Technically Speaking

It's a fairly well-known fact among professional speakers that corporate speaking gigs tend to be the most lucrative.   But they also tend to be the most competitive – So how do you branch into corporate speaking if you're currently building a speaking business in another niche?   Here to share his experience is speaker, coach, and the author of "Leading Imperfectly," James Robilotta.   Although h...

As in any industry, the vast majority of businesses in the speaking industry are looking for the answer to the big question: "How do I make more money?"   Depending on who you ask, you can get a wide range of answers, but the core to all of them remains the same. Put simply, you have to differentiate yourself.   Joining us in this episode is someone who's seen this firsthand through his work in th...

We don't have to tell you that running a modern thought leadership business demands a website.   But what you may not know is just how much work your website can take off your plate, starting with the forms on it.   From collecting contact information to storing that in your customer relationship management system to automating communication with those contacts, your website forms can be the start...

Closing a sale is often presented as a logical set of actions. You say these things in this order, you carry yourself in this way, and people will be persuaded to buy from or hire you.   In reality, though, closing a sale starts with emotional decisions, answering questions like "How do I feel interacting with this person?" and "Could I see myself following the same path as their previous clients...

The thought of a million-dollar business is an enticing one, but, as you likely know already, building a business comes with its share of challenges.   To create a business of this caliber, you don't just have to master the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. You also have to get comfortable "in the weeds" and become an expert on the ways in which your business runs.   Here to break down this proces...

Booking your own keynotes as a professional speaker is all well and good, but what's even better is trusting someone else to handle the sales process for you. That's where speaker agents come in.   Joining us to talk all things speaking is the founder and president of See Agency, Christa Haberstock.   With more than 25 years of experience selling for speakers, Christa knows firsthand what it takes...

In recent years, especially, keynote speaking has exploded. After all, what could be more glamorous than jet-setting around the world, getting paid and recognized for your expertise?   To answer that question, we're joined by motivational keynote speaker and charity adventurer Josh Stinton.   Josh is known, first and foremost, for his extensive "challenges" for children's charities including a bic...

As a consumer, fending off salespeople can be exhausting, but, on the flip side, most business owners don't love the act of selling either. It can feel "grimy," like you're chasing after potential clients to take their money.   According to sales and marketing expert David Newman, this typically happens when business owners don't give anything away until after people become clients., but it doesn'...

We've talked a LOT about business systems on this podcast, but for many thought leaders, the challenge remains: how to get past the fear and overwhelm of restructuring the tech and processes that make your business run.   This is especially true if you're starting from ground zero or if you have a lot of old systems to clean up first.   One thought leader that knows this journey firsthand is speak...

Building a sales process is a mammoth task to tackle, so in this episode, we're focusing on the inside scoop of sales for experts who speak professionally.   Joining us is speaker, author, and the creator of the Speaker Intel Engine Sam Richter.   A member of the National Speaker Hall of Fame, Sam is considered one of the world's foremost sales intelligence experts and was named one of the Top 50...

Thought leadership, as an industry, in an undeniably glamorous one, and what better way to showcase your business than killer photos?   With the right photographer, your action and headshots can elevate your perception and make you stand out from the crowd. Plus, they're great to have on hand for social posts or media kits.   That said, for aspiring or new thought leaders, a professional photograp...

Perhaps the biggest goal among professional speakers is to build a referral engine. When this happens, past and existing clients consistently refer new leads to you, making the booking process like shooting fish in a barrel.   Unfortunately, many speakers aren't yet in this position. You may not be there yourself, and that's totally fine!   To help you get there, we're joined by author, speaker, c...

For many thought leaders, the transition to owning their own business doesn't happen overnight. It's a slower process where working as an expert is more like freelancing, at least until that work can support a full-time salary.   So how do you speed this process up? How do you make the jump from part-time to full-time thought leadership?   Answering this is marketing expert, business coach, agency...

If you've ever thought to yourself, as you're knocking out daily tasks in your business, "I just want leads to come to me," you're far from alone.   And one of the most common ways to attract leads is a simple one: lead magnets or, in other words, free resources for your target audience that they can only access after providing some degree of contact information.   Joining us to break down this to...

You may have already heard the phrase "delegate and elevate" when it comes to smaller, day-to-day tasks in your business.   But what about the bigger projects? How do you know when you should hire someone to help you improve and, even more importantly, how do you build an openminded approach to your business systems?   In this episode, we're joined by speaker and economist Andrew Busch to answer t...

When ramping up your business's marketing efforts, it can be tempting to think, "I need to do everything possible." Think creating blogs, recording podcasts, revamping your website, starting paid ads, posting on social media, creating lead magnets – the list is endless.   But, all in all, these are just options, and if you truly want to make a difference, you need to first prioritize the ones you...

At the beginning of each new quarter and each new year, it's vital for thought leaders to reevaluate their business.   What goals did you set at the end of the last quarter or year? Are you hitting those goals? What's prevented you from doing so, and how can you improve your business's performance next time?   All of these questions are valuable, so we're taking it back to the basics of business s...

Making money as a thought leader is no picnic. If it was, we wouldn't cover it so much on this podcast!   But, despite upheaval in the industry and the often-cited argument that technology has nullified standard sales practices, the fundamental tenants of sales remain the same: being authentic and building trust with your potential clients.   To back this up and outline some of the ways you can re...

We've seen our fair share of sales strategies, but one of the most common is the "spray and pray" method where someone emails a huge list of potential clients, all at once with a templated email.   Is this fast? Absolutely. But is it effective? Absolutely not.   Instead of this approach, the thought leaders most skilled in sales focus on one thing: quality over quantity. In other words, they focus...

It likely comes as no surprise that your website is an integral part of your thought leadership business.   But how do you truly make the most of your website? How do you use it to boost your brand exposure or – even better – turn it into a marketing engine for your business?   The short answer is simple: invest in your other marketing channels. But here to break down the longer, more helpful answ...

In recent years, more and more speaking, consulting, and coaching businesses have shifted to fall under a bigger umbrella, that of "thought leadership."   With this shift – and as aspiring thought leaders seek to enter the space – many have also been left asking, "What exactly is a thought leader," "What is thought leadership," and "How do I become a true thought leader?"   To answer this, we're j...

Plenty of professional speakers are perfectly comfortable on stage and always were, but, believe it or not, that's not the case for everyone.   For many aspiring or even active speakers, the thought of the spotlight can be anxiety and nausea-inducing, and many resources say the same thing: You just need to be more confident in yourself.   And while this may be true in part, the only tried-and-true...

From time to time, it can be hard to not feel like things just aren't going your way. Maybe sales in your business are down, maybe you're behind on your day-to-day tasks.   Like many thought leaders, you may also be weighing whether or not you're in the right niche or offering the right products or services. Put simply, you might be feeling misaligned but unsure where or how to fix it.   Here, we'...

If there's one thing we've discussed in depth on Technically Speaking, it's the importance of learning to sell for yourself in your thought leadership business.   But the greatest, most-impactful tool in your sales toolbelt isn't actually any of your own skills – It's the testimonials from your past clients or, as they're also known, the "superfans" of your products and services.   In this episode...

One of the most common challenges we come across with clients – and one that's true throughout the thought leadership industry – is "squirrel chasing" in marketing.   Whether we're talking about social media management, creating content, building a website, or even testing paid ads, many expert business owners fall into the trap of wanting to try everything.   And, in the process, they often skip...