Ryan Foland speaks with Jen Guerrero, the CEO of eCubed, an event organization company that specializes in multi-million dollar executive conferences and events. She manages and coordinates hundred of events, and knows exactly what to look for when it comes to booking the right speakers for her clients.
Ryan and Jen Guerrero explore what the qualities and traits are that some speakers have, which helps them get booked to speak, different ways to get your foot in the door of a conference, and what practical advice on how to connect and speak with event organizers in a way that can get you booked.
Listen to this podcast to find out:
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Jen Guerrero: Hi, I'm Jen Guerrero, president of the eCubed Events. I'm a professional event organizer who hires speakers every day.
In today's World of Speakers podcast, Ryan and I cover the opportunities available to speakers and what I look for when I hire them.
If you are a speaker and you want to get more gigs, this is the podcast for you.
Ryan Foland: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of World of Speakers. I am super excited today to introduce Jen Guerrero. Was that a good roll?
JG: Yes, that's great. I typically don't introduce myself that way, because I don't roll the R's very well, but I encourage you to!
RF: Good, I took Spanish in eighth grade before high school, and I learned to hate it, just because I didn't like my teacher at the time.
Then I took Latin for four years, and then I figured out that Latin was useless to some extent, because you can't speak it.
I still had a passion for communication, so I learned how to speak Spanish in my car on CDs. I always excited about the chance to roll the R's.
JG: Well, you're welcome.
RF: Thank you.
This is special, because it's not just Jen Guerrero, it's GueRRero, we got double R.
You are the president of eCubed Events, and you have an interesting perspective in the speaking world, because you're more of a "behind the scenes".
As you are somebody who helps to put on events for corporations (and for those speakers who are world class and want to become world class) getting to know someone like you is probably a very good thing!
I want to know how the events thing started? Have you always been an events person, take me back.
JG: I feel like it ages me every single time I tell the story!
I really fell into the event world when I was in college. I was planning the homecoming and the college activities and the festivals, I realized I was good at it.
To rewind a few steps, I went to college to be an accountant, which is completely different from event organizer, or a meeting planner.
RF: It's not only totally separate, just the personality type.
From what I know of you so far, it doesn't seem like you have that “accounting persona.”
But this is interesting, you're a numbers gal.
JG: I am, I like doing budgets and forecasting and balancing our checkbook, but it wasn't the career solution for me.
I learned rather quickly that I was good at planning events, and so that's when I immediately shifted gears.
I still graduated with an accounting degree, but I said, "No, this is where you're going to go."
Who really does after college what they graduated with?
Rarely anyone.
RF: Yeah, rarely.
I went into college undeclared, because I had that mentality from the very start, I was like, "There's so many cool things to study, why just choose one."
I knew so many people that graduated with a degree, and it has nothing to do with what they're doing now.
Accounting is good for events.
I can see the value of it, so you've got like these double hats, right?
Do you have a green desk light, that's like a classic accountant with a little golden string that looks brass, that you pull and lights up your room?
JG: No, nor do I have one of those fun hats with the whatever on the top.
RF: Alright, so you were an accountant and then you figured out you were good at events.
What is your favorite type of event?
It doesn't have to be a speaker event; are you a weddings person, are you a birthday person, just from a holistic sense. What is your favorite type of event to throw?
JG: We specialize in corporate events solely. We stay away from weddings and birthday parties.
My favorite event would be, where I am finding that the need is, is really in conferences.
My all-time favorite would be a large person convention, maybe a three thousand to four thousand person convention.
Where there is multiple speakers and multiple tracks, multiple rooms, and I have the ability to really understand this event's scope and the event strategy from a high level, and breaking it down to individual tasks that need to be done to complete the event.
That's what keeps me going. That's what makes me excited every day.
RF: To be honest, that sounds super intimidating!
There's so many moving parts in that, if anybody's ever tried to put on an event.
I love that you just said “Let's go for like thousands of people, tons of speakers, multiple tracks”, that is good, that is your “inner account” speaking to you.
