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A Speaker's Top Ten Declarations Of Independence

Henry DeVries
Former Contributor
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Attracting high-paying clients by marketing with a book and a speech.
This article is more than 5 years old.

For the independent business person, every day is independence day.

Independent professionals and consultants have freedom: namely the freedom to worry where their next client is coming from.

For independents to attract high-paying clients, a book is the No. 1 marketing tool and speaking is the No. 1 strategy.

Speaking attracts clients. My buddy David Newman, the speaking expert and author of Do It! Marketing, and I had a discussion this week and we created this list of 10 declarations of independence for speakers:

  1. You are independent of “being chosen” and will proactively reach out to highly targeted prospects with a value-first message to ask how you can help them.
  2. You are independent of “small potatoes” thinking and doing and you are free to think big - and act bigger (courtesy @JeffreyHayzlett)
  3. Your fees are independent of any prospect’s budget. What they “can afford” has zero to do with what you deserve to earn based on the value you deliver.
  4. You are independent of being stuck, stymied, and confused. You are free to DECIDE and DEFINE exactly what problems you solve and exactly what people you serve.
  5. You are independent of “waiting for someday” for your speaking-driven business to become what you always wanted it to be. Your time is now and your opportunities are limited only by your imagination.
  6. You are independent of “one size fits all” business models. Keynoters are no better (or richer) than trainers, seminar leaders, coaches, consultants, facilitators, online course creators, etc. The business model that fits is the business model that pays (and lasts.)
  7. You are independent of “shiny object syndrome” and you are free to focus relentlessly on MMA (Money-Making Activity) to connect with the right prospects who want you to solve the right problems at the right fee.
  8. You are independent of tactic-itis because you know that random tactics lead to random results. You are free to put the right strategies in place that lead to coordinated tactics, action steps, and results.
  9. You are independent of being treated like a commodity. You are free to boldly claim your topic, niche, target market, and specialization as an expert who speaks professionally.
  10. You are independent of impostor syndrome. You are free to embrace the entirety of your expertise, experience, past jobs, past careers, skills, insights, and hard-won wisdom and bring 100% of those assets to bear on delivering massive value to your hand-selected group of extremely lucky high-paying clients.

“You are independent of the feast or famine revenue rollercoaster,” adds Newman. “You are free to build a high-fee, speaking-driven business that generates a consistent flow of leads, clients, and cash and creates the lifestyle you envisioned when you first started your entrepreneurial adventure. You are independent of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.”

Henry DeVries
Henry DeVries