031 – Simply Sue Speaks on the Business of Professional Speakers

Sue_Falcone

Sue is the owner of Simply Sue Speaks Global Booking Agency bringing Custom Solutions for Booking an Expert Speaker!

With over 40 years of industry experience as a successful corporate executive, speaker, coach & author, Sue has the professionals that can “bring the “WOW” factor to any event!

Whether it’s the perfect Speaker, Presenter, Entertainer, Trainer, Facilitator, Coach or Author … she can make the match to meet your specific needs. The result is an unforgettable and memorable experience! Sue says, “It’s all about You and not Us!”

Sue is married to Carmen Falcone, who is the CFO of her business! They have 4 children and 8 grandchildren. They love to travel, climb lighthouses, read, dance, and help others succeed. They both simply love people and retirement is not in their DNA!

Motivational Quote

GBU-Candle-031SF

Business Inspiration

The realization that she needed a life change [5:52]

Professional Speaking Insights

The evolution of a professional speaker [10:43]

A realization that led to further business growth [12:50]

The development of SimplySueSpeaks [17:27]

3 requirements to work with Sue [22:36]

Prayer Partner Concept [31:53]

Success Trait

Focusing on strength not weaknesses [29:02]

Productivity/Lifestyle Tool

The concept of blending life versus balancing [30:37]

Valuable BookFree Audio Book

Lighthouse of Hope – A Day to Day Journey to Fear-Free Living by Sue Falcone

Intentional Living: Choosing a Life that Matters by John Maxwell

The Battle Plan for Prayer: From Basic Training to Targeted Strategies by Stephen Kendrick

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Phone – 888-766-3155

Email – Sue@SimplySueSpeaks.com

If you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you. Thanks! Sue
Transcript
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Gift biz unwrapped episode 31.

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You have To believe in what you're doing and you have

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to believe in yourself so that others will.

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Hi. This is John Lee,

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Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,

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and you're listening to gift to biz unwrapped.

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And now it's time to light it up.

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Welcome to gift biz,

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unwrapped your source for industry specific insights and advice to develop

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and grow your business.

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And now here's your host,

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Sue Monheit Hi there and welcome to the gift bids podcast.

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Whether you own a brick and mortar shop sell online or

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are just getting started,

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you'll discover new insight to gain traction and to grow your

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business. And today I'm joined by Sue Falco.

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Sue is the owner of simply Sue speaks,

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global booking agency bring in custom solutions to booking an expert

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speaker with over 40 years of industry experience.

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As a successful corporate executive speaker,

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coach and author.

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Sue has the professionals that can bring the wow factor to

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any event,

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whether it's the perfect speaker,

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presenter, entertainer,

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trainer, facilitator,

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coach, or author,

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she can make the match to meet your specific needs.

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The result is an unforgettable and memorable experience.

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Sue is married to Carmen Falcon,

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who is the CFO of her business.

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They have four children and eight grandchildren love to travel,

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climb lighthouses,

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which is so intriguing.

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Read dance and help others succeed.

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They both simply love people and retirement is not in their

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DNA. Welcome to the show.

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Sue, Thank you so much for having me.

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I'm honored.

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We're shining from North Carolina.

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Oh, Right.

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I love that too.

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Would you like to add anything else to the intro before

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we get started?

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I can't think of anything.

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I'm sure we'll come up with some stories though.

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That will be interesting.

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I love stories.

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Well, as our listeners know,

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we aligned the conversation around the life of a motivational candle.

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The light will shine on you while you share all those

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stories and experiences.

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So Sue,

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Are you ready to light it up?

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I sure am Fabulous.

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All right.

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So you are entering into a conference because you have placed

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the speakers who are going to be at the conference and

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at the welcome table.

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When you sign in and get your badges,

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they have all these beautiful candles lit up there and they're

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all different colors.

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What candle would you gravitate?

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The color of?

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It would have to be teal and lime green.

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Ooh, it's a multi-colored candle.

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Yeah. That's my favorite colors and it's become my brand,

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but I just love it.

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Is there a motivational quote that you would share that's on

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that candle?

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Oh, there's lots I could quote,

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but my favorite of all time is I'm too blessed to

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be stressed or depressed by Barbara Johnson.

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And it has lived in my life for many,

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many years.

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I have never heard that before.

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I really like that She can came from the seventies,

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but you know,

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she was really popular.

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She wrote stick a geranium in your hat and love it.

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And she had a lot of great energy.

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And how do you pull that up in your life?

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Well, you have To remember every day,

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what you're thankful and grateful for.

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That has to be part of your business model.

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Because by doing that,

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then all the things that happen and everything that comes at

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you and everything that wants to just shake your day.

