Andrea Reynolds answers Frequently Asked Questions

1. What do you do exactly?
I am a consultant who specializes in assisting entrepreneurial individuals who have only their specialized advice, knowledge, expertise to sell, to become as recognized, as popular and as wealthy as a Julia Child, a Suze Orman, a Dr. Phil, or a Steve Irwin... if you want to. (Not everyone does.) You can hire a publicist to make you famous, but fame alone doesn't bring you income. My work with you - personal public relations campaigns, advice, mentoring, materials - is geared to bringing income opportunities to you without either of us knocking on doors.

If you are willing to invest in yourself I see no reason why you can't be earning at least $400,000 - $500,000 a year by selling your advice, wisdom, and opinion. Think: Dr. Phil, Martha Stewart, Julia Child, Heloise, John Walsh, Sue Johanson, Warren Eckstein, Steve Irwin, Kim Komando... and you. If you aren't earning that kind of money my work with you will help you achieve your financial goals as a leading authority.
 
2. What if I can't afford your fees?
Lots of people tell me that money is tight. I think they are just not budgeting properly. The real truth is, investing in smart advice and marketing is not a top priority for them. You should read my responses to people which I've written and placed on this site. I'm not very sympathetic.... if you really want something you'll find a way to finance it. If you don't want to find the money to invest in yourself, then you don't have what it takes to be a successful leading authority.
Keep in mind, my work with you is geared toward increasing your income significantly as quickly as possible. If you have to sacrifice for a short time to save money to invest in your future, that's a smart thing.

Smart Move #1: Have me look over your budget. I can find at least $500 in your budget, maybe more, to hire me. If not, I'll refund your fee.

Smart Move #2: Hire me for 30 minutes at a time. Get advice in baby steps to position yourself and increase your consulting income so you can hire me for additional services.
 
3. What's your success rate with clients?
Truthfully, I don't know. My clients are under no obligation to tell me, even if I'd like to know. Many people will hire me only for a consultation or two. Then I don't hear from them. I'd say only 1 in 200 people will actually follow through on any advice or ideas I give them. In most cases they either aren't committed, or give up because they don't like to expend much effort, or prefer to use ineffective marketing methods instead. I call this self-sabotage.

I encourage new clients to commit to a month-long campaign. Read the 32 qualities I look for in potential clients that tell me they have success potential.
 
4. Will you syndicate my newspaper column for a percentage of the income you get me?
No.... but I will teach you how to do it yourself after you read the manual I wrote. You may hire me on a fee-basis to promote your column, but first I'd need to see your column proposal and several sample columns (in confidence) to assess its marketability.
 
5. Will you help me get my own radio show and syndicate it for a percentage of the income you get me?
No.... but I will work with you to help you do it yourself properly. I've done it. You can hire me for a series of short consults or a full hour tutorial. First, I'd need to see your written concept (in confidence) to understand what you want to do.
 
6. Will you represent me as a speaker?
That depends on what representation means to you. I find most people mistakenly think representation means telemarketing services, or free marketing campaigns to drum up business for them. I do neither.

I do provide an affordable online speaker directory and you may be listed for a year.

I WILL do either of these two things for you:

1. If you are already receiving speaking invitations but don't want to handle the bookings, or think you aren't getting paid what you deserve, I will negotiate your fees, amenities, and contracts and confirm all the fiddly details in writing. I will charge only a percentage of the speaking fee I negotiate for you for this one service only. OR....

2. If you want to do your own bookings, I can be your silent, behind-the-scenes speaker advocate, showing you better ways to negotiate for better fees, amenities and contract terms; how to propose a presentation so you almost always get the booking; how to NOT leave money on the table; and how to deliver a more professional presentation worth the speaking fee you will be paid.

Have you read all my articles and essays on Speaking on this site?
 
7. Can you tell me how you charge for your services? Do you charge a percentage of the speaking engagement you book for a person?
If you hire me for advice I charge a fee. (FYI, no professional I know generates bookings for speakers on speculation.)