JG: That's right, numbers.
RF: Another thing, I tend to think visually a lot, and so when you were describing thousands of people, multiple tracks, multiple speakers…
But at the end of the day what you're passionate about is making it all work, so that there is a clear message of the conference, right?
JG: Correct, that's really what is the purpose for this event or this conference, making sure that's considered in every single element that we do, and that's what will make the event a success.
RF: It sounds like you’re describing helping someone through creating a speech, I just want to calrify that analogy real quick.
You have thousands of words, you have multiple tracks, you have a central theme that every word has to support, and it can be super crazy intimidating.
It can also be super exciting and the speaker in your conference are the words that you are creating for your own, essentially speech, that is in the form of an event.
JG: Interesting, that's an interesting analogy. I can see that.
RF: Parallels, all the little people in the conference that you get to place and put in different places, and they become sentences and those sentences become paragraphs, and then the speaker tracks are the different themes and whatnot; so that's very cool.
You are a speechwriter of events.
JG: Thank you.
RF: I'm really excited today to talk more about these corporate events.
For people who want to gain traction speaking, there's speaking at events like Toastmasters, and events at community organizations, and places to just get more hours on stage.
Corporations typically have the money to start you at a spot where maybe you might get paid to play.
I think it's still kind of a Wizard of Oz mystery, so you're like “Miss Wizard of Oz”, in the background, helping describe what's going on.
We might be able to peek behind the curtain in the show, to learn sort of about events, and then about the behind the scenes that you see, so we can get some great advice for speakers at these events.
Then kind of what the tricks are to get into the ones that get paid.
I'm excited here, we're going to write a speech in a podcast form, about events, like speeches.
JG: Perfect.
RF: Tell us a little bit more about your company.
Corporations hire you and you help to put them together— just give me a little backdrop on the service that you provide and the problem that you solve?
JG: Perfect, yes.
eCubed Events: we're an outsource provider, working with small and medium sized companies who don't have a meeting planner on staff.
A lot of organizations hire us, we'll hold conferences or sales trainings, and typically we would work with their marketing team or their HR team.
They just need a little additional help in securing the venue, or what's the run of show, or hiring the speakers or even all of that.
We become an extension of those teams to make sure that that event goes off smoothly and meets the goals.
RF: Yeah, that’s purpose, right?
The people that leave the conference (or leave your speech) you're creating, they need to be confronted with a camera and bright lights outside just like they got out of a movie theater premiere and you say, "How was it, what do you think?"
And then they say exactly what you want them to say.
JG: That's exactly right.
RF: Let's look at this as a kind of breakdown of an event.
I heard you talk about the venue, I heard you talk about the run of show, I heard you talk about hiring the speakers.
What are some more of these like core elements to an event that you're dealing with?
JG: In a nutshell, it's pretty much everything that it takes to put on an event!
Other examples would be: working with the marketing team to create marketing elements, to make sure that the attendees come, that you get registrants.
We're managing the registration site, both online and onsite.
We can help coordinate the event staffing.
RF: It's a lot. There is a lot of elements to it.
For those companies that don't have an internal person to do this, you are their outside person to do it.
What are some examples of the types of— you don't have to give me specific events, but if we were to break down the different types of corporate events, how many different buckets could you put them in?
What is the least amount of buckets that we could separate them in?
JG: Great question. I would separate them into conferences, so that could be either a learning conference or a sales conference.
Then celebrations, so that could be a holiday party or an awards recognition, like a dinner, for example.
Trade shows are another solution.
RF: Okay, there is three, three is my favorite number, you want to know why?
JG: Why is that?
There's two reasons— number one is that my numerology number is number three, have you ever gotten your numbers done?
Do you know what your numerology number is?
JG: I don't believe I do.
RF: Oh my gosh!
I traveled and spoke around with the Green Festival, and they always have the fun quirky businesses that are green, sustainable, a little hippy, all kind of home grown stuff;
Also, there is a numerologist, almost at every show.
