Chapter 5

Five Ways to Double or Triple Your Income

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Developing products to sell will increase your income
• How and when to market your products
• Products and services you could and should create
• Marketing materials every speaker/trainer should have

 

The second part to creating a speaker/trainer marketing toolkit is to create products that you can sell and develop, along with the materials that support those products. The end result is called passive income and can double or even triple your income.

If you go back to chapter 4 and reference Betty’s Best website picks, you will find lots of great product examples and marketing materials on each of the websites. I will get right to what I consider the most important things when developing product lines and other materials. These ideas can greatly increase your income and continue to serve your customers long after your training session or speech has ended.

In this chapter, I will be covering the predominant ways that speakers and trainers continue to market and sell themselves after leaving the platform or classroom. Notice I said after leaving the platform or the classroom. Whenever a client or meeting planner says to me, “We had a very bad experience with a speaker last year promoting and selling their products during their presentation,” I just cringe.

You know the old saying, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it”? Well, in the speaking and training business it’s both—it is what you say and how you say it. In other words, speakers and trainers are intelligent people. They know right from wrong, and it is wrong and unprofessional to hawk your wares in front of your audience.

I do not sell my books or coaching services while I am speaking. In the introduction to my presentation, I have the person introducing me say that after class or my speech, I will be in the back of the room to sign books and answer questions. But it is not me who is saying this, it is the person representing the organization. That’s called a third-party endorsement.

The audience is smart enough to figure out that I am staying to sell products and also to answer questions and meet and greet folks. They certainly don’t need to be reminded by me throughout my presentation that I have more to sell. As a result of how I handle this matter, I am always invited back to sell my products after a presentation. This is because the client and meeting planner know that I will not abuse the professionalism of the event or lower its prestige by making some sleazy sales pitch. And because I always write my own introductions for my clients, I certainly include highlights of new book releases, awards received, or coaching and webinars that I offer on a specific topic. I want to emphasize here a very strong marketing tool you should be using wisely—your speaker introduction (see Prepare Your Own Intros).

Having said my piece about hawking products and services from the platform, I will also say this: Having additional products and materials available before and after a program, for those who are interested, is a legitimate objective for any speaker.

Whether you are speaking to a Fortune 500 company or a pro bono group, you can rest assured that there will be people in attendance who will want to continue growing themselves and gaining more education beyond your presentation, and want to do so with your materials and products. There will be people who are excited after hearing you speak and don’t want to wait to order your products or books online. They’ll want to buy them right there. I also find many people who really enjoy buying a book or product for a friend or co-worker and then having me autograph it to that person, which makes the product even more special for the recipient. You’ve got to remain audience centered when it comes to product sales.

Everyone Benefits from Product Sales

The point is this: As a speaker and trainer, you are in the information business. As your body of knowledge grows over time, so will your product lines. When done correctly, products and their offshoots will be helpful reminders that will leave a trail for your clients that they can follow back to you for years to come. It will most likely include referrals along the way.

The sales and marketing of your products and other promotional materials, or collateral as it’s sometimes called, are not only a benefit to you as the speaker, but also they are a benefit to your clients and audience. The popularity of your speaker and trainer products does more than boost your income. Products and promotional materials with sizzle add credibility and prestige to you as a subject matter expert, and by doing so, they are a direct reflection on your client’s choice in selecting you and your products to offer their conference’s attendees or employees. When you present yourself and your materials in a professional manner, you present a professional image for your client, as well as the speaker bureau or meeting planner who booked you. It’s a win-win for everyone.

For years studies have shown that your audience will most likely retain 10 percent or less of your total presentation. Have you ever attended an event and said afterward, “I wish I had a copy of that speech?” Buying your products will give your audience a chance to do just that and help them to retain the information you have given them. In the business of providing information, a speaker has the opportunity again and again to help audiences continue the learning process on the job, at home, while working out at the gym, jogging, or while driving. It’s continuous learning in motion.