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Won't because you have something to go back and say,

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no, not going to let it.

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And that has just helped me through so much because you

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know what,

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today, life isn't easy,

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but the choices you make and what you put in your

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mind and what should you focus on are key,

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Right? And it grounds you then too.

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If you're in business for yourself,

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you've decided to do that.

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You've taken that conscious step at one point or another.

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And you're right.

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I mean,

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stress factors come out without a doubt every day like this,

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just to be grateful that you're in a position where you

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can work on building something for yourself and feel blessed about

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it. You're right.

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Just to remember that,

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that you're doing this and you're walking the journey and you're

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so fortunate to be able to do so,

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could be a stress reliever.

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I see what you mean.

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And it also helps you bring that same message to others

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because I'm all about helping others succeed as much as myself

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because Zig Ziglar says,

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if you help others succeed first,

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then you automatically will succeed.

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And so when you do that,

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you know,

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if you've got yourself aligned,

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right, when you start,

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then anyone you interact with,

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whether it can be on social media,

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it could be anywhere.

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Then get that energy from you to say,

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golly, yeah,

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we can do this because I don't want people to give

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up before they ever succeed.

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That's fabulous.

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I love this one,

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especially a new one.

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You know,

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so many people,

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you know,

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they're this popular quotes that come about all the time.

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And I love hearing one that I haven't heard before.

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That really is impactful.

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That's Great.

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I'm glad I could bring something different.

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Cause that's kind of who I am with Your teal and

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lime green passe.

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We'll see,

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let's go back To the beginning of your journey.

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But the beginning when you started simply Sue speaks.

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Cause I know you have a lot of experience before that.

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Talk to us about the transition,

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how you decided I'm going to start something by myself and

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do something for myself.

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How did that all evolve?

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Simply It evolved and realizing I was not going to move

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one more time and my corporate career.

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So after 30 years I had received many skillsets and many

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great mentorships and all like this,

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or I knew that it was time to not move one

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more time and do what I wanted to do for myself

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all along and that I was gifted and skilled to do.

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And I had a very supportive husband that says let's do

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it. And so that helped me,

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you know,

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to say what I wanted to do.

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And I always knew it would involve training,

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speaking, writing those skillsets because that's who I am.

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And that's how I made a 30 year career with a

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corporate company.

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But I didn't really know what that looked like at first.

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So I went into business for myself with another business and

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then I transitioned out of it and to realizing,

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yeah, it was time,

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go write your books,

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get on the speaking circuit and Lesko.

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And that's exactly what I did.

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And then to look for a name,

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you know,

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because you have to establish a brand.

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I knew I liked teal lime green.

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So that was the colors.

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We didn't even have to question that.

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And then I realized,

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I said,

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you know,

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I want to make life simple for people.

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And I want them to know I'm no exception.

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I'm not a super-duper person that has not evolved without being

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involved with people.

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I wanted to make sure I gave practical things to people

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that they could use in their life.

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So I came up with simply Sue and that's where I

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went, simply Sue,

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and I could speak,

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I booked,

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I sell my book.

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I did everything.

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And I thought,

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well, this is just really cool.

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I'm just going to do this forever.

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So let's put Some detail behind this story a little bit

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for our listeners.

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What I'm hearing from you right now is you had this

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idea and it was kind of percolating throughout your life.

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You know,

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whole time when you're working for other people you had in

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the back of your mind,

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a concept of what you wanted to do in the future.

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Correct. And it was kind of nice because you're getting more

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skills and you're learning more and you're getting exposure to lots

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of different types of things,

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which then enhances natural abilities that you already had.

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Meaning like speaking and writing,

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et cetera.

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So you decide,

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all right,

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I'm not doing this anymore.

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I'm not traveling anymore.

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We're going to ground ourselves somewhere that we want to live.

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And I'm going to develop this new thing,

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right? Yes.

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You can't just go on a speaking circuit without somehow prepping.

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So people are going to want you to speak,

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where did the book come in?

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Or can you give a little more detail in terms of

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the steps that you took to achieve ease?

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And maybe it was writing the book first?

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I don't know.

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You're going to tell us,

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but to achieve the point where you're out speed.

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Well, I did the book first because I had time to

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do that.

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And what is the book?

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Okay. The book is called the lighthouse of hope day-by-day journey

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to fear-free living.

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Because when I left corporate America,

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I realized even I had hidden it.

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I was a very fearful person.

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I had not faced some realities in my life and from

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my past.

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And unfortunately when I decided to transition into the speaker wider

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arena, I had an accident or a car accident and I

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was hurt and didn't know how that outcome was going to

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come. So there I was,

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then I said,

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okay, I'll just start writing my book.

