Crystal Washington is a marketing strategist, social media consultant, keynote speaker, and the owner of Houston-based marketing firm, Black-Market Exchange. As a young woman, Washington excelled at corporate sales, closing contracts, exceeding aggressive sales goals and creatively strategizing to bring lucrative clients to her company. As a result, she was heavily promoted, and at 24 was managing her much older colleagues. Her corporate success inspired her to start her own marketing firm, Black-Market Exchange. Her dynamic background, charisma, stage presence, and social media moxie make her a sought-after speaker at conferences and corporate events.

Molander spent a year researching and documenting the hype surrounding the so-called “social media revolution.” He believes this pervasive media trope is distracting businesses and entrepreneurs from the real opportunity presented by social media: bringing customers closer to the products and services they need most.

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What do you think social media changes about the corporate landscape?

Social media’s “game-changing” ability is so overstated and sensationalized that what most businesses are doing with it, right now, is likely working against their best interests. How can this be? There is no money in your knowing the truth: The Social Media Revolution is a lie. Need proof? Look around. Where’s the revolution in your business? People actually acquiring customers and selling using Facebook, blogs, YouTube, and LinkedIn know the truth; they know something most of us don’t.

The difference between fooling around with social media and selling with it relies on the use of proven, time-tested (old) practices—not new tools and techniques. If your goal is to make social media marketing sell, you’ll need to start developing three habits. This is what I discovered when writing my book, while interviewing today’s best social sellers. These three habits are the fundamental ideas responsible selling products and services on social platforms.

If you could give one piece of advice to a start-up entrepreneur just setting up her social media accounts, what would it be?

Stop. Don’t do it… yet. Learn from the mistakes 90% of us have already made, myself included. Resist the urge to ask, “Can we use social media to sell or improve customer service?” and “What should our social media strategy focus on?”

Don’t do this:

Social media is the new big thing—Get into social media—Develop social media strategy.

Do this:

Business problem—Business strategy to solve the problem—Incorporate social media into said business strategy.

What is your favorite social media tool and why?

The ones that I can connect with my customers on. The others don’t interest me professionally speaking. 

When you speak to a large group, what one thing do you hope they remember most?

Making social media sell for your business/brand (no matter how big or small) is rooted in a return to basic practices. Successful social sellers understand the difference between fooling around on social media and selling with it relies on developing these three habits:

1) Solving customers’ problems.

2) Designing to sell (planning social experiences to provoke customer responses that connect to the sales funnel).

3) Translating (discovering customer need as it evolves and using this knowledge to improve response rate… feed it back into #2).

I encourage audiences to examine successful businesses under a new lens: Problem solving. Notice how each of your competitors that are truly thriving are—at their core—solving problems for customers in ways that lead them toward taking actions… becoming members, purchasing products, telling others about their discovery (how they got their problem solved by your community/product/service), etc.

Notice how they are not entertaining or merely informing with social media. If you are interested in earning momentary, glancing, fleeting attention of customers/members then by all means entertain them. There are plenty of social media gurus preaching this. But if you want to sell products and services *solve their problems* in premeditated ways that exchange value with them, trade useful knowledge that is unknown to them in exchange for a specific behavior that you can convert (ultimately) to revenue (nurture the lead).

How do you prepare for public speaking event?

I study my audience like crazy and rehearse. Oh, and I sleep.

It seems like keeping on top of social media and keeping content fresh is a full-time job in itself. How do you avoid burnout?

The question presumes social media is fast-paced and, yes, it is. But the question also presumes the answers we’re all seeking are technical, complex, always changing. This is simply false. Every time there is a sizable shift in the way businesses communicate with consumers, there is always a cadre of “experts”… people that advise that a new business paradigm has arrived, one in which traditional theories of running a business get thrown out the door. What these experts ALWAYS miss is that the theories (that drive “what works”) remain the same. It’s the ways you execute those theories that change. Keeping on top of social media technologies is a snap since the majority of them are solutions seeking problems. They’re not valuable at all within the context of a business need. Some are but most are not. And that is liberating, freeing, empowering!

Do you think there is one underlying strategy to successful social media utilization, or can it be done in many different ways with the same results?

It depends on the goal desired. If your goal is to sell, yes, there is one underlying strategy: To solve customers’ problems in ways that induce customer behavior with every tweet, post, or update you make on social platforms. And that takes a plan, a designed system of question-and-answer driven interactions.

Making social sell is simply a matter of facilitating and then connecting question-and-answer oriented, digital conversations to helpful products and services whenever they’re relevant. It’s an old idea that you can leverage to drive sales with “new,” social media.

What is your favorite public speaking moment?

There’s a moment where people have this realization about why they came to my speech. And at that moment the way they look at social media changes—what to do with Facebook, how to use blogs or LinkedIn to create sales—all these things suddenly become clear. They see how social media can serve THEM for a change, not not the other way around. The best part of my job is when people suddenly see exactly what to do, when, where and why. I think it’s because I don’t teach what’s trendy—I teach what works. I only teach the principles of success that have withstood the test of time. And that is what seems to be empowering to people—this idea that what we already know IS what works in these times of dramatic technological change.

Meet Bob Nicols, the CEO of AXIOM and a sales expert with over 34 years of experience. As a recognized top performer in sales, Nicols works to teach others the key to success in the world of sales, and he helps show business owners what decisions are holding them back.

In his role as public speaker and sales expert, Bob has traveled the world — from the US and Brazil to Japan and South Korea — sharing his wisdom with business owners. He is a passionate and highly energetic speaker who highlights the universal truths that govern all sales relationships and transactions. Bob argues that these universal principles are just as applicable for a small private company as they are for an enormous, transnational corporation.

How has your unique view of sales shaped AXIOM?

Our unique view is that selling is a logical, repeatable process. There are universal truths about how people buy and how they want to be engaged. The processes by which sellers should be coached and management should lead a sales organization are very clearly defined and often very different than the prevailing chatter about sales techniques.  Selling and managing the sales organization isn’t black art, it can be learned and can deliver consistent, predictable results.

