The $100K Mistake Most Promoters Make

Summary

The Vault Unlocked: “The $100K Mistake Most Promoters Make”

Host: Kayvon Kay
Guest: Mitch Carson (Event Producer, Speaker)
Date: November 19, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Vault Unlocked brings on seasoned event producer and professional speaker Mitch Carson, who has run over 2,000 events spanning four decades. The conversation dissects the critical mistakes and necessary strategy behind successful event promotion, especially the $100K mistake that can make or break a live event: failing to create a seamless message-to-market match by securing the right speakers and effective pre-selling strategies. The discussion is gritty, tactical, and focused on real-world execution — not theory.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Mitch Carson Entered the Event Business (01:00)

• Mitch began as a professional speaker, shifted to producing multi-speaker events due to frustrations with producers taking a cut, and learned that successful events require more than expertise—they require correct packaging, marketing, and speaker alignment.
• Memorable Quote:
  “If a speaker isn’t packaged in a Tiffany box, they’re gonna sell less. And I might not put as many butts in seats, which is the overall goal, because then it’s just math.”
  — Mitch (01:36)

2. The Evolution from Live to Virtual Events (02:49)

• Pandemic forced a shift to online summits—less cost, but significantly lower sales conversions compared to in-person events.
• Notable Case: Mitch’s co-production of the first ChatGPT live event in Vegas (Feb 2023) was unique — it sold out pre-pandemic, but products sold had no proof or testimonials due to the newness of AI.

3. The One Mistake that Breaks Events: Message-to-Market Mismatch (05:32)

• Most fatal error: bringing in speakers who don’t resonate with the target audience, diluting the event’s focus and reducing conversions.
• Memorable Quotes:
  “The one thing would be having the wrong speakers at the event that don’t resonate with the audience… having a message-to-market mismatch.”
  — Mitch (05:32) “That’s stupidity. I don’t think I would say that’s less than 0.01% of the population. So assuming that they get the speakers right…”
  — Kayvon (06:22)

4. The Second Mistake: Failing to Sell & Presale (06:43, 12:43)

• Without aggressive seat sales — especially pre-selling at differentiated price points (VIP, early bird, etc.) — events rarely break even based on ticket revenue alone. Profits are driven by speaker stage sales.
• Memorable Quotes:
  “Without sales, there is no business… If you don’t have the right sales-selling speakers, you’re in trouble.”
  — Mitch (07:08) “You must pre-sell something… how do you cover your butt before the doors open?”
  — Mitch (14:17)

5. The Need for Selling Speakers (07:44)

• Only speakers who can move the room and convert audience members should be on stage; “corporate” or “non-selling” speakers hurt the bottom line.
• Using “anchor speakers” can fill seats but they’re an up-front cost — you need the rest of the lineup to be strong sellers to balance the books (e.g., booking Jordan Belfort for $150k as an example).

6. Pre-Selling and Premium Packages (12:43)

• Modern event models require segmentation (VIP, advanced, general admission), with price incentives for pre-sale buyers. Offer early access, bonuses, or event-only discounts to drive cash flow prior to the event.

7. Sales Mindset: Transformation over “Pitch Fests” (16:09)

• Mitch frames selling aggressively as “going for the throat,” Kayvon reframes: true selling is driving transformation for the attendee.
• “Serve people at such a high level that the only solution for them is to move forward.”
  — Kayvon (16:57)

8. The True Formula for Event Success (19:54, 21:47)

• Anchor Speaker: Big names or trending topics fill rooms. Rare exceptions exist—like being “first to market” with buzzworthy subjects (ChatGPT).
• Supporting Lineup: Must convert on stage and align with audience needs.
• Authority Positioning: To secure stages, build undeniable proof of expertise and results via:
  • Podcasting (own show and guest appearances)
  • Major publication features
  • Books (“If you don’t have a book or series, I don’t think you’re serious as being a speaker.” — Mitch, 24:54)
  • Network TV/media appearances (proof assets)
  • Speaker reels & proof of live sales performance

9. The Power of Reciprocity in the Speaking Circuit (22:16)

• Relationship-driven industry; most big stages are filled by referral. Give generously (e.g., stage time, podcast slots) to receive invites.

10. “Irrefutable Proof” & Media Assets (24:29)

• To be booked, speakers need not just content, but concrete assets: TV clips, best-selling books, major media screenshots.
• Mitch specializes in guaranteeing TV coverage for clients as a “proof asset.”

