Reality Check with Craig Price

Ed Rigsbee (@edrigsbee on Twitter) joins host Craig Price to talk about the ROI of association membership. Many of podcast listeners are either currently part of an association or even in the leadership of that association. My first question: When are you booking me for your next event? My second question: What are you doing to grow or at the least maintaining your membership? I hear from associations all across the country that they’re always worried about the membership numbers. People don’t see associations in the same light anymore. Thankfully Ed’s got a new book called The ROI of Membership-Today's Missing Link for Explosive Growth.  This is what he does, find ways for associations to increase membership by increasing their value to their members. The two talk about how to stop giving the cow, the milk and anything else bovine-related away for free.

If you don’t know Ed, he’s also the founder of Cigar PEG which is a charity that raises money for several charities but especially the National Speakers Association Foundation. I’ve partnered with Ed to create Cigar PEG radio, a weekly podcast highlighting some of the people you might find hanging out in the Cigar PEG suite at the NSA convention.

APP BONUS: I've added the first episode with me interviewing Larry Winget so be sure to check it out and if you like it, subscribe to that podcast as well.

Don Cooper (@DonCooper on twitter) joins host Craig Price to discuss pricing. Figuring out how much to charge, when to increase or decrease fees or even when to discount fees can be a challenge for many. Often, in a services environment where competitors fees are rarely publicized, it can be difficult to balance getting what you are worth with what customers are willing to pay. Often people judge you by your price. Too low and you must not be worth the money, too high and you're out of their budgets. Don helps Craig navigate through the maze and offers great tips on why you shouldn't discount your fees, should you be the best bargain in an industry or should your fee reflect your expertise and results.  The two also talk about the emotional side of increasing fees. It can be a scary proposition for many who don't want to price themselves out of their market. If you are a professional speaker, this is a great listen!

Don Cooper can be found at the self titled  http://www.DonCooper.com

Sylvie di Giusto (@sylviedigiusto on twitter) joins host Craig Price to discuss professional image. If you're like Craig, hearing the term "image consultant" makes you think of executive make-overs and suit fittings with strange old men running measuring tapes into your crotch. But there is more to a professional image than just clothes. Sylvie and Craig talk about how you present yourself digitally, in person as well as socially. It's not just looking good, but acting good and being perceived as a professional all while still being authentic to who you are. They also discuss the casualization (is that a word?) in the work place. Not just in appearance but in attitude as well. This image stuff is all pretty foreign to a jeans and ballcap guy like Craig but having the appropriate image at the proper time and proper position in the workplace is a reality of life and Sylvie offers some great advice.

You can learn more about Sylvie at www.executive-image-consulting.com

Kirby Lammers (@kirbydynabiz on twitter) returns to discuss his book Mind, Body and Business: The New Generation of Leaders with host Craig Price. Leadership and leadership styles need to adapt for businesses to thrive if not just survive. Kirby and Craig discuss the first book in a series on leadership in which they discuss Ted Williams, managers vs. leaders, grooming potential and how to properly return a failed leader back into their original position. Kirby's book aims to energize the workforce, strengthen business with a “FEEL GOOD” environment, increase morale, produce passion and purpose, provide a sustainable motivation, reduce employee turnover and build a culture for prevention of disease and illnesses. And if anyone has the personality for it, Kirby sure does! It's been almost 120 episodes but Kirby is back and ready for more.

You can learn more about Kirby, his book and his executive coaching at http://www.mindbodyandbusiness.com/

Connie Allen joins host Craig Price to talk about casinos and her life as a blackjack dealer. Gambling can be fun or can be destructive. Thankfully, Craig and casinos fit firmly in the fun category and he deals straight with Connie about cheating, misconceptions people have about casinos, proper gambling table etiquette and much more. Her new book The Casino through a Dealer's Eyes covers the rules of many common casino games, money management and various table game techniques. There's more to casinos than just walking and throwing your money away. It can be a really great time if you have the right perspective!

