By Vilis Ozols, MBA, CSP
In the world of professional speaking, most professional speakers have either a “love it” or “hate it” perspective towards working for a public seminar company. Both perspectives are valid and it is important to recognize that this pathway into professional speaking has both benefits and drawbacks. Whether you have a love or hate perspective depends upon where you might be in your speaking career and how you position any affiliation with a public seminar company in relation to your professional growth.
Working For A Public Seminar Company
Living the high “volume/low price” life-style.
Some of N.S.A.’s brightest “stars” have utilized public seminars as a pathway to extremely successful and distinguished careers as acclaimed speakers and authors.
Just to name a few:
Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE
Larry Johnson, CSP
Marc Hardy
Mary Marcdante
Dr. Eugene Griessman
John Patrick Dolan, CSP CPAE
Barbara Mintzer
Lisa Ford, CSP, CPAE
Thelma Wells
Melanie Mills, CSP
Additionally, NSA speakers and authors are able to utilize the Public Seminar Companies as a venue for developing and marketing speaker products. Just to name a few:
Jack Canfield, CSP
John Patrick Dolan, CSP CPAE
W. Mitchell, CSP CPAE
Mark Victor Hansen CSP
Mark Sanborn, CSP CPAE
George Walther, CSP CPAE
The assignment process
The seminar dates are assigned by a bid process. Selection factors for you to be assigned a tour can include any of the following:
Your location relative to the seminar location
Speaker/trainer rating
Topic expertise
Back-of-the-room sales ratings
Product authorship
Favoritism
Number of topics you can present
Topic Areas: Just about anything goes and the trend in the industry is towards more specific topics and more technical topics.
Some Public Seminar Topic Areas
Organizational excellence
Computer software training
Management skills
Telephone skills
Self-managed teams
Time management
Coaching & team building
Communication skills
Business writing
Stress management
Internet training
Customer service
Self-esteem
Secretary skills
Grammar skills
Receptionist training
Telephone skills
Gender specific topics
Additional Opportunities
You can develop new topics:
You can develop and pilot a full seminar.
Or you can be the designated leader for a topic they develop.
Curriculum design departments are heavily involved in topic development
The seminar company will actively test, promote and role out the seminar.
However, only a select few seminars make it to full role out
You can author audio, video, literary products:
You author and produce – they sell your audio, video or book
You author – they produce and sell your stuff
They author and they produce and they sell the product
You produce or lead a seminar and they then market it as a product
How To Get On Board With A Public Seminar Company
Who are some of the players?
ETC w/ CareerTrack (subsidiary of TCI)
3085 Center Green Drive
Boulder, CO 80301
(800) 336-9972
Corporate Recruiter ext. 2559
American Management Association
1601 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
(212) 903-8407
Trainer contact: Kay Frost
National Seminars
6901 West 63rd Street
Shawnee Mission, KS 66201
(800) 258-7246
Attn: Faculty & Screening
Skillpath Seminars
6900 Squibb Road, Suite 300
Mission, KS 66201-2768
(800) 873-7545
Attn: Faculty Director
Fred Pryor Seminars
2000 Shawnee Mission Parkway
Shawnee Mission, KS 66205
(800) 255-6139
Attn: Seminar Leader Review Committee
Dun & Bradstreet Seminars
711 – 3rd Avenue, 5th floor
New York, NY 10017
(800) 964-4237
Attn: Marie Stamos
American Management Association
(Formerly Padgett-Thompson Seminars)
11221 Roe Avenue
Lee Wood, KS 66211
(913) 451-2700
Trainer recruiter: ext. 2950
How To Apply: Procedures vary for the different companies
cover letter
resume
bio package
demo video
interview
boot camp
Training, time frames and getting up to full speed
These factors vary according to the seminar companies
• Training: 3 days to 2 weeks, unpaid and some you pay them to attend training
• Time frames: Count on a full year to get up to full speed
The Process for getting to full speed:
1. Video demo used to screen applicants
2. You create an audition audio demo of a full day seminar
3. Corporate indoctrination (3-day to 2-week) session
4. Debut tour (substitution tour or standard booking process)
5. Test your limits of human endurance doing lots of seminars!
The Benefits Drawbacks and Realities of Working For A Public Seminar Company
Five Reasons To Never Work For A Public Seminar Company!
1. It’s too much like work!
2. It’s like leasing versus buying
3. Physical burnout
4. You develop a dependency relationship
5. The value/earnings ratio
Five Reasons This Might Be A Great Career Choice For You!
1. Experience and exposure
2. Booking/Marketing security
3. Resume builder
4. Instant access to the profession
5. Authorship
On-site seminars: The hidden seminar company market
You present to specific clients, not the general public
More personal, customized seminars
Multiple dates and repeat business bonus
No “back of the room” selling
Experience building
Client list building
More than just seminars:
Keynotes
Consulting
Retreats
Facilitation
Strategic Planning
Domestic and international travel opportunities: 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, Bahamas, Canadian provinces, United Kingdom (Scotland, England, Ireland), Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and more!
You can make it work for you,
or you can make it work for the seminar company …
or you can do both!
Vilis Ozols is the president of the Ozols Business Group, a leadership training, motivational speaking and business consulting firm founded in Golden, Colorado. He was also an independent contractor for ETC w/ CareerTrack, one of the largest international public seminar companies. In 1995 he was awarded their outstanding veteran trainer award and he is featured in the CareerTrack video series “The Team Doctor,” “The 5 Traits of Emerging Leaders,” “Excelling As A First-Time Supervisor (audio series).” He has spoken in all 50 States, in 9 Canadian provinces, in 7 other countries and on three other continents.