Free Screen Capture Software

Recently I was conducting a coaching session with members of the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club when I mentioned the great utility of being able to do screen capture video for all sorts of marketing, product and training type functions.

The 800 pound gorilla to do this is a great software program put out by www.techsmith.com called Camtasia Studio. The one MAJOR drawback of Camtasia is its price: $299. My advice is if you can afford it get it (this is the software I use).

However, if 3 c-notes is currently outside your budget range, I recommend you get a FREE open source screen capture program called CamStudio. The downside to this is it has no real support and its a little clunky to get used to.

You can download Cam Studio free at http://sourceforge.net/projects/camstudio/

To make it easier for you to actually use CamStudio, I have posted some helpful CamStudio tutorial videos below:







Lot's more video tutorials on youtube.com. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you have not already invested in yourself by investing in the Speak on Cruise Ships program, what are you waiting for?

Go get it now.

Make Your Book a Residual Money Machine

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http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/101.html

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Plus, the amazing Mark Victor Hansen will be the
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You know Mark--- right--- the guy who has sold
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In this incredible two days, you'll be engaged as top
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Speakers Studio Interview

Just finished an interview on cruise speaking with Susan Coates of the Speakers Studio. Go listen http://tinyurl.com/5ep6uh

Take Your Business Profits Up A Notch With Tom Antion

(If you are responding to my email comment on
this post)

I just wanted to let you know that I posted
the call I recently did with Tom Antion.

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=4129743

Listening to this call alone will help you take your
business profits up a notch...

You should only listen to this FREE replay if you want
to:

* Create buzz when you speak and make more sales
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* The exact steps you need to take to determine if
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* Get free traffic (that you can't turn off) to
your website

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http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=4129743

Seriously, I could have easily charged $97 for
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Tom does make an offer (naturally) at the end
of the call for his upcoming Fusion event...

But there is lesson in that, too.

Listen to it and then tell me what you think the
lesson is. Post your comment below.

Scott Brown (aka The Wallet Doctor) Crunches The Numbers & Cruises Free

One of my Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club members, Dr. Scott Brown (aka The Wallet Doctor), sent this video of which I am very appreciative . Check out Dr. Brown's compelling cruise free story. Pay particularly close attention to the numbers -- they will blow your mind!



Ready to join Dr. Brown? Invest in yourself by investing in my Speak on Cruise Ships program. You won't be sorry you did... thanks Doc Brown!

Venice

Wow, Venice! What can I say?

It is probably the easiest city in the world to be a productive and enchanted accidental tourist. We spent two days and one night in Venice and it was sublime in every way. But let's start from the beginning (hum: "I very good place to start")

The day before arriving in Venice I delivered my enrichment program entitled "Venice and the Fourth Crusade: The Doge, The Money and the Knights". This picture captures me right after the program. The medal around my neck was conferred on me as a consequence of my investiture in the Patriarchal Order of Mar Gregorios (an Orthodox knighthood order). Lesson 1: When you have a credential that supports your onboard talk always use it. In any event, the talk went well as I described the historical tensions that existed between Venice and Constantinople and the whole context which gave rise to the tragedy of the Fourth Crusade. Lesson 2: Your destination lectures onboard should always strive to help make the place come alive for audience members. I show my customers and client how to do this in my critically acclaimed program: Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps To A Lifetime of FREE Luxury Cruises. If you have not already invested in yourself by investing in this program, what are you waiting for? Time is of essence, cruise lines are booking next year's enrichment speakers right now.

Speaking of the Fourth Crusade, here Jamey and I are on the the terrace of the façade of St. Mark's Basilica. We are standing under copies of the famous four horses that were originally plundered during the Fourth Crusade from Constantinople. The originals were displayed here until the 1980's when they started to develop effects from pollution. They still are on display just inside the church near this terrace.












Here's a great shot of both one of the horses and the St. Mark's Campanile (bell tower). BTW the horses are obviously quite ancient. In fact, the horses were long displayed at the Hippodrome of Constantinople. I'll bet this photo sells quite well on the stock photo sites. Check out lots of ways that I make money when I travel at www.TravelMakingMoney.com .

