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Client Case Study: John Ramstead - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:50 GMT

"Best investment I've made in myself and my business"

Before join our mentoring program, the most John was paid for a speaking engagement was $200. He’s now doing 24+ keynotes per year, getting $5,000+ each, generating 6 figures per year in addition to his coaching, training, and consulting for premium clients at premium fees. Listen to his story above.

Highlights:

“I used to struggle with pricing, positioning and finding prospects.”

“I was putting in a lot of work and not seeing great results, and finding too many free gigs!”

“Before, I was quoting $1,500 but the most I’d been paid for a speaking gig was just $200.”

“I got my first $25,000 client for coaching.”

“Your help with connecting my value to the fee was a huge game changer for me.”

“This isn’t a hobby for me, I want to have a successful business, supporting my family and traveling.”

“I walked out with actionable copy, messaging, speaking and coaching packages, and exactly how to market plus real-world feedback from you and the other brilliant people in the group that this was really going to work.”

“Light years better than sitting here alone trying to figure it all out myself.”

“In the last 12 months, I’ve had about 24 paid speaking engagements, averaging over $5,000 each. That’s not even including my coaching and consulting clients!”

“I just moved my coaching rates from $25,000 to $30,000 per executive and some clients pay more if it’s coaching for a whole team.”

“It’s now time to invest in yourself and in this mentoring.”

“I thank you constantly for what this program gave us. I went through it with my wife who is also my business partner, and we both still refer to your materials regularly – it’s this constant resource and encouragement to keep moving forward.”

“If you’re serious about building a business, you need to find someone to help you. You can figure it out on your own because we’re all smart people. But why take three years to do something that could take you three months?”

At Do It! Marketing, we help speakers, consultants, and experts to simplify their speaking-driven business, boost their impact and increase their income by $15K-$25K per month (or more) faster than they ever thought possible.

If that’s something you’re interested in, reach out and schedule a free speaker strategy call with our team at www.doitmarketing.com/call

On the call, we’ll help you get total clarity on the business model, speaking model, and revenue model you really want, how to create it by reaching the exact clients and audiences who matter, and how to fix what’s not working right now with your positioning, packaging, marketing, prospecting, outreach, and sales so that you improve your results FAST.

Go to www.doitmarketing.com/call and we’ll craft a plan to help you speak more profitably.

17 great answers to 'How much do you charge?' - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:49 GMT

For professional services providers, entrepreneurs and thought-leading executives… the #1 dreaded question is, “How much do you charge?”

Especially when it’s asked too early, out of context, and before you’ve established any sort of relationship with the prospect or any sort of value for the project…

In short, if you blow the answer, your prospect is gone.

Here are three things NOT to do:

Some of the answers you’re about to get are evergreen, some you can adapt to your own personality, and some you may want to keep in reserve until just the right moment with just the right prospect.

Here we go…

"How Much Do You Charge?"

A lot. Why do you ask?
I don't think we're there yet because I don't know what you're buying
I'll answer your question in a moment but to give you a more accurate answer, may I ask you three questions first?
Well, the friends and family rate might apply but we're not friends yet - do you mind if I ask you a few friendly questions that will help us answer your pricing question together?
It's nine million dollars until I know what you're buying. Can we spend a few minutes narrowing that down to help you lower the price?
I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that you don't have a $500,000 problem. The bad news is that you don't have a $10,000 problem, either... if you can help me answer some key questions, we'll both know a lot more about what your investment might look like.
If it works, it's cheap. If it doesn't, it's expensive.
Let's talk about what you're trying to accomplish first and then we'll work out some pricing options based on that.
Do you want the Ferrari version, the Lexus version, or the VW Bug?
A project like the one you're asking about ranges from $X to $Y. Sometimes a little more. Not usually less. Is that what you were expecting to invest?
There's no good answer to that question in a vacuum. Can we talk a little more about what you're hoping we can do for you? Then I'll give you some pricing options that make sense for your budget.
A project of this scope only makes sense if it's already in your budget. Nobody wakes up one day and suddenly finds the money to solve these kinds of problems. If you can share the budget range you have set aside for this, I can tell you if it makes sense for us to talk any further.
I have a feeling that if I quote a random number right now, I'll be dead in the water. Do you mind if I ask you some questions to get a better idea of what your goals are? Then the numbers we talk about will be specific to you and your situation.
Just like you need to make an educated decision about which partner or resource to hire, I need to give you an educated answer to your pricing question. And I'm feeling pretty dumb right now, since we just started talking. Mind if we have a 10-minute conversation about your situation? After that, I'll have a much better idea of what you're after and some different ways we can help.
Sounds like price is the most important factor to you. In my experience, everything is expensive until you want it. Can we talk about what you want and then work our way to the pricing options based on that?
It's more than a cab ride to [local landmark, i.e. "the Empire State Building"] but less than [the landmark, i.e. "the building"]. If we can chat for 10 minutes about why you called, I can give you a much more specific answer. Do you have 10 minutes now or shall we look at our calendars?
Until I have a better idea of what you want - and whether or not we can even help - any number I give you is going to be too high. Would it be OK if we spend a few minutes discussing why you called? Then if we can help, I'll get you the pricing options you need. And if we can't, I'll refer you to some other great resources that do things we don't. Fair enough?

