How to Get the Most Out of Your Speaker Investment

Here's the first 5 out of 10 things to look for!

Wow what a tough job you have today! Finding a speaker who is a Proven Expert and within your budget that your audience will appreciate and love. A speaker that makes YOU look good! It’s a large investment of time and dollars so let me give you 10 ideas to help you get the best out of your Speaker Investment.

1. First let me tell you that with all the job layoffs – there are allot of people who are now trying their hands as speaking for a living. And the scary thing is YOU probably can’t tell. Today there are vendors who will create a glossy cd/dvd by creating a “fake” audience and adding in applause, and with the right kind of editing – you just might never know these people have no paying clients under their belts, that they’re speaking for free while practicing their content and you might be their first paid audience. That’s ok… you just need to know that BEFORE you book them. If you want to increase your odds for success, go to a speaker you trust and ask who THEY would recommend. I have clients calling me apologetically “It’s not that we don’t want you, we just need a topic you don’t do or a MAN instead this year, can you help us?” They know I am not a Speaker – I am a RESOURCE to my clients. I build the trust that I can problem solve for them so they call me for help. And I will NEVER recommend a speaker unless I have sat in their audience and seen how they are received by their audience. After all it is MY reputation on the line when I refer.
2. Who’s on their client list? Make sure you call at least two past clients and ask them about results of their program. It’s nice to hear “they were great” but I’m sure you want more than a “feel good” feeling for your return on your investment
3. Are they asking for three people to interview before they come to speak? This way they can personalize their talk knowing background and internal information that will connect with the audience. Every presentation needs to be customized to each audience.
4. How do they PARTNER with you BEFORE the Event? Attendees are waiting until the last minute to make a decision to attend. So what does your speaker do to partner with you and create a high attendance level? Here are just a few things I do for my clients:
o Create a personal email that gets sent out to all prospective attendees before the event telling them that I’m excited about meeting them there.
o Offer a free article about the topic I will be speaking on that often gets printed on their website, newsletter, or magazine
5. Do they have Celebrity Clout? Ask them where they’ve been published and see if they can create a way to blend that into your conference’s theme. Since my stories are in Chicken Soup for the Soul and Chocolate for the Soul books, many clients theme their lunch with a chicken soup appetizer and a chocolate dessert.

Sheryl Nicholson