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Home » Business And Finance Articles » 14 Fabulous Ways To Get Paid Speaking Engagements

14 Fabulous Ways To Get Paid Speaking Engagements

Sometimes finding good leads for speaking gigs can feel a bit like hunting for a tropical spa with umbrella drinks in the dessert. It's easy to get discouraged. But yet when you see superstars that are booked solid, you know that it can be done. So how do you find leads for paid speaking engagements? Below are 14 techniques you can use to find good contacts and get yourself booked!

1) Define a niche. According to Networking expert, Lillian D. Bjorseth, a niche can be defined as types of organizations you want to speak for, an industry you want to specialize in, or a subject matter. By defining a clear niche, you instantly set yourself apart. The next challenge of course is to become known in your niche.

When you become the leading authority in your field, people seek you out. Speaking trainer Burt Dubin says, "There's no point in being a fine marketer until you have expertise to offer. And your expertise has gotta be in a specific niche. A niche where folks with cash in their jeans recognize your value and are willing to invest in what you alone know. Here's how to select your niche: identify the topic or issue in which you're willing to do endless and ongoing research for a market with the means to pay you."

2. Free to Fee. Speak for free in places likely to have people who could hire you for fee. Often there are people in these audiences who could hire you. Check your local Kiwanis, Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary clubs.

After speaking recently in the Women's Economic Development Outreach event, someone in the audience hired me for a speaking engagement for their group. If they hadn't seen me speak in person, it's very unlikely that this person would have contacted me.

3. Attend Events - Go to the events that your ideal clients attend and mingle with the decision makers who could hire you. "The Transition Man" Johnny Campbell says, "Research the event ahead of time. Know who will be in attendance. Have a hit list of people you want to connect with. Ask first what THEY do so you can tailor your 30 second pitch to address how you can help with their specific needs."

Johnny likes to go to chamber meetings and sit at the far end so he goes last introducing himself. That way he can listen first to who is in his audience and tailor his 30 second introduction. Once he did this and a gentleman was so impressed that he immediately handed him a business card and said, "Call me."

4. Speaker Directories. There are websites that list speakers for a fee. Meeting planners sometimes go to these directories looking for a speaker on a certain topic.

5. Smile and Dial. Flipping the pages of a meeting planner directory and cold calling can drum up business. Most speakers who use this approach successfully make 40- 50 calls everyday. If you are smart about finding the "right" targeted leads to call, this is especially effective.

7. Ask for referrals right from the platform. Keynote speaker and master certified coach, Rich Fettke says this when he speaks to groups "As you can tell, I am really passionate about what I do. If you know of a group who could benefit from this message, please hand me a business card afterwards."

8. Referrals. Ask for referrals from existing clients who have hired you to speak. If you ever have to lower your fee, you ask for letters of recommendation and referrals as part of the deal in exchange for the discount.

Burt Dubin offers this tip to reward those who refer you.

"Let your clients or customers know they are rewarded for referring folks who invest in what you offer. Give appropriate gifts, depending on the size of the ticket. I give a choice of gifts. A dollar amount in cash or a higher dollar amount given to their favorite charity in their name, or a certain dollar amount in free product. Reward referrals generously."

My personal thought is that a heartfelt note, a Starbucks gift card, a phone call, or even flowers is a wonderful way to say "thank you - I appreciate your referral!"

9. Get on Your Prospect's Radar Screen. Top of mind status comes from word of mouth of your clients, being "seen" in the pages of print media, and from testimonials of audience members.

Know where your audience goes and be there. This includes your prospect's ezines, clubs, organizations, bulletin boards, and magazines.

10. Speaker Website. An effective speaker website gives a meeting planner everything they need to decide that you are the perfect speaker for their event. You'll want to include downloadable one sheet (brochure), testimonials, program descriptions, media coverage, results gained for other clients, and your speaker video.

Lillian D. Bjorseth, the Networking Expert, shared how she got a lead from a major company who wanted to hire her and found her on the website. The person came back to their planning committee who said, "You found her where?" "Have you even seen her speak? My reputation is on the line here." Then after reading testimonials from clients who hired Lillian to speak, they were happy to hire her.

In the past 2 weeks, having a speaking video on my website has gotten me the job. A client was hemming and hawing and said, "Can we see you speak somewhere locally first?" I told them where they could view my speaker video on my website and in 5 minutes they called back to book me.

11. Join organizations where people can hire you or might be able to refer you to people. Review your organization memberships at the end of the year before you renew to make sure that the fees was worth it.

12. Publicity rules! Red Zone Marketing speaker, Maribeth Kuzmeski says that hiring a full time publicist has made all the difference in her speaking career. She says that when people have seen your face enough times in publications they get to feel like they know you.

