How to benefit from working with speakers bureaus

How to Benefit From Working With Speakers Bureaus

What Speakers Bureaus Do For You

The bureau’s job is to know where and how to find the right speaker for your event, send you materials to review, schedule conference calls, secure / contract the speaker and facilitate financial arrangements. Like travel agents, speaker bureaus smooth the process for securing talent for your event and charge you nothing while saving you enormous amounts of time. Since speaker bureaus get paid from the speakers fee, they receive compensation only when you book a speaker they suggest.

Bureaus act as partners for researching speakers and finding the perfect match for your event. They can assist with determining the appropriate mix of content, personality and entertainment for the presentation. Finding the right speakers who can meet your needs and budget is the bureau’s objective.

Bureaus generally represent a large roster of speakers (ranging from local business experts to worldwide celebrities), and can also book speakers they don’t exclusively represent. Speakers bureaus work with professional speakers who are seasoned experts and have demonstrated excellent speaking skills, professionalism and expertise of their topic. The bureau interviews them, checks their references, reviews their performances in person or on tape and determines that they will deliver the best presentation for your event.

Bureau Process

First, bureaus will ask you about the goals and objectives for your event and about your company / division. During the interview, a bureau agent will listen to your program needs and assess what type of speaker would fit your program objectives and budget. Is your company downsizing? Experiencing tremendous change & growth? Sales slow? Company morale low? Conference theme?

Next, your bureau agent will research the large pool of available speakers to develop a short list of the top candidates for your event. Your agent will then send you you press kits and/or videos of the speakers you find most interesting. Finally, they will confirm availability for the speaker(s) you have chosen and will arrange all contracting, finances and specific presentation and travel requirements.

How to Maximize Your Bureau Relationship

Using Multiple Sources to Find Your Speaker

Since speaker bureau services are free, meeting planners will often contact numerous bureaus to help find a speaker. This can lead to confusion and wasted time. Instead of developing a close relationship with your chosen bureau and receiving a few excellent speaker suggestions for your event, you will receive piles of speaker kits (many duplicates) and dozens of calls from various bureau agents and speakers.

By using numerous bureaus, you can quickly diminish the time savings you would gain in the first place. Often, bureaus will not devote much time to these «multiple bureau» projects since they have less chance in closing a deal and the speakers they work with will be confused from multiple bureau contacts.

For example, a meeting planner contacts five bureaus and five bureaus send them four speakers for review (many are duplicates). What do they do then? Who do they choose to book the speaker? The meeting planner will have all five bureaus calling them to find out what their decision is and how they can help.

Communication

Bureau agents work hard to help meeting planners locate and book the perfect speaker. It is important to clearly communicate throughout the speaker search process. Give your bureau agent as much information about your goals and your chosen event theme as you can. Provide clear and quick feedback on speakers they may suggest and keep them informed about your selection process.

We all know the meeting process can be ever changing, especially committee run selection processes. Your bureau agent knows this, so don’t be afraid to involve them in your process, even if it means letting them know the budget has been cut this year or that the theme has changed. Your bureau agent wants all your events — for years to come — to be successes.

If you are using other sources, it is always a good policy to let your bureau(s) know others you may be working with. Let them know immediately if you are considering booking a speaker from another source. This way, multiple bureaus won’t continue contacting the same speaker trying to secure «holds» for your event date.

Bureaus take care of many of the details for booking speakers — from locating the perfect speaker(s) available for your event to contracting negotiations and presentation details — which ultimately saves you time and money. Working with bureaus is a time saving and rewarding experience.

How to start your own successful ebay business

How to Start Your Own Successful Ebay Business

Ever since I was little I always wondered what I would be doing in my future. There were tons of opportunity out there for me and I usually couldn’t decide on what I want to be more a doctor or lawyer. But you always don’t have to look to far when you are trying to come up with a career. One day I was on the internet buying some things from eBay and then all of a sudden a light bulb went off. Why not start my very own eBay business. So I decided that I would start my own business but I needed some rocks to be my foundation for my business. The three rocks are having my finances in check, have a great customer service, and make smart decisions.

The first rock that is going to be my foundation for starting my own business on eBay is to have my finances in check because if you do not keep great tabs on your finances then you are going to be in a whole heap of trouble. You want to make sure that you have money every time that you have to order you new shipment in. Also you want to make sure that you put some money aside for when you have to ship the products to the customers. Another thing that it would be a smart idea to have in line is have some money put away for just in case of an emergency because you don’t want to wind up in a bind and not have the money to get yourself out of it. The financial parts of businesses are pretty much what will make them or what will break them.

The second rock that is going to be my foundation for starting my own business on eBay is to have a great customer service because this is the key to having a booming company. If the customer is not happy then there is no money coming into your eBay business. Also make sure that you customer is going to receive the products that they have bought in a timely manner because if they receive their products late then they will probably leave you bad comments on your eBay account then other customers will see that and you will not have any business.

The third rock that is going to be my foundation for starting my own business on eBay is to make smart decisions because most of the big decisions that you are going to have to make will either make or break the company. Some of the big decisions that you will have to make are what type of product that you want to carry; also who is going to be the supplier that you are going to order your product from, and finally you are going to have to also decide what price you want to sell the products for.

Those are the rocks that are going to be my foundation for starting my own eBay business. Now you guys get started on your own business.

How to gather funds to become a volunteer overseas

How to Gather Funds to Become a Volunteer Overseas

There are a number of people who would love to volunteer overseas for a noble purpose. But most of them step back for financial reasons. As you have to pay from your own pocket to serve as a volunteer overseas, you need to depend great only on your finance to take up the opportunity. Here are some tips for all those who want to work as a volunteer overseas, yet are unable to join for financial purposes.

