Big News For You: The Cruise Speaker Directory

If you are a member of my Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club I am personally invested in your success. So, in an effort to place more of you faster, I am in frequent communication with the enrichment coordinators of almost all the major cruise lines.

We primarily discuss their needs and wants in placing speakers in their enrichment programs and I make recommendations for speakers in the Club.

Well, during one of these conversations the request was for a naturalist speaker and I could not for the life of me remember the name of the person I wanted to recommend and I said, "Gee, it would be a lot easier on both of us if I had a directory of all my speakers in one place."

It suddenly hit us both... and then the coordinator said with great enthusiasm, "I would LOVE to have a directory like that!"

I then called several other of my cruise contacts and asked them about the idea and I received a similar response... in fact, some of these reactions were down-right ecstatic! It seemed that the idea was one whose time had come.

Thus, was born "The Cruise Speakers Directory",

The Directory would contain a basic one-sheet (with a few tweaks) for each speaker in the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club who submitted one and then be distributed to exactly those people at the cruise lines with the power to book them.

The directory will be organized and categorized into destination, arts & crafts and general interest speakers and presenters.

We are still fine tunning it all but here's the most important thing: Everything is being done in consultation with the enrichment coordinators at the cruise lines.

That is, in order to place more speakers, more quickly the directory will provide exactly what they are looking for. Brilliant marketing, no?

Question is: Do You Want In?

Well, only current members of the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club will be eligible for a listing. (If you're a member we're going to be talking a bunch more about this during our open coaching sessions in the weeks and months to come .)

You can can get a FREE 30-day trial membership to the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club by investing in yourself by investing in the Speak on Cruise Ships e-program. Thereafter, Club membership is only $29.97 per month.

Now is a good time to get in it as each member will get a free listing in this inaugural issue. However, I cannot guarantee it being completely free to members in the future... so take action now and don't miss out.

This is a time limited offer so if you were on the fence before reading this post, the time to take the plunge is now.

Go get the Speak on Cruise Ships e-program and claim your membership.

Cruise FREE - Ask Daniel Anything

Have you always wanted to trade your talents for FREE
luxury cruises?

Does the lure of luxury travel to exotic destinations
excite you?

Have you wondered how to get approved to cruise F-R-E-E?

Have you questioned whether my Speak on Cruise Ships
system works?

Then allow me to answer your questions. Ask me anything!

And the event is totally complimentary as a thank you
for being one of my loyal blog readers.

I've never done this before... so its a bit scary.

Tune in to find out what happens and make sure to
ask your questions because I very rarely let people
outside the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club have
this kind of access to me.

Details of the call are below:

====================================================

EVENT: Ask Daniel Anything

DATE & TIME: Monday, June 16th at 12:00pm CST
(1pm EST, 11am MST, 10am PST)

FORMAT: Simulcast!
(Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)

TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...
http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=3265257

==================================================

Looking forward to connecting with you.

God bless and happy cruising,

Daniel Hall
Author, Speak on Cruise Ships

P.S. Really! Don't miss this opportunity to get
all your FREE Cruise questions answered. Here's
the link...

http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=3265257

Remember this event won't cost you one red penny.
So take advantage of the opportunity while you can.

P.P.S. The phone lines are limited to 200, so make
sure you get on a minimum of 5 minutes early.

What Can You Learn From How I Started In Cruise Speaking?

Case studies can be powerful teaching tools. Below is a video in which I describe my experience of how I "fell-into" cruise speaking.

What lessons can you glean from my experience?


It all starts with getting your copy of Speak on Cruise Ships.

Cruise Speaking Myths Busted

Back in January I wrote about speaking at Jonathan Sprinkles Six Figure Speaker Bootcamp --

(http://www.speakerscruisfree.com/cashcow.html ).

At that event I spoke about some of the cruise speaking myths I heard ... and I busted them.

Question is: are your beliefs causing you to fail even trying to become a cruise enrichment speaker?

Watch this video and find out...



You can get your cruise speaking career started NOW by investing in the critically acclaimed e-program "Speak On Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps To A Lifetime of FREE Luxury Cruises"
at

http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/cruise-free.html

And to make sure you succeed you also get a 30 -day trial membership in the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club where you get personal access to me. You can read about the Club here --

http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/clubfaq.html

3 Tips To Set Up PC Based Credit Card Processing

Whether your business is offline or online you will significantly increase sales -- and profits -- when you can accept all the major credit cards for payment of the goods and services you sell.

