Vaynerspeakers is on the look out for the underexposed with an amazing and authentic story who deserves a platform to inspire the world.

James Altucher,  Ryan Holiday and Sarah Kunst are 3 of a select bureau of  authentic and nice people that VaynerSpeakers currently represents, and we learn why this new agency is "removing the transaction from the engagement" to ensure audience engagement. 
Zach Nadler, the CEO of VaynerSpeakers, shares which qualities give a speaker an international audience, what is a multi-hyphenate, his view on what the next billion-dollar business will be for anyone in the events business, and what qualities in a speaker are more important than just having a good story to tell.

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Transcript

_Zachary_Nadler: 0:00

I love the idea of unnoticed, right? Because it's something where there's something to notice. You just haven't noticed them. Right. And we've we think very similarly, you know, we, we say it's, it's finding people are underexposed, but deserve to be overexposed. So someone who has an amazing message that, you know, if people are listening, They'll hear it.

_Jim_James: 0:17

Hello, welcome to this episode of the unnoticed show all the way, actually from the big Apple I've got Zach Nadler here. Who's the CEO of Vayner speakers, Zach. Thanks for joining me.

_Zachary_Nadler: 0:27

Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

_Jim_James: 0:29

Oh, absolutely. My pleasure. Now I'd love you to share with us about how the Vayner speakers Bureau is going to help the unnoticed of the world to get noticed.

_Zachary_Nadler: 0:41

Yeah, well, I think we we obviously we represent a small group of speakers. but what we do is try and inspire others, right? We want to show people you know, the best tactics, the best strategies. How do you get your message out there? what a positive message can actually do. And I think we really are. We aim to set an example. Right. You know, we can't help every single person in the world through representation, but we can through example and providing people an idea of what we do and the effective way that we've done it. and an opportunity for them to kind of mimic some of the strategies is something that we hope that that people take away.

_Jim_James: 1:11

And on one of the podcasts that I'd heard you on Zach , which struck me was you talk about sort of removing the transaction from the engagement and really focusing on, on the purpose. Can you just share with us, what do you mean by that? Because it's potentially a really hopeful message for all of those entrepreneurs and people out there who have got great messages to share, but who may not be sort of a listers. So could you just share with us about that?

_Zachary_Nadler: 1:38

So, you know, we started the business. We, we very much started with the idea that we want to be different. We don't want to just be another speaker's Bureau. There's enough out there already. and one of our kind of early focuses was you know, thinking through about not just the customer, but also our clients. Every event we feel is, is different and unique and can't be treated the same, same thing goes for every customer, every client. and we want to really remove the transaction. If all you're focusing on John is a transaction and scalability you don't really have much chance for success, right? Long-term you're not going to build relationships. look at us something where we remove the transaction. Everyone's going to come out of it. Yeah. Feeling much better because at the end of the day you know, the, transaction's just a small piece of what actually goes down, but just because the money's involved, people really focus on that.

_Jim_James: 2:20

How'd you, this is going to play out for those people that are, if you like lower down the transaction value, maybe outside of America, because you know, many listeners for this show are based in Asia, Africa. Latin America. So do you think there's a role for these speakers in other markets to speak in America or for Americans to speak overseas? Can you share with us the sort of international view that you've got in this kind of pandemic era.

_Zachary_Nadler: 2:54

Yeah. I mean, I think there's, there's two things to it. I think one anyone who is trying to break out into a new market, it's just like any product you need to have awareness, right? So that's creating awareness in the same way as you would otherwise. And I know this is an area that, that, you know, very well and, and, you know, Yeah, I have to make people aware of your product. If your product is yourself, you've got to make people aware of yourself. If you're not marketing yourself in other languages, you can't expect people to speak other languages, to know who you are, want to hear from you. and I think as it relates to a relationship, I think it's more important overseas outside of America than in other places. you know, I mean, brother, it's more important than other places in America. I actually think that we're in you're in a smaller market. The relationship becomes more beneficial to you, right? You can use that to your advantage, right? You can create lasting relationships and groups want to bring you back because there may be less speakers where you are. And so if you can really be an impactful individual and build a relationship to where people say, I want to work with that person again it really does benefit you in the long run.

