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The High Cost of Bad Advice
By Vickie Sullivan
We
were sitting at the conference table in my office when it happened.
Again. She was calm and professional, especially for someone who
had just gone into shock. I spoke gently, watching the color leave
her face. I was empathetic but there was nothing else I could do.
She had to know. We both sat there for a moment quietly, helpless,
nearly hopeless.
What
had happened? I had to tell this client why the thousands of dollars
she had just spent on printed materials, videos and other promo
stuff wouldn't get her any speaking engagements . . . that
the information she had received from another marketing consultant
was only partially correct . . . that while the ideas from her consultant
were indeed clever, they were off-market. Worse yet, all her pain
could have been avoided.The good news? Speakers have so many people
who can help them—marketing consultants, video producers,
copywriters, and presentation skills coaches.The bad news? That
video, those colorful brochures, the wrong advice—all
cost far more than the fee you paid the consultant. It's so
easy to choose the wrong person—everyone seems knowledgeable
and has great testimonials. When everyone appears to be the same,
it's easy to cut corners by deciding on a price basis.Claims
can be interpreted in a variety of ways. So how can you tell the
difference between an effective consultant and a well-meaning person
with a little bit of truth and a whole lot of hype? Let's
look at some common claims, along with the translation, the truth,
and the actions you can take:
Claim:
"I've worked with (famous speaker's name)."
Translation:
Because they are famous and I've worked with them, I can make
you famous too.
Truth:
Not necessarily. This "coattail association" is used all the time,
but the assumption is not always correct. Back in the last century,
when the world was different, this person helped a speaker who is
now well known. Does this mean that they have continued that track
record? Have they kept up to date? Is their information obsolete?Avoid
jumping to conclusions about their role. If the speaker is a marketing
whiz and the marketing rep was taking orders, can the rep claim
to be a positioning expert? You'll find that many will. Not
enough people ask the prospective provider specific questions about
this. Did a speaker get booked only because of their video or promotional
materials?
Action:
Find out FROM THE SPEAKER what role the consultant played. Don't
depend on the letters or quotes – call or email the speaker
and ask specific questions such as:
- What role
did this person play in your business?
- What was
the result of that role?
- Did he/she
do (insert your needs) for you? If so, how valuable was that?
Claim:
So-and-so said: "I know the speaking business inside and out."
Translation:
If so and so said it, it must be true.
Truth:
Only according to that particular person. People compare the consultant's
work to what they knew before. If a new speaker didn't have
any knowledge before, and someone provided them with info that everyone
in NSA knows, then to that particular speaker, the consultant is
a guru. If you are an NSA member and already know those ideas, then
the consultant is just well informed. Does so-and-so believe this
because of great writing skills? That's great—but only
if writing skills are what you need. Just don't assume that
broad claims such as "knows the business" means that you will have
a like experience.
Action:
Call the provider and judge for yourself. Get specific about the
role they played. Can they demonstrate their claims? Talk to them
about their clients and compare yourself to theirs. Do they work
mainly with new speakers or with experienced ones? Humorists or
experts? Are their clients all from one group, such as NSA? A wide
variety of clients reveals the consultant's willingness to
customize and the ability to create credibility in different industries.
Claim:
"I know what gets engagements."
Translation:
My tools/ideas are all you need to get bookings.
Truth:
Depends on what the tools are. Providers who offer specific tools,
such as videos and promotional material are usually limited to just
that. For example, a video producer can't get you bookings
with dazzling graphics on video, because the biggest factor in videos
is how the footage demonstrates your positioning, something a video
producer usually doesn't know.
Action:
Ask the consultant about the source of their knowledge with questions
like:
- Is it from
providing services or actually marketing speakers?
- How do they
keep up on trends and changing markets?
- How do they
KNOW what gets engagements? And compare that information with
other sources you have explored.
Claim:
"I am a jack of all trades" (aka business growth specialist or something
equally general)
Translation:
I woke up one day and found that my original area is no longer lucrative,
so I'm broadening my scope to include this other thing now.
Truth:
This happens a lot. The market will change and folks will broaden
their scope by moving into an area that they are not expert in.
(Which is why you never want to pay Vickie for presentation skills
coaching or how to use humor in your stories.) Unless you desire
to pay to be their guinea pig, run—don't walk—away
from these people. The pros do innovate and expand but they are
always up front about it. Pros experiment with established clients,
and usually throw the new stuff in for free so they can get enough
experience before billing themselves as an expert in a new line.
Action:
Don't assume that because they are good at one thing, they
are good at another. Get clear about their expertise and make sure
you separate the track record from the previous experience. If they
were an order taker, how do they know market strategy? How does
a humorist become a marketing expert?
Claim:
"Look at these clever ideas!"
Translation:
Because these ideas are creative, they work.
Truth:
The speaking industry is full of creative people, so ideas that
sound good exist everywhere. The problem: If the idea isn't
tied to market intelligence, chances are that it won't work.
Don't pay someone to just think up something—you can
get that for free from your NSA buddies!
Action:
No matter how much you like their creativity, ALWAYS check their
references. Have an in-depth conversation. Ask: Was there something
that you didn't get? Did you implement the ideas/advice? What
happened?
Claim:
"I'm a very successful speaker/trainer/
consultant."
Translation:
Because I do it for myself, I can teach/coach you how to do it.
Truth:
This kind of credibility is indisputable. There's a big difference,
though, between finding what works for you and figuring out what
works for other people: The latter takes some patience and
willingness to suggest strategies that wouldn't work in your
own situation. It also takes courage to go beyond one way of doing
things.
Action:
If these folks are speaking at an NSA event, check them out. Ask
yourself: Would this business model work in my situation? Are they
recommending only a couple of things? If so, watch out for cookie-cutter
solutions.
I've
heard it said that speakers will say anything to get booked. Well
so do some consultants and service providers. It's up to you
to distinguish fact from fiction—so you can avoid the high
cost of bad advice.
Since
1987, Vickie K. Sullivan, President of Sullivan Speaker Services,
has generated millions of dollars in speaking fees, book advances
and ancilliary income for her clients. Sign up for her free market
intelligence at http://www.SullivanSpeaker.com
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