Putting a fine point on the speaking industry
It’s not about you…
Ihave the opportunity to spend a
lot of time with leaders in the convention and association professions. No
matter what the reason we are together, at some point our conversation
always turns to the same topic when
I’m asked: “Who is the hottest speaker
on the circuit and how much is he or
she making?”
When you represent an association of
3,700 of the hottest speakers in the
country, it is not such an easy question
to answer. So I have become adept at
turning the question back to those who
inquire, asking them: “Who is the
best speaker you have had on
your program lately?” The
answers span a variety of topics
and people, and help create a
great recruitment list of potential NSA members. Seeing the
kind of market research this
began to yield, I also
began asking
others about
their recent
experience
with professional speakers. This is
when the
answers can
get rather
candid.
Here is
what your
clients have to say
about you when you
aren’t in the room.
What they like:
Far and away, the best-rated speakers
are the ones who take the time to know
an organization, know the audience and
weave specific examples from that particular industry into the presentation.
Clients want new, better or different
information than they can get at their
desktops. They are not talking about the
same old standard information that any
newbie to that industry can get from a
Web site.
Also, when looking you up on the
Internet, clients want to see clips of you
actually speaking so they can see
you in action. While your list of
accomplishments, clients and
testimonials may be impres-
sive, they want to see you
delivering your best message.
What they dislike:
The granddaddy of
all complaints—
across the board—
is that speakers
give themselves
a bad rap with
cold calls and
untargeted mar-
keting. Cients
want you to
know about
them, about their
meetings and why
you are a good fit
BEFORE you or your
marketing staff picks
up the phone to call
them. They hate callers who ask about
the kind of speakers who are hired or
when the next meeting is scheduled.
Clients feel that information is already
on their Web sites and since you had
not bothered to research it, you are
likely not someone who can deliver
what they need.
Just as untargeted marketing does not
work, neither do presentations that are
not customized. Canned speeches and
speakers who do not know the audience or proper pronunciation of the
client or sponsors name lose credibility
quickly, and these folks are not afraid to
share your name in negative comments
to colleagues.
Since the goal of this column is to
put a fine point on the speaking industry, here it is: It is not about you or
your topic—it is about how you and
your topic can help inspire and educate
the audience members of your client.
Keep that in mind and I expect to hear
all about you in my next conversation.
Stacy Tetschner, CAE
NSA Executive Vice President/CEO
P. S. While we’re on the topic of what
clients think about you, check out this
month’s “Welcome to My World” column on page 11. Anne Blouin, CAE,
chief learning officer for the ASAE and
The Center for Association Leadership,
offers an interesting perspective.
