When it comes to topics in the speaking industry, you’re going to find “hard” or “soft.”

A “soft” topic is theoretical. It speaks in broad terms, as opposed to giving a person a strategy or system for change. “Personal growth,” “mindset,” and “influence” are examples of soft topics.

A “hard” topic is designed to effect change and get results. It would normally include a specific system or process for applying information in people’s lives. “7 Steps to Seven-Figure Sales” is a hard topic.

It’s Hard to Make Money with Soft Topics

Soft topics are appropriate in your coaching and teaching, or for keynotes, and they will sell some books as well, but if you’re trying to make money in back-of-the-room sales, they’re not a lucrative way to go.

The soft topic may be ground-breaking and fascinating, but if people aren’t shown how to apply the material, there’s no compelling reason to buy.

In addition, it’s difficult to even get speaking engagements, because promoters know that soft topics don’t sell. And since they’re typically receiving half of your sales, they’d be reluctant to book you.

A hard topic is another story. Promoters will book you, and people will shell out money for your products or programs, because they’re clearly designed to help people change their lives or businesses in specific ways.

Put a Hard Shell Around It

Thankfully, you can put a hard shell around almost any soft topic by articulating the specific system or strategy that allows purchasers to apply what they learn.

For instance, Ali Brown’s and my program,“7 Mindset and Manifesting Secrets of Multimillionaire Entrepreneurs,” is a hard shell around the soft topic of “mindset.”

Other examples include:

Soft: Finding Love After Divorce
Hard: 7 Never-Fail Steps to the Perfect First Date

Soft: The Science of Persuasion
Hard: 4 Pillars of Influence to Motivate the Most Skeptical Buyer

When you’re creating your hard shell, you want to use words such as:

Blueprint
Strategic plan
Step-by-step
Process
System

But creating a hard shell is not just about the words you use. You want to think hard as well, which may require a mindset shift of your own.

How to Think “Hard”

If you’re in the habit of thinking in broad, theoretical terms, start focusing on how other people can apply what you’re teaching.

What is the plan or process or system in what you teach? How can other people get results from it? And what are those results likely to be?

Once you start creating your products and speech topics with the results of your clients at the forefront, it won’t be long before you start seeing better results as well.

You’ll get more speaking gigs, you’ll sell more products and programs, your promoters will be happy, and your clients will finally experience the change that they’ve been seeking in their lives.

PS: The Neagle Code: Directions for Life is a weekly no-cost
program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.DavidNeagle.com/ask-david to participate.

PS: The Neagle Code: Directions for Life is a weekly no-cost
program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.DavidNeagle.com/ask-david to participate.

A few weeks ago I told you that your order form should include a written guarantee on the product that you’re selling in the back of the room.

Here’s why: The number of people who will actually return a product is very small, while the confidence that your guarantee provides can increase sales dramatically.

A guarantee lowers the level of risk in people’s minds, thus calming their fears, and helping them to get off the fence.

Longer Is Better

This may surprise you, but the longer the guarantee on your product, the fewer returns you’re likely to get.

That’s right, you’ll get fewer returns on a 12-month guarantee than you would on a guarantee that’s good for 30 days. Why? With a longer guarantee, people won’t feel the urgency to act, and so they’re less likely to do so.

Urgency to buy works in your favor. But urgency on the buyer to decide if they love and want to keep what they bought ~ that works against you.

So when you structure your guarantees, think like a quarterback, and go long.

Different Guarantees for Different Situations

When it comes to guarantees, one size does not fit all. You want the right guarantee for your situation, and in some cases, that’s no guarantee at all.

Coaching. I do NOT offer a guarantee for coaching, because, in order to get results, you have to do what I show you how to do. I can give you great information, the best information in the world, but there’s absolutely nothing that I can do to make you apply it.

Seminars. Currently, I offer a first-day guarantee on seminars. By the end of the first day, I should be able to show attendees enough value for them to want to stay for the length of our seminar.

Therefore, if they’re not absolutely convinced by the end of the first day that the seminar is everything we said it would be, we refund their entrance fee, plus reimburse them for up to $500 in travel expenses. The expenses need to be documented, of course.

