706 June 2016 - Behind the Podium

VOL 7, ISSUE 6 • JUNE 2016

8

HOTEL SECRETS FOR A GREAT STAY Page 10

TRAVEL PUBLICITY Page 5

HOW TO BE A CRUISE SPEAKER Page 6

HOW I BOOKED OVER $40K IN JUST 1 YEAR THROUGH SPEAKERMATCH Page 4

Page 6

THIS MONTH FEATURES Behind the Podium (ISSN 1949-5544) is published 12 times a year as a resource for emerging professional speakers, business leaders, technical gurus, educators, and other subject-matter experts.

Editor Bryan Caplovitz welcomes your input (editor@behindthepodium.com) .

Behind the Podium publishes the opinions of experts and authorities from many fields; however, the use of those opinions is no substitute for accounting, legal, investment, or other professional services. Material may not be reproduced in part or in whole in any form whatsoever without the written permission of SpeakerMatch. SpeakerMatch is the world’s largest source for speaking opportunities.

Behind the Podium is published monthly, by SpeakerMatch, 4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 1120, Austin, TX 78759-7944. $24/year, $4.95/issue (US funds). Periodicals postage paid at Austin, TX. Behind the Podium is a trademark of Simply Speaking, Inc. Copyright © 2016 by Simply Speaking, Inc. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SpeakerMatch Subscription Department, 4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 1120, Austin, TX 78759-7944.

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Visit behindthepodium.com for advertiser and contributor information.

2 | BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016

04 How I Booked More Business Than I Could Handle How I transformed from a SpeakerMatch Scrub to a SpeakerMatch Guru.

05 Travel Publicity Don’t miss the opportunity to get PR coverage when you travel!

06 How To Be A Cruise Speaker There’s an abundance of opportunity for speakers on passenger ships each year.

09 Be Smarter, More Creative, and More Motivated The power of sleep.

10 8 Hotel Secrets To Make Your Next Trip A Smooth One Great tips for a great stay.

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ISSUE! USE HASHTAG (#BTP) ONLINE AT:

Facebook.com/speakermatch @speakermatch SpeakerMatch Group feedback@behindthepodium.com

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

Do you have any Travel Tips to share with other readers?

PLAN NOW FOR LONGER AIRPORT SECURITY LINES The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is working to improve wait times in the standard airport security screening lines, but nothing they do will come close to producing the time savings offered to travelers using their PreCheck program.

Precheck lines average 150 passengers per hour; standard screening averages about 400 passengers in the same period.

To sign up for the PreCheck program ($85 for five years), travelers must make an appointment for a personal interview and fingerprinting process. The number of applicants for PreCheck more than tripled in the past few months, which has led to significant delays in getting appointments. It can take weeks or even months to get an appointment.

We recommend all speakers sign up for the TSA PreCheck program. The small investment can keep you from missing a flight and potentially a live speaking event.

SHARE YOUR WISDOM WITH THE COMMUNITY: FEEDBACK@BEHINDTHEPODIUM.COM

Register now, before the holiday season approaches and security lines grow!

EDITOR’S NOTE

WHAT’S YOUR STATE OF MIND WHEN YOU TRAVEL? It’s easy to associate travel with relaxation. Every travel-related image you see in brochures and on websites shows beautiful landscapes, lots of sun, and breathtaking views. Travel equals the anti-office. Right?

Well… if you’re a speaking professional, or anyone in business for themselves, it’s always a good idea to pay at least a little attention to what others are doing to make you feel relaxed.

Hoe do they make you comfortable? And what do they do wrong?

Use travel as an opportunity to meet new potential clients (other than those you are traveling to meet). And use your travel experiences as fodder for stories you tell from stage.

In this issue, our team has gathered travel-related stories and tidbits to help you in your quest to build and maintain a sustainable speaking business.