11. The Speaker Referral Flywheel (30:57)

• “How do you even get on the radar of event producers?” — By referrals from other speakers or stages you’ve already crushed.
• “You get one chance to get the next. You don’t get two, you don’t get three, you get one. You blow it, it’s over.” — Kayvon (31:09)

12. Localization: Match Market & Speaker (35:51)

• Don’t miscast. Local talent with message-market fit converts better than “imports,” especially if language/cultural barriers exist.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Mitch, on Selling Speakers:
  “I’ve been selling my whole life. And if you don’t have the right sales-selling speakers, you’re in trouble… You have to have selling speakers.” (07:08)
• Kayvon, on Pitch-Fest Events:
  “As an outsider of that world, I was disgusted. I couldn’t believe how bad… just a pitch, just a pitch. You’re waiting just to see Tony.” (17:30)
• Mitch, on Speaker Authority Formula:
  “It starts with creating your authority positioning number one. Today, if you’re not podcasting, you’re missing out… Have high conversion, if you can show the numbers that relate to your podcast or topic.” (21:47)
• Mitch, on Proof and Referrals:
  “Irrefutable proof that when someone clicks on the logo, you show your coverage on that TV show… If you wanted to get on other people’s stages, all you have to do is shake them [your assets].” (25:03, 30:14)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:00 – 01:00: Background and origins—Mitch’s entry into events
• 02:49 – 04:53: Pandemic pivot to virtual, the impact on conversions, ChatGPT live event case study
• 05:32: The $100K mistake—“Message-to-market mismatch”
• 07:44 – 10:16: The necessity of “selling speakers” and pre-selling
• 12:43 – 15:19: Advanced presale tactics—VIPs, packages, ticket tiers
• 16:09 – 17:27: Debating aggressive selling vs. service-driven sales
• 19:54 – 22:37: Authority positioning and the referral flywheel
• 24:52 – 27:41: Building proof through TV/media, books, and more
• 30:57 – 32:06: The reality of getting booked: referrals, proof, one shot to impress
• 35:51 – 37:12: Cultural fit and localization of speakers for market resonance

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Actionable Takeaways

• Don’t just fill slots—curate every speaker for message-to-market resonance.
• Pre-sell everything—early bird, VIP, add-ons—to cover costs before opening doors.
• Build authority proof: podcast, book, media, speaker reel, and TV appearances.
• Referrals are currency; build relationships by giving as much as you ask.
• Prove sales chops—have numbers, footage, and testimonials handy.
• Stay adaptable—what worked ten years ago doesn’t work now, reinvent constantly.

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Where to Find Mitch Carson

• GetInterviewedGuaranteed.com (37:17)

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This episode is a masterclass for anyone in event promotion—carefully dissecting the invisible (and costly) mistakes most make and the hard-earned formulas that produce results. If you want to fill rooms and move products, don’t miss this episode’s direct, receipt-pulling breakdown.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the Vault Unlock, where the real secrets of success are revealed every episode. One founder, one confession, one strategy that created income scale and unstoppable growth. Forget the hype. This is unlocking the code they swore they would never release. The playbook is revealed. The Vault is unlocked. And we're back on another episode with Mitch Carson. Mitch has done over 2,000 events over two decades. Mitch, welcome to the podcast.

[B]

Great to be here, Kayvon. I've looked forward to this. It's been a few months until we finally got this nailed down to get scheduled in and I'm looking forward to it.

[A]

Yes, yes. Yeah, I am too. Thank you again. All the way from Thailand.

[B]

Yes, sir. All the way to Canada.

[A]

So let's, let's dive into this because I mean, 2000 to produce 2000 events is not a small feat here. So, I mean, how'd you get into the business in the first place?

[B]

I have been a professional speaker for four decades. This is a self admission. You know, most people lie about their age. I'll divulge mine. I'm 65. I've been at this a long time. And at some point, the natural evolution of a speaker is to then start. They get frustrated with their producer or agent and think, I can do better than they can and look at all the money they're making and I'm not making. So that's what cracks the ceiling. And then you start to go out on your own. I mean, hence the entrepreneurial spirit. I then started to produce on my own events and realized, oh boy, this takes a lot. Because if it's. If they weren't just about me, what I mean, events. I produce multi speaker events. For example, if I were to go into the small business space and I needed a sales expert, I would bring in someone like you. If I needed a Facebook ads expert, I would bring in someone like propeller head Bill and that person would cover that. Somebody else may cover organic advertising, somebody may cover publicity. And that was what I found was the most critical. And there might be, I might have these experts in their category, but A, they may not be able to speak very well, B, they may not be marketed properly, packaged correctly. And that's what spawned what I do today. Because if a speaker isn't packaged in a Tiffany box, they're gonna sell less. And I might not put as many butts and seats, which is the overall goal, because then it's just math. It's really all about math.

