How To Sell High Profit Margin Products At Speaking Events with National Speaker, Marilee Driscoll.

http://marileedriscoll.com
One side is long term care
Other side is PR and she has a store with lots of options.
At her store there is a place that is just for speakers.

Author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Long-Term Care Planning
http://www.longtermcarelearning.com

Really believes in having a manual, it is "notes" to support her talking and business.

$20 for a book
$99 for a manual - it is cutting edge, updated and people will pay more.

Manual by comparison to book, cutting edge info, 8 and half by eleven, her first high margin product. Her manual is about marketing, pr, and lead generation. All the info she can't put into an hour long talk. People complain that her talk is only an hour and they wish it was longer. So, meaningful, well thought out topics come in handy. Self generated, on her computer in Word. People don't expect a manual to look slick like a book, they are buying it for the info. They are already impressed by what she has talked about. She sells to people who have seen her speak.

Not trying to look like a book. People want to take "me" home. Give them higher margin products. Her average size audience is 200 not thousands. Allows her to speak to groups that can't pay her fee and still be compensated by the sales of this manual.

She doesn't bring her book. Never never! She brings 5-10 with her to give away a free copy of the book if they buy a show special. Use her book as a bonus. Books and low margin products don't pay off, don't have that much time to sell low cost items. Need to have a very professional way to get down to business. Move the crowd along. Don't want to be kept talking about low cost items or general talking. Don't want to keep people waiting who want to buy high margin items.

How to develop a product?
Listen to customers, who are my audience, what are their fears and desires? Fear and greed are motivators. What are the questions that I normally get? That is what is on their mind.

Lead generation selling and pr. is her manual. Her book is Long Term Care. Totally different subjects.

When she went to speak, they wanted to have a great turn out, how to fill the room. This manual tells you exactly how to do it. $99.00

Her next product is keynote speech all the topics around long term care. She sells a Power point presentation along with an audio cassette. Lets them bring her presentation to other audiences. For library, or senior center, etc.

Why would she sell her keynote fully scripted? Sells for 499.00 It is 40 slides, custom graphics, visually beautiful. Audience members would love to bring me in to speak. This makes it affordable.

Who is in my audience and what do they want to take home with them. If someone can replace you, Hmmmm That's why she is not afraid to offer her keynote speech.
If unafraid of competition, can move forward. It's OK to share info, because I am a leader anyway. Idea came from her audience. Have an ear to the ground, your audience will tell you want they want.

Questionnaire at end to get response. Not really that usefull. She "smoozes" before the event. If a person hasn't niche-d their audience it's harder.

How to bring up the topic that she is selling items. This is tricky. It depends on the venu, and how hired. Negotiate when get the deal. Ask, before, way before, or right before. I would like to give away …..book, item what ever it is ….. ask at the registration table to have people put in business card, she has a little Lucite plastic box for people to drop their business card in. Have spokesperson do drawing.

Often there is no person to introduce. Have intro written and ask someone in audience to read it. Then give them something, it is like an infomercial. Tell everyone that the person can follow her to her booth and she will give it to them, then everyone knows she has a booth.

Can offer an association pr stuff. For example she is starting an all day PR boot camp, asks them if they want to be the guinea pigs. People say "fake it till you make it," but she doesn't believe it. She likes to be straight up. Another idea is to offer the association can sell a product and they keep the profit.

Best time to sell a car is right after they test drive and people are real hot after they hear the talk, not after they have gone home. Get them while they are hot. Sell right there. People are most likely to buy a product right after they have heard you.

To sell expensive product, must make it easy to buy.
Professional order form to clearly explain products. She has combo products, only four things.

Focus people, not confuse them.

If people are interested, they throw a brochure into their pile of literature and go to web site later, then they don't buy. Need to capture at event.

She offers a show only special. Discount it 50% show only - 3 specials. Know when conference ends, be clear that the discount ends at that time.
All available at regular prices on the web site. Packaged together offers 30% Can't extend, because it is not fair to people there. Has regretted the few times she made an exception. For example, they just want xyz -- can they still get a discount. Don't negotiate, will drain your energy.

Do you have signs? YES! She has an enlarged order form. Large frame on a tripod. Prints it out on her printer in four pieces. Nice black frame from Walmart. Staples has a tripod that folds up, make sure it fits in your largest suitcase. Once she paid a hundred dollars to ship it cause it was oversize.

Never bring another to your booth, a helper, for example her daughter. They will loose sales for you. Have a form, a clearly written form to explain the details. A sign to say I will return.

Never put out live products on the table. Have dummy products to show the labels, but not a useable product. People think they can take stuff from a booth. Clear wide tape and tape them to her table so people can see it and not take it. Stock nothing at her booth, but bonus book. She has one fake sample and ships when she gets back to her office. This lets her check credit card first. Also people don't want to carry it they prefer to ship it. Unless it is an audio they may want to listen to on the way home.