Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
Connections, the show where relationships become
revenue and connections fuel results. I'm your
host, Michael Forman, and today we're diving
into the business side of speaking, how experts
can turn their voice into a consistent income
source. My guest is the author of book, banked
and in demand and breaking and break the booking
ceiling. And she helped subject matter experts
create their own stage revenue stream and speaking
empire. We'll explore how networking is the secret
ingredient to booking more engagements building.
I'm sorry. building more engagements, building
visibility that converts, and creating a sustainable
business around your expertise. If you ever wanted
to leverage your knowledge, expand your influence,
and make speaking a real business, not just a
side hustle, this episode is for you. I'd like
to welcome today, and I'm sorry, and Tony Rose.
And if I'm mispronouncing that first name, I'm
terribly sorry, but I'd like to bring you on
to the podcast. Give us a little bit about your
background and just welcome to the podcast. Thank
you for having me, Michael. That was a beautiful
introduction. It's Antonia Rose and it's a mouthful.
So no worries on that at all. I'm happy to be
here. I love your podcasts and networking unleashed
building profitable connections. I think communication
is key in business and in life in general. So
I'm happy to dive right in. Perfect. Perfect.
So I came up with 10 questions, which we're going
to go back and forth with, but we'll see where
it goes. So first one, you say speaking should
be a business model, not just a side hustle.
What's the single biggest mindset shift someone
must make to treat it that way? Really excellent
question. This is key, right? Many of the clients
that I work with are high achievers, high performers
in some area. Maybe they've devoted their careers
to being a CEO, a doctor, even have an attorney,
whatever it might be. And they come to a place
where they've spoken. quite a bit in the line
of their profession. And now they want to just
pass the torch on the day to day and step more
into the speaking side of their business model
and their revenue model. I think the biggest
misconception I know the biggest misconception
is they can Get an agent, get on a few bureaus
and they're fabulous and they've got some really
important content. So it's just going to work
for them and it's not yet. It's parallel to really
great college football player wanting to make
the NFL or somebody who has. with the star in
their high school or community theater and they
want to make it big in Hollywood, right? There's
beautiful talent out there who may never actually
make it to those higher echelons of those types
of careers. And it's really similar with speakers.
So when you come in just thinking, I'm going
to have somebody else throw me some opportunities
and it's all going to come together and snowball
from there, that is you're in for disappointment.
if you go in seeing the long run, right, because
there's a ramp to any business that you build,
knowing that there's going to be some groundwork
that has to be laid, and there's going to have
to be some promotion that has to happen for you
to catch on. And then you're off to the races,
right? So when you treat speaking and corporate
training, something you and I were speaking about
just before going on air, as a business is going
to work for you. But you can't just, let's liken
it to say, you want a corner street gas station,
right? You can't just say, I want a gas station,
but I want somebody else to build it for me.
and me reap all the benefits. There's some work
and some investment of your time, resources,
and energy that needs to go in upfront. However,
in the speaking and corporate training industry,
when a speaker makes it, it's a six, seven, sometimes
eight figure career. So if they can see the bigger
picture, and be willing to put out that effort,
then it's going to happen for them. If they think
that they're just going to join some bureaus
and grab an agent, that's all part of the ecosystem,
but that's just a small part of that whole equation.
So that's what I mean by that. That's perfect.
That's a perfect analogy. I've only been speaking
full time for about three years, and I work from
eight in the morning to about five in the evening.
And I prospect for a full hour and a half to
two hours every day. And I've owned my own businesses.
I've owned pizzerias, restaurants, the whole
thing. And I'm not quite sure which one takes
up more time. Okay. So I was sure less than that
pizza. Listen, we had New York pizza, my brothers
and I own the pizzeria. And there was better
pizza. I'm telling you, I'm down in Georgia now.
and they don't hold the candle. I know. My mom's
from Brooklyn and they knew pizza. Yep. Absolutely.
Absolutely. Okay. So walk us through the first
three revenue streams an expert should build
when turning speaking into a business and which
one should they prioritize and why? A beautiful
question. And a very relevant and important question.
So yes, those fabulous keynote checks, right?
And they're a little bit romanticized. Ooh, they
got a $15 ,000 check for an hour talk. How incredible.
That hour talk took many hours. Number one, to
get the gig. and then to work out all the negotiation
details and then the pre and post details, right?