[A]

Are you still producing speaking conferences today?

[B]

Yes, I am. I then went into because of something called the COVID And the Pandemic had to shift and embrace the online mechanism. So I've run some online summits where I bring in speakers and there is no travel. And it's amazing how different that has RE A. It's a lot less expensive to invest because you don't have to pay for rooms, travel, all that moving a staff. So that part's there. But you do suffer with conversions because when you have an in person arrangement and you see people, the conversions are higher in a live environment. And that was evidenced by my very first live event that I produced right after the Pandemic cleaned up. Let's just call it where there was some level of normalcy. In Las Vegas, February 2023, I produced the very first, co produced the very first conference on Chat GPT because that was the only game in town at that time. Now there's so many platforms and that event was stellar. Now it was unique because we made money in the events business. In the arena that I operated in, where it's multiple speakers selling products, you typically rely on what speakers sell to get you into the black to make you profitable. Because door sales, registration sales rarely cover the upfront cost of advertising, room cost and personnel, all of that. You're usually in the red. You don't get into the black until you start selling from the stage. So it's critical to have the right speakers that can sell, resonate or, you know, resonate with the audience and convert predictably. And at that particular event, which was great to come out of the Pandemic with, we were already in the black before the doors open. The challenge was what we sold wasn't proven, had no testimonials because AI was brand new.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Literally the first in the world to produce that, that category event then. Now there are AI events all over the place. We had copycats left and right.

[A]

So let's take a step back here. So we're in the produc. The event model. And when we talk about, you know, the, the Vault unlocked, it's. It's all about, you know, what was the one thing? I mean, you, you produced over 2,000 events. I went through a whole Covid, you know, the whole Covid situation there. And here we are today. So tell me, like, really, if we said, okay, what's the one thing that breaks events, what would that be?

[B]

Oh, gosh. The one thing would be having the, the wrong speakers at the event that don't resonate with the offense, with the audience is, you know, having a Message to market mismatch.

[A]

Having a message to the market mismatch. So having an AI event and someone's talking about poodles and whatever.

[B]

Like just poodles and personnel.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, unless. Unless they had an AI product that fixed it.

[A]

To me, that's a no brainer. So to me you're saying people have ran an event about a specific topic and brought speakers that had nothing to do about the event because it was.

[B]

Their buddy who wanted to get into the speaking businesses. So they positioned Susie, who's talking about basket weaving. Because I, I mean it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Or having the wrong lineup.

[A]

I mean, outside, to me, that's, I have to be honest, like, you know, if I had a button here that the button would go off and I'd be like, this is stupidity. And that's like, I don't think I would say that's less than 0.01% of the population. So assuming that they get the speakers. Right.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

What is the thing that breaks the event?

[B]

Not having the correct. Not selling. Yeah, not selling. It's not filling the event. So I would have, say. Well, I would have to say there are two parts. I mean, they're multiple. But the one, you're saying the one thing. I think there are two things. But it's all under the umbrella, Kayvon, of selling. Without sales, there is no business.

[A]

Well, we know that, right?

[B]

Yeah. I mean, you know that. You embrace it. I, I've been selling my whole life. And if you don't have the right sales selling speakers, you're in trouble. So they have to show proof that they can sell from the stage. Lots of experts in their categories. I mean, lots of people could talk about leadership. Oh my gosh, another leadership speaker. Oh, another personnel hiring the right people. But if they don't have a product to sell and they can't sell shamelessly and with vigor, the event's gonna fail in terms of the promoter side. You have to have selling speakers.

[A]

Okay, so that's a different conversation now. So because there's selling speakers, there's corporate speakers, there's speakers who, who only sell. There's the pitch. The pitch, you know, monster events. So the events that you're putting on now, getting a little bit more specific, are. I'm going to call it what it is.

