Client Testimonial: Susan Robertson

"From free to $7,500 to $30,000 in 60 days"

Susan is an accomplished corporate consultant who hadn't cracked the speaking code - until now. Listen to her story above.
Highlights:

"I'd gotten burned before but this felt different"

"Frankly, I was thinking about giving up"

"Worth every penny"

"Got $7,500 fee 4 weeks in and several more since"

"Two weeks later, closed a $3,500 event I would've done for free"

"Talking to someone now about a 2-day program for $30,000"

"The biggest obstacle to your own success is YOU"

At Do It! Marketing, we help speakers, consultants, and experts to simplify their speaking-driven business, boost their impact and increase their income by $15K-$25K per month (or more) faster than they ever thought possible.

If that’s something you’re interested in, reach out and schedule a free speaker strategy call with our team at www.doitmarketing.com/call

On the call, we'll help you get total clarity on the business model, speaking model, and revenue model you really want, how to create it by reaching the exact clients and audiences who matter, and how to fix what's not working right now with your positioning, packaging, marketing, prospecting, outreach, and sales so that you improve your results FAST.

Go to www.doitmarketing.com/call and we'll craft a plan to help you speak more profitably.

Are you running a business, or doing favors?

Guest post by Chris DiFonzo

I fired my “snow guy” in the middle of Snowmageddon.

A neighbor referred him.

I had snow, he removes snow, it should have been that easy.

All interactions have unspoken guidelines. Sometimes obliviousness to them is forgivable. Example: An old friend asked me to mow her lawn. Secretly I loathed operating her electric mower, so I offered a neighbor’s “lawn guy” twenty bucks. He loathed being propositioned to do yard work for a stranger while he was doing a favor for a friend. My bad.

The lawn guy was a misunderstanding. The snow guy lacked a grasp on the rules. I had no idea when he would show up, had to chase him down to pay him, referred him more business, not even a thank you. I took it all in stride, until Snowmageddon.

Midstorm, and mid snow removal, the motor stops outside. Working from
the kitchen, above the driveway, I overhear him declare he is leaving and not returning because, “... they did the driveway, why didn’t they just do the rest?” And he leaves.

Fast forward, we’re on the phone, he tells me he’s coming back tomorrow. I tell him I heard what he said. He says maybe it’s not working out. I confirm.

If you’re in the business of being somebody’s fill-in-the-blank person -- marketing, finance, strategy, snow -- never act like your work is a favor.

Be clear about your commitments and theirs, say what you mean and do what you say, bill and collect for your services promptly, always demonstrate appreciation for referrals and always finish the job.

By the way, the lawn guy took the twenty. Business is business.

_______

Chris DiFonzo is a seasoned entrepreneur and sales executive. He can be reached at ChrisDiFonzo@gmail.com, on Twitter @chrisdifonzo and on Linkedin.

Want to apply for your Speaker Strategy Call to see how you can IMPLEMENT some of these concepts right away? Apply for your call here.

There is no millionaire fairy

It all started with this passionate rant...

If I see one more idiot posting about "millionaire speaker" bootcamps or info-marketing mega-courses, or moronic pitches to "work less and make more" I'm going to pop an artery because these are complete B.S.!!

You want the secret to work less and make more?

Great - here it is in three words: DELIVER. MASSIVE. VALUE.

Maybe four more words would help: WORK. YOUR. BUTT. OFF.

In addition to my main speaking and consulting work, I've made a very nice secondary income since 2008 in group coaching programs.

HOWEVER - let's not sugar-coat things, either: they are a tremendous amount of WORK. Preparation, planning, building the modules, marketing the programs, filling the classes.

And no, these aren't the $97 per month automated type of programs with canned emails and videos.

These are personally led by me in real time with real interaction and they carry a premium price tag and they are extremely well-received.

I can say with pinpoint accuracy that between 2008 and 2010, I ran...

The Speaker Marketing Toolkit program 12 times since 2008 ($144,000)
The Product Development Tookit 3 times ($28,800)
The Speaker Profit Blueprint 3 times ($23,100)
The 30-day SpeakerLiftoff program 5 times ($37,375)
The Do It! Marketing Accelerator 8 people at $277/month ($6,648)
The inaugural 2014 Book Marketing Workshop had 12 people at $777 ($9,324)

So if you truly want to leverage your time, talent, content, expertise, and experience...

You must learn to create, market and sell group coaching programs.

They're a great supplement and complement to your main business as a speaker, author, coach, consultant, or independent professional.

There is no magic bullet. There is no "millionaire fairy"... Get to work and you'll get these results.

p.s. Ready to go behind the scenes and do this for your own business? If so, then this might be exactly what you've been looking for.

