Back of the Room Sales

I know as an author, speaking is an integral process that will decide the level of my success. If I don’t speak, I’ll never gain that unknown audience. It is so valuable to all authors to be comfortable speaking in all types of audiences.

When I was introduced to speaking, it was by my mentor Ed. He took me to lunch to a Lion’s Club group and just before we finished eating he leaned over and told me I was the guest speaker for the day. I still get butterflies when I think of how I felt. I got up and spoke about efficiency concepts for entrepreneurs. I don’t actually know what I said, but I finished, sat down, or more accurately, nearly collapsed.

A year after Ed began taking me to various service organizations I had a young woman who approached me after I was finished to tell me that she had heard me six months previously and what I said saved her from shutting down her business. When she went back to her office and analyzed her business data, she realized she was loosing $3000 a month. Six months later, based on a few changes I had suggested, her profit had sky rocketed to $6,000 a month.

I became hooked on the power of speaking and inspiring others to do more with less, become  more effective, productive and profitable.

It wasn’t long after that a group at the Filipino Chamber Association asked if I had my talk on a cassette they could take with them. So,  I went to a studio in San Francisco, spent three hours recording an hour long presentation, had the studio add a music intro and ending. I created a nice looking graphic for the cassette cover and even made my own labels. I sold an average of ten for $10, every time I spoke.

I now have 96 products, books, CD’s, ebooks and even a couple of DVD’s. I have single CD’s and 12-set CD’s. It’s quite a large variety.

You will always want to offer your audience the ability to take you home with them in some form of media.

Speaking on Cruises

One of the major benefits of being an author is being able to speak on cruises.

The first cruise I went on was because a speaker had to cancel at the last minute and I was whisked away with 3 days notice to Miami where I caught a 10-day cruise to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Panama, Cozemal and several ports.

I spoke one hour each of 4 days and had audiences from 10 to 2,500! The topic was about communications and I think I was up against Bingo the day there was only 10. But the activities director doesn’t mind how many people attend, as speakers, we’re part of the on board entertainment while at sea.

That leaves all days in port free for you to explore the exotic cities at your leisure.

One of my favorite things was to join in large tables for dinner. When I came to the dining room I announced to the maitre d’ “One to join, please!”

I’d end up meeting 10 to 12 people each evening and rarely sat with anyone I had already met.

After the first day of speaking, I heard whispers as I was walking through the dining room, people would point me out, saying my name as though I were a celebrity!

Since we’re considered entertainment staff, we only pay for our port fees (about $250) and you may bring another passenger with you for the same fee.

It was a lot of fun and an exciting way to spend a vacation.