Thanks.

Ok, so now that we’re better acquainted, I’d like to share my story on how I became one of the most successful (non-celebrity) professional speakers in the world. And how I can help YOU do the same.

It started back in the early 1990’s.

I used to fantasize about what life would be like as a fee-paid professional speaker.

I would stay up late at night and imagine speaking in auditoriums around the world, jet setting from city to city delivering my mental toughness message.

In my dream, I had my own television show on mental toughness, and I saw myself being interviewed on radio stations across the country. My book signings would be packed with people eager to shake my hand and have their picture taken with me. I would receive letters everyday from people thanking me for making a positive impact in their lives. I would wake up every morning excited to go to work to help people fulfill their dreams.

“It was a beautiful dream…but still just a dream. Then I’d get up, go to work, and forget about it…until night time, when the dream would begin all over again. Years went by, but the dream refused to die. ”

Other career ideas came and went, but not this one. I just couldn’t shake it.

I couldn’t imagine doing anything more fulfilling. It just felt right. I knew it was my destiny. The problem was I didn’t know how to make it happen. I didn’t even know where to start.
So I hired a well known professional speaker coach/consultant and started following her advice. I did everything she told me to do, but the best result I got was winning a few ribbons at the local Toastmasters club.

No one was willing to pay me to speak, but my frustration only fueled my desire to do this for a living.

Finally, in 1996, I walked away from a company I had helped start and opened a small speaker’s office in Boynton Beach, Florida.

FINALLY…I was in the speaking business!

“I spent $50,000.00 that first year trying to figure out how to build a professional speaking business. I hired (and fired) 6 different ‘professional speaking coaches’ who I later found out were not even professional speakers. I was working 16-18 hour days, getting nowhere fast… and I was getting deeper and deeper in debt.”

The landlord of the office building accused me of living in my office.

He said, “I’ve driven by the office and seen you through the window at 4am, pacing back and forth, and I’m concerned. Are you having trouble at home?”

Bob was a nice man. He was genuinely concerned.

I said, “No, Bob, home is fine. It’s my new business. I can’t seem to find the handle on this speaking thing.”

He said, “Maybe you should go back in the business you were in before. I heard you walked away from a substantial income.”

I said, “I walked away to pursue my dream of becoming a professional speaker, but honestly, Bob, I’m not sure I have what it takes.”

He wished me luck and left my office.

I felt like a failure.

Later that day I was having lunch with my wife, and I told her I thought it might be time to let this dream die.

She said, “Oh, no. You’ve been talking about this for 5 years. I know you. You’ll regret this for the rest of your life if you quit. Finish your lunch and go back to work.”

You’re probably thinking the same thing I was: what a lucky guy I was to have such a supportive spouse that would back me even when I was failing. And it’s not that I wasn’t grateful for her support. I knew she believed in me.

BUT…this was different.

This business wasn’t like any business I had ever built.

It was…peculiar.

It seemed to eat people up. Even good speakers. Smart, educated people who had been trying to break into the business for 20 years and were still not making money.

Some of these people were retired Fortune 500 executives with Ivy League degrees. And THEY couldn’t even figure it out!

I just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and I was scared because I KNEW she was right:

If I didn’t make it as a professional speaker it would HAUNT me for the rest of my life.

I had basked in the glow of an adoring audience enough times to become addicted to it, and I knew deep down NO OTHER OCCUPATION or PROFESSION would ever match that feeling.

“I know this sounds melodramatic, but I felt like I was fighting for my life. I wasn’t crawling through the jungles of Vietnam or battling a life threatening illness, but in my little world I was engaged in a war for the survival of the greatest dream I ever had.”

You see, I had been down this road before.

They say that everyone has a story. Here’s the short version of mine:

I started playing tennis at age 6, and within a few years I became one of the best players in the world for my age. Coaches called me a prodigy and predicted I would be one of the top professional players. I trained 4 hours a day for 12 years chasing my dream. I won 57 junior titles, played for one of the best college teams in the country and was drafted by Yugoslavia to play for their professional team on the European club circuit.

Bottom line: I played professional tennis for 2 years and retired.

I just wasn’t good enough to make it.