The reality is, most sales managers don’t care, except for moral or ethical concerns, how their people sell as long as they produce. As a result, many companies just try to find the best salespeople they can. The vast majority allows their salespeople to use whatever sales techniques or process the salesperson feels is right at the time. The idea is “They are salespeople. They should know how to sell. They should do whatever has worked for them in the past.” And that prevailing opinion couldn’t be more wrong.

In simple terms, businesses leaders are responsible for managing three things: people, process/structure and technology. When we ask managers to tell us which they believe is the highest management priority, the vast majority chooses people. No structure is relevant, no process necessary, without good people to implement. The truth is, it is this very opinion that lies at the root of a major challenge with companies trying to transform their sales organization. Many managers come to the conclusion they have a sales “people” problem. They believe they hired the wrong people for the job: too many technologist, not enough “business” people; too many farmers, not enough hunters. So they churn the bottom quartile of their sales team (in many cases, significantly more) in an effort to find the right fit and mix, only to end up with the same disappointing sales performance they began with. Truth is, it’s not just a people problem.

If we don’t first focus on selling and sales management as scientific processes, we take good, capable, well-meaning people, leave them to figure things out on their own, and set them up to be victims of failure. Then we place the blame on them for our miserable sales performance. And to add insult to this injury, we fire them. Quite frankly, if we hired the wrong people for the job, that too, is a process problem. The truth is, the primary obligation of any business is to develop the concise, clear processes and structure by which their people can transform and succeed. Then we can take ordinary people, place them in that structure, teach them the processes by which we know they can succeed, and manage them to extraordinary results.

If you could give one piece of advice to every salesman on earth, what would it be?

Don’t chase sales, contracts, deals, or commission checks. All of those things happen only when you have found a way to have greater impact on what your customer is trying to accomplish with their business. So forget your products and services. Understand your prospect’s business first; their vision, goals, plans, processes, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Find ways in which you become the best partner possible.  The amount of sales, deals and commission you make are a by-product of the impact you have on your customer’s businesses.

You’ve been working in sales for several decades. How has the world of sales changed since you got started?

The singular biggest change is more informed buyers. The Internet allows people to conduct a significant amount of research before ever seeing a salesperson. They know more about you, your competitors, your products and services than ever before.

While this can be of some benefit to the buyer in narrowing the scope of their search, it also carries with it the possibility that final products and services they evaluate begin to look very similar. The lines that should or could differentiate offerings begin to blur.  Products start looking like commodities. Price becomes the determining factor.  People have become used to “clicking” to buy so many things, there can be a tendency to believe everything they buy should be that quick and easy, so it becomes an uphill battle for salespeople trying to differentiate and provide greater value.  Given that sales people are now being engaged much later in the buyer’s evaluation, it requires the sales professional to be more skilled at asking meaningful questions, especially about the prospect’s business.  It also requires sales people be better equipped to help their prospects develop meaningful, differentiating criteria that extend beyond the buyer’s basic needs.  After all, by the time a sales person is engaged, most of today’s buyers have already narrowed their choices to alternatives they are confident will meet their needs.

What inspired your new book, The Journey to Sales Transformation? 

Our company’s customers inspired me to write this book and helped to validate all of the principles referenced in it.

For the last several years, the focus for business management has been finding ways to cut costs and drive operating efficiencies. There has been no shortage of highly skilled individuals with a significant level of expertise and experience cutting every possible penny of expense from business operations.

As we worked through this recession, this emphasis did drive productivity and efficiency improvements and lowered operating expenses for many companies.  Now what?  For senior leaders there is really little left to cut. As a result, growing top-line revenue is becoming the primary focus. Companies are turning to their sales organizations in an effort to find ways in which to differentiate their offerings and drive profitable sales growth. As a result, “Sales Transformation” has become the catch phrase for many C-level executives.

Unfortunately, if you ask 10 different executives what “Sales Transformation” means, you may get 10 different answers. As a result, few, if any, have successfully transformed. Sales are still flat, margins continue to erode, and sales-force turnover remains high.

Traditionally, increasing sales meant finding ways in which companies differentiate products and services. Being faster, better, more feature rich, and cost effective are differences that drive product strategies, R&D efforts, marketing and advertising campaigns, sales approaches and collateral materials.  In fact, billions are spent to try to gain a product or service advantage that will resonate with prospective customers.

But, oh, how things have changed.

“It doesn’t matter what products you buy. Most products are now good enough to serve the majority of users most of the time,” says Simon Hayward, VP and Gartner Fellow.

Most products, especially those from the technology sector, do more than the average customer could ever use. Product manuals are inches thick. Just the number of features and functions, in some cases, make them too overwhelming to consider.

I notice you mention that phrase a lot – what exactly is sales transformation?

Increasing sales isn’t just about the company’s ability to produce differentiated products and services, but also how they engage and interact with their customers to become the best partner possible.

That’s right. It’s not about introducing the “next big thing.” (We can’t all be Apple.) In order to gain market share and protect/grow existing customer relationships, organizations must affect a shift in perception among their prospects and customers.  They must move from being perceived as an “Approved Vendor” to being viewed as a “Trusted Advisor/Partner.”

CSO Insights, a highly respected research firm that surveys thousands of Chief Sales Officers representing a broad spectrum of businesses, defines Approved Vendor as “a company seen by the majority of customers as a legitimate provider of the products or services offered, but are not recognized for having any significant sustainable, competitive edge over alternative offerings.” A Trusted Partner is defined by CSO as “a company seen as a long-term partner whose contributions (products, insights, processes, etc.), are viewed as key to client’s long-term success.”

Data from CSO Insights Sales Performance Optimization Report shows that while sales performance improved in many areas last year, less than one-third of the organizations surveyed had reached “Trusted Partner” status. For companies achieving it, the rewards were plentiful. Nearly two-thirds of their reps met or exceeded quota, 90% met company plan while experiencing the lowest sales-force turnover rate.

So what’s the key to Transformation?

The sellers and the organization they represent have to be an asset.

