Synopsis
Grant Baldwin from The Speaker Lab podcast will be sharing speaking business tactics, tips, and strategies from his own experience, case studies, and interviewing the experts. Whether you're just getting started trying to get your first booking or you're a veteran speaker looking to build and grow your business, this is for you. Grant has built a multiple six-figure per year business as a speaker having presented to over 500,000 people in over 450 paid speaking gigs. We'll talk about speaker marketing, working with speaker bureaus and agents, building your platform, negotiating fees, social media marketing, networking, storytelling, humor, operating the business and so much more!
Episodes
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How to Never Lose a Customer Again with Joey Coleman
07/08/2018 Duration: 39minWouldn't it be great if you knew how to never lose a customer again? Absolutely! To give us insights is the man who literally wrote the book on this subject: Joey Coleman.Joey is a full-time speaker who talks to companies about what they can do to keep their customers, especially in the first 100 days of a new customer's journey and how to keep that customer coming back for more.We dive into those topics as well as his one tip for providing an exceptional experience for your speaking clients. Hear what that tip is and much more on episode 197 of The Speaker Lab! THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: What percentage of customers stop doing business with a company before their 100 day anniversary?How did he double his speaking fee with one gig?How did he rack up over 4,000 hours of speaking before he gave he became a full-time speaker?While speaking why does he give examples of both big clients and small clients?Do you need to tell your audience you are a professional speaker?Did he actually close hi
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How Customizing Improves You as a Speaker with Chris Hogan
31/07/2018 Duration: 28minHave you ever listened to a speaker and felt like they knew you and your fellow audience members personally? That feeling makes all the difference as a listener, but it also makes a difference for the speaker.Here to tell us how customizing improves you as a speaker is our Chris Hogan, our guest on today's episode of The Speaker Lab.Chris is part of Ramsey's Solutions, Dave Ramsey's company and has been for the last 13 years. Over time, Chris has evolved from coaching pro athletes, entertainers and musicians to traveling the globe giving customized speeches to Fortune 100 companies.On this episode of The Speaker Lab we also talk about how he balances his family with giving close to 100 talks a year, plus what it means to be a good leader. Join us for all of that and more with Chris Hogan on episode 196 of The Speaker Lab! THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: Why was his first gig a "hot mess" and what can it teach you about being a better speaker?What does his process look like today when giving a
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Being Your Authentic Self on Social Media with Michael Barber
24/07/2018 Duration: 33minWhy is being your authentic self on social media important to your speaking career? The answers are on this episode, and it's an extra special one. We're doing something today we have never done before: Melanie Deziel is your host, not me.Joining her is Michael Barber, a marketing expert and talented speaker who is sharing how speakers can show up as their authentic selves on social media and on stage, plus the 3 different types of content speakers should share online to market themselves and how your day job can compliment your speaking and vice versa.This is a phenomenal and fun interview covering those topics and much more so be sure to listen in to episode 195 of The Speaker Lab! THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: What are you amplifying when you take the stage?What are two ways you can be more you on social media?Why you've got to be okay with sharing the real you.What are the three categories for what to share and what not to share on social media?Why is email still the #1 social media cha
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How to Get Attention and More Clients with Neen James
17/07/2018 Duration: 33minKnowing how to get attention in today's increasingly digital world is no small feat, and our guest is here to fill us in. If you've listened to the show for awhile you may remember her from episode 124 - Ms. Neen James.She's a rare repeat guest and we make great use of her visit on today's The Speaker Lab. We talk about attention: getting and keeping attention from potential clients and even other speakers, and how to pay attention.We're also talking about the grind of speaking and how to stay positive and not give up. Neen is a long-time speaker who knows the ups and downs of building and maintaining a speaking career, together we talk candidly about our own experiences of the highs and the lows. There's much to learn from Neen so settle in and join us on this episode of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: How to go analogue in a digital world.What's the absolute best marketing tool?How peanut butter and jelly landed her a client.What is her approach for using a CRM effectively?