Another great shot (if I have to say so myself). This shot was taken from the Rialto Bridge down the Grand Canal at dusk. Honestly, it is difficult to take a bad photo in Venice.

This is the Bridge of Sighs. This bridge connects the Doge's Palace and the prison. It was named this because crossing it meant you were either going to prison or to the executioner. Thus, the condemned usually let out a long sigh as they crossed this bridge. Notice the Gondolier in the canal. As I took this photo he is singing (in Italian, of course) to young lovers sitting forward... ahh, I love romance.

The Bridge of Sighs is actually a two-way street. Here Jamey stands on the left side of that street within the bridge. There is a similarly sized passage coming back that other direction.

Here Jamey and I are on the second floor of Doge's Palace in front of an open window which overlooks the courtyard. Notice the onion shaped domes of St. Mark's in the background.

Here Jamey stands in the "Golden Staircase" in the Doge's Palace. The Doges of Venice were interesting cats. They were elected heads of state of Venice. They were elected for life but did not have absolute power. In fact, the division of Venetian power was quite diffuse, shared between many committees. In any event, the Palace is gorgeous.

The St. Mark's Campanile.

O.K. So I love my name.

The church of Madonna della Salute (Our Lady of Good Health). Notice a portion of a pontoon bridge. The remaining spans of the pontoon are dismantled and floating opposite the church. Every November 21 the Venetians celebrate a "festa" honoring the Madonna for delivering them from a plague. This is the time when the pontoon bridge is assembled and a procession from St. Mark's square crosses over the Grand Canal led by the Patriarch. As you can see, like the rest of the Venice the church is beautiful.

A photo of St. Mark's square taken from the aft of the ship as we cruised by. Man, I love being an enrichment speaker - come join me. Notice the thongs of people, I'm sipping Earl Grey and honey.

Grass is a supreme rarity in Venice. I captured a little of it in this photo. Is the grass always greener?











Please understand that you are always welcome to comment of the content of this blog. I hope you are enjoying it.

Naples / Pompeii

Naples was the second port on our Med cruise. It's such a short distance between Livorno and Naples that we pulled into port about 5am. I watched from the deck as we did. It was such a peaceful, gentle process. The city was just starting to wake up and the glint of the dawn was barely visible on the horizon. It was sublime and surreal at the same time. BTW it was my second port and I still had not been scheduled to speak. God... I love being an enrichment speaker! Why not join me?

Naples was special for me because the ancient ruins of Pompeii are just on the other side of Mt. Vesuvius, very close to the city.

For those of you who don't know, I was raised in a predominantly Italian family. Both of my mother's parents came from the old sod and I was extremely close to my maternal grandfather who I lost when I was 12. What made Pompeii so special to me was hearing my grandpa tell fabulous stories of his own travels there as I was growing up. So for me to tour Pompeii years later was to create a kind spiritual connection with my grandpa. I know it sounds weird but the feeling and "connectedness" was palpable to me.

We booked our excursions through the shorex office and I'm glad we did. Our guide was excellent having been a guide for many National Geographic writers and photographers.

Pompeii is an ancient Roman city in the shadow of Vesuvius which is still a potentially active volcano. Here I stand in the excavated amphitheater. They have plans to make this an active venue again. Isn't that wild? The first act slated for the grand re-opening (2 millennium later) is Andrea Bocelli.

Here's a little history of Pompeii I lifted from WikiPedia. "Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days on 24 August 79 AD."

"The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under many meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with 2,571,725 visitors in 2007, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site."

What is so cool is that the houses were all built on a zero lot line. Some of the places were quite palatial too. Here Jamey and I are standing in the House of Faun. "The House of the Faun was named for the bronze statue of the dancing faun located, originally, on the lip of the impluvium, a basin for catching rainwater; it has been moved to the center of the impluvium, as you can see in the picture to the left. Fauns are spirits of untamed woodland creatures, which Romans often connected to Pan and Greek satyrs, or wild followers of the Greek god of wine and agriculture, Dionysus." This statute is a copy. The original, picture below, is in the Naples Archaeological museum.