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And that's what I did.

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And I really realized that I knew I had to face

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my fears because when I left corporate America,

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I'll wait 300 pounds.

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And we were over one,

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$180,000 in debt.

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Now that was not bad debt with a house and cars

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and all that good stuff,

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but it was still,

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you know,

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you had to launch and have funding to make a career

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for yourself to make a business for yourself.

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So I knew that we needed to look at some of

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those things and we were given that opportunity to do that.

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So my husband was still working.

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So I had the opportunity to recover and right the book.

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And I learned a lot in that journey of writing the

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book, it became very successful and now it's on Kindle and

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it's still successful.

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I now have some copies of that.

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I still market and sell myself,

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but the soft back covers.

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But, you know,

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I realized that it's still helping me to overcome that daily

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fear, that insecurity that we may have in businesses,

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because when we start our own businesses,

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because this is a risk,

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you know,

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there is a risk and you take the personal risk.

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And so then I lost the weight during all this time,

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I lost the weight.

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I realized how to do that.

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So see,

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there was many experiences that helped me along so that when

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I got the book published,

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I was recovered.

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I had already started speaking some of my story anyway,

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that was included in the book.

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And so it just kind of evolved.

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In course,

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I was speaking for free to begin with just like all

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speakers start out,

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you have to build an audience,

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you have to build your confidence.

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You have to understand what it's going to take.

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You have to get out there and see what it is

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and see what your audience is really need and are really

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wanting from you.

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Then social media came into it because then it's it just

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launched like crazy.

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You know,

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so getting social media involved is key.

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And I tell every speaker today,

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if you're not on social media for yourself,

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then as an agency,

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I have a really hardship in being able to promote you

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because that's where our audience lineup now is on social media.

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So I start doing that early on,

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so that really helped make it out there.

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And then I just loved what I was doing.

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And people wanted me,

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I just transitioned to saying,

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okay, it's time to get the plan,

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get everything in line.

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I was selling my book,

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everything was going fine.

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Then you start speaking for pay.

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And that's what I did.

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So just aligned that again in a business plan to know

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what I needed to charge and to know what I needed

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to do.

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And we just launched from there and we just kept going.

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And I just thought that was going to be great.

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You know,

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I really did.

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I mean,

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I said,

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oh, this is just really fun.

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And then I could see visions of being in big conferences

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and all this kind of thing.

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And maybe even doing that for myself,

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putting on my own big conferences,

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I thought,

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Ooh, that'd be good.

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And originally Sue,

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and I love your name by the way.

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I can never forget it.

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You don't know,

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you know,

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I mean,

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you know,

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it kind of sticks in your mind anyway.

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That's great.

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But anyway,

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I originally started in the Christian community because a lot of

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my book is inspirational and comes from that end and that

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was a natural fit.

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But one morning I'll never forget.

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I was sitting and looking at my business plan and looking

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at my engagements and looking at things.

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And I just realized,

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you know,

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I spent 30 years in business and I had kind of

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gotten to the motivational,

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the Christian,

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that kind of speaking realm.

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And I was doing well.

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It wasn't like I wasn't doing well,

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but I saw it.

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You know,

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I could go back into speaking in business as well.

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So that was another turn in my business model because I

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really thought I was going to be on one specific genre

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and one specific target market.

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And then I realized there was many more target markets for

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me. And so then I decided to do that.

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And we went into,

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and I learned a lot about entrepreneurship and what all this

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really entailed and all that kind of things.

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And then I started looking at government work,

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it expanded into government contracts.

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And so that's kind of just how it evolved.

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The one thing though,

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I think the key is you have to believe in what

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you're doing and you have to believe in yourself so that

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others will,

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you have To have an innate commitment and passion for what

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you're doing.

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Yeah. You have To love it.

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And they say that over and over,

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and it's kinda like a tired phrase.

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You've got to live your passion.

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You got to love what you do.

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So it doesn't even feel like you're working.

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It's true.

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It is the truth.

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It is true.

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So by way of clarification,

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what you're saying here is you started,

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you know,

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you wrote the book and then you started speaking mostly with

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your eye on more of the Christian community at first,

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right? And that was the business model in the beginning.

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But then as time went on,

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you evolved into,

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well, this same message could be very applicable in other genres.

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It is because I realized then it was not just designed

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for one target audience,

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but it could be brought into because in our business world

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and all,

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they want to keep a lot of things separate.

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But then I started looking at business models of John Maxwell,

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who is one of my mentors early at Zig Ziglar was

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a friend of mine.

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And I started looking at what they did because most of

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them started out in the Christian community.

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Also Steven cubby.

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They started out in that community and then they realized it's

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for everybody.

