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Frequently Asked Questions On this page we'll try to answer many of the most common questions we get about Wally and his programs. Here are the questions answered on this page Should we consider an industry speaker to do the same job as Wally? Do you ever negotiate your fee? Can we provide resources, beyond the handout, that will add value to our program? We'd really like to get those resources, but we've already spent our budget for speakers. What other things can Wally do that will make the program more valuable? Can I get a copy of Wally's latest book, Net Income for everyone in my audience? Every speaker says they "customize" their program for us. What do you mean by that? How do I contact Wally? Other questions are answered on other pages on this site. Tell me about Wally's programs. What do people who've worked with Wally say about his programs? Who has Wally done work for? What's his background? I'd like to know about his new book. Tell me about Wally's other publications and media coverage? Should we consider an industry speaker to do the same job as Wally? The short answer to that is, "no," not for the same job. Industry speakers will always have a place at conferences and meetings. They provide detailed expertise and knowledge of what goes on at ground level in the business. But, what they provide is different from what a professional speaker like Wally provides. The two things that Wally provides that an industry speaker will probably not provide are in-depth knowledge of his topic across a variety of business applications, and professional preparation and presentation. Industry speakers will generally provide better industry depth on challenges and opportunities. You also need to consider their reputation, since that can work for or against them in different situations. One excellent solution to this dilemma is to use both kinds of speakers. Wally has worked in a couple of different formats where both he and industry speakers are part of the program. That way you can get the best of both worlds. Return to the question list at the top of the page. Have Wally contact me immediately. Be sure to include in your message how you want Wally to reach you and any important information you want him to know about. Do you ever negotiate your fee? We don't negotiate our fee, but there are situations when the amount that appears on the check is lower than our stated fee because we are receiving some other benefits. For example, Wally's basic fee for a program in the Bay Area is lower than his regular fee. That's because it's a big benefit to him not to have to travel and spend additional nights away from home. Here are some other items that can provide value for us that may make it possible for you to reduce the cash amount of the fee. Product sales and shared revenue products Help with promotion within your industry or area An information page on your company or association Web site for one year Help with book promotion in the area There is almost always a creative way that we can work together so that Wally can do the program you want him to do. If you know you want to have Wally at your meeting, but budget is an issue, contact us to see what might be possible. Return to the question list at the top of the page. Have Wally contact me immediately. Be sure to include in your message how you want Wally to reach you and any important information you want him to know about. Can we provide resources, beyond the handout, that will add value to our program? There are several kinds of resource support that Wally can provide for your program. You can provide a copy of Wally's book, Net Income, for every participant. Depending on the quantity and situation, these books might come from Wally, from the publisher (with a custom cover), or from a local bookstore. Wally can create a custom digital book that's specific for your audience. This usually takes one of two forms. An individual guide to the Net includes extensive material about how to use Net tools effectively. Wally covers email, newsgroups, Web searching, and other areas that your audience members are likely to have great interest in. The digital book is customized with specific references and links. The second option is to provide a digital book that covers the material in Wally's presentation. This too has powerful benefits. It uses hyperlinks to let people jump between related concepts, provides background material that was not appropriate to the public presentation, as well as links and information sources to help audience members use the material covered in the program. A single digital book product can be produced for ten dollars per participant, but that can drop to five dollars if it is packaged with Wally's book or with another, full-priced digital book. You may also want to investigate shared revenue options on digital products with guaranteed orders of 200 or more. Return to the question list at the top of the page. Have Wally contact me immediately. Be sure to include in your message how you want Wally to reach you and any important information you want him to know about. We'd really like to get those resources, but we've already spent our budget for speakers. Consider the following options. You may be able to fund the resources from a budget line other than the one for speakers. Many budgets include educational materials or library resource options that can be ways to fund these materials without dipping into the general program budget. If you're an association, you may be able to find a corporate sponsor who wants to cover the cost of the resources in return for the promotional exposure that can bring. You should investigate shared revenue options on sales of Wally's digital products and videos. These can often provide value to participants at a modest additional cost to them while providing your organization with revenue to help cover that budget. Return to the question list at the top of the page. Have Wally contact me immediately. Be sure to include in your message how you want Wally to reach you and any important information you want him to know about. What other things can Wally do that will make the program more valuable? There are several things that Wally is willing to do if they fit your style of working that can help make your program even better. He can provide articles for your newsletter that provide information and help stimulate interest in the program. He can help you set up a Web site or Web page devoted to the conference. He can work with you to coordinate publicity in either trade or general media outlets. Those are all the kinds of things that you and Wally should be discussing both prior to your selection and during the initial program preparation interview. Return to the question list at the top of the page. Have Wally contact me immediately. Be sure to include in your message how you want Wally to reach you and any important information you want him to know about. Can I get a copy of Wally's latest book, Net Income for everyone in my audience? Of course. There are several ways we can handle that for you. Just contact us. Return to the question list at the top of the page. Have Wally contact me immediately. Be sure to include in your message how you want Wally to reach you and any important information you want him to know about. Every speaker says they "customize" their program for us. What do you mean by that? When we agree to do a program, we make certain promises to you about how Wally will prepare and we also have some expectations of what you should do. The process of putting together the best possible program for you is a team effort. Over the years Wally has developed and refined a preparation process that delivers a professional, customized program. That process is fairly detailed. There's another page on this site that covers it in detail. Briefly, though, when we agree to work together, you can look forward to three steps leading up to the program. In step one, you and Wally will get together and go over the details of what is expected of each of you. That includes details on program materials, handouts, program issues, themes and objectives, industry background and preparation, and anything else that's important. Following that you'll put together some basic material to send to Wally for background research and he will go through his background development work. That includes analysis of the industry, background material for the specific program, research of available literature, etc. The third phase, that usually begins about 30 days before the actual program date involves detailed preparation. This generally includes the development of all of the specific examples to be used in the program, interviews with experts and audience members, and selection of key examples to be presented to the audience. Your part in this will be to provide the information that Wally needs to make the program go, to add him to the mailing list for any program or promotional mailings, and to monitor your side of the project to make sure that he's keeping his commitments. Return to the question list at the top of the page. Have Wally contact me immediately. Be sure to include in your message how you want Wally to reach you and any important information you want him to know about. I think Wally might be able to help us achieve our objectives, what should I do next? At this point, you've probably got an idea that Wally might be able to do the kind of program you want, but you're not sure. The best way to make your decision is to set up a phone appointment with Wally and discuss the kind of program you want to do and how he'd go about doing it. Hiring a speaker is very much like hiring any other kind of service professional like a dentist. No matter what recommendations you've got or what kind of literature you've read, until you've actually worked with the person, you really don't know if they're right for you. Setting a phone appointment to discuss your program needs and how they match to Wally's strengths is the best way you can get a sense of how well you fit short of actually having him do a program. We highly recommend this early in your selection and planning process. Here is how to contact Wally or the office Mail address: 190 El Cerrito Plaza, Suite 404 El Cerrito CA 94530 Phone: (510)-531-2998 Fax: (510)-531-3598 Email: office@bockinfo.com We're based in the United States, in Northern Calfornia, in the Pacific Time Zone. Have Wally contact me immediately. Be sure to include in your message how you want Wally to reach you and any important information you want him to know about. Return to the question list at the top of the page.