So many hours right there. Of course, many hours
preparing for the talk itself and then travel
and all the things. So there's a whole lot more
to it. Then... You got $15 ,000 for an hour of
your time. Side note really quick before I go
on from there, no one ever pays you for an hour
of your time. They're paying for the decades
that brought you to those unique solutions and
point of views that you can offer that might
spark some strategies within those who are there,
right? And troubleshoot some problems for an
organization or a person sitting in the audience.
one new idea can completely change the whole
course, the trajectory of either their life or
their career. That's what these organizers and
event planners, that's what they're looking for.
That's what they're paying for. They're not paying
for your hour. So that's another kind of misnomer
that speakers step into. Wow, this is a really
great career because I get paid $15 ,000 an hour.
There's a whole lot more that goes into that
ecosystem. Speaking of that ecosystem, the most
successful speakers and corporate trainers don't
only go for that keynote check. And this actually
answers your first question and your second question.
Because if you're only after that keynote check,
great, you'll get there, but you're leaving a
whole lot of not only income, but also impact
on the table. So a couple of other things that
I like to see. Every different speaker creates
their own ecosystem. It really needs to be in
alignment with them, their archetype, who they
are, what they bring to the table. Number two,
who it is that they're going to be creating these
solutions for, their avatar. We all heard of
that. But then also, it needs to be in alignment
with their non -negotiables, the kind of lifestyle
that they want to build for themselves. All of
these pieces need to go together, right? So that
said, it's going to be different for each speaker
what those other revenue streams are. But here
are some examples, some very common and strong
examples. Number one, consulting packages. Obviously,
you go into an organization and you bring forth
some ideas, some possibilities, some solutions
to whatever problem that they're facing. Maybe
it's retention, maybe it's team communication,
breakdowns in SOPs or flows, whatever it might
be. You bring those solutions, but in a talk,
you can really only present possibilities. You
really can't roll up your sleeves and get much
done in one sitting. So you can say, I'm $15
,000 for a talk, or you can work with me in a
set of three sessions with your leadership teams
after the talk for X many dollars. That is super
powerful because once they hear your solutions,
see the possibilities, then yeah, they want to
sit down at the table with you and say, okay,
now how do we put this into action? How do we
implement this? So that is an obvious way to
package your fee sheet. The other thing that
let's say you do happen to be a speaker or a
corporate trainer that cannot afford the on -ramp
and the on -ramp for prosperous speaking career
is about a year to 18 months, sometimes shorter,
sometimes longer, depending on a lot of factors.
But if you go into it seeing there's going to
be an on ramp, but then once you put that pedal
to the metal, as long as you never take your
foot off the gas, then you'll never have to re
enter that on ramp again, because you're reaping
the fruits now of the labors that were happened
six months ago or a year ago. So it's always
a kind of forward. forward -moving momentum.
But let's say you don't have that six months
a year or 18 months. You need to earn money right
now as you're on the on -ramp. Some of the things
that I love to see speakers and corporate trainers
do is to create something that you've done very
well, digital courses. You can author a book.
I wouldn't think I wouldn't I would Caution putting
energy there until you are financially stable
and you're not hurting for money because it's
not going. It's a definite door opener. It's
an authority booster. It's not really a revenue
maker direct revenue maker. It can help you open
doors to other revenue opportunities Just caution
a lot of people think I'm gonna write a book
and then I'll hire you to get me on the stages
It's backwards one of the there's two ways for
immediate income for speakers Number one is some
sort of product or service that they can be offering
in the meanwhile, right? A digital course, workshops,
live workshops, create your own events, there's
those kinds of things, but also you can create
a proposal for sponsors to sponsor you to go
and speak at unpaid events or unpaid opportunities
and you don't have to overtly promote a product
or service, but you're basically representing
another company that kind of aligns with your
theme, who you are, what you're about, obviously
a product or service that you believe has integrity
and that you believe in. And I have seen quite
a few speakers, even established speakers, but
definitely emerging speakers utilize some sponsorships
to get those opportunities that are otherwise
unpaid. paid as they're building their careers.
So there's all kinds of ways that you can go
about it. Of course, that would be me rolling
up my sleeves with you and figuring out what
that perfect formula is for you. But there's
certainly ways out there where there's a will,
there's a way. Very good. Very good. That should
give a lot of people, many speakers, different
ways to think about their revenue stream. while
they're building their speaking business. And
then some I've authored a book. I have eight
digital courses. I have all that going. I created
a networking group per se that meets every week.
