Where Niche is King!

Here! Today! Now!

Seek niche ideas out, they are everywhere, anywhere and nowhere! Perhaps they are not as conspicuous as the real big dollar earners, they do exist none the less, are well worth the time spent researching and can reap great rewards. Form a habit of seeking "the niche"!

We run a two companies,  a Speaker Bureau, The Entertainers and a speaker management company Speakmark, two different beasts to be sure, hovering over the events industry and beyond.

The workload is often overwhelming, juggling the various aspects of running businesses, however always at the forefront of our thinking is "where are the niche ideas/speakers/events.?"

We are attracted to niche like a magnet, our conversation constantly revolves around it, we practice niche, we read niche, we spray it on like deodorant, we eat it for breakfast, niche is a habit worth forming!

Perhaps if I give you a first hand example of how this process worked for us recently.

While consuming the daily breakfast of fruit and coffee (my morning addictions), I mentioned to my wife and business partner Michelle Burgan that I had seen a LinkedIn post about a consultant by the name of Cynthia Dearin. I had admired Cynthia's presence and profile for a few years after coming into contact with the organisation that Cynthia was CEO of, the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

I said to Michelle, "I believe Cynthia works in a niche area of business and commerce, perhaps we should contact her and see if she has representation with regards to speaking engagements."

Founder of Dearin & Associates and certainly doing some niche work around building Australian businesses intentionally, I called to enquire.

I had done my research, I knew that Cynthia was working in a niche market, the question I asked was "Are you looking to do more speaking work?"

An emphatic "yes" followed from Cynthia, with an equally emphatic "we would love to work with you", which has formed into a tidy working relationship between Cynthia Dearin and Speakmark.

Now while it is true that I am shamelessly plugging the amazing work that Cynthia Dearin does, which is assisting businesses find opportunities on the international stage-

• Export strategy – helping our clients create or refine their export strategy so that they get the most out of the export         experience.
• Cross-cultural management -  training and problem-solving for companies working outside Australia or with clients       and counterparts from abroad.
• Strategic business connections – we facilitate links between projects and investors and put clients in touch with the       best networks and contacts in new markets.

- the real essence/lesson of this post is to always be on the look out for the  hidden gems which could be sitting right in front of our eyes.

Here is some good advice if you are struggling for ideas on how to create something from nothing.

Look up Nils Vesk, we have learnt much from both his teachings and his book Ideas with Legs, in fact buy the book it is just a fantastic guide to help you become upwardly mobile with your ideas. I guarantee that you will find ideas and methods in this book which will enable you monetize your ideas.

To sum up, with so much content coming at us from a a few dozen different sources, niche is definitely where it is at! If it is not niche then it is just harder, not impossible, to sell or market.

Look, look, look....try to see what no one else see's, this requires practice and you need to look harder to find the magic in the ordinary.

We live in a world where niche is KING!   Ohhh yes! Remember to look Cynthia Dearin up the next time you are looking for an excellent speaker!

The Incredible Mr Sebastian Terry

http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=588829d2dcaeb0bf23f2bf2da&id=413c896c3e&e=271de6d5e0

Sebastian Terry is nothing short of amazing.

If you want inspiration check out his latest blog post!!!

AMZING DUDE!!!!!!!!

Launch of eBook "How to Book a Speaker"

LAUNCH OF EBOOK 28TH APRIL 2014

The information contained within is based purely on my experiences as a writer, producer, director, talent agent, Speaker employee, theatre restaurant owner and my current post, Managing Director and owner of the Speaker Bureau, The Entertainers Australia, and a whole lot of other experiences in between.

The contents of this document are a collection of thoughts and views gleaned from providing Speakers to our clients. I trust the document will become a useful reference on How to Book a Speaker. The order of the subject matter is in some instances arbitrary, while in others, the order of actions is completely crucial to a better all-round result for your effort. I do not advocate that our way is the right way! This document is merely a reference guide for those who are interested in booking talent, those who book Speakers as part of their work, and those looking to pursue a career in our industry.

One of the major reasons I wrote this document is simple. I was interested in finding out what information was available online regarding this subject matter, so I searched “How to Book A Speaker” online and up popped a number of Speaker Bureau advertisements. My thoughts turned to people who had recently entered the wonderful world of event management and I started looking for references and information on industry sites. Apart from a few scattered documents, I did not come up with anything as substantial as the document you are reading.

Now the world is a pretty big place, so perhaps my search was not as thorough as it could have been. There are also a few great books out of the US which teach for example, how to become a Speaker and work with Speaker Bureaus (Lilly & Dottie Walters “Speak and Grow Rich”2).

Certainly I do not claim this document to be the “holy grail” of how to book a Speaker. Perhaps also I will miss some salient point herein; I may even trip up now and again with regards to being perhaps a little awkward grammatically. What I can promise is a condensed, honest and transparent account of my experience as a Speaker Bureau owner.