We spent the morning touring Pompeii and we were back to the ship by lunch. This worked out quite nicely because we beat the crowds in the morning and we made it back to the ship, had lunch and struck back out with plenty of time to explore Naples on foot. We walked from the ship to the Naples Archaeological museum (about a mile one way). My big tip for you is that no trip to Pompeii is complete until you have also toured the museum.

Why?

Because most of Pompeii's great treasures are housed there including this faun statute.








Another characteristic about Pompeii is much of it was covered in mosaics. Here I stand between mosaic columns that were found. It is absolutely pristine work when you see them this close.













Another thing I was surprised to learn about Pompeii was the shear number of brothels they had. There was about one every other block. They weren't difficult to pick out as they always had symbols like this affixed to the exterior.

Apparently, the ancient Romans were very nature loving including all aspects of sexuality. The archaeological museum also has an impressive exhibit of the sexually charged art that was found throughout Pompeii. Fascinating.





Naples produces an excellent slightly-sweet liqueur called Limoncello made from the rinds of lemons like this. I had to get a picture with this as this was picked from the bunch of the largest lemons I had ever seen.











On our walk from the ship to the museum I snapped interesting looking photos along the way. Like this alleyway leading to a church.

















I was amused to see this sign for a Coffee shop as I live relatively close to the Mexican border.













This was cool too. I live in Corpus Christi, Texas which is where Eva Longoria is from and where she got here start in modeling. I saw her face all over Europe in ice cream ads like this. The ads reminded me of home. It was also a reminder that great things can come from small starts like Eva herself.










The museum also has a bunch more great art that did not come from Pompeii like this ancient Roman replica of a Greek statute.

Pisa & Florence

By popular demand, I will be posting pictures of our recent Med cruise and side trips as I have time to upload and annotate them for you.

It was by any one's standards a trip of a lifetime. But as a cruise ship speaker you can do this type of trip every year or every six months if you wanted. That's the beauty of it... the whole deal is set up to allow you to trade your talents for luxury cruises anywhere in the world. It's exciting and I am glad you are plugged into the source that can help make it happen in your life, the Speak on Cruise Ships program.

For those of you who don't know I traveled with my 13 year old son Jamey. He's a great child and this trip created father-son memories that neither of us will ever forget.

We were on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Sea which sailed from Barcelona, Spain. Our first port was Livorno, Italy. Livorno is a port in Tuscany which is closest to Florence and Pisa.

For this port I purchased a shore excursion entitled Pisa and Florence On Your Own. I am a fairly intrepid traveler but because of the distance of these cities from the port and the limited amount of time, I decided it best to at minimum arrange my transportation to and from these cities with the shorex office.

We disembarked the ship about 7 am and boogied over to Pisa. Pisa was once a great naval power whose rivals were Genoa and Venice. Unfortunately, their power waned when the Arno river, which passes through the town, silted over. In Medieval days the Arno was Pisa's only access to the Mediterranean and a naval power without access to a port isn't really a power anymore.

In the glory days, however, the people of Pisa built a great church to which they later added a bell tower or a campanile. Fortunately for Pisa's future fame the architech chose a marshy site to place the campanile and by the time the first three levels of the tower was built it was apparent that the tower would forever have problems with its now familar lean. The architech was disgraced and ran out of town and efforts were made as the tower was finished to correct the problem. To no avail.

In these pictures you can see just how far out of true perpendicular the tower is. In this second picture I do my own impression of the lean.

Over time the tower leaned more and more to the point where it was feared that it would topple over. Consequnetly, officials closed the tower to foot traffic and tried to correct the problem. It took years but through a process of cables and reinforcing and counter-balancing the foundation with lead engineers were able to decrease the lean to what is was measured at in the 19th century. Officials also re-opened the tower and for those who wish to climb to the top
(and pay 15 euros) it is open.

The campanile is Pisa's main attraction although it does have a major university whose most famous alum is Galileo Galilei. We spent about 75 minutes which was not nearly enough but it was on to Florence...