I jokingly tell audiences I set a world record in professional tennis: lowest amount of prize money ever earned. They laugh, I laugh.

But the truth is it still hurts. I let a lot of people down. People who believed in me. People who sacrificed for me. My coaches, my parents, my friends.

“I spent 18 years chasing a dream I failed to fulfill. And I honestly believed I would carry my disappointment to my grave. And then I discovered the speaking business…and my new dream was born!”

I figured if I could use what I learned about mental toughness as an athlete to help companies increase sales, my failed tennis career would be over shadowed (in my mind, at least) by my success in speaking. The combination of eliminating the pain of failure with the pleasure of becoming a successful professional speaker seemed like a plan made in heaven.

I could use my old dream as a springboard to accomplish my new dream…and WIPE OUT all the feelings of failure. Not only that, but I could show all the people who loved and supported me that I REALLY was a CHAMPION.

It seemed like a PERFECT PLAN.

“But…there was one specific PICTURE I had in my mind that kept me laser focused. In mental toughness, we call it “The White Moment”. It’s the single most exciting, exhilarating, emotionally charged part of your vision… and mine was a beauty.”

I’ve never spoken or written about this before, but I want to share it because I think you might relate to it.

For many years as an athlete my white moment was playing on center court at Wimbledon.

But it wasn’t the Wimbledon part that got me so fired up.

It was seeing my Dad in the stands.

I could see the look of pride on his face.

That was the mental picture that kept me going all those years. It was so sacred to me I never told anyone about it, including my Dad. And when my tennis dream ended that image went with it.

I had to come to terms with the fact that my Dad would never see me play at Wimbledon, and I may never see that look of pride on his face.

In some ways, that was the most painful part.

And just when I thought I was going to have to live with that the rest of my life, my speaking dream was born, and with it, a NEW WHITE MOMENT.

I imagined my Dad sitting in the audience in a packed stadium of 10,000 people, listening to me speak and hanging on every word. After a standing ovation, he would watch me sign copies of my best-selling book as crowds of adoring fans stood in line to get my autograph.

And…he had that same look of pride I had imagined before.

This was it!

I had another shot. I had been given a gift very few performers ever get:

A second chance.

And If I could pull it off, it would erase the past and all the bad feelings with it.

So that’s my story.

Making it as a professional speaker was my Wimbledon, and I knew if I could make it work, I would begin to see myself as a champion again.

And so would everyone else.

Somehow, someway, I HAD to figure this business out.

My desire to become a successful speaker evolved into a full blown obsession…but the harder I tried, the more frustrated I got and the further my dream slipped away.

I remember going over to my mom and dad’s house after a long day at the office, and I was ready to quit. I went over there looking for support for my decision to quit. I hinted around about it, thinking they would agree since I was failing miserably and making very little money.

They both listened, and then my dad said;

“It’s only been 9 months, Steve. I’ll bet your business will take off soon. Keep working and your break will come”. My mom said, “You’re a champion, and you’ll find a way to make it work. We believe in you.”

It was just enough encouragement to keep me going for another week. I stayed awake all night thinking about how I could get the business off the ground, but the truth was I didn’t really understand the speaking business and why so few people were successful.

I had always been a happy-go-lucky person, but I was slipping into a depression I had never experienced.

I felt helpless for the first time in my life.

“What I didn’t know on that dark emotional night was that destiny was about to intervene, and every dream I ever had for my speaking career was about to come true.”

It was the break of a lifetime.

Here’s what happened:

I arrived at the office the next morning and a gentleman knocked on my door. He had a big smile and was unusually friendly.

He said “My name is John Spannuth. I have an office down the hall. What do you do?”

I said, “I’m a professional speaker”

He said,

“Wow! That’s great! Have you ever heard of a man named Bill Gove?”

I said,

“No.”

He said,

“He’s a retired professional speaker. And…a very good friend of mine.”

I said, “Really.”

He said,

“Yea, maybe I’ll introduce you sometime”

I said,

“Sure, John. That would be great.

He said, “Ok, see you later.”

“Before I went home that night, I went online and emailed some past Presidents of the National Speakers Association and asked them if they’d ever heard of Bill Gove.