Professional Products Take Time to Develop

I am going to share with you in this chapter how you, too, can create professional and affordable product lines and supporting materials. But you must be patient. It takes time, not to mention money, to create and develop marketing products and materials of a professional nature. There’s no time like the present to start planning for how you will incorporate some or all of these marketing methods over time. This should become part of your speaker/trainer business plan. Investing in your business with the appropriate marketing tools will pay dividends over time.

Your Homework

Remember to review all of Betty’s Best picks from chapter 4. Go to each speaker’s and trainer’s online store, view their product sales, and take a look at other materials available, such as e-letters, e-zines, merchandise, and so on. Make notes and then continue reading.

Here are my personal experiences with implementing five real-world scenarios for marketing and selling yourself as a professional speaker and trainer. Apply what is appropriate for you at this stage of your career and save the rest for later as you develop your practice and speaking business. Most likely, you’ll eventually be involved with two or more of the following five key marketing strategies that are sure to help you build a profitable speaking and training career over time:

1. Back-of-the-room sales for your products
2. Royalties from books, DVDs, CDs, e-learning, and distance learning programs
3. Virtual store for product sales
4. Coaching and consulting appointments
5. Sample materials that promote your products

 

These are not the only ways to enhance your earnings, but in my experience, these strategies will boost your earnings and affect people way beyond the platform or podium.

This is where you sell your products and display your marketing materials—in the back of the room. I always arrive a few hours early to set everything up. I travel with my own signs and I arrange my books and other materials in an eye-catching way for people who are walking by my display table.

I recommend going to a 24/7 place like FedEx Kinko’s to get signs or banners made for your table. You can even produce merchandise such as mugs, calendars, buttons, and other graphics or giveaways. There are many companies on the web that can help you with logo merchandise.

It’s All in the Presentation

Just like you want to look your best when you are on stage, you also want your product to look its best. It’s all in the presentation.

At my presentations, my signs are prominently displayed with photos of the covers of the books I am selling and any bonus prices I might be offering for that particular group. I call them “bonus buys.” Everything is colorful and easy to read. I always make sure the tables are covered with nice clean tablecloths, too. Whatever personal flair you can add will draw attention. I also display my full-color, two-sided postcards that promote each of my books. I use them as giveaways so people have a free bookmark or marketing piece from me personally.

Every speaker and trainer has their own special inventory of products they like to sell, depending on the venue. These can be books, DVDs, CDs, videos, manuals, and merchandise such as pens, mugs, and t-shirts. Whatever you are marketing and selling, keep it looking neat, desirable, and fun to browse.

Back-of-the-room sales also fall under the category of product sales at a convention or conference, where you have your own table or booth in the exhibition hall where you set up your items and sell them. I have done this as well, and it’s a great way to meet conference attendees before and after a presentation.

I have done a variety of product sales over the years, and it is a lot of work, especially if you are on your own without an assistant. I always recommend getting help when you can afford to. Often the conference producers or meeting planners will have volunteers or assistants whom they are willing to assign or dedicate to helping you with product sales for a specific amount of time. Even if you don’t think you will need help, take it. You will. You may have to use the restroom, take an important call, or speak to someone one-on-one. You don’t want to ignore people who are holding up credit cards trying to get your attention.

Benefits of Hiring Help

If you don’t have help, it can cost you a lot of money. I speak from experience.

At one of my keynote addresses, the client was happy to have me stay and sell and sign my books that I had on display at the back of the ballroom. There were 500 people in my session. The idea was for me to close my speech and turn it over to the emcee. I would then unhook myself from the cordless lavaliere microphone and get to the back of the room where all of my books and materials were displayed so that I could start selling and signing. But that’s not what happened.