And speaking of building a speaking business, SpeakerMatch Platinum member Doug Dvorak shares his story on page 4. He shared a great video testimonial with us at this link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=F8X4RO2oeLI Hope your summer is going well, and that you get to travel!

Bryan Caplovitz Founder, SpeakerMatch

BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016 | 3

MEMBER TIPS

HOW I BOOKED MORE BUSINESS THAN I COULD HANDLE How I transformed from a SpeakerMatch Scrub to a SpeakerMatch Guru.

Since I started using SpeakerMatch about 8 years ago, I have booked tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of amazing speaking gigs. SpeakerMatch has even provided me the opportunity to travel the country, speak to, and train people at some of the largest corporations.

At first, I struggled getting good gigs on a regular basis. I was not taking full advantage of all of the speaking opportunities, and I was not taking advantage of all of the SpeakerMatch tools.

BUILD A ROBUST PROFILE I take advantage of all of the options under the My Profile section of SpeakerMatch, not just the profile picture and biography. This allows me to provide the most up to date and important information to meeting planners and/or anyone looking to hire me as a speaker.

Some of the most important options for me under My Profile are My Programs, My Testimonials & My Videos.

TESTIMONIALS Testimonials allow meeting planners to read what others have to say about their experience working with you.

By providing good content in the above three areas, I started bringing in more business through SpeakerMatch. I also take advantage of adding My Awards, Articles, Blogs and other Documents to make my profile as robust as possible. I would suggest you do the same.

STRATEGIC SELECTION AND FOLLOW-UP Perhaps even more important than having a rich and robust profile for meeting planners to view, the manner in which I respond to speaking opportunities may be the true key to my SpeakerMatch success!

I check the Job Board on a regular basis.

New speaking opportunities are posted here almost daily. I carefully examine the speaking opportunities to discover which ones may be a good fit.

would make me the right speaker for their event. I always stay within their budget, and I only contact them through the Message Center if the listing specifically says to only apply via SpeakerMatch.

USE SPEAKERMATCH RESOURCES Whenever I have any questions or concerns, I take advantage of Member Support and the Resource Center. Here you can see examples of great SpeakerMatch applications, sample contracts and additional resources to help you win more business!

I have reached out to the SpeakerMatch team several times to help me with best practices and how to include certain documents in my applications that I think meeting planners would like to see. They are always happy to provide great advice.

By using the above tactics in my SpeakerMatch endeavors, I have booked more gigs than ever before. In fact, I have had to turn down multiple speaking offers because I already had booked speaking engagements for those dates.

I discover the exact needs that the meeting planner has and the type of PROGRAMS Your programs help planners get a feel for company and audience to which I would what type of content you will be providing be speaking. After this, I create a to their audience. You can provide DOUG DVORAK is a member of the National Speakers custom multiple programs that showcase your Association, Toastmasters International. Doug is also a proposal that expertise on different subjects.

Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) the highest speaks to earned designation from the National Speakers VIDEOS their needs Association (NSA). Doug has presented to over An up-to-date demo video or two can and shows 1,000,000 people on 5 continents. Visit really show planners the benefits of them why my http://www.dougdvorak.com for more information. working with you! past experiences 4 | BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016

PUBLICITY

TRAVEL PUBLICITY Don’t miss the opportunity to get PR coverage when you travel!

How many times have you visited a city for a speech and left — without leaving a trace behind?

For a bigger story, pitch the reporters most likely to cover your topic, such as the business reporter or the lifestyle reporter.

Don’t pitch the event. Focus on the In fact, the traveling life of a road warrior content of the event and how it will help speaker actually makes it easy for you to their readers. That’s the only thing they become a famous, household name in the care about. If you have a story they like, nation or even internationally! you’ll be rewarded with a feature-length article that quotes you and might even When I spoke in Budapest, my speaker feature your picture! sponsor arranged several media

to book a “free” talk with a Meetup Group. Your benefit is that they will promote you to their members.

interviews for me. When I spoke in Brazil, I was surprised to see my picture in the local newspaper in an ad that promoted the conference I was speaking at!