_Jim_James: 3:49

And do you see any trends that are in America and that are different in other parts of the world about, you know, what is of interest. On the speaker who like circuit, I certain organizations in America looking for certain kinds of topics and speakers and maybe in Europe or Asia for different ones, or do you see as sort of a global, a global trend?

_Zachary_Nadler: 4:13

There's a little bit of both. I think you know, coming out of the pandemic, obviously, you know, we expect, we expect that like resilience is going to be a topic and grit these are things that are going to be global. Right. Everyone is dealing with this. How do you overcome these obstacles? How do you move forward? How do you rebound from this, this awful time? Right. But I think that there are things. that are more territorial. I think there are certain, certain topics that are more, you know, exclusive to an area. and it's also an interesting thing because the global market really is many individual markets. Right. you know, you're there in the UK and I think, you know, speakers who may resonate in UK may not resonate in Spain. Right. And it's much shorter than it is to us. And maybe they resonate here or maybe not. It's all about what that individual messages and what that person's background is. Right. If someone was on a very successful TV show from the U S that is streamed to Paraguay. Well, they probably could do things in Paraguay. Whereas if they're not seen there it's can be very difficult. but if you have a message that is, I don't want to say evergreen, but something that's useful to anyone, then you should be able to build a market for yourself anywhere, because if you can impact people and help people, regardless of where they are, you know, the internet has democratized information and allowed it so that anyone could build a marketplace for, in any part of the world. So if you want to just, you know, broadcast generally from any part of the world, Others can see you anywhere, right? YouTube. Doesn't say, you know, you're not gonna be able to be seen in Australia. So you will have the opportunity to build a market for yourself anywhere, but you have to put the time and effort in to actually do that and make it a message that people actually want to hear about.

_Jim_James: 5:43

Yeah, and I think you've touched on a wonderful point there about the democratization of media technology. Is there, are there any technology platform. Forms that, , Vayner speakers are using Zach to help your current portfolio of, speakers too. Share their messages worldwide. Are there any particular platforms because zoom is obviously one, but it's really reached this threshold, I think in terms of interactivity and connectivity right.

_Zachary_Nadler: 6:11

Well, I keep saying, you know, this, this last year, right? We've done more virtual events than I ever expected. We would be doing in a year. I'm, I'm expecting that. We'll probably continue to do plenty of the moving forward. I also think what's going to be interesting. Is, are there other platforms that come, so we've all kind of, you know, gotten comfortable with zoom, right. But if you remember, 10 years ago, we were all on Skype. No one's using Skype now. And I think that there's a lot of other platforms that have kind of come out of the mix and why keep saying this, you know, there's a billion dollar opportunity for one of your listeners, if they can figure out how to replace, not the video conferencing. So you can have a conversation like this, or have one speaker speaking to many. If you can replace the, let's grab a drink after this session, or let's have breakfast tomorrow morning and talk about that deal. That's the thing that's been missing. And I think people can try to replicate, you know, after parties and VIP experiences, but it's not the same as being networking kind of one-on-one or one to many. And I think that those are things that people miss. And I think that that's the biggest opportunity. I haven't seen anything that's come even close to replacing that kind of face-to-face interaction. but as it stands, I mean, we, we, we remain pretty tech agnostic. there's probably 10 to 15 different platforms that we w we've used in the last year. we often try to be malleable or work with whichever is most preferred by the customer. but at this point, our clients are all kind of their own it individual, right. They know more about the tech side than anyone because they're the ones on the, on the screen all day long.

, _Jim_James: 7:27

exactly. And for , the talent, you talked earlier on about, you know, Vayner of speakers looking for. Maybe some Juul, some gems that people are out there that we would call unnoticed can just share with us a little bit about the strategy that you've got to uncover these unrecognized uh, speakers.