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How to Improve Your Life Through Networking with David Burkus
10/07/2018 Duration: 32minDo you hate the idea of networking or do you see it as an opportunity to give to others? For some networking has a negative connotation, but our guest is here to set the record straight and tell you how to improve your life through networking.David Burkus is a successful author who considers himself a writer first, and a speaker second. He's written several best-sellers including his latest book called Friend of a Friend., which is specifically about how to enjoy networking.On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, we'll specifically talk about what most of us do wrong when networking, and what we should instead. David will tell us how to actually connect with other speakers, and do it in a way that fosters real connection, and he'll explain how to find out who you already know to help you find gigs. Buckle up and get ready to enjoy this episode of The Speaker Lab with David Burkus. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: What are the biggest mistakes most people make when networking at an event?Wh
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Preparing For Your Speech
03/07/2018 Duration: 30minPreparing for your speech is an important aspect of giving a great talk and here to give us her trade secrets is Melanie Deziel.If you've been here before you know Melanie is a frequent co-host of the show and she joins us again on The Speaker Lab to give you a breakdown of her personal speaking preparations.We give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we each rehearse and get ready for the stage. We specifically talk about music we listen to, food we eat or don't eat, how much we hydrate, and what else we do in the hours leading up to the talk. Get your head right and body right before you take the stage, hear how on this edition of The Speaker Lab! THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: How far ahead of time should you have your content down pat?How to use voice recording to help you in preparing for your speech.Why not to touch your content the hour before you go on stage.What is the best way to prepare your voice for your speech?Should you work out the day you are speaking?What to
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The Technical Aspects of Using Slides
26/06/2018 Duration: 27minOn episode 191 of The Speaker Lab, we're talking about the technical aspects of slides when you're speaking: the pros and the cons, and how to deal with the cons.As a recap from last week's episode, our co-host Melanie Deziel is here with us for part two of our talk on slides. She's a fan of slides, and uses them with almost all of her presentations. As she says, she's all about the slides!It's not that I'm not a fan of slides it's just that they can really make or break a presentation. There's a lot that can go wrong when you're using slides, and today we'll help you avoid those mistakes.Join us to hear how to do so and how to address all the technical aspects of using slides properly on today's episode of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: Powerpoint or Keynote: is one better than the other?What's the best size to use for your slides?What types of file will most clients want your slides to be created in?How to make friends with the A/V people.When can you include Internet-depen
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Should You Use Slides During Your Speech? Part I
19/06/2018 Duration: 32minShould you use slides as a speaker? Some say yes, some say no and some say it depends! To weigh on whether or not you should use slides during your speech we're bringing back our lovely and talented co-host Ms. Melanie Deziel for this edition of The Speaker Lab.We'll be debating about the pros and cons of using slides as well as customizing slides, and using text, video and images in your slides. Melanie uses slides in almost all of her speeches, and I rarely use them so you'll hear both sides!On next week's episode, the second half of this interview, we'll get into the technical side of slides from dimensions to formats to using your own equipment or not. Be sure to visit us again to hear the details, and tune in to episode 190 of The Speaker Lab this week. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: How to be sure your slides are enhancing your speech.Can you provide two different versions of your slides? If so, how?Are there certain fonts and font sizes you should use?Why you should sit at the back of
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How to Put Yourself Out There with Nicole Walters
18/06/2018 Duration: 33minOur guest is an expert at many things, especially how to put yourself out there! Nicole Walters is our entertaining, energetic and sassy guest on this episode of The Speaker Lab.Nicole is an income strategist, and globe-trotting speaker. In her business, she helps everyday entrepreneurs apply corporate income strategies to get more profitability, more popularity all the while creating a life they love.On today's show we talk about her practical tips on how she pitches for gigs, her follow up formula after her initial pitch and how she balances speaking, travel and a family. She also breaks down her different revenue streams for us, why she has a specific season for speaking and her love of making jam! Join us for those insights plus a lot of fun on the 189th episode of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: How does speaking feed her other businesses?By what metric does she measure how well she spoke at an event?Why does she do meet and greets rather than sell from the stage?Why does she
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What You Need to Know About Insurance with Matt Ham