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The 4 Levels of Marketing - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:48 GMT

When it comes to marketing, there are four things that you need to focus on, four levels if you will.

The four levels of marketing are:

Strategy
Tactics
Initiatives
Action steps

When you hop on a webinar, when you ask your mastermind group for help, even when you start searching the web for answers and tools to grow your business, the number one source of overwhelm is when you’ve heard a whole bunch of strategies, a whole bunch of tactics, a whole bunch of initiatives, a whole bunch of actions steps — and you don’t know the difference.

There are three reasons why this short-circuits your brain:

You can’t do them all
You can’t prioritize or figure out how to start to think about them
You can’t distinguish why or how it might work for your particular business

A strategy is a big picture area of your business. It could be a marketing strategy. It could be a sales strategy. It could be a financial strategy.

Let’s say you come across someone who tells you Instagram is an amazing marketing platform and you’re really missing out if your business is not on Instagram.

She is using it and it fits her business beautifully, and you respect this person and you admire her successful business.

And now you’re thinking, “Oh man, it’s all about Instagram, Instagram, Instagram.”

“If she built her business on Instagram, I can probably build my business on Instagram.”

Well, let’s back up and analyze that as far as the four levels of marketing.

Internet marketing is the strategy. In other words, Internet marketing is the big giant umbrella over Instagram.

The tactic under that would be social media. There’s a lot going on via the internet, folks, that’s not social media.

For example, Search engine optimization, your website, the structure of your web presence, blogging, podcasting, email marketing, dozens of internet marketing strategies. Social media happens to be one bucket under that, so social media is the tactic.

An initiative would be “I’m going to start using Instagram.”

This is level three now. I’m going to start using Instagram. I’m going to start understanding it. I might read a book. I might go to some websites, I’m going to grab a copy of Instagram 101 or Using Instagram for Business, all those fabulous resources that are out there for free.

Now, the action step – here’s level four, the action step always takes the form of verb, noun, date.

Set up my Instagram account by Wednesday
Prepare my first 10 posts by Friday
Find 25 influential people to follow in my industry by Saturday
Identify the top 5 hashtags to attract prospects by Monday
Set up Plannthat.com to schedule posts by next Wednesday

Those are action steps.

And the action step can also go on your calendar.

So it really takes it down to “What are you doing today?”

What’s on your priority action list today?

Your to-do list could be 50 things, but what are your top three most important things that you need to do based on the strategies you’ve selected, based on the tactics that you’ve chosen, based on the initiatives that you’ve designed, what are the action steps to put on your calendar and get it done?

So right there, just unpacking those four levels, you’ve gotten some insights through which you can start to filter and sort all of your ideas, notes, all of those webinars you’ve listened to, all of those tactics and tools and light bulb moments, all those nuggets and sound bites that you may have swirling around in your head or on your “someday, maybe list.”

