The Business of Speaking
By Maria Franzoni
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The Business of SpeakingFeb 01, 2022
Do this every day to get more bookings
Is your diary full of gaps? Would you like to have more bookings but you’re not quite sure where to start?
If you do this every single day you’ll have more than enough business in a few months’ time. Explained in the video.
If you need a bit of help getting started, join us on our next Practical Prospecting Day on the 9th March. Full details here.
If you've found this useful you might find this week’s podcast interview, From Working the Room to Working the Zoom with Will Kintish, very helpful too - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/.
Will Kintish was a Chartered Accountant for over 30 years. For the last 20 years, he has been showing us how to be more effective and confident networkers when attending physical events.
Since Covid he has been teaching us how to do the same online.
He is the author of the best-selling book “Business Networking -The Survival Guide”.
Will shares how networking has changed since the Pandemic, but how it is still possible to successfully network online as well as face to face. He also shares the key skills needed to network and what mistakes people tend to make when networking.
What are the benefits of being represented by a Speaker Bureau?
I might have mentioned in the past that I spent over 23 years working in Speaker Bureaus including running my own bureau for 14 of those years, so when it comes to the benefits of working with them I can definitely shed some light and share my experience.
For most speakers a Speaker Bureau really can enhance and grow your speaking business. Here's why:
If you've found this useful you might find this week’s podcast interview, How to work with Speaker Bureaus with me, Maria Franzoni, very helpful too - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/.
As a speaker, at some point you will consider working with Speaker Bureaus to help you grow your fees and your business. Speaker Bureaus can not only get you higher fees, but they can also get you booked by the right clients and take the admin off your shoulders. When the relationship works your business will really fly.
Maria Franzoni shares her top tips and tools for working effectively with Speaker Bureaus.
If you are looking to join a Speaker Bureau and be listed with them or you are looking to get bookings from a Bureau that you are already listed with, do check out our Speaker Bureau Seminar.
The best advice I can give to help you stand out
One of the biggest challenges you face as a speaker is to stand out and be remembered. There are a lot of speakers out there who may well be talking about the same topics you talk about. So how do you stand out? What is unique about you?
If you've found this podcast useful you might find this week’s podcast interview, Stand out as a Speaker and Be More Giraffe with Elliot Kay useful - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/.
For the last decade, Elliot Kay has worked with Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, MD’s & Investors in order to help them stand out when they are delivering talks and speeches, pitching or looking to win business through delivering speaking.
His unique and effective structures, impactful delivery training, and teaching “language that lands” has helped to hone their messaging, perfect their stories, and thus enable them to win more business.
He has spoken globally at conferences, events, in front of teams, leaders, and managers on how to pitch and win new business. As well as speaking he has worked with some of the leading companies and corporations and entrepreneurs on customer service, how to get into the media and how to successfully pitch on top-rated television programs such as “Dragons Den” and “MasterChef the Professionals”.
Elliot shares what it takes to stand out in the speaking industry, to Be more Giraffe, why this is so important for a speaker and how you can achieve this.
Is lack of visibility keeping you from getting booked?
Let's talk visibility. Being visible and seen by potential bookers is vital to get you the speaking gigs you really want to be getting in 2022. For many speakers it's their biggest challenge. If it's something that you are struggling with today's video might help.
If you've found this podcast useful you might find this week’s podcast interview, What Speakers can learn from Influencers with Gordon Glenister, very helpful too - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/.
Gordon Glenister is a membership and influencer marketing expert.
Having led an industry body for 11 years in the promotional product sector, he launched his own consultancy to help trade associations and professional bodies with their strategy.
Little did he know he would stumble on the influencer marketing sector.
Since the launch of the Branded Content Marketing Association Influence division, Gordon has written a 300-page book on influencer marketing strategy, started his global influence podcast, interviewed some amazing brands and thought leaders and keynoted at conferences.
He is also the founder of the top 100 most influential people index and Membership World a community of CE0s within the membership sector.
Gordon shares the role of an influencer and how to be really successful as one, how speakers can resonate with their audiences online better, how speakers can measure the effectiveness of your influence and the benefits of live streaming.
This can make you immensely bookable!
Do you make your audience think differently?
The speeches that tend to be paid the most and make you immensely bookable are those that make the audience think differently and offer relatable takeaways.
Turn yourself from a speaking expert into a visionary. How do you do that? I share my thoughts below on how you can achieve this.
If you've found this podcast useful you might find this week’s podcast interview, Build better business relationships with video messaging with Ethan Beute, very helpful too - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/.