The next morning my email box was FLOODED with responses from professional speakers I had idolized for 20 years.”

I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

Dr. Tony Alessandra said “I attended Bill Gove’s workshop in 1980, and it was the turning point in my career.”

Ty Boyd said, “Bill Gove is the master. Master presenter! Master teacher! My mentor!”

Jim Cathcart called him a “living legend.”

Bill Brooks said “Bill Gove is the most respected speaker in the business.”

Don Hutson said “Bill Gove is the patriarch of professional speaking.”

Nido Qubein said “Learning stagecraft from Bill Gove is the wisest investment any speaker can make”

Patricia Fripp said “Without a doubt, Bill Gove is the best story teller in speaking history”

Ray Pelletier said “Attending the Bill Gove Speech Workshop in 1979 changed my career…and my life. He called Bill Gove, “the father of professional speaking”

Randy Gage said, “Bill Gove knows more about professional speaking than anyone alive. He’s forgotten more about the speaking business than most of us will ever know.”

Mark Victor Hansen said “Bill Gove is the master of the 45-minute speech. He does it better than anyone in the world. He has a heart as big as America. If everyone had a heart like Bill Gove, the world would operate at a different level.”

Bob Proctor said “Bill Gove instilled in me the desire to speak. He’s been the model I have followed for over 30 years.”

Brian Tracy said “Bill Gove is one of the finest speakers in America.”

The accolades went on and on.

Clearly, this was a man who could help me.

I ran into John Spannuth’s office and said,

“How fast can you set up a meeting with your friend Bill Gove?”

John said, “I’ll call him right now.”

Two days later I met the father of professional speaking, and I told him my dream.

Bill Gove asked me, “How is it going so far?

I said, “Lousy, Bill. I’m failing miserably.” Can you help me?”

What he said next was the turning point of my career.

“He said, “Kid, if you attend my workshop and do everything I tell you, you’ll be speaking around the world in 5 years or less…making more money than you know what to do with.”

Those were the sweetest sounding words I had ever heard.

Two weeks later attended the Bill Gove Speech Workshop. I learned more about speaking in 2 days than I had in 20 years.

All those legendary speakers who emailed me were right:

Bill Gove was the MASTER.

I promised Bill I would follow his system to the letter. I signed up for his 12 month video coaching and started practicing every day.

In the next 13 months, I spoke at 200 Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs throughout the state of Florida. Just as Bill instructed me to do.

And I started getting better.

Standing in front of audiences every day I quickly realized Bill Gove was a genius. Every technique he taught me worked. Every strategy. Every device.

But what happened next, I couldn’t
have predicted in my WILDEST DREAMS!

I was sitting in my office one night after speaking at a Rotary dinner, and I came up with this CRAZY idea:

“What if I could become the business partner
of the father of professional speaking?”

I stayed up all night writing the proposal, and showed it to John Spannuth the next morning.

John said, “Go for it, Steve! What have you got to lose?”

So I called Bill and asked if I could buy him breakfast.

Bill said, “Sure kid, come on over. I’ll be at the golfers grill at the club.”

I was running on pure adrenaline. I remember pulling into the Atlantis Country Club, sitting in the car and saying a prayer.

I said, “God, please give me the words to convince this man to go into business with me. I really need this one.”

Bill greeted me in his normal cheerful manner, and I slid my proposal across the table and asked him to read it.

It was the longest 20 minutes of my life.

Finally, he put it down, and said,

“Nice work on the proposal, Steve. You obviously put a lot of thought into this.”

I told him I had been up all night.

I said, “Bill, if you’ll teach me everything you know about the professional speaking business, I’ll sell more speech workshop seats than you can handle.

I’ll work 20 hours a day if I have to.

Just go into business with me.

I’ll be the hustle, you’ll be the muscle.

You say jump, and I’ll say, how high?

I’ll do whatever it takes. I swear to God.”

And then I waited for him to answer.

I knew I had done all I could do. I’d sold it hard I looked him dead in the eyes as I said it.

I knew he knew I meant business.

Now the ball was in his court.

“My entire speaking career was resting
in the hands of a man who didn’t need me.”