If you start to sort them into these four levels; strategy, tactic, initiative and action step – you’ll get a much clearer vision for ALL your marketing going forward this week, this month, and for the rest of your professional career.

How will you put the 4 levels of marketing to work for your business this week? What strategies, tactics, initiatives, and action steps are you working on? Send me a private message – I really want to know. And I read every single one. Yes me. No minions. No elves :o)

10 Blogging Lessons from Your Dog - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:47 GMT

Does your dog blog?

Yes? No? Not sure?

Well, don’t worry because mine does.

You’re about to get 10 blogging lessons from my black Labrador retriever, Woofie, who turns 10 soon. (FYI her birthday is April 29 and she loves getting birthday notes by email. And she replies to every one!)

What makes Woofie such an authority on blogging? Well, it’s simple really – she gets a TON of traffic. Every month, I get emails from GoDaddy, where her website is hosted, to the effect that her website bandwidth (5GB/month) has been exceeded. Sometimes by a factor of two or three! (Here’s a list of quality hosts with unlimited bandwidth if you’d like to avoid the problem.)

Put simply: there’s a chance that this dog’s blog is more popular than yours.

So to help you fix that, here are Woofie’s guidelines for blogging.

Post regularly. Woofie posts updates once a year – usually on or before her birthday. It’s regularly scheduled. You should post more often than that – but the point is the word REGULARLY.
Don’t ask for much. Woofie doesn’t sell on her blog. She doesn’t beg. She doesn’t collect email addresses. She offers value (if doggy cuteness has value to you) and she invites engagement (by email or social media). That’s it. And it works.
Be cute and relax. Be the real you on your blog. People ask me the secret to success in presenting yourself online. My answer: it’s two things. 1. Authenticity and 2. Enthusiasm. Woofie freely shares both of these traits on her blog – and so should you.
Let people come up to you first. Pretend you’re a dog… you have no opposable thumbs… you can’t do much. So you better be the online equivalent of an adorable little puppy who people want to stop, pet, interact with, and give treats to. Do that, and you win.
Use more photos – visuals sell. Much of Woofie’s website is made up of photos of her adventures from the previous year. Photos and videos are where it’s at. In the wise words of my digital marketing pal, Jay Baer of Convince and Convert, “Text is going away online. Everything is moving to pictures and video.”
Be easy to reach. Woofie has a whole host of digital communications tools in her arsenal (Here’s how to connect with her on email or her blog) The short story is she is reachable in ways that YOU want to reach her, not in ways SHE prefers to be reached (which all happen to involve bacon and/or cheese.)
Depend on other people to sell for you. In addition to having no opposable thumbs, Woofie has never made a sales call and has never sent a marketing email. She has people do it for her. Third-party endorsements, referrals, recommendations, and word of mouth from her human friends do the trick. How about you?
Make people feel better about themselves after engaging with you. Let’s face it – this dog is cute. But what’s beyond that to make interacting with her worthwhile? Well, if you came over to our house, you could answer that for yourself. But we’re talking about online. So each interaction needs to be fun, special, and rewarding in and of itself. Want to try one? Click here to send Woofie an email and see what you get back in a reply.
It’s OK to be silly. Sometimes it’s even more than OK – it’s required. Self-deprecating humor is the best kind. It puts people at ease and makes them feel better about themselves, too. Plus it’s an indicator of expertise if you can portray yourself “as you are” – mistakes, warts, and all. The fearful, the incompetent, and the weak don’t have the guts to do that. Woofie does. And you do, too.
10 kisses, one bark – keep it positive. Nobody likes to read the blog posts of a perpetual whiner, negative nelly, or always-ranting loon. Woofie has never posted anything negative. And even I, her humble human, try to keep my blog posts 90% positive, aspirational, and fun — and only 10% critical or “calling out the crazy.” It’s like the old bumper sticker of doggie wisdom – “Bark Less, Wag More.”

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What COVID-19 Should Mean to You and Me - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:46 GMT

No doubt about it – our world has turned upside down and inside out with the global Coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the disruption, unemployment, illness and loss – as experts, now is the time for us to lead more – help more – serve more – and redefine what it means to be a thought leader in this new world that we’re all just getting acclimated to.