When you refer or bring me a speaking engagement so I can negotiate a higher fee, expenses, and quantity book sales for you, I charge a percentage of the amount I negotiate for you (with a minimum), or a straight fee we agree on in advance. The percentage is lower if you are already a paying client of mine.

You may want to read my philosophy on fees on my fees page. Let me know how I can assist you.
 
8. Will you market my articles to magazines for me?
No, you should market your own work yourself. If you don't know how, order the transcript from my seminar, Make $1000 to $5000 a Month Writing Articles for Magazines. You can find it on this site.
 
9. If I pay you to market my column, my radio show, my speaking, how do I know you're not just taking my money?

As for just taking money, I don't.

Not long ago, I returned a $3,000 deposit because I discovered the client's credentials weren't strong enough to build confidence in the minds of the media and press. He was more flash than substance and that isn't marketable, so I declined the project. I have a standard of ethics to which I hold myself.
 
10. I need startup money. Will you invest in my company?
No, but I can show you how to attract private investors. You can use the same documents I used to attract $30,000 for a book publishing project. You can use them as a template for your own documents to generate as much as a few million dollars. And I can assist you with the writing and presentation. Look on this site for my Angel Attraction Kit.
 
11. Will you publicize my novel and get me great reviews?
No, I don't do that. Rather than promote tangible products like books - never novels - I work with people who promoted an intangible... their specialized advice, knowledge and wisdom.

I promote the expertise of authorities who may have written a how-to book in their area of expertise. And very likely they have packaged and sold their expertise in various formats: newsletters, columns, booklets, speeches, articles, seminars, classes, consultations, speeches, tapes, videos, etc., too. A client's book may receive favorable exposure, but book sales -- no matter how extraordinary -- are actually only - and should be only - a small part of an expert's income. Even if your book sales represent $100,000, that still should be only a small part of your income.

Therefore, authors -- those who write books on a wide variety of subjects or fiction and sell nothing else -- would do better to find a publicist who promotes only books.
 
12. Do you do publicity campaigns?
I create personal public relations campaigns, which can include publicity, to position clients and generate visibility and recognition. Every campaign is different. I do for experts what sports marketing firms do for athletes. Mostly I teach experts to be their own marketing firm... which is what I did for myself when I first started out.

I design positioning, visibility, and promotional campaigns to elevate experts to become people who enjoy good incomes by selling advice as consultants, speakers, columnists, expert witnesses, talk show hosts or commentators.

Before mentoring someone to be visible I always looked at the whole package. For example, the way a person interacts with others: his ethics, his everyday etiquette, his customer service policy, his strategic marketing choices, the speaking invitations he accepts, the kind of clients he chooses to work with, how he answers the phone, the methods with which he promotes himself as an expert, how he describes himself to others, what he wishes to leave the world, how and with whom he networks, and more.

Oh, and very important: how you treat me, too! If, like some, you choose to treat me like a subordinate rather than as a professional in private practice for more than 30 years, I will choose not to work with you. When I am treated with angry demands or disrespect - which happens often - I don't respond. I'm running a business, not a charity.

David Ogilvy, founder of advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather, once said, "The quickest way to kill a mediocre product is to make people aware of it." I won't work with individuals who don't have a clear sense of their expertise, their purpose and goals. I won't work with an individual who is not willing to invest in his own career or accept the risks. When I work with someone, together we work to make a client's presentation to the world an authentic and consistently superb one in all areas.
 
13. Isn't what you do "branding"?
I have a degree in marketing and since graduation in 1973 have studied and practiced marketing continuously for the past 30+ years. Branding is a marketing buzzword which is very appropriate for products and companies, but in my opinion, definitely not for people who sell their advice. Branding requires giving away advice and information. Experts make their living from selling their advice; giving it away may make them famous... but bankrupt! Besides... the image of a hot branding iron on human skin makes me cringe.
 
14. What's the biggest difference between what you advocate and what branding experts advocate?
The number one difference -- there are others -- is that branding experts urge you to give away free e-booklets, free articles, free newsletter subscriptions, free consulting and advice, and sometimes free talks. Since these are the very formats in which consultants SELL their advice I strongly oppose giving these services away for free. This has made me a maverick in the eyes of many Internet Marketing people. But if you study the celebrity experts... they don't give away their advice for free; they always get paid.
 
