So many speakers have heard my joke about “doubling my debt” when I owned my Subway Sandwich Shop. As funny as it was, it was not that funny at the time.
The fact is I was not alone, so many people in this country are in financial trouble. I made all aspects of my life extremely difficult. The other fact is, I was the problem. I was making bad financial decisions and ignored where I was at. My head was in the sand and I was only burrowing deeper.
I finally realized I had to do something to turn things around. How about you? Are you ready? I got some great advice from a friend who set me up with several accounts representing my different budgets. Another huge step forward was reading T. Harv Eker’s: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind.
I helped me get rid of some “bad beliefs” I learned about money growing up. It helped me literally triple my business by clearing some things and opening up a whole new world.
Two weeks ago I dragged a friend with me to go to T Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Intensive 3 Day Seminar (free seminar). I was blown away and the seminar leader rocked, and for my friend it was life changing. I loved it and highly recommend it.. for everyone! If you are a speaker, you need to have the right business mind to thrive. I’ll be going back a third time.
If you are ready for a change - Check out the seminar: CLICK HERE
Stage time,
Darren LaCroix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking
There are people who have been helped by you (me), Toastmasters, and your(my) products and they would not have been if they were not promoted!
I sometimes get criticized for my marketing and promotion. Oh well, as I learned from Ed Tate, “That’s their stuff.” I don’t have to accept that they’re right. They are entitled to be wrong. Some people don’t think I should be able to “offer” my educational tools when I speak some places. If the client is paying my full keynote fee, I’m cool with that. If I am negotiating or speaking for no fee, I’m bringing them. That’s it bottom line. Why? I cannot possibly teach everything I know in an hour. I’m not pushy from the platform. I just offer it for those who are serious enough to take my teaching home with them.
Besides, when I walked off the stage in 2001 with the World Championship trophy, I told the president at the time I would be the greatest ambassador Toastmasters International ever had. Some of my “critics” don’t see what else I do when I donate my time to a District. Everyone has the right to be wrong. Check out this video take to show the behind the scenes at a recent District Conference, and what I did to promote Toastmasters.
I encourage the Districts to leverage the “World Champion” title to get more guests. I will convert them into members with my story. In fact… in the video, you’ll hear that at one of my club visits, their two guests joined on the spot!
Hope this give you some ideas as well for promoting yourself and what you believe in. I’m sure glad Ralph Smedley (Founder of Toastmasters) wasn’t afraid to promote!
Promotion time, promotion time, promotion time,
Darren LaCroix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking
In my opinion we must remember that we are just “part” of an event. Many times we must keep our “ego” in check and realize part of our job is to help the meeting planner “get more butts” in the seats. It also helps our own cause as well. More people in front of us, more people to possibly refer us.
I try to be the “favorite” speaker a planner has ever worked with. Though I’m far from perfect, the goal keeps me doing more than I would other wise. It is our job to provide an even planner with “good copy” that helps them sell us!
I used to also provide an Audio Post Card to event planners to send out that is an audio invitation from me to join us at the event. I’m experimenting with something I’ve never done before. Along with my goal of mastering You Tube, I’m trying to find creative ways to use it. Here is one of the first Video introductions I’ve tried…. check it out. It is about 3 minutes long. Model this and you will stand out to your meeting planners!
Stage time,
Darren LaCroix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking
PS Get other insights about how I run my speaking business (as well as how Craig Valentine runs his) in the Own the Stage program. It is ONLY for the serious! CLICK
I love to open up my business and teach other speakers the crucial steps to developing income while helping the audience in the process. This is what my own mentors had done for me. I don’t understand why other “teachers” keep secrets to themselves.
I became a “student” of educational resource creation. I learned from those who were the best, and tapped into my own experiences as a buyer. For example: I purchased one multiple CD sets from a guru in the speaking industry. Though it had several CDs in it (perceived value) each one only had 10 minutes recorded on it! OUCH! I felt cheated. Note to self, all of my CDs would be “chuck full” of content and at least 35-45 minutes in length. As a result, I have an incredibly low return rate. (Most of my programs have zero returns!)
You can, however, lose money creating product that does not sell. What is the important crucial step that makes all of the difference? Take a sneak peek inside Darren LaCroix’s crucial step to profiting by having a quality product. When speaking I believe in craving feedback, BUT when it comes to “creation of educational resources” it is the different between earning and losing money. Good promotion is important, but if it is not a quality resource it does not have “marketing legs.” People do not want to learn more from you, or come to your live programs.
Here is an actual clips of my focus group feedback session for creating my latest and most in depth speaking tool to date: Own the Stage. Click below to watch the actual focus group sessions. You’ll get valuable clues to the process for creating your own.
Stage time,
Darren LaCroix
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking
P.S. Check out this video lesson specifically for professional speakers and those who want to be