Here’s what COVID should mean to you and me:

C = Caring. Your prospects and clients are looking for leaders and partners. A voice of calm in the storm. They have legitimate fears and concerns. Don’t minimize or disregard those. Help them become aware of new opportunities while expressing genuine empathy and concern for their personal, professional and financial well-being.

O = Openness. Be open to new distribution channels for your expertise. Commit to flexing and changing your marketing message, services, and offers. Be open to some prospects being MORE committed to hiring you now, not less. Be open to increasing your relevance and value to clients during this time of extreme emotions, changes, and uncertainty.

V = Value. Yes, this is the time to help MORE – serve MORE – give MORE. But it’s also not a time to market or sell any LESS. Give extreme value for free – like you always have. And give extreme value for premium fees – like you always have. If you’re a professional problem solver – and you ARE – then when the world has more problems, will your business go up or down? UP!! Do not forget this simple truth.

I = Impact. Now more than ever is the time for you to positively impact the lives and businesses of your clients and the livelihood of your team. Do not hide under your desk. Do not be afraid of going to the market that desperately needs your help. Be aware of comfortable excuses you’re making to justify your lack of sales activity. You were probably not doing it right before – and you probably were not doing enough of it – so now is the time to do it more and do it right. Don’t hide, don’t weaken. And above all, don’t stop. The world needs you. Let me repeat: Now. More. Than. Ever.

D = Determination. Know that your prospects and clients are a little scared right now to do anything. And it’s OK for you to be scared as well. But don’t be indecisive. And encourage your prospects and clients to be decisive. Action eliminates fear. Be bold and resolve to add more value, create more community, bring your prospects and clients together. With more isolation, the need for connection, conversation, and collaboration is even greater. Boost your determination toward massive intelligent action. Help your clients do the same. You both win.

We’re all in this together.

Ready?

Let’s DO IT!

Professional Services Marketing: 7 Ways to Build a Corporate Speakers Bureau - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:45 GMT

Publisher: PR News | Authors: Lori Zetlin and Jeanne Tee

Ask any professional services marketing or corporate communications exec what she/he is doing to secure executive speaking opportunities, and the overwhelming response will be “not enough.” A savvy communications executive knows the benefits of a successful speakers program: brand development, executive visibility, product/service promotion, thought leadership and lead generation.

One speech can reach an enormous and valuable target audience of clients, prospects, employees, media, business partners and analysts. The audience has chosen to attend the conference and your presentation, so they are ready and willing to listen to your experts and your messages. The conference environment is conducive to networking and deal making. And you can’t beat the price. These coveted sales, marketing and PR benefits can be yours for the mere price of a plane ticket.

Yet many companies are frustrated with the process and the results of their existing speaking programs. Why? In our 20-plus years of experience creating and managing speakers bureau programs, we’ve found the root causes to be a lack of planning and a shortage of resources. Typically, companies assign a junior-level PR or marketing person to establish and manage a speakers bureau program with no strategic plan and no executive support. If this sounds familiar, know that there are a few simple things you can do to build your speakers bureau program into a highly visible and successful part of your marketing and communications strategy.

1. Create a game plan: Invest the time and effort to determine clear, attainable goals for your program. In addition to increasing brand awareness, you may want to promote a new leadership team or support the launch of a new product. Creating a program based on these goals will not only help you secure management buy-in, it will enable you to plan, prioritize and execute more effectively. You also need to work closely with your management team and subject matter experts (SMEs) to determine the most charismatic, effective and willing speakers. Make sure this conversation also addresses their expectations for the program. You need to understand what they want from the program and be able to adjust those expectations accordingly.

2. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize: With an ever-growing list of business and industry conferences, it is critical to prioritize your efforts. Know your target audience and your business goals and be true to them both when researching conferences and pursuing speaking opportunities. Consider current and past speakers, location and venue, attendee profiles and other important criteria when building a focused target list.