Florence is a remarkable city also on the Arno river. In many ways it was the epicenter of the Renaissance mostly due to the patrimony of the Medici family. The Medici's were a powerful banking family (who were later Princes of Florence) and they commissioned some of the greatest works of art in Western culture. Works like David by Michelangelo and the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambolgna, the baptisery bronze doors designed by Brunelleschi (shown below) and so much more.

I really appreciated the Piazza della Signoria which is a L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. It is a splendid outdoor (and free) gallery of some of the best Renaissance sculpture.

The various eye-catching statues in this square include:

At the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio, a copy of David. The original by Michelangelo is being kept at the Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts.



The "bronze equestrian statue of Cosimo I" by Giambologna (1594)

The Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1575)

"The Lion", referred to as "il Marzocco" with a copy of the "Florentine Lily", originally made by Donatello (copy)

"Judith and Holofernes", by Donatello (copy)

"Hercules and Cacus", by Bandinelli (1533)







Just off the the Palazzo Jamey and I stopped for a bite of pasta (of course). It was quite yummy. This is a photo of the table in front of us where some pigeons were helping themselves to scraps of bread left by the previous diners.

I thought it was a cool photo.









Here I am with the Ponte Vecchio in the background. This is the commercial bridge that spans the Arno river. Jewelry shops line the brige all the way over.











One of the projects we were working on during the trip is a video program covering the details of speaking on an actual cruise. For some of the program notes for this video check previous posts.

Here I review video we shot in Florence. Apparently, I was pretty happy with it.

Now if you still haven't joined the family at Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club what are you waiting for? http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/cruise-free.html

Cruise Ship Speaking: Wrapng Up, Signing Off, Following Up (Part 4 - Lessons Fron an Actual Cruise)

As a cruise ship speaker you will be speaking most every sea day. Sometimes you may skip a sea day but it’s only because you were doubled up on another day. For example, on my recent 12-day Med cruise there were 5 sea days and two of those days I was doubled up (having one presentation right after the other) and ended only presenting three of the twelve days. Life is good. This is not the norm but it can happen.

After you wrap up your onboard presentations your cruise will come to an end. You knew it was coming. And on the last day you will sign off the ship. There is nothing special about this you’ll just get off the ship like all the other passengers.

In the day or two after the cruise the cruise director will review and report on all the passenger evaluations. He or she will also do their own report based on his or her own impressions and that of the staff, like for example the activities coordinator we talked about in part 1 of this article series. If you have performed well and in accordance with this article series and my Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of FREE Luxury Cruises program (http://www.speakerscruisefree.com ) you will no doubt have received positive reviews.

When you return home you should always send a little gift to whoever booked you. It need not be a lavish gift, but a little something like chocolates, flowers or a plant. I use a wonderful service that will allow you to send beautiful hand printed greeting cards as well as lovely gifts VERY reasonably. You can check out the service and send a free card at (http://www.sendoutcards.com/dhall ). This is my gift to you. (Note: if there are no gift accounts available when you try, email me at Daniel at SpeakersCruiseFree dot com and I’ll set you up personally.)

If you are ready to schedule another cruise contact your cruise contact and set it up (but wait until after your gift arrives). It is quite likely that your cruise contact will call you to thank you for the gift. This is a great opportunity to schedule something new.

Well there you have it the whole cruise speaking process from beginning to end I hope this article series was informative for you. After this last Med cruise I am convinced more than ever that cruise ship speaking is the best gig on the seven seas. I hope that I have been an encouragement to you because in fact I know that if you want it you CAN have it. Get started today. Carpe Diem.

Preparing For and Doing Your Talk Onboard (Part 3 Lessons from an actual cruise)

The time has come to do your talks. First, how will you learn about when you’ll do your presentations?

As a general rule you will only give your presentations when you are at sea or on “sea days.” At your meeting with the activities coordinator and he or she will sometimes tell you “about” when your talks will be. Sometimes the activities coordinator will call you the evening before or the morning of your talk.

But don’t count on it.

The absolute best way to know when your talks are scheduled is to closely monitor the daily onboard newsletter which will be delivered to your cabin every evening. This is the ultimate authority on when and where you will present.

