Interview with Don Campbell:

I have the pleasure of interviewing an amazing local Vancouver speaker Don Campell.

He is both an expert communicator and a copy-writing master. Don sold over $22,000,000 worth of information products in the last few years. I met Don at an Internet marketing event and was captivated by his presentation skills. Not only are his presentations packed full of information, they also keep your attention with both humor and a natural, likeable speaking style.

Elisabeth: Don, you are a master at selling information products selling over $22,000,000. in just the last few years. How did you manage to sell such an amazing amount in such a short time?

Don: I believe that the key to success in this, or any business, is to always deliver MORE than you promise.  In fact the old credo of “Under Promise and Over Deliver” is like a mantra in our office.  The bottom line is to develop a relationship with your clients.  I sadly see so many marketers and business owners who try to maximize the income in every transaction with their clients and prospects… I believe that’s a mistake.  I prefer to look at the long term customer value, and the strength of the relationship… and this relationship leads to more sales and an awful lot more referrals.  If you truly work at making others successful, you will by default become successful.

Elisabeth: A lot of our readers will have their own information products that they want to sell or promote at their speaking events. What advice or information can you give them on selling their products?

Don: If you have your own product, the first step it to truly believe in it… believe that it will do what you promise it will.  Clients, whether or not you know it, can pick up you ‘sub-text.’  In other words despite your best efforts, if you don’t truly believe in your product, your prospects and clients will know this at a ‘gut’ or instinctual level  as they hear you speak or read your text… this will make them hesitate before buying.

The second thing is to find niche markets for your products to fit into.  Take any information product; i.e.  Copywriting Secrets.  You can create a special edition, with very little effort (sometimes with just a cover change) for a specific niche market i.e. Copywriting Secrets For Property Managers.  The truism is that the smaller the niche you target the higher your sales will be.  Then as you master that niche, duplicate this success with another niche, until you have exhausted all of your options (which in your lifetime you probably won’t)

Elisabeth: Besides being an expert communicator, you are a master at copy writing and marketing. Can you explain to us why learning how to market yourself is so important as a speaker?

Don: As a speaker, your ability to market not just yourself but also your products is absolutely critical.  Even if you are a master presenter, if you don’t have anyone to talk to it is a wasted talent.  Speakers need to understand marketing and to definitely not leave that in the hands of a Speakers Bureau or Agent.  Learn the art of marketing will also allow you to increase your income from each presentation while at the same time creating relationships with many more potential clients.

On the other hand, if you have a product or service and you’re not promoting it by speaking to your niche groups as an ‘expert’ then you are not maximizing the potential of your product.  There is no better way to become knows as an expert in your niche than by speaking at conferences, conventions, meetings and Workshops.  It turns your product into an experience instead of a pile of paper and ink (or bytes).  

Elisabeth: How can our readers use your marketing advice to get ‘buts in the seats’ and have full or sold out speaking venues?

Don: Putting Butts in seats is all about providing value (be it perceived or real).  People will travel great distances to get knowledge about a subject that they are passionate about, which is another good reason to niche your products.  In most cases the smaller the niche the more passion there is of those within the niche.  There are many who, once they master the niche, can put 2 or three niches in one room for an event because the direct theory they teach is good for all involved… its just the marketing that is niched.

Putting butts in seats is best accomplished by using multi-step marketing, from lead generation all the way to the back of the event sales.  Multi-step marketing allows you to address as many hot buttons (ore reason) for them to attend as possible without confusing your prospects. 

Also, creating win-win Joint Venture deals with other centers of influence and getting their endorsement when they mail to their list is another tremendous way in which to generate butts in seats.  Sure you have to give up 50% of the gross sale, however without their list or their endorsement you wouldn’t have had the sale anyway.  We have created some major successes using this model.  Successes where we, the JV partner as well as the clients all received the value they needed.

Elisabeth: Was humor always part of your speaking style or did you have to learn how to include it into your presentations?