An 84-year old legend that had done it all and won it all… and now just wanted to relax and enjoy his life on the golf course.

I knew it was a long shot.

Bill smiled, like only a kind, loving grandfather can, and softly said…

“It’s a deal, kid.”

You could have knocked me over with a feather. I couldn’t believe my ears.

I had just become the business partner of the father of the professional speaking industry!

The man who knew more about the art of professional speaking than anyone alive. The coach who had trained more million dollar speakers than anyone in history.

The man who could make my dream come true.

I could feel my eyes welling up. A tear trickled down my face.

Bill pretended not to notice.

He said, “I sense that this business means a lot more to you than money, and I want you to know I understand.
No one who is successful in speaking does it for the money.
They do it because they have no choice. It’s not something they WANT to do…it’s something they HAVE to do. They don’t think their life will be complete unless they speak.”

I practically jumped over the table and hugged him.

I said “That’s me, Bill! I have to do this! I have to become a speaker! I don’t know why, but it’s my destiny. I can’t explain it. It’s like a calling.”

Bill said, “It is a calling, Steve. It’s the same calling I had in 1945 when I saw Dr. Kenneth McFarland (The Dean of American Speakers) speak in St. Paul. This speaking thing grabs you and won’t let go. It’s been 50 years and I still feel the same way.”

Then he said the words that will
echo in my mind for the rest of my life:

“Not only am I going to teach you everything I know about speaking, but I’m going to introduce you to the giants of the industry. They’ll teach you the business of the business. They’ll give you the behind the scenes information only the biggest speakers have access to.”

“They’ll pick up where I leave off.”

“My first call will be to Larry Wilson, the founder of Wilson Learning and the man responsible for creating the corporate training industry. Larry knows more about this business than anyone alive.”

I couldn’t believe it! I read Larry Wilson’s books in college and I knew he was a genius.

So Bill said, “I’ll put together a list of people and we’ll get started. Your job is to follow their direction”

I raced back to the office, called Dawn (my wife) and gave her the news.

Of course, she was thrilled!

24 hours later, my phone rang.

Larry Wilson.

He said,

“Steve, I’m going to FEDEX two plane tickets for you and your wife to fly to my home in Minneapolis for a week. I’m going to teach you everything I know about the professional speaking business.”

I was speechless.

I said, “Wow! Thank you so much, Mr. Wilson. But can I ask you one question?

He said, “Sure”

I said, “ You don’t even know me. Why are you doing this?”

He said,

“Because in 1960, Bill Gove did it for me. I wouldn’t be where I am without him. I’m going to pay him back by teaching you everything I’ve learned about the speaking business in the last 35 years.”

10 days later Dawn and I were at Larry Wilson’s mansion on Lake Minnetonka, learning from a man who had sold billions of dollars of speaking and training to corporate America.

“Larry taught me more about the speaking business in 10 days than I learned in 10 years as a member of the National Speakers Association. I’ve never read any of what he taught me in a book or from any other speaker. His lessons were from the real streets of the speaking business.”

When I got back to Florida I knew I was in for the ride of my life.

I had been blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime.

The chance to make my dream come true.

Bill called the next day and said,

“The next legend I want to introduce to you
is the Toronto Tornado… the great Bob Proctor.”

2 hours later, my phone rang.

Bob Proctor.

He said,

“I hope you know how lucky you are, Mr. Siebold.
Bill Gove has I.O.U.’s scattered all over the world, and you’re going to be the man who cashes them in.”

Bob Proctor taught me the insider secrets of the business. He taught me how to think about business and money. His generosity was unbelievable.

This introduction and mentor process continued for 5 years with the most successful speakers in the business. From Zig Ziglar to Brian Tracy, Bill Gove introduced me to them all.

I had unrestricted access to anyone in the business. A backstage pass to the big time. (And believe me, I used it!)

And just as Bill had promised me, 5 years later I was a million dollar professional speaker ranked among the top 1% of income earners in the business.

The dream was no longer a dream. The fantasy had become reality.

On December 9, 2001, Bill Gove died of congestive heart failure.

One month shy of his 90th birthday.

Dawn and I were conducting the Bill Gove Speech Workshop in Washington, DC, when he passed.