Use your own resources:

First check out if you can fund yourself at least to the minimum level. See if you can get some money from a credit card company to finance yourself in your endeavor to become a volunteer overseas. Do not forget, that credit card companies provide you with cash in the form of loan. It is not free money. So, keep in mind that you will have to pay it back.

Ask form your friends and family members:

While you are opting for a noble purpose and is receding back for financial constraints, feel free to share your problem with near and dear ones. Approach your friends, relatives, family members and all those whom you know. Ask for some fund.

Be clear and specific, about your purpose. It may be difficult for one single person to provide you with the entire amount so collect money according to each ones capacity. A group of them may agree to pay for your traveling allowance or your lodging. This way you will find that you have gathered the fund you will require.

Speak to your employer:

Approach your employer if you are working. He may agree to pay you for the noble cause.

Some other business men can also fund you. Make a list of such people who can pay you. Ask them if they can offer you with some amount. Frame a letter that will reflect a specific amount and provide it to them. Keep the amount low.

If you keep a lower amount you will have more chances of getting a donor. See how many potential donors you have gained.

Contact a club or a religious group:

If you are associated with a religious group, approach them. They may offer you some amount.

After you have approached different people and groups, check out how much you have collected. If you are still falling short of fund, check out if you can pay the extra from your own pocket. This way you can easily participate as a volunteer overseas.

How to draft a sample executive summary

How to Draft a Sample Executive Summary

A company that deals in any sort of business has to maintain and update its records on a regular basis. This way, anyone who looks into its functioning will clearly see that the company has profitable and efficient management plans in place. The executive summary provides total overview about the company. However, before the original summary has been formulated, a sample executive summary is prepared. If a sample executive summary is drafted it will ensure that the correct information and figures are maintained. A sample executive summary that is standard will contain details and information pertaining to opportunities; present as well as in the future, the company’s concepts that form the entire system’s baseline, successful milestones achieved by the company, various revenue sources as well as sources of fixed funds, the company’s objectives and achievements etc. Such details help in increasing the company’s goodwill as well as give it a good standing in the market. The company is able to gain the confidence of the people and this way those who are interested in participating in the proceedings of the business will be enabled to do so.

The executive summary which has been prepared as a sample should also have details concerning the strategies that have been followed by the company as well as all the future strategies. Other details that should be included are details about the competition that the company faces in the field of business, an overview of all the finances for the current year, details about the management and its team which has ensured the smooth and efficient functioning of the company. The summary which is being prepared as a sample should contain all these details and before this information is transferred to the actual summary it should be double checked. This will ensure correct and accurate information has been provided.

Lease versus own

Lease Versus Own

Lease versus Own

The foundation for success…

A common challenge for all businesses is how to pay for the equipment needed to perform their services. Even among experts and professionals, opinions will often vary. The one thing you must recognize is that each business is unique and there are no standards that work for everyone. Only you know what your capital reserves are and what type of reserves your business will require from month-to-month. While some businesses are more sophisticated than others, only you have access to the full spectrum of your financial position today and the forecast of what responsibilities there are to come. It is not only essential that you prepare yourself adequately; it’s crucial.

In the beginning, one of the first professionals you should confer with is a Tax professional. This person can view your company in its totality and then match your company’s needs with the proper tax plan. It is an accepted belief that proper tax planning is the primary step to a successful business. Upon properly identifying your needs, it’s now time to strategize your method of operation. To assist you with that method, we’ve compiled a simple list of the advantages and disadvantages of leasing equipment versus that of buying it. This list is generic but reveals the industry norms of features and benefits. As you review, apply these characters to your business and see how it measures up. Good luck!

Own

1. When you decide what equipment to use, you are of course purchasing it. The equipment is yours to do with as you please.

2. By purchasing the equipment, you have immediately created an asset to your company profile.

3. Depending on what your equipment is and how your company is structured; you may be entitled to certain tax benefits such as writing off the expense in the first year. (Check with a tax professional)

4. There are no payments. (You own it.)

5. Now that you own the equipment, you have the option to resell it. (At a lesser price)

Lease

1. The first benefit is that if you don’t have the reserves to purchase, a lease is a viable option.

2. If you were going to purchase with a bank loan, then the bank would likely require a 20% down payment. By leasing the equipment, the standard is that you are required one or two month’s payment upfront and that’s it.

3. Although you are leasing the equipment, it is still an asset to your company.

4. Even though you have a monthly payment, you also have the option to upgrade the equipment prior to it becoming obsolete.

5. When you acquire assets, you want assets that will appreciate in value not depreciate. With many equipment materials needed to function, they will depreciate after the first year of usage.

6. By leasing all of your equipment, you may be able to fully write-off up to 100% of your payments as a business expense. (Check with a tax professional.)

7. Most items can be leased such as phones, furniture and computers, not just heavy machinery.

8. Choosing a lease allows you the flexibility to maintain capital reserves for payroll and miscellaneous expenses that may occur.

9. There are numerous types of leases that can cater to your business profile and your company’s needs.

10. Lease rates are ‘fixed’ and range in term from 12 to 60 months.

As you can see, the features of leasing far outweigh that of purchasing or owning the equipment for many businesses. Eight out of ten businesses prefer leasing over that of buying. The list you just reviewed points out the key components to both options but with further investigation, you’ll find that leasing offers many more opportunities to fulfill your desires.

Please speak with an equipment leasing professional to locate the proper lease for your company. It’s good business!

J. R. Parler

JRParler@yahoo.com

Commercial Real Estate and Finance Specialist