_Zachary_Nadler: 7:47

Yeah, I love, I love the idea of unnoticed, right? Because it's something where there's something to notice. You just haven't noticed them. Right. And we've we think very similarly, you know, we, we say it's, it's finding people are underexposed, but deserve to be overexposed. So someone who has an amazing message that, you know, if people are listening, They'll hear it. And I think that's the key point. You have to have that audience to listen, and we recognize that we have a platform. So we have the ability to help broadcast and amplify the message, but it's finding individuals and we're very proud of the people we represent. They're all very individual in their own way, and they all have very different messages. and we find that there, it's exciting to be able to share these different messages and be able to broadcast that with with the megaphone. but it is very much so we look for the unnoticed, right? The underexposed and we do our best to overexpose them. Let's let people say there's too much content. I'm just going be, it will be seeing them too much, you know, that's, that's a good place to be.

_Jim_James: 8:39

And interestingly, then it sounds as a of speakers, you've got a sort of a plan for the portfolio or stable of, of speakers that you have. Can you just share with us about the structure of the kind of speakers that you're working to assemble because it's quite a, a position of privilege and power in a way to collect so many people that have so many wonderful things to share. You have quite a lot of authority, don't you in shaping public opinion, possibly in dialogue, by who you can share access

_Zachary_Nadler: 9:15

Yeah, I think we, we do consider it a privilege used to work with the, the, the clients that we have. It's, it's pretty remarkable. and you know, we, we hope to continue to add to that roster. I think that we do take that responsibility not lightly, right. We really want to be able to be proud of those that we represent and we are today and we plan to be in the future. I think it's something where. We don't actually make the decisions on who gets booked for an event, right? It's our job to educate and advocate for our clients. So we, you know, it's our responsibility to make sure that our customers know what their options are and connect the dots you know, between a speaker. And, and, and, and an event, right. Need to understand what that event is looking for. you know, what the win on the board would be for them. And then hopefully it's one of our clients. And, and one thing that we take very seriously is our clients don't, you know, cookie cutter speech at, right. They don't just come out and give the same speech at given 50 times. Right. They figure out who the audience is, who the company is why they're being brought in, in the first place. And then. Do their best to create a really custom message. And that's not something that you see every day. It's not the way it used to be in our industry. so we take that as kind of the guiding light, the main principle for what we do, right? Maybe they have a story that everyone loves to hear, and that can be their greatest hits. Right. You want to hear that your favorite band play your favorite song, but. You know, you also want to hear other songs and your favorite song may be different than the next guy's favorite song. So it's about understanding how the value from a speaker comes out. and we look for speakers that can do that. Speakers that have a message rather than have a speech.

_Jim_James: 10:40

That's a really good point, I guess that comes back to your idea of being an engagement, not a transaction that actually each one is suited to the audience rather than the speaker to themselves. Can I ask you. How will you think maybe some Asian speakers will fair or can fair in European and American markets? What's your experience of of, how well, they travel.

_Zachary_Nadler: 11:07

Well that there's, there's a number of things at play, right. There have obviously been successful people who have crossed you know, country lines all over the world. I think language barrier is obviously a main one that you know, is being broken down on a regular basis. Right? I think there are parts of the world where English is taught. You know, from a very young age. And so if you're able to speak in a common language, like, like English that is spoken in multiple nations, you're going to have more success. but I think it's also understanding kind of, again, the platform and kind of the message. So if you're an Asian speaker look at it like music. Right. If you're a pop star in Hong Kong, right? You may not be breaking out in other areas, right. People may not be listening to you widely in other places. So similarly, you're not going to tour Australia. If no one's buying your album in Australia are streaming your music. Right? So it's very similar for a speaker, right? If you are unknown in a region, it's going to be tough to go out there and be on main stages. However, there are things that that can do that. We have we have an event actually this summer where we have a client who it was supposed to be live in Singapore. It's not going to be, it's now going to be virtual. but the idea of bringing you know, an American born person over to Singapore, it's an international crowd. And I think they should, they translate this into about 20 different languages. So they do the work of simultaneous translation so that everyone can enjoy it. The idea is that. you know, a message. If it's a strong enough message is going to help anyone out there. and so it's understanding your own kind of cultural relevancy and turning that to other people. So if you, you know, if you come from a particular background, right, you have things that are very specific to you and, and, you know, stories and relationships and thoughts that you have. And a lot are going to be common with other people like you. But if you want to speak to a crowd, that's not like you. You have to find ways to connect with that crowd. And that works a lot of different ways, right. You know, as you talk about working with business owners and entrepreneurs if you come in and treat them as if they're all employees, then you're gonna have a very difficult time having a conversation like that. And it's the same exact thing. If you're speaking on stage, you gotta know who your audience is and make sure that, that you can be authentic, but still speak to them in a way that's going to be powerful and meaningful for them.