That means the entire sales organization, from field to senior management, has to find ways to become indispensable to customers. They have to bring more value in their interactions with them, finding ways in which they interpret the power of their products and services into measurable, strategic value to what they are trying to accomplish with their business.

How much is sales ability innate, and how much can be taught?

I have debated this on numerous occasions. Once again, many people believe selling is innate skill. While I agree there are certain innate characteristics we should look for when hiring sales people (depth of intellect, the ability to grasp concepts quickly, confidence, integrity, as examples), the idea there are ‘born salespeople’ has been an obstacle to sales transformation for many organizations.

The truth is, everything thing about the process of selling can be taught. Selling is a logical, repeatable business process that when managed and executed properly, can produce consistent sales growth.

How would you describe your style as a public speaker? What about your style as a salesman?

As a speaker, I am HIGHLY energetic and passionate. Our business is about changing lives and, to me, there are few things as important. My objective when I speak is to bring everyone to the conclusion there ARE universal truths, things on which every single person in the room can agree. I can’t stand podiums, so people should expect I will always be moving through the room with a lapel mike.

As far as selling style, I believe that most people don’t’ want to be ‘sold’. They want to know HOW to buy.  Most simply want to make the best decision possible. So that’s my approach. I am not trying to sell them anything. I meet with customers to help them make the best buying decision possible, even if they don’t buy from me.

I also focus on understanding their business first. Ultimately, I know I must find ways in which I partner with my customers to bring them the greatest impact possible. I don’t want to be just another qualified vendor; I want to be a strategic asset for their company.

How is the world of sales similar to the world of public speaking?

While there are 16 different definitions of the word ‘selling’ in the unabridged dictionary, my favorite is ‘getting someone to take ownership of your position or idea as if it were their own.’ As speakers, that’s exactly what we are trying to do. We are responsible for delivering relevant messages that people believe and take ownership of.

You’ve mentored hundreds of salesmen, but what about your own skills? Did any mentors or role models help teach you the secrets to success?

I had multiple mentors growing up in sales. My first two sales managers, Doug Anderson and Gus Delaney, were incredible teachers and coaches. I couldn’t have been more ‘green’, but for whatever reason, these two gentlemen believed in me.

My most important mentors, though, were my customers. THEY taught me how to interact with them. I believe my customers are why AXIOM’s selling process is so unique. It isn’t just a process for selling. It is a process by which people make the best buying decisions possible. We have actually taught our ‘sales’ process to buyers, and they all agree it is the way they want to engage with salespeople.

How do you prepare for a public speaking engagement?

This is elementary, but I conduct a significant amount of research on my audience. Just like buyers, an audience wants to hear things they believe will have impact on things they are trying to accomplish.  They are looking for solutions to problems, answers to difficult questions, expert commentary, a connection to the speaker and the content. If you don’t know what the audience’s objectives are, the chances of a positive outcome are slim.

What’s your most rewarding moment as a public speaker?

EVERY moment has been rewarding. You eventually learn that the amount of return you receive, both spiritual and financial, is totally dependent on the amount of impact you have on your audience. The reward happens every single time I see eyes light up, heads nod, smiles from a revelation or a handshake of appreciation for what I have delivered.  It is the calls and emails of appreciation for a life changed or a career put back on track that makes every speech the most rewarding experience.

Jay Baer is considered one of America’s top three social media consultants. His clients include Sony, MetLife, Allstate, California Travel & Tourism Commission, Billabong, and Caterpillar. Baer teaches hype-free social media—how to harness the power of social media without forgetting that it’s just one of the tools businesses can use to succeed. Baer has been a digital marketing consultant since 1994 and has worked with 29 of the Fortune 500.

As a keynote speaker, Baer relies on humor and practical examples to energize crowds and leave them with actionable strategies for using social media in their businesses. Baer is also an author with the release of his first book, The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Company Faster, Smarter, and More Social. His blog, Convince and Convert, is currently ranked as the #1 content marketing blog in the world.

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What attracted you to social media and how did you first get involved?

My first career was political consulting. My second career was digital marketing. I love social media because it’s a hybrid of the two – the math and speed of digital, with the relationships emphasis of politics. I started Convince & Convert in 2008 after I sold my last digital agency. I started a blog, wrote a book and became a speaker/author/consultant, which is the new actress/singer/model !

How do you keep on top of emerging trends, new tools, and public opinion? Is it a full time job?

I am fortunate enough to do this for a living, and spend considerable time every day reading, watching, and learning. I also have an amazing team at Convince & Convert that keeps me on my toes.

If you had to choose, what would you say are the three most important aspects of social media?

Worrying about being social, more so than doing social media.

Having a reasonable scoreboard that makes sense.

Realizing that ultimately this has very little to do with technology, and everything to do with people and corporate culture and trust.

What potential problems does social media present to businesses?

The biggest challenges social presents to business are the fact that every customer is a reporter; the emergence of speed as a defining success factor; and the importance of being less formal and more open in every customer interaction.

What three words would you use to describe your speaking style?

Energetic, humorous, anecdotes.

How do you prepare for a large speaking event? Do you still get nervous?

Speaking is one of my very favorite things to do. I don’t get nervous, but I sort of go into a trance. It’s a little bit “out of body” sometimes. It’s what I imagine athletes often feel before a game.

What was one of your best moments as a public speaker?

Last year my parents got to see me rock a presentation for a large group. It’s the first time they’d ever seen me really do it up big. That was gratifying.

What is your favorite social media tool and why?

I love Buffer for setting up tweets and Facebook updates in advance and then sending them automatically throughout the day like a time release capsule. Very useful when on the road.

If you could give one piece of advice about social media to a new start-up entrepreneur, what would it be?

Find a way to use social media to educate and be helpful, and shine the light on other people. If you do that consistently, the light will shine back on you 10-fold.

Brian Carter

With his prolific background in Internet marketing and his experience as a stand-up comedian, Carter is a sought-after speaker for marketing events worldwide. He has been quoted and profiled by U.S. News & World Report, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

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How did you get involved with marketing and social media?