In the old days getting a merchant account so that you could process credit cards was a colossal hassle. Generally you were expected to have great credit and have an established brick and mortar business. If you were a home based business or, God forbid, you were trying to do business online your chances of getting approved were nil.

Happily, as ecommerce on the Internet has matured it has become increasingly easier to set up pc based credit card processing. This article is intended to communicate three important tips for setting up pc based credit card processing in your business. By the way, even if you run a brick and mortar business it is advantageous to set up pc based credit card processing for the simple reason that with it set up this way you can do business anywhere in the world you have an Internet connection.

Tip Number 1

Choose a processing company that is sensitive to the needs and structure of your business. For example, if you are running an Internet based business make sure the company understands the nuances of doing business online. A good way to determine this is to ask the company about the percentages of their merchants who have this type of model. Beware if they quote you a percentage less than 50%. The rationale here is if the majority of their business comes through similarly situated merchants it reasonable to infer that they are a good choice.

Hint: Are you doing business with them online through their website or are you talking to an officer at your corner bank? The lesson is you might want set up your merchant account through a credit card processor that looks like your own business. If you’re online go to a processor that is doing business online. Conversely, if you are brick and mortar you may want to do business with a brick and mortar processor like your corner bank. Chances are good that they both will have options for pc based credit card processing.

Tip Number 2

Always do business with a PC based credit card processor who does their own processing and whose underwriting department is onsite. The vast majority of credit card processors, online or off, are resellers or “third party” processors. Stay away from them! There are a couple reasons why.

First, processing fees will almost always be higher by setting up with a reseller. Second, and more importantly, using a reseller you are much more likely to have your funds frozen if there are ever any perceived problems with your account.

Here' the horror that could happen if you don't choose your pc based credit card processor wisely. You could have a chargeback or transaction over your stated daily transaction amount (you provide this when your account is initially set up). In either case, it could raise a red flag for possible fraud in the underwriting department of the company actually processing your transactions (not the third party reseller) and cause your account to be shut down and funds frozen.

As an attorney I have represented businesses where this exact thing has happened and $1,000's were frozen. It took time and money in legal fees to finally resolve the dispute and only because I threatened litigation.

Case in point: when you do business directly with a pc based credit card processor who is actually doing the processing and the underwriting (fraud detection) department is onsite there is easier communication and a far lesser probability that your funds will ever be frozen.

Tip Number 3

Always ask for as high of a daily sales volume as the pc based credit card processor will allow you when you set up you account.

Several of the businesses I have represented had a problem with underwriting departments (see Tip Number 2 above) because they set their average daily transaction volume too low. What happens is sometimes your business will grow very quickly and you'll start processing transactions over the limit of the average daily volume that you initially stated which will raise a red flag with the underwriting department and possibly lead to having your funds frozen.

The solution is to set your limit as high as possible in the beginning and then communicate with the underwriting department before you reach the daily limit. This way your limit can be adjusted upward and shouldn't have problems.

Daniel Hall, runs many Internet based businesses and is also a Texas attorney who has represented merchants having problems with their credit card processors. Get a free guide to choosing a pc based credit card processor here or http://www.netcreditcardprocessing.com

==================================================================

Feel free to republish this article free of charge as long as neither the body of the article nor the resource section at the end are altered. They must be left intact, without changes.

How Your Business Can Explode in Profit Without Costing You a Dime: Unabashed Copycatting

I have been in business since 2005 and it has
progressively gotten more profitable every month
since the beginning. I attribute this fact to a
number of things. However, there is one key habit
that I want to share with you that costs nothing
to implement but yet can help you increase your
profit exponentially.

Want to know the habit?

Here it is:

Constant and discerning observation.

What do I mean?

Simply this, I am on many, many lists mostly in
the niches of speaking, Internet marketing,
writing, publishing, information marketing, etc
and attend many conferences and seminars in these
areas as well.

I closely monitor what other successful business
are doing and more importantly how they are doing
it. What I look for are trends and new
applications or new uses for old applications. Obviously,
I'm not advocating plagiarism. I just follow what is
working and adapt (change) it to my own purposes.

In this process I constantly find new ideas that I
can profit from. Here's a short list of some of
the things I look for (and now perhaps you can
too).

* Technology - Is there something I already have
or have access to that can be better used to
market my products and services. Quick example:
Screen capture video. Several years ago I saw how
Jim Edwards used these types of videos to sell his
programs. It quickly dawned on me that I could do
a free 6-part video program that I could then use
as a list building incentive and for the past
couple of years it has worked like a charm.

