For most nonfiction authors, book sales are just one of the revenue streams generated by their book. In fact, giving the book away as lead generation is one strategy to attract people into your sales funnel. Your book can be the cornerstone product that spins off workshops, coaching programs, and speaking engagements.
When I came across Dr. Judith Briles book, How to Create a $1,000,000 Speech, I was immediately intrigued by the title. Dr. Briles is the author of 37 books and is known as The Book Shepherd. Her books have been published in 16 countries, created over $5,000,000 in combined book sales and speaking fees and won more than 30 national book awards.
I will note, Dr. Briles was not referring to one event where she made $1M but consistently generating income over time which yielded multiple millions. The book opens with a discussion about why you would want to be a speaker and the answers are similar to the ones for why you wanted to write your book.
There’s a group of people who need and want to hear your message and who have problems you can show them how to solve. There may be someone in the audience at your presentation for whom your words resonate at just the right time to cause a positive change in their life.
In addition, you can meet new people, have fun, sell more books, and make money with your ideas.
Of course, the activity and preparation for speaking requires some additional skills. You have to become a performer, infusing the passion and excitement you have for your topic into your speech.
Your book identifies you as an expert and initiates a public brand around your work. Your speeches will add to your expertise and branding. Consulting and coaching that comes from your speaking will add to your branding. Sponsorships from corporations can also add to your branding making you the go-to person in your field.
One of the things I liked about the book is Dr. Briles doesn’t sugarcoat the amount of time and money needed to create a successful speaking business.
When you start down the speaking path you will be investing in things such as a website, a media kit, a video reel, speaker photos, marketing materials, and coaches.
Dr. Briles recommends creating a speaking game plan for the presentations you plan to give as well as how you will market them.
Considerations for Presentation Content
- Why should an event coordinator pick you as a speaker over someone else?
- Who is your ideal target audience?
- What will be your theme and key points?
- What stories will you tell to enhance learning?
- What will be a compelling opening and closing?
Considerations for Marketing Your Speech
- You will need a short video, less than 10 minutes in length, called a speaker reel composed of multiple clips of you speaking.
- You need to develop a range of fees for keynotes, half-day, and full-day workshops. Determine under what circumstances you will speak for free.
- You will need to set aside time to do market research, develop an outreach plan, and implement it.
Lots of insider tips and real-life experiences on the considerations above are included in the book. One tip I like is: the more you drill down into a niche the greater success you will have in your marketing and in the reception of your presentation. You will sell more books! According to Dr. Briles,
When it comes to success as a speaker it is much easier to be the whale in the pond versus the sardine in the sea.
How to Create a $1,000,000 Speech
Must Have Tools for your $1,000,000 Speech
Your website. Does it clearly say who you are and reveal what you want a meeting planner to know about you?
There should be a media tab for press releases and a store tab for books and other products. Speaker contact information should be easily accessible and allow a meeting planner to determine quickly: what you offer, whether you do keynotes, workshops, training, or webinars.
It should contain your bio, your speaker one-sheet, speaker intros, testimonials, video clips, and a variety of photos that could be used in conference brochures in Hi-Res, color, and black and white.
It should include references that are reachable and their contact info.
An online calendar. A calendar showing dates and locations where you are already booked. When speaking with meeting planners, if you’re on the phone with them ask if they are near their computer. If they are, take them to the website immediately and walk them through it. After the call, send out a postcard that has your book cover on it and a short note of thanks saying that you look forward to the opportunity of working with her/him.
A Meeting Readiness Checklist. A meeting planner should be able to easily access the following:
- A two-sentence intro that says who you are and what benefit you bring to an audience
- Three bios: short, medium, and long (50 words, 100 words, and 300 words)
- Speaker Introductions for the planner on the day of the event.
- Hi-Res images of you and your book cover, a call to action, and how to reach you via email and phone.
- Your speaker one sheet. It should be simple to read visually attractive with images, callouts, sidebars, bubbles, and colors.
The book contains details of the outreach strategy Dr. Briles implemented for her speaking business and how revenue was generated. In order of importance, revenue was generated by having a reputation as an expert in her field, referrals, phone calls she made to event planners, postcards and postal mail marketing pieces sent to meeting planners, and email. Note her least effective strategy was email. She found that good old fashioned phone call outreach was much more effective.
There are recommendations in the third part of the book for using stories, how to start and end the presentation, when or if you should take questions, when or if to use handouts, how to get referrals, and much more.
Overall, I found the book was filled with practical knowledge and advice any author can use who wants to venture into speaking.
The book can be found on Amazon.