Ethan is Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, a platform to build better business relationships with video messaging.
He is also host of The Customer Experience Podcast, and co-author of Rehumanize Your Business and of Human-Centered Communication.
Ethan shares the role of video in today’s day-to-day, how digital pollution is affecting speakers and why we need to be human-centered in our digital communication.
Is it time to change your topic?
When was the last time you re-evaluated your speaking topic? Have you ever changed it or do you find the thought of it just too daunting?
Listening to what is going on in the market, what your clients and target audience need and then tweaking or changing your speaking topic could set you up for a successful speaking business.
If you've found this podcast useful you might find this week’s podcast interview, Transforming our Speaking with Philipp Kristian, very helpful too - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/.
Philipp Kristian is pioneering human transformation for good. He’s a global TEDx speaker, voice of Gens Y to Z and author of RESET and The Trust Economy. He has been driving innovation and digital transformation for Fortune 500s in APAC and working with CEOs of Singapore’s most successful start-ups on reimagining entire industries.
He was a founding member of MetLife’s first global R&D hub, naming it lumenlab and setting a precedent for the industry.
He is deeply passionate about putting the human in transformation.
Philipp shares the definition of human transformation, why as a benevolent vigilante of trust he has now shifted his focus to human transformation, what the future looks like for human transformation and what his own transformation journey has been over the past year.
This is where to start when it comes to content creation
Content creation can feel overwhelming but if you are looking to grow your speaking business, content is essential.
Before planning your content for 2022, I'd like to share some thoughts to help you make content creation easier.
If you've found this podcast useful you might find this week’s podcast interview Get out of the Content Creation Hell with Jen Liddy very helpful too - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/.
Jen Liddy left her teaching career to avoid a life doomed by grading 9th grade essays. In 2013, she made a terrifying leap into entrepreneurship & learned everything the hard way!
Now, as a Content Creation Specialist, she helps people create realistic, sustainable systems to get their content out there - helping them know exactly what to say, how to say it - in a way that’s personalised in their voice! She helps personal brands get out of content marketing hell by teaching strategies that ease-ify, simplify, and actually make content FUN! As one client said, “she takes the ‘ugh’ out of content creation!”
Jen shares how important content really is for growing your business, the myths and misconceptions around content marketing, how to simplify content creation and what to consider every single time you create content.
What Speakers can learn from the Obamas
I recently had a conversation with Roger Fisk, the communications expert accredited with the success of the two Obama Presidential campaigns.
I asked him what was the secret behind the Obama success then and the continuing success and popularity 15 years later. He shared three things that not only work in a Presidential campaign but as a speaker can be applied to your business too to be successful.
If you've found this podcast useful you might find this week’s podcast interview Social Media Engagement Advice from President Obama’s Lead Advance Associate, Roger Fisk very helpful too - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/.
Roger Fisk is a global communications expert widely credited with key behind the scenes roles in Barack Obama's two presidential campaigns. He served in both Administrations leading trade and diplomatic missions all over the world, and more recently has been putting those experiences to work for Fortune 100 companies, causes, brands and NGOs through his firm New Day Strategy. Roger provides analysis and commentary to Fox News, the BBC, Times of India, China Daily, SKY News, Bloomberg and others.
Roger shares tips and tools on the importance of culture in communicating your message, how to continue to build and sustain your speaking business, how to translate your message across various media and an update on the US events and conferences market.
How to get comfortable quoting your fee
Do you struggle to quote or say your fee without hesitating? Are you comfortable enough to state your fee as a fact?
I recently had David Newman as a guest on my podcast and he gave me inspiration for this podcast. One of the exercises, taken from David's book, 'Do It! Speaking', is called Salt and Pepper your Fee which allows you to get comfortable with quoting your fee. Have a listen as see if it helps you.
If you've found this video useful you might find this week’s podcast interview Do It! Speaking with David Newman very helpful too - https://speakingbusiness.libsyn.com/sb-david-newman.
David Newman is a Certified Speaking Professional and serves as Chair of the NSA Million Dollar Speakers Group. He is the author of the business bestsellers Do It! Marketing and Do It! Speaking: 77 Instant-action Ideas to Market, Monetize and Maximize Your Expertise. He is also the creator of the Do It! MBA mentoring program where he helps solo consultants market their smarts and make a bigger dent in the universe.
David shares his insights into what marketing means to him, the hardest part of building a successful speaking business, how to grow your speaking business and the importance of Thought Leadership in the industry.
