Why Clients Negotiate and How To Stop It
Why do we negotiate? We negotiate when we believe there’s an opportunity to get more. We negotiate when we believe we may be overpaying versus what others get. We negotiate when we believe we can get something someone else didn’t get. We negotiate because we always want to feel like we got a good deal….
Listening Is the Business Advantage No One Is Teaching Speakers
This post was created from an NSA Speakernomics™ podcast interview with Heather Younger, CSP. Want to hear the full conversation? Click here to listen to the episode. Heather Younger, CSP, has written multiple books, built a certification program and a masterclass, and holds a registered trademark on the phrase Caring Leadership®. Ask her what separates…
The Speaking Fee Is Not the Full ROI
For years, I thought getting paid was the clearest sign I was succeeding as a speaker. There’s something validating about receiving a check to stand on a stage and share your ideas. It tells you your expertise has monetary value. And for speakers whose primary business model is speaking; fees matter. A lot. But after…
Your Buyer Is Not Your Assistant
There is a version of this story every meeting planner knows, and most speakers have never heard. A planner posts publicly that she needs a speaker. She is specific: contact info, program title, brief description, speaking sample link. Four things. The first response is two words: “I’m interested.” The second is several paragraphs of backstory,…
Stop Chasing Yes: The Power of Not Now
I have spent a good part of my career in sales and business development, and one thing I wish I had learned much earlier is that there are more than two answers in sales. We tend to think everything is either yes or no. They booked you or they didn’t. They answered the email or…
The Five-by-Five Method: How Barb Betts Turns Relationships Into Bookings
This post was created from an NSA Speakernomics™ podcast interview with Barb Betts. Want to hear the full conversation? Click here to listen to the episode. Barb Betts spent 14 years building a real estate speaking career before she ever stepped on a corporate stage, and she brought exactly one strategy with her: relationships, ranked…
Make Your Ideas Portable: How Speakers Can Get More From Every Podcast Interview
NSA’ers, we have a thing in common. Most of us like to hear ourselves talk. Some of us even got “Most Talkative” in our eighth-grade yearbooks. (Wait, just me? I doubt it.) And we’re so lucky because during keynotes and trainings, we get to experience our love of the gift of gab. Even better is when someone asks a question…
When Everything Looks Real, Verified Experience Is the Only Thing That Can’t Be Faked
The speaking industry has a trust problem, and it didn’t start with AI. Several years ago, meeting planners began telling me something I initially found hard to believe. They were booking speakers with polished demo reels, glowing testimonials, and a professional online presence, then watching them bomb on stage. When they looked deeper, they found the reel…
Five (Super Easy) Things the Perfect Keynote Speaker Does…Off Stage
What event organizers actually wish keynote speakers knew, straight from meeting planners at the annual NSA conference, Influence. Public speakers spend years honing their craft, their message, and their delivery. Fewer spend any time on what happens backstage, in the inbox, and in the weeks before the event—even though this is often what determines whether…