“The more systematic you are about it—the faster you can increase fees, get more gigs, and turn this into a real business.” - Andrew Davis

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Between knowing what to charge and handling client relations, a workload can quickly become overwhelming before the actual work even starts.

For the novice speaker, negotiating with event organizers and creating fair but profitable proposals can be a steep learning curve—one that can take serious time away from what the focus should actually be: the performance.

That’s why on today’s episode of Steal The Show, we are joined by Andrew Davis to discuss his systems for bypassing these hurdles. After all, life doesn’t get in the way, it IS the way.

Andrew has many credits to his name, all of which have helped him land big-time public speaking deals. He has written for Charles Kuralt, produced for NBC, and worked for The Muppets and MTV. And as one of the most influential marketers in the world, Andrew has appeared on The Today Show and in The New York Times.

Tune in to today’s episode to learn his method of tracking his speeches and email inquiry, so that you can start to do the same and land stage time at exciting events and conferences.

“Remember your business model isn’t their business model.” - Andrew Davis

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Steal The Points

• Be as systematic as possible with creative endeavors to allow for more creativity.
• Small business owners comprise one of the most engaged audience demographics for public speakers.
• Speeches should come from a place of vision, not “expert-ville.”
• Set fees based on the FEE Model: fame, entertainment, and expertise.
• Track your demand over time by aiming for a high loss-rate over a high close-rate.
• Accept free gigs as a way of testing material to get to that referrable speech faster.

“Demonstrate the consequences of not adopting the big idea.” - Michael Port

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This week, we answer a listener’s question:

Hi Michael,

Hope you're well. Just been listening to your Steal the Show podcast and really enjoying it. Started from the beginning again for my kids to listen to it too. They do weekly speeches in school - 2 minutes max - but it would be nice if you had any extra pointers so they can Steal the Show at school. They have been taught to start with a hook, then do introduction, main part, and conclusion, but that's all I got out of them.

Look forward to hearing from you.

By the way, I know you like boats - we're lucky enough to live in Sydney, Australia, where I get to catch a ferry on Sydney Harbour to and from work every day.

Cheers, 


Paul

And, it might surprise you to hear that the lessons given to adults are the same for kids. On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we discuss the Heroic Public Speaking Foundational Five. From articulating the big idea of a speech to illustrating the rewards the audience will get if the promise is realized, this discussion covers the core pillars of a great speech.

Tune in to today’s episode to collect this knowledge, so you can implement it into your next speech.

“Even if the audience wants to adopt your idea—because it may not be easy for them to adopt it, their natural inclination is to find ways to say no.” - Michael Port

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“It’s very difficult to find what your voice is capable of until you push the emotional buttons.” - Matthew Kimberley

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Product, service, or anything in between, our lives run on the ability to create, market, and sell whatever it is that others deem as valuable. 

… And that last step is crucial. If we aren’t able to sell, we get caught in a hamster wheel of effort with no return. Squeak squeak. 

On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we are joined by Matthew Kimberley. Matthew is the former head of the Book Yourself Solid School of Coach Training, and is now the founder of The School for Selling. His first book How To Get A Grip sold over 50,000 copies—and every year, Matthew transforms sales teams, business owners, and independent service professionals to get more clients: more consistently and more elegantly.

Tune in to this conversation gather Matthew’s insights, as they relate to performing on stage, selling with transparency, and finding your path. You can learn more about Matthew Kimberley at his website here

“Sophistication doesn’t mean complexity.” - Matthew Kimberley

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Steal the Points

• Inauthenticity comes from lack of knowledge in sales. Be as transparent as possible to prevent this. 
• Disarm honesty in sales conversations by saying objectives out loud.
• Be aware that public speaking as a career requires lots of travel.
• Add sophistication by paring something down, not making it more complex.
• Most speakers haven’t learned how to earn the audience’s attention because they haven’t been forced to.
• Oscillate between telling, teaching, and showing when performing on stage. 

And find out more about The League of Heroic Public Speakers here

“If you are really serious about performance, you have to get counsel and direction from people who are qualified to give it you.” - Neen James

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We all have production companies in our pockets.

Today, the smartphone has empowered people to instantly publish content to an audience with a few taps. For public speakers, this creates a unique challenge where they must always be on. The speech no longer ends after the applause; rather, speakers must be open to connection in the lobby, at the airport, or in their hometown because any moment could turn into a tweet or Instagram post.

On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we are joined by Neen James. Neen is the author of 9 books, including Folding Time and her most recent book, Attention Pays. In 2017, she was named one of the Top 30 Leadership Speakers by Global Guru because of her work with companies like Viacom, Comcast, Cisco, and many more. She has received numerous awards as a professional speaker, is a partner in Thought Leaders Global, and is a member of the prestigious league of Heroic Public Speakers.

In this conversation, Neen details many topics: what it means to be a public speaker in 2018, how we can use technology to our advantage, why we should look for unique places to project our personal brand, and much more. Tune in to apply Neen’s insights to your life, career, or passion project!

You can order Neen James’ Attention Pays here.

“Think about how much we can use social media to engage an audience before we even step on stage.” - Neen James

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Steal the Points

• Ask whether a social media post is for value or vanity.
• Public speakers are always being photographed and videotaped.
• Personal brands must be cohesive experiences for the audience.
• Stepping outside normal roles forces the student to see what he/she is capable of.
• Those who are only coached by the so-called gurus start to resemble those gurus.
• Approach public speaking as an artistic expression.
• When speakers embrace their uniqueness, they gain a competitive advantage.
• Seek specific coaching over generalized help.
• Opportunities for personal branding exist in unique places (email auto-responses, voicemails, etc.).
• Systemize thoughtfulness by creating calendar events to stay in contact with valuable people.

Previous Steal The Show Episodes with Neen James:

• 100 Neen James on Creating Contextual Models for Speakers, Authors and Content Creators
• 070 The Business of Speaking for Women, Business Models for Speakers, and much more with Neen James