I totally disagree with that assumption. As someone who has been hired to
give keynotes in subsequent years to the
same audiences, my experience has been
contrary to that limiting belief system.
Event coordinators are looking for
speakers they can hire on a regular basis.
So, if they are booking a banking conference today, they may be booking a
speaker for a pharmaceutical conference
next month. If you’ve done a good job
of creating a remarkable experience
in the first 100 days, you will be top
of mind when it comes time to
finding talent for the next gig.
Most speakers have been
rehired by the same company
or by the same event coordinator for future gigs. Those are
the ultimate gravy train gigs! You
already know what you’re dealing
with, you know the client, and you know
the audience. The client already has an
expectation. You’ve already agreed on
fee. These are the best kind of opportunities to get! In case it wasn’t obvious, I
would say the first 100 days absolutely
applies to speakers.
Speakers also need to realize that
they actually have two to three customers when they take the stage: the
event coordinator, the audience and the
sponsoring organization. Speakers usually focus on the audience’s experience.
Instead, stop and ask, “What am I
doing to prove my value to all of my
audiences and exceed their expectations
outside of the scope of the speech?”
What are some suggestions you might
give speakers to do exactly that? Most
speakers rarely consider the event coordinator’s emotional state leading up to
and including the event. They are trying to maintain a level head while juggling 10,000 balls, and doing their best
to manage their client’s and audience’s
needs. In many cases, the worst part of
their job is tending to the speaker’s
emotional needs!
I focus on the event coordinator’s
concerns in order to alleviate their
stress. For example, one of their biggest
worries is if the speaker will show up,
so I send a text the minute my plane
lands alerting them that I’ve arrived
safely. Many event planners have been
in the business for more than 20 years
and have never received this courtesy
from other speakers. It takes me only
15 seconds to send the text, and its
effect is priceless.
What are other meaningful ways
to communicate with the event
coordinator? Between signing the
contract and the day of the event,
you should communicate regularly
with the event coordinator. Send a
hand-written thank-you note. Offer
to help connect the event coordinator
to other speakers. You can also provide
huge value to your event coordinator
and say, “Hey, I know you booked a
few platinum- and gold-level sponsors.
Would it be useful to add a bonus session for them or their clients where I
do a breakfast Q&A the morning after
my keynote or a “meet the speaker”
happy hour at one of the events they’re
hosting? If that’s valuable, I’m more
than happy to do that.” Nine times out
of 10, they will be blown away by your
offer because you’re helping them provide value to their customers.
On the day of the event, give the
event coordinator a small thank-you
gift. It should have nothing to do with
your business or your speech. A signed
copy of your book is not a gift! Bring
them something from your home city
or state. For example, if you live in San
Francisco, bring them a small loaf of
sourdough bread.
Follow up with thank-you notes after
the event. If you survey your audience,
send the raw data to your event coordinator. Event coordinators have told me,
“I forwarded the results from your audience survey directly to the CEO because
In the first 100 Days, your customer goes through seven stages: activation,
affirmation, admission, acclimation, assimilation, adoption
and advocacy.
at each stage, you can use six
key forms of communication to
build the relationship: in person,
email, mail, phone, video, and
gifts (by far, the most under-utilized of the six).
To learn how to effectively pair
these communication formats
with the various stages in the
customer lifecycle, download a
free pDf that Joey coleman
created especially for the readers
of Speaker magazine. go to
www.Joeycoleman.com/
SpeakerMagazine.
Bring Your “A” Game
