Are you struggling to book speaking
engagements as a professional public speaker?
After over 40 years of public speaking I’ve
found that sharing your message is very important, but so is having the right
audience to share it with.
A central focus of any professional speaker
should be:
How many bookings do they have on their
schedule and how many speeches do they have planned and paid for?
We’re always thinking in terms of how to get
more speaking engagements and become better at what we do.
Free Guide: 8 Tips to
Get Your Name Out There as a Speaker
How To Find Speaking
Opportunities
The most powerful word in how to become a public
speaker is
“ask.”
The future belongs to the askers. The future
belongs to people who confidently ask for what they want, and especially to
speak to a company or organization.
You can call them up and explain that you
specialize in this subject and that you’d love to speak to their organization.
Ask them for the opportunity. Ask them for
more information. Ask them if they use speakers and when they will next be
using a speaker again.
The more you ask, the more answers you get.
When I began my speaking career I advertised
my seminars in every possible way: radio, television, newspapers, and even
billboards if you can imagine, and direct mail by the thousands of pieces. And
I did that until I was broke.
I used to joke that when I started off in
professional speaking I learned how to sell again. I sold my house. I sold my
car and my furniture. I sold nearly everything trying to buy a business with
public advertising.
You cannot get speaking engagements or even
seminar attendees by simply advertising.
Finally, when I had no more money I picked
up the telephone and got a hold of decision-makers and made appointments. Then
I went out and made presentations and sold people into hiring me, by asking.
That started to transform my speaking
career.
So when you ask, be sure that you have an
offering in terms of your message, that people want and need, and are willing
to pay for.
How To Book Paid Speaking
Engagements
It is really important that people want and
need your message and are willing to pay for it.
Some people want to talk on a particular
subject but it’s not important to others. I found at a very early age that the
most powerful subject was selling.
Since I had many years of experience in
selling and had read 20 or so books on the subject, I combined everything I had
learned and put together seminar programs and audio programs that became very
successful. It was because that’s what people wanted, needed and were willing
to pay for.
When I started I would often ask them if I
could speak for free or at minimum cost to get experience and credibility.
Sometimes if they don’t know you and you
don’t have a reputation, you have to kiss a lot of horny toads before you meet
the handsome prince. You have to give free talks before you can get paid talks.
Here are two tips to help you book more paid
speaking gigs.
1. Use The Power Of
Testimonials
Now 85% or more of all speakers are hired
because someone else recommended them. Someone who heard them speak said, “This
is a great speaker.”
When we began it was before the Internet and
we would use a full sheet of paper full of positive comments. We would contact
20 or 30 people who had been to the seminar and ask them to say something nice
about Brian.
Now we get audio quotes and video
testimonials which we run on our website. The more people who can say that you
did a great job when you spoke somewhere else, the faster and easier it is for
them to hire you.
2. Giving A Great Talk Is
The Best Advertising
Remember that giving a great talk or a
seminar is the best advertising.
There is nothing that ultimately replaces
what is on the plate. I used to work for a restaurant chain, and they said that
the key to success is what’s on the plate.
It’s not the surroundings or the
advertising, but the food on the plate that determines whether people come back
to the restaurant.
The food on your plate is a
really great, high content talk delivered with warmth and energy that causes
people to say, “Boy, this is a really great talk.”
The first questions that a prospective
client asks are “Who else has heard you speak, and what do they say
about you?”
Be sure you’ve got a good answer for this.
How To Get More Speaking
Engagements
When you’ve given a speech or a talk, stay
around after and offer to speak again to others, maybe even on different
subjects.
It’s amazing how much business comes when
you stick around, have coffee, and talk to people. Sometimes, this will cause
people to ask you to come and speak to their organization.
Many speakers have developed this to the
point that they get two bookings from every talk they give. In the course of
their talk they’ll say, “By the way, I give variations of this talk to
different organizations in different industries with different problems.” People
will come up afterward and tell them about their business and ask if their talk
would be helpful to them.
These are all things you can do to get
bookings as a professional speaker.
About Brian Tracy — Brian is recognized as the top sales
training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored
more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning
programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including
worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you
achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever
imagined. You can follow him on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin and Youtube.
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