Next, you must show up at least 30-miuntes before your presentation. If you are unsure of exactly which venue you will present in, go a few minutes earlier to find your way in plenty of time.

Once you arrive at the venue confirm that all of your equipment is there. Note: Don’t freak out if the equipment is not there. Many times the Audio/ Visual Technician won’t arrive with it until 15 minutes before you are to start. If he or she has not arrived by 10 minutes till, call the activities coordinator and advise.

To build rapport with the audience I will greet and introduce myself to them as them enter the venue. I’ll ask their name, where they are from, how they are enjoying their cruise, etc.
For the talk itself I usually use a short PowerPoint program or a follow-along guide (described in Speak on Cruise Ships http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/cruise-free.html ) or both.
Clearly, you must not only know your material but you must be enthusiastic about sharing it. Another crucial thing is to introduce yourself and let your audience know how you got to be standing in front of them. In this intro it is crucial that you describe as many common threads as possible. In other words, you want to show that you have much in common with members of your audience. For example, you have common interests, common experiences, have made similar observations, etc.

I will also incorporate as much light humor as my topic will allow. People absolutely adore speakers who can make them chuckle. Similarly, I will use a variety of audience participation strategies like allowing questions and observations throughout my talk and will even incorporate games or role plays where I’ll bring someone up on stage and role play with them. It’s all good fun and gets your audience to invest in the program.

For information on what kinds of programs the cruise lines are seeking and how to put them together I refer you to my Speak on Cruise Ships e-program at http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

At the end of my talk I will always thank them for coming and, using my discretion, I will suggest that if they liked the program that they should tell the cruise lines about that fact when at the end of the cruise an evaluation survey is distributed to them.

That’s it for this installment. Watch for the next one, coming soon.

What to Expect The Day You Board The Ship (Part 2 Lessons From an Actual Cruise)

The time has come for you to board the ship and start your cruise. Here’s what to expect on the day you sign on.

First, you’ll make your way to the port. Once you arrive at the pier you will proceed to the “pier coordinator” or some such other like titled person. You will present your speaking contract that you probably received two months to two weeks before your cruise. Your contract usually has a booking number and the pier coordinator will check to make sure you are on the ship’s manifest. You’ll sign on and be given keys to your cabin.

Once you arrive in your cabin you’ll usually find a letter for you on the desk or bed. Open and read this letter. It will welcome you onboard and provides directions about when and where to meet with the cruise director or someone form the cruise director’s staff. This meeting will generally be scheduled for later that afternoon or evening.

You’ll probably be tired after your journey. So take the opportunity to freshen up before the meeting. Arrive on time. Here’s your objectives:

1. Be cordial and charming. Take the opportunity to ingratiate yourself. Let them know that you are flexible and offer to do another program if they need. Let them know that you are aware that their plans may change or bad weather may cause a port to be missed so they may have need for another program or a repeat of a previous program. Emphasize with the needs of their position and make it clear through your actions and words that you are there to make their job easier.

2. Confirm your equipment needs if you have any i.e., projector, etc. Also, confirm whether an AV person will be there to assist you.

3. Plan out the logical sequence of when you will conduct your talks. For example, that a destination talk on Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is planned for the day before your stop there and so on.

4. Last, make sure to obtain the beeper or telephone number of the person you are meeting with in case something goes wrong either before or during the talk.

5. Now enjoy your cruise…

That’s it for this installment. If you are still not approved to cruise with onboard enrichment programs. What are you waiting for? Get my critically acclaimed program Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of Free Luxury Cruises at http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

Cruise Ship Speaking: Lessons From An Actual Cruise (Pre-Cruise Preparation)

Note to reader: This series is derived from the program notes of a video production intended for my current Med cruise. The article presumes that you are already approved with cruise line enrichment programs and you are in the process of developing at least one new destination driven program. Such is my experience this cruise.

Cruise ship speaking is hugely rewarding. Not only can you get free luxury travel but it is also a great way to promote you and your business ashore. To really do it well and succeed there are some things that need to be done beforehand. This article covers some of those details you’ll need to prepare for pre-cruise.