Before I could unhook my microphone, get off the stage, and start my way to the back of the ballroom, the 500 attendees, all freshly pumped up and motivated from my presentation, had already started to mob my table. My assistant was not there at that precise moment, and I was busy trying to swim upstream from the front of the ballroom to my own display table. I simply could not get through the enthusiastic, very loud, and ambitious crowd I’d just motivated moments earlier to jump out of their seats and run for my book display! It was a mob scene, pure and simple, and not being situated at my table, or having someone there ready to handle the enormous volume of people, cost me a bundle.

When people get to your table with wallet in hand, they do not want to wait even two minutes to buy your products. They want it right now, or they will get distracted and frustrated and walk to another booth or table and forget all about you. I lost quite a bit of earnings in sales that day, but the experience also has made me quite a bit of money over the years. How? I learned my lesson. I now always have someone at my table ready to take orders or sell products, even if it can’t be me. My assistant or author escort and I switch off going to the restroom or getting a bite to eat. (I always bring my food back to the signing table, unless I am the luncheon speaker.)

So where do you find help? Ask the meeting planner or client if they have someone who can help you out for an hour or so. If you are a published author, meaning a publishing house represents you and you’re not self-published, ask your publisher if they have author escorts in the area whom you can hire. Otherwise, find and train a person who will represent you well, is trustworthy with money, and can efficiently keep the line of buyers moving so that you can meet and greet attendees and sign books.

Make It Easy for People to Buy Your Products

If you have your signage made professionally and exhibit clear, easy-to-read pricing and special bonus pricing for conferences, you’ll be off to a good start. I often use clear Plexiglas frames for my promotional signs so that I can easily slip out the old pricing and slip in the new pricing and any updates. I buy these at places like Target and keep a few extras on hand. I usually get the 8310 size frames; they are easy to stack and pack for the road.

Accepting Credit Cards

If you’re going to sell products, you’ve got to be able to accept credit cards, both online and in person. Lots of speakers and trainers use PayPal to accept credit card purchases; I think it is easy to use and a very good service. PayPal is a reliable source for setting up merchant accounts and accepts Discover, Master Card, American Express, and Visa. They also offer virtual terminals where you can receive payment by phone, fax, or email, as well as tips on how to increase your sales, and even shipping and tracking information on product sales. For other forms of credit card acceptance, check with your bank about rules and regulations for becoming a merchant and obtaining the equipment necessary to swipe credit cards.

Leave the Cash Box, Take the Calculator

Don’t buy a cash box. Do buy a calculator. I say not to buy a cash box because it clearly tells the world, “Hey, there’s a bunch of cash in here!” I use another kind of container that looks like it is used for something completely different from money. There are rare cases of theft at speaker events and in exhibition halls, but it does happen. I’ve seen speakers have cash or merchandise stolen, even their laptops. So pay attention. When there are hundreds of people around, it is easy to misplace an item or forget you’ve left something of value out in the open. Do buy a calculator, as that will make figuring up multiple sales and calculating taxes much easier.

Right before I am going to be doing a back-of-the-room sales event, I am sure to get lots of change, usually a stack of one-, five-, and ten-dollar bills. I especially have cash for making change when I am speaking in Las Vegas. Everyone pays cash in that city, and they expect you to be able to make change from hundred-dollar bills on the spot.

Use the Hotel’s Safety-Deposit Box or Room Safe

No exceptions here. When you are carrying cash or credit card information, never neglect to use the hotel’s safety-deposit box, or at the very least, the safe in your hotel room, usually located in the closet.

Did you know that while you were sleeping last night, you could have been cashing in?

One of the bonuses to having product lines and marketing materials as a speaker and trainer is that you can literally make money while you sleep. For me it comes in the form of royalty checks I receive quarterly or semiannually from my publishers. While I am sleeping, someone in Bangladesh or Duluth is buying one of my books, DVDs, or CDs online or in a bookstore, and that translates into royalties for me that I collect on a regular and ongoing basis. I also earn passive income from royalties I collect from the e-learning and distance learning programs I have designed and developed for other organizations.

