Women’s Ministry Training 2012: Booking & Hosting Your Guest Speaker

When you know your event parameters, you are ready to invite your speaker(s). Ideally, you should have 6 weeks to 18 months to pull your event together, but it can be done in as little as a few weeks. Scheduling considerations include:

• Existing events on the church schedule
• Facility availability
• Guest speaker availability
• Fundraising requirements
• Conflicting city-wide events of interest to attendees (visit your Chamber of Commerce website)

Once you have a ball-park date range for your event, book your guest speaker(s).

If your event depends on the availability of a particular speaker, start by contacting the speaker for a list of available dates. From your options, select the date(s) that best fit your parameters.

To secure a speaker:

• Personalize a phone or email invitation.
• Pitch it.
• Wait for a response.

Now is the time to start a Speaker Tracking Chart. This way, over the months and years, you will have a good record of who you’ve invited that might be a good option for another event. When you hear back from any speaker or booking agent, add the speaker to this list. This is your “working” list. It is an at-a-glance management tool that insures each step of the process occurs in the right order and only once.

Once you have confirmed the details, prepare to care for your guest speaker(s). Either recruit an speaker shepherd (sample instructions) or see to the speaker’s needs yourself, but be sure it gets done.

One appreciative speaker, who had been spoiled all day by a speaker shepherd I’d recruited, recently confided that it was unusual for anyone to think of her needs at all, let alone for her to have one person dedicated to that task.

Ideally, have the speaker’s remuneration ready to give her before she leaves, but either way, within 2 weeks of your event, follow-up by sending the speaker a thank you note along with any outstanding remuneration, copies of evaluations, comments overheard about the speaker’s presentations and so on.

One of the hardest times for speakers and event planners are immediately following an event. Reach out to each other at this time of decompression and watch God turn a typically low time into a season of celebration.

Women’s Ministry Training 2012: Selecting Your Ideal Guest Speaker

Before you invite a speaker, there are a few critical things you should ask about:

1. What is her statement of faith? Does it match yours?
2. What are her motivational gifts? For example, a speaker with a powerful altar ministry may be one group’s “best speaker ever” and another group’s nightmare.
3. What is her presentation style? Is she loud and dynamic, soft spoken, humorous or deep? All of these have a place, but not necessarily at your event.

Before you can clearly identify what “she” needs to be, you’ll have to define what you need:

• Is your event mostly for fun and fellowship? You’ll need an enthusiastic speaker with a sense of humor.
• Is it a spiritual renewal weekend? You’ll need theologically sound teaching balanced with personal stories, humor, and a listening pray-er.
• Are you hosting a Ladies Night Out? Find a speaker who can match an encouraging Scriptural challenge to the interesting hobby/craft everyone will learn that night. Or, invite a speaker who can do both: teach a useful skill and provide spiritual wealth.

Once you have clearly defined your event’s parameters you will be able to select the right speaker to make it happen.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss how to book and host your speaker, but for now, spend time establishing your event goals. My eBook, Retreats Made Easy is a 2-hour project guide resulting in a retreat plan, committee outline, operational budget and speaker parameters. It’s $18.95 alone or part of the mentorship program at Marnie.com.

Women’s Ministry Training 2012: Creative Ways to Raise Speaker Fees, Honorariums & Travel Expenses

You may be asking, “How much does the average speaker get paid?” Sorry, but there is no such number.

1. Businesses budget for speakers. They pay speakers a set fee. They have fees for presentations, full-day in-house trainings, monthly meetings, quarterly events and annual conventions. These can vary within the same business by thousands of dollars.
2. Organizations and clubs have rules, speaker guidelines and some pay, some don’t.
3. Churches and Women’s Ministry groups pay anywhere from zero to thousands of dollars, depending on the group and guest.
4. A one-time, 15 minute talk is radically different than a weekend retreat where the guest speaks four times.

Most speakers have an idea of what they need and most groups have an idea of what they are used to paying. Somewhere in the middle, the two meet.

From yesterday, remember the motto I hope you’ll adopt:

“We generously support our guest speakers financially
to the exact degree God enables us.”

Let’s say that the guest speaker you decide you want to bring in actually needs more than your budget allows.  Here are some of the creative fundraisers I’ve heard about at WomenSpeakers.com:

• Add $1-10 per ticket to cover the speaker’s expenses. One group budgets 50% of the total intake for the speaker (so they can fly someone in and pay her).
• Take a love offering.
• Host a fundraiser before or even during the event: a rummage sale, silent auction, craft sale, etc.
• Ask for donations from local businesses in exchange for a mention in the program or a coupon in the gift bags.
• Ask for sponsors who pay a certain amount and then enjoy a private dinner or backstage chat with the speaker before the event begins.
• Host a concession stand serving bottled water, fresh fruit and granola bars.
• Pre-sell and host a table at the event where she can sell her books, CDs, etc. as the income from these helps offset her expenses.