So all these little things, but I've even thought
of. Thank you for that. And you did mention my
book, book banked and in demand. And I just wanted
to give a little caveat there because it's perfect
to what we're talking about right now. It has
been put on the side. So I'm in the midst of
writing it, and I've been writing it for about
three years. I love it. It's actually so close
to being done. But any time bigger projects come
along, it's the first thing to be put to the
side. It's a passion project. I absolutely love
it for the people who, for whatever reason, can't
hire me. They're not a good fit, so they're not
accepted into the agency, or there is an upfront
investment to work with me on an active level,
so maybe they don't want to make the investment.
I still want them to have what they need to really
get themselves on that on -ramp, moving in the
right direction, so they don't circle the mountain
and waste a lot of years. not really getting
to those milestones that they want to get to.
So it's in the works, but I just wanted to clarify,
it's not published yet. OK, OK. That was my read
that wrong because I thought it was already published.
But that's a book that I think we're all waiting
for. So we'll see. All right. OK, break the booking
ceiling. What are the top three mistakes experts
make that keep them from getting paid stages?
and how do they fix it? There's two things that
come to mind immediately. The first is obvious,
and you alluded to it earlier. I commend you.
You are one of the very few speakers who are
consistent in scheduling in that daily outreach.
And that just has to happen. In our ecosystem,
we know the numbers. So it takes a lot more than
you think. I'm not talking about you, but than
the average speaker out there. believes, right?
I'm going to put out 10 pitches a month, maybe
50 pitches a month, and that's going to generate
me some paid speaking opportunities. No, it takes
hundreds every single month. And on top of it,
that mounts because you've got the hundreds that
you reached out to, let's say in July, and then
you need to follow up with them. in August while
you're reaching out to that whole new set of
opportunities in August. So it just mounts that
way. They underestimate how much it really takes
to get that engine fueled and running for them
to get that income certainty. As a speaker or
corporate trainer, it's well worth it because
it the rewards are very big but if you want those
consistent three to five engagements booked on
your calendar that you can count on month after
month unless you're taking December off but you
still don't let your foot off the gas in December
because you're going to feel it in the spring
if you do. You've got somebody working in the
background for you still doing that outreach.
Day after day, it is rote and it's a lot of work.
As I know, the average speaker can't do it on
their own. That's where we step in. We make sure
that gets done for them. We manage the whole
process for them so that they can be a speaker,
a corporate trainer. They can be an author, right?
Be the thing that is more in their lane without
compromising that level of... constant consistent
outreach. That's what it takes. It takes hundreds
of touch points every single month to ensure
that in time, you're going to have that income
certainty in that booked out calendar on a regular
basis. So that's number one. Oh, my goodness.
Repeat the last part of your question. Okay,
the three mistakes experts make when what are
the top three mistakes? Okay. Sorry, thank you.
The other mistake is they think that. Displaying
their fabulousness is going to get them a gig.
Maybe they were a CEO or an executive. Let's
not see you. Let's say they were an executive
of Fortune 50. Let's say it's an executive of
Microsoft or Google and they have spent 30 years
with the company that obviously got a lot of
leadership. Material. to share and impart with
other corporations. That's highly valuable, right?
But when you lead with I'm fabulous, you are
not speaking to what the organizer needs to decide
to book you. So you speak to the problem and
the solution, the outcome, the ultimate outcome,
you lead with outcome, and then you back it up
with credential. Many speakers go out there and
they basically are giving their resumes like
applying for a job, right? They're giving their
resume everywhere. That's not it. You do your
research on the company and the opportunity.
Let's say it's a company that has an annual C
-suite retreat that they take their top leaders
to. You do as much research as you're able to
on that particular retreat. Who spoke at it?
the in previous years who was hired to speak
and though there's easy ways to figure that out
a little bit of a insider insights there but
there are ways to figure that out and it really
gives you an idea of what they like to accomplish
during those retreats and then when you create
that program proposal or just that introduction
to begin with it's all about meeting the need
And then backing it up, of course, with credential
and clout and social proof and testimonials and
all of those things. But those come after once
they realize you can come and be an answer to
a problem that they have, then you're worth it.
Because one shift that you make for an organization
or an event planner can save them untold. millions.
Well, I'm speaking specifically to organizations.