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It wasn't compromising it.

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Wasn't taking away from your original message.

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It only was tailoring it to what people and another target

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market wanted.

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And the message was the same.

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So gift biz listeners,

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this is a really good point.

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I just want to underline here is that you may start

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out with a certain business model built off of a strength

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that you have in Sue's case her book and the focus

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on the Christian market,

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but don't be so tied into that initial concept for ever

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that you could possibly miss other opportunities.

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I mean,

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Sue's business now has transitioned some,

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but the core is still the same.

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Her audience has adjusted a little bit and her business has

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grown because of that.

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So start off with a certain idea,

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but always be open and available to other options of where

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your journey may lead you to either increase or adjust or

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tweak your business a little bit as you progress and have

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more knowledge in terms of the receptivity and the message that

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you're getting out or the product that you're getting out.

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Would you add anything to that soup?

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That is so Kate and the beauty of it was then

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I could share that with others so that they could have

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that courage to say,

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I'm just not stuck here.

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You know?

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And that's my only thing,

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because as in my business now representing speakers,

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I encourage them sometimes to just get out of their box

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and take a look at event that maybe they wouldn't have

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thought about doing.

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But I said,

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don't you have those skills that you could apply for that,

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you know?

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And sometimes it's really been amazing how the things that they

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think they're tied into really do fit in a place they

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never thought of before.

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Okay. So let's talk a little bit more about simply Sue

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speaks the booking agency portion.

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Okay. Do speakers come to you for placement?

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So you have a list of speakers who you've probably vetted

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to make sure the quality is what you'd want to represent.

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And then there's functions where they may be interested in a

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speaker or a facilitator,

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et cetera,

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et cetera.

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How did you get to the point where you had both

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of those lists?

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Let's just call it in terms of resources and then how

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do you connect them together?

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So it's a two-pronged question.

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How did you get the sources and then what do you

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do to connect them together?

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So they're a good fit,

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Great question.

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And I'm always been about solutions because I wanted to have

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solutions in my life.

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I wanted to have it my career for others.

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And so when I started looking as I was out there

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speaking myself and on the circuit doing what I was doing,

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I saw many speakers that I met that didn't like to

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do. The things that I really liked to do.

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I don't have a problem booking.

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I don't have a problem,

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negotiating contracts.

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I don't have a problem asking for money.

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I don't have a problem not being organized enough that I

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can't keep up with the contacts I make.

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I don't have all these issues or I didn't let myself

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be so booked that I couldn't focus on the things that

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I needed to do to make sure I had the quality.

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So when I was out there,

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I saw speakers that were in all sides of the spectrum.

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In other words,

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they were very successful,

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but wanted in different arenas than they were speaking in.

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But as they were doing the business of speaking,

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they didn't have time to research that out and to make

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the context.

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So that was one category of speakers than others were.

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Yeah, they were speaking and they were doing things for themselves,

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but they wanted to do more and they didn't know how

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to get to that more.

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And then there's the speakers that,

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you know,

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wanted someone to ask for the money.

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Cause that's a hard thing for a lot of people that

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are speaking because they don't want to be rejected,

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but yet to scale that that was hard for them.

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So I saw there was a need for an agency that

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was different because I was on speaker bureaus,

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myself. I was on agencies.

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I had an agent at one time.

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So I knew all the things that I had experienced.

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And I said,

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I told my husband,

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I'll never forget this.

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I came home one night.

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And I said,

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you know what?

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I have a list of speakers that are awesome,

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but they need some help.

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And they're asking and they've been looking and they've not really

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found, you know,

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the thing I said,

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could we create another?

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And I just thought we were going to create another division

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of what I was already doing instead of making it the

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focus, you know,

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the total focus.

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And I started out that way a little bit,

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but then I realized,

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Hmm, no,

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this doesn't work.

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I either need to be a we or an I.

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So I made the transition about four years ago of going

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from an I,

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I booked me.

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I am the speaker,

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I'm an author to a week where I am now an

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agency where I represent speakers,

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trainers, coaches,

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entertainers, authors,

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whatever. And the market is not hard to find the speakers.

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I can do that on social media.

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I can find speakers to represent because my business model is

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such that I don't want to represent thousands.

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I never intended on doing that because I'd been on the

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list of thousands.

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Right. And,

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you know,

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unless she really,

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really huge,

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they never kind of get to you sure that I could

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personally not guarantee because there's no guarantee in this industry,

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but at least I would work and work my heart out

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because I believed in the speakers that we represented that I

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could get them bookings.

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Well, and you were also then creating a list,

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kind of an exclusive private list.

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Not everyone can get on your list.

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You have to have certain qualifications to be on Sue's list.

