very difficult.
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  So I think that's probably I mean, there's lots of stumbling blocks, but I think that's
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  probably the first one that we tend to see people getting hung up on is really deciding.
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  And then Melinda, they just have to go forward fearlessly with it because you can doubt
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  yourself and second guess all day long, but really the market's going to touch in
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  incorrectly.
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  And what do you do?
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  You pivot and go again.
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  So once somebody gets all their stuff straight and they wanna start getting paid to speed,
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  what what should they
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  do first?
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  I mean, or what is the right amount for them to even for?
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  Like, is when you first get started as a speaker, is it like $500 that you know, like,
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  what, like, what should you be asking for till you get to the point where you can build up the
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  you know, be
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  the 40, 50 grand keynote speaker.
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  Right.
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  40, 50 grand keynote.
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  That's like not exactly ex presidents, but it's probably some celebrity.
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  That's like being celebrity.
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  So realistic real world build up a successful speaker business.
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  Is it a 20,000 or 25,000 kino?
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  Is that is that
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  where It's gonna depend on where you've come from.
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  Right?
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  So if if you have work your way up the ladder in a c suite job and you're stepping out and
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  you have, you know, some pretty hefty bio behind you for you to go out and see the market
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  and say, yes, I would like $10,000 is not unseeable.
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  It's not unthinkable that that should happen.
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  I talked about I talked about way back in the first edition of the wealthy speaker 2.0 that
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  $1500 is kind of when you're in the game.
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  Like that's the base and then we kind of start going up from there.
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  So if you feel like you're just getting started, you're just dipping your toe in the
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  water and you don't feel like you have that level of notoriety or by line item that really
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  makes you or or perhaps you haven't written a book yet Then you might start there and work
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  your way up 3500, 507510 and on from there.
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  But there are lots of people I have coming who are executive companies and they are starting
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  out above 10.
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  Okay.
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  Okay.
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  I think that's actually really good advice because I think there's about a bunch of
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  unrealistic expectations out here that people have about what it is to get paid to speak.
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  What do you think is the best form of marketing for people who are professional speakers?
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  That's a great question.
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  And the best form of marketing is a kick ass speech.
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  That is really the the epic keynote is when somebody comes up to you afterwards with their
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  business card in their hand and says, oh my gosh.
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  I need I have somebody else who needs to hear this, you know, write this down on the back of
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  the card.
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  It's it's this date and we have this going on.
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  That's when, you know, when you're getting a 3, 4 spin off from every single engagement that's
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  when you know your speech has arrived.
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  So the best there is no better form of marketing.
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  You can have a brilliant website but go out and deliver a mediocre job.
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  You're not gonna get the next one and the next one and the next one.
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  And your job is just gonna be that much harder.
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  So really great.
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  The best form of marketing is a great and epic keynote or an epic speech.
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  Alright.
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  So, you know, do you have to write a book?
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  I mean, do
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  you have to have some kind of back end sales?
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  Is that really the best way to do it?
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  Or is it just about going in there and getting my little speaker feed rolling out?
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  I mean, I personally I love to pre sell books when somebody calls me and books me to speak,
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  I'm like, oh, how many people are gonna be there?
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  Oh, it's gonna be an audience of a thousand people.
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  What, you know, do you have budget or a sponsor to, like, you know, put one of my books in
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  there and I mean, I've actually even cut my fee if they'll take the books.
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  And the reason why I do that is because it's more valuable to me to have my brand walking
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  out the door with somebody who's in that room.
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  So I've even taken a haircut on fee before to do that, but I was wondering if that's one of
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  the strategies that you, like, kinda teach the people that you work with.
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  Absolutely.
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  It's really up to you when you decide to write the book.
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  It's a little bit of a chicken egg, cart horse, whatever you wanna say, situation.
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  What writing a book helps you do and I'll bet you found this is really lay out your ideas.
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  You know, that ready a buyer formula that I shared with you earlier.
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  When I laid that out for the book, that actually became the foundation for everything
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  we do and here we are 15, 17 years later, we're still using that same formula and we just built
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  an entire school on it.
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  So it's really terrific to lay out your ideas and label them.
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  That's another little technique.
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  You wanna really kind of create language that is your own.
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  So Joe Callaway gave me the pick a lane idea, and I I record I recognize him for that in the
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  book.
