If you’re looking for more keynotes, training contracts, consulting deals and coaching clients, there are only two ways to make it happen: wait for the phone to ring or make the phone ring yourself. Like you, I love it when the business chases me, but in crazy times, it’s not happening as often. So instead of waiting, we’re banding together with hundreds of other speakers, trainers, coaches and consultants around the world to launch the Siebold Success Network. Imagine doing 100 deals in 100 days? It’s possible, but only through mega-leverage marketing. Listen to this post, and if you like what you hear, go to www.sieboldsuccessnetwork.com and watch the 2-minute video. This is SO HOT!

Steve Siebold, CSP

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This is something you already know, but many new speakers ignore. Doing the hard work of getting good on the platform isn’t always fun and it’s certainly not sexy. Long hours of building your speech, editing your material and endless hours of rehearsal when no one is listening takes discipline. The truth is it takes years to build a million dollar speaking career unless you’re a celebrity getting paid to appear and sign autographs. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If they’re trying to convince you this business is easy, they are profiting from you believing it. Bill Gove, the father of professional speaking and the most successful speaker trainer in history, always told his students they would have to pay the price. He was from the old school and an era where coaches served the best interests of their students whether it was profitable or not. He lived in the days where a handshake was a binding contract, and doing the right thing was what counted most. When I hear speaker coaches telling students how easy the professional speaking business is it reminds me of the character in the movie Rocky 5, George Washington Duke, who was a characature of boxing promoter Don King. Rocky warned his star pupil about listening to this flashy promoter promising huge money and easy times. Rocky pleaded with his pupil to pay the price and do the work, and one day his opportunity would come. If you saw the movie you know what happened: Rocky’s pupil, Tommy Gun, falls prey to the empty promises of the slick promoter and ends up ill-prepared when he enters the ring. It’s only a movie, but unfortunately, I see it happening every day in the speaking business. New speakers are so hungry to get on the platform and get paid that they ignore their instincts and follow people who promise to make them instant speaking stars. And when the flashy, P.T. Barnum, Wizard of Oz, phony marketing scheme lands them on a world class convention, the speaker bombs and is instantly branded in the business as an amateur. Meanwhile, the speaker marketer has made his money and moves on to the next unsuspecting speaker. PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS POST…and then follow your gut instinct that tells you nothing good comes easy. The speaking business needs you and your message, but it needs THE BEST OF YOU.  Steve Siebold  (5:57)

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Mike Stewart, the audio/video product creation advisor to some of the top professional speakers in the world, has signed on to speak at the Million Dollar Speaker Marketing Seminar in Atlanta, July 11-13, 2008. This is huge! Mike charges $10,000/day for consulting and is booked months in advance.  When it comes to teaching speakers how to profit from audio/video technology, he’s the best in the business. I’ve purchased every product he has and it’s been the best investment I’ve made since attending the Bill Gove Speech Workshop back in 96′. Mike will teach you how to set up your own audio/video studio in your home (He’s put them in both of our houses) and show how you can create speaker products and have them online for sale in a matter of hours! This is the future (and present) of the professional speaking business. This is another reason to join us in Atlanta for this one-time only seminar. If you’re serious about this business, don’t miss this one! You’ll learn the TRUTH about the professional speaking business, and exactly how you can beat the odds and make big money in this business—direct from speakers who have earned millions in this industry. No theories. No hype. Just practical strategies that get your message out to the world and pay you handsomely for doing it. We’re only taking a small group of people, so register today. www.milliondollarspeakermarketing.com

Steve Siebold, CSP, CPCS ( 3: 24 )

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One of the single best pieces of wisdom Bill Gove offered me in the early days of my speaking career was to select my speaking mentor on the basis of his/her track record, and then follow to that person and no one else. That was in 1996, when I had 6 professional speaking consultants on retainer and I was failing in the business. The day I returned from the Bill Gove Speech Workshop I fired all 6, none of which had ever earned a substantial income as a fee paid speaker. That day I made a decision that altered my destiny. I decided to follow Bill Gove and ignore everyone else. If I told you how many people gave me advice that contradicted what Bill told me over the 5 years he coached me, you would be shocked. Some of them laughed at me and said Bill was too old to coach because the business had changed since he was the king of the keynoters. Those same people were calling me for a job 5 years later. I was talking to professional speaking legend Jim Cathcart last week, who summed it up beautifully. Jim said, ” If you wanted to learn to be the best hockey player in the world, your coach would be Wayne Gretzy. If you wanted to be the best speaker, your coach would be Bill Gove.” All the major speakers encouraged me to folow Bill’s advice to the letter and block out everyone else, and I thank God I had the sense to listen. The point of this post is to suggest that you select your speaking coach very carefully, but once you choose, follow his/her advice and don’t look back. Randy Gage gave me the other piece of advice years ago I’ll pass on to you: Don’t listen to anyone in the speaking business who’s not earning at least a million dollars a year as a speaker. Randy said; ” If they’re not making at least a million, they don’t understand the business.” Thanks, Bill. Thanks, Randy. Those words of wisdom catapulted my career. And now in the spirit of gratitude, I pass them on to you. You can make it in this business if you’re smart enough to follow the right people and don’t buy into the B.S. and hype that surrounds our profession. It’s not an easy road, but it’s well worth it when you’re making an impact on other peoples lives. (8:59)  Steve Siebold, CSP, CPCS www.milliondollarspeakermarketing.com

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Mace Horoff, a fellow graduate of the Bill Gove Speech Workshop, has a world-class blog on his topic of expertise called the Medical Sales School Blog. Mace was the best of the best as a medical sales person when he decided to retire to south Florida to fly his private plane ( parked in his backyard. The runway is on the property as well) and spend time with his lovely wife, C.J. But medical sales companies wouldn’t leave this genius alone and begged him to forgo retirement and help train their teams in the system that made him so successful. After years of prodding, Mace Horoff opened the Medical Sales School. As a long time Mace Horoff fan, I’ve become addicted to his blog. It’s an example of a professional speaker doing things right. He’s a world class expert delivering quality real world content and helping individuals and companies grow. Check out Maces blog at www.medicalsalesschool.com/blog  Steve Siebold, CSP, CPCS

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