* Design - I carefully evaluate the web design
features of successful marketers. What colors and
fonts do they use? How is the page laid out? What
is the first thing I see when I go to their
web site? Do I naturally start reading the
headline or copy? I then incorporate those design
features that seem to stand-out to me and that
seem to fit for one of my web sites.

* Copy - I love to read the work of a really good
copywriter. When I find a page that seems to move
me or resonate with me particularly well I .pdf
the site and put it in my swipe file. I'll then
go back and pick apart how the copy was sequenced.
Example: Pre-headline, headline, sub-head, story,
benefits, testimonials, more benefits, more
testimonials, another story, competition
comparison and so on. I'll also pay very close
attention to how things are said. Is there a
particularly effective turn of a phrase. Then I
ask, can something similar be used somewhere in my
own copy? I make changes and test the response.

* Offer - Vitally important is how successful
marketers structure their offer. Is it time
limited, do they offer a payment plan, do they
offer one-on-one help, is there an up sell, when
is it made, how many times is the offer made. Are
there any bonuses? What are they and how are they
offered. And most importantly do they have a risk
reversal guarantee. I have never seen a better
risk-reversal guarantee than the one made last
night by Carolyn McCormick. To listen to this
masterful guarantee go listen to the replay of the
call Carolyn and I did. Its near the end of the
call but the recording is well worth listening to.

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=2840070

Can you make a similar guarantee? Can you emulate
the offers of the top marketers?

By observing and then copycatting the best
practices of the folks who are really succeeding
you too can increase profits... and it doesn't
cost you a dime to observe. Just watch. Use what
make sense and your profits will soar.

Want to learn the very best practices for top
selling businesses?

You absolutely must check out this interview with
Carolyn McCormick. Carolyn has been the behind
the scenes strategist for some of the biggest
names in the personal development business. Names
like Tony Robbins, Mark Victor Hansen, Bob
Proctor, and John Gray.

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=2840070

True to form Carolyn makes a compelling offer for
her boot camp (notice how she uses a 24 hour fuse)
can you do something similar.

If Carolyn can teach so much in just one hour,
what else can she show you?

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=2840070

Go see. There are bonuses and the clock is
ticking.

Adding "Magic" to Your Onboard Presentations

One of the best ways to insure that you are approved to cruise with enrichment programs is to demonstrate to the cruise lines that you can engage and entertain the audience while at the same time delivering your content.

Consider: Can you incorporate a magic trick or two into your program?

They don't have to be fancy... just well done.

Well I wanted to give you some free resources where I'll bet you can find some ways to make your presentations more magical.

http://easybartricks.com/

http://www.learnmagictricks.org/

http://www.myfreemagictv.com/content/freetut

******* Can You Get Luxury Cruises Magically? ****************

Yes you can, with my eprogram "Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of Luxury Cruises" -- http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/cruise-free.html

Proof Positive That the Speakers Cruise Free e-Program Works: An Insiders Opinion

The past weekend was great!

I met up with my friend and colleague Sheri Tousey-Baker who has for a number of years been the enrichment program coordinator for a major cruise line. We talked shop and about the incredible potential that enrichment programs have for both speakers and the cruise lines.

In any event, she was very complimentary of my eprogram Speak on Cruise Ships. She agreed to video record her thoughts about my program which I publish below.



What is so telling about the video is that she is of the opinion (a very important opinion btw) that cruise speakers who try to book directly have little hope of success because they don't know how to prepare, present and market themselves to people like her. In effect, she is of the opinion that without my program would-be cruise speakers booking directly with cruise lines are dead in the water (pun intended).

Why is it so important to book directly?

So you don't have to pay the cruise speaker agency fees which the speakers (not the cruise lines) are expected to pay. And fees can range upwards of $100 per day. Ouch!

So if you are serious about cruising free with onboard enrichment programs then you need to get my Speak on Cruise Ships program at http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

And the Winner(s) Is/Are

"Overwhelmed!"

That's the title I'd use to describe my response to this contest... if you were one of the participants, thank you.

Fact is, there were so many great entries that I had a difficult time choosing a winner.

So I didn't choose just one single entry, I have decided that the caliber of entries (and the thought that went into them) warranted one grand-prize winner and many runner-ups.

Yea!

Here's the deal if you suggested the grand-prize entry you will get a copy of my Speak on Cruise Ships e-program and access to the "Princess Cruise Line: Blueprint For Approval" as promised.