After a while I was like, "What is this, numerology?"
I went over there and they basically ask you your birthday, and then they get a piece of paper or their eyes roll back in their head and they do the math, and they scribble around, and then they basically say, "You are a number three."
It's like, "Okay, what does that mean?"
Then they refer you to all this literature and everything else, and it's just like a horoscope, but with the numbers and it's interesting.
JG: That sounds like you went to a carnival where they said, "Let me guess your weight." And you stood on the scale.
RF: Or the guy in the vending machine from “Big”! Like the genie that just like pops up.
I'm number three, and apparently.
I'm also a Leo and they're pretty aligned, I'm loud, I'm out there, I'm outgoing.
It's just kind of fun to have a random gypsy identify who you are based on your birthday, and you're like, "That sounds like me."
JG: That's so fun.
RF: I challenge you, your homework is to find out what your number is, you want to seek out a numerologist.
I also joke with people that we count to three, and that's how we count one two three many, that's it.
From a speaking perspective, I try to not have more than three points, and how many little blind mice are there—
JG: Three, you're right.
RF: How many little pigs are there?
JG: There's three.
RF: If look throughout history and culture and the number three is really a nice stepping stone to helping people remember.
We're just going to talk about— you've got these conferences, you've got these dinners or celebration events, and you got the trade shows.
Now, I guess the difference between a conference and a trade show, like a C-level Employee Development would be more like— would you call that a conference?
JG: I would call that a conference.
Any time where there is learning and development taking place.
RF: Okay, so learning development is a conference; and then, the trade show is more like, "We're here to sell stuff and travel from around the world to gather everyone together."
JG: Yes.
RF: Okay, so out of these three, and I'm leading us down in a decision matrix tree here.
Out of these three, for the conferences, the dinner events and the trade shows, let's talk quickly about the opportunities for speakers at those events.
What do those spots look like?
If we've just boiled down any type of event into three, this would be fun to go one step further and have a couple examples of the opportunity for speakers at these types of events.
JG: Perfect.
RF: Conferences, right?
Break us down, what are the top three opportunities for speakers within conferences?
JG: I can immediately think of two.
Let's mention those two, and then maybe a third will peak in to my answer.
RF: Yes, it always does.
JG: Right.
Number one is the breakout session, so the learning and development opportunities.
Every conference will have a learning and development opportunity.
Whether you are a corporation holding a user event, where you want to train your users further on the products that you have or sales tactics, etc.
Or, you're a learning and development agency that wants to teach women on how to be more empowered, etc.
That would be learning and development content available in the breakout session.
Then also, the other kind of speakers are going to be motivational/ inspirational speakers, and generally you find those in your main stage, your general session.
In my opinion, the primary reason for those types of speakers, is really to get butts in seats or folks to register for this event. They are your "Wow Speaker".
I would say there's two.
RF: Okay, alright, so there's two. I can think of another one, but maybe it fits into one of these two.
Would you say that the actual keynote spot is that "Wow Speaker", is that the inspirational, or is that something different, because it's important to understand how people are using those words.
The keynote seems to be that saw it after all glorified gem, but would you refer to the keynote as that inspirational/motivational?
JG: I would, but I can see how both would actually work.
Your keynote could be learning development, but in my opinion, the keynote is your “Wow Speaker”.
Typically a big name, and so if it's learning and development content, it's going to be somebody who is very well known in that industry.
RF: Okay, so here we go, so we have two right now, we have the breakout sessions which are multiple ones, are happening during the same time, there are 30 to 45 minutes, sometimes 20 minutes, you maybe applied to do it or you're selected, maybe you're an internal employee that's able to highlight what you are doing as part of it.
Then you've got your “Wow Speaker”, which is also your keynote inspirational/ motivational kind of drawing people in.
I've got another one for you, and it's the host or the MC, or somebody who is also up on the stage, right?
I've got a lot of my initial stage time by being a host, or an MC, like at events where people would be looking around, like, "Who's going to take the mic and make the introduction?" I'd be like, "Me! I got it!"