These are some of the ideas I’ve heard of from planners and speakers at WomenSpeakers.com. If you’ve done or heard of any others, add them in a comment below for the benefit of all!

Tomorrow we’ll discuss booking and hosting tips.

God bless & see you then!
Marnie

Women’s Ministry Training 2012: Speaker Fees, Honariums & Expenses

As WomenSpeakers.com connects over 10,000 women’s ministry leaders and 1,600 Christian women speakers, each connection is unique.

As you book your speakers for 2012, here is the standard I hope you will adopt:

“We generously support our guest speakers financially
to the exact degree God enables us.”

How Much to Pay Guest Speaker

The speakers at WomenSpeakers.com are amazingly willing and eager to come to you. They WANT to work within your budget! But, having said that, here is the speaker’s reality:

• For every minute she is traveling to you, with you, or traveling home, her family misses her and her husband feels her absence.
• During every hour she spends preparing her talk(s), she is your responsibility. She is neither earning money nor serving others while she serves you.
• Every moment she spends praying for your women, she is not praying for her family, her friends, or others.
• Upon returning home, she will need to bring a gift or provide payment to those who helped care for her children while she  was with you.
• When considering whether he can afford to let his wife take future engagements, a wise husband must take into account the family finances.

Tomorrow we’ll explore creative ways to find funds to pay for guest speakers, but for today, suffice it to say that speakers should not be “paid” for the number of minutes they stand on your platform. They are on your clock during every conversation, email, meeting, prayer time, preparation time, travel and on-premise. Ask God to help you know how to honor her according to the Biblical examples in I Timothy 5:18, Galatians 6:6 and Luke 10:7.

And, as we go through these 5 days of Women’s Ministry Training, I’m praying with you that God will not only lead you to precisely the right speakers, but will also provide exactly the right honorarium for each.

God bless & see you tomorrow!
Marnie

PS – Do you know a good Women’s Ministry  speaker who is not currently listed at WomenSpeakers.com? Tell her about it and encourage her to add her contact information. Both free and paid listings are available.

Women’s Ministry Training 2012: Speaker Acquisition

As I facilitate connections between over 10,000 women’s ministry leaders and 1,600 Christian women speakers via my website at WomenSpeakers.com, I see it all! Just as your women’s ministry is unique, having it’s own DNA and God-originated vision, so who you host as guest speakers and how you host them will be unique.

• Some women’s ministries bring in one speaker a year while others host 8-20.
• Some women’s ministry groups have a set speaker honorarium, some add $2-10/ticket for the speaker, and others take up a love offering.
• Some WM’s rely on the speaker to provide everything for the event while others give her 15-30 minutes total.

Since January is the #1 search month for speakers, during which WomenSpeakers.com receives thousands of extra website hits compared to the other months of the year, I’m going to spend the next 5 days helping you think through your speaker acquisition strategy for 2012.

Find a speaker for my Women's Ministry Event, Retreat, Conference, Luncheons

Tip #1. Get clear about what you need the speaker to provide. For example:

• Do you want to bring in a speaker with a pre-set topic, like the title of her most recent book, or would you prefer to set your own theme direction and then search for a speaker able to support it? Decide about this before you start selecting speakers.




• Does she need to be well-known or will just as many guests come if they don’t recognize her name? Well-known speakers are pricey and must be booked 1-3 years in advance whereas lesser-known speakers are often just as good or better, but don’t charge as much and can be booked with much less notice.
• Does she need to be a singer, worship leader or skit-actress as well as a speaker?
• Will she be presenting to a large auditorium full of women, in a classroom setting or over a meal? All these things make a difference.

As you go through the next few days of Women’s Ministry Training, I’ll be praying with you that the parameters you establish will be used by God to lead you to exactly the right speakers for your 2012 events.

God bless & see you tomorrow!
Marnie

PS – Women’s Ministry Leaders and Event Planners search WomenSpeakers.com for free and contact the speakers directly. there are no middle men and no wait. Just browse anytime you have time and contact the speakers directly.

Talk Like a Pro!

I. Media Training, Weds, Sept. 7
II. Conflict Resolution Training, Thursday, Sept. 8
III. Personal Note from Marnie

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I. Media Training Wednesday, Sept 7

Speaking succinctly isn’t only for media guests
anymore. As people get busier, they need you
to respect their time by saying it faster…
whatever it is!