15. Why should I take a class from you? Some of the other "experts" who teach professionals how to market their practices have been in business for a long time: two years and five years. How long has Andrea Reynolds International been in business?
I've been an independent consultant in private practice, full-time since 1977. I started this business in 1979. That's a total of 30 years on my own doing this work. I've been self-employed and self-supporting as a consultant since 1977.

Why not ask those other experts if they must hold full-time employment elsewhere while they build their practice!
 
16. I'm a Public Relations expert like you; may I teach your methods to my clients?
Yes, but only if you are willing to participate in a licensing arrangement with me to compensate me for the use of my proprietary information. If yes, then I am certainly happy to discuss the terms with you.
 
17. I already have a publicist who has been generating print coverage and talk radio appearances for my book. Will you work with my book publicist?
Sorry, but no. If the person you hired isn't delivering the desired message to the public I can't undo it. You should talk to me before you sign a book contract or you may be paying unwittingly for book promotion services that don't serve you well. Talk to me for 30 minutes and I will explain how you can not only promote books, but also effortlessly generate paying assignments that pay for your marketing and promotion, and support you financially.
 
18. What happened to the ExpertsWhoSpeak.org web site? Are you no longer a speaker agent?
Rather than a speaker's agent, I'm an advocate, a better term for what I do for speakers. If you don't want to hire me to provide public relations campaigns for you, you may prefer my new project. I am re-establishing Commission Free Speakers, a very affordable international directory of experts who speak.

People - mostly unknowns who weren't celebrity drawing cards - thought I should conduct myself as a literary agent or real estate agent working on a percentage of the sale. That doesn't work because it's too easy to eliminate me from the negotiation process and then I don't get paid. And too many were willing to speak for free to promote books, again eliminating the need to pay me my commission.

What they didn't understand is that I conduct intensive multi-year public relations campaigns to make those unknown individuals into celebrities. I can't tell you how many people each day tell me they expect me to provide my public relations campaigns for free... and then became angry when I say no. Here's a typical reply I receive when I refuse to conduct free campaigns for authors:

Instead of you using your talents to truly help people and in some way help to make the world a better place you capitalise on it. Not only financially but you also I think feed your ego with it. Andrea..... you can still make money  and help people and show them how to not only make a better life but also be better citizens, better fathers, mothers and so on. It doesn't have to evolve around who can pay how much or when. You should look to the heart and soul of the individual and then decide rather if they are worth your time and effort.

The speaker contract negotiation service I currently offer is meant for speakers who are already receiving fees of $10,000 or more per keynote and are receiving inquiries and invitations that they don't want to handle by themselves. However, I realized that people contacting me were unknowns who expected to be marketed for free. So I created the online speaker directory, Commission-Free Speakers. Indirect marketing for $89.00 a year. Any speaker who cannot afford $89 a year shouldn't be promoting themselves as professional speakers.
 
19. Have you moved?
Yes, in May 2005 I relocated from Lake City, Pennsylvania to St. Catharines, Ontario. I'm 15 miles from the US border near Niagara Falls. Buffalo NY is nearby. Also, as of Sept. 2006, my phone number and email address changed. You will find my current US and Canadian mailing addresses on the contact page.  However, my home is currently on the market so I will be moving again soon, out of this area.

20. How can I hire you for specific advice about marketing myself that doesn't cost a bundle of money a month?
Tell me what you want. If you don't see what meets your objectives tell me what objectives you want to accomplish and what your monthly budget is. Then I can offer you some options. Also, you can pay by the minute if you wish and set a time/fee limit in advance.
 
21. Do you still offer residential programs in your home?
Sometimes, but not currently. This is something I started when I owned a bed and breakfast for experts and authors in Toronto in 1997. Occasionally I offer intensive, weekend residential programs for one or two individuals (and their spouses) as a test. These residential weekend programs are limited to one weekend a month. Nobody has enrolled in over 10 years.
Included in the cost are private room accommodation for the weekend, breakfast, lunch, and snacks, parking, 15 hours of intensive tutorials - Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday - on the subject of your choice, and materials.