Short version: I developed a passion for communicating clearly when I went to Toastmasters in 2000. I taught myself SEO while running my own alternative medicine site from 1999-2004. I did well and enjoyed learning internet marketing so much that I switched careers. I kept experimenting, reading, learning and helping clients, then built a search/social department at an internet marketing agency, then went freelance again. I was drawn to Internet Marketing because it combines creativity and statistics- left and right brain. You can quantify psychology- figure out what words and phrases and ideas and images people respond to or don’t. It’s endlessly fascinating. I also love writing, so I blogged and tweeted my way to some prominence (I call it micro-fame), which gave me more speaking opportunities.

How has the playing field changed over the past couple of years?

Internet marketing, much like history, always has a new opportunity, along with fading stars and oversaturated networks. Just like the automobile pushed out the horse and buggy, Internet marketing has overshadowed traditional marketing. The same cycle repeats when Google outdoes AOL and Yahoo, or when Twitter comes out of nowhere, or when Facebook overtakes Twitter in social media and challenges Google for dominance on the entire Internet. And now, we have to wonder how big Pinterest will get and if there’s an opportunity for marketing there. We have to keep riding the wave of the most mature but least competitive opportunities if we want to stay ahead, but at the same time, don’t stay so close to the cutting edge that you end up bleeding.

It’s clear that social media has presented businesses with new tools for connecting with consumers. Is there a down side?

There are a few issues. There can be negativity from consumers, but there’s less of this on Facebook since there’s no dislike button. There’s already negativity on sites like Yelp and YouTube, so you can’t avoid consumers expressing their opinion, but you can moderate and lead the conversations that happen around your brand, if you’re proactive in creating and contributing to a community.

If you engage in social media without goals, metrics or strategy, you could waste your time. There are a lot of different ways to do social media, and some are very labor-intensive. Some areas require skills like persuasive writing, tracking and analysis of analytics, creativity, and branding- there’s this misconception that because anybody can type or talk that somehow all interaction is equally good, but it’s not- boring social media on Facebook can lead to people not seeing your brand’s posts anymore.

People doing your social media without PR or marketing experience (the “just get any young person to do this” syndrome) can lead to public missteps that hurt your brand, or at best keep you from getting the kind of results that proficient social media marketers get.

There are so many people out there looking to you for guidance. Do you ever feel bogged down by your army of Facebook and Twitter followers? How do you avoid burnout?

No, but it is very time-consuming. You have to shut it down sometimes and remember to have a life! Go outside, exercise, have family time… the most active social media people can be connected several times per hour all day, every day. There’s not really a weekend for this kind of work. Personal and professional are merged more than ever before. In a way that’s more fun, but you also have to seek balance and be selective about what you share.

What is the biggest challenge you face when speaking to large crowds?

The biggest challenge is that people are at various of levels of understanding. Some audience members are already doing a good job with internet marketing and want advanced tips and tactics. Others are just getting started. And yet another group doesn’t really like using computers at all, especially if they didn’t grow up using them. I use a mixture of levels of material, and it depends on the audience- a speech to an association is very different from a speech to marketers.

How do you keep your presentations fresh and exciting?

I’m always trying to evolve how I say things, how I can make it clearer, what the last audience taught me, what I’m learning, and what I’m realizing. I am still trying to get across the more basic things about how I think and work- fundamental things that are natural to me after 12 years of work (these are like Seth Godin or TED Talk concepts). I feel like the most important things I say are the most basic ones, and I can’t get basic enough. Experts don’t have the patience to listen to those things, sometimes, but these are the things that can multiply someone’s business by 10x rather than just 10%.

As social networks have become an integral part of people’s lives, have you found it easier or more difficult to use those venues for advertising? In other words, do you find that there has been a change in consumer attitudes towards profit-driven messages in their feeds or on their profiles?

It’s easier to advertise- and in a way that people like. The advertising isn’t necessarily profit-driven… Political ads aren’t profit-driven, nor are charity or awareness-raising ads. What is an ad? It’s an opportunity to place a message in front of someone, to create a bridge between a person and a webpage or Facebook page, or even to just change perceptions. Ads can complement marketing and PR.

To answer the other part of the question, there’s nothing that 100% of people pay attention to or act on, whether it’s marketing, advertising, conversation, or a blog post. The best ads I’ve ever seen get at most one out of 10 people to respond to them. But usually it’s more like one out of 100 or 1,000. That doesn’t really matter, because you only pay for the people that respond. If what happens from that click is profitable for you, that’s all you need.

Describe your marketing philosophy in three words.

Empower individual dreams.

What is your favorite social network and why?

Facebook. It’s the most positive, most popular, most affordable, and most fun.

If you could give aspiring keynote speakers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Do stand up comedy and improv for a year. After that, all other speaking is a piece of cake and you can handle any situation that arises.

In her public speaking career, DeLores has reached out to over 100,000 people across the world, and has even appeared on Oprah and Entertainment Tonight. Her success stems from her optimistic message paired with her can-do attitude. With DeLores’ infectious energy, it’s hard not to get pulled into her presentations and feel the emotional impact of her message.

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You definitely have a lot of positive energy when you speak. How would you characterize your unique speaking style?

I love being on stage—it completely energizes me. I never want to be a status-quo speaker. Sometimes I go on stage and do not say a word for 30 seconds. It seems like eternity but it can be very effective at gaining the crowd’s attention. Silence can be golden. Other times I sing during a speech. It is no longer enough to be a motivational speaker.

Additionally, I believe that I am unique because I teach people “the how of life.” It is not enough to be on the platform telling people what to do, but when they leave the event, they have no idea how to make it happen. I will do brief exercises from the platform, even during a keynote speech. Most of the exercises provide for some kind of accountability either to yourself, a buddy you met during the event, or with me following the event.

One of my reviews said “Move over Tony Robbins, there’s a new speaker in town.”  It is such an honor to be compared to one of best speakers on the planet.

Have you learned any life lessons from your young students?

I don’t think we have enough time to tell you what I learned from my students. I can share my top three lessons:

1. Never stop learning. You can learn from everyone including children.

2. Every person needs to schedule time for themselves. I want people to literally write their names on their calendar and make an appointment with themselves. As teacher, I was so nurturing and always putting everyone else before myself. We must take care of ourselves first. Only then can we effectively care for others.

3. Push past your fears. The majority of fears do not come to fruition. Have the courage to take a risk beyond the fear. This lesson has helped me achieve tremendous success.

Going from teaching kids to being a motivational speaker for huge audiences is a pretty big step. How did you make the transition?

It was a huge step; however, I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. After all, I was one of the top sellers in my Girl Scout Troop.

I always got in trouble at school for talking too much. I think I recognized my gift of voice as a young girl. In 1986, I started my first business; Dimensions Plus Size Model Agency. I was often invited to be a guest expert on shows like Jerry Springer and Maury Povich (this was before they changed their show format). So as a frequent media guest, I was speaking a lot about how women should love themselves no matter what. I was not an advocate of obesity, but I believe that we use our power to love ourselves at all times. Yes, we may need to make changes, but love yourself through the change.

Of all of the topics that you chose to speak on, why did you pursue the topic of helping people achieve their full potential?

So often, I was denied the opportunity to achieve my full potential. As a child, I had such a strong determination to be a ballerina that I dreamed about it every night. When I heard a dance troupe was coming to my school I begged my mother to sign me up for ballet lessons. Much to my surprise informed me that she signed me up for tap dance instead of ballet. I was devastated and could not understand how she could do that to me. At that time she explained the dance instructor thought I was better suited for tap, not ballet. It wasn’t until later in life she revealed the truth that she spared me from the pain of the dance instructor telling her I was too big for ballet.

My mother spoke confidence into me by constantly telling me how beautiful I was and how I could achieve anything. Once I found this out it was a turning point for me… I decided I would never allow anyone to rob me of my power.

As an adult I had a similar experience. I wanted to be a model, but every agency I turned to told me “you are too big, too fat.” It took me back to my childhood years and I could hear that dance instructor telling my mother the same thing. This time I took action, bound and determined to prove them wrong. I mustered my confidence and started the Dimensions Plus Model Agency. I had the agency for 18 years and our models worked for Glamour, Essence, and Saks Fifth Avenue to name a few.

Do not let others determine your self-worth. Your power to change your beliefs gives you the power to change your circumstances.

As a little girl, I don’t think I knew what full-potential meant, but what I knew was that I would not let people rob me of my dreams and I was determined to live them in spite of what others thought. Subsequently, my life mission is to help people be undeniably powerful and live life beyond their potential.

If you could tell one thing to every woman on earth, what would it be?

Believe in Yourself – Have a positive mindset. Our thoughts can create our reality. Our mindset is simply the attitude we take towards life – how we think in the world around us. For me, mindset is foundational to everything we do in life and in business. It shapes the way we see the world and how we act in it.  Mindset determines our success.

What do you think one of the most common problems people have that limits their potential?

Overcoming Fears – I think fear comes in many forms, including fear of success.

Below are four keys that can help overcome fear

1.  Bring fear out into the light of day and acknowledge it. Be honest, tell the truth and be real about the fear you hold. When we hide our fear, we give it life. When we deny that it exists, we allow it more power that it should hold. When we shine a light on fear and talk it through, we often find that it was not nearly as scary as we thought.

Honestly admitting our fear gives us the needed breathing room to deal with it. It opens the door to moving beyond.

2. Own the fear. Take responsibility for your fear. Own up to the fact that it is your problem. This is because too often we tend to want to blame others or “circumstances beyond our control” for the fear we are experiencing.

By taking responsibility for our fears we begin to own the fact that we are the only ones who can change them. When we realize this truth, we are on the path to moving beyond fear.

3. Let it out. Do not repress your fear. Speak, write, journal, run, hit something (not someone), scream – do something to let fear out of your body. When we express our emotions with intensity they begin to move through us. When we truly “feel the fear,” we start the process of lessening it’s power and hold over us.

4. Take action. Overcoming fear is not a spectator sport. If you want to let go of and move beyond your fear, you have to be in the game and not on the sideline.

What’s the best way to keep a crowd energized and engaged during a speech?

1. Be a better-than-good speaker. Be phenomenal – hone your craft and have excellent platform skills and a powerful message. Don’t walk on stage and start off your speech by thanking the meeting planner.

2. Silence can be golden on stage.

3. Relationships are everything – Connect with your audience. Ask the meeting planner for names of individuals you can connect with prior to the event. Send them an email or make a call and introduce yourself and ask questions about what they would like to “take-away from the event.”

On the day of the event go out into the audience and talk with them. Be sure to shake hands and give plenty of smiles.

People do business with people whom they like and trust. Identifying with your listeners is essential to building a relationship with them. In the short-term, you will gain an expected trust in your message, and in the long-term you will generate business.

What are your favorite and least favorite speaking moments?

I cannot think of a least favorite moment because I love to speak. If I had to choose one, it would be getting in trouble in school for “taking too much” and disturbing the class and my teachers. They did not know that it was my training ground for being a professional speaker.

I have so many wonderful experiences on the platform that it would be difficult to pick one favorite. If I must it would be speaking for Athena International in Rotherham, UK.  Having the opportunity to be helping people worldwide to motivate and move themselves to action was an incredible experience for me.

There were lords and dignitaries in the audience and it was such an honor to be invited to speak in England.

What advice do you have for aspiring speakers?

Be an expert at what you do and hone your craft. It is no longer enough to be a motivational speaker. These days being called a motivational speaker isn’t as clear as it used to be. There were only a handful of us 10 plus years ago when I got started… now there are thousands. When you consider the term motivational speaker is the number one keyword people use to search for speakers, I am listed as a motivational speaker.  The meeting planner searching for a speaker may not think to search on personal power expert or confidence expert. And speakers must be experts in their field. I think Jerry Garcia said it best when he said, “You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only one who does what you do.”

I remember in my early days of speaking, I made the same mistake as many of my colleagues; “speaking on every topic.” Doing that is one of the quickest ways to insure that you will not reach your greatest potential as a speaker.

