November 21, 2024
53: The Six Secrets to Becoming a Highly Paid, Highly Booked Speaker with Elizabeth McCormick
Jacqueline sits down with the unstoppable Elizabeth McCormick, who traded her flight suit for the spotlight.
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Are you chasing stages — or building a speaking empire? Listen in!
In this episode, Jacqueline sits down with the unstoppable Elizabeth McCormick, who traded her flight suit for the spotlight. From soaring the skies to owning the mic, Elizabeth shares her riveting journey of becoming a top motivational speaker. She spills the beans on her transition from military heroics to corporate stages, the hurdles of imposter syndrome, and the six secrets every aspiring speaker needs to know.
Buckle up as we dive into tales of perseverance, humour, the power of embracing new paths, and high-flying success that will leave you inspired and ready to take on your own challenges!
Tune in, get inspired, and perhaps you’ll find the courage to pilot your own journey into uncharted territories!
WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:
- How school career days ignited this former Black Hawk helicopter pilot’s speaking career (01:18)
- The game-changing moment when Elizabeth realised speaking could be a paid gig (03:38)
- The severance package that funded the early months of Elizabeth’s speaking business (07:32)
- How Elizabeth landed a lunch with a speaker bureau rep (11:08)
- Why honing your message is the essential first step (14:51)
- How starting with just “one ripple” in marketing builds lasting impact (18:27)
- Why a website is essential for a speaker, plus tips for making it SEO-friendly and audience-focused (20:30)
- The importance of quality video to showcase your speaking and mitigate risks for event planners (27:33)
- Why your debut book could make or break your reputation — and boost your speaking career (28:35)
- Want to become a powerhouse speaker? It all starts with 100 gigs (30:11)
- Navigating imposter syndrome and reframing your mindset (34:22)
- Bringing the audience into your story and creating an experience that resonates (38:32)
- How one Tweet turned into a ripple effect and why all speakers have a role in building diverse stages (44:21)
- The power of referrals (49:24)
- Elizabeth’s go-to strategy for leveraging LinkedIn testimonials (52:39)
QUOTES
“The big mistake that speakers do is, we vomit — word vomit — all the stuff about who we are, and we try to sell them on who we are. Stop. Ask questions. Take a breath. Ask questions. Find out if you’re a good fit first before you start doing that.” – Elizabeth McCormick
“It’s still challenging to get emerging speakers to understand: You have to nail your lane. You absolutely must know your message, you must know who it’s for, and you need to be able to say no to the wrong ones.” – Jacqueline Brooker
“The biggest mistake I see speakers make is using their name as their domain. You want to own it and redirect it — that’s fine — but that’s not helping your search. So something that tells them what you do or the solution you provide in that.” – Elizabeth McCormick
“You need the website to drive your SEO. you need your website to drive critical mass. And your website, you have more chance of owning that real estate in future than anything you’re doing on socials. It’s the one that should not disappear.” – Jacqueline Brooker
“You’re going to have to speak for free to start with, but make it strategically free, because you’ve got to build the reps. There’s no other way through it. You’ve got to get in the arena.” – Jacqueline Brooker
“Your story is not about you. Your story is the resource, the experience that gets them where the client wants the audience to be, where this client’s boss wants the audience to be, where the client wants to be. So the first thing is, how are you taking your story and putting them in it?” – Elizabeth McCormick
RESOURCES
Bookability Factor by Elizabeth McCormick
The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell
If you are on a mission to amplify your message to make a more meaningful impact, and you’d love to join a vibrant community of people all harnessing the power of speaking we’d love you to join us in our private Facebook group. Here you will gain access to exclusive live trainings, free resources and the opportunity to ask Jacqueline anything. It’s all designed to take the speaking game to the next level. We can’t wait to welcome you. Join here : https://www.facebook.com/groups/paidspeakerbreakthrough
WHERE TO FIND JACQUELINE NAGLE
To connect and learn more about creating a Speaker Driven Business connect with Jacqueline on LinkedIn. You can also follow Jacqueline on Instagram or join the private Facebook group
Join the Speak More Collective.
WHERE TO FIND ELIZABETH MCCORMICK