3. Know the realities: Successful speaker placement is a difficult pursuit, so be ready for the challenges. Placement timelines are long (six-to-nine-month lead time), so start early and be willing to track an opportunity for months. Competition is stiff and sponsors get many of the top speaking slots (the unfortunate “pay to play” system). You can work around this system, but it takes perseverance and creativity. Select speakers and topics that are compelling and noncommercial, enlist clients for joint case-study presentations and spend time building relationships with conference organizers.

4. Invest in your speaker program: Like other key components of your PR and marketing programs, a speakers bureau requires investments of time, money and resources to be successful. It is critical that you dedicate an experienced professional or team (internal or external to your company) to manage all aspects of the program— from abstract development and executive relations to logistics and follow-up. And be ready to invest significant time and energy in doing it right. Follow up regularly on submissions, speaking frequently with show organizers to build relationships that increase your chances of placement and help you identify upcoming opportunities.

5. Prepare before your pitch: Take the time to create a library of speaker biographies, head shots and noncommercial abstracts on timely and compelling topics—this last piece can make or break your placement chances. There’s nothing worse than identifying an opportunity at the right event and then scrambling to meet the submission requirements. Having these critical pieces ready will increase your ability to respond to opportunities quickly.

6. Leverage your successes: The speech itself will come and go in less than an hour, and while the impact is significant, promoting your speaker successes and taking advantage of ancillary business opportunities can help you increase the benefits of each engagement. Participate in all available conference marketing opportunities— brochures, Web sites, press releases and direct mail campaigns. Leverage the conference location to conduct meetings with clients, press, partners and employment candidates.

7. Did we mention follow-up? After the speech is delivered and the conference has come to a close, there is still work to be done. Look for ways to repurpose the speech for other conferences and other audiences. Share the speech and its impact with your employees, press and analyst contacts, clients and business partners to reinforce your key messages and boost brand awareness and thought leadership. Conduct an assessment of each speaking engagement. Track attendance numbers and audience profiles, and solicit feedback from both the speaker and the conference organizer. This will help in determining whether or not you should pursue a speaking opportunity next year.

In an increasingly crowded marketplace, a strategic and well-managed speakers bureau program can help your professional services firm reach the right audience with the right messages. But, as with other professional services marketing programs, you have to invest the necessary time, money and executive support to realize the tremendous benefits a speaking program can yield.

Source: http://www.prnewsonline.com/news/11626.html

This Guy Is An Idiot - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:44 GMT

I wanted to tell you about a situation that REALLY boiled my buns…

It’s about how NOT to create your private coaching program – and the exact kind of idiot who should NEVER set up shop as a coach or mentor to others (which is our main business, as you know…)

I hate to embarrass people in public.

Even if they deeply and richly deserve it.

And I’m not about to start now, even though this story about an otherwise respected professional who wanted to start a private coaching program (for all the wrong reasons and with zero preparation) may send chills down your spine.

All names have been removed to protect the goofy.

By the way, if you want to cut to the chase and find out how we can help you transform your speaking, consulting, or expert business to a high-fee, high-fun profit-rich adventure, then book a call time on the calendar right now while you have this article open in front of you:

Back to our story… It all began with this exchange (via Facebook message) between me and a successful international keynote speaker with whom I am friendly (and who earns in excess of $20,000 per speech). This is copied verbatim – typos and all:

HIM: hey you do ongoing coaching type programs, right?

like you get clients that pay you X per month or year for telephone time or something else?

im asking because i was approached recently by a CEO who wants me to do executive coaching/mentoring for him. do you have some sort of outline i could follow please? i havent structured a deal like this before

David Newman: I do marketing coaching, not “executive coaching” but many of my clients DO. Usual structure is 2-3 phone meetings per month with email access to you in between and for CEOs I wouldn’t charge less than $5k per month. 7500-10k per month if the meetings are in person. Normally you’d lock them in for a 6- or 12-month commitment.

That’s all you need to know to close the deal. Boom – you owe me a Pepsi.

HIM: lol thanks. but what do they get for their money ? in terms of time commitments etc and i dont have any formal program structured. or is it pretty informal? they call and you just shoot the shit?

