Speakers, Is It Time To Plug Up Your Leaking Profits?

One of the strategies I created to market myyour work).
advising/coaching business was to speak• If you pay for the hotel and meals, add
internationally. But what I didn't take into account,these fees.
until year 7 in business, was that speaking IS a• If you pay for airfare, add this.
business. Actually, it wasn't until I created two• If they are taking photos, add this.
web sites just for my speaking business that I• The time on calls or emails to: whomever is
realized how much time and effort went intoorganizing the event, or other management
speaking.professionals.
Now you can learn the easy way.• The times on calls or emails to survey or talk
Speakers as 2nd Class Citizensto at least 3 potential audience members in
Many organizations will not pay speakers toadvance to build your talk around their immediate
speak; but they do pay for tangible items! Localconcerns and priorities.
chapters of organizations, from the Rotary,• The internal or external distribution of audio
Kiwanis, Elms, Lions, etc. to maybe an organizationor video taping they plan on doing.
you're a member of wouldn't think of asking one• Your possible 30-day follow-up in mail or via
of their members to give them supplies for free;teleconference to the participants.
but the do not pay speakers.• The number of articles they want to produce
So types of groups are good for one thing -- foron your subject in their newsletters or for the
you to practice speaking.participants.
IF you choose to speak to group for free, as I• How many of your booklets, CDs or books
do from time to time, what you want to do is 1)will they be purchasing.
determine what your speaking fee would haveLet's not forget about one more money making
been had they paid you and 2) decide what theyconcept - Back of the Room (BOR) sales. BOR
can give you "in-kind" to make up for the fee yousales allow you to sell your products and make
are loosing. I provide them with a list of 5 musteven more money than your "basic pay" Some
provides and then they get to pick from a longerorganizations/businesses want a percentage of
list of "in-kind" items that are important to me. Ifsales, find out up front what they expect.
they don't do it; I don't speak. PERIOD. If theyProtect Your Important Intellectual Property
are not going to value your services from theWhen you speak, you're selling your time, talent,
start, what makes you think their members will inand expertise on a subject. Read the fine print on
the long run?any contract you sign. Make sure that you keep
Speakers as 1st Class Citizensthe copyrights of any materials that are yours. If
You should consider many things when creating asomeone is buying the use of your talk in an
proposal or talking about your speaker fee. Belowaudio, know how they're providing that
is a list of the basic elements of what youinformation to others. Is it behind a password
deserve to be paid for (one way or another)protected area of a website? Are they selling it
These are "add-ons" and "value-addeds".for a fee (and what is your cut on that fee)? Are
• For your experiences on the topic -- thethey putting a note on the site that the materials
good, the bad, and the ugly. In fact use it all whenare owned by the speakers? OR are they just
you speak.posting the links somewhere with no notices of
• Number of travel days and hours. Include theany sort?
time it takes you to travel to the airport, fromIf your materials are used in a way that has not
the airport to the venue, etc.been previously agreed to and/or paid for, you as
• The amount of time and the cost of printinga speaker need to speak up! Recently after
any materials (cost wise it's better if you getseeing how my materials were being used, I
them to print anything you need, but if you wantwrote to an organization and asked them to
it done perfectly, do it yourself.)include some legalize on a page so that visitors
• The number of people in attendance.who downloaded my information know 100% that
• Is it a non-profit or for-profit and does thatthe information was for their personal use and
make a difference to you.NOT for use professionally without written
• The length of time you'll be speaking and thepermission from me. Ask for what you need.
number of times you'll keynote, do a workshop,Plug Up Those Leaky Profits
be on a panel or moderator of the panel ofNow that you have the real story about what
speakers over a day or days.you should be getting paid when you speak; it's
• The marketing you may need to do.time to determine how much of your profits
• Is it 60 days prior to the event (if so you'llyou've been leaking each and every time you
need to add a rush fee for all you have to add tospeak.