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  But my name has become synonymous with people in because the book talks about that so much
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  how important it is.
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  So really labeling your ideas, getting them down on paper, It's great.
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  When I think you really feel the not having a book is when you start to have bigger and
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  bigger audiences is like, oh, I just spoke to five hundred people.
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  I could have done some really good back of room.
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  Or like you said, I love a good presale, Melinda.
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  What you did what your idea and to have a 1000 evangelists taking your book home now and
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  people really wanna take a piece of you with them.
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  So I love that idea.
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  It's really just up to you when you do it.
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  I can have a lot of people who come to me who've already written their book, and now
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  they're ready to launch their speaking script, there's no wrong way to do it, really.
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  Yeah.
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  What I have found now that I've been in business for 20 years believe or not.
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  I need to knock on some wood for that, is that what before I write a new book, I've written 3
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  books now.
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  And what I did before my last fix your business was I actually worked on the keynote speech and
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  gave the keynote speech out a couple of times.
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  Before I wrote the book.
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  So it was almost like I was testing my system in person book by doing the speech.
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  And testing it on audiences and trying to get feedback first.
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  And then I turned it into the book.
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  And so once you become a season speaker, you kinda can do some things like that.
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  But that is almost like you figure out your teach first.
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  Right?
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  You figure out your speech first.
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  And then you turn around and turn that into the book.
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  And, that's what we were able to do, and and it's been really, really successful for me.
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  I love that.
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  And I've had a few people through my podcast say, you know, they would stake their claim in
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  the ground, write a book on that subject, speak on that for 2 or 3 years, and then they would
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  write the next book, save their claim, and go on from there.
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  So it's something that can continue to evolve.
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  I've also done 3 and I gotta tell you, I'm a little hung up on number 4.
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  I'm having a hard I'm getting it off the ground.
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  Takes a little bit of motivation to really get it done.
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  And the first one, I think, was a little bit easier.
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  Maybe.
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  I don't know.
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  Well, you were scared the first time, so that was your motivation.
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  You know, now it's like, oh my god.
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  It's all this work.
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  But, listen, I'm gonna put a pin in us right there.
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  We're gonna go to commercial when we come back I wanna talk a little bit more about speaker
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  revenue models.
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  Are you tired of struggling in your business not thinking of paycheck, dreading dealing with
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  your business in the morning?
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  Are you regretting even starting your business in the first place?
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  Well, I know you're tired, and I also remember what that kind of tire is like.
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  But the good news is it's time to stop feeling that way.
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  Stop I'm Melinda Emerson's small business lady, and my new book to fix your business is a
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  ninety day turnaround plan to get back your life and reduce chaos in your business.
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  I've been in business nearly 20 years and let me teach you how to build a business that works
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  for you.
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  Grab a copy today.
• 14:01
  Jay, obviously, your speaking fee is the is the 1st and most obvious revenue model, but but can
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  you talk to us a little bit about some of the other things that you can weave into your
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  speaking business to generate even more money?
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  Well, there's a lot of different ways to do that.
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  And if you want to go deeper with a client and have long lasting change, you might decide that
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  you wanna expand beyond keynotes to training You might add consulting to the mix.
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  You might add executive coaching into the mix.
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  There are lots of models that people are getting paid to do webinars.
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  They're monetizing their podcasts.
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  They're writing books.
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  They're developing online learning forms and membership sites.
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  I mean, really the list goes on and on and I'm sure your your viewers are probably doing a lot
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  of those things already and maybe they just wanna pull some speaking into the mix.
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  It could be the reverse too.
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  Yeah.
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  What what
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  do you think is the most, like, sort of, like, the hottest one that everybody's jumping on?
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  Is is it podcasting?
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  We actually have a podcast coming out about podcasts on Thanksgiving Day.
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  And I think probably secondary to that might be the online learning platform because courses
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  have just exploded as well.
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  So on courses and in podcasting, you really think seeing that as, like, kind of where a lot
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  of people are going?
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  Yes.
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  I do.
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  What about having your own branded events?
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  Sometimes I see speakers out here now doing intensives or you know, VIP weekends and
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  retreats and that kind of stuff.
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  Where where do you see that kind of falling in terms of of of a revenue model
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  Love it.
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  Okay.
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  Bring them to you.
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  That is a brilliant brilliant idea.
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  So let's say that you speak to you know, women on leadership, you know, claiming their place
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  at the boardroom table.