David Newman: If the content of the expertise you’re trying to sell isn’t in line with what the CEO needs or expects, you’re toast – you can’t just charge for something and “wing it” – don’t mean to be harsh, bro – but are you playing to your strengths here??

HIM: he approached me, not the other way around

he was in my audience recently and came over to me and said he wants to hire me to be his executive coach

so i certainly havent promised him anything i cant deliver

but i dont have a bunch of papers and programs and checklists or any formal program, because this is not something i normally do.

—

I’ll stop there simply to spare you the pain and embarrassment of more.

What’s wrong with this picture? I could go on and on but I promised myself this would be short (Ha!!)

Here’s my 6 cents on what is dangerous and crazy about this exchange:

Someone who can deliver a killer keynote speech (regardless of fee level) does NOT automatically qualify as an executive coach. Totally different skill set. It’s like hiring a virtuoso pianist to build a custom stereo – yes, they both make music. But the similarity ends there.
“Do you have some sort of outline I could follow?” Imagine this question coming from a jet fighter pilot, a brain surgeon, or a trial attorney. There is no outline — it’s a skill set that is a combination of serious expertise plus deep experience. You don’t “follow an outline.”
“I don’t have any formal program structured.” Here’s your first clue, Sherlock Holmes – if you don’t have a formal program for what you’re trying to sell, then you have no business selling it. Holy cow, do I really have to spell this out? Shouldn’t this just FEEL wrong? Apparently not…
“They call and you just shoot the shit?” Umm, no. I just gave my friend some pricing guidance that a high-level executive coaching program is at least $5,000 per month. And he asks me if that money goes toward “shooting the shit”? Seriously? Meanwhile – there are serious, committed, high-value executive coaches who just read that line and their foreheads are exploding. And I don’t blame them.
“But Dad – HE started it!” OK, that’s not exactly what he said. It was “he approached me, not the other way around” as if THIS makes it OK to charge money for a service that my friend is neither qualified nor prepared to offer. But wait. we’re not quite done – it gets worse…
“I don’t have a bunch of papers and programs and checklists or any formal program, because this is not something I normally do.” Again, let’s transplant this statement to a different profession – forensic accounting, cancer research, or defusing bombs. You’d probably want each of these professionals to show up with more than “a bunch of papers and checklists” to fulfill their responsibilities, correct? And you might even be more nervous to learn that “this is not something they normally do.” The lesson? THEN DON’T DO IT!!!

We have an amazing team of highly trained and seasoned coaches and mentors on my team to help me deliver the Expert Profit Formula marketing and mentoring program.

It’s not run by has-been speakers whose careers have run out of gas.

It’s not run by bored keynoters who will give you “a bunch of papers and checklists” and call that mentorship.

It’s not run by $2500 per gig college speakers or magicians who figured they could set up a website and start fleecing newbies for a $297 collection of useless generalities about the speaking business.

In fact, you probably deserve a buying guide – something to reference with objective criteria before you hire ANY speaker marketing or business coach.

Here’s that guide – I dare you to use it.

Wouldn’t it feel incredible to start implementing the system proven by more than 800 speakers, consultants, and experts to ramp up your speaking-driven revenue, reach once-unimaginable lifestyle goals all while making a bigger impact on the audiences and clients who matter most… without the loneliness and frustration of trying to figure it all out on your own?

For the best chance at getting a time that works for you, Check the Call Schedule Now. What are you waiting for?

10 Social Media Tips for Professional Speakers - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:43 GMT

As a speaker marketing expert, and professional speaker myself, I feel it’s important not to OVER-emphasize social media… and also not to UNDER-emphasize it either.

