As a consumer, fending off salespeople can be exhausting, but, on the flip side, most business owners don't love the act of selling either. It can feel "grimy," like you're chasing after potential clients to take their money.   According to sales and marketing expert David Newman, this typically happens when business owners don't give anything away until after people become clients., but it doesn't have to be that way.   In his words, "What if you treated everyone like a client and gave...

We've talked a LOT about business systems on this podcast, but for many thought leaders, the challenge remains: how to get past the fear and overwhelm of restructuring the tech and processes that make your business run.   This is especially true if you're starting from ground zero or if you have a lot of old systems to clean up first.   One thought leader that knows this journey firsthand is speaker, sales coach, and emotional intelligence expert Merit Kahn.   When we first connected...

Building a sales process is a mammoth task to tackle, so in this episode, we're focusing on the inside scoop of sales for experts who speak professionally.   Joining us is speaker, author, and the creator of the Speaker Intel Engine Sam Richter.   A member of the National Speaker Hall of Fame, Sam is considered one of the world's foremost sales intelligence experts and was named one of the Top 50 Sales Keynote Speakers in the world and a Top Sales Coach by the Coach Foundation.   He's...

Thought leadership, as an industry, in an undeniably glamorous one, and what better way to showcase your business than killer photos?   With the right photographer, your action and headshots can elevate your perception and make you stand out from the crowd. Plus, they're great to have on hand for social posts or media kits.   That said, for aspiring or new thought leaders, a professional photographer isn't always in the budget. Even so, you can still create killer photos by shooting them...

Perhaps the biggest goal among professional speakers is to build a referral engine. When this happens, past and existing clients consistently refer new leads to you, making the booking process like shooting fish in a barrel.   Unfortunately, many speakers aren't yet in this position. You may not be there yourself, and that's totally fine!   To help you get there, we're joined by author, speaker, coach, and owner of the Speaker Lab Grant Baldwin.   As a speaker, Grant has mastered the...

For many thought leaders, the transition to owning their own business doesn't happen overnight. It's a slower process where working as an expert is more like freelancing, at least until that work can support a full-time salary.   So how do you speed this process up? How do you make the jump from part-time to full-time thought leadership?   Answering this is marketing expert, business coach, agency owner, and speaker Alex Schlinsky.   Also known as the "Iron Man of Marketing," Alex has...

If you've ever thought to yourself, as you're knocking out daily tasks in your business, "I just want leads to come to me," you're far from alone.   And one of the most common ways to attract leads is a simple one: lead magnets or, in other words, free resources for your target audience that they can only access after providing some degree of contact information.   Joining us to break down this topic is the owner of Pibworth Professional Solutions, Lauren Pibworth.   As a marketing...

You may have already heard the phrase "delegate and elevate" when it comes to smaller, day-to-day tasks in your business.   But what about the bigger projects? How do you know when you should hire someone to help you improve and, even more importantly, how do you build an openminded approach to your business systems?   In this episode, we're joined by speaker and economist Andrew Busch to answer these questions and get an inside look at his speaking business.   For the last three years,...

When ramping up your business's marketing efforts, it can be tempting to think, "I need to do everything possible." Think creating blogs, recording podcasts, revamping your website, starting paid ads, posting on social media, creating lead magnets – the list is endless.   But, all in all, these are just options, and if you truly want to make a difference, you need to first prioritize the ones you need most.   To help work through this, we're joined by marketing expert Michael Buzinski. ...

At the beginning of each new quarter and each new year, it's vital for thought leaders to reevaluate their business.   What goals did you set at the end of the last quarter or year? Are you hitting those goals? What's prevented you from doing so, and how can you improve your business's performance next time?   All of these questions are valuable, so we're taking it back to the basics of business strategy.   Here to lend his expertise and answer the question, "What is a business...

Making money as a thought leader is no picnic. If it was, we wouldn't cover it so much on this podcast!   But, despite upheaval in the industry and the often-cited argument that technology has nullified standard sales practices, the fundamental tenants of sales remain the same: being authentic and building trust with your potential clients.   To back this up and outline some of the ways you can remain true to these "core values" of successful sales, we're joined by speaker, author, and...

We've seen our fair share of sales strategies, but one of the most common is the "spray and pray" method where someone emails a huge list of potential clients, all at once with a templated email.   Is this fast? Absolutely. But is it effective? Absolutely not.   Instead of this approach, the thought leaders most skilled in sales focus on one thing: quality over quantity. In other words, they focus on a few leads at a time and customize their outreach.   To break down this approach in...