It was the saddest day of my life.

I had asked Bill many times over the years how I could ever repay him.

He only asked one favor:

“Help new speakers get a shot at their
dream… the same as I did for you.”

We’ve proudly continued to conduct the Bill Gove Speech Workshop, but ever since I started earning over a million dollars per year as a speaker, people have been begging us to hold a seminar on how we did it.

I’ve turned down these requests for years, because I don’t teach marketing. I teach Mental Toughness Training for Fortune 500 sales teams.

To that, people have said, “Just teach us the sales and marketing strategies the kings of the business taught you.”

After years of saying no, we finally decided
to hold a one-time only event.

“In 3-days I’ll show you how to position yourself as an international expert in your field and earn millions of dollars in speaking fees, training programs, consulting contracts, product sales, licensing, royalties, and book deals.”

“I’ll share the collective marketing wisdom of ALL of the speaking legends Bill Gove introduced me to, and how you can use it to build a million dollar speaking business.”

This is information you won’t hear anywhere else, because it’s only discussed in closed door sessions among top speakers.

Most of the speaking business is squeaky clean; even 60 Minutes (the TV Show) said that when they did an investigative report on the business a few years ago.

BUT…

There are a few UGLY secrets no one likes to talk about that ABSOLUTELY YOU NEED TO KNOW.

The speaking business consists of a small group of people around the world who love what they do and are very protective of the industry’s reputation.

I’m one of those people and I LOVE this business. But one of the reasons I’m successful is because Bill Gove told me the WHOLE TRUTH about the business and how to navigate around the negatives.

For example: One of the UGLY truths of the business is what I call the B.S. factor. Case in point: most of the people that write books about speaking are NOT fee paid professional speakers. Some are college professors, Toastmaster’s champions, contract speakers for companies like Fred Pryor, Network marketers, Speakers Bureau employees, Dale Carnegie instructors, communications majors, Internet marketers, high school teachers, etc.

So the question is:

“How to do you learn to become a million-dollar professional speaker from someone who’s never done it? It’s like learning to become dentist from someone who’s never pulled a tooth.”

I know it’s ridiculous, and believe it or not, it’s one of the UGLY truths.
I attended tons of sessions at the National Speakers Association convention over my 10 years as a member, and I was SHOCKED at some of the advice these presenters were doling out. It was evident very few of them were really successful in the business.

This is one of those industry secrets all the major players are aware of, but only talk about behind closed doors. Speakers are positive people, and no one wants to publicly criticize NSA or any other group.

I get that, and that kind of class is one of the reasons speakers are such cool people. BUT…YOU need to know ALL of these industry secrets so you can avoid falling into the trap of listening to people who don’t know what they’re talking about. We get calls at our office everyday from speakers asking us to help them separate the facts from the B.S., because everyone trusted Bill Gove and knew he would always tell them the truth. I got a call from a new speaker just this morning who asked me why he’s getting mixed opinions about NSA. I told him to go to the NSA website and look at the member survey they conducted in June 2007 and see who are the most satisfied members. It’s people who have only been members for 1-5 years.

Do you know why?

Because they’re new speakers who don’t know enough about the business to make the distinction between valid information and nonsense. They don’t know who the players are or how the system works, so it’s a case of the blind leading the blind.

And this is just one of the pitfalls you need to avoid. We’re going to discuss ALL of THEM.

I’ll give you one more you MUST KNOW.

How to determine your fees. This is a topic NSA can’t touch for legal reasons, (price-fixing) and very few people I’ve met understand how it works. A speaker called our office last week and said his keynote fee was $5,000. When one our marketing director asked him how he arrived at that fee, he said, “A speaking coach told me I should charge $5,000 because I am a retired executive.”

We went his demo video and website. This is a new speaker with no professional training who should be speaking for FREE until he develops the skill to charge a fee. We told him that and he got angry. The truth is he’s been given bad advice from someone who doesn’t understand the business. If he doesn’t change his strategy he’ll be spinning his wheels for the next 20 years trying to figure out why he’s failing. It’s sad and unnecessary. The problem is he doesn’t know the difference between good and bad advice in this business. And even though he hung up on me, I feel for him. 12 years ago I was going down the exact same road.