_Jim_James: 13:10

it sounds as though one of the challenges for these speakers is that they've got a, sort of a polished and practice presentation, but it has to adapt each time to the different situation. Do you coach. Speakers and presenters in your portfolio to do that, or is that a skill set that you would expect them to have when they come to you?

_Zachary_Nadler: 13:32

I think it's something you hone over time, right? We don't coach or write speeches for our clients, but we do provide them with the information they need to perfect their craft and make sure that each presentation is custom. It is a difficult thing, but I think it goes back to authenticity, right? If you're a speaker. And, you know, your world inside out, whatever your topic is, it can be on change management on taking risks, overcoming obstacles. If you know your message, then you should be able to understand how to connect it to a different audience. and that sometimes take more research than otherwise. Right? Sometimes you're going through an age where like, I've spoken to a crowd of insurance brokers before I know what to do here. Right. Other times it's like, wow, I've never spoken to teachers. Right. It's a very special audience. I have to make sure I connect with them. And so just thinking through things like that and how a joke may not play, right? Because you may be in a bed, I've had a client who will say, is known for having colorful language. and he did an event in front of 10,000 Mormons. And I can tell you he did not curse. And so when I can tell you that anyone can adapt it's possible. and it just, it's just a matter of putting effort in, right. If you're a band, you have to know that you're going to play music, that's going to affect that crowd. but maybe, you know, if you have a song that, that, you know, did better in one country or another, you're going to probably lean on that song. So you just have to know your audience and be able to craft your message, but own the content. Right. If you can't stand on a soap box and talk about the thing that you're most passionate about, then you shouldn't be out there in the first place.

_Jim_James: 14:59

Yeah. So it sounds as though, as a presenter or a, or a a speaker, as you said, Like a musician, you kind of have your own style and your own form of composition, but you having to think of new tunes to stay relevant step today. Right? Right. what about then people starting, I'm playing small local gigs before moving to big ones, because one of the observations and you have a daughter and I have children that there's a sort of an expectation that. You could be Kim Kardashian quite quickly. And yet people don't see all the work that goes on. the sitting in garden sheds recording at night. For example, before you get a lucky break, right?

_Zachary_Nadler: 15:39

Yeah. The 20 year overnight success.

_Jim_James: 15:41

Yeah, exactly. In my case, it might be 20, 25 to 30 if I'm not frozen over. But what you recommend are all those people out there, the unnoticed out there that have got some great messages, because a lot of people actually will have lived through a lot of hardship and maybe learned a lot in the last year to two years and they'll have some good stories to share. How do you help them or suggest they kind of move from stage to stage Zach because they're not going to go from no stage to top stage.