If you have budget, you might want to hire a local PR person to do the legwork for you. If you do, be sure they have superb contacts with the media. If they can open doors for you, they could be worth their weight in gold.

But you don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to get publicity in the cities in which you will speak.

As an out-of-town expert, you have an aura of credibility that local media love to cover! The media just needs to know you are coming to town and have a message that will help their audiences lead better lives.

Here are a few ideas to get media coverage for your long-distance appearances: Send a notice of your event to the Business Journal and the business editor of the local newspaper. This can be a short press release or even just a few lines saying the name of the event, the sponsor, the location, and the fee and contact info.

Contact the talk radio shows. Every major city has a women’s lifestyle network which has talk shows that would be perfect for anyone whose topics are parenting, women’s issues, relationship, finances and health and fitness. Many cities have personal finance talk shows which would be great for speakers whose topics are finance, investing, retirement, saving, business and real estate. Radio marketing expert Alex Carroll suggests you ask to speak to the producer — not the host — to book an appointment.

Many cities have afternoon lifestyle shows that target women. If you have a topic that fits their needs you could be interviewed! Be sure to ask what color their set is so you can dress appropriately.

Let’s not forget social media!

There might be a Meetup Group that discusses your topic. If the timing works, you might be able

Take advantage of the PR department of your speaking sponsor. They might have contacts that can benefit you. They might want to pitch you to their local media outlets so they can get good PR too! It’s a win-win.

If you are speaking at a private event that the public isn’t invited to, that’s okay. You can still try to get publicity.

Reporters really don’t care to promote events. They want to promote ideas. If you can give them a good story that helps their readers, they will be all ears.

Frankly, many speakers do NOT do this, so if you do, you’ll stand out. As marketing expert Dan Kennedy says, “When everyone else is zigging, you should be zagging.”

DAN JANAL has helped literally thousands of speakers get publicity with his PRLEADS.com program as well as with press releases (PressReleaseSender.com) and with Facebook ads (PRLEADStoProfits.com). He also speaks on PR, internet marketing and Facebook advertising.

BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016 | 5

MAINTAINING A SUSTAINABLE SPEAKING BUSINESS

SPEAKING AND TRAVELING: HOW TO BE A CRUISE SPEAKER

There’s an abundance of opportunity for speakers on passenger ships each year.

If you’re an emerging (or even experienced) speaker, here’s something you might not know: cruise ships want and need quality speakers with tightly specialized areas of expertise. Plenty of speakers from various backgrounds and experience levels would love to get the chance to work on cruise ships, but they simply don’t know how to get started.

Fact is, cruise lines hire hundreds of guest speakers every year to travel and speak on passenger ships, so there’s an abundance of opportunity. So why aren’t more people becoming travelling cruise speakers? One big stumbling block is that most speakers don’t realize what opportunities are available to them, or if they do, they don’t know where to find them. That being the case, let’s take a closer look at four steps to becoming a successful cruise speaker.

contrast, cover every topic under the sun.

From science, medicine and technology to literature, film, music, photography and countless other areas of interest that promote intrigue and general enjoyment, these speakers run the gamut in their presentation subject matter.

So you’ll first need to decide what role best suits your speaking expertise and natural strengths and abilities. You can start by putting together a list of the topics that you could present on. Do they fit more into the ‘destination’ or ‘enrichment’ speaker role?

Step 2: Learn How to Apply

Major cruise lines sometimes use agencies to book their destination and enrichment speakers. These agencies don’t require an application fee if you want to be considered for placement, but you’ll Step 1: Know Your Role usually pay the agency an administrative fee for each day you work once they get The first thing to understand is the two you hired. If you don’t want to go the different groups that cruise speakers fall agency route, you can try to get work on into – ‘destination speakers’ or ‘enrichment speakers’. As implied by their your own by cold-calling and trying to get hired directly. Although some cruise lines names, destination speakers present topics on the ship’s itinerary and ports of do hire this way, the direct-apply call, and enrichment speakers present on approach is generally more difficult with stiffer competition, especially when just areas of special interest. starting out.