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Right. Cool.

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What would be three things that you look for in a

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speaker that you say,

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okay, these are things they have to have to be on

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our list for us to represent them.

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Great question.

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Because I'm asked that a lot.

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What does it take Sue to be represented by you?

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And I said,

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well, basically I have an application on my current website and

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it'll be on our new website because we're in the process

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of creating a new,

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totally wow website,

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which is great.

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But I have an application that's pretty detailed because when I

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looked at the big agencies and the big speaker bureaus,

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they don't take everybody.

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And I can't take everybody.

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I have to be selective.

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And I have an executive team that once those applications are

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filled out and submitted,

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they take a look at it for me.

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I put that team in place instead of me making the

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total decision,

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because sometimes I have found Sue,

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I can see the skill set and the potential so much

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for a person that I see it more than the people

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see in themselves and are willing to do the work to

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get there.

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So I realized that was a little passionate trend of mine.

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So that's why I established an executive team that knows my

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qualifications of where I can match people,

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where I can go research where I can go find the

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right match for the speakers that I have.

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So that was a good Kate,

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you know,

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there. So the three things though that we kind of,

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that they,

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and then may looking at the end to make the final

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decision look at is number one,

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you have to have a business plan.

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That means you have to be legal.

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If I'm going to go get you a booking and I

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pay you,

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you know,

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we get the fees collected from the client.

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You have to have a way to handle that.

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And I have to be confident that you've been doing it.

Speaker:

And you have to be in business for a while to

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build a following.

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I can not market startups.

Speaker:

Startup people do not need agents.

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They need to go out there and find themselves and do

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all the free things and do all the things.

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Whether a transfer from free to fee,

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just like I had to do then for all the right

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reasons, then they would want to come to an agent and

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an agency.

Speaker:

So three thanks business plan.

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You've got to have be established.

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That means you have to be established on social media.

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You need the right pictures.

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You need a video clip to be established.

Speaker:

You have to really be doing this.

Speaker:

This is not a part-time.

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This is not a wish is not a dream.

Speaker:

You have to actually be doing that.

Speaker:

Because when I take on a person,

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I become part of their marketing plan because that's what I

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do. I market them to get them events.

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You have to have that knowledge of knowing they're on the

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same wavelength there.

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And then the third thing is business plan,

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social media,

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and have all the things,

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but have all the tools in place and know that you're

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going to have to have a business plan that funds you,

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because if I give you an event and normally we ask

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for deposits down to hold the event,

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and you're going to have to find a way to get

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there. Even though they reimburse normally not all those fees aren't

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reimbursed upfront.

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So you have to have a way to handle your expenses.

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And so you have to have been in business a little

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while to be able to qualify for me,

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to be able to put the time and effort into you,

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because I don't charge anything upfront.

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I put you on my website,

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I do all the information and get you out there.

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I don't make money until the events are booked that's by

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business model.

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And that's how I've been able to get some awesome,

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awesome people and also get clients that are awesome to our

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people because they see that we've vetted them and we've done

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all the right things so that I can confidently offer them

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the right match.

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And people are very happy with that.

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You're going for quality.

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You're not going for numbers.

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I mean,

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you could be sitting here saying,

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I have list of thousands of people.

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I, you know,

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all of that,

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you're not doing that.

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You're really whittling it down,

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being selective,

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which makes what you offer all the more valuable,

Speaker:

because it has been vetted,

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as you said,

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and then you connect up quality with quality on both sides.

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And I love your business model because you don't get paid

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until a booking is actually established and it's success well,

Speaker:

too. Right?

Speaker:

Exactly. And don't pay me our speakers payment.

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They pay me to get the ad and all like this.

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So I can also make sure that the clients get the

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best of me as well as my speakers get the best

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of me.

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So really quickly,

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how then on the other side,

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do you identify,

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how, how does it work that people then come approach you

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and say,

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do you have somebody for an event?

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This is the topic.

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Is there anybody on your list that you could match us

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up with Speaking I'm as selective about the events as I

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am about the speakers,

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I have a questionnaire that a format that I use to

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interview the client.

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So It's the same thing.

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It all starts with a questionnaire.

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Yes. And that's very important to me because I don't want

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any surprises for anybody.

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And I also want to make sure that everything is on

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legitimate terms and everything is understood,

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and that we've got all the information because otherwise you could

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lose on both sides.

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And so our clients know that we're custom because we want

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that event to succeed as much as they do.

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We are not canned presentations.

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My speakers know that when we find the client,

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that the match is that I have discussed with that client,

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exactly their expectations,

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exactly the takeaways.

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So that one,

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we make a proposal to that client.