[B]

They're pitch events most of the time. Yes. And, but in order to, and, but you have to have also in some cases, the lead anchor. For example, a friend of mine produced an event here in Bangkok after Jordan Belfort had released that movie. The. The Wolf of Wall Street.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm sure you watched it being a sales professional yourself. And Jordan was the draw. People wanted to meet the Wolf and it was right after the movie had released. The. He brings in all. He's a negative because you had to pay. I think it was about 150k for him to show up and there's first class airfare etc to fly him out here. So you're already sunk. You're negative before the door opens. You do sell tickets to the Thai audience or this is what they did. They sold tickets. He's already produced a negative output. They're bleeding before he takes the stage. And he's supposed to speak all afternoon on, on the. At the event. There were the selling speakers that preceded him.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I could say who they are in a minute. But he was the. He was the anchor. Without him there would be no attendees. Yeah. So. So you use that draw as a mechanism. So it's a hybrid. It's partial keynote. He was essentially the. Supposed to be the keynote and he sold.

[A]

You said there's an anchor. So we're starting to get to the. What makes an event successful. I was still trying to really figure out what is that one thing that breaks the events and obviously the wrong speaker with the wrong audience. I think that's just stupidity that we even have to say that. Be honest with you.

[B]

What happens all the time.

[A]

Yeah, it's just, I just, it makes. When I hear things like that, I just have to be honest. It makes me excited of the competition that I'm against in the world. Yes, that's the competition like that that makes me excited. So now we live in a world where you don't even have to be great, you just have to be good to be great. All right, I'm all. I'm all over that. But then you're saying sales. Sales. And so what comes first? Do you get all the speakers and rent all the stuff and get all the marketing or do you sell first?

[B]

It's. It's an. I would say a changing marketplace and my answer would change. Has changed over the years. I mean the old. I have an old model. When I got into this business it was direct mail in order to get people to register. That's how far back I go doing this. And yeah, so it was direct mail. Then it's evolved. And then you have to. We used to do telesales where we would have online pre selling with teasers over phone calls. People would be doing this and we're going back to the 90s when I would get on phone calls and we would pre sell the attendees come and you're going to hear Mark Victor Hansen who was the co author of the Chicken Soup for Sale Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Mark is an old friend and and helped him with his event back in. When was this? 2002 as an example. There were all the speakers were required to get on the phone and call in. There were, there was no zoom back then and call in and people would be live in a phone room. They would be waiting until this. The telesales opened up and we would pre pitch what we're going to sell. So we were seeding them. Here's what I'm going to cover. Here are the three things I'm going to cover in my 90 minute presentation on X date at the Weston LAX as an example. And that's where it was held or Wyndham I think it was. And we just discussed without how to fix it. Here's the problem, here's what I'm going to cover as the solution. The formulas don't change. They're still the same. And we went through it. Mark was profitable because he selected selling speakers. Selling speakers and would built it around big names.

[A]

Okay, so we haven't got there yet. So we're going to get there.

[B]

Okay, that's fine.

[A]

Because you know in order to understand what success is we also have to understand what failure looks like. The failure the question I had was specifically was if I'm going to do an event, am I going to invest all the dollars to get the, to get the hotel, get the room, get everyone organized and then start selling or do I sell pre sell first before I go invest all those dollars?

[B]

You, you pre sell as much as you can. I think I, I, I absolutely I was the reason I paused when you said that is because there's an evolution. The model has changed and it's gotten so fiercely. You either invent, you reinvent or you, you lose money. It's fiercely competitive today. So you need to sell either premium packages. So I went to the model of. There was general admission only. Then VIP came in. Well, there was advanced seating. You get to come into the room first, you get a water bottle and you get a black table cover as opposed to sitting in a white. So there's true delineation of where you sit and a lot of these tricks you had to learn by. And it worked in small environments. 40, 50 people, 2000s in a conference. Tony Robbins is, was or still is one of the trailblazers in that market. He's top of the food chain and produce events.

[A]

Absolutely he is.

[B]

Yeah. And then Grant Cardone is trying to be number two.

[A]

Well, I think he's done, actually. Grant. I think he's done. Which we can discuss that. But so now we're talking about. Okay, so we know that in the event space to be successful, you got to have the right speakers that. That resonate with the audience and the. It's got a match sounds like you got to have the pitch people. So the speakers need to be able to offer something so you can make the money from that. And then. And then we're talking about pre selling. The idea is to pre sell them. Pre sell the seats.