Improve your communication by
tapping into this FREE online
training offered by media trainer and
former Oprah guest booker, Susan Harrow:

Speaking in Sound Bites:
90 Minutes of Expert Advice

Wednesday, September 7
11 AM Pacific
Noon Mountain
1 PM Central
2 PM Eastern

Save your seat at

http://bit.ly/qa9ENT

==============================
II. Conflict Resolution Training Thursday

Do you know that you can prevent many
conflicts before they start? Communication is key.

During Thursday’s training, Robert Moyers
shares the powerful “S.A.L.T.” method of
communication and how it can maximize
your relationships. Robert is a international
speaker, author, educator and public
relations professional.

Thursday, September 8, 2011
1-2 PM Pacific
2-3 PM Mountain
3-4 PM Central
4-5 PM Eastern

Listen Live at

http://www.MarniesFriends.com

or call 646-727-2510.

Download the Training Notes:

http://www.leadershipattitudes.com/Training/SALT.pdf

==============================

III. Personal Note from Marnie

One piece of modern advice that I routinely
reject is this: “Eliminate high-maintenance
people from your life and surround yourself
with positive people.”

Now, it is true, that I do not intentionally
surround myself with drama queens!
However, it is also true that I have some
challenging people in my life – and so do you!

Between our parents, siblings and extended family
members, plus our spouses, in-laws, children
and their offspring, we are going to have some
high maintenance people in our lives.

I propose that God places these people in our
lives to conform us to the image of Christ
(by allowing them to sand off some of our rough
spots) as well as to give us the opportunity to
pray for, provide physical support to and be a
visible testimony of Jesus’ love to them.

Next time you are tempted to terminate a
challenging relationship, remind yourself of
the love Jesus extends to you: He never
gives up on us, no matter how badly we
treat Him, ignore Him or give Him a bad name.

Amazing grace:
Receive it, extend it!

Loving Others with His Love,
Marnie
www.Marnie.com

PS – Planning a retreat during the next
12 months? Get Retreats Made Easy:
http://www.EventPlannersFriend.com/retreats.php

==============================

Connect Online at
http://www.facebook.com/mentormarnie
http://www.twitter.com/mentormarnie
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marnieswedberg
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/marniesfriends

==============================

Radio Interview: What To Do Before You Get on the Radio

The most frequently overlooked opportunity by inexperienced media guests is the ability to maximize your radio interview as a platform for marketing yourself or your services in the days and weeks leading up to the event. Instead, most guests place all of their hope and expectation on the instant reaction of their target audience once they get on the radio.

While you must aim for immediate success with your live audience during your radio interview, you also need to make sure that your listeners have the chance to see you, think of you and buy from you before, during and after your on-air minutes.

Anytime you are booked to get on the radio or to do a TV, news, blog or magazine interview, you have been gifted with numerous publicity opportunities, many of which occur prior to the radio interview or publication date.

While your actual appearance is important, of course, there are priceless days between the date you confirm the booking and the official date you get on the radio show.

Traditional stations neither charge you, nor pay you to appear on their show. It is a mutually beneficial exchange in which both parties receive value. Yet, if you were to take advantage of one of the many shows that do offer paid placement, you’d pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a five minute segment, depending on the market.

What is important to understand is that your show appearance, as valuable as it is, is not the most important thing that is happening here. It is just the tip of the marketing iceberg.

Following is a list of marketing activities you can do before your radio interview to maximize your media appearance.

