Category: Diamond Life

So You Want to Be a Paid Speaker – Get the Blueprint

Posted on by MarleneMB

5.16.2015_Marlene_Wellington_GuzmanDSC_5921

After delivering a speech, oftentimes some people will approach me about doing what I do. That is public speaking. When they tell me that they are interested in becoming a public speaker, I often ask: “What is your message?” “Do you know the group that will be willing to listen to your message?” “Do you know how to market yourself?” “Do you know how to put a value on the delivery of your message?”

The responses may vary from: the deer in the headlights look, to some attempt at explaining how they can deliver any topic to any audience. This usually indicates to me that they have not done their homework and may be in for a rude awakening.

The speaking business is just that: a business. Some people may view it as something simple to do. It is not. If you do not have a plan, you will experience more failure than success. It is not an easy business to get going. But if you learn what to do and act on it, it can become a great business.

1) First, start with defining your message. If you say you can talk about any subject. You are wrong. If you are not an expert in a particular area or have no experience in some areas, you will not be a credible speaker. You don’t want to get in front of an audience and flop.

2) Define your target audience. Not everyone is going to listen to your message. Nor should you try to speak with everyone about your message. Be smart about it. Find your target audience and spend time speaking in front of them to get the most results.

3) Identify how you would deliver your messages to your audience. Is it through books, webinars, DVDs, online videos, workshops, etc. Learning the different methods and media to reach your audience is important.

4) What is your rate? I find that most people don’t know how to put a price value on the delivery of their messages…Really this is the price value of yourself! What experience do you have? How long did it take you to get it? How much will someone pay you for it? These are just a few of the questions that one has to determine to really put a true value on your intellectual property/knowledge.

Becoming a successful Public Speaker takes some work. One of my mentors, Dawnna St. Louis, will be conducting a workshop, The Platform Expert’s Speakers Mastermind Class, on June 13, 2015 (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at the Hampton Inn located at 1900 NW 150th Ave, Pembroke Pines, Florida 33028. You can link to register here: http://theplatformexpert.com/.

Here is some of what she will be covering:

  • Pick Your Profitable Topic
  • Position Yourself in the market for big money
  • Build multiple streams of income while you sleep
  • Market yourself Powerfully and Profitably
  • Break 6 figures in the first year
  • Set your speaking fees and earn more than you expected
  • Create Books and Publications your audience crave
  • And much more!

If you truly want to be a Paid Public Speaker, sign up to learn from Dawnna. I certainly did.

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Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page to allow me to share more Purposeful thoughts, ideas and experiences with you. Feel free to leave a comment or share the article with others.

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Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a speaker, an author, and a coach.

 

You Are Worth It!

Posted on by MarleneMB

You Are Worth It

“People are always asking me to help them, but I don’t know how much to charge.” Does this sound familiar?

You have the knowledge. You have the experience. Yet, when someone asks you to help them on a project or take them on as a client, you don’t know what to charge. You become frustrated and either don’t charge and you do the work for free. Or you don’t do it at all.

This seems to be a common occurrence for people who want to start their own business. At first, I encountered this issue when I started my speaking business. Then I went back to my experience as a product manager when I had to develop products. Here are some of the steps I took to set the product or service rates:

  1. Benefit and Value: I had to think about the benefit to the client and whether are not they will see the value of the product. If the client cannot see how the item or service will benefit him or her, they will have a hard time understanding its value.
  2. Cost: I had to determine the cost of providing the product. Think about the raw material, the manufacturing and shipping costs; if it’s a tangible product. Or if you are offering your service, assess the time it takes to offer that service. This includes the time for researching, writing, etc. Your time is valuable.
  3. Competition: What are others charging for the same item or service in your marketplace. Keep in mind that the rate sometimes vary by region. You don’t want to be the most expensive in the area unless you can demonstrate that your product or service can command that rate. Yet don’t be the cheapest on the block. Your clients may not appreciate you; if you cheapen yourself. Your product or service becomes a commodity at that point. This lessens its value.
  4. Return on Investment (ROI): When you present your product or service, you have to learn to show the client, his or her return on investing in it and in you. Show your clients the outcome of utilizing your product or service. Give them the before and after picture. This will help them in their purchasing decision. Make it a compelling one that leaves them without doubts that it’s best to sign up with you.
  5. Value Your Knowledge: If you don’t value your knowledge how would you expect someone else to do so? Value what you know and keep building on what you know. By keeping up-to-date you increase your value.

Next time someone asks you to help out and they are willing to pay you, take the time to determine your worth. This person asked you, because they believe you have something that they need. Set the rate and value. Know that You are Worth It!

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Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page to allow me to share more Purposeful thoughts, ideas and experiences with you. Feel free to leave a comment or share the article with others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a speaker, an author, and a coach. Pick up the latest copy of her book:

 Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters  

Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters

3 Lessons I Learned About Leadership at the Toastmasters District 47 Conference

Posted on by MarleneMB
Image by Mobile Portrait Pros
Image by Mobile Portrait Pros

He stood up before a room filled with over 200 of his Toastmasters peers. With confidence in his voice, he made his pitch to us, the leaders within the District. Elvis shared why we should vote for him as the new Division F Director. He only had two minutes to convince us to trust him with this important position to oversee over 400 people in Division F.

