Ep 15 - From Uber Eats to a Five-Figure Speaking Contract with Odell A. Bizzell II

Speaking 4 Profit Podcast

“Whatever your intention is, as long as you have good intentions... You will make an impact. And then you will learn that that's the most fulfilling part.” - Odell A. Bizzell II

Welcome to Speaking 4 Profit, where your voice is your power! I’m Evolve Benton and for this Speakers Room Live episode, Odell A. Bizzell II discusses the journey to turning speaking from a hobby to a profession and how he crafted his path to success and betterment in the speaking industry through impactfulness.

Odell Bizzell is a professional speaker, author of 10 books, podcast host, and marketing consultant. He helps make marketing simple for speakers and consultants by utilizing little known and practiced strategies.

[00:01 - 08:52] Making Speaking from a Hobby to a Profession

• Who is Odell?
• • Becoming a professional communicator
  • Looking back at our life allows us make sense of the now
  • Sparking the passion for speaking through engagements and writing books
• The road to professionalism
• • We are taught that success is a meritocracy, but that is not true.
  • A professional speaker is simply a service provider in the event planning business.

[08:53 - 24:23] Positioning in the Industry for Budding Speakers

• Pivot despite unfortunate circumstances
• • There is an opportunity for the speaking business to evolve this pandemic.
  • • Offering free events
  • Becoming intentional in establishing relationships is key.
  • • From considering Uber Eats to paid speaking engagements
  • We tend to discount the things we are familiar with. Recognize the value.
• Marketing for budding speakers
• • Continuously get good at the art, fall in love with it, and find inspiration.
  • Research where the bag is - problems to solve, industry to jump in, and the audience. Engage to build relationships for advice and testimonials.
  • • The interviewing technique

[24:24 - 21:27] More Than the Price, It’s All About the Impact

• Naming your price
• • Get to know the range. Do not start with a high price. Consider the industry and level of expertise you have.
  • • Stacking the value
• Impact versus the bag
• • No matter what you do, keep your intentions pure to make an impact.
  • Craft your social proof and recognize that winning is all about impactfulness.

[37:39 - 41:24] Final Thoughts

• Check out Odell’s free training on the interview method and social proof
• Connect with Odell A. Bizzell II – check out his podcast and connect with him! (links below)
• Closing thoughts and advice from Odell and Evolve

Key Quotes:

“You can have a story, you can have an amazing voice. But if you're not able to share it with the world, or deliver it to the right audience, you know, it really doesn't matter. It doesn't really impact in the same way.” - Evolve Benton

“You're going to fit into somebody else's event if you don't plan your own.” - Odell A. Bizzell II

“Sometimes the things that we're familiar with, we discount. So if we're familiar with speaking and all that has to do, sometimes we discount how important and relevant it is.” - Odell A. Bizzell II

Connect with Odell!

Website: www.SpeakerMarketingMadeSimple.com

Facebook Profile: Odell.Bizzel

Facebook Group: Speaker Marketing Made Simple

Instragram : @OdellBizzell

Twitter: @OdellBizzell

Connect with Me!

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/speaking4profitacademy

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speaking4profit/

Visit my website https://www.evolvebenton.com/

Follow me on Instagram @EvolveBenton

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