Sell First, Speak Later! Why Professional Speakers Need To Master Sales Skills Before Their Speaking Skills | with Merit Khan

Unlocking the Power of Stagecraft with Merit Khan: From Keynotes to ComedySUMMARYIn this episode of Present Influence, join John as he converses with Merit Khan, a dynamic speaker and performer, about the art of landing paid speaking engagements and refining your stagecraft. Merit shares insights from her journey, emphasising the importance of mastering sales skills to sell your talks before perfecting your stories. She discusses her diverse career, including keynoting for serious audiences, coaching sales professionals, and her one-woman show, 'Optimistic Personality Disorder.' Discover how improv, comedy, and understanding your audience can enhance your presentations and contribute to a thriving speaker ecosystem. Whether you are just starting out or looking to expand your existing speaking business, this episode offers practical strategies and inspirational stories to help you succeed.Find out more about Merit at meritkahn.com or her one-woman show at opdshow.comHere's the link to that article on why so many great speakers are broke: CLICK HERE TO READ ITCHAPTERS00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview00:40 Meet Merit Khan: Sales and Comedy Expert01:36 Contrarian Viewpoint: Sales Skills First03:30 Building a Business Ecosystem06:19 Adapting to Market Needs09:44 Balancing Multiple Business Ventures17:55 The Importance of Sales Experience22:35 Creating a One-Woman Show24:44 Unexpected Connections and Personal Growth26:09 Diving into Standup Comedy29:35 The Power of Humour in Speaking32:13 The Art of Storytelling and Performance36:39 Personal and Professional Growth in Speaking42:24 Lessons from Standup and Knowing Your Audience46:25 Podcasting and Future Projects49:33 Final Thoughts and TakeawaysVisit presentinfluence.com/quiz to take the Speaker Radiance Quiz and discover your Charisma Quotient. For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on LinkedInYou can find all our clips, episodes and more on the Present Influence YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PresentInfluenceThanks for listening, and please give the show a 5* review if you enjoyed it.Mentioned in this episode:Speaker Fee AuditFind out in less than a minute if you're undercharging for your speaking and where you need to look to fix any leaks with the Speaker Fee Audit. It's free to take and find out if you're missing out on money.