Image by Mobile Portrait Pros
Image by Mobile Portrait Pros

After Elvis’ well outlined speech, he sat down to listen to his opponent do the same. Once they were both done, the District Governor gave the go ahead for the leaders to cast their ballots. The ballot count took about 20 minutes to complete. During this time, the candidates sat nervously awaiting their fate. The election official came in and handed the results to the District Governor.

The winner was announced. Elvis had successful won over the confidence of his peers to entrust the role of Division F Director. A loud cheer went out across the audience. The emotion on his face said it all. This victory was a sweet one for him.

Image by Mobile Portrait Pros
Image by Mobile Portrait Pros

This was not Elvis’ first attempt in his pursuit for the Division leadership role. It was his third! His first attempt was a bruiser. He lost handily to his opponent. In my observation, Elvis was a young leader in his Toastmasters career. The group of leaders felt he had more to learn. Normally, a lot of folks would walk away dejected by this defeat.

Not Elvis, he came back the second year. Again he was defeated. I believe this time his speech was not a winning one. Elvis did not logically state his case: what did he learn in the previous year as a leader, or how he intend to help his Division grow. His opponent did and she won.

Instead of going to the corner and licking his wounds, Elvis did something that make leaders great. He went back to the drawing board. Here are some of the things that I learned from observing Elvis:

  1. Reflect: Elvis took time to reflect on what went wrong. He reflected on what actions he needed to take to demonstrate his commitment to the organization and to improve his leadership skills.
  2. Refresh: Elvis refreshed his attitude and volunteered to be one of the District’s Club Coaches. He went around the division assisting clubs that were struggling in membership growth or needed guidance in conducting successful meetings for their members.
  3. Resilience: Elvis did not give up. He knew he had it in him to be a leader over his Division. He did not quit when he experienced two losses. Instead he committed himself to prove to the District Leaders that he was deserving of their trust.

Some of the greatest leaders known have faced defeat in one form or another. Yet they did not give up. They reflected, refreshed and were resilient. Elvis’ journey to the Division F Director position reminded me of these three points. This was one of the most memorable leadership moment for me that I had to share it with you all.

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Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page to allow me to share more Purposeful thoughts, ideas and experiences with you. Feel free to leave a comment or share the article with others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a speaker, an author, and a coach. Pick up the latest copy of her book:

 Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters  

Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters

Press Forward. Press Harder. Press Smarter.

Posted on by MarleneMB

push-forward

“Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.” ~ C. S. Lewis

Tempted to give up? Don’t. Think of all those that have failed or have fallen, but they kept pressing forward to reach their goals. The numbers are too many to count. Just take a look for yourself across the global and throughout history.

Know that you are not the only one that may be struggling to achieve building your dream business. Instead of quitting, focus on what to do next. Focus on the steps that will get you there. Then take the time to celebrate each achievement to keep your spirit up.

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of hearts. It is for those that dare to dream; those that live each day pressing forward, harder and smarter to achieve success.

I’m continuing my quest to press forward, harder and smarter. The reward I get each day that confirms that I’m on the right path far outshines the desire to give up!

Don’t quit now. Press Forward. Press Harder. Press Smarter.

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Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page to allow me to share more Purposeful thoughts, ideas and experiences with you. Feel free to leave a comment or share the article with others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a speaker, an author, and a coach. Pick up the latest copy of her book:

 Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters  

Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters

Don’t Bury Your Business

Posted on by MarleneMB

Fear of crisis with businessman like an ostrich

Got problems? Face them before they become a crisis that buries your small business.

Many small businesses are started on hopes and dreams of the owners. We get excited in the beginning, knowing that we are fulfilling our desires of being entrepreneurs.

But the road to success is not always a smooth one. Problem rears its ugly head at the most inopportune time. Don’t bury your head in the sand and ignore it. Confront this problem before it confounds you and become a major crisis.

If you are one to avoid facing a problem, you may become a part of the problem. Face this problem by being a part of the solution instead. Doing so may divert your small business from becoming one of the those that are buried in the failed business graveyard.

Here are a few quotes to help inspire you to face problems:

  1.  “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” ~ Mother Teresa
  2. “A problem is a chance to help you do your best.” ~ Duke Ellington
  3. “Do one thing every day that scares you.”  ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
  4. Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. ~ Robert H. Schuller
  5. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” ~ Maya Angelou
  6. “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through the argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.” ~ Colin Powell
  7. “I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.” ~ Mae West
  8. Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them. ~ Henry Ford
  9. I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough. ~ Marissa Mayer
  10. “You never fail until you stop trying.” ~ Albert Einstein

While some problems are easily solved, others are a challenge. Learn to face all your problems. Take note of the lesson learned. Strive to solve problems and avoid burying your head and your business along with it.

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