A Blog By Speakers, For Speakers.
Lessons from 20 Years in the Speaking Business
By Stacey Hanke, CSP, CPAE Our business is a tricky one. The past 20 years have taught me a few things. For starters, I’ve learned that change is constant. Speaking topic trends and event planner expectations always seem to shift. The contacts you make and the relationships you build continually evolve. In fact, change is…
Creative Ways to Get Your Fee (Even When “There’s No Budget”)
By Kristin Arnold, CSP, CPAE Every professional speaker hears it eventually: “We love you… we just don’t have the budget.” It’s tempting to either walk away or cave in to a lower fee. Neither is a great long-term strategy. Discounting your fee without intention erodes your market positioning and creates inequity with clients who do…
I Wrote a Book in a Weekend. Here’s What Actually Happened.
By Alan Berg, CSP, FPSA, Global Speaking Fellow If you’ve ever said, “I should write a book, or another book,” and then looked at your calendar and laughed, you’re not alone. I’ve written a lot of books, 14 so far, and I know the process. Outlining, writing, rewriting, editing, second-guessing. It’s not a weekend project….
The 5 Biggest Challenges to Getting Paid to Speak and the Tactics that Help Solve Them
By Lois Creamer Many speakers believe that getting booked is about visibility, charisma, or having the newest idea. The reality is that speakers who consistently get paying engagements tend to do a few things very well. They communicate clear value, focus on business outcomes, and approach selling their work strategically. Here are five of the…
Build Your Business Success on the Golf Course
By Jennifer Layman, PGA of Canada, Forward Thinking Consulting As a speaker, you run a business. You need to attract clients, and in order to do that, you need to be where they are. One of the places where you can get some face-time with potential clients is on the golf course. In addition to…
How to Add Being an MC to Your Speaking Business
By Thom Singer, CSP A lot of speakers look at “MC work” and think, “That sounds fun.” I like being on stage. I can introduce people. Yes, you can. But before you add “Master of Ceremonies” to your speaking business, get clear on two realities. First, it’s a lot of work. The best MCs are…
The Real Reason I Started Booking More Spin-Off Business: Customization
By Patrick Henry, CSP Twenty years ago, Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE, Cavett Award Recipient, told me something that changed how I viewed the speaking business. She said, “For every good speech you deliver, you should spin off one or two additional bookings.” That idea stuck with me. If that were true, it meant you shouldn’t…
Confessions of a Recovering People Pleaser (and Why It Could Save Your Speaking Business)
By Tami Evans, CSP Hi. I’m Tami. And I’m a recovering People Pleaser. I wish I could say I’m fully healed, discharged, and living symptom-free. But recovery, like speaking and business, is not a straight line. It’s more of a spiral. Some days I’m enlightened, boundried, and grounded. Other days, I’m one impulsive “Sure, I’d…
So You Bombed. Move On.
By Bob Phibbs, CSP, MDSG, the Retail Doctor My client’s voice was blunt. “Just got the surveys back. They hated you.” Not some of them. Not a mixed response. They hated me. Everything from my content to the way I asked someone to turn off the lights. This was three weeks after what I thought…