All runner's up will receive a digital copy of my top-selling Amazon book: Speakers Cruise Free: The Opportunity to Trade Your Talents For Free Luxury Cruises. This is NOT the same as my Speak on Cruise Ships e-program.

What's the difference?

Speakers Cruise Free is intended to be a primer for somebody just looking to dip-a-toe while the Speak on Cruise Ships e-program is the ultimate resource for those who are really serious about approved status and want all the resources as well as my personal help getting approved as a member of the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club (read about the benefits of Club membership at this FAQ).

So now that we have hashed-out who's getting what...

... may I have the envelope please?...

(sweet, anxious anticipation)

Again this was very difficult for me and truth be known I liked them all.

...but here are the runners-up (in no particular order and with notations of why each title was chosen)...

A Rhapsody at Sea

(I did my first audition cruise which got me approved on the Royal Caribbean ship "Rhapsody of the Seas" so the title evoked great memories for me. I also like this title because of its literal nature. This tune is a Rhapsody at Sea.)

Ocean Currency

(Liked this one too for personal reasons. I'm working on a new book now tentatively titled "Psychic Currency" about understanding, nurturing, developing and using psychic currency to have a richer, fuller life. This music is very much about developing a type of psychic currency which enables my students to cruise the world with onboard enrichment programs.)

Sea-Say-Free or (Si- C'est- Free)

(Loved the play on words and languages. Definitely evidence of a brilliant mind at work.)

Cruisin' Free and Easy

(Exactly what my program delivers.)

Speakin' of Crusin'

(Again clever play on words that I really appreciated.)

Free Sailin'

(My underlying marketing message.)

The Dramamine Mambo

(I read this and laughed my boom-ala off. Why? It reminded me of one cruise when I did an onboard Origami class during the worst of Hurricane Ivan... with a half a bottle of dramamine in me! I was sick and loopy at the same time. You should have seen the projects from that class. They were a mangled mess. What a hoot!)

Excitin' Seas & Cruisin' Me

(Can you tell I like word plays and sing-songs?)

Free and Easy Cruisin'

(This title again "anchors" my underlying marketing message.)

Great job all you runners-up!

And the moment ya'll have been waiting for...

... the grand-prize winning song title is...

Cruise 4 Free

(It was hard decision but I picked this one as the grand-prize winner because it reinforces my marketing message... it also sounds like an 80's song title. Yes, I came of age in the 80's and love 80's music. Remember Sinnead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" or one of my favorite bands U2? More than this, it uses the words from all my products and URL... so it fits and cross-promotes everything else that I'm doing with this part my business. BRAVO! Well Done!)

Here's how to claim your prize if you submitted one of these terrific titles:

1. Email me at daniel (at) SpeakersCruiseFree (dot) com and let me know which of the winning titles you submitted.
2. I'll reply with where to get your prize.
   

So what if your title didn't quite make it?

You can still get my Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of Luxury Cruises e-program .... and get in on my special training Princess Cruise Line: A Blueprint to Approval scheduled for Friday April 4 at 12 Noon Central Standard (the call will be recorded if you can't make it) by investing in yourself through this link.

On another issue: I've been getting a bunch questions about how you can get my personal help getting approved to cruise with cruise enrichment program. I just completed a FAQ about the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club and what that is all about. Check it out here.

Name The Song For Your Chance to Win a FREE Copy of the Speak on Cruise Ships e-Program (Value $97)

Everyone Wins...

...that is, even if your suggestion isn't the ultimate winner I'm going to give everyone that enters and invests in the Speak on Cruise Ships eprogram a pass to a special training call I'm doing this week entitled "Princess Cruise Line: Blueprint For Approval". This training will be invaluable for you if are interested in getting approved as an enrichment speaker on this wonderful line!

This is how this contest works:

1. Listen to my Speakers Cruise Free theme music.



2.Suggest a title for it by leaving a comment on this blog. All entries are due by Tuesday April 1 at 5:00 pm Central.

3. Don't risk losing out on the "Princess Cruise Line: Blueprint For Approval" training call later this week. Fact is, there will only be one winner. So get the Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of FREE Luxury Cruises e-program through this special link.

If you've been undecided on whether to get the Speak on Cruise Ships eprogram. This is the perfect opportunity.