Don’t let this happen to you! Attend this seminar and we’ll put you on the road to success in this business.

In this live, 3-day event, I’ll show you how to build a multi-dimensional, million-dollar speaking business you can enjoy for the rest of your life.

I’ll show you how to spread your wisdom around the world and earn the admiration and respect of the most sophisticated business audiences.

I’ll show you how to diversify your business so you’re making money whether you’re speaking or sleeping.

Let me give you an example:

I have a best-selling book I self-published in 2005, called 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class. The book has sold over 100,000 copies, many of them on a single website I had built for $200. Every single day, whether I’m speaking or on the lake feeding the ducks, people all over the world are buying the book. Since I retained the intellectual property rights, I don’t have to share the profit with a publisher. I have the first 5 chapters on the website to help people decide if they want to buy the book. Take a second and visit the website. www.mentaltoughnesssecrets.com

A good book will produce revenue and serve as one of your most effective marketing tools.

And that’s just one source of income!

“To my knowledge, no other speaker has ever had access to the kings of the industry from day one. And because I learned from so many different million-dollar speakers, I developed a multi-dimensional business model that generates revenue from 12 different sources. So while most speakers are worried about where their next speech is coming from, that’s only one source of revenue in our business model. I can teach you exactly how I did it… and how you can do it, too.”

Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this 3-day program:

Professional Speaker Marketing Seminar

Atlanta, GA - July 11-13, 2008

And that’s just for starters. You’ll walk out of this seminar knowing more about the speaking business after 3-days than most speakers learn in 10 years. No hype. No B.S. No theories. Everything you’ll learn comes directly from the experience of million-dollar speakers.

If you’ve been in the business for a while and you’re still not earning six to seven figures per year, don’t feel bad, because you’re in the majority. In November 2007, Google reported that the average professional speaker earns $22,000 per year.

The reason most people never make it is because they think the speaking business is about speaking. The truth is the speaking business is about business.

Now don’t get me wrong. If you’re not an excellent speaker, you’re in trouble. BUT…if you’re a good speaker with a solid value proposition and you know how to sell it, you can write your own ticket and create a life most people only dream of.

If this is the life you’re looking for, this is the seminar for you.

Our team is going to load you up with so much money making information in 3 days your head is going to be spinning! (But in a good way!) You’ll still have to do the work, but we’ll give you the road map to success.

Here are some more things you’ll learn:

Professional Speaker Marketing Seminar

Atlanta, GA - July 11-13, 2008

Bring your laptops and notepads, because we’re not going to hold anything back. This is NOT going to be a program where you say,

“If I only get one thing out of this seminar it will be worth it”.

EVERYTHING we discuss during this 3-day program will be practical information and strategies directly from the ‘street’ of professional speaking. If being bombarded with content for 3-days doesn’t scare you, this could be a career making event.

***EARY BIRD BONUS***

If you register by May 15, 2008 you’ll have the opportunity to have your speaker marketing materials or website evaluated onstage during the seminar. This could be worth your entire investment in the program. We charge professional speakers $1,000.00 per hour for this kind of marketing advice.

Professional Speaker Marketing Seminar

Atlanta, GA - July 11-13, 2008

This event will be held at the beautiful Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel which offers free shuttle service from Atlanta's Hartsfield/Jackson International Airport

The seminar hours are as follows:

Friday July 11, 2008 9am-9pm
Saturday July 12, 2008 9am-9pm
Sunday July 13, 2008 9am-4pm

The investment for the 3-day seminar is $997.
You can register online by clicking here
or by calling our office in Palm Beach at

561.733.9078

I hope you’ll decide to join us in HOT-Lanta!

To YOUR Million Dollar Speaking Career!

Steve Siebold, CSP, CPCS

P.S. Just to make sure you don’t miss anything were going to AUDIOTAPE most of the event and you will receive an unedited copy as a BONUS for attending. This way you can study the seminar over and over at your leisure to be sure you soak up every million dollar idea.

P.P.S. The back room, closed door sessions of the seminar will NOT be videotaped. No recording devices of any kind will be permitted during these sessions.