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ARTICLE
Q: These days you’re a well-known figure in the events industry, speaking at high profile conferences all over the world, but where did your career start?

A: My path, like many of yours, has been quite varied. I played in bar bands, did general contracting, installed burglar alarms and went to college, first for accounting and then changed to marketing. After working for the largest ad agency in the US, I bounced from retail management to selling cars – which is where my real sales education started.

Q: How did you get involved with the wedding and events industry?

A: My friend bought a wedding magazine franchise and wanted me to come sell for him. It was a new industry and a commission-only sales job. The job I was working had a company car, paid benefits and I was making good money… but I hated it! I left that security for the wedding industry, selling ads for the magazine. Oh, and to add to the pressure of a new industry and solely commission-based income, my wife was pregnant with our second child. After selling for the magazines (the original one had been extended to two titles) for five years, we bought them and my wife and I became wedding magazine publishers! After about another five years the main company wanted me to come work for them, so we sold them our magazines. A few months later, the company was purchased by The Knot, and I soon progressed from Regional Sales Director to become Vice President of Sales.

Q: How did you get started as a conference speaker?

I started speaking for my advertisers when I was publishing the magazines. My goal was somewhat selfish, as I wanted to help these small businesses learn the business side of what they were doing better, so they wouldn’t go out of business and would keep paying me to advertise! Then, when I started at The Knot, the Vice President of Sales was asked to speak at an event and he told me that I was going to go instead and represent the company. From that point on I became the main business speaker for the The Knot.

Q: At what point did you realise that you wanted to become a full-time professional speaker and trainer?

At first I didn’t consider myself a professional speaker as it was only part of my role at The Knot. In 2007 I joined the National Speakers Association and realised that I was already a professional speaker… but it was still only part of my job. When I left The Knot in 2011 I began my career as a full-time professional speaker, business consultant and author. It wasn’t really a goal. It was more like the perfect career that found me.

Q: What do you think is the biggest issue facing event professionals, and especially mobile DJs, today?

The barrier to entry in the event industry is very low. As there’s no degree or licensing required for most event pros, people get in, often not realising what’s involved in managing a successful business. Many start as part-time and then make the transition to this being their sole source of income. The biggest challenge is that having the technical skills and talent to be a mobile DJ doesn’t qualify you to run a successful business. They are two completely different skillsets.

When we do a Mastermind Sales Training Day, like the one coming up adjacent to the 2020 Pro Mobile Conference, we focus on the sales circuit: Get their attention > Get an enquiry > Have a conversation > Make the sale. This is designed to help mobile DJs learn the skills you need to be more profitable in your business.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 99, Pages 60-64.
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BY DAVID ABBOTT

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