Good Guarantees = Good Business

You're in business for life. You want to establish credibility. And you want people out there saying great things about you. Anything that you can do to make the experience with you and your company a fantastic one is better for you.

Show your clients that you and your company are top notch. Do it to the best of your ability.

Now, there will be some people you can't satisfy, no matter what you do. Don’t get overly upset about them.

Turn your attention to the other 99%, who will appreciate your efforts. They will be more likely to purchase because of your guarantee, and then, in all likelihood, never use it.

PS: The Neagle Code: Directions for Life is a weekly no-cost
program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.DavidNeagle.com/ask-david to participate.

PS: The Neagle Code: Directions for Life is a weekly no-cost
program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.DavidNeagle.com/ask-david to participate.

PS: The Neagle Code: Directions for Life is a weekly no-cost
program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.DavidNeagle.com/ask-david to participate.

You’re in the home stretch of your presentation ~ the close. You’ve talked about the features of your program, told the audience the results they’re going to get, and the staff has just passed out the order forms.

Now, it’s time to answer an important question for the audience: Is the price right?

“Right” is not synonymous with “cheap.”

Find the Sweet Spot

“Right” is that sweet spot, the price point at which the product or program sells the best and brings you the most returns.

To find that sweet spot for your product, I encourage you to aim high initially, and then experiment. Raise and lower the price, until you find that magical, maximum price point that sells great.

If you want to speak at bigger conferences, you definitely want to aim high in your pricing. Promoters, who typically get 50% of your sales, just won’t make enough money if your packages are priced low, say at $49 or $149.

To make it worth their while, promoters are looking for packages that cost $800, $1,000, $2,000, or $5,000.

Of course, if you’re just starting out, smaller organizations will be happy to have you speak with your lower price points. And you can still make a very good income, while you gain experience and work up to those higher figures.

Discount or Value-Add?

During your presentation, you want to offer an incentive for your audience to buy now. One approach is to offer them a substantial discount if they purchase that day. Another is to add extra value through bonuses, creating a special package just for them if they purchase at your talk.

I have done it both ways, and, frankly, I don’t like discounting.

There are times, however, when it might be the right choice ~ for instance, if you’re talking to an audience with a strong poverty mindset.

If you are going to discount, 20% with some added value is probably the best place to be. I never would go beyond 30% in any case. Even with bargain shoppers, a 50% or 60% discount sets up a subconscious contradiction that says the product must not be very good.

So if you discount too much ~ or set your initial prices too low ~ you could actually lose sales you would have gotten if you’d raised your own bar a little higher.

Rather than discounting, I strongly prefer to add extra value to what I’m selling. That way the price seems like a bargain because they’re getting so much more than what they’re paying for.

For instance, I might add a book, a special report, a 15-minute consultation or another program: “If you purchase The Science of Getting Rich here today, I’ll give you a copy of Just Believe, which is a $195 value.” The audience will really appreciate that.

What About Cafeteria Pricing?

Cafeteria-style pricing is where you’ve got six, seven, eight, or nine products for sale at your table in the back of the room. The audience gets to pick and choose among a $97 program, a $12 book, a $597 program, etc.

Some people, including my mentor, do well with cafeteria pricing, but I don’t recommend it.

You’ll actually make more money if you bundle all of those same products into one or two packages. You could have one with a higher price point of $1,400 or $1,500, and another with a lower price point of say, $700 or $800.

The Bottom Line

Whichever approach you use, don’t forget that the audience is looking for a result, and if you’ve followed my steps to the tee, they’re going to be willing to pay for it.

Ask yourself: what is the value of the transformation I’m offering? What will it save them in time and money? What impact will it have on their lives?

Once you have a genuine handle on that, set your price accordingly.

PS: The Neagle Code: Directions for Life is a weekly no-cost
program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.DavidNeagle.com/ask-david to participate.

PS: The Neagle Code: Directions for Life is a weekly no-cost
program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.DavidNeagle.com/ask-david to participate.