05/06/2018 Duration: 36minWhat do you need to know about insurance? Do you even need to know about insurance? Yes! I get questions about this all the time so I'm bringing you the man with the answer: Matt Ham. Matt is our guest today on The Speaker Lab.For the last 10 years Matt has focused on helping families properly insure their homes, their businesses and their lives. But not long ago he also felt a calling to step into something new, and he wrote a book called Redefine Rich. From there he began speaking which has morphed into his organization called YouPrint which is a faith development organization.Today we talk in great detail about what you need to know about insurance, both personally and professionally. Wherever you are in your evolution as a speaker this is a topic that matters so join us on episode 188 of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: Do you need life insurance if your employer already provides a policy for you?What questions do you need to ask to choose the insurance that's right for you?How
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How to Create Systems For Success
29/05/2018 Duration: 37minThere's something the most successful speakers do that you might not know: they know how to create systems for success. Without systems, businesses either never really get going or they fall apart. The same is true for speakers and their businesses. Join Melanie Deziel and I as we talk about that very topic on today's episode of The Speaker Lab.Melanie is back with us again for the third week in a row and we're going to help you figure out the ins and outs of systems for your expenses, your outreach, your travel, your calendar, your taxes, etc. These are all things you need to track and systemize, and to pay attention to this in advance! If you really want to have longevity in your industry you need to know how to create systems for success. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: What is the most important aspect of having a system?What are the different ways to handle outreach, and which are best?What is a CRM and why do you want one?Is it okay to use a simple spreadsheet as your system?What ap
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How to Interact With Your Speaking Audience
22/05/2018 Duration: 33minWant to know how to pull off the riskiest move as a speaker? Then you'll want to know how to interact with your speaking audience! And here to help us break this topic down is our returning co-host Melanie Deziel.Today on The Speaker Lab, we are talking about audience interaction: how to engage and interact with your audience, the pros and the cons plus the different ways to go about connecting and when to use which approach.We'll also cover how to manage your audience interactions so you don't lose control of the room. It's important to connect with your audience, but it can go sideways quickly so join us to hear how to handle it on episode 186 of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: When does it make sense to engage with your audience, and when does it not?What are the downsides of doing this?What are pattern interrupts, and why do you want to use them?Where should you try out your interactions first?How to "feel the room" and adjust accordingly.Do you have to call on someon
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How to Be a Road Warrior
15/05/2018 Duration: 41minPart of living the speaker life is travel, so today you'll find out how to be a true road warrior! Joining us to give her expert insights and wisdom is our co-host, Melanie Diezel. If you've been listening to The Speaker Lab for awhile you'll remember Melanie from some recent episodes: she is an outstanding speaker, coach and consultant on her own - and she also does a phenomenal job of coaching our Speaker Lab students.And we had such terrific feedback from her recent appearances we decided to bring her back to the show. She's joining us for the next 3 episodes and we'll be talking about a few different topics.Today we're covering how to be a road warrior, booking travel, packing essentials, travel perks and rewards. It's all things travel today as a speaker and road warrior! Join us for that and more on today's The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: Should you book your hotel or ask the client to do it for you?How far out should you book your travel?What is a tech
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How to Provide Value Offstage for More Success with Brian Fanzo
08/05/2018 Duration: 31minDo you know how to provide value offstage for more success? It's true - what you provide offstage can do just as much (if not more) to help grow your onstage business. Our guest today is proof positive and he's here to tell us all about it!If you recognize his name from a previous episode of the show you would be right - Brian Fanzo was here for episode 116. And he's back for today's edition of The Speaker Lab to share the simple ways he promotes his events to his audiences and how he connects with event planners before he speaks.Also on today's show he breaks down strategic tactics that help him stand out among the competition, especially his offstage tactics. Join us to hear all of that and more on today's episode of The Speaker Lab! THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: What is a fly-in, fly-out speaker and do you want to be one?Why does he promise six hours of his time on every contract?Can you offer this type of speaking package if you are an introvert?How do you "prime the pump" before yo
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Can You Be an Introvert and a Great Speaker? with Jonathan Fields
01/05/2018 Duration: 31minWhen you think of speakers do you normally think of extroverted people? Does that have you wondering if you can be an introvert and a great speaker?That's a question I answer today with Jonathan Fields. Jonathan is a best-selling author, entrepreneur and international speaker who is known for his brand, Good Life Project.On this episode of The Speaker Lab, we take an introspective look at being speaker. Jonathan shares how he handles being an introvert during his speaking engagements, and how to be comfortable in your own skin while you're on stage. Join us to hear all about it and more on the 183rd edition of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: Is being an introvert an advantage as a speaker?What are the two ways he helps maintain his energy levels during longer speaking engagements?How does being on stage pull out a different aspect of his personality?How do you learn to be comfortable with silence when you're speaking?Why he's pushed himself to tell more personal stories o
