Monday Morning Marketing Tip - May 30, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This Memorial Day, please join me in honoring the thousands

of soldiers who sacrificed to make our freedom in America possible.

This week's focus:

A speakers bureau can be a great source of new speaking engagements. However, most reputable bureaus only work with popular, in-demand authors and leaders. If you're new to the speaking profession and relatively unknown, you will find it hard to get on their roster. These organizations tend to gravitate towards bestselling authors, well-known athletes, celebrities, and active politicians.

The best way to get the attention of a particular bureau is by showing how your message is different from any other speaker they represent. If you know a speaker who is already on their roster, ask that person to make an introduction for you. Schedule a meet-and-greet by phone or in-person and give several examples of the results you've produced for audiences in the past. Be prepared to provide a top-notch video demo and several testimonials from nationally-known leaders.

Some authors mistakenly believe that speakers bureaus do all of the marketing legwork and magically setup a ton of new engagements. This is a big misconception, because bureaus usually promote just their top tier speakers and let the lower level speakers fend for themselves. If you're not a big-time personality, you will be lucky to get a promotional spot in their annual catalog mailing and a mention on their company website.

The benefit of speakers bureaus is that they can get authors access to high-profile events due to behind-the-scenes connections. Bureau agents work hard to build relationships with event planners and trade show directors. These relationships pay off as the event director contracts their speaker needs to the bureau. When the bureau receives a request, they will recommend you if you're considered the right fit for the event.

The price of working with a speakers bureau is the 15% - 20% commission they take from your speaking fee. Therefore, I don't recommend that authors work with bureaus unless you're so busy that you need someone for administrative help. If you do go with a bureau, never sign an exclusive arrangement. Always keep your options open to be represented by several bureaus at the same time.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th - Signup early and save money

Advanced Book Marketing Workshop for Authors:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Click here for details and registration.

Take Rob with you on your iPod or Smartphone:

Rob Eagar's 5-hour teaching series, Speak and Sell Books in Any Market, is now available as a mp3 file download and 5-CD audio set. Even better, the previous price of $125 has been reduced to an amazingly-low $75 for the mp3 format and only $99 for the CD's. Click here to purchase now, and you could be listening to Rob's top-level instruction within minutes on your computer, iPod, or smartphone.

To receive Rob's Monday Morning Marketing Tips sent directly to your email inbox,

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - May 23, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This week's focus:

As we enter the 2012 presidential election cycle, Barack Obama and most of the Republican candidates are releasing videos to announce their official bid for the job. These videos have become an important marketing tool to promote their agenda and draw more votes. In many ways, however, these presidential videos are no different than the book trailers that authors and publishers use to promote their books.

As I've watched these videos, though, I've been surprised to see that most of these politicians are making the same mistake that tends to hinder book sales for authors and publishers. The mistake is that none of these men answer the question, "What's in it for me?" Instead, they tend to ramble about their past, use cliché political jargon, and list the various problems that America faces.

This is a problem because you and I already know that stuff. Tell me something I don't know. Thus, we don't need politicians giving us their background stories and recounting all of our current struggles. That's not effective. Instead, their videos would more powerful if they listed specific results they've helped create in the past - and connect those results to America at large today.

This political mistake is similar to when authors talk about the topic of their book, rather than the results they produce. Nobody cares about the topic of a book. Instead, people want to know why they should spend their hard-earned money and time on a book. How will you specifically make their life better? Will your fiction inspire the reader to view the world differently? Will your non-fiction help the reader overcome a challenge or learn a new skill?

Politicians want more votes. Authors want more book sales. The best road to reach both of those goals is to focus on how you make the public better off. You may not become the next president, but your book will be elected and re-elected in bookstores across America.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th - Signup early and save money

Advanced Book Marketing Workshop for Authors:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Register early by May 27th and only pay $499! (Lowest price ever)

Click here for details and registration.

To receive Rob's Monday Morning Marketing Tips sent directly to your email inbox,

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - May 16, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This week's focus:

Recently, I was helping some of my clients improve their public speaking skills. Part of my coaching process involved reviewing video recordings of new speeches that they had given for the first time. Unfortunately, I had to tell these clients that their presentations were missing the mark. These individuals stumbled through their words and looked uncomfortable on stage. In addition, their speeches lacked focus, and they rambled through too much information.

As I relayed my feedback to these clients, they agreed with my comments and strived to work on the problems. However, I was shocked when I closed out our discussion with a simple question, "Did you practice your speech before you presented it in public?" In every case, each client confessed "no." Their reasons ranged from "I was too busy to practice," "I ran out of time," or "I didn't want to sound canned." Frankly, these are lame excuses. Let me explain.

When you avoid practicing a speech, you act like a student in school who avoids studying for a big test. If you have kids, I expect that you want your children to do their homework and study for school, right? Do you think your child would pass a test if he or she never studied? Likewise, you won't pass the test of public speaking if you don't make time to practice. Is practicing fun? No. Neither is studying for a test. But, it's crucial to your success.

By the way, practicing doesn't mean "just look over your notes." Real practice means standing by yourself in a quiet room and going through your entire speech out loud. You don't have to memorize your speech, except for the opening section. The point is to let your mind get comfortable processing the material from beginning to end. This prevents you from stuttering and rambling through your content. Your ultimate goal should be to know your material so well that you mentally "own it." This means you know your speech forwards and backwards and could adjust your message on the fly if a difficult situation happened. If you want people to pay money to hear your speak, then you deserve to give the audience more than an unrehearsed presentation where you show up and try to "wing it."