[B]

You've got to sell the seats at different price points with different value associations so you can cover your butt before the doors open. That's the key is how do you. Yes you. So the. Yeah, the answer is yes, you must pre sell something. And one is the seating number. Two, it might be. If you buy the program now, you can get a discount on when it comes to the event. So you've already captured money. The excitement is there. That's another option, you know, and do this now and you'll save because at the event it's going to be this price and. Or you leave it open, buy a premium buy because they know they're going to be sold at the event. They know that this. If you bring in Russell Brunson as an example, the guy who created. He's gonna sell you whether you like it or not. Your credit card better have some slippery grease on it because it's coming out. It's coming.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no, I hear you. I hear you.

[B]

And if you want to buy Russell's program, it's going to cost this. It's going. Your investment's going to be three grand. But if you buy now, you can save 10%. That's certainly a way to reveal the obvious and save now before you get there and. Or loosen up your credit card limit because you're going to invest at this event. So that's certainly a way to pre sell. I like that question. That's a great question. Do you pre sell or not? Yeah. Why not? Shamelessly. Because a lot of people are afraid to sell. It's like they love to present and share and educate. They don't make any money. The people with the mindset of I'm going for the throat, I'm here to sell and you're going to buy from me.

[A]

Well, it's interesting. You say you're going through the throat, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's interesting you say that because that, that right there gives the, the public speaking pitch fest the name it has going for the throat. I actually disagree with you.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

I, I, I, I highly disagree with you. I don't think it's going through the throat. It's actually going for the transformation. It's going to actually serve and help people. And if you're actually believing that you're helping and serving people, in order for people to actually get the transformation they need, they got to invest. They gotta invest time, they gotta invest energy, they gotta rest resources and they gotta invest money. Because nothing comes for free. And in fact people don't value for free. So as a speaker, my job isn't to cut the throats of my enemies.

[B]

I, because they're not, not cut the throats. Yeah, no, go, whatever.

[A]

Go for the throats, right. I'm, I'm more like how can I serve people at such a high level that the only solution for them is to move forward? And I just think that's a different perspective. But what I am hearing from you as an event coordinator, let's get real back on the tracks is we got to make money in order to make money. In order for me to be profitable as an event coordinator, I got to have every one of my speakers that making money. I mean I know these models, I've been in these, Tony's ran those models. There was a company, I don't know what the name was.

[B]

That was Success Resources.

[A]

There it is. Exactly. Success.

[B]

They were the biggest in the world.

[A]

They were the biggest in the world. To me I didn't know this was pre what I do now. Had I gone to it when I had my eyes open, it probably different. But as an outsider of that world, I was disgusted. I couldn't believe how bad. Every hour, just a pitch, just a pitch, just a pitch. You're waiting there just to see Tony, right? So I'm actually don't like that model. But they make money and they work and that's fantastic. If someone's trying to run that type of model, what's the thing that that's like you need this one thing for success. Without that it's over.

[B]

Well, okay, it may sound harsh metaphorically to say cut for the, go for the throat. The other is to expect. Well but it is, it's our job to sell people. And then if I the the backup or the follow up to that is, and this will answer your question, value associated with them investing. Sometimes people are hesitant to invest. They don't know what there. You have to have the right speakers with integrity that deliver as they promise. So yes, the value has to match what is sold. And bringing in speakers who sell because there are. I can name five off the top of my head who sell things and then disappear. They're one off.

[A]

I can, I can name you.

[B]

We can have a private conversation about. I know everybody in the business been doing this 40 years.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

They'll never be on my stage again.

[A]

Yeah, never. Absolutely. So, I mean, now we're talking about the integrity of a speaker, but what I'm hearing is we're talking about how you. How you produce 2,000 events. And you don't produce 2,000 events unless you're successful at it. Y so when we talk about producing 2,000 events and what I'm gathering here, if people are listening is, it's pretty simple, is step one is you need an anchor speaker. I don't know if you guys, what you call them, but you need a speaker with a big name who's going to bring in people. Ideally, they have a list. Ideally, they're ready to also market to that list. Once you have that anchor speaker, you can build the event all around that speaker. Without it, you're doomed. Good luck trying to fill seats, especially in a competitive marketplace where unless.

[B]

Unless you've got a product that is so hot and trending, they'll come no matter what. And that's why I started with the example of the ChatGPT event. That was the one exception in my life that filled in four days. We sold out in four days because the topic was so hot, the speakers were irrelevant. Only because Kayvon nobody was an expert. Then maybe Sam Altman, who start, who.