13. Invite prospects as your guest when you speak to groups. That way they can experience you firsthand. After they experience the power of your speaking, they are likely to hire you or even refer you to others.

14. Building relationships. Communication expert, Cyndi Maxey, says her secret is to keep in touch with her clients and prospects. She sends articles to them to let them know she is thinking of them. She also likes to send cards and call them from time to time. As Cyndi says, "Never let them forget your name. You want to be top of mind when they are ready to hire."

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

There's No Need to Pad Your Resume

It seems like a good idea, harmless in fact. Your friends assure you that everybody does it and that employers rarely check resume facts. Going on blind faith and convinced the truth hasn't been helpful so far, you seriously consider fabricating information on your resume. You adapt the school of thought that a little white lie never hurt anyone and lying on a resume is just that, a little white lie.

Cheating on a resume can be tempting, especially when one has been searching for a job for months or even years. However, we all know that fibbing is never a good idea, and the likelihood that you'll be caught is extremely high. Even if your "creativity" slips through the cracks, karma has a way of catching up with you. So either way, lying gets messy.

That said, many job seekers have major hiccups in their professional lifeâ€"employment gaps, lack of education and/or experienceâ€"and it is becoming increasingly difficult for most to write their own resumes without exaggerating or flat-out lying. Since resume fraud is on the rise, employers are taking much more care in verifying information, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to mislead them. The good news, however, is that lying isn't necessary if the resume is well-written and strategically organized.

The education and experience sections of a resume are the ones most job seekers are fixed on fabricating. They are under the impression that if they lack the educational requirements or the experience described in the job description they won't be considered a serious candidate. That, however, is a myth.

Education doesn't top an employer's list

Many people incorrectly believe hiring decisions are made based on the candidate's education, and they feel compelled to stretch the truth in order to compete with their degreed counterparts. The reality is that education, though important, isn't the driving force behind hiring decisions unless, of course, your profession requires a degree (e.g. doctors, lawyers, CPAs, etc.).

When a candidate lacks a college degree but has a solid work history, education quickly falls down the ladder of necessary requirements. Let's take a look at this point from an employer's perspective.

The situation: The job description reads, "Seeking an accounts payable specialist with comprehensive experience in processing expense reports, reconciling vendor accounts, and performing bank reconciliations. Successful candidate holds an associate's degree in accounting."

Candidate #1: Jose has worked in accounts payable for the last five years. During his career, he has set up new policies, cross-referenced purchase orders with invoices, and interacted with vendors to resolve invoice discrepancies. His experience comes from the school of hard knocks and he doesn't have a college education.

Candidate #2: Maria recently received a bachelor's degree in accounting. While earning her degree she worked as a front desk clerk for a Fortune 500 company where she was in charge of filing and answering a multi-line phone system.

Who would you rather hire, Jose or Maria? Chances are that you named Jose as the clear winner because his experience supercedes Maria's education. Jose will be able to jump into the position with little or no training because he has hands-on knowledge of best accounting practices. Maria, on the other hand, is green. The hiring organization would have to spend time, money, and resources to train her, which they most likely won't have an interest in doing.

Show 'em what you've got

Employers spend most of their time scrutinizing the experience section of the resume, and unfortunately, the homespun resume rarely tells the whole story. Most resume do-it-yourselfers fear their accomplishments won't fare well against the competition and they decide to embellish facts in an effort to attract an employer's attention.

Again, fabricating information isn't necessary. Most likely the experience you have garnered throughout your work history is impressive. The challenge, however, is expressing your accomplishments in a way that entices the hiring organization to give you a call.

When dealing with hiring organizations you have to connect all the dots. For each position that you are applying for, there is an average of 500 applicants so you have to make it very easy for the reader to distinguish between you and every other qualified candidate. The only way to achieve that is by writing strong resume copy.

As a job seeker you are intimately involved in your own search, so much so that it is hard to take a step back and write a resume that is marketable. You are probably your own worst critic. If you have attempted to write your own resume you know how difficult it is to write about yourself objectively.

To make the resume-writing process easier, answer the following questions:

1. What skill set do you bring to the table?
2. What are your competitive strengths?
3. For each position you held, list three to five achievements.
4. How is your company better off since you joined their team?
5. Have you been involved in designing and/or implementing new initiatives?

The point here is to start thinking about your career as a portrait of who you are professionally, and not just as a job. When you make that mind shift, it will be easier to put words to paper. Lying isn't a necessary evil. The trick to obtaining the job you desire is making the most of what you have to offer.