Of the two, destination speakers are usually in greater demand because there’s A more effective strategy is to get listed always a need to cover each region’s arts in a leading directory of cruise speakers.

When cruise coordinators search for and culture, cuisine, history, politics and destination or enrichments speakers, they geography. Enrichment speakers, by 6 | BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016

often use directories to help focus their search for ideal candidates. One such directory is CruiseSpeaking.com, the leading resource for those looking to hire cruise speakers. Speakers create an account and list their speaking topics, areas of expertise and program offerings.

Coordinators also create accounts and then receive information about the speakers on CruiseSpeaking.com and the types of presentations they offer. If a speaker suits the coordinator’s needs, they can be directly contacted and potentially hired.

Step 3: Getting Hired By now you’re probably wondering what you’ll need to do to stand out from the crowd and actually get noticed — and eventually hired — by cruise coordinators.

The main thing cruise lines look for when making hiring decisions is whether a given speaker has the sizzle factor. That is, do they have what it takes to be an entertaining speaker who people will enjoy listening to? And the best way to determine that is by watching a video of you delivering your presentation in front of a live audience.

As it is with getting any speaking work, it’s crucial that your video shows that you’re someone who speaks with passion and enthusiasm, and also has strong mastery of their content and speaking topics. If a coordinator likes what they see in your video and profile, they’ll invite you to a

phone interview. From there, it’s up to you to make a good impression and convince them that you’re the right speaker for the job. Be prepared to answer a slew of questions, as you would with any regular job interview. You may be asked some of the following questions: “How did you gain your expertise in your subject area?”

“Why do you want to be a cruise ship speaker?”

“What size crowds have you presented to before?”

“How flexible is your schedule?”

“Can you make last minute trips?”

You may also be asked to provide samples of your presentation and a copy of your book (if you have one). If your interview goes well and you’re the right candidate for the job, you’ll be hired and asked to start working at your first ship.

to make sure that you’ve got a well-crafted and engaging presentation that will be suitable and appropriate for cruise ship audiences. There are a few key areas that you should consider when striving to deliver an effective talk to a cruise group:

use of technology. Make sure you pack copies of everything you’ll need in your luggage, just in case things go array. You’ll be a long way from home.

Q and A Sessions: Shorten your overall presentation time by five minutes to allow Start and end on time: There’s a lot to do for a longer Q and A time. On cruise ships, on a cruise ship. If you don’t start promptly people like meeting and interfacing with on time, your audience members will leave presenters afterwards, so don’t hesitate to in short order to do something else. Same make yourself available outside the goes for your end time. theatre after you wrap up for those who want to speak on a more personal basis.

Entertain your audience: Always The cruise coordinators will appreciate you remember that this is a different type of all the more for adding a one-on-one speaking job; your main duty is to keep personal touch, leading to more your audience members entertained in a recommendations and referrals for future relaxed and enjoyable way. Don’t forget, work. they’re on vacation after all.

Master your technology: Nothing will sink a cruise lecture — and your Step 4: Giving Great Presentations attendees’ Once you’ve been hired for your first guest attention — faster lecture spot with a cruise line, you’ll want than ineffective

RICHARD ANDREWS is the Director of Education at SpeakerMatch Academy. He has a diverse writing, training and consulting background in various business settings, including internet marketing, ePublishing, branding and online community building.

Richard has worked with leading speakers and experts, including Jack Canfield, Robert Kiyosaki, Les Brown, and others. Richard holds a Master's degree in education, and is a certified PR specialist. Contact him anytime at richard@speakermatch.com.

This Month’s Assignment

1 2 3

Sign up with CruiseSpeaking.com.

