Thursday

Special Delivery - Shipping Packages to Your Event


 

Many of my clients want their retractable banners, brochures and even CDs sent directly to the hotel where they will speak or host an event. And because I give the shipping information to my vendor before an item is printed, I have to make sure all information is correct when placing an order.

Each hotel has a specific way to address packages to be received by a guest; Be sure to ask how and also find out if your hotel charges for receiving your deliveries. One client discovered it would cost less to pay an airline baggage fee than to have the hotel accept the delivery. Isn't that nuts?

And here's a real horror story. I shipped a box of materials to a posh hotel for a client of mine. Upon checking in at the hotel, she asks for her package. The staff looks - no package. She asks them to look again and several minutes later, they came back with empty hands. My client is FRANTIC and calls me wanting to know where her package was!

I look at the tracking information and sure enough, it had arrived to the hotel a day or two before her arrival. The timing wasn't the issue, though, it was that her name wasn't on the reservation because she was rooming with someone else. And since the hotel staff couldn't find an owner for the box, they had placed it in the postal room to be sent back!! It must have been her lucky day, because the next day a staff member delivered her package to her after spending all night looking for it. Whew!!

Hopefully these stories can help you avoid a panic attack when shipping your items!

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Alicia White is a valuable resource for coaches, speakers, consultatns and business owners who want to look like the xpert they are. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia offers solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. Clients love her graphic design skills and also get peace of mind and direction after a single strategy consultation.

As founder of Back of the Room Productions™, Alicia is a speaker and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, has been nominated for several business awards and serves as a Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.

Learn more about her by signing up for her valuable tips on public speaking here!

Taking Time Off from Your Business Can be Scary

Howdy, y'all! I took a month off from work - yikes! How scary is that? But I NEEDED it! My business has grown like crazy over the year which led to weeks of neglecting my body, my family, and life's pleasures like going out with friends, serving the community, bird watching, etc.
I timed the month off with our annual vacation to Yellowstone. (My husband and I have visited Yellowstone national park every spring since 2006, sometimes in the fall because of the magic and excitement it brings. Yellowstone is the reset button for my soul!) Here is a photo of one a cute little black bear. You can see more at www.facebook.com/YellowstonePhotos
But I really struggled with the thought of "not working" for a month. On past visits, we both served clients remotely after hours of photographing the spectacular wildlife in the park. On our trip last spring, it was a challenging 3 week working vacation. How do you balance 8-10 hours of photographing and then work on client projects 4-5 hours each day? You don't sleep - and that's not balance. I was exhausted from my most treasured vacation!! And the imbalance continued when I returned home. I have yet to go through all of my vacation photos from last spring... how crazy is that? The memories and sights and feelings of a place I hold dear and near to my heart, are sitting on a hard drive waiting to be rediscovered.
I vowed to not do that to myself again. I decided to "take off from work" this spring even though the fear of losing clients/revenue loomed. But it was for my own well-being. I can't take care of my clients if I'm not well, right? 
"How did you go about doing that," you may ask. Initially I was not going to tell my clients I was "not working." My business coach suggested another way: tell them! Let your clients in on this part of your life. And I did; I included a short story and photo about a past visit too Yellowstone in my bi-weekly speaking tip email and shared I would be gone for a month.
And guess what? My clients and community were HAPPY for me! They said "a well deserved vacation," "send pics," "can't wait to hear all about it." What a relief! I wasn't letting down my community, they were cheering me on!
You deserve time away to take care of you - let your community know. They want you to succeed as much as you want them to. Be kind to yourself...
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Alicia White is a valuable resource for coaches, speakers, consultatns and business owners who want to look like the xpert they are. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia offers solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. Clients love her graphic design skills and also get peace of mind and direction after a single strategy consultation.

As founder of Back of the Room Productions™, Alicia is a speaker and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, has been nominated for several business awards and serves as a Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.

Learn more about her by signing up for her valuable tips on public speaking here!