_Zachary_Nadler: 16:11

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think, you know, first off I think the, the analogy kind of talking about our kids, I think is really interesting, right? Because a different generation they're growing up with different rules, right? You see these overnight successes, somebody releases a song,on TikTok, and then two weeks later they're playing at the Grammys. Right. That's a reality. And that you and I did not know, right. That wasn't a possibility for you and I, but it is now. And I think that just goes back to the internet democratizing information. If you have as a great story, Tell it, share your story, find people who want to hear it. And the more you share that story online you know, you even think back to, you know, it's crazy to say this, but I think it was now 10 years ago and Justin Bieber became a phenomenon, right. He just played a song on YouTube and someone saw it. And the next thing you know, history was made, right. That was 10 years ago. And it's so much easier now to create content, right. To build a podcast studio in your garden. Right. I'm sure it's a lot easier today than it was 10 years ago. And it just keeps getting better. I mean, zoom, wasn't a thing we were using two years ago. So being able to take advantage of all the technology and the opportunity is how you get to spread your message. But it's also important that you beat self-aware to know what message are you telling that people want to hear, right? Because like you said, a lot of people have had hardships over the last year. But if a lot of people have hardships have had hardships, then it's almost so relatable that you have to stand out. And that doesn't mean you have to have the saddest story. You just have to know how to tell your story and make it relatable. Just telling the story doesn't necessarily help someone. But if you're able to provide information about. What happened to you and how that's something that can benefit someone else. Right. You know, I have one client who has led a very fruitful life, has had all sorts of crazy experiences than a million things. I would never even dream of doing, because I don't want to put myself through the agony of running a hundred miles or, or, or, you know, go, you know, climbing up a mountain without a shirt on these things. Don't sound like fun to me necessarily. But what I love is he tells the stories because he's gone through it and I can now listen to his stories about the lessons he learned because he went through it. So I don't have to do it myself, but I learned something by hearing his stories. It's the same thing. Right. You've got a great story. Figure out what the best way to tell it

_Jim_James: 18:19

and I think you also made a very good point there about on the whole people, not presenters as a main stream activity right there. They're living life. Accomplishing things challenging themselves in whatever way. And the presenting is their way of sharing what they've accomplished or what they've learned. It's not the end in itself. Right. And that's also seems to be a key point that it's not fame that you're looking for. It's the ability to serve and to share. And that may be, it comes all the way back to Vayner speakers profile. Are there certain kind of people that you're looking for within. The Vayner speakers, Zach, any particular theme or trend that you're looking for?

_Zachary_Nadler: 19:02

We really aren't. We try to be as open-minded as possible. I think, you know, it's funny nowadays, everyone's a multihyphenate right. So you're not just a speaker. You're not just a podcast host. You're not just an author. You're not just on TV. You have to do 50 things. You know, it's kind of funny, you know, if you look back like we, we, we used to joke and you'd say like, you know, growing up as a student, you can't just, you know, just be in band. You have to be in band and play soccer and you have to do this and you have to volunteer. That's the only way you're going to get in university. Well, it's kind of funny because now as adults, it's the same thing, right? You have to do 50 different things to be noticed, but you do to 50 different things because it separates you from other people and allows you to differentiate. And really that's what we're looking for. We're just looking for people who are different. Right. Differentiated themselves in the marketplace. They have a great message share to share their authentic. and frankly, they're good people, right? We only want to work with good people. We keep a small roster because we love the people that we represent. We love, I love my team and I want to keep it that way. I don't want to rock the boat by bringing anyone in who's maybe too much to handle. I'll choose my words carefully. but I think yeah, we, we don't look for any particular type of person or any, you know, Profile of a individual. You have to be this successful. You then this many followers on social media, those are all kind of, you know, periphery numbers and things that don't really quantify success in our world. I can point to a lot of people who have millions of views on Ted talks and don't speak regularly. Which a lot of people who have millions of followers on Instagram and don't speak regularly. So you have to put the whole package together and be authentically you. And those are ultimately the people that we look for. but frankly, there's a lot of them out there and we're a fairly small, you know, two and a half year old company. So we're doing our best, but eventually we'll be able to represent the world.

_Jim_James: 20:38

And if people want to find out more about you, where can they

_Zachary_Nadler: 20:42

Yeah, please. vaynerspeakers.com. Check us out, reach out to me. I'm I'm eminently available. So I'm always happy to help with any event or any opportunity. or even just a question, you know, hit me up on all social media and I'll be there to help.

_Jim_James: 20:55

So thank you to Zach Nadler. Who's joined us all the way from the big Apple for Manhattan, in fact, on the unnoticed show. And one of the key takeaways for me really is about the need to be authentic and to do your thing. Live it and love it. And if you've got something to share, to share that or not pursue that as the end in itself, but to be able to serve. And if you do that, then you will have an audience. And who knows, maybe venous speakers may help you with that one day. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the unnoticed goodbye.