Note: If you are the lucky winner and have invested in the Speak on Cruise Ships e-program through this promotion, you'll get your purchase fully refunded. You do not have to purchase in order to enter, its just that if you are not the winner and you have opted not to invest in the Speak on Cruise Ships e-program you'll miss out on the "Princess Cruise Line: Blueprint For Approval" training call later this week. And believe me you DON'T want to do that!

If you want guidelines on how I will use this theme music - see my last post.

Don't worry if you can't make the call it will be recorded and made available to all members of the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club. If you have previously invested in the Speak on Cruise Ships e-program but are NOT a member of the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club -- you can get in here. Note: This special link is only for past customers.

Important Note: I'll announce the winner sometime Wednesday April 2. Also, I am the only and final authority as to the winning entry. I also reserve the right to modify the rules of this contest depending on unforeseen circumstances.

Good luck -- may the most creative entry win!

What Do You Think of the Speakers Cruise Free Theme Music?

OK... one of the things I talk about in the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club is branding.

It's vitally important!

(Go to Bonus 1 at that link to read about the Club)

I am speaking all over the country (world, when I'm cruising) so I thought I'd better put my money where my mouth was and have some theme music created for my engagements, products, etc.


I was fortunate enough to get former Flock of Seagulls member Mel Morley to compose the music below especially for me. BTW Mel is a huge talent and has also played and recorded with K.C. and the Sunshine Band and Paul Schaffer of Late Night with David Letterman fame.

You can read more about Mel here or contact him at midimel@aol.com

Now I want your opinion.

Listen to Mel's work and leave a comment. I want to know your thoughts.


Thanks.

Cruise Enrichment Party & Miami Trip

From top.

First picture.

This photo shows the assembly line of putting together the gift baskets that were given to cruise line enrichment coordinators I met with in Miami.

We gave a bunch of fabulous gifts as you can see.


Second picture.
Here I am at my post putting the gift bags together.

Third picture.

Me in front of the Miami cruise ship terminal.

Fourth and fifth photo.

Completed gift bags and the lounge where cocktail party took place.







Sixth picture.

Me on South Beach.


==============================================================================

Join the Speakers Cruise Free family. Get started here -->

http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

Cruise Enrichment Coordinator Party

As many of you know I am hosting a cocktail party next week during the Miami Sea Trade convention for cruise enrichment coordinators. This is a part of my ongoing efforts to help place more of you, my valued and esteemed clients and customers, into free cruises. (If you have not yet invested in the Speak on Cruise Ships program you can do that here http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/ .)

To that end I made available the opportunity to the first 16 club members who responded to the offer so they could include their books and products into a gift bag for guests at the party thus getting their materials in the hands of the precise people at the cruise lines who make booking decisions.

When the boxes and cartons started to arrive I quickly changed my flight plans to drive plans. Good thing too because I completely filled the trunk of my C 300 and filled most of the back seat as well.

I am expecting the party to go very well as the enrichment coordinators from both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean jointly sent out a letter of introduction which was enclosed with the invitation. I reproduce the contents of the letter below.

“We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves. We are both responsible for booking enrichment presenters for our respective lines and it is in that capacity that we write you.

For the past several years we have been working with Daniel Hall, first as an enrichment speaker himself and then as a referral source of other enrichment presenters. Daniel is very professional and his speaker referrals have been excellent. This is the case in large part because he takes the time to understand the needs and nuances of our line’s demographic and mission and then refers
appropriate speakers based on what he has learned.

As a case in point, Daniel has made the effort to arrange the Enrichment Program cocktail party during the annual Miami SeaTrade convention that is referenced in this invitation. He has organized this event so that he can meet you and perhaps better
understand your wants and needs relative to enrichment presenters.

For our part, we are excited about this party as it gives us an opportunity to meet one another and network with fellow enrichment colleagues. If you are in town for the convention we hope to see you there.”

Pretty sweet, huh?

I am grateful.

So tomorrow I set out. Stay tuned for an update when I return.

Lead Generation from Your Cruise Speaking Bookings

Cruise speaking is the best gig on the high seas. Not only can you trade your talents for free luxury cruises for yourself and a traveling companion but there is a potential to grow your shore-side business by using the opportunity to collect sales leads. This article is intended to describe how this strategy works:

• Obviously you must first be approved to cruise free using the cruise line enrichment programs. (If you are not yet approved check out my “Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of FREE Luxury Cruises at http://www.SpeakersCruiseFree.com/ )

• Next, understand that you may not do any overt (or hard) selling while onboard. Doing so will likely get you scratched off the approved list.