You can learn more about Connie and her book at www.thecasinothroughadealerseyes.tateauthor.com

Jeff Korhan (@JeffKorhan on twitter) joins host Craig Price to discuss social marketing. By now, it's pretty well established that Craig has a love-hate relationship with social media. Jeff, along with his latest book Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business talk Craig down off the ledge as they talk about how every business must be a media company moving forward. Videos, podcasts, blogs and more are just part of the new marketing landscape and if you don't learn about it, you will be left behind! They also talk about how Facebook's new algorithm has made their business pages more and more uselesss to the small mom and pop shops. They also discuss how important Google+ will be moving forward and how important content marketing is to your overall social media marketing strategy.

 You can learn more about Jeff and his book at http://www.JeffKorhan.com 

Dawnna St. Louis (@DawnnaStLouis on twitter) joins host Craig Price to discuss confidence. Typically, Craig wouldn't have a speaker come talk about confidence because it usually ends up in the realm of unicorn fart and rainbows. You know, too much fluff not enough real stuff. But Dawnna proves her ideas on confidence and entrepreneurship are more than grounded in reality. The two realists talk about her soon to be released book "Mojo Mogul",  Steve Jobs, Hitler (not at the same time!), what are gut feelings and intuition and how there is more to confidence than being over-confident. It’s a wide ranging episode that covers many issues entrepreneurs face every day on their way to mogul-dom. 

You can learn all about Dawnna at her obviously named website  http://www.dawnna.com - She's like Prince, Cher and Sade!

Nancy Hartwell joins host Craig Price to discuss the horrors of human trafficking. Craig puts aside his goofiness to talk about a serious subject that many may not know is still going on. The two discuss what kinds of women are targeted, how they are coerced into bad situations and what it is like living the life of a sex slave. 

Nancy has gathered storied from over four decades of research and combined them into The Human Trafficking Series, a true-based fictional series of books that take an inside look at what victims of human trafficking really live through. Presented in a matter-of-fact, restrained tone, they describe the daily horrors of enslavement and how the people who find themselves in this unthinkable situation try to cope. 

You can learn more about Nancy and her works at http://www.NancyHartwell.com and her books are currently available on Amazon.com.

David Dye (@DavidMDye on twitter) talks with host Craig Price about the importance of proper leadership communication.  David's new book "7 Things Your Team Needs To Hear You Say" covers many of the issues with today's leaders and how they can lead more effectively. Craig and David cover a lot of ground that includes: Fear as is a poor yet popular tactic that usually only gets the least amount of effort acceptable, Craig getting robbed at gunpoint and why leaders need to humanize themselves instead of setting themselves above their employees. 

In The Seven Things Your Team Needs to Hear You Say, David shares practical and encouraging leadership communication tools you can use to cultivate engaged, responsible, and results-oriented teams. Whether you're a new front-line leader, a small business owner, or a veteran manager, The Seven Things Your Team Needs to Hear You Say will inspire you to inspire your team. You don't need buckets of charisma - they just need to hear you say these seven things.

 You can learn more about David at http://www.trailblazeinc.com

Rick Barongi, Director of the Houston Zoo (@houstonzoo on twitter) joins host Craig Price to discuss what goes into the running and expansion of a major zoo.  If anyone follows Craig on instagram (craigprice47) or on Google+ you'll know right away how much he likes zoos and appreciates animals through his photography. Getting the opportunity to talk to the director of a zoo like the Houston Zoo was quite a treat. The two discuss the unusual situation at the Copenhagen Zoo regarding the euthanasia of a healthy giraffe and how it affects all zoos, the planned expansion of the Houston Zoo to include gorillas in 2015, the not so planned expansion of 6 additional chimpanzees recently as well as what goes into deciding which animals breed, like the new baby elephant and giraffe the zoos delivered this February.

You can learn more about the Houston Zoo at http://HoustonZoo.org.

This episode is also being used to raise money for Orangutan Outreach! Past guest Richard Zimmerman's Apps of Apes is being utilized by the Houston Zoo so Craig thought helping out Orangutan Outreach indirectly would help out the orangutans at the Houston Zoo too!

DISCLOSURE: The Houston Zoo is not aware or affiliated with this specific charity drive. Any questions should be directed to [email protected] NOT the Houston Zoo.

How can you donate? If you purchase a 2014 calendar of Craig's nature photography all of the profits will be donated to http://redapes.org. Several of the animals featured were photographed while at the Houston Zoo.

Simply follow this link to buy the calendar and help out!