Books

If you write a book and a publisher contracts with you to publish it, then you will have passive income for some time, because the big publishing houses have the long arm of worldwide distribution that self-publishing does not always readily offer. (More on getting published for greater speaking opportunities later in this book.)

The Long Arm of Distribution Can Be Priceless. Once I turn in my book to my publisher and it is published, their distribution system takes over, and sales and marketing teams all over the world are selling my book to bookstores and corporations, as well as government entities. As a one-woman show, I would be hard pressed to reach that many people and get my books into major retail outlets.

An established publisher makes sure that your work is distributed worldwide. As an international speaker who works with multinational firms, this global reach is important to me. Therefore, I have always contracted with well-known publishers like ASTD Press and McGraw-Hill for my books. This is not to say that I don’t think there is lots of great opportunity in self-publishing. You bet there is. But you must be prepared for what that choice will require of you as an author and distributor of your own books. I will cover publishing and self-publishing later in this book.

Making Money When Published by a Major Publisher. There are basically three ways that authors, like myself, make money on our books that have been published by major publishing houses. This does not pertain to self-publishing; again, more on this later.

1. We are paid advances and receive royalties on book sales (this includes all electronic books sales, such as e-books, and international sales rights).

2. We buy our own books from our publishers at a discounted rate and then resell them at events.

3. We reprint our own books when they go out of print under a contractual term called reversion of rights and then we can resell that book as a self-published entity, for which we now own the rights. Authors who self-publish usually do so with what is called print-on-demand. That means they print only the number of books they need at one time, which saves money and does not require warehousing of inventory. Smart! This way an author can order 100 of his or her books, have them shipped to the event where they are speaking and have them ready to sell at a profit. Profit margins on self-published books, however, vary widely.

People love to buy a speaker’s books. And they really appreciate it when the books are signed. I’ve had many clients purchase very large orders through my publisher and then offer them to every employee as value-added giveaways at one of my corporate events. I always stay after my presentation to meet and greet the audience and to sign their books. Some clients even set up cocktail hours or meet-the-author receptions where the audience can mingle one-on-one.

Audio/Video, CDs, DVDs, and Custom Packaging

Many professional speakers and trainers make additional income selling their various product lines that include items such as audio/video, CDs, and DVDs, and the custom packaging they come in. Just as in traditional book publishing, there are commercial audio/video, CD, and DVD publishers out there, such as Nightingale-Conant. Visit their website at www.Nightingale.com and consider the enormous possibilities for developing your own product lines. Check out Dr. Nick Hall’s program I Know What to Do, So Why Don’t I Do It? The professional design and packaging and credentials offered by Dr. Hall are the level of standard you want to strive to reach in this industry. When you visit Nightingale-Conant’s website, click on Contact Us and get an update on the acceptance and status of product development ideas. Just as with a major publisher, they are overwhelmed with new product ideas and proposals, so acceptance of your product line may be difficult for a beginner. The next step would be to produce and package your own line of products independently. Most professional speakers and trainers do it this way with a great deal of success.

Producers and Packaging. First you must write your programs and books, and script your videos, CDs, and DVDs. Sound like a lot of work? It is. All of this develops over time. You can’t rush it. I have written 12 books, but I did not write them all overnight. When I started out, I only had one book to sell. I also had one or two keynote speeches and training programs; now I have dozens of those, too, along with webinars, coaching sessions, and public seminars.

If you have the budget—the costs vary greatly depending on how many products you have and how sophisticated you want them to be—I would investigate putting together your own product line. I have worked with Janita Cooper and her team at Master Duplicating Corporation and recommend them to any professional speaker and trainer looking to create their own product line to sell at seminars or online.

Master Duplicating Corporation has an impressive client list. This company is turnkey and not only offers full video and audio production, but also in-house green-screen technology. That’s the process of filming you in front of an all-green backdrop and then later dropping in a location or specific scene, such as somewhere you’d like to be—let’s say at the site of an active volcano—or something you might be referring to in your presentation—perhaps the volcano erupting.