Some of you reading this tip have a lot more at stake than trying to pass a simple test at school. Your career and your income potential are on the line. Thus, you can't afford to ignore the responsibility to continually practice your speeches. And, don't believe the myth that practicing will make you sound canned. Practice doesn't make you sound canned...practice makes you sound like a pro.

Here's the bottom line. If you want to be a professional speaker (a.k.a - someone who makes a lot of money speaking in public), then you must treat it like a real job, not a hobby in your spare time. If you can't find the time to practice, then you're in no position to be a public speaker. Go do something else. However, I can assure you that consistent practice will position you to move up the speaker scale, make more money, and spread your message like wildfire. And, that's what we all want to see happen.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th - Signup early and save money

Advanced Book Marketing Workshop for Authors:

How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob Eagar by phone and email.

Register early by May 27th and only pay $499! (Lowest price ever)

Click here for details and registration.

Take Rob with you on your iPod or Smartphone:

Rob Eagar's 5-hour teaching series, Speak and Sell Books in Any Market, is now available as a mp3 file download and 5-CD audio set. Even better, the previous price of $125 has been reduced to an amazingly-low $75 for the mp3 format and only $99 for the CD's. Click here to purchase now, and you could be listening to Rob's top-level instruction within minutes on your computer, iPod, or smartphone.

To receive Rob's Monday Morning Marketing Tips sent directly to your email inbox,

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - May 9, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

This week's focus:

Disregard all feedback that you receive in the heat of the moment. As humans, we have an innate ability to sense when another person feels vulnerable. Therefore, people tend to avoid saying what they really think to someone in a sensitive moment, such as just after hearing someone speak in public or looking through a book while the author is standing there. Instead, people will usually say something nice just to placate the situation and avoid an awkward moment. Thus, don't pay attention to immediate feedback. Listen to what people say after time has passed, when they're more inclined to share an honest comment.

In addition, only pay attention to people you trust and consistent patterns of feedback. Ignore random comments from unqualified individuals, or you'll get blown around like a leaf fluttering helplessly in the wind. Instead, look for patterns and majority views in the feedback that you receive. Once is chance, twice is a coincidence, but three times marks a pattern. Make changes based on patterns of trusted feedback, not arbitrary remarks by a stranger. You don't want to live life jerked around by any person's haphazard comment.

Join Rob in Atlanta, GA on July 9th - Signup early and save money

Book Marketing Workshop for Authors: How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of additional follow-up with Rob by phone and email.

Register early by May 27th and only pay $499! (Lowest price ever)

Click here for details and registration.

Take Rob with you on your iPod or Smartphone:

Rob Eagar's 5-hour teaching series, Speak and Sell Books in Any Market, is now available as a mp3 file download and 5-CD audio set. Even better, the previous price of $125 has been reduced to an amazingly-low $75 for the mp3 format and only $99 for the CD's. Click here to purchase now, and you could be listening to Rob's top-level instruction within minutes on your computer, iPod, or smartphone.

To receive Rob's Monday Morning Marketing Tips sent directly to your email inbox,

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.

Monday Morning Marketing Tip - May 2, 2011

Rob Eagar's Monday Morning Marketing Tip

is written to help authors, publishers, and organizations

spread their message like wildfire.

I want to thank everyone who signed up for my free teleconference interview

with Lysa TerKeurst last week. If you registered for the call, be sure to check your email inbox for a link to the recorded audio file.

This week's focus:

I made a surprising discovery last week as over 200 people signed up by email for my teleconference call with Lysa TerKeurst. More than 90% of the people who registered sent me messages with unprofessional email signature files. In some cases, I was lucky to see a full name and website address for the sender's contact information. Most emails that I received reflected poorly on the professionalism of the sender.

Folks, if you want other people to take you seriously and treat you with respect, then you have to present a professional image online. The "other people" I'm talking about include publishers, business leaders, ministry directors, literary agents, editors, and even a high-level marketing consultant like me. If you send someone an email that is devoid of normal contact information, you're implying, "I'm an amateur...don't take me seriously."

I'm not saying this to be critical. I'm saying this to help you take advantage of all the opportunities that could arise. The emails you send get forwarded and replied-to by other people. Thus, your online image is important, because make assumptions about who you are based on what they see. So, you can't afford to send shoddy messages that could work against you. For those who aren't up-to-date on basic email etiquette, here's a quick tutorial:

Email signature file lesson 101 - copy this template:

Rob Eagar (your name)

WildFire Marketing (your company/organization)

Phone: 1-800-267-2045 (your toll-free, office, or cell phone number)

Web: www.StartaWildFire.com (your website address)

Email: Rob@startawildfire.com (your email address)

The expertise to help you spread your message like wildfire! (your brand tagline)

(Mailing address or P.O. Box is nice, but optional)

Don't shoot yourself in the foot by sending unprofessional emails for business correspondence. Act like an expert, and you'll find that people will treat you like one.

Big Announcement:

Rob's Next Author Workshop Scheduled for July 9th

Book Marketing Workshop for Authors: How to Sell Books Like WildFire!

Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.
All attendees receive 30 days of follow-up with Rob by phone and email.

Register early by May 27th and only pay $499! (Lowest price ever)

Click here for details and registration.

Special Product Announcement:

Rob Eagar's 5-hour teaching series, Speak and Sell Books in Any Market, is now available as a mp3 file download and 5-CD audio set. Even better, the previous price of $125 has been reduced to an amazingly-low $75 for the mp3 format and only $99 for the CD's. Click here to purchase now, and you could be listening to Rob's top-level instruction within minutes on your computer, iPod, or smartphone.

To receive Rob's Monday Morning Marketing Tips sent directly to your email inbox,

click here.

© Rob Eagar 2011. All rights reserved.