I’m often asked what made Bill Gove, the father of professional speaking, so successful as a keynote speaker and coach of more million dollar speakers than anyone in history. After spending five years on the road with Bill, I think I know the answer. Listen to this post and copy the habits of the great Bill Gove.
Steve Siebold (4 minutes)
The average best-selling author spends 12-24 months writing their books, yet there’s a bunch of people promising new speakers they can do it in 30 days. These are the same people claiming the speaking business is easy and you can throw a speech together overnight and you don’t even have to be a good speaker to deliver it. I heard these same lies when I got started in the business in 1996, and thank God I met Bill Gove. Bill Gove was from the old school. You know, the guys who believed a hand shake was as good as a contract and your word was your bond? Bill set me straight and told me the truth. Because he was honest with me, I had the chance at fulfilling my dream as a speaker. He warned me about listening to people selling a product or program on the premise that the business was easy. Any successful speaker who’s honest will tell you how tough this business is. It’s doable and it’s worth it, but you will pay a price for your success. (like any other business) Listen this post (9 minutes) and make your decison about writing a book on the FACTS…instead of listening to people who stand to profit from ignorance. If I sound angry in this post, it’s because I am. This is the greatest industry in the world and it’s being tainted by profiteers selling snake oil who could care less if you succeed or not. (Think George Washington Duke in Rocky 5) It’s a small group of people, but they’re growing because no one seems to have the guts to call them out. I’ll look forward to your conments. Steve Siebold (9 minutes)
Seems like a pretty easy question to answer, but speakers have different beliefs about this. We get this question at every session of the Bill Gove Speech Workshop, and we give the workshop philosophy to the participants. Bill Gove, the father of professional speaking, felt very strongly about this. Listen to this 2-minute audio post and let us know what you think.
I interviewed a senior executive last weekend in Atlanta at the Siebold Success Network meeting for almost 2 hours onstage, and the audience of speakers was shocked at what she had to say. This executive hires some of the biggest speakers in the business, and she told the truth about what it takes to get hired at this level. As I’ve been saying over and over again in this blog, there’s a large group of speaker trainers getting rich telling people how easy the speaking business is and how you don’t have to be a good speaker to make it. They’re telling the masses of new speakers exactly what they want to hear. The problem is new speakers don’t know the truth from the lies, and they often choose to follow the path that looks easiest. That’s why I’m fighting these liars by interviewing corporate executives who hire speakers. The speaking industry is a wonderful business, and we need more thought leaders who are also competent presenters. The only chance a new speaker has to break into the business, (outside of getting famous) is to learn how the business really works and what organizations are looking for. Listen to this post, and join us in Atlanta June 11-13, for the next session of the Siebold Success Network. www.sieboldsuccessnetwork.com Over 4,000 contracts were signed last weekends between speakers and referral agents. All we were missing is YOU!
Steve Siebold
If you’re interested in speaking for the biggest, richest companies in the world but you haven’t been able to figure out how to do it, don’t feel bad. Fortune 500 companies have multiple gatekeepers whose only job is to screen and block calls from unknown vendors. The good news is there’s a secret to cracking the code, and there’s a group of speakers from 10 countries around the world who have banded together to help each other make it happen. All this group is missing is you! Listen to this post and then visit www.sieboldsuccessnetwork.com Steve Siebold
In mental toughness training, I speak to Fortune 500 sales teams about critical thinking to increase sales. For all of you who have the dream of being a fee paid professional speaker, I have a critical thinking question for you. I ask this question completely out of love. After all, I dreamed the same dream 15 years ago. We are kindred spirits. Listen to this post and do some soul searching this New years eve. I really want you to make it in this business. The reality is as good as the dream! YOU can do it! Happy New Year, 2010!
Steve Siebold
There’s a group of people in the speaking industry telling emerging speakers how easy it is to become a successful professional speaker. Back in 1996, the year I started my full time speakering career, I heard the same thing. It turns out the people perpetuating this lie are profiting from it. Chances are they’re trying to sell you a seminar, book publishing deal, or CVD or DVD product that tells you how to make it. Some of these people are even telling speakers they don’t have to be good on the platform to make it. Of course none of what they say is true, but new speakers don’t know the charlatans from the good guys. Thank God I met Bill Gove back in 1996. Bill set me straight and told me who to listen to and who to run from. He showed me the honest side of the business as well as the dark side. Bill Gove is the most honest man I’ve ever met in this business, and this post will hopefully pass on some of his wisdom to you.
Steve Siebold
The personal development/self-help industry is once again being accosted by the national press in the United States. The catalyst seem to be the Sweat Lodge tragedy that occurred at the James Arthur Ray event in Arizona earlier this month. (more comments on that at www.mentaltoughnessblog.com) My question for speakers is; are you delivering a message you really believe in? Are you giving your audiences all of you? Are you writing and speaking at the pinnacle of your ability? Are your books, CD’s, DVD’s and other speaker products world class, or just 2nd rate knock off’s of Think and Grow Rich? The great correction of 2008-2009 has taken it’s toll on many speaking careers, but the fact is the best of breed have survived, and in some cases, grown even bigger. The truth is the speaking business is better than ever, but only for the speakers who are writing and delivering a unique message at a high level. Once again, this business has seen another extreme example of survival of the fittest, and among the traits of the fittest is 100% belief in their message. I’ll look forward to your commentson this 7-minute audio post. Steve Siebold, CSP
In the last 13 years as a professional speaker, I’ve probably reached a couple million people with the mental toughness message. Last week, through the power of television, more than 10 million people, most of whom probably never heard of me before, saw me on NBC, FOX, and NBC/Australia. I’m in the beginning of a publicity tour for my new book, Die Fat or Get Tough: 101 Differences in Thinking Between Fat People and Fit People. You can see the Today Show and FOX interviews at www.diefatbook.com My challenge to this week is to listen to this post and think about how you can use the medium of TV to boost your business as a public speaker. Just today, we started running the first of a series of infomercials promoting the Bill Gove Speech Workshop around the country. Could you use informercials to promote your speaking, training or consulting? Do you have a product or program the general public may be interested in? Do you have something controversial to say that may interest the press? I’ll look forward to hearing your comments. Steve Siebold
