Speaker - April 2011

»It becomes critical that you’re diligent about collecting business cards, keeping track of what you offer, following up with the people you meet, and making sure you honor all of the promises you toss out at networking events.

BOOKING BUREAU BUSINESS

Speaking more also works if you want to get booked by bureaus. The common anecdote is that bureaus won’t book you until you don’t need them. That is, they won’t have an interest in what you’re doing until their clients start asking for you. But there’s another way to get to bureaus— get recommended by the speakers they already represent.

Speaking more means other speakers will see you, too. Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE, explained at the 2011

NSA Keynote Lab that the bureaus he works with often ask him to suggest speakers. He is protective of his bureau relationships, so he’s careful about his recommendations. But when he sees a great speaker on the circuit, he feels he’s doing his bureaus a favor by passing the name along.

» Partner with successful local speakers to do an opening act for them.

» Speak at local colleges, community groups, churches and synagogues.

Besides generating exposure, speaking more also gives you more stage time. As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in Outliers, true mastery only comes after 10,000 hours of concerted effort. How much time have you spent giving your talk?

Speaking more by speaking more doesn’t work if you squander opportunities. Because your audience is enamored with you (thanks to your great speech), they will be that much more appreciative when you follow up. They’ll also be that much more disappointed if you don’t do what you promise. Therefore, it becomes critical that you’re diligent about collecting business cards, keeping track of what you offer, following up with the people you meet, and making sure you honor all of the promises you toss out at networking events. If you tell someone you’re going to send a copy of your audio book, do it. If you promise to e-mail the opinion paper you wrote on their industry, do that, too. Even if you only shake hands and stick their business card in your pocket, they deserve a personal thank-you letter.

Once you’ve been considered for a
gig, you can speak more by scheduling
a conference call with your poten-
tial clients before they book you. Let
the executive director and confer-
ence manager know they’ll be in good
hands if they hire you. This strategy
has proven so successful that we ask
our speakers bureaus to arrange con-
ferences whenever they’re considering
us for a particular gig. When we talk to
potential clients, we’re more likely to
hear what they need, and we can tailor
our presentation to match those needs.
We’re able to provide details on any
relevant business or experience we’ve
had that could convince the client and
close the sale.

Comedian and actor Steve Martin says that becoming a millionaire is simple. All you have to do is start with a million dollars. Becoming a successful speaker is simple, too. All you have to do is speak.

Bruce Turkel has worked with Nike, Discovery Channel, Baptist Health, HBO, MetCare, and Miami. He has spoken at MIT, Harvard, and hundreds of conferences, has been on NPR, FOX and CNN and featured in Fast Company, The New York Times and Communications Arts. He has published three books on advertising, including his latest, Building Brand Value. Visit http://turkel.info.

MAKE THINGS HAPPEN

If you’re a beginning speaker still looking for your chance to get up in front of people, you can still speak more by speaking more. Get aggressive about finding chances to speak wherever you can, and lower your fee when necessary so you don’t miss your chance to get on the lectern. You can: