EP122: Speaking Industry Expert Talks About The COVID-19 Impacts, Challenges, and Opportunities with Angela Cox

Speaking Industry Expert Talks About The COVID-19 Impacts, Challenges, and Opportunities with Angela Cox In this week’s episode, you’ll learn about: What the speaking industry experts say about the COVID-19 impacts, challenges, and opportunities  How you can be a high-paid public speaker Angela Cox founded Midwest Speakers Bureau in 1998. She enjoys learning about your needs so she can provide creative options and help you find a speaker. When possible, Angela attends speakers' presentations so she can feel the audience's response. It's that response that helps her connect clients with the perfect speaker. Angela practices her listening skills at home with her two sons, Grant and Derek, who have given Angela many good stories of her own to share. Part One of ‘Speaking Industry Expert Talks About The COVID-19 Impacts, Challenges, and Opportunities with Angela Cox’ Asking for help when you need help is a great reminder for all of us, especially during this pandemic, being more isolated than we've ever been. As entrepreneurs, sometimes we forget to ask for help. And asking for help with referrals right now is really powerful. “Flexibility is our special word for 2020.” — Ursula Mentjes (21:01-21:04) In the last couple of years, many businesses have been at the top of the game. Multiple leads come in every day, but now with the conferences being shut down, we're having to go back and build more of those relationships. Before this pandemic, we were so busy that we weren't taking the time to really build a relationship with our clients because a lot of us got into that place of complacency Part Two of ‘Speaking Industry Expert Talks About The COVID-19 Impacts, Challenges, and Opportunities with Angela Cox’ Entrepreneurs need to learn how to market creatively according to the new normal. And because there is no certainty how long this is going to last, some speakers are discounting their rates by thirty percent. Some companies have switched to virtual activities due to social distancing. Perhaps keep the attendance smaller so that it's more manageable.  “There's such an art to storytelling.” —  Ursula Mentjes (26:55-26:56) Angela Cox offers a piece of valuable advice on how you can be a high-paid public speaker. Since most people are on quarantine right now, this is a perfect time to prepare yourself.  First, be an expert in the topic that you're most passionate about. You must be comfortable in your niche.  Second, make sure you update your marketing materials by adding new testimonials and adding new client list videos. Like right now, a lot of speakers have updated their presentations by talking about challenging times or leading in chaos. Your marketing materials must be timely and relevant.  Third, you must be comfortable with your presentation and take the time to make it perfect. Some speakers attend comedy classes so they can get the right timing on their jokes.  There's beauty in being a public speaker since this is where you learn the art of storytelling. Your personal story can change someone's life that even after a couple of days or their struggling times, they will remember what...