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, consulting firm marketing, thought leadership marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, entrepreneurship, selling professional services, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, group coaching programs

Marketing Coach: Your Ego is Not Your Amigo

Wow.

Speechless.

As a marketing coach, I see a lot of misguided people in the marketplace but this one has to be in my Top 3 of all time...

Yup, it's been a while but here's the latest winner in the now infamous Marketing Jackass Awards...

Somebody was crazy enough to post this egomaniacal rant on Facebook.

She was complaining that (yet AGAIN) she was not hired by a prospect after slathering her self-centered egotistical slime all over them.

Shocking, right?

Take a look - and for a fun exercise, COUNT the number of times she uses the words, "I, me, and my."
Bonus question: If you were an executive on the receiving end of her pitch as she describes it, would YOU hire her? Why or why not?
Leave a comment below and let's discuss.

Here it is, straight from the source:

=====

IT HAPPENED AGAIN!!! I had a meeting with an organization leader. After going through what I have accomplished, what I am great at fulfilling to help others excel, and the list of services and products I have created WITH MY TEAM OF EXPERTS, I was indirectly asked to *downplay* my genius because many people will feel uncomfortable and jealous. Really? I am being asked to be small, to suppress my God given gifts to help others because I have to protect the ego of people who are less capable? How is that being of service to people in need? How is that being authentic, and being true to who we are, our convictions and our mission in life?

I am deeply grateful to God for blessing me with many talents and abilities. I have learned many valuable lessons in life through my own experiences, and through the wisdom of mentors who I chose to help me become the best I can be to fulfill my big mission in life. I make no excuses for the magnificent person I have become because of my experiences and choices. Not everyone will support my big mission in life, and it is ok. I stand true to my values, and my higher mission to be the voice of Hope, Courage, Inspiration, Transformation and Resilience. People need me to lead them from their places of darkness into light, and help them stand confidently in their own magnificence. People need me to find the joy, peace, healing and positive changes in their lives. It will be a disservice for me to not share all the fantastic things I can help them with, because others will feel insecure.

Not everyone will get me. And no one can stop me. I WILL BE OF SERVICE TO HUMANITY FOR THE HIGHER GOOD, IN MY OWN AUTHENTIC AND SPECTACULAR WAY. IF OTHERS ARE BLINDED BY MY LIGHT, THEY NEED TO WEAR SUNGLASSES, or stay in the shade, and not block the sun from shining on others in need of light.

=====

Here's a bonus graphic reminder for you. If you agree, please grab this image and share it with your social media networks:

ego not your amigo doitmarketing

Download this FREE Do It! Marketing Manifesto, where you'll discover the four levels of marketing and how to use each.

GET IT HERE

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, thought leadership marketing, professional services marketing, motivational speaker, professional speaker, marketing jackass, professional speaker marketing, motivational speaker marketing, marketing for consultants

The Coaching Relationship is a “Two Way Street”

Guest post by Ford R. Myers
President, Career Potential, LLC

People who are seriously considering engaging the services of a professional coach or consultant usually ask many questions about what the advisor “will do or should do” in order to make the coaching relationship work for the client. This is certainly reasonable and understandable.

However, there are also several “prerequisites” or standards that the client must meet for the engagement to produce optimum results.

Unfortunately, these criteria are rarely discussed during the “contracting process” between consultant and client.

There are at least six behaviors and attitudes which clients need to embrace to help make any coaching engagement successful:

Treat the consulting relationship as a real priority in your life (fully-invested; not an “afterthought” or a distraction)
Be coachable (open-minded, trusting, non-defensive, willing to go a bit outside of your comfort zone, flexible, committed to the process)
Show-up for appointments (in-person, via phone, on Skype)
Do your “homework” promptly (written exercises, reading, research)
Be 100% honest with your coach (candid, vulnerable, “real,” sincere, direct, unguarded)
Hold to your commitments and be “self-accountable” (with the support and structure of your coach)

In my work as an Executive Career Coach, I make it clear (either explicitly or implicitly) to prospective clients that “this is a two-way street.” Of course, I commit 100% to doing my part to the best of my ability.

But the client also has a vital role to play in the consulting relationship, with important commitments and responsibilities (listed above).

Discussing these items candidly before getting started in a new coaching engagement has proven to be a productive exercise, and it has been mutually beneficial.

Such a conversation “screens out” prospective clients who are not a good fit for my programs; it empowers clients to take full responsibility for their part of the work; it sets clear expectations and eliminates incorrect assumptions; and it allows me to hold my clients accountable when they inevitably experience resistance or avoidance during the coaching process. In other words, this dialogue clears the way for clients to achieve their goals more efficiently and productively – which makes everybody happy!