It’s the best resource in the industry for helping you get more work as a travel and cruise speaker — period.

Create and polish your profile.

Visit other well-developed speaker profiles on CruiseSpeaking.com as you create your own profile. Post a strong ‘sizzle’ video and make sure you properly define yourself as a destination or enrichment speaker.

Prepare for the interview.

Get prepared to receive interview initiations and make sure you tailor your program offerings to properly accommodate cruise ship audiences so that you’ll be regarded as the right speaker for the job.

BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016 | 7

CUSTOMER SERVICE

THE $10,000 COOKIE The “little things” can be worth more than you might imagine.

You’ve probably heard that it costs a lot more to lose a customer than it does to get a new one. Here’s a personal story showing how one tiny slight led to a massive loss in profits for one company.

Many years ago I was working for a consulting firm, often on the road for weeks at a time. I usually traveled with a team of coworkers, and I was in charge of booking travel arrangements.

Well… it was only a cookie, right? So I never made a big stink with the manager or corporate. I just decided not to do business with the DoubleTree again.

celebrity. Like I’m their most important guest. They always throw in little extras like upgrades, free food, and late checkouts. Even if I book through Expedia.

For that one project, my team was

One single desk clerk at the DoubleTree was responsible for me deserting my favorite brand. For a speaker, a happy client can easily translate to tens of thousands of dollars in repeat business and referrals. Make sure that everyone on your team understands the power of the little things.

One little cookie lost the DoubleTree Hotel over $10,000 in business.

On one particular 6-week project, I had a team of 3 other people who were assigned to travel with me from New York to Houston each week. I’m very brand loyal, so I booked at the DoubleTree hotel.

I could build up my frequent guest points and, maybe more importantly, get a fresh, warm, chocolate chip cookie when I checked in (they’re famous for that).

Upon check-in at the hotel, I got my room key but no cookie. Why? The front desk agent told me I couldn’t have a cookie because I booked with Expedia. “We have to pay a commission to Expedia when you book through them,” she explained to me as if that would clear up any confusion about why I couldn’t have a cookie.

I tried being extra friendly, and asked nicely, thinking that she wouldn’t put up much of a fight with a dissatisfied guest who really wanted a 10 cent cookie. But she held her ground.

So what did I do?

8 | BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016

Most speakers make the mistake of focusing their marketing efforts on finding new clients. And as a small business owner, I understand how tempting it can be to take current customers for granted. But if you don’t make your current clients feel special or important, they’ll find someone else who will.

spending about $400 a night for 4 rooms, or $2,000 a week. Over the course of our project’s five remaining weeks, the DoubleTree hotel lost $10,000 of business. In the years since that cookie incident, they’ve lost a lot more, because I almost never stay with them anymore.

If you pay more attention to prospective customers, your current customers will notice. And customers who feel unloved will be more receptive to a competitor who tries to woo them.

The little thank-you notes and cards you send to your clients make a difference.

Little holiday gifts and gifts for no reason make someone feel special. And the way you greet a client each time you speak with them or see them in person can really make a difference.

What I did do was switch brands, and I ended up becoming a big fan of Hyatt hotels. I might have given the DoubleTree You really can’t afford NOT to treat each customer as if they were your most another chance if the Hyatt wasn’t so important. fantastic. They often make me feel like a

TRAVEL TIPS

FAVORITES

Shave Secret sells their 0.63oz bottles for just $3.83 at Wal-Mart.

Traveling speakers needing a quick, filling, and nutritious bite should look no further than Luna Bars. All natural and made from From Our Staff Reviews are strong — customers have soy protein, Luna Bars are high in protein stated that their shaves have never been and low in carbohydrates, sugar, and trans Grooming so close, and they did not need fat. Though they are somewhat low in Speakers who aftershave. Additionally, one reviewer we fiber, Luna Bars are a relatively maintain a clean cut read wrote that the oil prevented inexpensive and extremely fast alternate image will love this breakouts and “kept [him] moisturized for to a lavish breakfast. travel accessory. hours and hours after the shave.”