As John Jantsch likes to say, “social media is a tactic, not a religion” and I have to agree. Here are 10 social media tips for professional speakers that will help you balance your mix…

YouTube One Of Your Speeches – The best form of advertisement when it comes to professional speaking is showing your abilities online. When people have seen your electrifying speeches, they will be more likely to want to book you. Adding in a small link to your site during your Youtube video also will bring traffic to your website. Adding your Youtube video to your website will also get buyers more confident in your skills. After all, with many decision-makers and meeting planners, even the most eloquent writing will mean nothing to them if they cannot watch you in action. Try and get video in front of a high-octane audience. The more excited the audience is, the more dynamic your video will be.
Post Blogs On Related Subjects – If you are a professional speaker who makes a living from leadership speeches, having a blog that offers daily leadership tips will get more targeted leads to your site. Moreover, having extremely good leadership information and articles will also get people spreading the word about your site. There are plenty of authors out there who were able to sell books through their blogs; why should you be any different? As a general rule of thumb, the more content that you generate, the better your marketing results will be.
Podcasts Are Your Best Friend – Audio recordings of some of your shorter speeches or “snippets” are a great way to advertise your expertise. Including these in a feed will keep fans and customers updated on your latest work, and also will help spread the word about your speaking abilities. Even better, selling audio programs on your site might just make you a little money. Remember to add a little audio blurb in each audio program telling your audience how to book you for their next event!
Link It All Together – On each of your social media profiles, add your website link, your blog link, and upload some videos, photos, and audio recordings if possible. Making yourself as accessible as possible will let people know that you are serious and open for new business. People also will enjoy the convenience of having everything linked together in an easy-to-access way no matter where they may land in your web empire.
Get As Much Social Bookmarking As Possible – Got videos online? Get them ‘liked’ on Facebook. Encourage your audience to Tweet links to your website, blog, or show pages. Whenever possible, install as many social bookmarking tools as possible, and try to use all of them (Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon). The more that you can get people to share with ease, the more your expertise will spread.
Twitter Is Great – Tweeting your updates is an easy way to keep people informed about your latest thoughts, insights, and audiences. However, the best way that you can use Twitter is to engage your fans and prospective clients. Being able to chat with you via Twitter will show people that you are still a real person, and that your fans/followers matter to you!
LinkedIn Is Best For Corporate Speakers – LinkedIn has long been known to attract professionals in just about every field. For business speakers, it’s a smart move to put your biggest social media efforts into LinkedIn. Then take those relationships offline – perhaps even networking with local managers in your area to get you some steady gigs as their favorite professional speaker.
Keep It All Short N’ Sweet N’ To The Point – No matter what social media tool you are using, make sure to be direct and impactful in your communications. No one is going to read a page and a half of advertising. No one is going to show up at one of your events if you forget to give the date and time. Expect people to have short attention spans.
Use Each Form Of Social Media To Strengthen the Others – For instance, using Twitter to get more Facebook likes will give your Facebook advertising more power. People who have friends on Facebook will see your ad, and then ‘like’ it themselves. Getting people to post your YouTube videos on their walls will make your YouTube marketing efforts more successful.
Search Engine Optimize Your Blog – If your blog gets picked up by search engines like Google, using your social media tools to market yourself will be easier. The best part of using SEO to increase your hits is that you can often do it yourself combining titles, tags, and key words into some simple strategies to greatly improve your organic web traffic.

23 things to say when you're asked for 'free consulting' - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:42 GMT

Brilliant advice from marketing expert Maria Marsala. Maria is a Business Builder and former Wall Street Trader. With her motto of “Powering-UP service businesses and their owners,” she provides articles, tips, classes, and resources to do just that. Learn more at www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com

1. My charge for an initial consultation is “x.” If we turn out to be a good match, and you hire me, I’ll apply 1/2 of “x” towards your commitment.

2. I’m happy to give you 5 minutes or less of free time, however, most issues are more quickly & effectively resolved in an undisturbed session(s). May we schedule a meeting so I can give you my undivided attention?

3. If someone is very persistent, whip out a stopwatch & say “For $2 a minute I’d be happy to go into this now. May I start the clock & do you prefer to pay with cash or check?”

4. What I can do is refer you to a free resource on “_______.”

5. I do work with two pro-bono clients, who are in desperate need financially. I’ll take your card and add you to the waiting list.

6. Yes, I do work with clients on “name the issue.” Would you like to set up a consultation?

7. That will cost “x” per hour.

8. There’s a lot I can do for you that’s similar to the work I did for “xyz” client. Would you like to get together and build a marketing plan? (And then charge for those services.)