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They're going to see exactly what we offer to them based

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on what they want,

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not on what we want to give them,

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which is a totally different model as well.

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I want to swing this around a little bit and relate

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it to some of the listeners who are here today.

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And you know,

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a lot of our audience,

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there are people who have gift shops or online and they're

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selling product.

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But what I really liked about you Sue is you offer

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the gift of number one entertainment with your speaker matchups training,

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because people who are going to event when it all comes

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together, that's also a gift because we're learning and we're growing.

Speaker:

The one thing I continue hearing from you,

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an underlying thing all the way through is the planning way

Speaker:

early on,

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which then leads to success.

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Like you're talking about,

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you went through and really thought about what is it I'm

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going to want to have in a speaker?

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What is it that I'm going to want to have in

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a venue or a conference?

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What are the qualities that are going to be important that

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set us up to be successful and have good matches as

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a process.

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If your forms are more of a process and you can

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tweak those questions or do whatever you need to do,

Speaker:

and that learning continues to make the forms work better and

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better for you.

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Right? Correct.

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So give biz listeners what in your business,

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you know,

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try and relate it back and think about your business.

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What types of things could you do that you set up

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as a process or you create that helps you continue to

Speaker:

grow on knowledge that you get with your customers,

Speaker:

with in-store promotions that you do,

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whatever it might be,

Speaker:

where it can continue to grow.

Speaker:

It's just not a one-off you do something,

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it works,

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it doesn't work.

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I'm jumping in fresh to something new,

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but what could you build on to add value and make

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your business stronger?

Speaker:

So just a little thing for you to think about.

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So we're going to move in now to the reflection section.

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This is a look at you and allows us to see

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what you think has helped you to succeed along the way.

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What is one natural trait that you have that you think

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has helped with your success?

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Well, I Think when I took the strength,

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two dot O StrengthFinders,

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two dot O thing,

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it kind of brought that out.

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I loved those,

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those books that are out that will tell you about your

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strengths. I feel like you need to focus on your strengths

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more than on your weaknesses,

Speaker:

because when you build up your strengths that are naturally there,

Speaker:

and mine are being positive,

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being encouraging organization,

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those are the keys that are gonna live with you all

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the way down the line.

Speaker:

So when you focus on making those better,

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your weaknesses,

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all these little things that,

Speaker:

you know,

Speaker:

we used to say,

Speaker:

fake it till you make it.

Speaker:

Well, you don't have to fake it anymore.

Speaker:

Cause then when you're focusing on your strengths,

Speaker:

it minimizes your weaknesses because you've built up the things that

Speaker:

can overcome those weaknesses automatically don't have to be working on

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those weaknesses.

Speaker:

And that's where systems and processes have to be in place

Speaker:

to do that.

Speaker:

Knowledge is empowering and the systems and processes have to be

Speaker:

in place,

Speaker:

or you're not going to be successful.

Speaker:

Really good point.

Speaker:

Moving on.

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What tool do you use regularly that helps you keep productive

Speaker:

or on the other side create balance in your life?

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Well, you know,

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Everyone always says the key word is balance in your life,

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right? I mean,

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everybody says that and we talk a lot about it.

Speaker:

We even go to conferences about it.

Speaker:

We go to get that balance.

Speaker:

Everybody's seeking that balance.

Speaker:

It sounds so easy.

Speaker:

Doesn't it?

Speaker:

It does.

Speaker:

But you know,

Speaker:

when you look at balance,

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it's kind of like,

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well, I got to separate my career and work and all

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from my personal life,

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you know,

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we got to separate to balance this out.

Speaker:

Okay. Well,

Speaker:

I went to something recently and I realized that it was

Speaker:

about blending,

Speaker:

not necessarily about balance.

Speaker:

How do you blend things?

Speaker:

How do you focus on this?

Speaker:

And no,

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you've got to meet this as well.

Speaker:

Sometimes you just have to blend that as small business owners,

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as entrepreneurs,

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a lot is required,

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much is given to you,

Speaker:

but a lot is required as well,

Speaker:

right? Time and effort.

Speaker:

And it just robs you,

Speaker:

you feel like at the end of the day,

Speaker:

I just don't have enough hours in the day.

Speaker:

Well, I had to realize that I can't live like that.

Speaker:

I'm totally entrepreneurial.

Speaker:

I'm off the cuff.

Speaker:

I can do just about what you want me to do,

Speaker:

but I want to do it on the other hand with

Speaker:

a system and process as well,

Speaker:

so that I have some direction and know where I'm going

Speaker:

so that it doesn't jump out at me.

Speaker:

And I can't overcome the things that stress you out or

Speaker:

the things that take you out of balance.