You will get your money's worth with this method of education. The cost varies according to demand. My usually hourly consulting rate is $450 an hour so you're getting a high value program.

Choose the weekend you want for a weekend seminar: Build a One Person Advice Empire. There is a non-refundable deposit and the balance is payable on your arrival.

I am currently readying my condo for sale so I can move to a better location.
 
22. Is it OK if I phone you to talk about my future?

Let's start with an email first. While I like to meet voice-to-voice and face to face, I'm finding that most of my day is spent on the phone answering questions that are answered on this web site and this FAQ. That means I'm repeating what is already available to read here and I want to have more time to do income-generating and client work. I'm often on deadline and long calls are usually a waste of time.

Also I found that people don't pay attention to the ideas and recommendations I give them in our initial phone call and I end up having to repeat myself in subsequent emails so the phone call was a waste of time.

So email me first. If you call for advice without an appointment I'll need to charge you for my time and advice. So have your credit card handy.

Telephone Consultation (US $10 per minute): You can ask or talk about anything you like for as long as you like. www.AndreaReynolds.com/hotline.html
 
23. What are your office hours?
I'm in the Eastern time zone, same as New York and Toronto. I write from 8 AM to Noon every day, seven days week. This is my quiet time; I don't like interruptions, including phone calls. I take lunch from Noon to 1 PM; 1-5 PM is reserved for paid consults with clients, and I do administrative things from 5-6 PM. Evenings, I work at 3 other businesses from 6 PM to midnight, seven days a week, helping people move from poverty to prosperity.

So you can see that my schedule doesn't allow phone inquiries on subjects already covered on this page. But if you're willing to pay me $600 an hour - or $10 per minute - to do it, I'm happy to read this page to you. (wink)
 
24. Do you do any direct selling of my services, like call meeting planners to get me paid speaking assignments?
An emphatic no!

First of all conventional selling is a waste of my time and your time because it's ineffective. Second, that method of marketing diminishes your prestige and reputation (and mine). Third, why would you want to knock on doors, hat in hand, when you can have paying assignments come to you effortlessly in a more professional and sophisticated manner? And fourth, meeting planners only book speakers recommended by other meeting planners. And fifth, I teach my clients to do the opposite.

PLEASE NOTE: I work only with people who think like entrepreneurs. Anyone who asks me this question again will receive only a short reply from me. (Because I'll know they haven't read this FAQ before asking me.)
 
25. Why don't you like talking on the phone?
I'm a businesswoman. This is not a hobby, or a nonprofit organization. I run a business and have only so many hours in a day to work with clients or write. I have to limit my time. See the answer directly above. Chatting is not productive and I have discovered that whatever wisdom I impart on the phone in a free call is forgotten and has to be repeated in writing anyway. So it's wasted time. Most of what you ask me is already posted on this web site (on this very FAQ). I have little time to explain to people one by one what already appears here. I prefer to work with smart people who want a tell-it-like-it is mentor like me who won't waste their precious time and money. Value my time and I'll value your time and investment. Read my rant on CommissionFreeSpeakers.com/rant.html

That said, I offer many things for people who want me to provide services, but aren't prepared to pay for them. Periodically I offer contests, large discounts and other short term specials. Sadly, few people will make the effort to take advantage of them.
 
26. Can I place an order by phone or in person?
Yes, in addition to Paypal, I can take your credit card order on the spot or by phone....

See the payment page: I can also accept PayPal payments by mobile phone; text message or voice mail. I believe you need a PayPal account, to have your phone activated, and to create a pin number. Text: 729725 (PAYPAL) or Voicemail: (800) 472-9725 (4PAYPAL). Send to my cell phone: (905) 708-3081. Please place phone orders to my office phone.
 
