Recently, I was asked by one of my VIP Platinum Mastermind

 Coaching Members what was one thing that changed my speaking income. Without hesitation I responded, ‘When I decided to take a chance and attend a marketing seminar, rather than a speaking seminar!’ I remember that moment like it was yesterday. There were a few things that concerned me.

1) The fact that the seminar was about how to market your business and that it wasn’t specifically a speaker-related seminar. I remember other speakers telling me I was crazy for choosing to attend this marketing seminar.

2) The fact that I was going to spend more on the registration fee to attend this one marketing seminar than I spent on two, even three speaker-related seminars the previous year. And, I was attending a seminar where I didn’t know anyone else. It was me, all-alone attending a seminar in a strange (and uncomfortable) environment.

Looking back, that was the smartest, most-lucrative decision I’ve ever made and is one decision that made me a very wealthy speaker. When I learned what top marketers knew and then simply applied it to my speaking business, my income literally TRIPLE the next year. And, my income has increased EVERY year since attending that first marketing seminar while the amount of time I actually spend traveling, sitting in airports, and being away from home has decreased over the years to where I now only spend about 10-20% of my time traveling to speaking engagements. The majority of my business is now done in the city where I live.

Today, I invest (not spend) a minimum of $20,000-$30,000 each year on attending seminars, going through home study courses and participating in Mastermind Coaching Groups. I even attended a seminar last month that cost $10,000 to attend. If you think investing $20,000-$30,000 a year is a lot, then you must not be making the kind of big money that I want you to be making. And, there’s no reason why you aren’t making this kind of BIG MONEY so that investing $20,000-$30,000 a year in continuing education isn’t even a thought for you.

Here are 3 reasons why you MUST start attending more live MARKETING events immediately:

1) A New Way of Thinking and Acting:

When I was only attending speaker-related seminars, I thought like a speaker. When I began attending marketing-related seminars, I began thinking like a marketer. That is one of the first things I preach to the attendees at my Speaker Boot Camps (www.CollegeSpeakingSuccess.com) and I continue to hammer it home to them all throughout the boot camp. Specifically. I say:

“You’re NOT in the speaking business. You’re in the business of marketing your speaker services!”

Bottom line is this. If you want to become wealthy as a speaker, while working as little as possible, then you MUST think and act like a Master Marketer. Simply by attending marketing-related seminars, the thoughts and actions of Master Marketers that you are constantly around begin rubbing off on you.

2) Incredible Networking Opportunities:

Another one of my VIP Platinum Mastermind Coaching Members once asked me how it is that I got most of the big Internet marketers, top platform selling speakers and big marketers to market my College Speaking Success Boot Camp to their e-newsletter lists when they won’t give most people the time of day. It’s simple. I met all of them at some kind of marketing seminar over the years where they were either speaking or attending.

Prior to attending any seminar, I always make my ‘hit-list’ of people who are speaking and who may be attending that I want to ‘get-in’ with! Then I make sure to do two things: (1) Introduce myself in a memorable way; and (2) Instantly create TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness) so they will always remember me.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret that I haven’t shared with many people. There have been numerous seminars I’ve attended, for no other reason, than to personally meet some of the speakers or attendees who I knew would be there! That’s right! I call it my ‘Attend-To-Get-In’ strategy. I’m always willing to invest in the registration fee just to be in the same room certain people so I can meet and start a relationship with them. That’s what I mean when I say, ‘Think Like a Marketer, Not a Speaker!’

3) Big Money Marketers Show You How to Play Big:

The quote that has had more impact on my life than any other is Jim Rohn’s quote from years ago. Others have tried to claim it as their own, but it was stated by Jim over 20 years ago. Here it is:

“Statistically you will become the average and your income will become the average of the five people you associate with most!”

I’ll never forget sitting there thinking, ‘Wow! If that’s true then what if I started associating with more than five who are all big money marketers!?!’ Surely their way of thinking and their money-making ideas would rub-off on me. So I made it my goal to associate with as many big money marketers as possible. And, it’s still a core focus that drives my business to this day!

One reason to attend marketing-related seminars to meet some of the guest speakers is because they are usually very accessible at these events. Especially if you invested in yourself by investing in their home study courses. I can’t tell you how many relationships I’ve started with these big money marketers by bumping into them in the lobby, gym, hallway and in the bar. Many deals for promoting my Speaker’s Boot Camps have been made while sitting and having a drink with them at the bar.

Bottom Line…

I’m amazed at how many speakers moan and complain about not making the kind of money they want to make, yet their not willing to do anything differently that’s suggested. Is it a bit frightening to venture outside of your comfort zone to learn more about marketing by attending marketing-related seminars rather than speaking-related seminars? Absolutely! But suck it up and just do it! Can it really make a difference in your income? No! It can make a HUGE difference!