• Be that as it may, it is permissible in most cases to collect names and email addresses of those people who may want to sign up for your e-zine that is, of course, related one of the topics you’re presenting onboard. (You have an ezine, don’t you?) You will need an auto-responder system to make this work. To see my recommendations on which auto-responder I like, see http://www.DanielHallEsq.com/Recommend

• In actuality you don’t necessarily need an e-zine but you do need a valid reason for people to give you their names and email addresses. For example, one of my clients gives everybody that opts-in a free download of one his topic related ebooks. See http://www.cruisewithvictor.com/

• The best way to do this is to pass around a sign-up sheet about two-thirds of the way through your presentation (earlier if it’s a big crowd). The reason behind this timing is it gives your audience a chance to warm up to you; to like you.

• Of course, you must tell (sell) people about what they get when sign up.

• Important: Always clear your plans with your cruise line contact or the person who booked you in the first place. This will keep you out of hot water.

• Once you have these leads, it goes without saying that you must monetize them. This is a subtle process that goes beyond the scope of this article. But suffice it to say that you must use this opportunity to continue to build a relationship: The relationship you started with your in-person presentation. The best way to do this is with a mix of high quality content and laser-targeted offers over the course of week, months and even years.

I hope it’s obvious to you that this same strategy can be used for just about any speaking gig. The first step is obviously one of the most important and if have not already been approved to cruise free as a speaker, you should get started.

Daniel Hall is the author of the critically acclaimed eprogram “Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of FREE Luxury Cruises” Go to http://www.SpeakersCruiseFree.com/ and get his Special Report “The Top 5 Cruise Line Enrichment Programs and How to Use Them to Get FREE Luxury Cruises.

James Malinchak Weighs In on the Speakers Cruise Free Program

I just came back from speaking at the Jonathan Sprinkles "Six Figure Speakers Bootcamp" (btw if you want to take your speaking career to the next level you NEED to be at Jonathan's next bootcamp http://www.speakerscruisfree.com/cashcow.html.

Also, speaking at the bootcamp was my friend and mentor James Malinchak (see http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/college.html .) James was so excited about my Speak on Cruise Ships he had this to say...



To get started cruising free you go to: http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

Julie Pech Talks About Daniel Hall's Speakers Cruise Free Methods

Julie Pech author of the "Chocolate Therapist: A User's Guide to the Extraordinary Health Benefits of Chocolate" is one of my students and she shared this video with me. Now I want to share it with you. If the video is not viewable below you can view it through this link - http://tinyurl.com/32pk3e



BTW I read Julie's book -- it's a hoot and commend it to you; especially if you need justification from eating chocolate!

Showcasing on a Cruise Ship: Converting Your Cruise Speaking Gigs into Paid Shore-Side Bookings

Speaking on cruise lines provides myriad benefits to you as the speaker including: free cruises for yourself; free cruises for a traveling companion; all passenger perks; and frankly a free way to see the world in luxury. But there is a frequently overlooked benefit that has the potential to lead to paid shore-side bookings.

Of course, I’m talking about treating your onboard bookings as showcases. For those who may not know, a speaker’s showcase is an event in which speakers present for groups of meeting planners, corporate event planners and anyone else who hires speakers.

Showcases are designed for planners to “audition” and evaluate the speaker's talent and is of great advantage to the speakers because if they perform well they can obtain many lucrative speaking bookings from one showcase.

So the question becomes: how do you as a speaker convert your cruise bookings into showcases in order to get paid shore-side gigs?

Truth be known you should consider every presentation you do as a showcase.

Why?

Because every audience you present to either has the power to hire speakers or at the very least everyone in that audience could recommend a speaker to their associations, corporations, clubs, organizations and non-profits.

The same is also true of cruise bookings. The trick of turning a non-showcase (a/k/a your average booking) into a showcasing opportunity is what you say from the platform. What follows are a few pointers to help you make any speaking gig into a showcase:

• Let folks know during the course of your presentation that you travel the country or region as a speaker. This will alert your audience members that you are in the speaking business and that you can travel to their hometown.

• During your presentation drop in a line like: “Last month I was doing a presentation for the (fill-in the blank of your last non-profit or corporation talk).” Again lines like these plant the seed with members of your audience that “hey, I like this speaker maybe my company, organization, non-profit, association etc., can also invite him or her.”

