Products and programs for Latin countries.
Develop materials in Spanish to sell BSI and
Escarcega in Mexico and Latin and South America.
Sell to Latin countries. Identify sales organization(s)
to work in Latin countries and develop a specific
marketing/sales tactical plan for each organization.
Escarcega will present to a minimum of 100 prospects
in each country during the next 18 months.
Book Proposal. Refer to How to Write a Book
Proposal by Michael Larsen (Writers Digest Books,
1997) to guide the development of a book proposal
by December 31, 2008. The book title, as mentioned earlier, will be Spanish-Speaking Workers/
Gringo Managers: Making it Work!
Now, Escarcega has a plan for success!
Time Is Money
Speakers must invest time and money
to increase their revenue derived
from speaking engagements and
product line(s), if any. This is true
for those just starting their careers as well
as proven “commodities.” Here are
some tips for addressing these
two special areas:
Calendar. Set up a
complete “action calendar” for every key
activity in the year ahead.
Create a “war room” where
the calendar is posted on the
wall so everyone knows what
is expected. This working calendar
ensures that you and your team complete
each activity on time and within budget.
Budget. Determine a cash budget that can be
spent immediately to support this plan. For a
speaker, at least 5 percent of income should be
invested in getting business the following year. If
your business is not worth a 5 percent allocation, it
is not worth having the business.
If you are just launching your speaking business,
you will have to invest more than 5 percent, but not
less than $5,000 a year. If you already have a good
business but want to expand it, you should consider
allocating 7 to 8 percent of next year’s projected
income to make your business grow. It is important
to spend carefully, but you should not be afraid to
spend to build your market.
It’s Easier than it Seems
For most speakers, developing a business/finan-cial plan is easy. You don’t have a huge chart of
accounts. Of course, if products are a significant
part of your sales, your profit-and loss-statement
will be a bit more complicated. Nevertheless, most
speaking businesses are easy to plan for below the
line. It is the revenue portion of your business that
requires your undivided attention.
Managing your business takes discipline, but it
is not technically difficult. A speaker’s business is
driven by revenue, or the “top line.” The costs are
easy to identify and control. To plan for next year,
use careful estimates of all of your costs. Don’t
straight-line; that is, say costs will go up 5 percent
across the board. Take gas, for example. Estimate
your real mileage cost based on current trends.
Putting Your Plan into Action
A plan makes it possible to define—in one place at
one time—what it will take to achieve the goals.
You can follow this approach or develop
your own. The key to measuring success is finding new revenue
and new opportunities.
With an effective marketing and sales plan, you
have more opportunities to
score when you are up at the plate.
The best time to develop your sales
and marketing plan is just before year
end. If you finish it by November
15, you can digest it and formulate your action for the next year.
Hopefully, you can get your tools
and programs in place by January 1.
It’s critical to have a budget ready for
spending early in the year. The more time you have
to work on your business, the better.
Too many business owners focus on marketing
only during slow times. A well-planned sales and
marketing program, however, helps you build sales
and snag speaking engagements year-round. It also
is easier to manage because it removes the stress and
anxiety of playing catch-up every few months to
jump-start sales.
If you have any questions about my recommended
treatment plan, take two pills and call me in the
morning.
John Haskell is a highly experienced entrepreneur, senior
manager, COO of two divisions of multi-billion dollar
companies and a professional speaker, seminar leader and
business-planning instructor at the University of Southern
California Business Expansion Network. He can be
reached at drrevenue@drrevenue.com