Don: The best way to describe my speaking style is ‘being real.’  What you see from me at the front of the room is exactly what you get when we meet privately one-on-one.   I refuse to compromise this.  Humor is a huge part of my life and therefore transfers to my presentation style.  To go back to the ‘sub-text’ issue, I believe that an audience can tell immediately, at an instinctual level, whether someone is real or ‘faking it’  And if there is a discourse between what is coming out of their mouth and what they really believe, the audience will pick it up.  Now you can learn to over come this as a speaker and literally become another person at the front of the room, but first of all that is so much more difficult than being real and secondly long term relationships with your clients become more difficult.

Elisabeth: What do you wish you had known then that you know now?

Don: I wish that I had discovered (and truly believed), much earlier in my life, the motto we now live by which has been adapted from a Zig Ziglar saying “You can have anything you want in your life as long as you help enough others get what they want.”  This allows us to make decisions based on what’s the best for the client, rather than how do I maximize my income during this next 10 minute period.  Since we started living exclusively with this motto in mind, our business has quadrupled, our income has soared and our clients are creating more wealth than we ever dreamed they would.   The second thing I wish they taught in school is that setting a money goal (i.e make $500,000 this year) is a worthless and empty goal – however if you tie that $500,000 goal to an outcome (i.e the time freedom it will give you to pursue a passionate hobby etc) your goal becomes much more real and you will end up pursuing your goal with much more vigor and have a much better chance of attaining it.   I recommend all of your readers do this with their financial goals, and watch how much more real it makes the goal.

We really only have two commodities in life – time and money.  Money is easy because it is a renewable resource  you can always go out and make more if you need to.  However time is a non-renewable resource that once it is gone, you can’t get it back.  The truly wealthy and successful use money to buy back time freedom, and once you begin to do that you know you’ve moved to the next level.

Elisabeth: What is the biggest and best piece of advice that you could give a new speaker?

Don: By far the number one piece of advice is to be real… be passionate about what you’re speaking about.  And if you’re not, go find something that you can be.  Success comes to many in many different fashions, but as I speak to truly successful speakers, people who are professionals, people you can consider mentors, they will tell you over and over again, to do this speaking long term, and to rise above the thousands of ‘average’ speakers you must believe… in yourself, in your subject matter and your product.

<Dorothea>

My speaking career began quite unexpectedly.   As a member of Toastmasters International, I had been “encouraged” to enter one of the organization’s annual speech competitions and I won. I was ecstatic!   Several days later someone asked me if I would speak to their organization.  Me?  Speak for a fee?   I was delirious.   Little did I know that I was about to ride a learning curve that was filled with adventure and without end.   What I discovered, when I was FIRST UP.

F for Feedback.
For all of us ‘keeners’, feedback, whether we like it or not, is critical to our speaking success.   Why?  Well, I can think of 3 strong reasons. 

#1) We find out how well our audience received our material.
#2) We find out how well our audience received us.
#3)  And we find out what we need to polish, to enhance, to toss out or to change.    There is a wonderful and very appropriate quote by Winston Churchill that I’d like to share with you.   He said. “ To improve is to change.  To be perfect is to change often.”

While we all have different ideas on design, every Feedback (evaluation) form should have the following: the session, the date, your name & company name.   It should be a quick, easy read (one page) and easy to complete.  Along with the standard ‘ circled Yes’, ‘No’ responses or ‘Number Ratings’, include some open-ended questions.   For example: What did you find most valuable?  What did you like the best about this session?  What did you like the least?  How will you use this information in the future?  Any changes or recommendations. and so on.   Questions such as these can provide us with useful information as well as insight into what the participants experienced.

To spark ideas for new creating presentations, why not ask attendees what other topics or subjects peak their interest.    Or include a line that lists your speech or workshop titles and then have people check their choice.     Most important, please don’t forget to ask for a referral letter or a quote.   I have often found that it’s the quotes from present participants that bring in future business.

Let people know, in advance, that there will be Feedback forms to complete.   The forms can be handed out anytime, beginning, during or end, as long as there is no interruption with the flow of the presentation or seminar.   When we give people time to fill out the forms, (not wait till they are ready to head out the door), we will usually end up with more in-depth feedback.   With small groups (20 or less), think about emailing your feedback form.   Experiment.   Obtain feedback as many ways as possible.

