One of the traps that many speakers fall into is thinking in terms of getting “Paid per speech”.  But this turns you into nothing other than a highly paid labourer.  But even learning to sell from stage is not going to enhance your public speaking career unless you have an Elegant Business Model.

One of the keys to making your speaking career one of freedom and lifestyle is to break the link between time and money using membership sites; or perhaps a better term is “subscriptions”.

ENHANCE YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING CAREER WITH MEMBERSHIP SITES

The reason I don’t like the term membership site so much is because there are 6 ways to create “recurring monthly income” without having to build a highly technical “membership site”. 

For many people-oriented speakers, the thought of having to build some software-dependent animal like this is too much to bear!  So the good news is there are many ways to create recurring streams of highly leveraged income from your speaking career, and you can choose how complex you want them to be.

Career-enhancing subscription models for speakers include:

1.    EMAIL MODEL MEMBERSHIPS:  This is where your clients receive a regular email from you with a text-based lesson in it.  There are two versions of this:

1. Simple level:  A simple email full of valuable tips in your inbox.
2. Advanced level: A text email with a link to a website such as my newsletter “Behind the Scenes”.

The key to both is to write some simple, but valuable information and send it out by email.

2.    PDF MEMBERSHIPS:  This is where you send out a pdf regularly jampacked full of value.   This can be emailed or posted.

1. Email: One that I subscribe to which I really enjoy getting is Armand Morin’s “Internet Marketing Newsletter”.  He makes it look like a magazine, full of images and so on- so it is visually very appealing. 
2. Post: My copywriting friend, Pete Godfrey (who by the way I have asked to write an article on filling rooms for you for next week’s newsletter) has a great 12 page monthly newsletter he sends out in the mail.

3.    AUDIO MEMEBERSHIPS:  This model is where you send out a regular audio to your members.  It could be in the form of:

1. An audio postcard where they go to a website to listen to your pre-recorded audio;
2. A regular TeleSeminar where they can join in and learn and participate regularly.

4.    A VIDEO MEMBERSHIP: In this case it is a regular video piece.  Again this may be:

1. A video postcard  or
2. A regular live TV show using ustream.com
3. A regular webinar where you use video and visual aids to teach your information.  We have just started using GoToWebinar for our Million Dollar Masterclass webinars and we’re very impressed.

5.    A SERVICE MEMBERSHIP:  In this model your client is paying you for regular service from them.  Our Secret Weapon Software comes with this component as a subscription.  Vanessa offers monthly support and training for a nominal monthly fee.

6.    A COMPLETE MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM: This may involve elements of all the others and more.  Our own Silver Mentoring Program (which, by the way we are launching on July 22nd and opening the doors on a killer offer for only 7 days is an example of this.  It includes:

1. Email and text lessons taking you through how to profit in your speaking career.
2. Regular TeleSeminars where I interview speaking and marketing experts.
3. Services such as critiques of your presentation and powerpoints.
4. Community through the blog.
5. Video training to show you speaking tips through the classes
6. Special members benefits such as opportunities to speak at events.

But the point of all this is that most people put off leveraging their speaking career through creating their own membership program because they think it has to be the huge whizz-bang bells and whistles version.  But you can get started with something really simple for a low monthly fee and start creating your regular monthly income today.

The keys to remember are:

• Create valuable content for your subscribers
• Provide it at a no-brainer price
• Automate and systemise it through wise software choices

But the most important thing is to get started.  Don’t try to have it perfect to begin.  Let me know how you go!