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Top 10 Myths in the Speaking Business
By Vickie Sullivan
Myths, lore
and legends … the true test of an industry coming of age
may well be how stories of the "good old days" get passed on. Unfortunately,
those days are indeed gone, and a new world awaits both aspiring
and veteran speakers alike. Below is one agent's attempt to
separate fact from fiction, coming from a perspective of participating
in up to 30 sales situations per day. (Yes, the telephone does need
to be surgically removed from my ear!)
Myth #1:
To get more speaking engagements, you must contact people who hire
speakers, even if they don't know you. The truth is that
many speakers are trying that now and are failing miserably. Why?
Not because of a lack of sales acumen, but because of the "paradox
of timeframes" mentioned in Special Rport #1. The sales cycles for
unknown speakers have stretched so far that one could starve without
alternatives. Instead, Springboard Marketing says create new venues
to speak by working with those you don't have to convince
and go forward together to invent ways to serve - featuring your
work, of course!
Myth #2:
People who hire me are paying me to speak. If I give a good speech,
then the client will hire me again, and so will the decision makers.
The truth is in the second sentence, the first sentence being an
incorrect assumption. If you access the internal agenda, then you
change the entire focus from "what speaker would be best?" to "how
can we best work with our newest partner?" You will not reach that
kind of relationship if you just focus on speaking and not use your
other resources to benefit the client.
Myth #3:
Process is king. Consultants fall into this trap a lot; when
they sell, they talk about all the activities they do. Speakers
talk about their background, how funny they are first, etc. Prospects
don't care about that stuff; they want to know how that translates
into something that will benefit them. When credibility is no longer
an issue, explore the outcome … the details are worked out
by both parties after that point.
Myth #4:
The only way to be successful is that you be niched – some
industries must see you as an expert. The underlying issue here
is credibility, which can be obtained without becoming an expert
in a particular industry. The market does require a "fit" between
what the decision makers want and what you have – and you
have to prove that fit. Many speakers have provided that credibility
by becoming industry experts. They basically say "I am one of you,
so my message fits." The nonindustry nichers do cross industry lines.
They niche in different ways by size of company, and structure,
or by culture.
Therefore, the
idea of differentiating is solid; there's just other ways
to do it than by industry. And, there is a credible argument about
putting all your eggs in one basket. In Springboard Marketing, you
niche by what you have, not by waking up one day and picking an
industry. Your niche is in the hub or the critical beliefs in Exercise
#1.
Myth #5:
Your best marketing tool is a great speech. In this competitive
market, a great speech will get you immediate reaction – but
this reaction fades quickly. This is not like in the "good old days"
when some of the veteran speakers started. When they gave a great
speech, the effect lasted a lot longer because the audience hadn't
heard so many speakers in a given year. That's all changed
… you need to react immediately during the honeymoon period.
You can no longer wait for the phone to ring or people to give you
their business cards. You must reach out and find those people in
the audience who thought you were great and give them ideas on how
they can leverage their experience with you.
Myth #6:
I would be rich and famous if I only had an agent. Fortunately
for speakers, the speaking industry is not like Hollywood in that
you can get work without an agent. Many speakers want an agent because
they don't want to do their own marketing. Speakers need an
agent when they have so many leads that it is not cost effective
for them to follow up on them all. An agent can get you bookings,
product sales and also turn mild interest into closed deals. What
an agent can't do is set up your relationships – and
in this competitive market, that's the name of the game. About
75% of my consulting clients do not need an agent to create the
amount of business they want. Why? Because they already have enough
relationships to springboard into all the work they want. They just
need to know what to do with those allies. (See tape four on the
four ways to get business without an agent.)
Myth #7:
You have to charge ______ in order to be credible. This will
cost more credibility than any one thing a speaker can do. Fees
have to do with expectations in the marketplace, not necessarily
what the market will bear. There are different expectations at different
fee levels – what is considered great at the $1500 level will
bomb big time at the $2500 level. If a speaker doesn't know
that they are speaking at a $1500 level and one of their allies
hires them at $2500 because that's the budget … guess
who just bombed? It's not because they were boring speakers
– they just didn't perform to the expectations of the
fee. Don't even think of doing this!!
Myth #8:
I've spoken publicly since 1902; therefore, I'm ready
to be a professional speaker. Of the 20 calls I get from speakers
per week, I get this line from at least five of them. The difference
between public speaking and professional speaking is like night
and day. Again, it's all about expectations. When a group
gives you money, it's not OK anymore to do a good job. Expectations
are increasing with lower and lower fee ranges because of all the
competition. I ask every one of the public speakers: "If a meeting
planner had five brochures from speakers that talked on your same
topic, asked for about the same fee and had similar background to
yours, what would move them to hire you and not the other four?"
If they can't come up with three specific reasons, then they
are not ready to enter the market as a professional speaker.
Myth #9:
My book will get me all the speaking engagements I want. Only
if it's on the best seller list! This is usually the second
most common thing I hear from speakers. Yes, writing a book gives
you credibility, as most organizations associate authors with a
draw. What gets you bookings is the publicity that your book can
generate, giving you the credibility of "expert" from outside sources.
Media coverage has a high wow factor with decision makers,
as they associate that with outside validation of your work. But
no, a book in and of itself will not get you speaking engagements.
You still have to market.
Myth #10:
My appearance on Oprah, Geraldo, Good Morning America, etc. will
get me all the speaking engagements I want. Think about this
… how many guests are on these shows in a given week? How
about a month? The number of guests are so high on many shows that
the chance you will be remembered a week from the air date is slim.
However, the idea that media enhances credibility is valid; the
key issues here are repetition and demographics. Media appearances
are like advertising – the effect is cumulative and once is
not enough. Further, where is just as important than how often.
Multiple exposures in the national trade press can be more effective
than one article on page 48D in The Wall Street Journal.
Since
1987, Vickie K. Sullivan, President of Sullivan Speaker Services,
has generated millions of dollars in speaking fees, book advances
and ancilliary income for her clients. Sign up for her free market
intelligence at http://www.SullivanSpeaker.com
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