I trust you will enjoy How To Book A Speaker. Please take what you can for your own purposes and please feel free to send me your feedback, good or bad, to this email address: enquire@theentertainers.com.au

DOWNLOAD THE EBOOK NOW

How To Book A Speaker eBook now available for "FREE" dowmload

To download your free copy, simply go to www.theentertainers.com.au and see the right side of the home page, fill in the details and the book is yours.

Here are the acknowledgements which we always love reading.

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When I examined the process of writing this eBook, I was quite surprised by the speed by which pages came together.

I was once told about a gentleman by the name of Malcolm Gladwell.   In his book “Outliers”, he describes “The Ten Thousand Hour Rule”, which describes that providing you have the fundamental basics right, you can reach greatness in any given field, by practicing tasks relevant to that chosen field for a total of ten thousand hours.

That law kept me going when times were tough! Let me say that I have not spent ten thousand hours on writing, but it’s the time that I have spent around talent, conferences, events, Theatre, Arts, as a Bureau Owner, Bureau Employee, Manager, Producer, Writer, Director, Theatre Owner and Event Coordinator.

The gentleman who shared this most valuable lesson with me was Lawrie Montague, a Keynote Speaker whom I worked with for a number of years.

In fact, had I missed the rare opportunity of spending time with someone like Lawrie, I would not be writing this book or running a Speaker Bureau called The Entertainers!

I thank you Lawrie more than you will ever know! I value our friendship greatly.

My wonderful wife and business partner Michelle Burgan, whose work ethic is a site to behold, I love you and thank you for your patience, intelligence and practical approach to challenges, which seem to me sometimes impossible. You are a star Michelle, our greatest asset and a wonderfully rounded and generous soul.

Fiona Wrigley, thank you for making straight my crooked writing. I have learnt that without an editor who understands the subject matter, what the writer is trying to say and what the reader needs to hear, the opportunity is lost. I look forward to working with you again on the next book.

To the Speakers who gave me feedback throughout the writing, Keith Abraham (CSP), Justin Baird, Tansel Ali, Sam McCool, thanks guys your feedback was invaluable.

Lastly, I want to thank my Father Terry Burgan (Snr) for being such a brilliant father and sympathetic ear. Eternally grateful to you for giving me the skills and personality that I am fortunate to have.

CYBERSTALKING - INTERNET CANCER TARGETING YOU

Earl de Blonville

In a world of increasing threats, we need to continually safeguard ourselves.
We screen for cancer, insure our property and protect our passwords.

But now we face an extraordinary new threat: cyberstalking.
Soon, hundreds of professional careers will be damaged.
So is there any way we can protect ourselves?

Cyberstalking is not simply a possible threat: it’s here now and growing fast.
Last year 63 million people were stalked in the US. In the UK it was 600,000.
In Australia, people are already suffering.

Cyberstalking hits victims like a fast spreading cancer: one that can’t be stopped.
Cyberstalking destroys careers, reputations, relationships and victims’ sanity.
Soon, just like cyber bullying, it could be claiming lives.

Who is at risk? Basically anyone with a name.
How does it work? The victim has his or her life stripped bare.
What does this mean? Basically, if you’re hit, your life will stop.
Why is this? Your life is taken over by your cyberstalker.

Earl de Blonville is now an expert on cyberstalking.
He has survived a year of horror and loss.
Now he is helping others to be prepared.

Earl’s personal story of how America’s #1 cyberstalker operates will amaze you.
And how an international team of victims fought track will inspire you.

Earl tells just how easy it is for someone else to destroy your life.
And he explains how to rethink your entire online presence.
But when you’re hit, you will need his advice on how to survive.
And surviving means rebuilding your life from the wreckage.

Earl believes that every professional and executive is potentially at risk.
If you employ or rely on important people, can you afford to lose them?

Your best defence against this internet cancer is to book Earl today to speak with your people.
The future of your business could rest with your employees and principals.
Let them know what they can do today to avoid the supreme cost tomorrow.

Google+ Where Have All The Speakers Gone?

Why is Google+ a great tool for talent?

Speakers, Emcee's, Trainers, Entertainers, Bands for that matter anyone who who would like to get more work in the Corporate sector in Australia, would be advised to optimise their presence on Google+.

Google+ has 359 million registered users and contains the most business friendly features of all social networks. My tip is to take advantage of this before things change, as they have done on other social media sites where we are squeezed, little by little, into submission for that monthly subscription or pay per click adverts.

The Entertainers have managed to connect with a number of Speakers on Google+, those who always seem to be ahead or at least up to date with the current online marketing curve, however it would seem the take up is rather sluggish!

The Google+ platform has been shown to dramatically improve search engine rankings,  which increases your online presence and boosts your SEO efforts.

Our online marketing efforts make up a large percentage of the resources that we allocate to our overall marketing strategy, The Entertainers are consistently working towards becoming a noticeable and trusted source of information for our Clients and the talent we work with. This article ,we trust is an example of that intent.