Wednesday

These Tabletop Retractable Banners ROCK!

I'm loving my new tabletop banner!!!



My vendor got in these new tabletop banners. I HAD to get one!! At 18" long and 4" wide, these are so easy to carry. The graphic size is 15" x 31" Want one with your branding? Contact me at www.backoftheroomproductions.com



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Alicia White is a valuable resource for coaches, speakers, consultatns and business owners who want to look like the xpert they are. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia offers solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. Clients love her graphic design skills and also get peace of mind and direction after a single strategy consultation.

As founder of Back of the Room Productions™, Alicia is a speaker and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, has been nominated for several business awards and serves as a Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.

Learn more about her by signing up for her valuable tips on public speaking here!

Thursday

You're gonna wanna join me on the Women Speakers Association’s Virtual Round Table!





Need help with your Speaker Sheet? You're gonna wanna join me on the Women Speakers Association’s Virtual Round Table as I present "Speaker Sheets that Get You Booked: The Top 5 Must Have Elements." Date: Wednesday, March 30th at 6pm PST / 9pm EST Register Now and Join In! https://zoom.us/webinar/register/6764de61fc08760ac5b9141539e44ee6

Participants walk away with:
- What a speaker sheet is and what it's not.
- The top 5 elements people look for when booking speakers.
- Strategy on positioning the must have elements.
- Tips on how to create a speaker sheet.


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Alicia White is a valuable resource for coaches, speakers, consultatns and business owners who want to look like the xpert they are. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia offers solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. Clients love her graphic design skills and also get peace of mind and direction after a single strategy consultation.

As founder of Back of the Room Productions™, Alicia is a speaker and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, has been nominated for several business awards and serves as a Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.

Learn more about her by signing up for her valuable tips on public speaking here!

Get Paid Even if it’s a No Fee Gig!

These days, it is getting tough to find highly paid speaking engagements and more often than not, speakers are being asked to speak for no fee. As much as I would like to receive a speaker fee every time I speak, I know that is just not the case these days. That's why I say "YES" to "no fee" engagements as long as I know that speaking will benefit my success in some way. Here are some of requests I ask of the event host or meeting planner:

-           Provide me with back of the room (BOR) presence to sell products and generate leads
-           purchase my products or books in advance and gift them to the audience
-           introduce me to other organizations that would have my as a speaker
-           introduce me to key people that could use my services
-           provide an attendee list with contact information for my use
-           hold a drawing to give away a product/service
-           get a copy of any video or photographs taken of me at the event for my use

Create your own list of requests to leverage your time at the event, not just on stage. There are other strategies to help you get compensated for your expertise and time. 

To help you, I am giving away a FREE CHECKLIST on QUALIFYING YOUR EVENT. It's yours for just signing up in the box on the right on my website: http://www.backoftheroomproductions.com

If you aren't familiar with back of the room marketing or sales; or maybe what you're doing isn't working, let's talk about that. In my 15 minute free consultation, ask your most challenging question and I'll give you a ready-to-use strategy and help you define your next step. Schedule your phone call here: www.borp.acuityscheduling.com


Alicia White, Founder and Creative Director of Back of the Room Productions™, helps speakers, coaches, consultants, and business owners give their message legs long after they leave the stage through professional branding and powerful products. From speaker sheets to back of the room products, clients receive high-level graphic design and expert branding strategy that leads them to business and speaking success!


Wednesday

Did You Want Bunnies or Lumberjacks in Your Branding?

Before a client and I begin a consultation or branding foundation video call, I ask them to complete an assessment. These questions gather important information such as where is their business now, what works great now, what needs to be tweaked, and what tools and strategy do they need. That way, I have direction on how to best serve my client, whether it’s through customized strategy or designing their marketing.

Because a lot of what I do is geared towards visual communication, I ask two very key questions:
1.  What style do you envision this piece to have (vintage, high tech, cartoon‐like, corporate, etc.)?
2.  Share at least three websites, brochures, or other graphics that you like and describe what you like about them.