JG: MCs are oftentimes the glue to what is missing on your main stage.
They are the folks as you know, that will weave that message throughout everything that's spoken throughout the conference.
RF: They're almost like the editor, right.
They come over the top and they take exactly what you have, but maybe in that moment there needs to be a fly edit, instead of throwing the SIC, and just sort of like bumble over what could have been a better transition.
They take that, they own it, they make the edit, they resolve the comment in the Google Doc, proverbially here, and then move forward with it, I like that.
JG: Exactly, and they carry the theme, so if there's one common theme for the event, they will make sure that from “Speaker A” to “Speaker B”, that that theme is carried through.
RF: Right, and what I think is a really great deal for MCs, is the fact that they get a lot of stage time and a lot of exposure even though they might not speak collectively a lot.
When I played hockey as a youth, when I thought I was going to be a professional hockey player which almost happened.
I was a goaltender, so as a goaltender I think there's a lot of analogies to it, an ice hockey goaltender to an MC, because you are on the ice the whole time, but the seconds or moments where you are actually live, are some of the most crucial, it's what either keep the puck in or out of the net, so I like that.
Are you a hockey fan at all?
JG: I've been to a couple of games, it clearly wasn't a sport where I grew up, so I'm a bigger football and basketball fan.
RF: Okay favorite football team, favor basketball team, don't even think about it?
JG: Denver Broncos, and don't have a basketball team.
RF: Okay see, I'm a bandwagon fan, so I'm cool with just sort of wherever I'm at.
Like, "Oh yeah, I like them," ...so you can cheat on that for the basketball thing.
JG: Yeah, I used to be a season ticket holders to the Orlando Magic but that was when I lived in Orlando.
Now, I really like the NBA playoffs, so anybody who makes the play-offs, I'm cheering for you.
RF: Nice, that's good, I'm with you on that bandwagon.
Okay, back to this concept here.
When it comes to conferences which have to do with personal development or corporate training and things like that, we have the three different buckets: we have the breakout sessions, the keynotes and the MC.
Let's move on to the entertainment side of events, the number two.
What are the speaking opportunities there?
JG: Oh, the celebration, the celebratory events.
I think there is an MC opportunity there, and a “Wow Speaker”.
I'm not sure that there's any L&D opportunities there, because we're gathering to celebrate.
RF: I can think of one, because for some reason, the three always comes strong in the end.
At wedding, I've had people approach me, not at a wedding, but I have had people approach me, and I've coached them on their best man speech.
Actually it's funny, a lot of people join Toastmasters for the reason that they have to speak at a wedding.
It's like the “gateway drug” of speaking.
It's a lot of pressure, and for some people, it's like the biggest public speaking that they have to do, and I think that's an interesting opportunity for speaking.
If you're at the celebratory event, you still have a chance to get on stage and show yourself as someone who can put some words together and maybe be funny, be insightful and help control the crowd.
JG: That's true.
RF: There's our three, we've got the MC, the “Wow Speaker”, and— what do we want to call this third option?
JG: Perhaps the “Toaster’.
RF: The Toaster, okay.
Let's move to trade shows, which are different, because it's more of a commerce driven purpose.
JG: Right, and I think for the purpose of this conversation, we should only focus on the trade shows that are not connected to a larger conference.
RF: Okay, explain that, give me an example of that maybe.
JG: The reason I was thinking that is because a lot of trade shows are connected to a larger conference, and then you're going to have the same three speakers that you would see at a conference.
Just to keep the content fresh.
A trade show without learning and development opportunity for example, let's call it that.
The types of speakers at a trade show would be your “Wow Speaker” again, so that could be your motivational/inspirational...your big name.
It could be your MC, and then there could be other opportunities where you speak inside a booth for example.
RF: That's actually a lot of practice on your pitching which is a little mini-speech at the same time.
JG: Exactly, and there's opportunities for booth presentations to be given by employees of that company or they even sometimes hire out, or bring in guest speakers.