If you’re interested in creating, promoting, and selling your own products, check out Master Duplicating Corporation’s packaging and services on their website at www.masterdup.com.

Another well-known replication company that specializes in creating visually dynamic products, design templates, packaging concepts, and fulfillment is FlowMotion, Inc. You can sign up for their free newsletter subscription at their website, www.flow motioninc.com.

E-Learning Royalties

After writing my first few books, I signed a contract with one of America’s top e-learning companies, MindLeaders, and was asked to contribute and author materials for a variety of e-learning video programs. MindLeaders is a premiere e-learning organization with more than 25 years of experience in the technology-based, self-paced training field. Their sophisticated and state-of-the-art e-learning tools cover topics ranging from leadership and management to IT solutions, and from healthcare privacy issues to a wide variety of business skills.

My initial involvement required that I write nine e-learning program script outlines. Each was produced by a professional team and turned into e-learning online video training. We even won a Telly Award (excellence in video production) for one of our programs. Writing e-learning programs for a company such as this, and there are many out there, is like writing books for publishers. Each continues to spin off royalties and exposure in a diverse and growing marketplace that I might never have had the opportunity to enter without my particular subject matter experience—the same expertise I use in my professional speaking and training career.

Distance Learning Royalties and Work for Hire

The popularity among professional adults in acquiring higher-education degrees via distance learning is exploding worldwide. Here’s another venue for getting paid additional royalties on your work you may not have considered until now.

A few years back, I was contacted by a variety of universities both in the United States and abroad. Many had seen my book Leaders—Start to Finish: A Road Map for Developing and Training Leaders at All Levels, published by ASTD Press, and they wanted me to design and develop curricula for both undergraduate and graduate learning modules for their distance-
learning programs offered online. I did and it paid off.

Some of my programs were work for hire, which means I was paid one flat sum for the entire program to which I sold the rights and license to use. For other curricula I designed, I continue to collect royalties from various universities or the academic IT service organizations that specialize in university online degree program engineering and development. These entities actually brokered my programs for the universities they represent worldwide. Presently, several of my undergraduate and graduate leadership programs are being taught online at universities around the globe. As I continue my involvement in this field, I design and develop updated curricula for a diverse and growing area of subjects. This exposure to a wide variety of academic communities has increased my book sales; several have now been adopted as textbooks or recommended reading by online professors for different management and leadership coursework.

If you’d asked me 10 years ago if my writing and speaking would evolve to this specialty area and spin off ongoing income years later, I never would have thought it possible. Being open to the possibilities in the world of professional speaking and training is the first step through the door of diversification of product lines for all of us in this business.

E-commerce has become a very complex and often an expensive way to set up virtual stores, conduct product sales, and implement shopping cart features on websites. These websites are great when designed and implemented correctly (look at Amazon.com; they do a great job). Virtual shopping and features like shopping carts, however, also can become a monster of confusion and expense when done incorrectly.

Find a Reputable E-Commerce Company

Do your homework. Interview companies who have done this for lots of other clients like you. Get references and call them. Setting up a virtual online store with shopping cart features is a powerful marketing tool, but also it can be a powerful pain in the neck if it is not done correctly and set up by a respected company with a track record of specific experience in e-commerce solutions.

Unless you have more than one or two products to sell on your website, you may need only a payment page and not a shopping cart feature at all. I suggest starting small and let your site evolve over time. Do not fear. Your customer’s needs will be revealed over time. Will international transactions be taking place? Will your customers need to access invoices at any time? Will there be recurring billing? What about returns? Will you need a tax calculator? What about security? How about real-time shipping?

Be sure to get what you want and ensure that you will have the flexibility you require as your needs change and your career evolves as a speaker and trainer. There’s really no way to predict where your speaking and training practice will go. The possibilities are endless—e-commerce is changing, improving, and reinventing itself even as I write this.