Speaker:

So every day,

Speaker:

me and my CFO,

Speaker:

we meet and have a little prayer session together.

Speaker:

We have a great marriage and we have a great business

Speaker:

partnership together because he basically works for me,

Speaker:

which I'm the owner and he's the CFO,

Speaker:

but he understands that process because that's key to him of

Speaker:

how he sees his role and whatever we do.

Speaker:

And so we have this perception and then we have a

Speaker:

group of 20 volunteers that have been with me since I

Speaker:

started speaking and writing an out there myself.

Speaker:

And they just transitioned.

Speaker:

Twin weekend,

Speaker:

went into business for others and all and monthly,

Speaker:

I correspond with them and they know that they're out there.

Speaker:

They're our prayer partners.

Speaker:

And they're out there praying for our success as well.

Speaker:

And those two key elements have kept both my husband and

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myself in balance.

Speaker:

We've got four children and eight grandchildren,

Speaker:

and we certainly want to be good parents.

Speaker:

First of all,

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we want to be a good partnership together.

Speaker:

As a husband and wife,

Speaker:

then we want to be good parents.

Speaker:

We want to be good grandparents,

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eventually great grandparents.

Speaker:

You know,

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we want all that,

Speaker:

but we also know that we're a little different since we

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chose to not let retirement be in our DNA.

Speaker:

We've made those things matter,

Speaker:

you know,

Speaker:

that are important to us.

Speaker:

So I think that's the quality of life of knowing what

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is important and making sure that that's what you do every

Speaker:

day, the important things.

Speaker:

And you can let a lot of things go.

Speaker:

So a question for you.

Speaker:

So your volunteers,

Speaker:

are they more emotional,

Speaker:

a prayer support?

Speaker:

Is that what they are?

Speaker:

Do they do other things as well?

Speaker:

Yes, They are strictly our prayer team,

Speaker:

prayer partners.

Speaker:

I love that.

Speaker:

Wow. And I Patterned after a company that I know and

Speaker:

I'm, we're,

Speaker:

we're peer partners of that company.

Speaker:

They based their business model on their prayer partners.

Speaker:

And I feel like they've been in business for 30 years

Speaker:

because of that.

Speaker:

And when I saw that model,

Speaker:

I said,

Speaker:

sounds like one that we could be involved in.

Speaker:

And we were very honored and we are very blessed.

Speaker:

Wow. That's very special.

Speaker:

I just love that.

Speaker:

I would like to continue on,

Speaker:

we might have to do a series.

Speaker:

That could be my next book.

Speaker:

Who knows.

Speaker:

There you Go.

Speaker:

Well that's and that's where I'm at now.

Speaker:

What book have you read lately that you would recommend to

Speaker:

our listeners?

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Because you think they would find value in.

Speaker:

We're going to put your book on there too.

Speaker:

So that's,

Speaker:

that's an automatic,

Speaker:

what else?

Speaker:

In addition to yours?

Speaker:

Well, And I do have to read my book every day.

Speaker:

I just want to tell you that I'm not perfect.

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You know,

Speaker:

I do live fear free,

Speaker:

but those days can come at you.

Speaker:

So I,

Speaker:

I still keep reading that book.

Speaker:

Do you Need reminders?

Speaker:

We're all human.

Speaker:

Yes, that's It.

Speaker:

It was good for me.

Speaker:

The new book and I love John Maxwell.

Speaker:

He's always been one of my favorites as many,

Speaker:

and he has a new one out called intentional living.

Speaker:

It's brand new.

Speaker:

And I did a workshop on this book.

Speaker:

It's just amazing because the word that we chose for our

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word of the year for our company,

Speaker:

because we do that in our business plan,

Speaker:

we put to pick a word of the year.

Speaker:

Our word this year is intentional.

Speaker:

Must've been thinking about me.

Speaker:

Right. But anyway,

Speaker:

so anyway,

Speaker:

so that was one.

Speaker:

And then there is one other that I have found can

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be to some,

Speaker:

not all,

Speaker:

but to some very,

Speaker:

very powerful,

Speaker:

because it came from the authors that now have a number

Speaker:

one bestselling movie.

Speaker:

And the book is called the battle plan for prayer from

Speaker:

basic training to targeted strategies by Stephen and Alex,

Speaker:

Kendrick, K E N D R a C K.

Speaker:

They are the authors and they are the creators of the

Speaker:

war room,

Speaker:

movie, number one,

Speaker:

bestseller box office special.

Speaker:

And it goes into businesses.

Speaker:

Ooh. Some great ones for all of us to check out

Speaker:

for sure.

Speaker:

And the movie with the popcorn.

Speaker:

I know.