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  The the reason I love the idea of this is because you can bring them to you and that
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  takes you off the road.
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  You know that the road warrior travel thing can get a little bit weary after a while.
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  And so if you say, okay, well, I'm just gonna find a great venue somewhere by me and then a
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  couple of times a year just hold my own retreat.
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  Brilliant.
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  I love it.
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  I do my own live event once a year.
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  I I can't really manage it beyond once a year, we've decided that that's all we're gonna do
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  because it's just a lot of work to put bums in seats.
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  Yeah.
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  Audience development is is the nightmare of event can eat.
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  So but now I I do wanna ask you, and this is sort of like the last question I wanna ask you.
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  If you are a a season speaker.
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  And, you know, business has kinda slowed down because there's maybe there's some younger
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  prettier models out here.
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  You know, what should you What should you do to sort of like hit the reset button?
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  Well, you know, I all reinvention can get things going because we're always I think a lot
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  of people neglect their client database, people that already know, like, and trust them.
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  So if you kind of do a reinvention and then go back to the well on your existing set of
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  clients.
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  And the other thing that reinvention does is when you decide that you're going to up level
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  your content or move off in just a little side direction on what you've already been doing You
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  get more energized.
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  You know, if you've been giving the same speech or the same type of content for several years,
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  your probably do anyway or you may get bored.
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  You may risk getting bored.
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  And so I would say a good solid content, you know, we throw it all out and then audition it.
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  I think that's Eric Chester's line to see if it makes it back I think when you work on your own
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  stuff that gets you reengaged with it and it's really think about it.
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  It's like the energy that you're putting out into the world.
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  If you're kinda still on board, then that's a great reason to do it.
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  And then you can go back to the well on all of your existing clients.
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  Alright.
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  Well, listen.
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  I really feel great that you told me I'm doing a bunch of stuff.
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  Right?
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  That's good.
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  But but I'm also really excited that you've given us actual, you know, tangible things that
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  we can think about and go and do.
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  So thank you so much, Jay.
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  Jade, what is your favorite podcast?
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  Well, I have been studying Amy Porter Fields Hot Pass for several years now leading up
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  because I'm developing my own school and membership platform, and it has been so
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  helpful.
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  Really love her.
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  I like Amy Porterfield's podcast
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  as well.
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  I just generally like her too.
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  Awesome.
• 18:38
  Awesome.
• 18:38
  Awesome.
• 18:38
  Alright.
• 18:39
  What is your favorite business app?
• 18:41
  What is your favorite business app?
• 18:44
  Oh, probably trip it pro because when I travel, I have sent all of my travel plans over to this
• 18:54
  one email address And then when somebody says, well, where are you going in the next year?
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  I can just pull up my trip and I'll be like, there and there and there and there and every
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  thing is in one place and when your flight gets canceled, it gives you alternate flight options
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  if you get the pro version.
• 19:12
  I like Trevor Pro too.
• 19:13
  I do too.
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  Alright.
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  What is your favorite business book you've ever read?
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  Favorite business book?
• 19:19
  Oh, well, I thought you were gonna ask me what was my most current one.
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  And I'm actually really because, you know, my memory is not very good, but I would have to
• 19:27
  say that I wish I would have read it sooner It's attraction by and I didn't know he was
• 19:34
  Floyd Wickman's son, but Gina Wickman is Floyd Wickman's son, and he was big in a sayer.
• 19:40
  Love it.
• 19:40
  Love it.
• 19:41
  Anyway, listen.
• 19:42
  Thank you so much for being on Smallish ChatBot tonight.
• 19:45
  Thank you all for joining me.
• 19:46
  And please head over to my blog, succeed as your own boss.com.
• 19:50
  You can get more information on tonight's guest.
• 19:53
  And thank you all for watching Smallish chat live.
• 19:56
  It is my honor privilege to be your small business lady, and the goal of small business
• 20:00
  chat is to end small business failure and I will leave you with this.
• 20:04
  You never lose in business.
• 20:06
  Either you win or you learn.
• 20:08
  Good night, everybody.
• 20:09
  See you next time.
• 20:11
  Thank you for listening to the Small Biz Chat podcast with Melinda Emerson.
• 20:16
  For more resources and small business success strategies, visit succeed as your own boss.com.
• 20:23
  Subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and join us next Wednesday.