You bring in a fresh idea or a fresh solution
to this ongoing problem that they've been facing,
it can save them untold millions and headaches,
even when it comes to retention. There's studies
out there that say how much just replacing one
key employee can cost an organization in terms,
not only in terms of money, but in interruption
in the flow of the whole process. So they know
that. They just need to know you are a sure bet
for an answer to a problem that they're facing.
And then that $15 ,000 is peanuts to them. If
you go in on fabulous, then yeah. prove to me
why I want to give you $15 ,000, $20 ,000, $25
,000, whatever it might be, because then you're,
you're proving your worth in a whole different
way versus showing them that there are other
ways to approach this problem of absenteeism
of, I've been using the example of retention
or of lack of internal communication streams,
those kinds of things. Those are big problems
within major organizations. So as long as they
can see you are a sure bet to an answer to something
that they are struggling with, the problem that
they're facing, then you throw yourself away
on top of that big stack of other people vying
for that particular opportunity. That's great.
That's great advice. You're saying that really
when you're a speaker or doing a workshop or
anything else like that, it's not just answering
an email. You have to do research. You do research
into the company, you do research into the retreat,
if that's what the workshop is, and you have
to work. So it may take you a little bit before
you answer that email, but there's a whole lot
more work that goes into it. That's what I have
found, but it's much more enjoyable for the speaker
to go in there and knowing that they have an
answer to their problem. Because if they really
like you that much and you brought an answer
to their problem, you know what? They'll invite
you back. I have one more if you'd like one more.
Sure. Absolutely. First, I'd like to speak to
what you said. You're spot on, Michael, for sure.
I also have a podcast. It's ranked in the top
10 % and what there's 5 .5 million podcasts worldwide.
So I'm super proud of that, but not necessarily
because I'm so fabulous. It's more because it's
only about a year and eight months old and We
didn't try to grow to those ranks. We were just
speaking to the problems within the speaking
industry. And that's what attracted the people.
So that's what excites me the most, right? It
proves my, my motive operation. So that's been
a lot of fun. It's speak packed, speak packed
.com later. I'm sure we'll talk about it, but
it's specifically for speakers and corporate
trainers. And for me to have that kind of show,
I have to understand. my audience my speakers
and corporate trainers in order to track them
at all and before coming on your podcast I Made
sure to listen to some of your episodes by the
way. I really like the AI one We could talk about
that later. That was the reason the AI one was
very good, but networking unleashed, building
profitable connections. If I were to just show
up and just then it would be all about me. I'd
never looked at your podcast. I never listened
to it. I never did any homework on you or the
show prior to even accepting this opportunity.
Thank you for the invitation. Number one, it's
highly rude, but also it's highly unprofessional.
How many more speakers show up to an actual speaking
opportunity paid or in every speaking opportunity
is paid. We'll talk about that here in a moment.
It's just what's it paid? What is the payment?
We can talk about that, but I just show up because
I'm fabulous and I give my talk, but with no
interaction with the audience before. Maybe even
during or after I just give my spiel and I get
off that is not very effective. It's not very
memorable and Organizers don't really appreciate
it. So do your homework it whether it's on a
podcast Do your homework right when somebody
shows up to my show and they've never even listened
to a podcast Sometimes I just shut down the whole
thing because it just isn't If they don't understand
me and my show and my audience, then to me that
just shows a real lack of professionalism. So
that's really your job as a speaker to know your
business, to know your audiences, and every audience
is different. The third mistake that I'll share
and then we can move on is those speakers who
quote unquote won't speak for free. They're looking
at it wrong. And I get it. We've all done those
free talks and they can get really tiring. But
if you are strategic and you see the bigger picture
and you're looking at it, there are no free engagements.
You may not get that keynote check, but there
are so many. There's so much other value in a
given speaking opportunity if. It is, you do
your homework and it's filled with right fit
people, decision makers, or people who you can
shake hands with, open doors to other opportunities
for both sides, for them and for you, right?
That is invaluable. Generally your next best
engagement comes from your last best engagement.
So you're really hurting yourself if you say,
I'm not going to speak to associations or I'm
not going to speak to local business groups because
they're not paying me. That's very short -sighted.
If you go, number one, there are ways to monetize
it. Then that's a whole talk in itself. But the
keynote check is one portion of a payment that
you get for any engagement, paid by host or not.
So really rethink what are those key relationships
within the industry that I need to build? How
do I keep myself top of mind? So I'm the obvious
choice when the opportunity arises, because timing
is everything. Positioning is everything. So
positioning, visibility, timing, that can only
happen when you're getting yourself out there
virtually or in person, staying top of mind.
