DOTTIE WALTERS' SPEAK & GROW RICH
Monthly E-News

February 2005

Dottie Walters' Speak and Grow Rich - February 25, 2005
eNews for Professional Speakers, Authors, and Consultants
From the Publishers of Sharing Ideas Newsmagazine
http://speakandgrowrich.com
===================================
In this issue...
1. Exclusive Sharing Ideas Interview with Tom Feltenstein
2. Getting A Publisher Means Greater Success as a Speaker! - Anne Bruce
3. Upcoming events with Dottie Walters
4. More resources for Speakers, Authors, and Consultants
===================================
"You will find the key to success under the alarm clock."
Benjamin Franklin
===================================
Dottie Walters' Sharing Ideas Newsmagazine Exclusve Interview
with Best Selling Author and Neighborhood Marketing Genius Tom Feltenstein

Energetic, bold and passionately resolute on injecting marketing innovation
into organizations, Tom Feltenstein does not go timidly into any endeavor, yet he is not the kind of man to intimidate you either. Over 30 years of "in the trenches" experience has earned Tom the acclaim of being the most popular and provocative voice in strategic and neighborhood marketing today.

Please enjoy this brief excerpt from our spring, 2005interview with Tom. For
the full article and to receive many more profit-building strategies, click
below to start your subscription to Sharing Ideas, the leading magazine of the professional speaking industry for 27 years!

Subscribe Today!

Q: Tom, why do you say that marketing is all local?

A: For the past 40 years I have been on the marketing side of business, from my role as a senior marketing executive working with Ray Kroc, as well as with thousands of clients in dozens of industries. I’ve learned -- and what I teach to thousands of businesses big and small each year as a consultant -- is that it’s all local and everything sells. It begins inside your four walls, from your employees, to the real estate that’s a 10-minute drive or walk from your place of business. It’s all under an umbrella system that I’ve developed over the past two decades called Neighborhood Marketing.

Q: What does Neighborhood Marketing focus on?

A: There are four crucial areas to build on: the internal customer
(employees); products, services and fees; database management; and internal merchandising. The premise here is that you need to tap the true potential of your greatest profit opportunity within your own trading area, the customer base that is right in your backyard. Businesses, schools, churches, community events, even fellow retailers become your promotional allies in building cost-effective, tactical programs to capture consumer dollars right within your reach. Think local; think small.

Q: Why do you declare mass-marketing advertising "dead"?

A: A big mass-market campaign is useless without the neighborhood marketing campaign. After you maximize all of your opportunities within your four walls should you even consider mass marketing? What you’ll find is that national media brings you less eyeballs and ears than it used to -- but it costs more to reach less. Ours has become a marketing economy, and businesses scramble to find ways to stand out from the crowd. Ad retention is falling dramatically, simply because consumers can’t recall bombardment of messages that increases with each new TV channel, Web site, or glossy magazine. For the vast majority of businesses, from the largest to the smallest, the task of reaching their audiences has become costly, clumsy, and frustrating.

Advertising in America has become frantic, expensive, clever, ubiquitous, and increasingly invisible. Television and mass media are no longer your secret weapons for growth and gaining a competitive edge. Research clearly indicates mass advertising is mass waste. With an increased use of spam filters, TIVO and other ad-avoidance technology, people simply are tuning out the messages of mass advertising.

Q: Almost all speakers market themselves using Internet web sites, and some are willing to pay thousands of dollars to have their names pop up right away when various search terms are entered. How can speakers promote themselves effectively using the Internet?

A: I do believe the web is an integral part of our neighborhood, but it’s not
really about buying key words. There’s always going to be a bigger bidder
out there. It’s not unusual to be number-one on the search engine in the
morning and then not even make the top ten by the end of the day. You can only play that game for so long. I suggest using the web creatively -- get articles out there, blogs, references on other web sites. Make the web the means to the end rather than the end itself.

For more detail on Neighborhood Marketing, see Tom’s books, The 10- Minute Marketer’s Secret Formula, and 401 Killer Marketing Tactics now at all major bookstores.

Tom Feltenstein is the Chief Executive Officer of Tom Feltenstein's Power
Marketing Academy, a Florida-based firm specializing in Neighborhood Power
Marketing offering strategy sessions, speaking, and specialized 2-day marketing clinics.
To contact Tom, call (561) 650-1315 or fax to (561) 650-1309.
E-mail Tom at: Tom@powemarketingacademy.com
===================================
Getting A Publisher Means Greater Success as a Speaker!
by Anne Bruce, Best Selling Author and Speaker
http://AnneBruce.com 

Want to double, maybe even triple, your speaking fees? Then you need to author a book and get a publisher now!

Statistics show that speakers who have authored books and are published by recognized publishing houses are five times more likely to get booked to speak at a conference or special event. Five times! They also get paid the higher speaking fees! Published authors are in demand—are you?

So you’re a speaker, but if you've always wanted to write a book, but you
just weren't sure how to get started, try this 4 step approach to becoming a successful author—it starts with an Author's Life's Rules for getting published:

Step 1: Avoid publishing scams. If someone asks you to send them a check for $600 to review your manuscript and print 10 copies of your book—proceed with caution! These companies can work out fine if you just want to write your memoirs and get a few copies of your book printed for the family, but they are not considered recognized and legitimate publishing venues for national and international distribution.

Step 2: It's the long arm of distribution that counts. When you self-publish you are solely responsible for selling your books. If you think you can walk into a bookstore and have them accept and carry your self-published book, think again. Almost all bookstores deal directly with distribution houses that work directly with the publishers. Few accept any other inventory. It's not that self-publishing doesn't work or can't be effective--of course it can! But the sole responsibility will be on your shoulders to sell your books and that's a big job. No one's family, friends or even dear old mom can buy enough books to make a dent in the investment it takes to write and publish a book these days. On-demand publishing can be a venue, but again, it's in the numbers, and onesy-twosey publishing will not get you the big speaker fees you are looking for, or the respect of the industry.

Here's the key. When you've gotten a book deal accepted by a well-known
publishing house, they will send you a contract and that contract will specify what THEY ARE TO PAY YOU—YOU DON'T PAY THEM.

Step 3: Don't write a manuscript, or a book in its entirety. You start by
doing a proposal to a variety of publishers. What goes in the proposal? Whatever the publishing house submissions department asks for. Go online to any number of publishers and click on submissions. This will tell you how to write a proposal for that publisher and what they are looking for specifically. Overall, most publishing houses want to see pretty much the same things. Proposal guidelines typically will include:

• Description of your book's contents: Describe this in two or three
paragraphs, describe the purpose of the book, your approach, and include a table of contents, and outline.

• Author's Bio: Provide a bio or resume, along with mention of any previous publications. If you've written other books, cite the publishers and number of copies sold. If you've been published in magazines, include copies of your articles and the readership numbers of each publication. Describe your credentials and experience as they relate to the book you are proposing to the publisher.

• Competition: Almost all books have competition. What's yours? Be specific about competing books. How or why is your book better? Does your book fill a niche presently open? If there are no direct competitors, cite the books that come closest.

• Audience: Okay, who is going to buy your book? Describe your buying
audience. Quantify and target the audience as much as possible. What research have you done to get this information?

• Sales and Marketing Spin: In one sentence, describe the major selling point of your book.

• Sales and Promotional Opportunities to Sell Your Book: How can you help get the word out about your book? Publishers today are not willing to go it alone when it comes to peddling your book. You have to be willing and able to partner in the effort. Do you speak to groups, hold seminars, or workshops? Do you have media contacts and experience giving interviews? Can you get endorsements from prominent people in your field for the book’s jacket?

• Outline: Always give an outline of the book in your pitch. Include
chapter headings, subheadings, and if possible, a brief explanation of each chapter, or a sample chapter, or two.

• Sample Chapters: If you have a few of these, send them. Just don't send the entire book! Pick one that best represents your book and its quality.

• Status: How many pages do you expect your book to be? How many figures will it include? When do you expect to finish writing this book?

Remember, it takes a good nine months to a year after you've submitted your final manuscript to the publisher just to get the books on the shelves in major bookstores nationwide. Publishing is a tedious and long process. Nothing happens overnight.

Step 4: Purchase one of the many Writer's Market books available. They have everything you need to become a successful, published author, whether you are interesting in writing children's books, novels, short stories, self-help, business books, or more. These books, published by Writer's Digest Books has all the answers and great examples and tools to help you get started.

Finally, don't be afraid to invest time in learning this trade. Go to
seminars, read books, and ask other authors how they did it. Keep the faith and don't give up. If your proposal gets rejected by one publisher (and it probably will), move on to the next publisher. Have confidence in your work and in yourself. An Author's Life is worth it!

Want more info? Call 214-507-8242. Anne Bruce is a bestselling author for McGraw-Hill publishing in New York. Her recent bestseller Discover True North: A 4-week Approach to Ignite Your Passion and Activate Your Potential, is available in bookstores everywhere and on amazon.com.

Ms. Bruce will be conducted an Author's Life Seminar and Retreat on March 5 - 6 in Charleston, SC.

Visit her website at http://AnneBruce.com and click on Author's Life Seminar and Retreat for more information or click below to receive brochure http://www.annebruce.com/authorslife.htm

====================================

Subscribe to Sharing Ideas the #1 Magazine for Professional Speakers Authors and Consultants
Don't miss all the latest cutting edge information for today's speaking industry!
Subscription includes the latest Electronic DIRECTORY OF
SPEAKERS BUREAUS and Dottie's 2 Hour Audio CD on How to be Booked By Speakers Bureaus!
 
Subscribe Now!
====================================
NOW AVAILABLE! : 2 hour audio CD "How to Find and Keep Commercial Sponsors"
by Dottie Walters and Robin Raymer.
Learn how you can add many more streams of income to your speaking and writing career by finding commercial sponsors.
$95.00 + Shipping. Includes workbook. To order: 626-335-8069 or
Purchase Your Copy Now
====================================
Upcoming Events with Dottie Walters
****
New TeleSemeninar by Dottie Walters!
DON"T MISS THIS EVENT
Commercial Sponsored Speaking:
How to Boost Your Speaking Career With Multiple Commercial Sponsors
Saturday, April 2, 2005 12:00PM-2:00PM Pacific Standard Time
Enroll Now
****
SPECIAL Condensed Speak and Grow Rich Workshops:
March 5, 2005 San Francisco, CA Learning Annex 415-788-5500
March 19-20, 2005 Albuquerque, NM 99 Ways Business Expo 866-227-7191
March 21, 2005 Houston, TX Leisure Learning 713-529-4414
March 22, 2005 Winter Park, FL Knowledge Shop 407-671-9505
March 23, 2005 Marietta, GA The Knowledge Shop 678-766-6666
Sign-up Now
****
Upcoming Speak and Grow Rich Master Weekend Schedule:
March 12-13, 2005 Glendora, CA (626) 335-8069
June 11-12, 2005 Glendora, CA (626) 335-8069
Enroll Now
****
More resources for Speakers, Authors and Consultants
****
Want to create your own information product based on your area of expertise?
Let the Speaker's One-Stop help! We will guide you through the process from A to Z.
F-R-E-E consultation. http://speakersonestop.com
****
Don't let all those great ideas from your book collect dust on a shelf. Give readers a way to master them within 30 days with Mem-Cards, a card deck customized with your book's best strategies, principles, practices, and inspirational quotes. Perfect for today's on-the-go lifestyles. Already in use by Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and other leading authors and authorities. 
http://mem-cards.com
****
EZCDMAKER.com - CD and DVD duplication services, including drop-ship
fulfillment, professional audioprogram recording via telephone. Contact Seth Schrock
(253)952-7156; http://www.ezcdmaker.com
****
Are you looking for meeting and event planners in your area?  We have the 30,000+ contacts you need. Please visit us at  http://www.douglaspublications.com
or call us at 800-223-1797.
****
Technology Marketing Consultants, Inc. - Professional website development for speakers, authors and consultants. Turnkey design, implementation and marketing solutions including search engine optimization and mailing list management.

Our sites are fast, friendly and action oriented. Sell your seminars, books, tapes, videos, downloadable materials, and more. New products and related information can be easily added or updated by the site owner from anywhere that there is Internet browser access.
Call (800) 994-5800 for a F-R-E-E website consultation. http://www.tmcla.com/speakers
(Creators of http://Speakandgrowrich.com)
****
eSpeakers-provides professional speakers with innovative software tools to do more in less time. Our flagship product eVentPRO helps manage your office, while our newest product Marketplace provides an Internet gateway to speaker bureaus. Find out more about these tools eVentPRO: http://www.espeakers.com/eventpro
Marketplace: http://www.espeakers.com/marketplace/speakers.html
To get your free 30 day trial, use ESPK code during signup.
http://www.espeakers.com/information/30day.html
===================================
Best wishes for your success!
Dottie Walters, CSP
International Speaker, Author, Consultant
Author Highest Rated book In THE Speaking WORLD, SPEAK & GROW RICH
Publisher/Editor: SHARING IDEAS newsmagazine, 25th year of publication
President/CEO, Walters International Speakers Bureau
Publisher, International Directory of Speakers Bureaus
Founder, International Association of Speakers Bureau Owners, IASB
----------------------------