Alright. So there are a lot of videos about public speaking and how to do it
or how to improve in it. But what benefit is there in public speaking? I mean why
do we do it in the first place? So, that's what we're talking about today. We've got
Michelle McCullough here. This one's going to be awesome.
Alright. I'm excited to be here and have you here Michelle.
I know Michelle for many years. We've become good friends and she's
currently our chapter president for the National Speakers Association. So, I
thought this was... This would be a good person having here for this talk. 1,
because of that but also because you obviously have been doing public
speaking for a long time. Well, let's start with a fun question. Like, first of
all, just why do you like public speaking? Well, I started my public speaking career,
if you will. I guess my journey back in high school where I was a high school
debater. So, I got to compete competitively in high school and that
actually got me my college education becuase I got a scholarship to go to
college to debate and to talk. And I think that one of the things that I
really like about professional public speaking is the ability to use your
gifts, your talents, your abilities, your experiences and also words to help bring
about enormous change. And in the world that we live in where you can do so many
things digitally and this is fantastic. But having the opportunity to connect
and interact with each other through as such a simple form of communication is
really fulfilling. -That is awesome because the the word that comes to my
mind that I think you guys hear a lot on this channel its influence. -Right. -So
basically, public speaking is a great tool for influence. -Absolutely. -I
didn't know that, I didn't know that that you got a scholarship because of
speaking. -Yeah. -It was really cool. -Yeah, my elementary school teacher is called, told
my mom I was a chatterbox. But if I didn't shut up, I wasn't not going to
amount to anything. And now I get to say, "The interning or I get paid to speak." -Alright.
So, let's bring this into business and I know that both of us use public
speaking to market business. How do you do that? -Well, I think initially, I started
professionally speaking by marketing. I didn't get into it to be a keynote
speaker which I do now. But I would go to events, I would speak for free
hope that I would get leads for my business. And also hope that I would get
consulting clients and also have opportunities to sell from the stage. And
so, in the beginning, it was a revenue stream that I used for marketing and for
income. Differently than I use it now. But I think it was a great way for me to
professionally get into that space. -I mean, I found the same and I'm new in the
speaking space but I did have the opportunity to speak a couple weeks
ago at a YouTube event. A lot of people there that I've always gone and I've
networked with but just having the opportunity to be on stage. I had a swarm
of people around me for like a half-hour afterwards with all these questions and
it's like, I was been there the whole time. -Right. -Now that they had me on stage,
it was... It was a great, yeah. It really helped let people know and show people
my expertise and anyway, position me well. -Well I think that especially in your
case and in any experts case. If they're not doing speaking as part of what they
do, they're missing out an opportunity for that second level expertise. So
whether you put on your own events or whether you go to other people's events,
I think there's perceived value or perceived foundational expertise that's
there that can be really good for the audience. And also helps you connect with...
Connect with your target market. -Now, that brings up another point. So, as you're
aware years ago, I used to do like speaker video events. Where I would put
on mock events, rent stages and have my clients take the stage and I would film
them as if they were giving a public speech, right? Even clients that didn't do
public speaking but they did coaching. They love to come to these events
because then they would make a promo video promoting themselves as a coach.
But showing themselves speaking on stage, it gave them an image of credibility and authority
that I only worked with clients that had credibility and had you know, that we're
reputable and so that makes a lot of sense. That obviously speaking from the
stage. Especially if you get good at it, there's a lot of... A lot of impact that
can have on your brand. -For sure. And one of the other things I will add to that
is one of the biggest parts of marketing and where I think marketing and speaking
kind of meld together really powerfully, is that nobody wants to be a guinea pig.
And nobody wants to buy your product or buy your service. Be feeling like they're
the very first time or that they're at the beginning skate stages of your
business. And so often, speaking on a stage can provide that second level
endorsement from someone else that says "Oh, they're legitimate, they've been in
business for a while." And again, like you said, you still need to be good at
speaking but it can be a really important part of how people perceive
you and the value in your business as well. -When you are saying that, I
actually thought you're going a slightly different direction but I think it also
applies that when you're speaking on stage, people that may have seen you in
one format, now they're seeing you live and it's just a whole another way to...
Which life is always better. -Always. -So there's more connection.
