If you’ve read this far, you’re interested in a paid public speaking career in spite of the competitiveness and because of the opportunity to reach an audience with your message. And you want to make money. So far, so good.
The next step is to think about how you’re going to create demand for yourself and your speech. (I’m assuming you have a phenomenal speech. I’ve written and blogged many times about writing a great speech, so I won’t talk about that here.) Most speakers starting out think that their best move is to find a speakers’ bureau and sit back and wait for the bookings to roll in. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Speakers’ bureaus get a cut from their clients – corporations, associations, and the like who put on conferences – of the speaker’s fee, usually 25%. So the focus of the bureau is on satisfying their clients, and that means presenting them with, say, a half-dozen DVDs of their best speakers on leadership. Or the current economic state, or how the regulatory climate is going to look next year, or whatever the topic.
A speakers’ bureau will only reach for your DVD out of their enormous pile for two reasons. First, you’re in hot demand. The client has asked for you, or someone like you if you’re not available. Second, the bureau knows you and loves you. So your job is to create both pull and push demand. To become in hot demand, you need to establish a platform and a community of people who have similar passions and are vocal about them. To get the bureaus to know you and love you, you need to send business their way.
That means when you get a speaking assignment, share it with a bureau you want to become friends with. Pay the bureau the 25% even if it hurts; it’s your way of saying that you’re a professional and you mean business.
More and more speakers and meeting planners are doing ‘end runs’ around the speakers’ bureaus. Some meeting planners will even ask bureaus for recommendations, and then go to the speakers’ web sites and book them directly. That is unethical, but it does happen, and it’s why the business is changing, and bureaus are becoming ‘disintermediated’. It’s an awful word, but its promise is as old as barter: cut out the middleman!
For now, we live in a hybrid world. If you pursue paid public speaking, some of your speaking assignments will come directly from the meeting planners, and some will come from bureaus. You have to navigate this tricky terrain as intelligently and ethically as possible.
As you’re making nice with the bureaus and creating demand (a strong platform) through social media and other methods, you’ll also want to explore a third way to get speaking gigs: your existing network. Have you served in an industry-wide capacity on a task force, or on a standards committee? Have you helped colleagues over the years in a number of companies? Do you have a wide network of suppliers or customers who know you and respect your insights into the business? Each of these can become a source of speaking assignments. The trick is to get one, and then another, and another. If you do a good job, word will spread quickly. Every member of each audience is a potential marketer for you! Remember that and treat your audiences well.
Next time I’ll talk more about each of these sources of gigs, and about what marketing materials you need to be ready to conquer the speaking world when it does come calling.
As you said it, speaker bureaus will help you get gigs if you are already somewhat known and experienced…
I found that in the beginning three things helped me get most paid speaking gigs:
1. Spoke for free as often as possible, but each time asked if they had money in the budget for the speaker
a) about 40% of the times they were able to pay, even if only in the low hundreds – or only a 100 (which for local gigs, in the beginning is not so bad) and b) often when you speak for free -or paid – there’ll be someone who likes your presentation and will invite you to speak at their conference, event, etc. (I got my very first paid speaking gig right out of my first free presentation and I got paid close to $1000 + all my expenses – I thought I hit the jackpot :) )
2. Network, network, network! I befriended many business owners, both through volunteering to speak at their event and at networking events. Many of my gigs come from personal contact with the meeting organizers or a top manager.
… and befriend as many speakers as possible. We forward to each other proposals and upocmming speaking opportunities, at times even if it means that we’ll compete against each other in getting the gig. But some of us are just so helpful :)
3. Visit large companies in person and ask if they use outside speakers to train or present to their employees. Try to make your offer sound like a hard topic – something that will help them increase profits,improve productivity, reduce employee turnover, etc.
Hi, E.G. – thanks so much for the very useful comments. Most of the professional-level speakers we know or work with get about half to 60 % of their (paid) speaking gigs through referrals, the network, etc. The other 40 % to a half come from speaker bureaus. And the trend is away from the bureaus….
Now that I finally grew enough experience to start working with bureaus, now the trend is “away from bureaus”…
Well… good thing I keep forgetting about them. I stay busy enough as I am. After I published my book (Communication Skills Magic) things took off really nicely…
I love your site and the content. Very nicely organized :)
Knowledge of speaking is a talent that will help you gain an extra income. Therefore, with the advice on how and where you can be an in demand speaker would be a great guidelines to follow.
It’s great to know that speaking could be also considered as business opportunities.