My advice is to start small with a company where you call the shots and remain in control using customized solutions as you need them. Google terms such as customer shopping cart, online shopping cart solutions, and e-commerce to find companies and consultants that may match your needs and with whom you can have further dialog about expenses (it can be in the thousands), and what it’s going to take to bring a positive virtual shopping experience for your customers and clients to your website.

Because I offer life coaching, I always have my life-coaching fliers with me at events. They sit on my book-signing table as a take-away. I’ve had many individuals come up to me after a speech and ask if I offer one-on-one coaching services. I then hand them my coaching flier (see Figure 5.1). With this information they can go to my website and click on the navigation bar where it says Arrange for Your Personal Life Coaching Session with Anne; this will take them to my page on coaching and my fees. Maybe my flier will help spark additional ideas for promoting your consulting or coaching services, if you offer them. I have spoken with several of my colleagues who use the opportunity while doing back-of-the-room sales to display their fliers on other services or products they offer. It’s all about the spin-offs.

Anne’s Two-Pronged Approach to Using Marketing Materials

There are two specific marketing tools, besides business cards, that I use at almost every presentation I give—one-sheets and full-color postcards. They are very affordable and very effective in spinning off new business and referrals. It’s not that they are so amazing or expensive or fancy. They are not. They do, however, leave long-lasting impressions on people and are fun take-aways that showcase what I can do for someone’s organization.

I have been at conferences where there are speakers with all kinds of gadgetry and expensive giveaways. My observation is this: Most folks will stop and look, and take the speaker’s giveaways, but they do not necessarily stop and talk with that person or read their information on the spot and ask pertinent questions that lead to almost immediate bookings. And that’s where I seem to have hit the mark.

Getting to Know You

I make all of my handouts easy to read and easy to ask questions about. I recommend you do the same. I can’t count how many people have read my one-sheet, for example, then asked me what my fees would be to come to their offices and do a workshop, or if I could speak with their boss the following week to discuss a possible speaking engagement at their upcoming manager’s retreat in Lake Tahoe, or Las Vegas, or even on the coast of Spain. All of these instances panned out for me and I wound up doing the engagements. And they all came from simple, inexpensive but compelling marketing materials that had enough sizzle to get someone’s attention and their eventual business.

One-Sheets

One-sheets are just that—one sheet, one side. Some speakers and trainers use both sides, but I still think one side packs more punch and looks more professional. A one-sheet sells you and your topics on which you would like to obtain bookings. Some people call them content one-sheets.

What a one-sheet includes:

• a showcase of what you are selling—keynotes, training, seminars, books
• large header at the top of the page (mine reads: Bring These Dynamic and Entertaining Keynotes and Workshops to Your Organization)
• large footer at the bottom of the page with your contact info (mine reads: Visit www.annebruce.com for Free Tips, Tools, Techniques and More! Call 214-507-8242 for More Information & Scheduling)
• points you cover in your presentations and titles with bullet points
• endorsements
• mini-bio
• photo of you, caricature, or illustration
• easy-to-read large type with lots of color
• illustrations or photographs of your book covers or product packaging.

You can view lots of speaker’s one-sheets online at their websites. You will typically find these under the heading One-Sheets or in the meeting planner or speaker bureau section of a speaker’s website. Figure 5.2 is a sample of mine. After looking at how different many of the one-sheets can appear, start planning the layout for your own one-sheet. Again, my designer creates my one-sheet and I can always count on her to keep it looking current and fresh. Hire a designer to help you get your first one-sheet together and then be sure to update its content regularly.

Affordable, Must-Have Marketing Materials

I will make this section of the chapter really easy for you with just one word: VistaPrint.

There was a time when printed marketing materials cost a fortune to produce, and the idea of doing anything in a full-color format was cost prohibitive for many people. The good news is that there are now many companies that can custom design and print your marketing materials. I prefer the simplicity and super customer service that VistaPrint provides.

I have been using them for all of my marketing materials for years, and they are truly a one-stop, turnkey operation for any business. Visit their website at www.VistaPrint.com for more information.