Three Great Questions to ask Prospects
Questions are a great way to get to know people better. They are also a great way to persuade and influence people to work with you.
I want to share with you three 'KILLER' questions that I think are really excellent for getting business, all of which I have personally used many times.
If you've found this useful you might find this week’s podcast interview What chocolate can teach you about sales with Alison Edgar MBE very helpful too - https://mfl.global/2021/11/23/alison-edgar/
Alison Edgar is known as ‘The Entrepreneur’s Godmother’ to Dragon’s Den and Apprentice Winners. She’s written two best-selling books Secrets of Successful Sales and SMASH IT! The Art of Getting What YOU Want, which discuss why everything we do is a sale. She’s worked with some of the biggest names in business such as SkyBet, Discovery Channel and EasyJet teaching them her intrapreneurship methodology, helping them to encourage entrepreneurial thinking within their organisations and now she’s here to discuss the importance of sales.
Alison shares the link between sales and intrapreneurship, the key components to a sales process, how everything we do is a sale and why DISC and behaviours are so important in organisations especially in relation to sales.
The 3 biggest mistakes when approaching Speaker Bureaus
Do you know what the top 3 mistakes speakers make when approaching and working with Speaker Bureaus?
After nearly 25 years working with and running international Speaker Bureaus, I have witnessed these mistakes time and time again. Today, I'm going to share these 3 mistakes with you so you can avoid making them.
If you've found this useful you might find this week’s podcast interview Prospecting without cold calling with Art Sobczak very helpful too - https://mfl.global/2021/11/16/art-sobczak/
Over the past 30+ years, Art Sobczak has helped salespeople and speakers say the right things to get through, get in, and sell, primarily using the phone. He’s a speaker, trainer, author, podcaster and lifelong salesperson. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals. He has written five books, and his flagship, “Smart Calling- How to Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling” is now in its new Third Edition and is the standard for individuals and companies worldwide to prospect effectively without “cold” calling.
In his podcast he shares some insights into what the biggest mistakes speakers make when prospecting, what the Smart Calling process for speakers to prospect without "cold calling" is, how to overcome the fear of rejection and how to respond when speakers are asked to reduce their fee.
When and how should I put up my fees?
I am frequently asked when and how a speaker should increase their speaking fees.
It is so important to review your fees on a regular basis but many speakers fear a drop in bookings if they increase their fee. Does your fee reflect the value that you bring to clients?
Here I share my thoughts on when and how you should increase your fees.
If you've found this useful, you might find this week's podcast interview How to become a Referable Speaker with Andrew Davis very helpful too - https://mfl.global/2021/11/09/andrew-davis/
Andrew Davis is a bestselling author and keynote speaker. Before building and selling a thriving digital marketing agency, he produced for NBC and worked for The Muppets. He's appeared in the New York Times and on the Today Show. He's crafted documentary films and award-winning content for tiny start-ups and Fortune 500 brands. Today, he teaches business leaders how to grow their businesses, transform their cities, and leave their legacy.
In his podcast he shares some insights from the book he co-authored with Michael Port – The Referable Speaker, along with how and why you should review your speaker fees frequently, why reliable delivery trumps customisation every time, why the highest paid speakers are visionaries and how speakers starting out can get their first speaking engagement.
Tools to help you run your speaking business
I love gadgets, tools and software, don't you?
I drive my team nuts constantly trying them out and switching our processes!
I'm going to share with you some of my favourites as well as giving you a full list of all the tools we use in our business.
If you've found this useful, you might find this week's podcast interview with Taylorr Payne of interest - CRM's - Worth it or a waste of time and money? - https://mfl.global/2021/11/02/taylorr-payne/
Taylorr Payne is the CEO and Co-Founder of SpeakerFlow, a software and coaching company that helps experts master the business aspects of thought leadership. An award-winning marketer and sales professional, his goal is to share how business owners can use data to streamline their revenue channels and, in doing so, sell more, serve better, and save time.
Taylorr shares the function of a CRM in a speaker’s business, why we are underutilising our CRM’s, how speakers can get their biggest ROI from using a CRM and the 3 step process for scaling your speaking business.
Download our tools list: https://www.dropbox.com/s/onxgp2x0s5v9hos/Tools.xlsx?dl=0
Can you build a 7 figure speaking business without automation and paid ads?
Is it possible to have a seven figure speaking business without automation, without paid ads, without spending a fortune on SEO or pay per click or whatever you want to call it, any of that?
Basically, can you build a seven figure speaking business without the bells and whistles? Just through building strong relationships.