There's, there's, you know, connection with with the room and just a different
experience. And so, it allows people to connect with you more and kind of make
that next step. -Mm-hmm. -Alright. So as I'm seeing you over the last several
years make some transitions. I know that initially... -And you mentioned
this monetization came from speaking from the stage and then getting leads
that went into your your business then. And now you are getting paid to keynote
now. Well let's talk about kind of both those than anything in between. What
about, how did it start and what are you doing now? -So, initially it did start from
speak to sell events where they wouldn't pay me to speak. I guess in a couple of
cases they did pay me to speak and I was able to sell as well. And the difference
is, is are you getting the money on the front end are you getting money on the
back end. And so at speak to sell events, I did everything based off of my
conversion rates and I would know after I'd done a handful to a dozen how what
percentage of the room I could convert. And so, I would offer products and
services based of that conversion rate. And so I could
go into an event with 200 people or 300 people or even 30 people and kind of
know what I was going to make based off of the products and services that I
offered. Well, in time, as much as I liked that, it became harder and harder to plan
for physical products or even to find ways to make digital products feel
tangible for people to want to buy. And so I shifted my business into the
keynote world where I get paid on the front end and I don't make a big sell on
the back end which is really hard for me now because I can go into a room and
think, "Oh my gosh, if I could sell something I could make so much more
money." But the benefit of that is also that it provides an opportunity for you
really to be the hero of the company. And so, I may not be promoting myself but I'm
getting paid on the front end to promote the business, promote the company and go
in and either help employees or partners or other business owners find that value
there. And so now, with the keynoting space, that has really been valuable
piece of my business. I still do both depending on the instance. But I'm doing
more keynoting now than speak to Sullivan's. But anyone can start in
either place. -So, let's... Maybe a go specific question on each type. If you're
speaking to sell, is your... Is your presentation kind of a whole sales
presentation that you're leading people through? Or is it more come... Because I've seen
both. -Sure. -Is it more common that you'll just give value, value, value. And then
give them an offer at the end. -So, I tend to go to the ladder. I have been to
events where I have felt like I was being sold the whole time and not
getting any content. And one of the things that I think helped me was that I
was taught very early on provide value then ask for the sale. And so, at any
event that I go to, I will offer 3 or 4 points. I will make sure it's very
content rich and I think that makes the conversion rate go up. So, that from the
very beginning, people aren't sitting down expecting a sales pitch and not
engaging. They're expecting content. And then when the sales pitch comes, they
think, "Oh, I really liked what she offered here. I think that what she's going to offer
here is going to be valuable." And so, I always let lend to the rule where it's
about 15% of your presentations. If you're speaking first 60 minutes. It's
only going to be like 6 to 12 minutes of your presentation
on a sales pitch. And the rest of it is providing specific value.
I might seed it carefully throughout the presentation. But I'm not spending the
whole time selling. -So, I have a follow-up question that I don't know the
answer for I have a guess. -Okay. -But I've seen events where they're more like
joint events where if you were to come in your to speak, have something to sell,
you'd give 50% of your earnings to the person who put on the event. Have you
done those type of events or do you mostly do where you just keep on percent
of the Commission because you're giving so much value? -So, I do both.
It depends on the organization. I have never done up to 50%. And part of that is
because I have the offerings that I offer make it really hard to offer that
type of Commission level. And so, I've only gone as high as 30 even when
people have asked for 50. -More hands on? -They're more hands-on versus digital.
So, depending... The way that I might I focused and shifted my business, I really
want people to get value and I was selling products for so long that people
weren't using. So now, I offer services or other live events. And so then it's
harder to give that much of a cost back to the organizer. But in some cases, you
know, if you come in as a value-add individual and you're providing specific
content or if you promote in advance of the event, there are some organizers that
won't require a commission on the backend. And... But either works. I'm happy
to do that. In my way, in my opinion, if somebody else is willing to fill the
room, I'm happy to give them what I would spend in marketing. So, I always consider
it that way in terms of commissions back. -Have you ever paid to speak at someone's
event because you knew you'd make more money from it? -I'll tell you one time, I
have been asked to do that hundreds of times. In my experience, those
have never converted the way that I would like them to convert based on what
you have to put in. One time, I offered to trade an amount. Which was, it was a 5
figure amount I'm not going to lie. It was a 5 figure amount they wanted for
me to be a keynote on their stage. And I had told them honestly, that I'd never
paid to speak before. And because I get paid to speak
as a keynoter. I can often express that and use that as part of the negotiation
process. But in this particular case, I offered to provide 5 figures in
promotional consideration through my social media channels, podcasts, video
series, other things that I did. and I'll tell you I made less than 4 figures
on that event. And so, where she had expected and had said there was going to be
1,500 people in the room there were 200. And I had planned for 1,500 people and
planned for 200 people to purchase the product. And so it just didn't turn out
the way that I thought it was going to be. So super leery about that. I know in
some cases it works magnificently when people guarantee a specific audience. It
hasn't been my experience. -It says something when you say you've
gotten hundreds of offers or requests or invitations like that. But you've only
kind of done once. So that... Anyway. That makes... That makes a lot of sense. -Well, I
think the best part about the speaking industry is that there are multiple ways
you can make money from it. And there are some people I know who only do it that
way. They only pay to speak on the stage and then they get income at the back end.