1. Involve your social networks. As soon as you are booked, invite your connections to enjoy your news. Post a note like: “Celebrate with me! Just got booked by CNBC to do a segment on Busy Women. So honored!” You can bet that a comment like that will generate questions about how, when, where and what.
2. Create at least one blog post about your upcoming appearance. If you have a chatty-style blog, provide the details about how you got invited, when you go, etc. If you have an information-type blog, post new segments featuring your expanded talk points. You cannot possibly give all the details in a short radio interview. Give the rest of the facts, in advance, on your blog, then drive radio listeners to your site.
3. Add a sign-up option. If you don’t already have a way for guests to your site to register their email address with you, do that now! Once listeners arrive at your site, you want to make a life-long friend! To do so, you need their email information. The best way to get this is to provide a free report about the topic you will be sharing on the air. Use notes from your blog to generate this report and give it away to any one who gives you their email address.
4. Write an article. Once you’ve created your report, you are in a great position to reformat it and send it off to your favorite ezine, magazine or online article site. In the report and article, do not mention the radio interview and be sure to format it according to the appropriate submission guidelines.
5. Send an email blast out to your list. Before the show, on the day of the show and following the show, let your list know what’s going on. Keep your messages short and focused on the subject of your upcoming appearance. (ie – The first paragraph can touch on the interview details followed by one paragraph about how they can access your new book, new service or coaching expertise. Shorter is better.)
6. Post updates to your social networks. Mention any interesting aspects of your preparation, like: “Gearing up: Just booked my flight for my CNBC appearance on 3/10 about Super Busy Women.“ Remember: The average social network member has under 200 connections. Most only dream of having the opportunity you now describe. They are interested in the process, and in you, which is why they allowed the connection.
7. Prepare. If you haven’t already taken soundbite training, do it now at Marnie.com. Be sure you are ready to maximize your radio interview minutes. So many guests finally get on the air, only to flounder and fail. Don’t be one of them!
8. Be a pro. Let the facts be the facts, so your followers, interviewer and listening audience can relax and enjoy you. Anytime you stretch the truth, make up facts or boast about yourself, you lose friends… on and off the air.
9. Mention it. In conversation, people often ask about our current projects or activities. When they ask you, mention your upcoming radio interview. They want to know! They need something fun to talk about with their co-workers at the water cooler tomorrow or at the park with their play group. Be the hot topic they can’t wait to share. As in your email, share a bit about the interview followed by an elevator pitch about your area of expertise.

A radio interview provides the opportunity for you to focus wandering minds on your uniquely powerful approach to a problem or concern many people face. You are the expert. You or your resources are available every single day to help them solve their problems, not just the few minutes you are on the air. You are always there.

Use the “news” about your upcoming radio interview to remind people of your availability and resources. It is fair, fun and financially rewarding. Plus, your family, friends, fans and followers will feel honored to get sneak peeks into this exciting part of your life.

Press Release: Speaker Training – 5 Keys to Increase Visibility and Bookings

Getting speaking engagements in the Christian market, churches and at faith-based organizations is getting increasingly competitive, according to new findings by WomenSpeakers.com, the largest online directory of Christian women speakers in the world.

“There are lots of speakers available to planners, but there is a trend toward booking from inside the organization instead of hiring out,” said Marnie Swedberg, speaker trainer and web hostess of WomenSpeakers.com. “Motivational speakers, inspirational speakers and women Christian speakers who want to stay busy and booked need a strategic plan.”

The great news is that there are still tens of thousands of speaking engagements being awarded to outside speakers each year. Those who are strategic about their positioning will secure the most bookings.

“Getting prime visibility online is key,” said Swedberg. “Also, speakers need to increase their media value, improve their presentation skills and try to get a book written and published in their own field of expertise. These are the ways to increase your chances at being chosen to speak at events, meetings and conferences.”

Swedberg offers five tips that motivational speakers, inspirational speakers and business speakers need to address to get more speaking engagements.

1. Be everywhere. When your name comes up as a potential speaker, how easy is it for a meeting planner, event organizer or speaker bureau to find you? Do they already have your one sheet? Have they received an email from you in the past six months? If they do a Google search, will they see your home page or a glowing media article about you at the top of the results page? Or will they see your competitors’ sites? One proven way to get found on search engines is to register with reputable online directories like http://www.WomenSpeakers.com.

2. Be Internet and media friendly. Once a meeting planner, event organizer or speaker bureau finds your website, how easy is it for them to find your media page? Make it super easy to find and download your topics, media/speaking experience, demo clips, full color professional photo and contact information. Planners, media producers and speaker agents are super busy. They don’t have time to hunt for the information they need.

3. Be hot on the spot. During your first interaction with people — by phone, on the stage, or in an elevator — speak in sound bites that make every minute matter. For example, when you hit the stage, you have 90 seconds to make an impression. You must communicate: “I am your partner. I respect your time. I am prepared. I empathize with you.” You have mere minutes to focus wandering minds, gain the audience’s commitment to stay involved and generate group laughter. There is a free training on how to speak in sound bites available at http://www.marnie.com.

4. Be well-referenced. We live in a society that requires social evidence before people will believe anything. Use your LinkedIn profile to easily capture letters of recommendation. There’s an easy way to do this. Write a recommendation for your connections whenever you have something genuinely complimentary to communicate. The LinkedIn system automatically asks the recipient to respond in kind. Many people do. Since these quotes are intended for public view, there is no need for additional permissions. Plus, you have instant access to their professional title and photo. Marnie’s free resource, SANE: Social Networking Success in 15 Minutes a Day, explains how even the busiest speakers can find time to drum up business in this manner.

