In the role of a professional speaker, you are in a competitive marketplace of superstars… TV show hosts, famous athletes, celebrity CEO’s, and mega best-selling authors. So how do you stand out with speakers bureaus and meeting planners when you are a non-celebrity speaker? After all, not everyone can land a plane on the Hudson River and become an overnight …

It’s funny how you can be talking to someone, and they seem to understand what you’re saying. They smile and nod, even interject a comment here or there. But are they really getting you? Once the conversation is over, it’s like it never happened. Maybe a few days later the subject comes up again. You hash it out one more …

Speakers and authors have a unique professional challenge unlike those in any other industry. While the demands of the job border on the artistic, the reality is that success is most measurable by the tally on the bottom line. If you’re not making sales, you’re nowhere. The object of the sales game is communication. As a professional communicator, the more …

Building a product funnel is a fundamental item for your speaking and writing business. Yet few efforts are more misunderstood in the information business—from Internet Marketers to Professional Speakers—creating the means to effectively sell products online or offline is largely a mystery. Getting this right can be the difference between having a luncheon featuring beef bourguignon by the green at …

The ancient Romans had a saying that still lives today—Caveat Emptor, or let the buyer beware. Just as in ancient times, there’s a lot for buyers to be nervous about in today’s marketplace. From the world of home ownership to your local pharmacy, so many choices have the potential to yield unfortunate results. Truly, the buyer must beware now as …

Typically, speakers and authors work solo. As a speaker, author or thought leader, your greatest advantage is the fact that there is only one of you. Your career literally capitalizes on your uniqueness and the contents within your head. Lofty? Indeed! This solitary uniqueness, though, can be your greatest weakness because it means you rarely have an extra pair of …

How much do you make for each copy of your book that sells from a retailer? I get this question a lot from the authors I publish. Their eyes are filled with a mix of hope and angst, fueled by their dreams of glamorous independent living – soaking up sun and umbrella drinks in the shade of a palm frond …

If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done—or so the saying goes. As an author/speaker and a business owner, that goes double for me. It’s often tough to strike a balance between finding the message and being the messenger. But finding that balance can be an unexpected gift bestowed at the last minute. I went to …

Imagine yourself on a vast playing field in a sports stadium—a dream from childhood come true. The turf you’re standing on is a rich emerald green under the bright stadium lights. For a brief moment, you’re in awe that you’ve finally made it big as you scan the thousands of faces cheering you on. The stands are filled to capacity—more …

Updated: Aug 21, 2019 When it comes to communicating your ideas, do you sometimes feel like you’re taking a shot in the dark, gambling with your core message? Early in my speaking career, I needed to brainstorm ideas for a keynote speech for an event in Las Vegas. I was asked to address an audience of several hundred CEO’s following …