Neher has tested her metal with a wide variety of marketing challenges—from her work with Procter and Gamble to her position as Vice President of Marketing for Photrade.com, a successful technology start-up. She currently blogs for The Marketess, Ad:tech, The American Marketing Association, Ad Club Cincinnati, Ad Rants, and Mobile Marketer. She is also the author of Social Media Field Guide, currently available on Amazon.

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I know you have a rich past in the marketing and training fields, having done both at Proctor and Gamble, but what is it about social media in particular that captures your imagination?

Social media is different than any other marketing medium because it isn’t about creating content (ads) to sell a product – it is about connecting on a real and personal level with your audience in a way that provides them with real value.  I love social media because it isn’t just about marketing, it is about understanding people and how they view your organization.  Companies today have a huge opportunity to leverage this powerful channel as we enter an age of unprecedented transparency.

What connects marketing with social media? In other words, how is it that the two worlds collide and what is so interesting about that collision?

Marketing is probably the primary way that businesses are using social media.  Marketing is about getting the right message infront of the right person at the right time.  Facebook is by far the #1 web property, and time spent on social networks continues to grow quickly.  Marketing dollars must follow where time and attention are going.

But the opportunity for marketing on social media sites is far greater than simply getting attention.  The opportunity is powerful for marketing because it allows brands to have relevant and personal relationships with their customers and prospects.  Rather than telling people that you are the best at XYZ or have amazing customer service you can show them through social media and the web.  Brands and businesses can start to really engage and interact with their customers, which wasn’t easy before the web and social media.

How do you feel the arena has changed over the past few years?

The first stage of social media was focused on collecting people.  Brands and businesses obsessed over the number of fans, likes and follows they acquired.  Everyone wanted more Facebook fans (now likes).  Once businesses had collected these people, they stepped back and tried to assess how valuable these likes, fans and follows were for their business.  In many cases the answer was unclear.

Social media has become much more cluttered over the past few years, and as users of social media, we aren’t going to like or follow every brand or business that we come in to contact with.  An average person on Facebook is connected to 130 people, and an additional 80 groups, pages and events.  If each of these connections posts 5 times a day, that is over 2,000 updates we can each be exposed to.  The new challenge of social media is about breaking through the clutter and standing out in a way that provides value.  Now that businesses have collected likes, fans and follows, they need to figure out what they are doing to engage them in a way that builds real business value.

What advice do you give to businesses struggling to navigate the potentially difficult boundary between using social media for socializing and using it for advertising?

I’m not sure that there is a clear line between socializing and marketing.  In the real world we don’t always separate the two.  My real estate agent might suggest we meet in a social setting, and I often meet business partners for a drink. The reality is that we do business with people we know, like and trust, and appropriate personal connections can help build this.  The real key to success is understanding what is appropriate and expected for your industry and the people you come in to contact with.  Also, always remember that people aren’t on social networks to be advertised at – they are there to connect with their friends.  Businesses can participate, but they need to do so in a relevant way.

I know you’ve spoken at podcamp. I’m interested in your opinion on using podcasting for promotional purposes. Have you found podcasts to be effective marketing tools?

A few years ago, many businesses were interested in podcasts, today we don’t hear about many businesses that are interested in running them.  The main problem with podcasts is that they take a sustained effort – like a television or radio show versus a one-time audio or video recording.  The key is to decide if enough of your target audience is listening to podcasts to justify the effort.

How would you describe your public speaking style?

My goal is to entertain, educate and energize, and I am often told that I have a lot of energy and enthusiasm on stage.  I want people to leave with a clear idea of something that they can actually implement.  I love sharing tips, tricks and examples that others can use and learn from.  For me, sharing my stories and helping others learn in an engaging way is something that I look forward to.

What were your best and worst moments public speaking?

My best moment in public speaking was the first time I received a thank-you note from someone who told me that my advice on social media actually changed their business. I love helping people, and knowing that they weren’t just inspired but actually took action and got results made my day.

My worst moment was a few years ago when I fell getting on to the stage.  This probably doesn’t require more of an explanation.

Do you have a favorite event or venue that you really look forward to?

This is a tough question because there are many conferences that I really enjoy.

 If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring keynote speakers in the social media realm, what would it be?

Speaking is a challenging and competitive industry, and keynote speaking is a whole different level of public speaking.  The best advice I have is to get practice and experience.  Through trial and error you will see how receptive people are to your jokes, what content resonates with them and how to get them involved and engaged.  Malcolm Gladwell recently wrote a book based on the premise that it takes 10,000 hours for an individual to really master a skill.  The more you speak the better you get.  Look for opportunities to speak wherever possible to learn pacing, how to control the stage and how people respond to you and your material.

It also helps to analyze other speakers that you respect and admire.  I regularly go on YouTube to watch videos of other speakers and make note of the things that I thought were especially effective.  It gives me new ideas and helps me constantly improve.

Today Chapman works as a public speaker and a freelance consultant, using his own experiences with social media, online marketing and content creation to teach others. He also maintains a blog, an audio podcast and a video show.

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How did you first break into speaking as an expert on social media, content creation and marketing? Did all three happen at once or was it an evolution?

It has been a constant evolution.

With a background in drama, I’ve always been on stage and few places make me happier.

I’ve always been an early adopter of technology and dove into blogging and podcasting as soon as I heard of it. Since not many other people were talking about them, I began to do so. People seemed to really connect with my heart felt and practical approaches since I talked from experience rather than preaching. I’ve always believed that if I’m going to get in front of an audience to talk about something, than I better know how to do it myself.

All of my experience with content creation and marketing comes from real world experience. I didn’t go to school for either of them. I think that is one of the main reasons I can connect with people because they know I’m not making it up because I’ve actually done the work. When I saw online marketing not going the way I’d like it to I formed my own agency and we lead a number of successful campaigns before we were acquired by a larger agency.

My speaking has evolved over time and continues to do so. Being a jack of many trades means I can speak on a variety of topics.

What is the hardest part of keynote speaking for you?

Being away from my family is the hardest part.