Speaker:

Oh yeah.

Speaker:

Got to have the popcorn.

Speaker:

Gotta have that popcorn.

Speaker:

Well, gift biz Listeners,

Speaker:

just as you're listening to the podcast today,

Speaker:

you can also listen to audio books with these.

Speaker:

I've teamed up with audible for you to be able to

Speaker:

get an audio book.

Speaker:

Just like the one Sue is talking about for free.

Speaker:

All you need to do is go to gift biz,

Speaker:

book.com and make a selection.

Speaker:

That's gift biz,

Speaker:

book.com. All right.

Speaker:

So we're winding down here and we have arrived at the

Speaker:

dare to dream question.

Speaker:

I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.

Speaker:

It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.

Speaker:

This is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable Heights

Speaker:

that you would wish to obtain.

Speaker:

Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.

Speaker:

What is inside your box?

Speaker:

This was a very thought provoking question.

Speaker:

And I'm glad you asked it And I cannot wait to

Speaker:

hear what you say.

Speaker:

And I see this box.

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It has to be until in lime green,

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right? Of Course.

Speaker:

Yes. All right.

Speaker:

Give it to you any other ways.

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And I opened it with my hat on,

Speaker:

cause I always wear a hat.

Speaker:

The gift to me,

Speaker:

the most precious gift that anyone could give to me would

Speaker:

be the gift of wisdom.

Speaker:

And you say,

Speaker:

well, that's not tangible.

Speaker:

How's that going to help you?

Speaker:

You can't see it.

Speaker:

You can't feel it.

Speaker:

You can't eat it.

Speaker:

You can't dream it.

Speaker:

You can't touch it every day,

Speaker:

but you can.

Speaker:

That would be the gift because that's what I seek in

Speaker:

my life is wisdom.

Speaker:

I love that.

Speaker:

And that's what you do your whole life with your business

Speaker:

too, right?

Speaker:

You're sharing wisdom from others to others.

Speaker:

Exactly. And in the land I get why?

Speaker:

So I get the gift of it too,

Speaker:

because we have to do all the things to put into

Speaker:

that, to make all that happen so that people will see

Speaker:

that we can offer the solution.

Speaker:

We bring Love that.

Speaker:

Sue, how can our listeners get in touch with you?

Speaker:

You can reach me first at our current website,

Speaker:

www simply Sue speaks.com.

Speaker:

Remember it is under new construction and it will be there

Speaker:

soon. Not all my speakers are listed there currently,

Speaker:

Once it's done,

Speaker:

it'll be the same site.

Speaker:

Yes, it will.

Speaker:

It will be same name and everything.

Speaker:

So it'll just be a different look then you can reach

Speaker:

me on LinkedIn under my profile of simply Sue Falcom.

Speaker:

You can reach me at Twitter at simply Sue speaks.

Speaker:

You can call me at my 800 number,

Speaker:

my toll free number (888) 766-3155.

Speaker:

Or you can email me@suatsimplysuespeaks.com,

Speaker:

always around I'm all over social media.

Speaker:

So you cannot miss the avatar.

Speaker:

It sounds like it.

Speaker:

You've got lots of options there.

Speaker:

So, and give biz listeners remember too,

Speaker:

you can jump over to the show notes page.

Speaker:

If you're driving while you're listening,

Speaker:

walking the dog in the shop,

Speaker:

fixing displays,

Speaker:

whatever it might be.

Speaker:

We have all the information over there for you to be

Speaker:

able to capture later if need be.

Speaker:

Thank you so much,

Speaker:

Sue. This has been really,

Speaker:

really an enlightening conversation.

Speaker:

You've provided so much information that I haven't heard before.

Speaker:

So I'd like to think that a lot of our listeners

Speaker:

haven't heard a lot of this before,

Speaker:

either really,

Speaker:

really valuable ways for us to adjust our thinking,

Speaker:

get a little insight into your company and how you do

Speaker:

business. And I have to say,

Speaker:

I am totally impressed.

Speaker:

Well, I've went Totally honored and it was an honor to

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meet you at social boom 15.

Speaker:

Thank you.

Speaker:

Thank you for this opportunity.

Speaker:

It Was awesome.

Speaker:

And Sue,

Speaker:

may your candle always burn bright,

Speaker:

Learn how to work smarter while developing and growing your business.

Speaker:

Download our guide called 25 free tools to enhance your business

Speaker:

in life.

Speaker:

It's our gift to you and available@giftbizonrev.com

Speaker:

slash tools.

Speaker:

Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for the

Speaker:

next episode.

Speaker:

Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company,

Speaker:

looking for a new income source for your gift business.

Speaker:

Customization Is more popular now than ever brand your product From

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