A snapshot into the lives of people who hire speakers
Sell the Booking
and the Book
Andrea Gold approaches the business of booking speakers from a multifac- eted perspective. Not only is she is president of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau,
which she founded in 1989, but she is
married to a speaker, NSA member Gary
Yamamoto. Together, they manage a cor-
poration that includes a publishing arm
and a management consulting firm. Gold
also co-authored The Business of Successful
Speaking: Proven Secrets to Becoming a
Million Dollar Speaker.
answers well. Take good notes. Use your
writing skills for email, newsletters, PR,
social media and product development,
among other applications. Presentation
titles, like news headlines, must be atten-
tion grabbing. Speakers need intriguing
titles that communicate what is offered.
or content; not having a demo video; and
focusing on their own needs instead of the
client’s needs.
How should speakers use
traditional and nontraditional
publishing channels?
There is power in having a product that
gives your audience additional information that was not covered in a keynote
or a training session. That said, traditional publishing is going away rapidly.
Traditional publishing pays very little,
and many of the traditional distribution
channels are accessible to nontraditional
publishers. In one model, some speakers
self-publish their books and are published
by major publishing houses as well. An
electronic book and some tangible books
are good to offer—for speaking venues,
it’s wise to have printed books on hand
to sell and to sign. In my opinion, use
both physical and digital publishing.
Why limit yourself?
Janet Bailey: How has being married
to a speaker affected your business?
Andrea Gold: I understand what a speaker
goes through, and I protect the speaker
when a client attempts to take advantage
of him or her.
What are the trends among organizations that request speakers?
Clients want more content and less fluff.
They often request—or expect—added
value, such as a webinar, a teleseminar or
an article.
How can speakers sell themselves?
They should clearly communicate their
value, experience, and what makes them
different and the best choice. They should
be easy to work with and not place a lot of
demands on clients. A terrific demo video
also can do wonders.
Andrea Gold is president and founder of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau and CEO of Dynamic Pathways, Inc. Her bureau provides speakers, trainers,
celebrities, sports fi gures, emcees, facilitators
and moderators, at both face-to-face and virtual
meetings worldwide. Gold is also a moderator
with MeCo, also known as Meetings
Community, with more than 3,200 meeting
planners and meetings professional members.
Visit www.goldstars.com.
How do speakers kill the sale?
Deal breakers are: not responding in a
timely manner; using untrained staff or
family members to field questions on the
phone regarding fees, availability, travel
Does your newspaper experience
influence your current business?
When talking to clients, it’s important
to ask the right questions and cut to the
chase. Focus on the other person. Listen to
Janet Bailey, who interviewed Andrea Gold, helps organiza- tions improve focus and engagement through Precision Questioning & Answering, clear
communication and mindfulness training.
Learn more at www.janetbailey.com.
