Speaking of Products!

The creation of simple, profitable products not only gives you an additional stream of income when you are booking speeches; it gives you much needed copyright and trademark protection. You may be thinking about creating products that carry your message. How do you start? Which products will best showcase your business? How much will it cost? Do you need to trademark them and, if so, how do you go about it?

I can’t teach you the whole process here, but let’s start at the beginning. Think of it as mining for gold. First, sift through key words, phrases, memorable concepts and signature stories that relate to your business. Sort through these valuable intellectual properties until you are left with only THE BEST, the shiny nuggets which are distinctive and memorable. Use your audience, clients and friends to help you identify the most creative and memorable material.

Next, see if your words or phrases are available. I recommend three methods. First, go to www.uspto.gov (US Patent and Trademark online site) and do a quick trademark search (TESS). You can see if any of your phrases have already been trademarked or are pending trademark status. Second, Google the phrase (use quotes around your entry) and see if anything similar or matching comes up. Finally, go to www.dogpile.com for a broader search. These steps will give you an 80 – 90% accurate idea about whether you should proceed with your keywords. In order to be completely sure that your keywords/phrases are not already in use, hire an attorney who specializes in intellectual property.

Take the first, simple step to protect your properties, if you haven’t already done so, by placing a very small TM (the abbreviation for trademark) to the right of the word or phrase. This puts others on notice that you are staking your claim. At a later date, you may want to consider filing for a registered trademark.

Now that you’ve targeted potential phrases, what products should you choose to showcase them? I recommend a simple first step. Design a bookmark—a content driven, artistic and inspirational piece that captures the essence of what you have to share with people. This simple and powerful product will protect and test your concept and can generate revenue without a lot of investment. Bookmarks make a nice revenue add-on when you book your next speech. They are a great way to remind your audience about you and encourage them to visit your web site or contact you down the line.

For example, your bookmark might read, “Five Hot Tips to Turn Your Cold Calls into Hot Leads!” Put a TM to the right of it. List your five tips in an attractive way on the front and, on the back, put your contact info, copyright and logo. The sales will follow.

There are over twenty-five great product categories and hundreds of product ideas to maximize your speaking impact, create a revenue stream and drive business.

Come to the Colorado Chapter of the National Speakers Association www.nsacolorado.org, May 7, 2010 at the Denver Athletic Club from 1:30 – 5:30 p.m. for the full story on products, trademarks and licensing.

Ilan Shamir
Your True Nature, Inc.
www.yourtruenature.com

How To Beat Writer’s Block — Every time! By Dan Janal

Every article in the world has already been written – not! Ever had trouble thinking up an idea for an article? Hasn’t everyone?

My coaching clients are always pulling their hair out asking me to brainstorm ideas with them.

Truth is, I was pulling my hair out as well when it came time for me to write articles. Did the world really need another article about how to write a press release or talk to a reporter? Those ideas have been done to death.

I was wracking my brains trying to think of a new idea, a cutting edge theme, a story that hadn’t been told that would inspire others. I wanted to write articles that would position me as the thought leader in publicity and internet marketing so I could get hired to give more speeches. You don’t get to be a thought leader by covering the same ground as everyone else.

And I’d give up in frustration because the ideas weren’t coming. Then the truth dawned on me.

While a topic might have been done before, it wasn’t done from my perspective. And that means the article needs to be written. Let me explain.

My perspective on a topic is different than yours. Not better, but different. My ideas have been shaped by my background, my experiences, books I’ve read, clients I’ve coached, companies I’ve worked for, people I’ve met and so on. So have yours. If we were both assigned to write an article on the same topic, you and I would write completely different articles because of our different backgrounds.

Best yet, there is no competition here. I wouldn’t say my article is better than yours, or that yours is better than mine. They are different. And the reader benefits in that difference.

For example, I might write an article on a marketing topic and i would base it on my experience working with small businesses. You might write about that same topic, but with your Fortune 1000 background, you’d have a completely different perspective. Both articles would be great and they’d be great for each audience. The audience would decide which article to read, which website to peruse and which consultant to hire. That would be perfect, because the reader would choose the person who was the best fit. No consultant I know wants to work in a relationship that would be a bad fit.

Search article directories for ideas for articles and write those articles from your own perspective, filled with your own case studies, your own stories, your own solutions and your own jokes. Make the articles uniquely you.

If you do, you’ll build a library of worthwhile reading and you just might find that perfect client who wants to work with someone exactly like you.

Do you want your press release picked up in major media? Read my special report “How to Get Your Business-Oriented Press Release Printed on Top Tier Media Sites – Guaranteed,” by visiting http://www.prleadsplus.com/toptiermedia/. Publicity thought leader Dan Janal is Founder and President of PR LEADS PLUS which offers a variety of do-it-yourself tools to help small businesses get publicity, including media lists, press release writing and targeted article marketing services and press release distribution.

Need NSACO Volunteers for Social Media Team!

Calling anyone who is addicted to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or LinkedIn!

This is Heather Lutze, I am currently helping with the NSA Colorado web site and the Chapter’s social media efforts.

I need help in building a stronger social media presence to spread the word for NSA Colorado.
I am looking for the following people to spend one hour per week or less tweeting or posting on the following SMM sites:

• Twitter (Need 1 -2 people) – (http://twitter.com/nsacolorado)  Responsible for helping  tweeting 1-2 time per day for NSACO event and or interesting speaking topics. We can automate this as well to keep it easy.
• Facebook - (Need 1 person) (Visit NSA Colorado Facebook Page) - Updating Wall posts and events to promote on the NSA CO Facebook Fan Page.
• Linkedin - (Need anyone who has account) – Posting events for upcoming NSACO meetings.
• YouTube - (Need 1 -3 People) This role would be taking Flip camera style video at events and posting them to YouTube Channel for NSACO.

Just contact Heather Lutze at 3036-841-3111 and we can start the journey together. As a give back to you for your help, I will coach you personally on these portals and instruct you on how to optimize each tweet, wall post or Linked-In profile to rank in the search engine ranking. As you contribute to the Chapter, you’ll also get actionable benefit for your own speaking business! This invitation applies to NSA Members and Affiliates.

Thank to everyone who can help volunteer for this group. As a group we can divide the work and everyone can learn some great skills to apply to their own businesses. PLEASE EMAIL HEATHER LUTZE at hlutze@FindabilityGroup.com or call 303-841-3111 to sign up! We will schedule a coaching session and get started right away.