According to health writer Melissa Shaving gels and The oil comes scented with a delightful Romero at washingtonian.com, Luna Bars creams can take up fragrance. It is an impressive and cheap have no downside and are "ideal for long valuable space in product, good for both traveling and meetings and to tide you over during long your carry-on. And everyday grooming. breaks between meals." Relying on them those small travel as a snack could become expensive, sizes don’t last very Eating on the Run but they are relatively cheap long. Shaving oil is a cheap and effective Speakers on a tight alternatives to a full meal. alternate, plus... we really love it! schedule often complain You don’t want to be a hungry Shave Secret is a proprietary blend of base that they don’t have time to eat a balanced, nutritious, breakfast. speaker who loses concentration because oils, essential oils, RX grade menthol and you’re so hungry. Luna Bars contain most natural fragrance oil.

Often hailed as the most important meal of the necessary nutrients you need to get of the day, breakfast seems to take The oil makes the razor pick up the hair your day going. backseat to preparation and last minute easily and smoothly, and it won’t clog rehearsal. pores.

WANT TO BE SMARTER, MORE CREATIVE, AND MORE MOTIVATED? Get enough sleep!

Have you heard them bragging about it?

Managers, workers and business people of all stripes are telling about their 16hour days. They try to make it sound like a way to get ahead.

Inc. Magazine's Jason Fried thinks this message is one of the most harmful in all business. He says sustained exhaustion is a mark of stupidity. Scientists agree, saying IQ scores decline on each successive day you sleep less than you naturally would.

People pulling 16-hour days are exhausted. They're too tired to notice that their work has suffered because of it,

and their sleep debt compromises their health and creativity. And it affects people around them. The sleep deprived are ruder, less tolerant, less understanding, and they can't concentrate for sustained periods of time.

New workers and managers say when just getting started, they have to give it all they've got. But Fried says that the problem is that once started, they get in the habit and don't stop working that way. Even though they have seen many entrepreneurs and managers burn out following this pattern, they may continue to do it.

When you get plenty of sleep, you'll think better and be a better colleague and boss.

One reason: your brain is still active at night. It works through matters you can't address during the day. You can wake up with new solutions to problems.

In the long run, work is not more important than sleep. If you don't believer it, Fried says to consider this: You'll die faster without sleep than you will without food.

Nearly everything can wait until morning when you'll be well rested and able to be a creative problem solver.

BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016 | 9

TRAVEL TIPS

8 HOTEL SECRETS TO MAKE YOUR NEXT TRIP A SMOOTH ONE A hotel is supposed to be your oasis from the day's work, but too often it's filled with stress and hassle. Here are some tips to turn your next hotel stay from frustrating to fantastic.

Upgrades are easier than you think!

Scoring an upgrade is the dream of many business travelers, but many are usually relegated to their standard room.

1

The easiest way to get an upgrade is to simply ask. There's no harm in trying, and if a hotel has open spots, you might just get that suite you so crave. The desk clerk a long way. Aside from the money itself, almost always has the power to do what it the good gesture can ensure a job well done. takes to make you happy.

2

Hide your valuables.

Theft in hotels is an all-toocommon issue for the modern traveler. From a wallet to a phone charger, items are stolen on a near-daily basis. The way to avoid this is as simple as it is forgotten: hide your stuff. Before leaving for the work day, make sure to place all valuables in a drawer or safe.

3

A good tip goes a long way.

Hotel staffs work hard, especially those who clean your room on a daily basis. Hotel housekeepers have limited time and a multitude of rooms to clean — not exactly a walk in the park. If you want them to pay some extra attention to your room, a good tip can go 10 | BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016

4

Book your room at the right time.