9. Well, I’d love to suggest something; however, my fees are “xxx” per hour.

10. Are you looking to hire me?

11. Are you looking to hire _____? Well, I’d love to talk to you about that; my fees are “x” per hour.”

12. You may call me for a 15-minute talk, very focused, on that issue.

13. “Well, the answer to that question depends” and then spend a few minutes explaining some of the options and considerations. For example, I may explain that the best way to identify the “solution” is to work backward from the desired end result and process. That provides a natural lead-in to: “If I were to work with you on this project, here’s how we would do it…”

14. Sorry, I can’t answer that unless you pay my fee (or hire me).

15. A complete answer to your question is going to take more than 15 minutes over the phone. Would you like me to send you a proposal on this?

16. I have really enjoyed talking with you and would like to help more. May I send you one of my brochures and a rate card?

17. Do you have a time line and/or budget in mind for solving this problem?

18. Have you looked at cost estimates from others who would like to help you solve this problem or complete this project?

19. It’s not a good time for me to begin a session right this minute. Would you like to briefly discuss session times and fees?

20. Are you seeking generic free information on “the topic” or to work with a “your profession here” to address your specific situation? [If I have a free resource, I’ll ask for their email address and send it to them.]

21. I provide a general 3-4 sentence overview of how I would address their concern with them. Then I say that I’ve found that the sorting of the information available and subsequent application of that information is so specific to each individual that I always recommend hiring a “your profession here” for getting that one project completed.

22. Well what I can offer you on that subject is an ebook (CD, audio, etc) called ________. I’ll email you the link.

23. Refer them to these “free” or “almost free” resources:

The library has books/tapes/audios/CD/reference librarians.
To an outsider, your local SBA and SCORE Offices "look" free. They're really not "free" either. Their classes "cost $" and their advice is paid for by all of us as part of our taxes.
Find a professional who needs your services and see about some sort of in-kind exchange or barter. Again, this isn't totally free, as you do need to report it on your taxes, but in most cases, there isn't any money exchanged.
Join lots of ezines by experts in the area you're looking to learn about, but do it quickly while they are still free. And know that the 'best of the best' contain ads and affiliate programs, too.

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7 Things Entrepreneurs Must Do Daily - Do It! Marketing

davidnewman9@yahoo.com (David Newman) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:45:41 GMT

Here are the top 7 things that entrepreneurs, business owners, and independent professionals must do every single day:

1. Revisit your goals, milestones, and metrics for the day, week, month, and quarter (financial, marketing, sales, operations)…

Ramifications if not done daily – you lose sight of the big picture and get pulled off your game by distractions, trivia, and grunt work.

2. Put new prospects on your radar via strategic outreach…

Ramifications if not done daily – your sales and marketing start to slip and you suffer from the feast-or-famine small business sales rollercoaster.

3. Thank your team – whether in-house, outsourced, full-time, or virtual…

Ramifications if not done daily – your team loses their motivation, momentum, and mojo. Once that’s gone, they’re halfway out the door.

4. Offer value – in terms of content, your blog, a video, a resource, a referral, a favor, a gift…

Ramifications if not done daily – you become just more marketing noise and customers and prospects tune you out and see you as a peddler, not a partner.

5. Invite engagement – online, offline, in-person, by phone or Zoom; ask and answer questions, solicit feedback, invite comments, send a survey…

Ramifications if not done daily – your business becomes isolated as you talk AT your customers and clients rather than talk WITH them.

6. Recharge your batteries – just like the airlines say, “secure your own mask before assisting others”…

Ramifications if not done daily – entrepreneurial burnout, stress, drinking, drugs, and divorce. Don’t laugh – you could be next.

7. Be gracious and grateful – take a moment to appreciate what you have, what you’ve built, and who you get to serve each day…

Ramifications if not done daily – instead of becoming more and more fulfilling, your business success becomes a trap, a race, and a never-ending contest that you can never win. Stop and smell the coffee!

If you want 6 more ways to take action, download our 6 Keys to Rapidly Grow Your Speaking-driven Business action guide here.

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