RF: This is what's cool about what we have just formulated here.
We have formulated the 3x3 matrix of speaking opportunity for events, which is pretty legit.
We should turn this into a cool one-pager for you or an infographic, and you can use this as like a nice lead magnet to get people the information in exchange for maybe their email or something, who knows.
JG: Right, that's perfect.
RF: Alright, so the 3x3 matrix.
We've broken down all types of speaking events into three, which are conferences, we are then calling celebratory events and trade shows which are not connected to conferences.
And within those, there are three opportunities within each of those which brings a total of 9 total targets for speakers to go after.
In the conference, it is the breakout speakers, the “Wow Speaker” and the MC.
In the celebratory events it's the MC, the “Wow Speaker” and the Toaster.
And then when it comes to trade shows, it's the “Wow Speaker”, the boother, and then— we need one more.
JG: Oh I thought we had three— the MC, there could also be an MC.
RF: Oh, the MC, sweet.
And then, just because people like solid numbers, even though nine is a multiple three which is also amazing.
The one other speaking opportunity, I am just thinking of now, in all of these are the individuals that attend these events, because I will argue that if you open your mouth in public, you are a public speaker.
If you are at a conference, if you are at a celebratory event or you are at a trade show, you are talking with one person or five people or a group of people at the table, that is an opportunity for you to make an impact or make a mark or add to the purpose of the event. Right?
Did I lose you?
That was so dramatically apparently that it created a blip in the matrix, and it somehow disconnected the line.
Well there you have it people, that is powerful information for you.
Okay, Jen, are you there, are you back, hello, Jen?
JG: Hi Ryan, I am here. So I heard your last thought, and then the line just went silent.
It was powerful.
RF: It was totally powerful, wow, that was real people, you're living in a real world, in this material world, and when you drop knowledge bombs that are so thought provoking and so deep to the soul, it disconnects phone lines.
So we have the 3x3 which is a total of nine speakers, and the tenth which is a line disconnecting strength.
If you are a guest at these events, you also can be a speaker, so any comments on that crazy idea?
JG: I would say that it’s even more important if you are a speaker who is a guest at an event, because in theory, you are always promoting yourself, and so you want to keep that in mind when you are attending an event and you are a speaker.
I have to keep that in mind when I attend an event and I'm an event organizer.
You're always marketing yourself.
RF: Now, there are some people, maybe some of the “Wow Speakers”, they have their big keynote from 10 to 11.30 and they show up at like 10.45, and then run out the back door.
There are people that speak at events and they just go to speak, but you're telling people, "If you are there to speak, that's just the best opportunity to actually get involved in the conference and meet people and expand your reach."
JG: Exactly, and there is no better opportunity than that to meet the attendees, who you're speaking to.
Because that will help you connect the dots of, "Here's my presentation," plus who I'm talking to it's only going to make your presentation better.
RF: When you're talking with hundreds of thousands of people, those people work somewhere else, which if they see you, and then they connect with you, and can talk with you, they could go back to their boss and be like, "Oh my gosh, not only did I see Jen speak, but I got to talk with her and she was so amazing, and she's going to be in our town soon—" and then there you go.
JG: Exactly. Yeah, I see that often.
RF: Okay, this is great.
Normally, we talk about public speaking tips, but this is great insight to enabling people to see themselves as speakers at every event they go to, and it helps to clarify the different opportunities for speaking spots by the 3x3 for the eCubed.
JG: Thank you.
RF: Actually, let's go back to number three, you are eCubed and that also is three.
JG: Oh boy, you're right, and it's funny.
The name of the company came up because I like the letter “E” and I like math, let's go back to the accounting at the beginning.
The tagline of our company is “Elevating executive events”, which is three words to start with the letter E.
It's all tying together.
RF: And E has three lines in it that go the same direction. You could even take this this three by three concept and you can even reverse engineer or play with people and see how it works, right?
Like, “Why are you eCubed?”