Keep the feedback results on a computer disc, or file the hard copies in a cabinet.   Never dismiss them or toss them aside.   They are invaluable!   At the 2000 Toastmasters International Convention, International Speakers Association member and honoured Golden Gavel recipient Joel Weldon told his audience that, while he relies on ‘word of mouth’ advertising, the fee he charges to his clients is based on the feedback he has received from his speaking.   Feedback: What a vital and impressive vehicle for getting more business!

I for Invoices.
While we may love to flap our gums as speakers, it’s important for all of us to keep in mind that we are in a business.  The speaking business.   And this requires that we create an Invoice.  What do we want it to look like? (logo, name, layout of charges)  What do we want it to say?” (details of engagement, details of fee).  .Keep it simple and straightforward…….and always keep a copy of the invoice for your records.

Cancellation policy.    Should we have one?    If so, what amount or percentage it should it be?   Has the client been made aware of this policy?    Even so, we might still find ourselves waffling: to charge or not charge?   Perhaps it was just one workshop (or speaking engagement) out of a series that was cancelled.   What to do?  What to do?  Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves, “What’s best for business, so that it continues into the future?”

Performed a complimentary service?  Note it on the Invoice.

While most of us have the words Thank You scripted near the bottom of our invoices. We should always remember to send out a separate note or card, letting our client know just how much we appreciated their business.

R for Rehearse.

Six “can do’s” that can, if practiced, help us move from being mediocre to becoming marvelous.

1. Rehearse out loud, not silently in your head. Hear yourself speak.
2. Rehearse on your feet; stand and move as you see yourself moving on your ‘speaking’ day; practice as well, with the props or visuals you will be using.
3. When practicing, only have people around you who are able to provide you with honest and constructive feedback that will help you become better and better.
4. Rehearse your opening and your closing. Know them thoroughly. If you can arrange it, practice in front of a real audience.
5. When you rehearse, always rehearse AS IF it’s the real thing.
6. Rehearse now rather than later.  Flying by the seat of your pants can make for a bumpy ride. As Lee Iacocca once said, “Never go before your customers without rehearsing what you want to say……as well as what you are going to do – to help sell your product or service.”

 

S for Stay In Touch.

Rules of etiquette (plus good business sense) tell us to always send a special note of thanks to the person (people) that hired us.  It’s also a good idea to send thanks to the person who referred us.  We tend to send cards when the speaking engagement or workshop is over and the business has been completed.   Kit Grant, high profile, professional speaker and one of the very few to be inducted into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame sends fun and memorable ‘hello’ cards even when he’s not looking for business.   He goes out of his way to stay in touch with his clients……and it pays.

 

T for Take Time.

Whenever possible, we should get into ‘Take the Time’ habit of checking out our ‘speaking’ room in advance.   What is the size of the room?   Are there obstructions, such as support columns, that will block or interfere with delivery?   Will there be a raised platform?   How is it set up?  Does it allow for easy audience connection?   If people are seated at tables, encourage those, who are not facing the speaker’s stage to turn their chairs around.   Will people be seated theatre style?   We all know that there are people who will go great lengths to avoid sitting in the first row.   These people will aim for the back of the room.   How can we head them off at the pass?  If registration is less than expected, especially if registration is less than expected, we should think about removing some of the chairs…..before people arrive!   Chairs can always be set back up again as required.   Pockets of empty spaces get people wondering why the other folks didn’t show.   As speakers, we know that a ‘filled’ room is not only dynamic and energized room; it’s a speaker’s paradise.

 

U for Utilize.

There are so many tools that we have at our fingertips to help us move forward in our speaking career.   We have the library, the internet, books, tapes, videos, magazines, newspapers.  There are networking groups, volunteer organizations, committees and associations that we can join to advertise and promote our business.  We can join the NSA (National Speakers Association), CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) to learn about the speaking business or Toastmasters to hone our speaking skills.   We should enlist the help of family and friends.  If we are really keen to step into the speaker’s spotlight, we need to stop making excuses.   Instead, we need to tax our creativity, harness our energy and use our intelligence to the fullest.

 

P for Proceed, Press On & Proceed.

I’d like to close with two separate quotes, both powerful and profound in their message.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence Talent will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are important.” Calvin Coolidge.

“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.” Les Brown