So that's really another big mistake that I'm
just going to hold out for that 15, 20, $25 ,000
keynote and nothing less will do. Kind of missing.
You're missing the bigger picture. Yep. You're
missing a whole lot because as you're talking,
I'm thinking about what I've gone through and
all of my free speaking engagements. This month,
October, it's almost October, I have a speaking
engagement with a local business association
that obviously it's free, but I don't think about
that. I think about A, who I'm talking to, but
their network of people, of the people that are
there. So not just talking to them, I'm talking
to their networks. And the last keynote, It was
a workshop last workshop that I did. I got there.
Listen, I'm a firm believer in getting there
early. If you're early or on time, if you're
on time, you're late. Amen. That's the way that
that's the way that I grew up the military in
me. Right. But before my sessions began, I went
to the back of the room and I was talking with
everybody, speaking with people. So when I got
up on stage and went, oh, he's the speaker and
I made. something to say that Jack in the back
of the room, he had this problem. And let me
tell you, everybody has that problem. And I went
on further. And so that brought the back of the
room up front. And it's just the way they look
at it. Yeah, I find that more enjoyable. Listen,
I love speaking. I have a passion for speaking.
When I get out in front of everybody, that's
my play time because I love it so much. Okay,
so how do you decide whether to chase visibility,
more eyes, versus viability, actual income? Give
me a real metric or rule that you use. So I see
it a little bit differently. I don't see it as
chasing visibility or viability. I see it as
being visible and viable, right? So as long as
you're visible, you're viable. You can be the
best thing, the best absolute speaker or trainer
for an opportunity. But if you're not findable
and you're not positioned right, then you're
not viable, right? So they go hand in hand and
it's part of the job. But there's always going
to be part of every career that may not be the
immediate income earner, but it is what makes
you viable. Visibility makes you viable. So get
yourself out there in all the right places, not
indiscriminately. Really hone in on who you can
help most, who you love helping. And that's the
first order of business when we get a new client.
It's three intensive sessions of hammering all
of that out because we don't want to build an
empire for you that you're going to resent once
you actually Achieve that success. We want to
build the empire. You actually want to live in
long term so you can only know that by Seeing
all of those pieces of the puzzle and then once
you do Then you are willing to do that outer
bank I guess we can call it part of what gets
you the core of what you're actually after and
positioning and visibility are They go they go
along with the job There's no way to be a sought
after speaker or corporate trainer without it.
You need to be putting out content, free content
on a regular basis, whether it's through getting
on other people's podcasts, showing up at your
local business, regional business meetings, creating
social posts in the right settings, the right
groups, LinkedIn, if you're not on LinkedIn and
you're a speaker or corporate trainer, why aren't
you on LinkedIn? There's just... It's one in
the same. Visibility positioning equals viability.
It's so true. I write articles for an online
magazine. It's called speakeredge .io. And on
there, I write about three articles a week. And
I do that just for name recognition. And it was
true because last month, a person from Las Vegas
was talking to this person in California. And
he asked me, who is Michael Foreman? Because
his name is all over the place. And so it was
really so that's it. So it's working. So I'm
writing those articles for name recognition.
You bring up a really good, really very vital
point. And that is, Michael, that somebody's
job is actually on the line to choose you. over
the next guy. Their job is at jeopardy. So the
more Googleable you are, the more featured you
are by other people, other people took a risk
on you, then that puts that organizer at ease
and it will bump you in positioning for that
particular speaking opportunity. So you're doing
it right. Michael, you should fill up at least
three pages if somebody Googles your name because
they're going to take your your speaker assets,
write your press kit, all the beautiful things.
Great. They have those are going to set it aside.
And what are they going to do? They're going
to Google your name. And if you're out there,
face after face, you've been on podcasts, you
have magazine articles out there, all the things
that it that really puts them at ease. You've
got some maybe media spots, ABC, NBC, whatever
Fox News had you on and featured you. then they
took a risk on you. Nobody likes to be the first.