27. Do you offer a guarantee on your speaker directory listings?
I can't because most factors are beyond my control, and much of it is in your control:

  • Which topics will draw attention from meeting planners.
  • Where engagements will be located, and where you are located.
  • Which speakers have the credentials and experience meeting planners are looking for.
  • How famous you are... unless you hire me to conduct a campaign to make you a "drawing card".
  • The economy.
  • Acts of God.
  • The amount you decide to charge for speaking... unless you ask me to negotiate your fees and contracts for you.
  • Your reputation.
  • Your visibility.
  • Your experience.
  • Your professionalism.
  • Your content and presentation.
  • Etc., etc.

Read my article on CommissionFreeSpeakers, 10 Reasons why you may not be getting any speaking engagements from your speaker profile on this online speaker directory... and what you can do to reverse your results

The directory listing is only $89.00 a year ($7.42 a month). That's peanuts compared to the kind of money - hundreds of thousands of dollars - you could be earning. If you need a guarantee for a $89 investment, I think you should re-think your plan. Entrepreneurs take risks; if this is too big a risk for you, you might do better working for someone else instead of yourself.
 
28. Why can't you provide client references?
There are 5 very good reasons.

a. I lost everything when I had to flee from a dangerous stalker in 1998 and left everything behind to hide out in semi-seclusion for 8 years. (It wasn't a lover, but my landlord and his prison-mates, one of whom broke into my home in the middle of the night.) I realize there is a stigma attached to my being targeted - it's called "blame-the-victim syndrome" - which makes no sense to me. People treat me as though I'm dishonorable for staying alive. I would have thought that people would respect me because I had the courage and good conscience to identify the man who broke into my home and a dozen of my neighbor's homes, but I was wrong. People don't want to hire a "good citizen". Why is that?

Beats me. I'd rather learn from someone who has the courage and bravery to do the right thing and fight like hell to stay alive and unharmed so she can start over no matter how old she is. Wouldn't you? If you're going to hand over your hard-earned money to someone, you want to hire someone who will not abdicate responsibility, keep quiet, nor allow bad people to do bad things to innocent people. The next person I go to bat for could be you.

Anyway, all my client files were lost. I've been able to reconstruct a client list from memory, but I wouldn't know how to find any of my clients from past decades and it's likely they might not remember me or what I helped them achieve. And I'm sure some have died.

b. Many of my clients don't want me to reveal that they hired someone to make them wealthy. They want their publics and audiences to think they got where they are all on their own. That doesn't help me, but it isn't their responsibility to take care of my needs.

c. Most of my clients didn't hire me for campaigns, but for advice. I don't reveal their names... just as doctors, lawyers, and therapists don't disclose names of clients.

d. There is a better way to find out what I can do for you: read my reports and manuals. That's the best way to get into my brain and see for yourself if my advice is sound. Make your own judgment; don't rely on testimonials from people you don't know. If you look you will find a series of 12 sequential baby steps that I created just so you could build your trust in my work. The first 7 steps require no larger investment than $50 each. If you can't get a feel for my competence, creativity, and practicality by step #7 then please don't hire me for anything else.

And if you can't manage $50, you just aren't ready to build a half-million or multi-million dollar advice empire.

e. You can also read some of the audience evaluations I received, some of the reference letters that were part of my manual masters, and see a list of some of the interviews (incomplete list) I did on radio, TV, and in newspapers.

30. I have an idea for an e-book. What would you charge me to write this book? Would you do it for a % of the sales?

You don't say what kind of book. I would first need to know what the subject is. I write how-to books. If it's not a book I can feel passionate about I won't accept the assignment.

My work-for-hire rates start at $3,000 for a 3,000 word booklet (24 pages) and can be as high as $50,000 for a 200 page book (50,000 words). I require a deposit and a signed agreement before I begin any work.

If I do all the research, writing, fact checking, editing, proofreading, formatting, publishing, promotion, selling and distributing of the book, it is, essentially, my book and I should have 95% of the net revenues; you can have a 5% (net) royalty for your "idea". If I don't use your idea at all, there won't be a royalty.

I do not work for a percentage when I have no control over promotion and sales. If no books are sold, then I would receive nothing for possibly 6 months of full-time work. That's not a contract I want to enter into.

END