[A]

Founded who wasn't even an expert himself. They probably didn't even know what they were doing back then. In terms of where this is today.

[B]

Yeah, there was no Tiffany value. It hadn't been established yet. Today there are all sorts of people jockeying for that position in the AI space. Whoever's written the most books or publications or spoken here or there. That is a different argument. But in most cases you're correct. Unless it is in such a hot topic. My God, I wish I doubled the gate fee. I would have made so much more money. But hindsight's 20 20. But yes, you're correct. I agree with you. It is a grind if you're bringing in the same speakers who've spoken there the month before, they've already been seen and you have to freshen the Lineup too. And, and why I do what I do is helping people become the authorities in their fields. And that's where they get branded with all the media. You know, write a book. That's a formula. It's a formula. A serious speaker has a book or more.

[A]

Okay, so what's the formula? Let's talk about that. So let's say someone has a message. They don't have the greatest audience, but they have an offer. They got a message and they're looking for the winning formula. What's the formula that's going to get me on the right stages so that I can be seen, I can get the content and I can start building my brand now?

[B]

I can. Now I can go right into my roadmap. And this is something that I've perfected over the year. It starts with creating your authority positioning number one. Today it's different than it would have been before, but it's evolved. But the only thing that's changed have been the mediums. So today, pod, if you're not podcasting, you're missing out. Okay, you got to have a podcast.

[A]

You heard that? You got to have. You got to have a podcast. You got a podcast. You got to go on podcast shows. Which one?

[B]

Both. I guess. I'm your guest. I have a show. Guess who's getting invited onto my show.

[A]

Yeah. Well, I'm gonna assume me. Yes.

[B]

Yes. Yes. Yeah, exactly. Reciprocity, Work with reciprocity and a long term. Why I've been successful for four decades is I work off the rule of reciprocity.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

If I put somebody on my stage. If you don't give back, you're not, you don't play correctly in the sandbox. Just how it works in life. If you don't scratch my back after I scratch yours several times. You're a taker, not a giver.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So that's, that's, that's part of the, the potion is if the mindset of giving. Give, give, give. Why Alex Hermosi was so successful. He gave tremendous free content until he then went for the throat.

[A]

Exactly. You're right. And then he went for the throat. And he did well. And then he did it the first time and he didn't go for the throat this last time. 105 million people don't realize. They say he made $105 million in one hour. No, he didn't. He made $105 million in three years.

[B]

Correct. It was a long term play. He's the tortoise. He won the race. The rabbits get eaten up by. By hawks and eagles and snack on them as they're running down the road quickly.

[A]

So let's, let's, let's go back here because, you know, we have a formula. People are listening. I want them to, you know, I'll.

[B]

Give them the formula.

[A]

Yeah. So we have authority positioning.

[B]

Positioning. Authority positioning. I would suggest what the. The top of the food chain is. Have a top blank podcast in your space that you can brag about with the validation of the screenshots of Apple, itunes, or Spotify. So that, that's there. Have high conversion if you can show the numbers that relate to your podcast topic or then you. And if you're just a guest, and I don't say just a guest, but it's important. I guessed it myself 100 times before I started my own podcast and I still guest on occasion. I think it's important to continue to market endlessly. It's not over.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's an endless marketing outreach. That's not sales, that's marketing. Sales happen because you're marketed well. So number two is have yourself in major publications and. Or. And the biggest is this is the service I provide is guaranteeing people media placements on television networks.

[A]

Oh, wow. On television networks.

[B]