• Work in a referral story into your talk. Say something like, “I was giving this presentation in Phoenix and a gentleman who saw me recommended me to his company to bring me in. What was so remarkable about that talk was… (fill in the main point you want to make.) Do you see how just by inserting this innocuous, short, commercial you again plant the seed that audience members can take you home by recommending and referring you?

There are of course many other advanced strategies for turning your cruise gigs into showcases for getting paid shore-side bookings. But just using those referenced in this article will put you way ahead of the pack. I’d love to hear about your results.

Haven’t been approved to cruise free as a speaker? Check out Daniel Hall’s free Special Report - The Top 5 Enrichment Programs and How to Use Them to Get Free Luxury Cruises http://www.SpeakersCruiseFree.com/

Want to learn more about turning every talk you give into a cash cow? (No brainer, right?) You need to check out Jonathan Sprinkles cash cow speaking training and take it if it’s ever offered. Check out http://www.SpeakersCruiseFree.com/cashcow At the very least get his Six Figure Speaker Special Report at the same address.

Skeptical About The Cruise Free Program? -- Watch This...

Get your copy of the "Speak on Cruise Ships" e-program delivered through instant download. No waiting!

Note: This is the digital version of the book Jonathan refers to in the video.

Cruise Speaking Myths

This is an excerpt from my new book "Speakers Cruise
Free: The Opportunity to Trade Your Talents for Free
Luxury Cruises" available on Amazon.com


Enjoy!

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Cruise Speaking Myths

by Daniel Hall

In this article I’m going to cover some of the
common myths in cruise ship speaking.

Myth 1: I have to be a professional speaker to be
an enrichment lecturer.

Reality: No you don’t. You do have to have a
passion for and be enthusiastic about your topics
but most enrichment speakers are just everyday,
normal people with something interesting to say.
Of course, you do have to be a good communicator
but you don’t have to be some slick, silver-
tongued speaker. In fact, even to this day I
stutter, sputter and stammer when I’m giving a
presentation. But it doesn’t matter, I still get
high marks and good evaluations because I love my
subjects and, most importantly, I love my
audiences and it shows. It comes through and your
audience recognizes it.

Myth 2: It’s easy to be approved to cruise free
with enrichment programs.

Reality: It is easy to get approved IF you know
how. Many folks have fallen flat on their faces
because they call the cruise lines having no clue
what to say or what to ask. This type of mistake
immediately identifies you as an amateur and you
will be rejected out of hand; Flat out refused.
That’s one of the reasons why I am glad you got
this book so you better understand the playing
field. And if you need more help you can also
invest in my program, Speak on Cruise Ships: 8
Easy Steps to a Lifetime of Free Luxury Cruises
and get my personal coaching help as part of my
Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club both of which
are available through this website
http://www.SpeakersCruiseFree.com

Myth 3: I don’t have the credentials to do
destination type programs.

Reality: As I have said all along, you stand your
best chance of approval by delivering destination
type programs. I hear many folks tell me, "But
I’m not an expert or have credentials to speak on
a particular destination."

And my answer is, "Yes, you do have the
credentials and expertise you just have to look at
it from a new angle."

This is what I cover extensively in the Speak on
Cruise Ships program, but the general idea is
taking whatever your expertise is or credentials
are and linking them to the destinations you wish
to cruise. For example, I am fairly proficient in
Spanish (learned it on the streets of Santo
Domingo when I was a teenager) so I developed my
Cerveza Fria:45 Minutes to all the Vacation
Spanish You’ll Ever Need program (see
http://www.vacationspanish.net)

This program is a great destination specific
lecture anytime I’m on a cruise that includes a
Spanish speaking port. Now, I really did not have
an expertise or credential in Spanish language but
in this case I had a proficiency in Spanish
(having lived in a Spanish speaking country) which
was enough.

Let me give you another example, one of my
destination programs is called, "Reggae Nation:
The Cultural and Religious Roots of Island Music"
which of course is good on any Caribbean
itinerary. And what’s my credential to teach
this class?

1) I love Reggae music and back in my early
20’s I had a music radio show in Jacksonville,
Florida that featured a bunch of Reggae. I knew
the artists, the culture, and learned a little
about what Rastafarians believe.

2) Then later in my 30’s I am invested as a
knight in an Orthodox chivalric knighthood order.
I learn about Orthodox beliefs and practices and
learn about the relationship between the Ethiopian
Orthodox Church and the Rastafarian movement.

With these kinds of credentials I create my
program. But that’s me. That’s how I used what I
knew to develop a destination-driven program.