In addition, a service like this one can write and design your marketing materials in a few business days, including your logo, photos, or other images you want to incorporate into the design. They also offer a full gallery of more than 70,000 images. Prices are available online and will more than likely lower your current printing costs considerably. It did for me.

The Power of the Postcard Creates a Mini-Billboard

I mentioned earlier that I use full-color postcards to market my business at almost every event. I have found these to be extraordinarily powerful tools, especially when I am doing back-of-the-room sales.

For each book I am selling at an event, I display the books and my signage, pricing, etc. In front of each display I have stacks of the full-color, two-sided postcard that goes with each book. On the front, I have the book’s cover prominently showcased and to the right of the book cover a photo of the author—that’s me! Did you know that people are five times more likely to buy your product or service if there is a photograph of the person associated with that product or service? Photos breed familiarity, and that creates a comfortable selling atmosphere.

On the back, I include information on how to get the book and the bookstores that carry it, price, a listing of all my other published books, a plug for my radio show and coaching services, and, in bold print, my contact information—website, email, and phone. On some cards I do an oversize version (about 8.5" 3 5.5"). I did this for my book Leaders—Start to Finish (see Figures 5.3 and 5.4); on others I have used the standard postcard size (about 5.5" 3 4.5"; see Figures 5.5 and 5.6).

Creative Ways to Use Your Postcards

With rare exception, everyone wants to take postcards with them. I also find them to be great for customer receipts. If someone buys a book, I use the matching card as a receipt for that purchase and simply write on the back the purchase amount, date, conference attended; then I sign the card. This is much snazzier than using a receipt booklet from the local office supply store. Plus, that person then takes with them a way to find you again, or to look you up on the Internet, go to your website, or call you with an offer to speak at their company’s next conference. These postcards also make very nice bookmarks for the book that is purchased. They are larger than a standard bookmark, so a person can jot down notes as they are reading, and they are pretty sturdy, too. The other use for these is that they are set up as actual postcards to be stamped and mailed to a colleague or friend, or used as a gift card inside the book that was bought for a friend.

Full-color postcards are much more than just free samples. They are mini-billboards that you can customize and with which you can generate leads and more business! They also can be used as impressive direct mail pieces.

Marketing Materials That Make Your Business Sizzle

There are lots of other marketing materials you’ll want to consider creating for your business:

• colorful and creative stationery kits and business identity systems
• full-color business cards with your photo
• customized speaker kit and press kit folders
• customized sticky notes
• creative mailing labels
• snazzy direct mail pieces
• full-color brochures
• inspirational or motivational card sets
• speaker showcase event invitations
• fun promotional items: t-shirts with your logo or slogan, pens, buttons, magnets, calendars, mugs
• Your own signature holiday, birthday, and special occasion greeting cards.

I hope these tips, tools, and techniques have helped you to generate your own creative ideas and flair for marketing yourself as a professional speaker and trainer. Once you’re on your way to getting your marketing materials in order, you’ll be ready to get moving on a strategic public relations and publicity campaign.

Unless you have the word esquire or the initials JD or CPA after your name, you will require the guidance of a lawyer, and a tax or financial advisor. I won’t go into all of the various laws that can apply to copyrighting and selling products, but remember, as I’ve said all along, this is a business. The development of your product lines will require the advice of an intellectual property attorney. Signed contracts and book deals usually require the guidance of a business lawyer; keeping records, selling merchandise, and paying taxes require the help of a bookkeeper, tax advisor, or CPA.

Do your homework up front and get advice from those who know the law. Tax laws vary from state to state and can be complex. There may be times you are required to collect taxes and other times you are not. Some states have reciprocity agreements, some don’t. The main thing is to find out what your responsibilities and liabilities are when it comes to legal and financial matters regarding your speaking and training business. You’re not running a bake sale for your son’s soccer team. It’s your career. It’s your business. Treat it like one.