Television networks, yes. I'm a host on NBC 3 in Las Vegas. I go back and record and then return night. That's. That is my big deliverable I found is when they actually experience lights, camera, action in a studio environment. Get interviewed for 4 minutes on live television. This is what your parents would revere. Okay, you're on live television with the real call letters, not this fake BS of sending out a press release and think, oh, I'm covered on Canada news, new news. No, you're not. You submitted a press release to their secretary at the front desk. That doesn't mean you were covered on the news station. But if you have the proof assets and you have to have irrefutable proof. Irrefutable proof that when someone clicks on the logo, you come up, you show your coverage on that TV show. So I guarantee four networks in Las Vegas. Abc, NBC, the CW and cbs. You get covered. Guaranteed. And that. And I created that program for all of my speakers who then travel the world with me. I produce these events, taking people around the world. Nineteen countries, as a matter of fact, where I would get them TV coverage in each city we went to in Dubai, I got everybody on CNBC Arabia, I got everybody on Dubai, one television. Then we got covered in a newspaper, the College Times, which is the leading Newspaper in the Middle east, and then they can say they were covered on. And that builds the authority. Irrefutable proof that they are, in fact, the leader in their category. Because there are a lot of people that talk. I'll use you as an example, Kayvon. I'm going to. If I can reciprocate, because I think you're. You've got Teflon skin, can handle it. It's. And. And the book. Oh, my God. If you don't have a book or a series, I don't think you're serious. As being a speaker. It's an essential. It's the right. It's the right arrow in your quiver.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You need to show all of these feathers. I liken it to. Let's talk about a peacock. You've got a peacock. Okay. Americans, Canadians. I'm going to throw you in the mix.

[A]

Yeah, no, I love that. So let's take a step back here. We talked. Take it back here. Right. Yeah, It's. We got authority. Authority is number one. Well, how do you create authority? We create authority by going on a podcast. We create authority by getting on publications. We create authority by creating a book.

[B]

And we create authority beyond network television and radio shows.

[A]

Publications. Yeah. And getting your name out there. Now, for those people that don't know how to do that, I mean, what do they do? Like, I understand this game because I've been in this game, but there's people going, okay, well, how do I even get on a podcast? How do I get. Write a book? What do you mean, write a book? Like, right, like, oh, my God. Do you help them with all this?

[B]

All of this? Because it's essential. I had to out of need it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because there was a problem. I learned about creating the solution.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I didn't invent wheels. You know.

[A]

Let me say this because I got a podcast.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Let's use me just as an example.

[B]

Fine, fine.

[A]

I got a podcast. I have my book. I'm on publications. See, I have been on, you know, some news stations, and I have my publications see, you know, CEO Weekly and Huffington Posts, and I have my, you know, press releases. Let's call if you want to call those there.

[B]

Sure. And.

[A]

And I go on podcasts.

[B]

Right. Okay.

[A]

No one's calling me to speak on stages. All right. So how do I convert all of that to actually get on stages?

[B]

Now you've got the essentials. Right? Now do you have a speaker reel now? Now we're getting into the meat.

[A]

Love it. Got the speaker. Real. Got the speaker. Website got me showing as a keynote speaker.

[B]

Keynote speaker, keynote.

[A]

I'm not just a speaker, I'm a keynote speaker, baby. Come on.

[B]

All right, you're in the category of sales. Do you have numbers? If I were to approach Richard Tan, who's the owner of Success Resources, as an example, he's in Singapore. Not. He's not, you know, a two hour flight for me and Richard and well, Douglas Chu is the one that finds. Who's his brother in law. He came to me when I spoke in Japan. He saw me close the room. 6,000 people. And do you have proof of the back of the room rush? Because that is what's. You've got to have the right feathers. You've got all the feathers. It sounds like you're already branded. Yeah, smartly. Kayvon.

[A]

Well, I'm just wondering is proof of like proof of the rush. Would that be back in 18 when we ran a, a conference and in one hour we had only 500 people in the room and before the pitch happened we had $8 million of credit cards because we sold. Is that proof enough for you?

[B]

That's huge proof. Huge proof.

[A]

I love it. This isn't about me. This isn't about me. We could talk.

[B]

No, it is about you because about the audience, we're all, we're always. The first radio station call letters is wiifm. What's in it for me? And you absolutely are part of this. And if you, you asked me the hard question, you've ticked the right boxes, you've got the feathers in place. And if you wanted to get other people's stages, all you have to do is shake them. And the key, the key is, okay, he's got a book, he's branded and Ken is the guy going to embarrass me and hurt my reputation is issue number one from the person that reviews the potential speakers. If you don't come by referral, if.

[A]

You don't, I'm going to break that. We're going to decode. This is decoding. This is all about decoding here. And I'm calling BS on that one. Just because there's actually a step before that. Because you just assumed there is this guy going to embarrass me. Can I trust he's going to show up? Which is all great. I want to be very clear 100% that goes through. How do you even know on the guy?

[B]

That's because I've referred you because I've referred you all of my gigs. Now when I refer to 2000 events, I've produced and I've been invited to. I've either spoken or referred. It's all by referral.