It likely comes as no surprise that your website is an integral part of your thought leadership business.   But how do you truly make the most of your website? How do you use it to boost your brand exposure or – even better – turn it into a marketing engine for your business?   The short answer is simple: invest in your other marketing channels. But here to break down the longer, more helpful answer is marketing guru and the owner of Interrobang Digital, David Hornreich.   David takes a...

In recent years, more and more speaking, consulting, and coaching businesses have shifted to fall under a bigger umbrella, that of "thought leadership."   With this shift – and as aspiring thought leaders seek to enter the space – many have also been left asking, "What exactly is a thought leader," "What is thought leadership," and "How do I become a true thought leader?"   To answer this, we're joined for a second time by differentiation expert Mark Levy.   As a speaker, consultant,...

Plenty of professional speakers are perfectly comfortable on stage and always were, but, believe it or not, that's not the case for everyone.   For many aspiring or even active speakers, the thought of the spotlight can be anxiety and nausea-inducing, and many resources say the same thing: You just need to be more confident in yourself.   And while this may be true in part, the only tried-and-true way to boost your speaking skills AND your confidence is – you guessed it – practice.   In...

From time to time, it can be hard to not feel like things just aren't going your way. Maybe sales in your business are down, maybe you're behind on your day-to-day tasks.   Like many thought leaders, you may also be weighing whether or not you're in the right niche or offering the right products or services. Put simply, you might be feeling misaligned but unsure where or how to fix it.   Here, we're joined by problem solver, organizational strategist, and humanitarian Steve Fredlund to...

If there's one thing we've discussed in depth on Technically Speaking, it's the importance of learning to sell for yourself in your thought leadership business.   But the greatest, most-impactful tool in your sales toolbelt isn't actually any of your own skills – It's the testimonials from your past clients or, as they're also known, the "superfans" of your products and services.   In this episode, we're talking all about superfans including how to define them AND how to ensure every...

One of the most common challenges we come across with clients – and one that's true throughout the thought leadership industry – is "squirrel chasing" in marketing.   Whether we're talking about social media management, creating content, building a website, or even testing paid ads, many expert business owners fall into the trap of wanting to try everything.   And, in the process, they often skip the necessary groundwork, such as identifying your ideal client and narrowing your focus...

A single search for "sales strategies" produces a ton of amazing advice... but also a fair amount of garbage or (put more kindly) myths about sales that can lead you astray.   "Cold outreach is pointless" is a common one. We also hear many thought leaders argue that "You can't build trust with cold outreach" and "objections mean you're not going to close the sale."   The good news is that none of these statements are true, and there are a variety of ways to ensure predictable revenue in...

It's common knowledge among business owners – regardless of industry – that one of the best ways to win over potential clients is through video testimonials.   Whether they show past clients highlighting their experience working with you or outlining the results you generated for them, video testimonials go a long way in building trust, establishing your authority, and ultimately showing your ideal clients that you're a good fit for them.   Where it gets tricky is when you initially ask...

If you're a regular listener of Technically Speaking, you already know how many of our guests are professional speakers, and you've likely heard a few of their episodes about boosting your speaking skills.   But what about when you're not on stage? How does speaking tie into the other aspects of running a business?   Even more importantly, can being a better speaker boost your business in other ways?   The short answer is "yes," and to tell us the "how" and "why" behind that answer,...

Whether you're an experienced salesperson or not, chances are one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of your sales process is "the pitch," when you present your offer to a potential client.   But what if your pitch didn't have to be a dry, run-of-the-mill list of why someone should buy from or hire you?   What if, instead, it was a chance for you to build an emotional connection and establish a relationship that fuels one if not many purchases?   Find out in this episode, featuring...

Among thought leaders – but especially among professional speakers – one of the most common questions is, "How do I get represented by a speakers bureau?"   We've danced around this question on this show and covered many of the surrounding questions, such as "How do bureaus work?" and "What is it like to run a bureau?"   But the one we're focusing on in this episode – and the one that leads to that core, first question – is simple: What do bureaus look for when they're adding a speaker to...

If you're like most people, you've probably thought at one time or another, "I don't get paid enough for this..."   And, if you're an expert business owner, that thought was also likely followed by, "There has got to be a way to charge more for the products and services I'm providing my clients."   And you're right! You definitely do, and in this episode, we're joined by business speaker and coach Matt Essam to discuss just that.   The author of "Create & Prosper," Matt coaches on a...

We've all seen companies that plaster inclusive language across their marketing channels.   But, as most of us already know, inclusivity isn't a PR stunt or a marketing buzzword, and practicing inclusivity can truly make a difference if you do so consistently.   Here to remind us of that and highlight ways to become more inclusive is the author of "The Little Book of Belonging – Your Weekly Guide to Inclusive Habits" Jackie Handy.   With over a decade of experience in learning and...