by Sally Anders
Professional Member
If one of your reasons for joining NSA-WI is to learn to better market yourself as a speaker, and you did not attend our January program featuring Terri Langhans, I hope you were out making money, because missing this program is going to cost you.
Her program, Blah, Blah, Blah: How to Make Your Marketing Stand Out and Get Better Results, was jam packed with solid gold nuggets on how to market ourselves. Many of her ideas cost little or nothing to implement. I can’t share them all here, but I’ll try to hit some of the high points.
Terri defines marketing as anything that helps or hinders your sales. Ramp up what’s working—stop what’s not. Marketing boils down to “remember me when you need me.”
She advises to connect with your prospective clients before you try to convince them to hire you. Find out who they are, what they want. Focus your marketing on your client, not on you.
Terri suggests we use testimonials to overcome objections. What are the reasons you hear why people didn’t want to come to your programs? Use the testimonials that addresses those issues.
Surprisingly, Terri tells us that the fact that we (speakers) all look alike is a good thing, if you know how to use that likeness to your advantage. When we all look alike, little differences become more important because our clients are now looking for how we are different from the pack. That means, we don’t have to be wildly creative and come up with dazzling differences! We just have to be a little bit different—and that difference has to matter to our clients.
On that same note, ask yourself what your competition is unwilling to do to market themselves. Is it something you would be willing to do to get more bookings? For example, are you using your personality to market yourself? You should be. That is one important way we can be different from our competition. And personality is hard for others to copy. So, again, it sets you apart.
Get a little intrigue and emotion into your marketing. Invite people to focus on your ad for a while to try to figure out what it is about. The longer you can hold their attention, the better chance you have of them connecting with your message. If you can make them feel an emotion with your intrigue, or when you do the “reveal,” all the better. Both will make your message more memorable.
Terri taught us how to evaluate the effectiveness of the ads that we see. What’s working and what is not. In doing that, we learn from some of the best marketing people in the business how to create better ads for our own messages.
Two of the areas where most (including speakers) fall down on their marketing is in tracking and follow up. You want to track prospective clients until they are ready to buy. Some of us try to do that with ezines, blogs and mailings. But, many of us are not consistent. Terri calls this RAM—Random Acts of Marketing. Not a good long-term plan for success.
The bottom line—you missed a good one. Most of us are strong speakers, but if we don’t make a good, consistent, thoughtful, client-focused marketing effort, whose going to know?
Visit http://www.blahblahblah.us to learn more about Terri.
Professional Member
Her program, Blah, Blah, Blah: How to Make Your Marketing Stand Out and Get Better Results, was jam packed with solid gold nuggets on how to market ourselves. Many of her ideas cost little or nothing to implement. I can’t share them all here, but I’ll try to hit some of the high points.
Terri defines marketing as anything that helps or hinders your sales. Ramp up what’s working—stop what’s not. Marketing boils down to “remember me when you need me.”
She advises to connect with your prospective clients before you try to convince them to hire you. Find out who they are, what they want. Focus your marketing on your client, not on you.
Terri suggests we use testimonials to overcome objections. What are the reasons you hear why people didn’t want to come to your programs? Use the testimonials that addresses those issues.
Surprisingly, Terri tells us that the fact that we (speakers) all look alike is a good thing, if you know how to use that likeness to your advantage. When we all look alike, little differences become more important because our clients are now looking for how we are different from the pack. That means, we don’t have to be wildly creative and come up with dazzling differences! We just have to be a little bit different—and that difference has to matter to our clients.
On that same note, ask yourself what your competition is unwilling to do to market themselves. Is it something you would be willing to do to get more bookings? For example, are you using your personality to market yourself? You should be. That is one important way we can be different from our competition. And personality is hard for others to copy. So, again, it sets you apart.
Get a little intrigue and emotion into your marketing. Invite people to focus on your ad for a while to try to figure out what it is about. The longer you can hold their attention, the better chance you have of them connecting with your message. If you can make them feel an emotion with your intrigue, or when you do the “reveal,” all the better. Both will make your message more memorable.
Terri taught us how to evaluate the effectiveness of the ads that we see. What’s working and what is not. In doing that, we learn from some of the best marketing people in the business how to create better ads for our own messages.
Two of the areas where most (including speakers) fall down on their marketing is in tracking and follow up. You want to track prospective clients until they are ready to buy. Some of us try to do that with ezines, blogs and mailings. But, many of us are not consistent. Terri calls this RAM—Random Acts of Marketing. Not a good long-term plan for success.
The bottom line—you missed a good one. Most of us are strong speakers, but if we don’t make a good, consistent, thoughtful, client-focused marketing effort, whose going to know?
Visit http://www.blahblahblah.us to learn more about Terri.
Professional member 
Sandi Knudson passed away unexpectedly the day after Thanksgiving at her brother's home. She was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the NSA. Sandi was a caring, loving person, and a friend to everybody. (In lieu of flowers please mail a donation to Crivitz Youth Inc., P.O. Box 188, Crivitz, WI 54114. Sandi would have appreciated that.)
The Good Parenting Seal from Parental Wisdom, a patented parenting website that recognizes parents as the real experts in knowing their children best, recognized and awarded the seal to the book, Big Slick Daddy: Poker Strategies for Parenting Success by NSA-WI President 
In an effort to reach men about the important topic of fatherhood, Mark capitalized on poker’s immense popularity by using the language and strategies of poker and relating them to parenting. The book helps fathers build strong, healthy relationships with their kids by providing practical, hands-on information that is easy to read and easy to use. Even men and women alike who do not play poker find the book engaging and easy to read.
The NSA Convention was held in New York City this year and it definitely lived up to the hype. Eric Chester and his team transformed the "convention" into a "concert." The minute the doors opened on the first General Session, attendees knew they were in for a unique experience. Rock music blasted through the speakers and people were dressed in classic concert attire.
The ushers (see Wisconsin's own 
Entitled "What the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Knows That You Don't: How to Develop a Purposeful Product Philosophy," Chris discussed the fact that your audience wants to take the experience you created home with them, not just a product, and she outlined how to do just that. Meanwhile, Mike was featured "Live in Concert: With The Young Guns," a showcase of six top speakers under 40 delivering 10 minutes of their best stuff. Mike's bold performance definitely rocked.
One of the great highlights of the entire convention was the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame/Cavett Awards Banquet, in which NSA-WI member 
Patty Hendrickson is an expert in leadership development for the whole person – personally and professionally. Patty is a Certified Speaking Professional – the highest earned designation of the National Speakers Association. She works with organizations that want to grow leaders and with people who want more out of life. Patty shares programs with both students and professionals and is the author of the inspirational book, now in its fourth printing, called Who I Am Depends on Me!
Jim Morrison has been a professional speaker since 1983 and also has over 30 years of corporate experience, 20 in management positions. He uses humor, stories and music to deliver messages that focus on solutions to organizational and personal problems. The focus is on Leadership and related topics including Public Speaking skills and Communications. Jim is a Licensed Real Estate Broker, a Registered Lobbyist, and a member of a classic rock band.
Sadly, the board is also saying goodbye to Sally Anders. Sally has tirelessly served the board for many, many years, including an outstanding term as chapter president. She has a big spot in her heart for NSA-WI, and our chapter is better off because of her involvement over the years.
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