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FIVE STAR Speaker Spotlight Newsletter – Issue 10, July 2008

FIVE STAR Motivational Speakers, http://www.fivestarspeakers.com, is honored to be celebrating our 20th year in business in 2008. We could not have made it if not for our thousands of outstanding clients and for that; we can only say Thank You! By the end of this year, nearly 3.6 million people will have attended a meeting or event of a FIVE STAR motivational speaker or entertainer. We speak to your success bringing world-class resources to propel your people and the growth of your organization. We look forward to continuing our relationship with you! Next year we will celebrate our 20th year in business! We look forward to continuing our relationship with you!

FIVE STAR Speakers is your ticket to a meeting audiences will LOVE and a message they will LIVE!

We match your needs with world-class resources to ensure your group will BELIEVE in your message, INSPIRE your leaders, CONNECT with customers, GROW your business … and CELEBRATE!

Whatever the topic, the industry, the audience, the budget, or the timeline … we know the proven motivational speakers and more who will make you look great! We Speak to Your Success!

What can we do for you?

Steve Gardner, Partner

Paul Schmidt, Partner

P.S  Do not forget we have a LIVE Motivational, Business, and Keynote Speakers; Entertainers Showcase this Fall - November 5 in Chicago and November 6 in Kansas City! Contact us for more information!

Hot Speaker

Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. The Ethics Guy® - Business and Leadership Speaker

Business, leadership, keynote speaker Bruce Weinstein is known as the Ethics Guy®. He appears every Friday on CNN\’s \”American Morning\” and writes a column for BusinessWeek.com on ethics. His latest book, Life Principles: Feeling Good by Doing Good, shows why all of us benefit professionally and personally when we live according to ethical principles…more on Business Speaker, Bruce Weinstein

Fee Range: $25,000 +

Travels From: San Francisco, California, USA United States of America

Featured Business and Leadership Speaker’s Book Review

Dr. Joseph Michelli, Motivational Keynote Speaker and Author of The New Gold Standard

Motivational Speaker, Leadership Expert and author of best selling business books including “The Starbucks Experience,” Dr. Joseph A. Michelli uncovers the secrets of world-class leadership in his latest book, “The New Gold Standard: Five Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy Of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.” This is the first time the award-winning global hospitality and lifestyle company has shared such detailed information on its corporate culture and service philosophy. This includes discovering how to engage customer loyalty, measure results, and retain the best talent in a service economy…more on Motivational Speaker and Leadership Author Joseph Michelli

Fee Range: $10,000 +

Travels From: Denver, CO Colorado USA, United States of America

Musical Entertainment

The Water Coolers - Musical Comedy and Corporate Entertainers

The Water Coolers are a musical comedy troupe who portrays the Working Class in corporate America. Do you ever feel like you have all your eggs in one basket, six balls in the air, 2 kids waiting to be picked up from soccer practice, and 7000 emails to return? Well gather \’round. THE WATER COOLERS™ delivers a high-powered, laugh-out-loud combination of sketch comedy and music about what we go through just making each day happen – life, work, kids, husbands, wives, travel, technology – and trying to balance them all…more on Corporate Entertainers and Musical Comedy Group, The Water Coolers

Fee Range: $15,500 +

Travels From: New York, New York, USA, United States of America

FIVE STAR Sports Celebrity

Peter Vidmar - Olympic Gold Medalist, Motivational Speaker and Leadership Coach

Motivational Sports Speaker, Olympic Gold Medalist & Leadership Coach Peter Vidmar -is the highest scoring American gymnast in Olympic history. The winner of numerous national and international titles, Peter finished his successful career at the 1984 Olympic Games. Now as a keynote speaker Peter Vidmar, Peter speaks on risk, originality, and virtuosity…more on Olympic Hero and Motivational Speaker Peter Vidmar

Fee Range: $12,500 +

Travels From: Los Angeles, CA California, USA, United States of America

BELIEVE:

John Rowley - Motivational Speaker and Best Selling Author

International Keynote and Motivational Speaker, and Bestselling Author, John Rowley, is on a personal crusade to Revitalize Your Greatest Asset…Human Potential! Called the Brooklyn Storyteller by many, John isn\’t just another motivational speaker he’s an exhilarating event!…more on Motivational Speaker and Brooklyn Storyteller, John Rowley

Fee Range: $7,500 +

Travels From: Raleigh, NC North Carolina, USA, United States of America

CONNECT:

Joel Zeff - Business and Leadership Speaker

Motivational Speaker, Leadership Expert and Author Joel Zeff creates energy. His spontaneous humor and vital messages have thrilled audiences for years. As a national workplace expert, speaker, author and humorist, Joel captivates audiences with a unique blend of hilarious improvisational comedy and essential ideas on work and life. He has shared his experience and insight on creativity, communication, work/life balance, leadership, teamwork, passion, and fun with more than 1,200 companies and organizations. His new book, “Make the Right Choice: Creating a Positive, Innovative and Productive Work Life” is consistently listed as one of the top work/life balance books on Amazon. He has appeared on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, the Fox Network’s Fox and Friends Weekend and been featured in the Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, The Kansas City Star, and many other media outlets…more on Motivational Speaker for Leadership Joel Zeff

Fee Range: $12,500 +

Travels From: Dallas, TX Texas, USA, United States of America

INSPIRE:

Sarano Kelley - Motivational Speaker, Performance Coach, Leadership Expert Speaker

Motivational Speaker, Sales Expert and Leadership Coach Sarano Kelley is the founder of the Game and author of the book, \”The Game - Win Your Life in 90 Days\”. Sarano Kelley grew up in a gang-infested neighborhood in Brownsville, New York, and became a Vassar College graduate who was earning $400K in commission as a stockbroker on Wall Street by the time he was 23 years old. When he was at the height of success as a stockbroker, he had a life-changing experience — he lost some of his beloved family members in a fire. This tragedy caused him to begin a spiritual and philosophical journey to understand the meaning and purpose of his life…more on Leadership and Motivational Speaker Sarano Kelley

Fee Range: $16,000 +

Travels From: Los Angeles, California, USA, United States of America

GROW:

Barbara Kellerman – Business and Leadership Speaker

Business and Leadership speaker Barbara Kellerman is an academic who focused on leadership at a time when that topic was very much outside of the mainstream. Kellerman is the James MacGregor Burns Lecturer in Public Leadership at Harvard University\’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She was the Founding Executive Director of the Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, from 2000 to 2003; and from 2003 to 2006, she served as the Center’s Research Director. Kellerman has held professorships at Fordham, Tufts, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Washington, and Uppsala Universities. She also served as Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Fairleigh Dickinson, and as Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Leadership at the Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland…more on Business and Leadership Speaker Barbara Kellerman

Fee Range: $15,000 +

Travels From: New York, New York, USA, United States of America

CELEBRATE:

Judson Laipply, Inspirational & Motivational Speaker, Inspirational Comedian and YouTube Phenomenon

Motivational Speaker, Inspirational Comedian and creator of \”The Evolution of Dance\” Judson Laipply - which is one of the top viewed YouTube videos of all time! Judson Laipply has been preparing his second version of \”The Evolution of Dance\” with new songs and new moves due out this Fall! Although Judson will only perform his first dance at shows, do not miss the chance to book this YouTube phenomenon!…more on Motivational Speaker and The Evolution on Dance Creator, Judson Laipply

Fee Range: $11,000 +

Travels From: Cleveland, Ohio USA, United States of America

Meet  FIVE STAR Business, Leadership and  Motivational Speaker Team Member: Brittanny Kreutzer

Meet Brittanny Kreutzer, an essential member of our vibrant sales team! Brittanny is one of our newest team members and has been with FIVE STAR since April…more on Motivational Speakers Bureau Account Executive Brittanny Kreutzer

Join us for our LIVE motivational, inspirational, business growth, leadership, humorists, nutritional, healthcare and keynote speakers Showcase this Fall in Kansas City, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois! Speaker line up will be mentioned in our next Spotlight. To Sign Up or For More Details on the LIVE Fall Motivational Speakers and Entertainers Fall 2008 Chicago & Kansas City Showcase.

For more information on Five Star Speakers visit http://www.fivestarspeakers.com/international-speakers-trainers-bureau/about-us/about-us.aspx

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Five Star Speakers and Trainers asked:

Seven Tips For Selecting Speakers in Troubled Economic Times

By Lori Turec, SVP Business Development & Event Management FIVE STAR Speakers & Trainers (http://www.fivestarspeakers.com/)

With all the details that go into planning and executing a professional event, booking keynote and break-out speakers can seem like just another headache … plus with budgets tighter than ever before, is the motivational speaker (http://www.fivestarspeakers.com/international-speakers-trainers-bureau/national-speakers-bureau-glossary/motivational-speaker-defined.htm) worth the investment?