5. Be published. It is common knowledge that published authors get booked for more paid speaking engagements than those who have yet to publish a book. The simplicity with which one can be published is a much better kept secret. Marnie’s book, eBooks: Idea to Amazon in 14 Days, outlines the steps she took to move an idea from her client to the Kindle store in 14 days and into paperback version on Amazon in just 14 additional days.

About Marnie Swedberg

Author, speaker and experienced media guest Marnie Swedberg is web hostess of the largest online directory of Christian Women Speakers in the world, featuring over 1,400 speakers. She developed this site to serve the thousands of women’s ministry leaders in her mentorship program at Marnie.com. She is the author of the book series “The Marnie Method for Super Busy Women,” and the host of “Marnie’s Friends,” an online radio talk show providing practical, doable, fast and effective solutions to the challenges busy women face every day.

For information, go to http://www.WomenSpeakers.com

Contact:
Michele Reynolds 877-774-6986 http://www.Marnie.com/media.php

Speaking Fees

What is a typical speakers fee? How much should you charge?

According to Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE, there is no national list or organization that posts speakers rates. She says, “People get paid for what they say, how and where they say it, and sometimes just for who they are. Speakers can earn anything from $25 on up to $100,000 for the top celebrity of the moment.”

As a speaker myself, and in working with thousands of event planners and speakers over the years, I know that many church groups are mentally not prepared to pay a speaker. They are used to hosting “in-house” speakers, gals who attend their own church or are missionaries in whom their church has invested. These speakers provide presentations at no cost, as it should be, because, basically, they are family. They are involved in a mutually beneficial relationship, thus a fee is over-the-top.

But, when a church brings in a speaker from the outside, they should pay her. One idea is ask the committee to add $1 or $3 per person to ticket price or suggested donation, to pay for her travel and time.

No matter how you slice the pie, when speaking at smaller church events, you will always be doing it for love and not money! Having said that, here is my best advice for answering the scary question, “How much do you charge?”

1) Decide how much you need.
Are you earning your livelihood from speeches? If so, and you take an engagement that doesn’t pay, you may have to pass up an engagement that does. Think about this in advance, because you will need to honor your commitment, no matter what else comes along. How many paying engagements, at what rate, do you need? Can you afford to do some pro bona (free) engagements?

2) Who is paying your fee?
If you try to charge a church a corporate fee, you’ll offend people. Every market sector has its own standards for engaging and paying speakers. Even within a sector, working with a small group for a local event is radically different than working with a team who is planning a convention or national conference.

3) Do you have multiple stream of income?
Book authors, professional service providers and others often earn far more from secondary income streams than from their speaking fees. Many such speakers accept engagements for free or low fees in exchange for the opportunity to meet that audience in person.

4) What is your experience level?
When you are just starting out, I encourage you to speak for free for a while. You can learn, polish and improve very fast if you are willing to do this! Consider it an educational expense. If you went to college to learn public speaking, you’d be spending $12,000-$30,000 a year for that education.

Having said all this, when I am personally asked, “How much do you charge?” my standard answer is usually the same. I say, “I try to be as flexible as possible. How much did you pay your speaker last year?” or, conversely, “How much do you usually pay speakers? If at all possible, I would like to work within your budget.”

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Join WomenSpeakers.com today!

Easily Obtain Quotes & References!

Social evidence is absolutely required by today’s savvy Internet shoppers. Whether you are promoting a business, a new book or your own speaking availability, you need your web pages and marketing pieces sprinkled generously with glowing reviews, but you don’t have to go begging for quotes and references any more!.

Email is the old standard and it still works like a charm, but social networking sites provide far faster and less painful “collection” options than even email. Here are a few super simple suggestions for starters:

1) At LinkedIn.com, get in the habit of giving compliments (quotables) anytime you can sincerely do so. Imagine your words appearing on someone else’s marketing materials, and make them that good! (Again, of course, only if you truly mean it!) The beauty of doing this at LinkedIn, as opposed to other social networking sites, is that the person you recommended in automatically “prompted” to give you a return quote, if they so desire. Sometimes they do, making it unnecessary for you to even ask.

2) At Facebook.com, send an email request to some friends who have benefited from that specific aspect of your life/work. My son, Mark, is starting a personal fitness coaching business. His well-written email generated several outstanding quotes from former members of teams he has coached.

The beauty of capturing reference letters and quotes from social networking sites is that a) you have permission without asking for it (since anything posted at these sites is free to use, with credit given) and b) you have access to the referrer’s photo, and posting that adds even greater value to the quote.

Hope this helps! Happy reference hunting!

Marnie