You have to identify your areas of expertise and
make your own connections. Believe me, they are
there.

Myth 4: Enrichment speakers are treated as
second-class passengers.

Reality: Enrichment speakers cruise as
passengers, not as crew members, so they get all
the passenger perks and sometimes more. But one
of the things that I hear is, "they stick you in a
lousy cabin."

First, all of the cabins that are assigned are
passenger cabins and come out of saleable
inventory. This means that if you weren’t on the
ship the cruise lines would sell your cabin to a
PAYING passenger. While it is true that you will
rarely, if ever, get an outside cabin, all the
cabins I have ever been assigned have been very
nicely appointed and of ample space. I have even
been as high as Deck 8. Usually the higher in
decks you go the larger the cabins. I have even
been in what are known as "concierge class" cabins
which are really nice.

Does it happen every time?

No, but you are always cruising free and your
cabin is always comfortable, at a minimum. So you
go with the flow, enjoy yourself and realize you
are actually luxury cruising by your wits.

You sly dog.

Myth 5: I am not getting paid for my speaking (or
a variation) they are not paying the equivalent of
my current speaking fee.

Reality: So what! This is a strictly a quid pro
quo arrangement. Most cruises I get between
$3,500 to $4,500 in equivalent value for 3-hours
of my time.

I don’t do cruise speaking to make money -
although I have figured out how to do this too - I
do it to save money!

Look at it this way: you get to take vacations you
may not otherwise be able to afford. The money
that you don’t spend goes right to your bottom
line. And is quality of life important to you?

I sure hope so. That’s what cruise ship speaking
does for me - it improves the quality of my life
and the lives of those to whom I’m closest.

As far as I am concerned, I am paid handsomely for
my efforts even if I don’t sell my books onboard,
or create products from my presentations, or get
paid shore-side speaking engagements. Just the
free cruise is enough for me. The extras are just
that, extras.

I certainly hope this clears some things up for
you. I’m telling you, cruise ship speaking is the
BEST gig on the high seas. It’s worth doing and
it’s with your effort.

I hope you agree. Now go get it done.

Daniel Hall is the author of the "Speak on Cruise
Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of FREE Luxury
Cruises" get his program and get started cruising
free with Daniel's personal, one-on-one help see
http://www.SpeakersCruiseFree.com

Travel Making Money: Live Anywhere, Prosper Everywhere

Here's a recent article I did dealing with my new site Travel Making Money. I know you are interested in cruising free so I thought you'd also be interested in making money while you travel, too. If so, read on...

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What if you could live anywhere in the world? Where would you live? Why? My goal, once I get my children educated, is to be a certified vagabond, to live in world class cities a few months at a time. Really soak up the culture and ambiance of the place.

I know that I can do this because I know that I can earn income almost anyplace on the planet. Here are some of the niches which can produce nice income no matter where you reside.

• Selling your photography. Travel photography can produce big results by uploading quality photos to the stock photo sites. Here’s the thing: You don’t have to be a professional photographer to do this. If you can take attractive travel photos that aren’t blurry with at least 4 mega-pixels camera you can start. Essentially, these stock photo sites market your photographs and when one sells they split the take 50-50. Now don’t get too excited, most of the photographs only sell for a dollar. But your income can build into something nice and steady once you have between 100 to 300 images available for sale. It’s all in the “Long Tail” (if you don’t know what I’m talking about check out the bestselling book by the same name).
• Your own travel info-products. With the advent of print on demand technology it is possible to produce all manner of information products (books, CD’s, DVD’s) with hardly any out of pocket expense. I have several of my travel related products up on Amazon.com and earning me passive income month in and month out. In fact, one of these products even made the bestseller list.
• International Mystery Shopping. Mystery shopping is no longer just a North American thing. Market research companies have expanded their horizons and have brought on new international clients. There are also a number of internationally based market research firms who are looking for mystery shoppers throughout Europe and Asia. Some of these assignments can be lucrative vis-à-vis the time and effort involved.

These are but a few of the many travel making money strategies that exist. The one thing I want you to realize is it is possible to live anywhere but prosper everywhere. Yes, you must plan. Yes, you must identify those strategies that you like best or resonate with you.
But the rewards both personally and financially can be tremendous.

Daniel Hall is the co-creator of the Travel Making Money system that reveals many dozens of strategies and techniques for making real money – serious money – no matter where you live on the planet. Get access to the FREE MEMBERS area at http://www.TravelMakingMoney.com