And so, that's fine if that works for you. -But I think there are multiple different
ways to make money and also be open to the conversation in negotiations so that
you get the right deal. I'm in a place where you know, 10 years ago or even 5
years ago, I needed more speaking engagements. Now, I'm saying no to more
speaking engagements than I actually take just because of timing and
circumstances and being booked. And so, it makes it easier for me to have some of
those negotiation conversations in a way that's mutually beneficial. -So a question
on the the keynoting side where you're getting paid to give say a 45 minute
keynote presentation. For those of you watching who are curious what what are
kind of the ranges that people can make as a as a keynoter? -Well, it depends. I
think there are celebrities and experts and ex-presidents that are making
twenty-five to fifty thousand dollars a keynote speech. Sometimes
times they're making a hundred thousand or more. But I think that generally
speaking, especially starting out. As long as you have established expertise. I'm
always leery to have this conversation because there are people who are
starting out in expertise and they should start at a small rate maybe 250
or even $500. But there are other people who have established expertise. But
they're just starting and speaking. In which case, I think 2,000 or 2,500 or even
3,500 is a good place to start. Assuming you can actually be at least
engaging while you're speaking. But then from that, I have just taken the role as
that every year that I get a certain number of speaking engagements at that
amount then I can increase it after that. And so, I'm careful there are some years
where I can increase it a few times in the year and sometimes where it takes a
couple years to increase it to where I want it to be. But I think that the
expertise should match the increase and the experience should match the increase
as a general rule. -So, a number... A nice round number is 10,000? Let's just say
the keynote is 10,000. And people can look at that and say, "Well, you're on the
stage for an hour and you're getting paid $10,000 to speak? What?" But it's real.
-Absolutely. It's a it's the value that you really bring and there's those
corporations or organizations or what's... Where... I'm looking for... Associations that
really want to bring in people and it's worth that investment for what you're
going to deliver at that event. And even in... This is... I'm familiar with that. I've
been a part of our you know NSA chapter for for many years now. But at
first, it was like just real kind of mind-boggling to me of what you can
make as a speaker. Meaning, you just go out and you give you know 50 speeches in
a year. You're making five hundred thousand in a
year. -Right. It's amazing. And you know Dan Clark famed... Hall of Fame speaker. And he
speaks all over. He says, you're not paid by the hour, you're paid by the value you
bring to that hour. And so, some of those speakers that are getting paid 5 and
6 figures really have provide a fantastic value. And I have learned now
my and Keynote fee increases incrementally over time. It's not just
that our. It's the amount of days I have to spend away from my family or my home
or days I have to spend away from additional work. And also the time and
preparation I put into that speech. And so now I get it. But I was like you just
getting started. "Oh my gosh. She makes that much? He makes that much?" But the
reality is is that they're good at what they do and it's not just that hour. It's
all the time it goes into preparation. And also the time that they spend away.
-Well, I think of the event and I'm pointing this way because that's the way
to California. That's like, "what am I pointing at." I think of... I've been I
went to a couple weeks ago. I got to speak or that they asked me to speak.
They did not pay me but they comped my flight, they comped my my stay and a
couple other things. But one of the other keynoters, I don't know how much they
paid him. But Gary Vaynerchuk, they were able to use his face in all their
marketing to promote the event. And I know... I know that there was a lot of
people that came because they know he was going to be on the stage. There was
another another guy as well. And so for you know, the organizer of this
conference to be able to invest a big chunk of change towards one or two or
three of the main keynoters to bring in a whole bunch of people, that obviously
makes a lot of sense. And so... -Well and also I will add to that from the
marketing standpoint. The residual that happens after the fact. So for example,
doTERRA Corporation that you might be familiar with. And their direct sales,
essential oil and health and wellness company. And they had Hugh Jackman come.
And they didn't announce him in advance and they didn't use him as a marketing
ploy to get people to sign up. But if you could see the social media feeds that
went absolutely bonkers after the fact where you've got 30,000 people in the
room. All who have cell phones, all who have social media accounts. And then
they're promoting that. That makes so Tara look like freaking rock stars. And
it provides what we call aggregate marketing. So, it's not just the people in
the room that there are promoting to. But the people that are outside of the room
within the networks of all of those people who are promoting.
And so, sometimes speakers can come in for that pre-marketing but also for that
post-marketing to establish a brand value. And you know, cool factor. -There you
have it. Those are the benefits of public speaking. You didn't know them before, you
definitely know them now. Be sure to subscribe and we're going to put a link to
your website at speakmichele.com. We'll put that down below. You can trigger up.
We'll see you next time.
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