Find out how Jamil Qureshi did just that and if you are intrigued, listen to his podcast: https://mfl.global/2021/10/26/jamil-qureshi/
Jamil Qureshi is a practitioner of performance psychology, an expert in high performing teams and cultural change and has a seven-figure speaking business.
He shares how he got started as a speaker, where his bookings come from and how he has continued to grow his speaking business even in a pandemic.
Do you have a signature speech?
Are you a speaker who creates a customised presentation for every client or do you have a signature talk, a speech that you can recite from memory, that's perfected?
There is no right or wrong answer. Here are my thoughts:
If you've found this useful you might find this week’s podcast interview Improv your Speaking Business with Neil Mullarkey, very helpful too - https://mfl.global/2021/10/19/neil-mullarkey/.
Neil is a unique communication expert. With Mike Myers he co-founded the Comedy Store Players, and still performs every Sunday with them in London. Neil was in a couple of Austin Powers movies. Nowadays he travels the world teaching improv and more to leaders and groups, as well as presentation skills. His book, 'Seven Steps to Improve your People Skills' was published in 2017. And, yes, Mullarkey is his real name.
Neil shares with us what improv is, how improv it can help us in life and business, why some people are scared of it and there's even some on air improv!
The speaker market is hot, what are you doing about it?
This week I bring amazing news for the Speaking Industry.
The market is hot, it's picked up, in fact so much so that many of my Speaker Bureau colleagues are recording booking figures higher than in 2019. WOW! After a very tough 18 months, this is just the news we have all been waiting for. The even better news is that 2022 is looking very positive too. So are you making the most of this fabulous news? Are you out there prospecting, talking to clients, talking to prospects and saying, do you need my help? Do you need my services? Because if you aren't, you're going to miss out.
If you've found this audio useful you might find this week’s podcast interview How to market yourself as an international speaker with Frank Furness, very helpful too - https://mfl.global/2021/10/05/frank-furness/.
Frank Furness is an international specialist in sales, technology, social media and goal setting and how they work in tandem to produce great results for organisations. He is Past President of the Professional Speakers Association of Europe and past Chair of the International PEG for the National Speakers Association of USA. Many of the world's most successful speakers started out by attending his 'Speakers Bootcamp' which he runs on 5 continents.
In this podcast, Frank shares marketing tips for speakers, how he established himself as an international speaker, what his speaking business consists of and the services and products he offers.
Are you clear on where you want your speaking business to be?
Do you begin with the end in mind when it comes to your speaking business?
Are you clear on where you want to be in your speaking business? It’s vital that you have a clear sense of direction and that all the pieces of your speaking business fit together to take you there.
I'm talking about the strategy of your speaking. What is your thinking? What direction are you going in? What do you want your speaking business to look like, say in a year, three years, five years? And are you going in that direction so that you are totally clear? Or does your business look more like Monty Python's race for people with no sense of direction.
If you would like to learn about a successful speaker's speaking business strategy do listen into James Taylor's recent recording with me- https://mfl.global/2021/09/28/james-taylor-podcast/
James Taylor has grown his speaking business from zero to high six figures in a mere three years and through a pandemic. It’s not often that a successful speaker commanding big fees lets you see how they got there, sharing the journey from selecting the topic, setting their fee, all the way through to how he has found high paying speaking gigs but James did just that with Maria recently on SBTV.
James Taylor is a creativity, innovation and artificial intelligence speaker as well as joint host of Speaking Business TV.
How to get more business from each client after you have delivered
This is number five of a series of five podcasts.
We've been looking at five different ways that you can get more business from every client and the various stages. So let me recap on one to four, before we talk about number five.
- Number one is at the enquiry stage.
- Number two is at time of proposal.
- Number three is at the stage of briefing, once you've been booked.
- Number four is when you're actually delivering your content, delivering your masterclass, keynote, whatever it happens to be.
And number five obviously is going to be after you've done a great job. And of course you'll have done a great job, you've delivered on the objective, you've got a happy client. Lots of things you can do, so many actions you can take to get more work. Let me give you a couple.
Five Opportunities to get more business Part 4 - While Presenting
I love to look at ways to get more business from each client because by doing so, I know that I can make a bigger impact, I can make a bigger change. It's very hard to take a client from A to B with just a speech or just a workshop. But if you can work longer with them, you can do so much more. And part of that is really understanding what that client needs, what else you can do for them.
In the session, you can actually find out so much more about your clients and find opportunities to work with them more. Now, this isn't something you can do in the keynote, but this is something that you can do in a less formal session, in a workshop or a masterclass, an internal session, even a lunch and learn.