“Well, there's only three types of events and we've identified three speaking opportunities at each one of those events, plus the bonus tenth, but if you really want to know about that, we can talk about it.”
They are like, "Tell me, tell me more about the 3x3 and the tenth one!" Just make sure, just promise me you don't do this over the phone, because when you tell them number ten, it's so powerful, it's good to disconnect the line.
Let's move into now that we know the opportunities for the speakers in the events, let's talk about these events themselves.
I want to dig a little bit deeper, because one thing you said about this “Wow Factor”, the “Wow Speaker”, they show up in all three of the events.
You had mentioned something about their ability to bring people and fill seats— how important is it for a speaker to have an audience with them, or talk to me about that, how would you determine that, what does that mean?
JG: Oftentimes there's events that we work with, our clients that we work for, whose the success of the conference or the event is based on total number of attendees.
Sometimes, we'll make the suggestion to help get attendees let's focus on a keynote speaker or your “Wow Speaker”, and sometimes that's just a name and sometimes that's a speaker who can bring a large following with him.
It's somebody who is very active on social media for example, might have a huge Twitter following.
There was a client that I've worked with over the last few years, and there was a couple of speakers that teach at their learning and development conference, and they have huge social media followings.
Whenever we would book these speakers, the two speakers would promote it on their social accounts, and then their followers would then register for our conference.
We knew what we were getting when we booked them, in addition to the valuable content they provide of course.
RF: Right, and that's important to think about, because I talk a lot about and I am very passionate about the idea of a personal brand.
This sounds like the “Wow Speaker” has a personal brand.
Would you say that that's a fair statement, that the “Wow Keynote Speakers” because their name is recognized. Do you classify that from that verbage, is them having very strong personal brands or is that not necessarily the case?
JG: That's a great way to describe it.
I think that's exactly what we're looking for, when we were looking to hire that speaker to help put butts in seats, exactly.
RF: Awesome, and I think that there's more and more popularity of people realizing that.
I have this funny concept and I'll test you, here there's throwing you under the love bus, it's not going to hurt okay?
JG: Okay.
RF: Do you think that you have a personal brand right now, or have you developed one or do you have a personal brand?
JG: Yes. Yes I do.
RF: Okay, excellent. When I ask that to an audience I would say it's about a 50-50: where half of the people that I ask they say, "No, I don't have a personal brand."
Then I flip around and I say, "Yes, you do, you have a personal brand whether you think so or not, whether you like it or not, because a brand is basically what other people think about you."
The trick is, if you don't start taking control of your own narrative, if you are not making the decision that what you're doing is seen in a way that's in line with what you want to be known for, then you have a personal brand but you're not controlling it.
I think these speakers that you're talking about, they have a personal brand.
They're controlling the narrative, they have the following, they have the social proof and that is of huge value to an organizer like you.
JG: Yes, definitely, hands down.
RF: Hands down, both hands down, put the mic down, put the hands down.
I just had this visual somebody on stage going like, "Oh my Gosh, put it down,” and just like puts the hands of the ground, like, "That's it."
Now, do you get up and speak, do you play the MC at all?
Do you get up there and talk or is your public speaking more internally in the sales room and negotiating, stuff like that?
JG: My public speaking is more the latter, so in smaller groups.
RF: That's also important, you've got to convince these organizations to hire you, you've got to convince the speakers to speak at the events, you are the behind the stage speaker I dig it.
JG: Yes, and that's where I prefer to be.
RF: Yeah, and that's totally cool.
You might have to be a toaster one day, and you'll do that, and you'll do good at it, and then you'll be an attendee number ten.
You'll maximize that value and bring more people into your network so that it serves you and your business to serve the corporations that you serve. #serve.
We talked about getting the butts in seats, but is there an overall quality or trait that you can think of that helps people become more payable for their speaking?
Is there a quality or a trait, or something that you've seen within this personal brand that people could strive for or could focus on developing?
JG: In my opinion there's two traits that are super important.
RF: Are you sure there is not three?
JG: There might be three, let's start with two.