I’ve got a permanent case of wanderlust that makes visiting new cities and meeting new people a thrill for me, but it also means that I’m away from my wife and kids. Even after years of doing this, that never gets easy and is the single hardest thing about speaking.

How do you mentally prepare for a large event?

I really want to know about the people who are going to be in the audience. I love getting on the phone with the organizers who can always give me a feel for what they are attending the event for and what questions they may have.

Then I make sure the deck I’m going to present is up to date and as tight as possible. I don’t use a lot of slides, so I want to make sure that every one I do use is solid and that I know it back to front. I’ll quite often be tweaking right up until I go on stage to make sure I’m totally happy with it.

The minutes before I go on stage are the craziest because the butterflies go into overdrive because I want to make sure I do a great job. I think that if you don’t get a little nervous then you have lost the passion and should find it again before charging another event organizer. But, once that first word comes out of my mouth I get into the zone and push forward. The time always flies.

I’m interested in your perspective on content creation, especially since the market has changed so dramatically and so quickly over the past few years. How has the message of your public speaking on content creation changed with the changing arena?

This is why I always make sure things are up to date because it does change so rapidly.

A big part of how I keep up with this is to focus on the themes and tactics that I believe don’t change as quickly. You won’t hear me speaking very often about specific tools for content creation (although I have given a whole talk on this exact topic) and instead focus on the mindset that most people seem to forget about.

Even with every new tool that comes out or site to share it on, content creation will always boil down to you trying to tell your story in a way that evokes an emotional response from the person consuming it.

How do you stay on top of emerging marketing trends? With so many products out there and such a glut of constant advertising, it seems like it would be difficult to keep a handle on public opinion.

It is a lot of work and takes a constant diet of information and research. There is no way around that.

Part of the reason people pay me to speak is because I’m taking that time and doing that work. That is why people pay speakers in the first place.

This is where social media makes my life a lot easier because there are gate keepers who talk about and share interesting stories in the areas I want to stay on top of. By reading them I can at least keep on top of the major things. I also read a lot and not just in my industry. Reading magazines, watching the nightly news and staying on top of popular culture are all important parts of keeping a tab on the pulse of marketing trends.

As a follow up to that question, how do you suggest marketers or advertisers avoid simply contributing to a cluttered space?

By making sure what you are doing is well thought out and appropriate. Just because “everyone else” is using a tool or setting up a space on a new tool does not mean you have to. Jumping on the bandwagon without first really thinking about it is a waste of time and money.

If more people spent more time on the up front strategy, they’d have better campaigns. But, as someone who consults on these things I know that isn’t as sexy or fun and thus gets skipped over too often.

What has content creation taught you about public speaking, and vice versa?

Everything you do and say is going to be shared with the world so start acting appropriately. Content creation is happening constantly around you even when you don’t know it so keep that in mind.

This also means that listening is the most important skill you can have because you want to stay on top of that content to see what people are saying and sharing about you.

On the flip side, never hesitate to create and share something if it is from your heart and you want to do it. Just the other day I wanted to shoot a quick video because it felt like the right way to share something. I didn’t have a camera with me so I decided to do it with a quick Google+ update instead. If I had waited for the perfect lighting and equipment the moment would have been gone.

If you could give a single piece of advice to new content creators today, what would it be?

Get Creating!!!

Too many people say they want to be a writer, photographer or film maker. The only person saying they can’t is themselves since the tools to do all content creation are out there. Saying you can’t do it because of time or budget is a lie to yourself and a sorry excuse. The only way you are going to get better is by doing it wrong a bunch of times.

Keep creating as often as possible and you will get better.

What advice would you give to aspiring speakers?

Again, it is to get out there and do it as much as possible. Take every opportunity offered to you to get on stage. Really listen to the feedback you get and take it to heart.

Practice really does make perfect. You’ll get better the more that you do it.

I also think you should watch other speakers to see how they do it. You’ll start noticing things that you like and don’t like. Everyone has their own style so don’t try to copy something that isn’t you.

I’ve also found that watching recordings of my speeches teaches me a lot. After a recent event I watched the highlight real that the client cut together and I noticed that I used the word “right” far too often and have made a mental note to think about this the next time I get on stage.

As a speaker, David strives to be engaging, entertaining, and above all informative. He makes sure that every member of his audiences walks away with practical knowledge that they can immediately put to use to improve their personal lives and businesses.

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How did you come to be an expert on business relationships and social networking?

Three attributes continue to help me remain a student of business relationships; what makes them work, when they don’t work, how we screw them up, and how we can leverage them to accelerate our ability to get things done:

1. My early childhood – born in Iran, relationships are the fabric of that culture.  My parents, even in the winter of their lives, continue to be amazing role models.

2. My experience – having spent the last 3 decades working in a variety of companies, industries, and geographies, in a vast array of roles and realm of responsibilities, gives you a very broad perspective into relationship-development styles, team dynamics, and battle-tested best practices.

3. My thought leadership – Relationship Economics® is the hybrid of the art & science of business relationships.  It’s traditionally perceived “soft skills,” combined with a systematic, disciplined process that is repeatable and predictable.  Return on Impact™ – my most recent work on the business impact of social media, is focused on leadership strategies to align off-line and on-line relationships (social networking, social media, social collaboration) to bring them in-line with desired business results and target audiences.  If you think about it,  social networks – done well – are about great relationships!

It’s hard to put a dollar sign on relationships. Do you think business owners sometimes undervalue relationships because it can be hard to see the concrete, long-term benefits?

I’d actually say that relationships are the greatest off-balance sheet asset business owners possess, regardless of the size of their organization.  I’d challenge them to think about how they found some of their best employees, partners, customers, suppliers, or investors.  They tend to be more often found through relationships rather than ads in the paper!

I believe relationships can be qualified – take growth for a minute.  Relationships can accelerate the speed, the slope, and profitability of that growth.  Every attribute can be assigned dollar signs.

What’s your one pet peeve about the world of social networking?

Unfortunately, the tools (LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) is the tail wagging the dog!  Tools are transactional.  Success from any social campaign will come from a more strategic and transformational approach.  Return on Impact – my 4^th and most recent book – is probably my best, because it takes an innovative approach to creating business outcomes from social media.