Have a listen to learn just how to create opportunities from you are still presenting.
Five Opportunities to get more business - Part Three - The Briefing Call
You've been booked, you're ready to go, and now the client wants to have a briefing call.
The briefing call will give you so much more information about where the client is, what's going on for them in the industry, in their company and maybe give you some insights to more potential opportunities.
Not only can you use the briefing to absolutely nail your content, customise it, make it the best it possibly can and answer what the client wants, you can definitely find more opportunities. Let's look at this briefing and how you can find opportunities within it.
Five Opportunities to get more business - Part Two - Proposals
It's so important to absolutely maximise every opportunity you have to do more with a client, and you can do this at various stages of the sales process and various stages of the process working for the client.
One of those stages is the proposal: when you've summarised your discussions after you've taken a really good enquiry, you've taken great details, and you are summarising back to the client what you are able to do. Instead of just going back, reiterating their needs, which of course you need to do, and giving them exactly what they want, let them know what else you can do too.
Offer three options, that magic number of three.
Five Opportunities to get more Business - Part One - Scoping
If you want to make more money there are two main ways to do so. You either get more customers or you sell more to every single customer you have. Ideally you want a combination of both.
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share 5 opportunities you have with every single customer to actually make them more valuable.
The first stage is the very first communication you have with the client at the enquiry stage. We call that Scoping. Scoping is a wonderful way to turn one speech into more than a speech or expand the brief at the time of enquiry.
Recently on Speaking Business TV, our Head of Speaker Coaching and Momentum, Mary Tillson, spoke at length about Scoping. If you missed it, you can watch here: https://youtu.be/FPhSl2UjGFs.
How to take an Enquiry article is available here: https://mfl.global/2021/07/16/scoping/
Keep your fee structure simple!!
I've said it before, I am saying it again, keep your fee structure as simple as possible. I have rejected working with speakers who over complicate things. If they are truly brilliant I just rip up their fee structure and get them what I think they are worth.
This mistake is losing you bookings
And it's such a common mistake made by so many, you'll kick yourself.
76 How to look at your web presence through a booker's eyes
Understand what we look for so that your web presence works for you.
75 This might inspire you to create some content
It certainly worked for me. Very powerful
74 If you think about it - your USP is blindingly obvious
It really is easy, honestly.
73 Use your speech titles to stand out and be remembered
A super easy way to stand out from the crowd
72 The Power of a thank you to get your remembered and booked
Speakers rarely thank bookers, it's shocking but it's true. When they do, we remember.
71 A simple hack to make your speaker bio stand out
A simple hack to make your speaker bio stand out and help you to get more bookings. This is so easy, print out your bio and grab a highlighter pen.
70 What one of our most booked speakers does to be memorable and stand out
In the very competitive world of speaking, you need to be memorable and you need to stand out. Here is something one of our most booked speakers does that you can do too.
69 Do you have a unique style that is memorable?
Being memorable is a must to get paid bookings, do you have a unique presentation style or dress style that helps bookers remember you?
68 Having a unique model or methodology is a great strategy for being remembered.
Being memorable and standing out is a challenge for speakers in the market place, so having a unique methodology, model or system is a good strategy.
67 The importance of being memorable to get booked
Continuing the series of what our most booked speakers have in common
66 What content should you share to be known?
To be known it's important to share content, but what should you share for free and what should you be charging for?
65 As a speaker you should aim to be known for one thing
Being known when you are not a celebrity is a challenge. One way to get known is to focus on one area of expertise.
64 You don't need to be a celebrity to be a highly booked speaker
You don't need to be a celebrity to be a highly booked speaker. You just need to be known by the right people
63 How do you follow up to embed learning after you've delivered your content?
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
62 On being relevant - the power of think feel act
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
61 Are you delivering the "So what?" to your clients
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
60 On being relevant - Using case studies to tailor
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
59 On being relevant - more on tailoring - it's so important
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
58 On being relevant - it's vital to tailor
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
57 On being relevant - scoping the client's needs
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
56 On being relevant - is your profile up to date?
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
55 Can you articulate your expertise?
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
54 Is your content current?
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
53 Will your target market pay you?
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
52 To be relevant you need to be clear on your target market
Part of the how to get booked again and again series. What you can be doing now to be more bookable in the future.
51 The 4 keys to getting more (paid) speaking gigs
This is the introduction to a series of podcasts to give you some action points to take while you have some spare time on your hands, so that when business is back you are at your more bookable.