How to launch a career as a paid speaker

If you use public speaking to promote your expertise and generate publicity, don’t believe what the naysayers tell you about how all speakers are suffering during this bad economy.

The July/August issue of Speaker magazine, published by the National Speakers Association, features 25 men and women who are shaping the speaking profession.

The “Who’s Hot?” Cover story might make your eyes pop out of your head when you see the fees they’re commanding, even during a bad economy:

• Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer: $30,000 for a one-hour event.
      
• Amanda Gore, who teaches people how to get radical results in a heartbeat: $18,000 in the U.S. and $11,000 in Australia.
      
• Prosperity and success guru Randy Gage: Up to $60,000 internationally.
     
• Comical therapist Connie Podesta: $18,000 to $20,000.
                      
•  Technology futurist Dan Burrus: From $20,000 to $30,000.
                                                           
• Political strategist Donna Brazille: $10,000 to $20,000.
              
• Customer service expert Ron Kaufman: $28,000 for a full day and $16,000 for a keynote of up to 90 minutes.

And on and on.

I’m betting that some of the 25 speakers started their careers on the chicken-and-pea circuit giving speeches before community groups while building their expertise and speaking skills.

The magazine asked each of the 25 to explain what makes them “hot.” I noticed a pattern among many of the responses:

• Their ability to entertain. Amanda Gore uses magic wands, kangaroo headbands, heart-shaped sunglasses and finger puppets to convey concepts.  
     
• Involving audiences in their presentations. Joe Calloway says his presentations have become so interactive “that I’m rarely identified as a speaker anymore. I generally bring members of the audience on stage with me to tak about competitive issues. I love the give and take.”
       
• Customizing presentations for each audience. Simon T. Bailey says “I literally rewrite my speech as I speak.” 

There are many ways to get started as a professional speaker. If you have no experience whatsoever and you’re not interested in building a career around speaking, join Toastmasters to learn platform skills. If you want to get paid for speaking, join the National Speakers Association. 

For more immediate tips, join Steve Harrison who will host a free telephone seminar at 2 and 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, July 9, with author/speaker James Malinchak on how to get started giving paid speeches—even if you’re a complete unknown in your field. It’s called “What You Need To Know To Make $2,500.00 A Day (Or More) As A Public Speaker Without Being Famous!”

Whether you’re already a veteran speaker or you’ve never given a paid speech before, you’ll still benefit from James’s strategies. Register for the call here.

Here’s just some of what you’ll discover:

• How to find companies and organizations that already have a budget to pay speakers like you handsomely—even if you’re not famous or well-known in your field like some of the speakers I’ve mentioned above.
      
• Why you should never accept less than $2,500.00 to give a speech—even if you’re a complete unknown with an “ordinary topic”—and what to do to easily get that fee.
      
• Five critical steps for landing speaking engagements when you don’t have a lot of time to spend marketing yourself.
       
• Why you don’t need a demo tape or a fancy speakers kit to land speaking gigs, but what you DO need to give them instead.
        
• How experienced speakers can raise their fee and get it.
        
• Proven ways to brand yourself and your message in a way that will prompt a flood of requests for speaking engagements.
        
• Four actual case histories of speakers who have gone from not knowing anything about the speaking business to making a six-figure income as paid professional speakers.
       
• How to host your own “sold out” seminars and workshops.
      
• Five other ways you can make money beyond the speaking fee you receive.
      
• Three critical things to ask for when negotiating with the meeting planner to make the most of the opportunity.
    
• Which topics colleges and corporations are most interested in having speakers address.

If you have other time commitments on Thursday and you can’t make either one of these calls, recruit somebody to listen and take notes for you. Steve seldom records them.