#6: How a 'nobody' built an entertainment empire

My problem: How do I get companies to pay me a lot to do a presentation? My Story: I met a guy at a house party. He's getting business but not me. There comes a moment when you realize you need to step up your game It has nothing to do with your product It's about EXPOSURE I built a sales process but it wasn't too effective…I couldn't charge high fees My problem: Why do they pay one guy high fees versus another guy? It's all about IMAGE Value is based on what surrounds an item, not what the actual item is Art piece in a museum surrounded by glass & alarms = high value The more someone charges, the more it's about them, not what they do My Story: Got video footage from restaurant magic I focused on IMAGE Video testimonials Focus on the EMOTIONS - 'this is the reaction you'll get when hiring me' Bigger crowd pictures/videos Venue determines value (restaurant vs white house) I persuaded an company to have it in a banquet room instead of restaurant Website - does it look good? Contact page: 'for media inquiries, contact….' 'For availability' vs 'If you want to hire Benji' Didn't focus on social media 'likes' WARNING: don't get caught up in IMAGE to a point where you're not SELLING "If your number of social media followers is bigger than your bank account then you're building your business wrong." Then I built a sales process Started with cold calling & switched to email People responded in similar ways = Created templates Schedule my days to contact people Hotel crash on some days When I was at an event: Recorded testimonials & asked if they 'would hire Benji' for their event Asked the meeting planner to record testimonials Got business cards and followed up While doing this I SAVED MONEY Wasn't desperate for a gig = I can ask for more & not care if I lose it Over time, I started getting higher paying gigs You make a name for yourself by: Building a personal brand Building a sales process around that brand