In the spirit of full disclosure, let me say that I work for a speakers bureau so I am not an unbiased party. However, the reason I came to work at a bureau was because I’ve been to so many events in my career where the keynote speaker (http://www.fivestarspeakers.com/international-speakers-trainers-bureau/national-speakers-bureau-glossary/keynote-defined.htm) really helped make the entire event a much more memorable and valuable experience. So, if you find the right person for your group the return on the investment can be measurable.

Here’s 7 tips for how to get the most out of your keynote speaker selection:

1. Listen to Your Audience BUT really HEAR them …

2. Trust Your Gut

3. Video Is Only Part of the Process

4. Have an Open Mind

5. Verify, Verify, Verify

6. Get More Value for Your Money

7. Reduce Risk

1. Listen to your audience, but really hear them. If you ask your internal or external client what he/she is looking for, they may answer in the moment. “We need a sports star … we want someone funny … we need to make people accountable … we need to reward our best performers and have fun”. Problem is that this is not enough information. You need to know more to make sure the match is right. Ask the why questions. Ask how the speaker’s words will make a difference to the bottom line … ask the age-old consultant question - what will success look like for you a month after the event? You will be shocked at how few people will have thought about this expectation even though it is mission critical to long-term results.

2. Trust Your Gut. If you think you’ve found a good speaker but something seems little off, listen to that inner voice. Too many leadership speakers say yes when they should say no. It is not that they are liars, they are very eager to please and get the job. They really think that they can do it, but depending on the request and the motivational speaker current workload and skill set they may be biting off more than they can chew. Your audience may not even realize that there was a disconnect but you will know. Trust your gut if you feel that you are not getting exactly what you were promised.

3. Video is great. But it is not everything. I’ve heard of professional speakers being de-selected because the message was too consumer based simply because the video was to a consumer sales organization. I’ve seen great speakers not selected because of poor quality video. The truth is that video is a tool. But just as you don’t build a house using only a hammer, don’t select a speaker based only on the video. Ask for references, talk to people who have worked with the speaker before - a bureau is helpful in this way because references are always going to be skewed positive but someone who is neutral may have different experiences to share.

4. Have an Open Mind. Just as you should Trust Your Gut, it is also important to have an open mind. I often include a “wild card” selection on the web proposals that I prepare because even though people tell me that they only want X, invariably they decide they really love Y. By keeping an open mind, you may learn about more great options that will be a better fit. If not for this event, then for another event.

5. Verify, Verify, Verify! What that means is be sure to think about everything that you want at your event and verify that the keynote speaker is willing and able to provide that service. For example - when you book an athlete, don’t assume that you can ask for autographs. Don’t assume that they speaker can stay for a meet and greet, don’t assume they will get there hours before they speak or that you can video tape that speaker without permission. There are several standard things to consider and some special requests. Get what you need documented in the Agreement so there are no surprises later. Also, don’t forget to make sure the speaker signs the Agreement! You’d be surprised how often this detail is missed.

6. Get More Value for Your Money - Yes, in troubled economic times you may be able to get a speaker to negotiate fee. BUT sometimes that leaves you with a speaker who is not eager or motivated to do his or her best work. Most speakers know that an organization is not likely to re-book the same person 5 to 10 times in a year. However, a bureau does have that leverage with speakers and can use it on your behalf — at no extra cost to you. Also, work with your bureau partner to get more for the money - ask for free or reduced prices on books, ask to only see speakers who are in the same city as your venue to save on Travel and Expenses, ask for a half-day and get consulting or a VIP meet and greet … whatever makes sense. Some speakers simply will not negotiate on fees. They take one best offer and either say yes or no. They don’t play a game. BUT they will add value and that is a win/win.

7. Reduce Risk - OK, this one is a shameless plug, but given the state of the airline industry today it is getting to be a bigger and bigger issue. In the event that something happens and your motivational speaker cannot get to your event … if you book direct what are your options? You probably already have paid a deposit to your keynote speaker, which will take time to get back and more importantly what are you going to do with that big 90 minute gap in the agenda? Reduce your risk by working with a trusted partner who has access to thousands of options and can help fill that slot with an approved speaker with very little notice - sometimes less than 24 hours. You take out many types of insurance to make sure you are covered for your event emergencies. Consider this partner as a free insurance against the loss of a speaker!

Overall, we still like meeting together. It is a human element. We are energized by each other’s ideas and by the fresh perspective we gain away from the daily routine. That’s a good thing for all of us. Technology is growing and will continue to change and enhance how we do business but hearing from those who can motivate, inspire and teach us … reminds us all why we got into this business in the first place.

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