There is two traits that are super important from my perspective, when booking speakers.
Number one— the content being relevant to what the conference is.
Number two is just the speaker being a partner to the person putting on the conference.
RF: When you say “partner”, does that mean trying to put butts in seats, is that the partnership deal of it, promoting and things like that?
JG: I think it's all of that.
Whenever we book speakers, we don't necessarily request the speaker help us put butts in seats.
RF: But you never have said if they do, right.
JG: Never.
RF: This is interesting, this is a time out here, if you're a speaker and you're listening to this, let's see—
You land the gig to speak somewhere, whether it's paid or not, you're hearing from Jen, as a behind the scenes because she wants to, she's being your friend here over the podcast.
She is saying that she not always asks people to help promote and partner, but she just listed that as number two on her top list of the most valuable things.
If you are asked to speak in event, just think about Jen, and you do everything you can to promote the event. Why wouldn't you, right?
Do some people not do it, do you get people that you hire and they are like, "Oh great, yes I'll be there fifteen minutes before, and I'll send you an invoice after."
JG: Oh yes, that happens more often than not actually.
You miss out on a lot of opportunity.
RF: You do right, I bet if you hired a ginger for example, and they may be look like me who knows; and then you invite them to speak in an event, but I share that with my network, I post that on all my platforms, maybe ask you for a couple of VIP guests to get a few people into the event that might bring more influence to it.
Then, am I on a more preferred list the next time as opposed to somebody who say wasn't a ginger, and didn't do those things.
JG: Yes, I would say so, because you are partnering with us to help make the event more successful.
RF: I like that word “partnering”, if somebody tries to get a speaking gig, right, but think about changing the mentality in the words to saying I want to be a partner of this event.
Would it mean, “Well my talent the value I bring is speaking and that's what I'd like to partner with you on”, that's a really interesting reframe of getting a "speaking gig" but trying to partner with these events. I like that.
JG: We try to do that with our own services, but it's very important to me that we work with providers, speakers, vendors who do partner with us, you partner with our clients, because you want everyone to partner and have a buy into what is the overall event objective.
If you're simply a paid speaker, simply a paid vendor, and you don't have that buy in and feel like that partner, then how do I as the event—
Yeah, you're not as valuable the next time.
JG: Right, as the event organizer: “how do I know, exactly?”
RF: Do you have a number three and if not, I have one, I promise it's not as powerful as the ten after the three by three.
JG: Give it to me.
RF: Before I tell you, I want to do a little investigative work here.
What typically happens after a speaking gig or engagement or event?
Do you hear from speakers afterwards?
JG: No, not typically.
RF: Okay, that's all I need to know.
Here's my challenge to people— if you really want to bring value to a conference and you want to have a longevity of getting booked at multiple events, you've got the number one and number two which I think Jen laid out in an amazing point, it's just your contents got to be on point relevant, you've got to be looking at the event as a partner.
Number three, the fortune is in the follow- up and did you send the event promoter a “thank you” note?
Did you follow- up and maybe write an article or blog about it?
Did you meet people at the event that helped you to get another gig, and then told Jen about it that you're so thankful for the connection that you got?
Did you contact Jen and say, "Hey Jen, I see that you're organizing this other event I want to introduce you to two of my other speaker friends, because you were so great as an organizer." I think not everybody does that and that's pretty low hanging fruit.
What happens after the curtain falls?
That would be my number three, is follow- up and be thankful and get like, “I love speaking at an event and then making introductions of people that I think would fit for that event next year”, right, it makes your job easier, gives me kudos for inviting people that I know, everybody kind of wins.
JG: I love that, I love that attitude.
Because now you not only spoke at the event, but you've met some of the attendees hopefully, so you know the vibe and you know what kind of speakers would be a good fit.
That takes a lot of the guesswork out of the planners' hands.
RF: You guys have enough to account for.
It's like after your paper is finished: picking it up and reading it, the paper, if you just joined us now, or you forgot, we talked about how Jen's entire business of creating these crazy events is really just like creating a speech on a piece of paper with the people being the words and the elements being the speakers, through line being the purpose of the event.
Imagine if I picked up that paper which had your speech on it afterwards, and then also gave you some feedback where I said, "Hey, as a speaker, I experienced this, the green room was really pink and I wish it was green, I'm not trying to complain but I heard this."
Would you take unsolicited feedback like that as part of a follow- up process that is a benefit for you?
JG: Yeah absolutely. I think you want to do the, I'm not exactly sure what it's called, but the sandwich—
RF: Compliment sandwich, yes.
JG: I think sometimes speakers kind of get a bad rap.
At the end of an event, an event organizer is tired.
So if it's not in a nice compliment sandwich, it might not come off the right way.
RF: Maybe if you're tired, you don't want to do it then, right?
What I am agreeing is that you're tired after an event, so you're like hangry and you're tired, so don't give feedback at the event.
Maybe wait like a week and then make it a cupcake sandwich.
Deliver cupcakes with the news, say, "Hey, thank you so much," this actually doubles up with the idea of thanking them, because if you wait a week, I write you a “thank- you” card.
That's definitely part of the top sandwich, it's like, "I had such an amazing time, your staff was so great, it was wonderful. If you are curious I did see one or two things I'd like to point out that maybe you could improve upon for next time, but I can't wait for next year's event," and that's the other part of the sandwich, at the bottom there.
JG: Yes, exactly, right.
RF: That's it, you need to be thanked more, you need more sandwiches and cupcake feedbacks.
The exciting part of what I've learned here today in this call is that it goes back to what I always tell people, maybe I'll get this tattooed on me or something or pretend like my freckles are a constellation that spells it out;
I really think that successful people are not doing things that everybody else cannot do, now people can be replaced with other people (like the speakers), so successful speakers aren't doing things that everybody else can't do, successful speakers are doing what everyone can do, but not enough people do, or nobody does, right.
If you are the person that sends a "thank you" note in a compliment sandwich and follows up and makes introductions, that doesn't cost any money, that's not super crazy expensive.
Jen, I can just hear you like lighting up about that as an idea, except when it's right afterwards, because I could hear that that was not the time to talk to you.
That's what's so exciting, so if you're listening to this, think of the 3x3, which is the nine different opportunities to speak, as well as the “phone-world-disconnecting-matrix-clicks-glitching-idea” that you are a speaker if you attend an event, because you have an opportunity to speak.
And then, understanding that having the three qualities that Jen looks for, which is relevant content and partnering and this idea of follow- up as well as feeding her some compliment sandwiches.
JG: Or cupcakes.
RF: Whenever I speak at one of your events, I was throwing out the when instead of if, that's another little trick for your mind, because thoughts become words and words become things, so think good thoughts.
When we work together, I will send my "thank you" note and I will take a cupcake, and I'm not sure whether I'm going to cut it in half vertically or horizontally, and I'm actually going to stick it like somehow in the middle and then get it delivered so it's like an actual cupcake sandwich.
JG: I love it, thank you.
RF: If somebody wants to find you or connect with you to learn more about what you're up to, how do they find you, what's the best way to get to you?
JG: Email is the best, my email addresses [email protected] or just hop on over to my website ecubedevents.com, and there's a info page on there that you can leave your note.
RF: You just said hop and I was imagining myself like hopping through the internet, like hop-hop-hop-hop onto there.
Jen, this has been a lot of fun, I'm looking forward to connecting with you and I'm excited that everybody got to meet you along with me meeting you for the first time here today.
I feel like this has been a lot of powerful information for people to become even better world class speakers, or get to that world class speaking level.
Thank you so much Jen and we'll see you online!
A bit about World of Speakers
World of Speakers is a weekly podcast that helps people find their own voice, and teaches them how to use their voice to develop a speaking business.
We cover topics like: what works versus what doesn't, ideas on how to give memorable presentations, speaking tips, and ideas on how to build a speaking business.
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