Frequently Asked Questions

Who started the American Seminar Academy & why?

I”m David Portney and I founded the American Seminar Academy in 2006 to provide training resources for people who want to make money doing seminars, workshops, training, and other group events. Group events are a terrific lead generation and lead conversion method, highly recommended for those who have a product, service, cause, or issue to promote.

Who is David Portney and what qualifies him to teach people how to do seminars?

I’m a long-time speaker, trainer and instructor and the author of  “Get Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” and “129 Seminar Speaking Success Tips” &  a few other books on seminar success. As a speaker and trainer I have literally thousands of trainings and seminars under my belt. I’ve been a Learning Annex Instructor since 2004, I’m a black-belt Karate Instructor, I’ve conducted workshops for large organizations such as the Lost Angeles Times and The National Notary Association, and I’ve trained or consulted companies in financial planning, regulatory compliance, asset protection, transportation, real estate, chiropractic, estate planning, and insurance industries. My students include business owners from all walks of life – if you can think of a business or industry, it’s likely I’ve had at least one student from that area of expertise.

What does the American Seminar Academy do for people?

I offer free training here on my website, and I also have a members-only premium training – check out the membership page here for more information.

Can’t Toastmasters give me the same info & training?

Not really, no – their focus is different than mine. Toastmasters is really more about oration skills, but their meetings are not really about learning how to use group events as a lead generation or lead conversion method. Seeing an unfilled need, I created The American Seminar Academy to fill exactly that specific need.

I’m not comfortable with selling – do I have to “sell from the stage” to be successful doing seminars?

Definitely not, and that was a misconception I had early on. In fact, if you’re “selling from the stage” then you’re doing it all wrong. Successful seminars guide people to the natural conclusion that they should be doing business with you and buying your product or service. I teach ASA members exactly how, step by step.

What if my question is not answered here?

Feel free to contact me using this contact form.