When this goes unanswered, I’m lost. There is no point of origin. I’m left to assume that a male business consultant who speaks would be okay if their branding visuals included a bunch of pink flowers and comic bunnies. Or maybe a lumberjack in the forest surrounded by bears and moose serves as inspiration for a female life coach’s branding.

See where I'm going with this?

Without guidance, I’m left to read your mind. And if I could read minds, I would be in Vegas right now, baby! By leaving these two questions blank, I have been given creative license to design anything.

But that will most definitely cost time and money - both of which don't need to be wasted right now.

So, when your graphic or website designer asks to provide examples of visuals or websites, please send at least three examples of visual communication pieces that appeal to you. To help with the creative process, identify the following:
-      what do you like about the image
-      is the style (or theme) and colors appealing to you
-      do you like the layout
-      what words describe or what feeling do you get when you see this image
-      does this image represent your target audience
-      is this a branding you would like to emulate

Don’t think about it too much; trust your first reaction and gut instinct. Also, the visual does not have to pertain to your industry. It can be a visual from anyone: a Fortune 500 company, a speaker's website, a sports team, Nike, Gatorade, Volvo, whatever. If you like it, include it as an example and tell us why you like it.

Getting some direction from you allows me to help you more efficiently and effectively! And keeps glittery dancing chickens out of your design – unless you want that. Like my friend & client Coleen Merk of Sweetwater Eclectic who loved that I added a cow to her branding!



If you aren't sure about your branding or what you're doing isn't working, let's talk about that. In my 15 minute free consultation, ask your most challenging question and I'll give you a ready-to-use strategy and help you define your next step. Schedule your phone call here: www.borp.acuityscheduling.com

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Alicia White is a valuable resource for speakers, coaches, consultants and business owners who need solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia has served in graphic design, marketing, and public relation roles in both the corporate and non-profit worlds.

Alicia is the founder of Back of the Room Productions™ and SpeakerSheets.com and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and is a Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.



Tuesday

Speaker Success Bootcamp with Katrina Sawa

Do you know HOW to get more speaking opportunities? Do you know HOW to create your talks so that people will take action? How about your Powerpoints? Order forms? Back of the room table displays...for capturing all the leads and following up? My coach Katrina Sawa will be covering ALL of this and so much more including a bit from me on speaker sheets in April.JOIN US and get this stuff done so you can get booked more and make more money ASAP!!  PLEASE MAKE SURE TO REGISTER YOURSELF HERE NOW, easy comp link:  http://livebigevents.com/speakersuccessbootcamp/

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Alicia White is a valuable resource for coaches, speakers, consultatns and business owners who want to look like the xpert they are. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia offers solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. Clients love her graphic design skills and also get peace of mind and direction after a single strategy consultation.

As founder of Back of the Room Productions™, Alicia is a speaker and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, has been nominated for several business awards and serves as a Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.

Learn more about her by signing up for her valuable tips on public speaking here!

Friday

Public Speakers Association Logo - New Design!


We were so excited when Tonya Hoffman of Public Speakers Association asked us to design their logo. Verdict? They love it!! Learn more at www.backoftheroomproductions.com

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Alicia White is a valuable resource for speakers, coaches, trainers and business experts who need solid branding strategy and professional, on-target marketing materials that make a lasting impression. With over 20 years of experience, Alicia has served in graphic design, marketing, and public relation roles for both the corporate and non-profit worlds.

Alicia is the founder of Back of the Room Productions™ and an international best selling author. She is a two-time award recipient of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and Partnering Director of the Public Speakers Association.

Sign up for valuable tips on public speaking!

New Client Branding



Sandi Mitchell LOVES her new Tabletop Retractable Banner. At 11x17 she can carry it in her bag anywhere she gores. In fact she, debuted her new branding produced by Alicia White at a trade show in Florida. Learn more at www.backoftheroomproductions.com