Alex Carter

The day that I walked into meetings and I thought to myself, if this works, great. If it doesn't work, somebody else is going to want me for exactly what it is that I'm offering. That's when my close rate went way up.

The day that I walked into meetings and I thought to myself, if this works, great. If it doesn't work, somebody else is going to want me for exactly what it is that I'm offering. That's when my close rate went way up.

Last thing I'll say about corporate, if you're interviewing for a management or senior executive position, when you negotiate for yourself, you are showing them what kind of negotiator you will be for them.

Last thing I'll say about corporate, if you're interviewing for a management or senior executive position, when you negotiate for yourself, you are showing them what kind of negotiator you will be for them.

So as an entrepreneur, as a speaker, and by the way, Ilana, my speaking career really came even before the book. It's part of what made the book possible for me, even though I had almost no social media and no website of my own. I landed a large book deal based on the strength of my speaking portfolio. But it all started around 2012.

So as an entrepreneur, as a speaker, and by the way, Ilana, my speaking career really came even before the book. It's part of what made the book possible for me, even though I had almost no social media and no website of my own. I landed a large book deal based on the strength of my speaking portfolio. But it all started around 2012.

When the truth is that I had a young daughter at home who was born with a couple of medical problems that I knew it was gonna take a large investment for us to really treat. And I had just taken a job as a professor recently, and I was making less than I was as a lawyer in private practice. And I thought, how am I gonna do this? I'm gonna go out as a keynote speaker.

When the truth is that I had a young daughter at home who was born with a couple of medical problems that I knew it was gonna take a large investment for us to really treat. And I had just taken a job as a professor recently, and I was making less than I was as a lawyer in private practice. And I thought, how am I gonna do this? I'm gonna go out as a keynote speaker.

And so all I did was start telling people in my circle, that I was a keynote speaker. I'd done a couple of workshops, but I'd never done a keynote. And lo and behold, somebody saw a post either that I made or my husband made on Facebook. It was the father of one of my daughter's little toddler friends. And he called me up, worked at a major company and said, so do you do keynote speaking?

And so all I did was start telling people in my circle, that I was a keynote speaker. I'd done a couple of workshops, but I'd never done a keynote. And lo and behold, somebody saw a post either that I made or my husband made on Facebook. It was the father of one of my daughter's little toddler friends. And he called me up, worked at a major company and said, so do you do keynote speaking?

And I said, absolutely. And we ended up negotiating and I got in front of a hundred of the top leaders at this company for a conference. Now it was interesting, Ilana, because they hadn't budgeted a lot for a speaker. So I did negotiate with them. I had a sense of what I should be paid. They had less than that. And I thought to myself, okay, what else can I do to get value out of this event?

And I said, absolutely. And we ended up negotiating and I got in front of a hundred of the top leaders at this company for a conference. Now it was interesting, Ilana, because they hadn't budgeted a lot for a speaker. So I did negotiate with them. I had a sense of what I should be paid. They had less than that. And I thought to myself, okay, what else can I do to get value out of this event?

So I asked them a couple questions. I said, tell me how you're documenting the event. And they said, we're having a professional photographer and videographer. And I said, okay, tell me who's going to be at the event. And they told me all the managing directors who were going to be there. And I said, fine, okay.

So I asked them a couple questions. I said, tell me how you're documenting the event. And they said, we're having a professional photographer and videographer. And I said, okay, tell me who's going to be at the event. And they told me all the managing directors who were going to be there. And I said, fine, okay.

I'm going to do this slightly below market for the max you've told me you can offer me. Plus, I want a certain number of digital photos of me in front of your company's logo that I have permission to use for my speaking portfolio.

I'm going to do this slightly below market for the max you've told me you can offer me. Plus, I want a certain number of digital photos of me in front of your company's logo that I have permission to use for my speaking portfolio.

And if I blow the doors off it like I'm confident I'm going to, I'd like to have several high-level managing director people be references for me for other future clients." I went on, Ilana, from that one gig, okay, where I got up there and for a second I thought, oh my God, what am I doing? I'm in front of like these very senior people.

And if I blow the doors off it like I'm confident I'm going to, I'd like to have several high-level managing director people be references for me for other future clients." I went on, Ilana, from that one gig, okay, where I got up there and for a second I thought, oh my God, what am I doing? I'm in front of like these very senior people.

And then I thought, okay, I'm just going to do what I know I can do. Blew the doors off it. I ended up over the next few years going on to make like 20 to 25 times what I did in that one engagement just from referrals, referrals, referrals, referrals. And I built from there. So it started with taking a leap. It started with betting on myself.

And then I thought, okay, I'm just going to do what I know I can do. Blew the doors off it. I ended up over the next few years going on to make like 20 to 25 times what I did in that one engagement just from referrals, referrals, referrals, referrals. And I built from there. So it started with taking a leap. It started with betting on myself.