[A]

But for those. But for those of those that don't know you right, and you're not going to be referring them, where's the gap, the chasm from. They got all the right assets. They got the book, they got the publications, they got their podcast. But the gap between that and actually getting on the stages and yeah, when they get the chance to get on that stage, that's up to them. You get one chance to get the next correct one, you don't get two, you don't get three, you get one, you blow it, it's over. Well, I'll answer chance. How do you get that chance?

[B]

I've produced events all over. Most of the time, the speakers that I have placed, I'd say 80% of the time have come from referrals of other speakers who say, kayvon's great. I need a selling speaker for my event in Singapore. The last event I produced here was the example, and I like to use examples because it explains better. I had an event with 600 people paid ready. I had VIP and then I had general admission in Singapore at the convention center. And it was all about social media. I had my keynote guy that brought because he was a TV show host on CNN in the Philippines came in. He talked about YouTube because at that time he had a following of about a half a million subs on YouTube. His name is Chinky Tan. So these are real people. People can read today. He's got about 3 million. So this was right before the lockdown. So this was February of 2020, right before the world shut down. So this was my last event. It was profitable before, almost profitable before the doors open almost. And then I knew what I would be able to sell. I had a Facebook ads person. I was the MC closer at the end who sold everybody's product as a mother of all offers. And each speaker was perfectly positioned based on what the audience wanted to hear about. So I polled the audience. Who would you. What would you like to hear? And then I placed the speakers. One of the speakers earned a late spot. I had two people. One was Facebook advertising and when one was Facebook organic, that was splitting hairs. It was the same platform, but I had two speakers because the Facebook advertising guy I placed, I wasn't going to have him. His name is Alaric. Alaric.

[A]

Al. Yeah, yeah, I know Al.

[B]

Singapore.

[A]

Oh, in Singapore. No, okay.

[B]

No, not Alaric. Heck, not the YouTube guy.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Totally different. No, he's that's, that's another discussion. I, I know about him. I've seen him speak. No, Alaric UNG is 40 times the, the speaker that Alaric Heck is.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

400 times better.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And the. You can't understand a word he says because he speaks English so fast. He's only appropriate in that market because nobody would understand him in North America because of so much accent. With the Singaporean English, however, I saw how well he sold. I sold on his stages in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru in Malaysia. I saw the guy close the room better than me. Now, he had the right product for the audience. My, my, my product was not exactly the best fit for that audience of attendees. He did very, very well and he was the event host. So he was what drew them in. I said, I, I said, what are you doing on February 18th in. In when you go back to Singapore? I, I said, I have. My speaker lineup is full. I'm going to cut back time on the other speakers. They all had 90 minutes. I'm going to put up in an hour. I need a space for you because you will sell into this audience. I'm going to split the category. My co producer, her name is Surya Sparks, who was the big social media expert in Singapore. You wouldn't know her, but in the, in that area, she was great. She shared the stage with Mark Zuckerberg in the past. Very big speaker. She was my co producer. I said, I want to have you talk about ads. I'll convince her to split the category because she was all about Facebook.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he added the value. He sold very well to the audience because you resonated. It was message to market match. It was clear. And he was a fellow Singaporean. He was a fellow Singaporean. So I brought in. Also all the speakers were Asian except me. So I wanted to bring in people that they could relate to.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that's an important. You can say. There's the one thing you know it's the right message to. Right. Mark. You can't bring in somebody who will not resonate with the audience.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

So I could not bring this man who sells very well in that part of the world. He wouldn't work in America or in Canada for that matter, because you wouldn't understand him so fast.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I don't know if you've been to Singapore. Have you been?

[A]

Okay.

[B]

No, I'm not understanding them. It took me six months to get my ear tuned to what they were actually saying. I didn't even know it was English, you know, and that's an example. If you gotta. Yeah. So I. I had a selling speaker. He didn't have a book.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Until I told him he needed one. And he wrote a book. And he wrote a book. Between that time and just so he could show it on the screen. It wasn't even published.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I love it. So we are coming to an end here. Where can people find you?

[B]

Get interviewed guaranteed.com. get interviewed guaranteed.com.

[A]

Interview, guaranteed.com. mitch, it was great to have you on the show. Thank you for being with us.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

And that was another episode with the Vault Unlocked where proven builders, real strategies and unstop, unstoppable growth happens. Subscribe now, because the next unlock could be the one that rewires your business forever. This is where the playbook is revealed and the Vault is unlocked.