So if they Google your name and you might have
two pop -ups and it's your own website, then
that's going to be a little bit more unsettling
for that organizer. It's just the way of human
nature. By the way, yes, have a LinkedIn profile,
but going back to what you said about that newsletter,
there's also ways to create your own. LinkedIn
has an incredible free feature for anybody. You
don't even have to have the paid version of LinkedIn
to do this. And that is to create a LinkedIn
newsletter. And every single new connection that
you get, they send out an invitation to your
newsletter. We have, as a matter of fact, Michael,
I might like for you to be a guest author for
an article, but we have Keynoters High Impact
Edge. I can't tell you how much feedback Get
from that and when we're late, which isn't very
often we hear it So, you know that there are
people really waiting for that content. That
is one more layer of keeping you searchable findable
and top of mind and also really Showcasing your
point of view and the solutions that you bring
and the way that you bring it your delivery style
all of those things Okay, if you go to SpeakerEdge
.io and read some of my articles, I'd love to
know what you think. Okay, and you go to Keynoters
High Impact Edge and LinkedIn, and I'm definitely
going to go to SpeakerEdge .io. Yeah. Good. Good.
We'll do that and we'll report back. Okay, sounds
good. Sounds good. Okay, tell us about a time
you've heard a single speaking gig into multiple
consistent income streams and What was your exact
playbook? Okay, say that say the question one
more time Well, it's about a time you turned
a single speaking gig into multiple consistent
income streams Okay, I have an example of not
this summer, but last summer. Was it last summer
or the summer before? Time blends together so
fast. Anyhow, I was a speaker at an engagement.
Now, my home base is in Texas. So I flew to Florida
to a very, extremely expensive hotel. And it
was like $45 a day just to park there. Got a
room at the hotel and... So I only did, it was
an unpaid by host talk, but the only reason,
there were two reasons why I accepted it. Number
one, I never book my speakers for events that
I'm not familiar with. So I wasn't familiar with
this one. It was fairly new. However, it looked
like all the pieces were there. So I was interested
enough to go and I thought if I'm gonna be there,
why not speak as well? So that was one reason.
The other reason was the organizer said that
they had expected 8 ,500 people to be in the
audience. When I spoke to the organizer a month
out, she told me that they had sold 6 ,500 tickets.
So I'm like, great. I knew there was going to
be multiple stages at all times, but I expected
about maybe 1 ,000, maybe 1 ,200 people in my
audience, which that to me, that's a six. That's
a six figure event for me even not getting paycheck
from the. host and the way that I do it. So I
accepted, I went there, they gave me a certain
number of tickets to give away. So of course
I gave them away to my speakers. Three of my
speakers took me up on it. They also went to
the very expensive hotel, right? To enjoy this
opportunity, see me speak, all the things. We
get there and it's just so beautifully done.
They've got the archways, all the banners. They've
taken up a good portion of this pretty big the
whole like two or three floors of this big hotel,
and there's breakout rooms, everything is done
impeccably. And I come from the producer space,
I used to produce large scale events, there was
a whole vendor hall with tons of vendors. The
problem was, I was, all of us were just seeing
speaker vendor sponsor lanyards. We weren't seeing
any attendee lanyards. And it was pretty thin.
Like, where's the people? We were here. Where
are those 6 ,500, 8 ,500 people? Pretty quickly
in, we realized that we were duped. And I don't
think that the organizers meant to dupe us. They
just made a critical mistake, which a seasoned
producer like me would know, but they didn't
for whatever reason. What they had done is, yes,
they sold the $6 ,500 tickets. 6 ,500 tickets,
but they sold them in groupings to corporations
and organizations who then handed out the tickets
to their employees who never even asked to go
to this event. They weren't going to lose work
and get on an airplane and fly to this very expensive
hotel to go to an event they never even asked
to go to. So it was a little bit deceptive there.
I have never, Michael, ever in my 30 years in
the industry seen vendor floor an exhibit floor
revolt there was screaming there was throwing
of things these people flew from in from all
over the world with boxes and boxes of their
wares believing that it was going to be a pretty
substantial event and Anyway, there was a lawsuit
after all the things. But I decided instead of
going down that route, I was just going to make
the best of it. There were some really fabulous
speakers. Of course, I wanted to shake hands
with. Really long story short, when I got up
on my stage, which I expected to have hundreds,
if not 1200 people in my audience, I had 10,
three of which were my own speakers. So I really
only had seven. But because of the way that I
do things, it was a $33 ,000 event for me. It
was still a disappointment because I expected
a lot more than that. But not only that, the
relationships I made, I still have. And the networking
that I was able to do during that time has paid
off in some significant other ways. So it's all
about attitude. It's all about that whole ecosystem,
that diversity that we talked about coming into
this interview. In contrast, there were other
speakers who were just so upset. They just wanted
to get through their talk and leave. One good
example of that was this brilliant doctor who
gave this brilliant talk. All of my speakers
actually went to this talk. I wanted to be there,
but they had me emceeing as well, so I didn't
get to go to this particular one. But something
they shared with me at the end of it was this
woman was so visibly upset that she had four
people in her audience, three people of which
were my speakers, that she just wanted to get
through it and get out of there. She was really
good. And the other person who was in the room
was, how do we get a hold of you? How can we
go in next step with you? And she said, there's
my Instagram or whatever it was. that could have
been a client, one new client from an opportunity,
the lifetime value of that one client, who they
refer to you, what they, the next levels they
may go with you can really equate to $100 ,000,
just depending on who you are and what you offer.