If you are cruising to a new destination and need to develop a brand new destination driven program specifically for the new itinerary consider:

1. Before you start work in earnest make sure that you have ran your new program idea by your contact at the cruise line. No sense putting any effort into the topic if it is a flop before you start. Important note: If you want to know why destination programs are so important and how you can put them together even if you are not an expert in the destination then check out my program Speak on Cruise Ships: 8 Easy Steps to a Lifetime of FREE Luxury Cruises at http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

2. Make sure to give yourself plenty of preparation time. To pitch the cruise lines on your new destination topic all you need is a catchy title and bullet points written in the specific way I outline in Speak on Cruise Ships. But once you have the go-ahead with your topic you’ll need to finish any research you may need to really make your destination topic shine. There is no substitute for good preparation which can take some time. Give it to yourself.

3. Now research to your heart’s content. When I first started it usually took me two to three days to complete the research for a brand new destination talk; now it takes me about 90 minutes.

4. Once I have my research completed I then craft my presentation into the finished product that I deliver onboard. If the presentation lends itself I usually use PowerPoint for my presentations but only following these guidelines.

a. Words only appear in the title (three words max.).
b. There’s an appropriate picture on every page that conveys the message for the main points I wish to communicate.

c. I don’t read from PowerPoint I only use it to augment what I am doing from the stage and I keep the focus on me as the speaker.

d. Generally speaking 22-24 PowerPoint slides gives me enough material to cover 45 minutes. Note: There is usually an additional 15 minute question and answer period after your program.

5. On every new program I do I practice at least once before I deliver it onboard. Even if I’m very familiar with the content I’ll still gather up my family members and do the presentation for them. This is a good way to work out any bugs and also test-drive the time it takes you to do the program. Time onboard (or with any speaking gig) is crucial. If you are given an hour you take at max 60 minutes and not a minute over. Using these tips will make you pre-cruise activities more effective and drastically increase the probabilities that you will succeed once you climb aboard.

We're Off To The Med - What It Means For You

Today my son Jamey and I are hopping the pond to Barcelona, Spain. I am speaking on the Brillance of the Seas on a 12-day Med cruise. We embark tomorrow. But this blog is not about telling you about my travels; it's about how you can cruise free too serving as an enrichment presenter for the cruise lines.

So here's what this cruise will mean to you...

Jamey will be capturing many of the the details of cruise ship speaking by video taping me as we go (this will later be developed into a product). But I'm going to publish my program notes for that video project which will point out some of the lessons covered in the video.

I really want to give you a taste and flavor of what its like to do one of the best (and most fun) gigs in the speaking business. This video will be as reality based as it gets... it should be fun!

I'll publish them as often is as feasible for the Internet service I have. But to give you a sneak peek here's some of the things we'll cover:

• preparing a destination topic for a brand new destination that you may know little about
• steps to take when travelling to arrive refreshed and ready to rock from the platform
• promoting your presentations onboard
• preparing for your talks
• connecting with your audience
• etc., etc.

Bonus: I'll even tell you about some of the bloppers.

I'll try to get an email out to you with each new post. If you haven't already joined my mailing list you can do that here: http://www.speakerscruisefree.com/

Turning Cruise Speaking Into Passive Income

One of the things I talk about in my Speak on Cruise Ships program is packaging yourself so that you are attractive to the cruise line enrichment programs. Sometimes this will require that you develop new content specifically for the cruise lines (don't worry its easy to do if you follow the steps in the program) - but here's the rub - you can take that new content and use it to create passive income streams. Watch this video to get the story --



Creating passive revenue streams from cruise content is one of the many things I help the members of the Speakers Cruise Free Coaching Club -- you can get a free 30-day trial membership by investing in my Speak on Cruise Ships program. What are you waiting for?

Selling Books & Other Info Products Onboard A Cruise Ship

Cruise ships can be a great place to sell your books and other information products. Product sales are fairly easy to set up with the cruise lines when you're already speaking onboard and can be quite profitable. I explain the complete process of how it's done in this video.



If you still have not invested in my Speak on Cruise Ships program, what are you waiting for? In order to sell onboard you must be approved in cruise enrichment programs. This is the program that will show you how.

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

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