When booking a last-minute stay, the best time to call is after the sun has already set. Calling in the morning will generally result in a pricier quote, with hotels still in the power position regarding reservations.

when changing sheets, then putting the same (unchanged) pillows back on the bed.

Products like the Verilux CleanWave UV-C Portable Sanitizing Travel Wand allow you to easily sterilize surfaces when you travel. Best Western and other hotel chains have begun to incorporate blacklight inspections and UV sterilization into their cleaning routines.

6

But after 6 pm, hotels open rooms created Avoid cancellation fees. by no-shows. With too many rooms Plans often change, and as a busy available and not enough guests, you can traveler, you may sometimes need score yourself a sweet discount. to make last-minute adjustments.

Unfortunately those adjustments can cost Get clean sheets. you considerable cash, coming out of your An undercover report by NBC bottom line.

News’s Rossen Report found that the dirtiest secret of hotels involves where This certainly applies to hotel cancellation you lay your head every night. They found fees, which hurt your wallet more than a maid throwing pillows on the ground they should.

5

You may be able to avoid cancellation fees If there’s a chance you will be returning at a later date. If you need to cancel a reservation within 24 hours of your expected stay, simply reschedule the reservation. If it turns out that your plans change again, you can cancel the reservation altogether, avoiding any cancellation fee.

7

Clean glasses yourself.

While giving the appearance of cleanliness, hotel glasses could be riddled with germs. The cleaning given to them is sometimes only cosmetic, with many glasses being "cleaned" without soap. Wash the glass yourself (bar soap or shampoo work fine), or use your own water bottles.

8

When in doubt, just ask.

Hotels may seem daunting, but in reality, they're like any other business. Policies are flexible and employees are helpful if treated with decency and respect.

Next time you want something done during your stay, simply ask.

SpeakerMatch Member Benefit

Instant Access to Exclusive Interviews!

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BEHIND THE PODIUM JUNE 2016 | 11

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AFTER TRYING TO KEEP YOUR OWN BUSINESS GOING ...

You could get the unexpected payoffs even if you fail.

The idea that failure brings rewards has become so venerated by business thinkers that you might think yourself lacking if you haven't suffered at least one calamitous disaster in your career.

if the person returns to the workforce at another company.

Using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Manso examined more than 5,000 people.

Statistics show that entrepreneurs make New research, reported at fortune.com by less than they could earn at a bigger Jennifer Alsever shows an unexpected company. After two years on their own, reward. For those who tried to start a they go back to salaried jobs where they business and failed, finance professor earn more than before.

Gustavo Manso of the University of Companies believe they'll get more bang California, Berkeley, says selfemployment may pay off in higher wages for their buck because of experience

gained. Returning people had skills gained from handling multiple problems, moving fast, and getting things done with limited resources.

John Reed, director at IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology, says big companies need that way of thinking.

It turns out that the sleepless nights about meeting payroll, long hours building software and doing customer research were valuable.

5 TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY WHEN RENTING A CAR 1. Next time you know you have a trip coming up, reserve a car immediately.

That way you’ll be taken care of if prices go up or if the supply disappears. You can always look again for better deals as your actual travel date approaches, and there’s no disadvantage to having a reservation you don’t use. Just cancel the original if you find a better deal.

2. Save on insurance. If your personal auto insurance or credit card don’t have

good rental car insurance coverage, look at a new product in the market from InsureMyRentalCar.com, where they charge a flat-rate fee at a much lower rate than you’d pay from the car rental agency.

3. Be careful when using the toll tag in rental cars. Some agencies will charge you a daily fee of $8 or more for EVERY DAY OF YOUR RENTAL, even if you only use the tag for one toll on one day of your trip.

4. Always decline to prepay for a tank of fuel. You will almost always be charged two or three times more in service charges than the going rate of gasoline.

5. Use your smartphone to document the condition of your rental car both when you pick it up and when you return it. It can save you lots of headaches. A quick video takes less than a minute and can protect you in the case of a dispute.