So to me, she spited herself because the event
wasn't exactly as she had hoped, and most events
won't be. There's going to be some things. You're
not going to have the microphone you thought
you're going to have. There's going to be some
things. I think that flexibility and making lemonade
out of lemons is an art and a gift if you are
a speaker with that kind of attitude. Absolutely.
So many things came through my mind as you're
telling me that story. And one to mine was when
I got there early and half the staff didn't show
up. And I was there helping them clean up, set
the tables, set the chairs. You don't have to
do this. You're a speaker. I said, yep, I'm doing
whatever I can to make it easier on you. And
they were so thankful, so thankful. Yes, love
it, love it. I think I miscalculated my time
today. Michael, I do have a hard stop in about
three minutes. Okay, so let me just ask you the
last question. We're going to bring this full
circle. For experts who are stretched thin, what's
the one automation or outsource you'd implement
first to free up time and grow revenue? Okay,
that's it, right? That's the foundation of everything
that grind that daily grind Make sure you've
got all your business systems in place. That
means you have to have a real CRM You have to
have automations in place not that I encourage
you automate outreach. You can never audience
automate Never effectively automate unless you
happen to be a celebrity and just throwing your
name out there, but the Most of us cannot automate
relationships effectively, so that needs to be
hand -touched, but you can automate the nurture
sequences, the follow -ups later to stay top
-of -mind. You need to have your pipelines and
just all of those business systems. Make sure
you have those in place. You should have an assistant.
If you're serious, you have an assistant, right?
If you don't want to deal with any of that, contact
me. And that's what we do. And we will do that
with and for you. You need to be freed up to
be that. influencer, that thought leader. If
you're down here in the mire of the grind and
that's what it takes running that machine, you
want to be driving the machine, you don't want
to be the machine. And number one, that's a big
mistake that holds a lot of speakers back. is
to either underestimate the importance of the
machine or trying to run it themselves because
it's just not sustainable long term. Sometimes
we've got to do that when we're first starting
out, burn the candle at both ends, but do it
in a way that you're working yourself out of
that job so that you can bring on a team like
me, like my organization WPC Speakers Global,
to be able to link arms with you and do that
right alongside with you. Antonio, I want to
tell you this was fantastic. I could talk to
you for another two hours about follow -up, about
networking, about everything else. What is the
best way for somebody to get hold of you if they
want to be coached, they want your services,
whatever they want? What's the best way they
can get hold of you? Thank you for that, Michael.
So if you'd like to be interviewed by me to see
if you're a good fit for my roster, there's no
cost. Michael, I got to interview you, which
I loved. I loved learning more about you. You
can just go to speakerbooker .com and make an
appointment. You do have to apply for an appointment,
but if it seems like you're... You're a good
fit for our agency. I will certainly meet with
you and we can talk further. Other than that,
be sure to find me on LinkedIn. Look up Keynoters
High Impact Edge and read my newsletter and go
to Speak Packed, Speak and then Packed as if,
as in we're all on this journey to impact with
the power of our voice. speakpact .com or just
look us up on any major podcast platform and
follow us. I think I really appreciate that you
follow our podcast, Michael, and you shared with
me that you have really gleaned some insights
that are just those deep kind of insider insights
that you only get from those who have already
gone before you and have done the journey ahead
of you. I love your podcast. I just, I listen
to them very carefully and I get so much information
from it. You have no idea. But anyway, thank
you very much for coming on the podcast and I
hope to speak with you soon. Thank you, Michael.
It was a pleasure. Lots of fun. Well, hold on
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of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing
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