WHY TSL?
I actually I didn’t have a speaking business at the time I found The Speaker Lab. I was a coach and I was trying to build a coaching business. I was struggling with my marketing and so I looking for additional ways to get my name out there in a more efficient way. I really loved performing and speaking, it was always fun to me. So I started looking for some additional things I can offer and The Speaker Lab came up in one of my searches. I really loved the format of the Booked and Paid To Speak Elite program.
I looked into several different programs, but The Speaker Lab had it all; coaching, templates, and an actual process to get your speaking business going. This was important to me because I understood that it was a business. It wasn’t just creating a great talk and selling that talk. I knew I needed help in the running the business part of being a speaker and TSL definitely was the answer for this gap. Today I speak on burnout prevention for people in leadership positions and how to use failure as a tool to launch your success.
WHAT WERE SOME A-HA’S AND TAKEAWAYS?
Honestly, the biggest thing that’s been most helpful for me has been the email templates. They really helped me put prospecting into perspective. I am a connector at heart. So having these templates helped me keep my outreach emails short and sweet. They also helped because I honestly didn’t know what to say at first!
The mindset around prospecting. It’s not let me send a hundred emails and be done. It’s, let me send a hundred emails and keep sending more. Working the pipeline has to be a part of your daily process as a speaker. Having this mindset that this is just something we have to do has really helped with expectations and outcomes.
Also, the content in the modules. There is so much in there to help in all areas of our speaking businesses. Just watching Grant’s very first demo reel recording was super helpful, because I realized that my demo didn’t have to be perfect – it just had to be.. Having the modules is a tool that I use as I am working my business. There are times I go back in just to refresh my memory on certain things.
WHAT IS YOUR NEW NORMAL AS A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER?
My first new normal is I realized early on that working my pipeline was an energy suck for me. I knew if I was going to be successful I needed to hire someone to support me in this process. So I did!
The other new normal is I am no longer willing to speak for free when negotiating a speaking gig. I will happily do serviced based speaking that is pro-bono – I know there are people who need to hear my message and I am happy to choose when that works for me. However, when it comes to negotiating contracts for speaking gigs that people are seeking speakers for, I am no longer available to do those for free.
This year my goal was to complete 22 speaking events and as of today, I have completed 21! I’ve now spoken in 5 states, so am finally getting to travel to speak.
WHO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO THE SPEAKER LAB?
If you are someone who is interested in speaking in order to make an impact, I would say go for it, because we’ve always been rewarded in our lives when we’ve taken the leap.
If you ignore that burning desire, it’ll just stir and stir. In five years you’ll go, well, why didn’t I just go for it? It’s certainly an investment. But I truly believe any investment in yourself just means that you’re going to grow. Additionally, I believe that it is always worth investing in something that truly matters to you. It means you will do the work and you’ll be coachable – which is really important in this process.
If you are serious and committed you will be a success. The Speaker Lab has a proven system of which thousands of students have successfully gone through. You seriously have everything you need, now all you have to do is say YES to your dream of being a professional paid speaker.
