How Speakers, Exhibitors, Consultants, and Meeting Planners Partner-Generate More Money and Value

? "Make Every Moment Count" is the title of a CD that a pharmaceutical company gave away at their exhibit booth at two major conferences.

Half of the CD covered the company's new product news and "how-to's"; the other half featured tips from a speaker at those conferences. The gift was announced with on-the-seat cards during the speaker's sessions.

? A fullflilment house inserts a speaker's "Communicate Clearly" tips sheets on top of the informational updates that the fulfillment house mails out on behalf of their corporate clients in the fields of insurance, credit and healthcare.

The tips are a welcome relief from the important, but highly technical reading below it.

The speaker provides the camera-ready tips to the fulfillment house that offers them as an extra benefit to their corporate clients.

Those clients pay for reproduction. Each sheet has a line at the top, "(name of company) supports your personal success." ? The largest beer producer in India introduced an upscale beer for women. Hanging from a gold cord around the neck of each bottle is a card entitled, "Live Well" that promotes a free 3" x 3" book of 100 lifestyle tips for women buyers. Buyers get the book from their store when they turn in ten bottle caps. The book is co-authored by an American woman speaker and a popular Indian woman journalist.

These are examples of cross-promotions among speakers and people from different industries or professions. Like all successful cross-promotions, they are aimed at better reaching and/or serving a mutual market.

Successful cross-promotions build customer-attracting visibility and value. Unsuccessful joint promotions can create irritation and lose credibility.

Some speakers are avid cross-promoters. Several have written about partnering and joint promotions including Jeff Slutsky and Ed Rigsbee. Some informally or formally share speaking leads. Some refer to each other in their speeches, articles, ezines, web sites, books and media interviews. Some sell each other's products.

To truly stand out in an over-advertised world, some speakers and other consultants are beginning to partner with people a step or two outside the meeting industry.

For your partnering opportunities, look more closely at your key stakeholders, including your "hot list" of fans who have heard you speak, meeting planners, speakers bureaus, exhibitors at trade shows where you appear, other speakers, vendors who support the industry.

Now look at the markets and organizations that are important to them. In each case, you may have a way to partner with a stakeholder - or with an organization that is important to that stakeholder - to better reach or serve one of their markets.

Your "product" is your message, delivered in person, or in some other package. More credible than traditional advertising, your helpful and inspiring stories, tips and examples can naturally attract prospects to you and to your cross-promoting partners.

Do you speak to manufacturers?

? What if your pertinent tips appeared on their packaging, along with your contact information?

? What if your product was inside the package of a big ticket consumer product? For example, techno-savvy speakers' pertinent ideas could add a human touch if they appeared on or inside computer hardware or software packages.

Two Lexus dealers will be placing a speaker/singer's CD, "It's a Beautiful Life", on the front seat of their newly sold cars.

For many years, speaker Bob Popyk has produced sales publications for retailers and other distributors of big ticket consumer products, ranging from boats to musical instruments. His clients are the manufacturers of those products. All these publications pull people to his "Creative Selling" magazine.

Agilent Technologies sponsored my presentation for their clients and prospects. Each attendee received a card pack with their technology tips on one side and my communication tips on the other.

Offer your clients the opportunity to co-author articles with you for their professional or industry publications. Tell them some of the titles of your timeless articles so they can choose one to revise.

Via email, send your client the article she selects, with places marked to insert examples and quotes from their industry.

Include brief instructions for completing the revision.

Ask her to send the version back to you for your final approval.

Offer to submit the article to the appropriate industry and professional publication(s).

Now, more than ever, people are open to innovative ways to capture attention, offer genuine value without price-cutting and reach new markets. Your suggested cross- promotions can demonstrate your care for customers and your capacity to be cutting edge.

Kare Anderson is the author of LikeABILITY (see Grand Store at http://www.SayitBetter.com), Make Yourself Memorable and SmartPartnering. A popular speaker on SmartPartnering and on how to be more frequently-quoted to become your kind of customers' top- of-mind choice, she also publishes the SayitBetter newsletter, with 32,000 subscribers in 28 countries.

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Increasing the ROI on Your Networking

Networking requires an investment of time, money and effort. Here... Read More

Is The Company You Keep Hurting Your Business?

When you look at your friends, it's like looking into... Read More

Client Attraction Technique #2: Networking

One of the most cost effective ways of generating leads... Read More

Building Business Relationships in a Roomful of Strangers

You approach a stranger at an association meeting or industry... Read More

How to be Known

Why business relationships are formed with certain people?If you go... Read More

What Has Networking Got To Do With Joint Ventures?

What has networking got to do with joint ventures? "PLENTY"... Read More

Good Manners Mean Good Business

Good manners, good networking and good business all have the... Read More

3 Reasons to Join a Group

Defining your purpose for joining a group.When you make the... Read More

Why Cant I Start A Conversation With You?

One out of every ten Americans has a fear of... Read More

Ask for Referrals: And Get the Answer You Want!

Why are people scared to ask for a referral? Is... Read More

Networking for Wallflowers: How to Profit from Getting into the Crowd

The two most common complaints about networking are: 1) I... Read More

10 Terrific Tips to Talk Your Way to the Top

What is "the top" anyway? According to society, "top" has... Read More

Where to Find a Cash Windfall of $10,000 - $1,000,000 - You Never Knew You Had

There is a rather famous true story called "Acres of... Read More

Social Networking: A Link To Like Minds

Not all dot-com dreams died when the Internet stock bubble... Read More

Lesson 61 - When Does Aggressiveness Turn Into Annoyance?

The StoryWhen attending conferences, conventions, or private events, it's guaranteed... Read More

Networking Group Loyalty Requirements

How can you find out the group loyalty requirements before... Read More

Effective Networking

The process of finding out about a job, getting interviewed,... Read More

34 Power Affirmations for Networking with the Affluent

Here are 34 affirmations I have created after studying the... Read More

10 Steps to Successful Networking

"It's not what you know, it's who you know."This old... Read More

Franchisees Should Learn From Each Other

If you own a franchise you should be in contact... Read More

Value-Added Network

A value-added network can be achieved through explicit actions to... Read More

Power Networking: Getting Your Name Out There!

Today's economy presents some very special challenges to people who... Read More

Networking: What the Heck is a Ryze?

If you're new to the internet marketing club, you may... Read More

Are You in the Relationship Business?

Are you in the relationship business? Of course you are.... Read More

Increase Your Sales by 30% Using Internet Collaboration Networks

Small businesses are really excluded from the global economySmall businesses... Read More

It Pays to be Friendly

Most small business people do not take advantage of human... Read More

10 Top Tips for Successful Networking

1. Recognise the importance of networkingAsk any successful business person... Read More

9 Ways to Spice Up Your Nametags for More Engaging Conversation

Nametags are worn for a variety of jobs and functions,... Read More

Four Brainless Self-Promotion Techniques To Avoid

Many workers think that their hard work will speak for... Read More

How to Keep from Sounding LIKE Totally Stupid

June is reality check month. Lots of the resolutions have... Read More

Networking in the Business world

Why is it so important to network with other people... Read More

Sharpen Your Business Networking Skill To Grow Your Small Business

Most people become lax at maintaining their professional business network... Read More

Real Business Networking Doesnt Happen at Networking Events

Real networking isn't about handing out business cards at a... Read More