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How to Speak Effectively in Two Different Markets with John Morgan
24/04/2018 Duration: 28minIf you are wanting to learn how to speak effectively in two different markets our guest today is your source! Typically I tell people not to speak to two markets but John Michael Morgan has done it quite successfully.On this episode of The Speaker Lab, John tells us how he speaks in the business and faith-based markets, how he does it effectively and how he uses speaking in different markets as a way to stand out from the crowd.While I'm typically not a fan of having a foot in more than one market, John is a master at doing this. He started out focusing on speaking to leaders which led to his initial start in the business world. Originally he was focused on staying in that lane. But over time he realized he wanted to touch people in the faith market, and take his message to a more global audience. Today you'll hear how he did it and much more on episode 182 of The Speaker Lab! THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: How did he approach his first speaking gigs in the faith world?What role does emo
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How to Use Systems to Build Your Business with Andrew Davis
17/04/2018 Duration: 39minHow to use systems to build your business is one of the keys to creating a lasting speaking career. No one is better at this then my friend Andrew "Drew" Davis.Drew is a master at implementing processes and procedures to ensure he makes the most out of every lead.Today on the Speaker Lab we'll cover each and every step of his system along with why you should track certain metrics in your business, how to use that data and why a quality system is important to becoming a high-paid successful speaker.There's so much good stuff on today's show so get ready to take notes when you join us for episode 181 of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: What are the three types of stage-side leads?Why you should have a loss rate of 50%, not higher nor lower.Why does he always start with a phone call for any inbound lead?When does he turn down events?Why responsiveness always trumps overthinking.What does he include in his initial email and how often does he follow up after?How does he approac
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How to Expand Your Business Beyond the Stage with David Loy
10/04/2018 Duration: 30minThe true key to your speaking business is knowing how to expand your business beyond the stage, and applying what you know. David Loy is going to share that knowledge with you on today's show so you can apply it after you listen!David has been involved in speaking industry in many capacities for over a decade. Today much of his time is devoted to managing the career of Andy Andrews, the author of The Traveler's Gift.In fact, that book is what propelled David into the speaking industry. After reading it David was so moved he reached out to Andy's team. That email would lead David to his first job as an agent with Premiere Speakers Bureau and eventually to his role today managing Andy's career.On this episode of The Speaker Lab, we talk more about that story, and also how David has helped Andy expand his business from speaking and consulting to online memberships. David gives us a breakdown of Andy's revenue from speaking, coaching, books, online memberships, etc.You'll also hear him give his advice on the next
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How to Craft an Experience for Your Audience With Stephen Shapiro
03/04/2018 Duration: 42minAs a speaker you want to leave a good impression, but do you know how to craft an experience for your audience during your speech? Our guest, Stephen Shapiro, is a master at doing this and he's here to tell us how on today's episode of The Speaker Lab.Stephen began his career with Accenture where he spent 15 years and created a 20,000 person practice around process and innovation. As a result he was charged with speaking to this group and soon found himself giving over 100 speeches a year. He realized he loved it, and he wanted to do it as his own full-time business.Also on this episode, Stephen explains how he got his start, how he has built momentum and how he differentiates himself as a speaker through experiential keynotes and two specific ways he uses technology. You'll hear what those ways are and much more when you join us on episode 179 of The Speaker Lab.THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: Does it really take 10 years to build a solid speaking business?What does he do today to get bookings tha
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How to Grow Your Speaking Career with Publicity with Selena Soo
27/03/2018 Duration: 36minPublicity isn't just for actors and celebrities! Learning how to grow your speaking career with publicity can be one of the fastest ways to grow your brand and your speaking platform. And to explain how is none other than publicity and media ninja, Selena Soo.Selena is the resident expert on public relations, having worked with notable names such as Ramit Sethi, Derek Halpern and Kimra Luna. She's also helped her clients secure coverage in media outlets like Forbes, Inc., and O, The Oprah Magazine.Today on The Speaker Lab, Selena stops by to explain why public relations and publicity matter so much to your speaking career, along with a step-by-step breakdown of the pitch process. She also shares how to leverage the media coverage you get from those pitches.We always strive to bring you the best of the best here on The Speaker Lab, and Selena is no exception! Get your notepad ready and tune in for my conversation with Selena Soo on this edition of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: