Patrick Lencioni’s newest book, Getting Naked: A Business Fable About the Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty, lands on shelves this week. From Amazon.com:

Written in the same dynamic style as his previous bestsellers including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni illustrates the principles of inspiring client loyalty through a fascinating business fable. He explains the theory of vulnerability in depth and presents concrete steps for putting it to work in any organization. The story follows a small consulting firm, Lighthouse Partners, which often beats out big-name competitors for top clients. One such competitor buys out Lighthouse and learns important lessons about what it means to provide value to its clients.

Click through to read Amazon.com’s exclusive Q&A with Pat, where he answers questions such as “Why do you use the term naked and where does it come from?” (Hint: It’s not just to be catchy. Pat — through his speaking and consulting — helps CEOs and their teams build healthy organizations, and they found that by being completely transparent and vulnerable — “naked” — with clients, they could build amazing levels of trust and loyalty.)

Pat is one of our favorite speakers here at The Speakers Group, and we’re not alone — the Wall Street Journal has named him one of the most in-demand business speakers. If you’d like to learn more about bringing Pat to your next event, we’d be happy to speak with you. Just submit this form to tell us about your event, or click here to read more about Pat first.

Posted under Book Review, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Speaker News, Speaker Recommendations

photo credit: markhillary

STEP ONE: Look only locally to save travel expenses.

STEP TWO: Choose a speaker based on the theme of your event.

STEP THREE: Read a book and hire the author to present the content.

STEP FOUR: Base your search on price.

STEP FIVE: Make name-recognition the top priority in your search.

STEP SIX: Do it yourself.   Google away!

Or, if you prefer to hire a good one…

Throw the net as wide as possible when searching for a speaker. Don’t let price, budget, name, or even topic dictate your search.  Look for the right speaker and if they are a fit, try to negotiate the expenses into the fee.

Tie in the décor with your theme, not the speaker. Any speaker worth their salt will work to customize the presentation to fit your theme in one way or another.  You want your attendees to walk away from the session saying “What a great speaker!” not “Wow did that speaker ever tie into the event theme well!”

Good writing does not necessarily a good speaker make. For a good best-selling author who speaks, look for one who was a speaker first, and then wrote their NYT bestselling book.

Finding a ‘silver bullet’ speaker is rare (great name, great story, great speaker, great message, actually accept engagements).  Nearly without exception, one of the things on that list has to be sacrificed. Quite often name-recognition is a contra-indication of speaking skills. It’s a short list!  You can save $10k – $20k by hiring a no-name speaker with the right stuff.  For well-spoken, engaging, name-recognition speakers, consider those who are famous for a profession that requires giving speeches i.e.: politicians & activists.

Outsource your weaknesses! Get a speaker-consultant-on-call who can help you.  Speaker Bureau services are free – use them!  Get referrals from colleagues you trust.  Use the IACEP network.  Ask other speakers!

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Guest Post by Christa Haberstock, Meetings Industry Veteran and Consultant to Professional Speakers

Posted under Event Management, Motivational Speakers, Planner Tips, Speaker Recommendations

photo credit: nextconference

Looking for a social media speaker for your next event? With hundreds of options to choose from, and with new “experts” popping up every day, how do you know who is the best — and more specifically, the best for your event?

Knowing that social media is one of the most in-demand topics for meetings and conferences today, we have scouted books, articles and conferences for leading authorities who meet the following criteria:

1. The individual must be established as a uniquely successful practitioner of social media and/or be frequently called on to share his or her expertise in the field — specifically as it relates to corporate and association social media practices.
2. The individual must have a proven ability to discuss social media in a way that is easily understandable and relevant to each unique audience.
3. The individual must be able to effectively engage the audience (every “expert” who writes an article is not necessarily someone you want on your platform as a speaker).

Based on those criteria, we’re assembling a powerful roster of social media speakers to help you address this highly relevant, in-demand subject at your next meeting or convention. Following are 10 such speakers from our roster to help you get started in your search (in alphabetical order):

Chris Brogan
Co-Author of Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

Ryan Paddock of Digital Scientists says it best: “Chris Brogan, true to his reputation, is the authority when it comes to helping companies discover and implement social media into their business model. Chris… challenged the attendees to think differently about how to generate ROI in a strict corporate culture using social media and digital tools. His participation and prowess in the field undoubtedly added to the success of the event.”

Scott Klososky
Former CEO of Three Successful Startups; Specialist in Analyzing and Forecasting Technology Trends

Scott Klososky has proven multiple times that by combining technology knowledge with information on social trends, a person can have a huge impact in growing a business. In his presentations, Scott can help audiences understand “Digital Plumbing” (how to make data more valuable by leveraging the business intelligence layer), Social Media (how target and proximity marketing are playing out in the advertising and marketing space), Technology and White Collar Lean (using technology to lower back office and operations costs) and Web 2.0 Tools (Blogs, RSS Feeds, social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook,Twitter, crowdsourcing, other “hot” tools, plus Scott’s 10 favorite websites of the month). After all, he says, “Technology is simply a tool. Without the people who utilize it, there is no value.” Read some of Scott’s insights in this recent Q&A.

David Kralik
Director of Internet Strategy for American Solutions; One of the “Top Ten Changing the World of Internet and Politics”

While qualified to discuss a broad range of issues related to social media, David’s specialty is discussing the benefits of bringing Silicon Valley culture to Washington, DC. (He recently spoke about this during a Policy Talks@Google session which you can watch here.) David asks: What if the government ran on 20% time? David can help governments from the municipal level to the federal level understand how social media can help them tell their stories online, build and engage a following, and communicate with their constituents.

Mike McDerment
Co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks – One of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “100 Brilliant Companies”

FreshBooks, in business since 2004, now serves more than 800,000 people and has more than doubled the size of its staff in the past year. Though the business is 100 percent online, a key factor in their success has been their ability to engage with and get face-time with their customers. Read about FreshBooks As A Social Media Case Study and get a glimpse of the social media insights Mike can offer as a speaker for your audience.

Clayton Morris
Co-host of “FOX & Friends Weekend” and the Technology Show, “Gadgets and Games with Clayton Morris”

Clayton appeared on a panel with Rick Sanchez, Ann Curry, Brian Solis and others at the groundbreaking 140 Characters Conference and shared insights on how social media is changing the world of broadcast news. He is continuously uncovering best practices in social media by speaking with thought leaders such as Jeff Pulver, Robert Scoble and Gary Vaynerchuk, among others — see his chat with Jeff, Robert and Gary about the future of social media on the June 26 episode of Gadgets and Games.

Joe Rotella
Industry Expert on Usability, Web Design and Social Media

People are hearing fantastic stories about successful social campaigns that cost little or nothing to implement, and perhaps you’re considering putting your organization’s toe into the social media marketing pool. But are you really ready? Joe’s expertise can help you get ready. Joe recently spoke about social media and usability at the Ohio Hospital Assocation’s Annual Meeting and Tiffany Himmelreich, Manager of Media & Public Relations at OHA, said, “Attendees were frantically scribbling down pearls of wisdom, which proved to be challenging as they were simultaneously laughing at Joe’s humorous and engaging delivery. We have never received so many compliments about a speaker.”

Chris Sacca
Advisor to Twitter; Former Head of Special Initiatives at Google and Technology Advisor to President Obama’s Campaign

Based on his experience as an advisor to Twitter, and as former Head of Special Initiatives at Google Inc. and as an advisor on Telecommunications, Media, and Technology to President Barack Obama’s campaign, Chris is uniquely equipped to speak about how the Internet, social networks, and social media are being used in business as well as in government and democracy, exploring what it means for both entrepreneurs and citizens.

Andy Sernovitz
Author of Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking

Whenever there’s been an innovation in marketing, Andy Sernovitz has been there. An 18-year veteran of the interactive marketing business, Andy has spent years helping companies learn how to do better marketing. Andy recently delivered the opening keynote presentation at Buzz2009 – dubbed the “Social Media for Associations” event – in Washington, DC, and spoke about the core concepts that drive word of mouth, how social media plays a part, and what associations can do to create buzz around the great work they do. Andy is equally capable of helping corporations adopt best practices in social media, and does just that with his company’s BlogWell: How Big Companies Use Social Media event. Andy can help his audiences learn everything from how to get started, how to get past roadblocks, and how to make their social media programs phenomenal.

Peter Shankman
Authority on PR and Marketing; Creator of the 100k-member-strong Social Media Success: HARO

Peter’s PR and Social Media clients have included the Snapple Beverage Group, NASA, The US Department of Defense, Walt Disney World, The Ad Council, American Express, Discovery Networks, Harrah’s Hotels, and many others. Peter is perhaps best known for founding Help A Reporter Out (HARO), which in under a year has become the de-facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering them more than 100,000 sources around the world looking to be quoted in the media. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out over 1,200 queries from worldwide media each week and adding thousands of new members each week.

Brian Solis
Considered One of the Original Thought Leaders to Pave the Way for Social Media and PR 2.0

Brian often asks his audiences, “Who do you want to be online?” Since what you do, say and post online defines who you are and broadcasts this image ahead of you wherever you go, how you (or your company, or your people) design your online public image will influence your chances of success in this new social economy. Brian is an active leader in spotlighting and cultivating new startups and emerging visionaries in Silicon Valley and beyond, and as a speaker, he helps audiences understand what the rapid evolution of products and services means for their businesses and careers.

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To find the perfect social media speaker(s) for your unique audience, meeting objectives and budget, contact us at The Speakers Group and we would be happy to offer some guidance and help you uncover opportunities to utilize social media in enhancing your business and your events.

And for additional help in your search for a social media speaker:

Be sure to read Peter Shankman’s “Is Your Social Media Expert Really An Expert?”

Not sure if a social media speaker is right for your meeting program? Read our blog post about the widespread interest in social media across numerous professions and industries.

Connect with The Speakers Group through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (company, president and vice president).

Bookmark our Social Media Speakers page to stay up-to-date as we add more authorities on this topic to our roster.

Posted under Innovation Speakers, Planner Tips, Social Media Speakers, Speaker Recommendations

Did you see the June 2009 cover of Entrepreneur magazine? If so, you saw Mike McDerment, Co-Founder and CEO of FreshBooks, hailed as one of “100 Brilliant Companies” by the magazine. Used by more than 800,000 people, FreshBooks is a web-based invoicing system that helps freelancers, independent service providers and small businesses with their billing and time-tracking needs. What makes it a “brilliant” company? Partly, it’s their offering of  “invoice templates, an MBA’s smarts and a human touch in a slick – and affordable – Web 2.0 package,” according to Entrepreneur. But their brilliance may also be attributed to their unique way of caring for their subscribers:

“No one takes care of people in the client-services business,” McDerment says. “Taking a customer who pays just $14 a month out to dinner is our way of doing that.”

For real. Read the company’s profile in Entrepreneur and you’ll see that the FreshBooks crew spends hours away from their offices traveling the U.S. and Canada to take their customers out to dinner.

That’s not the only way they engage with their customers, though. They have a fun, informative blog, and they’re also active on Twitter, masterfully using the popular social media service to serve customers, establish brand voice, deepen relationships, engage brand fans, and break news. It’s all part of the FreshBooks company commitment to Execute on Extraordinary Experiences Everyday, or “4E.”

If you’re looking for a brilliant speaker on topics such as entrepreneurship, social media, marketing and web applications for your next event, contact us at The Speakers Group today to learn more about booking Mike McDerment. Especially if your audience consists of freelancers, creative professionals, small business types or similar types, you’ll find Mike’s fresh, relevant insights to be just what your attendees are looking for.

Posted under Innovation Speakers, Leadership Development, Organizational Excellence, Speaker News, Speaker Recommendations

In our ongoing effort to help meeting planners and business leaders create the most exciting, results-oriented meeting agendas, we’re excited to introduce the 10 newest additions to our roster of speakers (in alphabetical order):

 

• Stew Friedman – Stew is the Director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project and author of the 2008 national bestseller, Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life. Invite Stew to your group or organization to improve performance at work, at home, in the community, and for the private self, and learn how to score four-way wins with Total Leadership, benefiting you and the most important people in your life.

 

• Bear Grylls – Bear is best known as host of The Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild, but did you know he’s also the youngest Briton to climb Mt. Everest – at age 23? Two years before the climb, he had suffered a near fatal parachuting accident and narrowly escaped being paralyzed for life – requiring a year of rehab. He is one of the youngest motivational speakers on the international business circuit and has won over even the toughest of audiences.

 

• Vicki Halsey – Dr. Victoria Halsey is a spirited, inspirational speaker, author and trainer who energizes audiences worldwide by engaging their hearts well as their minds. As Vice President of Applied Learning for the Ken Blanchard Companies, Vicki specializes in partnering with organizations to inspire people to be in touch with and unleash their greatness.

 

• Terry Hawkins – One of the most sought after speakers in Australia, Terry is relatively new on the speaker circuit in the US. Her high-impact, hilarious and thought-provoking presentations leave audiences inspired and motivated, equipped with new tools to create outstanding results in their personal and professional lives.

 

• Dave Horsager – Through Dave’s book and program, “The Trust Edge,” he shares the secrets of using trust to impact the bottom line. Combining humor, illusions and memorable stories with research and insight, Dave sheds light on the confusion and misconceptions surrounding the cornerstone of personal and professional success. He offers tangible steps that audiences can incorporate into their own lives right away.

 

• Mark Jeffries – As an economist, former stockbroker and TV host, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the events he speaks at and facilitates. He has the unique ability to serve as an entertaining emcee, an incisive and knowledgeable facilitator, and a popular speaker with a ‘hugely entertaining’ and ‘immensely practical’ keynote presentation entitled “Using Soft Skills to Gain the Business Advantage.”

 

• David Kralik – Called one of the “Top Ten Changing the World of Internet and Politics,” David is the Director of Internet Strategy at American Solutions, founded by former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Based in Silicon Valley, he is constantly scouting new technology and finding ways technology can migrate government and politics into the 21st century. For both political and non-political organizations, he offers great insights into how to leverage technology to tell your story online and mobilize supporters (and customers).

 

• Jason Lezak – We would not be hearing about Michael Phelps winning a world-record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics if not for Jason Lezak. As team captain, Jason swam the fastest split in 4X100M freestyle relay history to keep Phelps’ hope of winning eight golds alive. Your audience will be inspired by Jason’s competitive nature and will to succeed.

 

• David Nour – David Nour is a social networking strategist and one of the foremost thought leaders on the quantifiable value of business relationships. His “Relationship Economics” presentation, based on his book by the same title, teaches individuals how to exchange Relationship Currency, accumulate Reputation Capital and build Professional Net Worth. It’s about learning the art and science of relationships.

 

• Pat Zigarmi – Dr. Zigarmi currently serves as Vice President of Business Development for The Ken Blanchard Companies. She is an expert in the areas of leadership and change management and is coauthor of Leadership and the One Minute Manager, the third book in Ken Blanchard’s best-selling One Minute Manager Library, and Leading at a Higher Level. On the speaker’s platform, she is engaging and passionate with the ability to blend power and warmth, as well as knowledge and instinct.

 

Contact The Speakers Group today to inquire about these and other dynamic speakers for your upcoming events.

Posted under Event Management, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Planner Tips, Speaker Recommendations, inspirational speakers