By Frank Kitchen, CSP |

Many think you must have a killer Speaker’s Reel. Others will tell you to hire a Virtual Assistant. Another group will tell you it’s about creating a social media presence. You’ll hear constant comments about building a funnel. Everyone has advice.

Let me be honest with you…there are numerous ways to be successful in the Professional Speaking Industry. It’s up to you to discover what works best for you and your business model. Business being the key word.

When I gave my first “paid” speech, I understood the Art of Public Speaking, but I didn’t understand the Business of Public Speaking. I understood what I needed to do to engage an audience. I understood I needed to provide the best experience possible. I understood what it took to put smiles on the audience’s faces. I understood that I needed to provide high-quality content.  What I didn’t understand was how to turn my speaking performance into future opportunities. I was a speaker, but I wasn’t a “Professional Speaker.”

Speakers focus on making their speech the best speech possible. A Professional Speaker’s focus is different.

As a Professional Speaker, you have two goals:

1. Provide an impactful,  high-quality  learning experience for your client and audience.
2. Create opportunities where you will be paid to speak in the future.

If you’re not consistently getting paid speaking opportunities, you won’t be a Professional Speaker for very long. I learned this lesson the hard way years ago. I would tell people I was a speaker, but wasn’t putting in the necessary work to secure paid speaking engagements.

Have you ever participated in a speaker’s showcase? They are opportunities (many times unpaid) to speak in front of potential buyers and clients. These opportunities will require you to make an investment of your time, money, or both. I’ve showcased several times where the right people were in the room, I performed at my best and I got booked. I’ve also showcased where the wrong people were in the room, I didn’t perform at my best and I didn’t get booked. Several times, I lost money but gained valuable experience and insight.

What insight did I gain? In order to get booked, people have to see you speak. Not just any people, the right people, your ideal client. With this knowledge, I decided to create my own speaking showcases.

Have you ever considered transforming your next speaking event into a speaking showcase? Have you ever invited a prospective client to one of your speaking events? When you invite a prospective client to your next (paid or unpaid) event, you’re creating an opportunity for them to see you do what you do best…SPEAK!

When I started inviting prospective clients and speaking agencies to my events (in-person and virtual), my bookings increased, and my calendar filled. I’ve always known that I provided great content and energy on stage, but I had a difficult time capturing it in short promotional videos, emails, and static marketing materials.

An invitation to see you speak in-person, allows you to be transparent, stand out from the competition, and gain the respect of prospective clients. The invitation is a personal and professional development opportunity for a future client to see your work live.

When you invite a prospective client to one of your events, you’re proving you have nothing to hide. You’re offering your client a chance to see your true work and not an edited “smoke and mirrors” video version of your work.

You’re inviting them because you believe in your abilities and content. No matter where I speak, I look through my database to see if there is a potential client in the area I would like to work with. After getting approval from the client I will be speaking for, I invite my potential clients to the event.

Your invitees won’t always show up, but when they do, give the best performance possible. Their attendance is a visual display that they are interested in working with you. Be sure to follow up with some form of gratitude for their participation. You need to thank them for investing their valuable time to support you. You can ask for feedback too. Showcasing is a personal and professional development opportunity.

The Professional Speaking business is about creating opportunities to share your message, talents, and experience with others. You can write the greatest speech, workshop, or training the world will ever see, but if no one experiences it, then you don’t have a career, you have a hobby.

Don’t limit your guest list to just potential clients. Your guest could also be other speakers or members in your network. Professional speaking is a relationship business. There’s no better way to create a buzz about your speaking abilities than to have a fellow professional speaker, colleague, or family member see you in person. My mom didn’t understand what I really did until she saw me speak live for over 600 people. Many of my speaking referrals have come from other speakers and friends who needed to see me first before they could refer me to their network.

It’s time to create new speaking opportunities. I encourage you to leverage your future speeches as speaking showcases that will fill your “Professional Speaking” calendar in the future.