How are building business relationships, social media relationships, and speaker-audience relationships different? How are they similar?

There are some fundamental laws in all three: gratitude, reciprocity, and pay-it-forward.

Here are the differences:

Business relationships must have mutually-perceived value-add aligned with the value-received.  They take a longer-term to mature, nurture, and bridge relationship creation to relationship capitalization.

Social media relationships are more transactional with a strong sense of immediacy.  If you can add value to my Twitter experience, I’m happy to follow you or become a fan of your Facebook page.  But there is not permanency in that interaction.  I may comment on your blog post but that doesn’t make us friends or colleagues.  There’s a good chance that we don’t even know each other that well.

Speaker-audience relationships are an interesting one: audiences want and need expertise from their speakers.  Help me think, feel or do something differently because of you and this session.  Rah, rah, motivational stuff is great, but if I can’t remember your points 20 min later, how am I better off?  Speakers need audiences for great energy, interaction, tough questions to keep them sharp and defending their positions, not just regurgitating it.

What’s your best and worst moment as a public speaker?

Best – the client is elated, they feel that they got more than what they paid for, and they or others in the audience invite you back.

Worst – you experience logistical challenges to get there, have an off-day in your delivery style, or have a micromanager who is telling you how to deliver your content!

I see that you came to the U.S. without being fluent in English. Did your journey to learn the language and culture help you to learn the value of relationships?

Absolutely!

What made you decide to come to America?

The American Dream: great education, unlimited opportunities, better life for my family, do what I’m passionate about and build a nest egg for when (IF) I ever decide to slow down!

What is your favorite thing about public speaking?

My wife heard me speak a couple of years ago for the first time.  She pulled me aside afterwards to tell me that I’ve found my calling!  I’m passionate about the topic, I’ve been blessed to work with some amazing clients, and I see brighter days still ahead.  It’s the only profession I know of where you can plant a seed and help diverse audiences really think about something they may have taken (or continue to take for granted).  I’m reminded every day that common sense isn’t commonly practiced!

Because you stress relationship building, what relationships have helped you to develop your skills as a public speaker?

Countless mentors, other friends who are professional speakers, speaking coaches, comedy course instructors, and just observing those who have been at it for 10-20 years longer than I have.  Watching other speakers is a barometer of how good you are / can become!

How is social media influencing the ability of people to build and maintain relationships? Does social media enable people to interact in a beneficial way that was previously unimaginable, or does the digital medium water down human relationships?

Nothing will ever replace face-to-face interactions.  What social media allows us to do is to engage and influence one another in between those in-person interactions.  Think of social media as an enabler of your relationships, not something you can abdicate your relationships to!  Social can also extend our reach – much more instantaneously: with the amazing ability to share ideas, pictures, videos, and our parallel universe of relationships.

David Nour, CEO – The Nour Group, Inc. www.RelationshipEconomics.NET 404-419-2115 dnour@nourgroup.com

Daniel Steel is our next featured speaker. With years of sales experience and a published book, “The Care & Feeding of Highly Aggressive Salespeople,” David is a guy who knows how to tell it like it is. His newest speaking series, Fix or Fire, helps companies leverage their sales associates to produce maximum gain.

His approach to sales, the Steel Method, follows the principle that effective sales tactics are within the reach of every company, and that capturing that potential can dramatically increase profits while slashing employee turnover.

He currently spends much of his time motivating salespeople, informing businesses on sales strategies, and teaching effective sales management skills.

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How did you come to be an expert on social media?

Actually about 30 years ago when I was in high School I used to run a Bulletin Board System (know as a BBS in those days) out of my bedroom.   It was a place where Hackers could go and post content and have discussions.  The problem back then was that technology was limited and was not very robust, and data was transmitted over a phone line.

What is your favorite and least favorite thing about social media?

Businesses that use social media often think that because an employee uses social media for personal interaction they would be able to help formulate a Social Media Plan for their company.  That is not necessarily true.

What connects the world of sales with the world of social media?

People… Most organizations use social media for marketing.  Marketing is traditionally one way communication, a company hoisting a message onto a prospect.

Sales are all about relationships and two-way communication.  Top salespeople are great listeners and have a process for uncovering opportunities when they arise.

Social media applications are like other tools the phone, fax and email… just a little more interactive.

What is the most useful and fun social media website, and which do you secretly hate?

I love a tool that we created called Sneeze Tracer. It is used for social media monitoring and engagement, a social media CRM of sorts.  It allows me to look at keywords and trends at a glance.  It is not a product available to the public yet, but if someone would like to try it out they can let me know and I will have a username and password sent to them.

I do not use social media for fun; that would be like bringing work home.   I used to secretly dislike foursquare when they first started… but I have to say it is becoming very useful in discovering new places.

How is communicating to a digital audience different from communicating to a real life audience?

Verbally, we have longer to explain things and of course body language can say a lot.

Digitally, we are forced to communicate in sound bites. It makes it a little less personal and it is harder to read people, however crafting short, precise statement can go a long way.

Social media is a great tool for businesses, but in what ways has social media actually made thing harder for businesses?

Customers have become savvy consumers and use social media to learn more about a product and/or service.  Traditionally, businesses could get away with less than stellar service. With social media, the word gets out pretty quickly if someone is dissatisfied with your product or service.

That becomes searchable and part of your permanent record, so to speak.

How would you describe your public speaking style?

Informative and interactive.

If you could say one thing to every businessman on earth, what would it be?

You can learn a lot more about you and your business if you listen… socially.

What is your worst moment as a public speaker?

It was relatively early in my career.  I had just written “The Care and Feeding of Highly Aggressive Sales People.”  I got a call from a very, very large insurance company to present at a lunch and learn.  A week before the presentation, I got a call from the person who booked me telling me she read the book and thought it would scare managers (and give salespeople the upper hand).

She asked me to do a general sales presentation and I did…

A couple of weeks later I got back the comment cards and wanted to shoot myself.

Do you have any advice for aspiring speakers?

Don’t be afraid.