While attempting to connect with Speakers in the past few months on Google+, it is "mind blowing" at the lack of attention Speakers are paying to Google+.

Here is an article which we found to be a great resource to give you a grounding and basic understanding of how to get going 21 Simple Ways to Get More Followers for Your Google Plus Business Page

For Speakers, Emcee's, Trainers, Entertainers, Bands to compete in a very competitive marketplace and stay on Speaker Bureau's radar, their marketing efforts towards such, need much more attention than sending a Speaker Bureau a Bio and Pic and hoping for the best. We encourage you to connect with The Entertainers on these platforms, be supportive of the roles we each play in this market, which will assist us all to "reach out" into the clients sphere of influence.

Perhaps the most difficult concept to understand, is the paradox between what we have been doing for the last few decades around marketing and what is now required of us. It is hard work! Not only is it required of us to post relevant, original and creative content on platforms such as Google+, it is also paramount that we understand these marketing devices as a matter of continuity for our respective business's.

While hiring a "gun for hire" may seem the most practical and convenient approach, beware!  The essence of who you are, what you do and how you want others to perceive the work you do can be lost by the incongruent nature of this type of arrangement. DYI is the most effective course for you to take.

So why is it that searching for Speaker profiles on Google+ produces such low results?

Apart from the obvious such as not having the knowledge or skills around the basics, such as tagging or making yourself easy to search by using commonly searched keywords, overwhelm is the most likely suspect. There are a whole new set of skills required which involve linking your accounts, designing your profile, writing a blog, creating content, Authorship and the list goes on. Fortunately the resources are all at your fingertips with a simple search. There are literally thousands of articles and videos on how to optimise Google+.

So get to it and make sure you connect with The Entertainers once you have your Google+ profile up and running. It is the business tool you have been looking for to make your business visible to the right prospects and I promise you it will lead to more work.

A Time Saving Resource When Booking Talent

HOW TO BOOK A SPEAKER

While I was researching information which is available online about booking talent, I was surprised to find a lack of comprehensive information around the subject. I searched Google (well beyond the first page), behold there was still little in the way of robust documentation around my search "How To Book A Speaker".

I decided to write a short, condensed guide on the subject which will be released in the coming weeks based on the experiences and day to day running of the The Entertainers Australia, a Speaker Bureau based in Sydney Australia.

Fortunately we have received positive feedback from both Speakers and Clients who have road tested the book for us. It would see that not only those who book talent are starved of accurate and transparent information around the workings of a Speaker Bureau, Speakers are also learning from the contents.

This is an excerpt from the book and it explains briefly what exactly is a Speaker Bureau.

The book will be available through Amazon, details will be forthcoming on this blog how you can pick it up.

What is  Speaker Bureau?

A Speaker Bureau is a company, which operates to facilitate Speakers for clients requiring after-dinner Speakers, motivational Speakers, awards hosts, cabaret acts, conference facilitators and keynote Speakers. It also provides entertainment options such as bands, comedians and other acts.

Speaker Bureaus maintain a database of personalities and their agents, as well as other hard to come by information. The Speakers hail from fields as diverse as politics, sport, business, television and comedy. A Speaker Bureau has the benefit of extensive industry contacts, as well as access to a wide range of useful databases.

If you have ever tried to track down a celebrity or media personality, you will understand that it can often take way too much time searching for a direct contact; some individuals are quite purposely invisible. It is a Speaker Bureau’s intellectual property that makes it such a valuable asset.

Speaker Bureaus service a range of clients ranging from SMEs to large corporate entities, charities and organisations, and they provide a fast track and trusted link between the Speaker, act or entertainment option and the client. The Speaker Bureau then mediates between both parties, from the primary stages of making contact, through to the booking and logistics process.

Traditionally, Speaker Bureaus are reluctant to give the client any contact details until the contracts are signed. This is to alleviate the possibility of the client contacting the talent directly after receiving the talent’s contact details. While this type of practice is not that common, it does happen. It may not surprise you to know that the Speaker will always be loyal to the source of the lead; they will likely pass the inquiry back to the Bureau should an agency or organisation try to take the direct route. The Entertainers believe that getting the Speaker involved in the early stages of the proposal for the benefit of all is much more beneficial. Disregard the cloak and dagger stuff and rely on integrity. It is a small industry and news travels faster than a speeding bullet, good or bad!

Speaker Bureaus assist the client and the Speaker to negotiate a speaking fee for an event or a conference. The Speaker, or the Speaker’s agent, usually sets this fee. Once the contract terms are agreed upon the account manager of the Speaker Bureau will hand the client to her/his event coordinator within the Bureau to generate the contracts and handle the logistics.

This involves fees, transport, accommodation and timings, as well as communication between Speaker and client with briefing calls and any one-on-one meeting that may be required.