What do you think? Leave a comment below and...

Tags: marketing for coaches, consultant marketing, consulting firm marketing, thought leadership marketing, trusted advisor marketing, consulting, coaching, professional speaker marketing, marketing for consultants, doit marketing, do it marketing, small business marketing speaker, sales and marketing

Sales Speaker Mark Hunter Interview

sales speaker Mark Hunter You're about to meet one of my favorite people and a super-smart sales guru... My sales speaker pal, Mark Hunter.

Pull up a chair, grab a coffee and join us as we talk about High Profit Selling and the secrets of how YOU can sell smarter.

Good selling is all about GETTING clients and great selling is all about GETTING profits, so it makes perfect sense that Mark is an expert in both!

Get ready to take some notes on how Mark's brilliant ideas apply to YOUR business...

Get "real deal" insights on sales that will blow the competition away. See how many valuable nuggets YOU can implement in your business - right NOW!

What do you think? Please leave a comment below and let's discuss...

Tags: marketing speaker, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, marketing professional services firms, sales prospecting, selling professional services, marketing strategist, small business marketing, sales and marketing, top sales and marketing book

Thought Leadership Marketing Toolkit

Welcome to our carefully chosen list of thought leadership marketing tools. We use these tools here at Do It! Marketing World HQ and highly recommend them to our clients and partners.

Good news: Many of these tools are free. A few are not. Almost all come with a risk-free "try before you buy" option to make sure you love them as much as we do. Please note that if you decide to make a purchase, I may (and probably will) receive a small commission. This commission is at no extra cost to you, and in fact, MOST of these links contain special discounts, free trials, or bonuses only available through these links.

With that said, please dig in and take full advantage of these hand-selected resources. They will help your business thrive, scale and grow -- just as they have helped ours!

Email Marketing: ConstantContact | Aweber | PopupDomination

Shopping Cart: KickstartCart | Infusionsoft

Social Media: Tweetadder

Online Audio/E-learning: AudioAcrobat | JigsawBox | Ruzuku

Graphics: Pixabay | ReciteThis | PicMonkey | MyECoverMaker

Webinar/Screen Sharing: Screenr | StealthSeminar | AnyMeeting

Ecommerce: PayPal | Clickbank | Infusionsoft

Landing Pages: LeadPages | Unbounce | LaunchRock

Website Builder: Strikingly

What would YOU add to this list? Use the comments section below and fire away!!

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing speaker, consultant marketing, thought leadership marketing, marketing professional services, professional services marketing, trusted advisor marketing, marketing expert, email marketing, marketing for trainers, marketing professional services firms, marketing ideas, marketing strategist, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, thought leadership, doit marketing, do it marketing

Marketing Speaker: Business Card Kung Fu

Marketing speaker David Newman shares tips, techniques, and examples of powerful marketing through the effective design and use of business cards.

What does YOUR business card say about you, your company, and your offerings?

Marketing Speaker David Newman thinks it's more than you may realize. Watch this quick clip and improve the marketing effectiveness of your business card TODAY!

Marketing Speaker Geoff Ramm Interview

You're about to meet one of my favorite people and a super-smart marketer... My marketing speaker pal from the UK, Geoff Ramm.

Pull up a chair, grab a coffee and join us as we talk about Observational Marketing Greats and the power of Celebrity Service.

Great marketing is all about GETTING clients and great service is all about KEEPING clients, so it makes perfect sense that Geoff is an expert in both!

Get ready to take some notes on how Geoff's brilliant ideas apply to YOUR business...

Get "real deal" insights on marketing smarter and service that will blow the competition away. See how many valuable nuggets YOU can implement in your business - right NOW!

What do you think? Please leave a comment below and let's discuss...

Tags: marketing for speakers, video, interview, professional services marketing, celebrity service, Geoff Ramm, marketing coach, OMG marketing

Thought Leader’s Bookshelf 2014

Thought Leader’s Bookshelf 2014

Here are 7 books filled with great ideas that every thought-leading entrepreneur and executive needs to read, absorb, and implement.

If you want to be considered a genuine expert by your prospects, clients, customers, followers, subscribers and fans, these 7 books are your go-to resource library. Enjoy!

BONUS: Here's a great slide deck on thought leadership from Art Kleiner of Strategy & Business magazine, put out by Booz & Company:

Got some other great book recommendations along these lines? Please use the COMMENTS area below and join the conversation...

Tags: marketing for speakers, marketing for coaches, thought leadership marketing, professional services marketing, marketing expert, small business marketing expert, professional speaker marketing, motivational speaker marketing, marketing for authors, marketing for consultants, thought leadership, small business marketing speaker

Do It! Marketing Blog: Marketing for Smart People™