Because they value the work below & love that I am income producing without adding overhead, complexity, risk, or responsibility for them.

Here is a peek behind the curtain at some of what I spend my time on:

For every 100 inquiries I respond to, regardless of whether they are inbound/organic to my clients or via my network of speaker bureau contacts, typically only 5-15* will result in a strong firm offer. I present every firm offer. I don’t predetermine which ones to share.(*See bottom for important info on this percentage.)

My clients don’t accept all offers.  Even if they are full-fee.
Why? They are busy & have priorities beyond speaking. The fee might not be compelling, might require travel they don’t want to undertake, or require customization they don’t have time to deliver.

For 100 inquiries I work on, typically just 3-5* will create income.

For every inquiry, I spend approximately 10-20 minutes:

1. researching the event, host, & client
2. checking my client’s calendar and placing a soft hold if the date is available and adding a note about this inquiry
3. writing a custom, warm reply, and
4. scheduling my followup.

I am known as the Tactful Stalker. Emphasis on tactful.

Excellent followup requires:

1. an average of 11 touchpoints which equates to approximately 2-3 hours, spread out over 4-6 weeks, for EVERY SINGLE inquiry.
2. If the inquiry came from a reputable speaker bureau or agency, I add them to the client’s agency contact list, and provide commission details.  I also ask them to consider adding my client to their roster of non-exclusive speakers and provide all the assets to create a compelling online profile for my client.
3. If the inquiry comes from a booking entity or individual agent I’ve had highly negative experience with (from my other clients’ work), I let my client know the details and let them decide if they wish to consider the inquiry.
4. If the inquiry came directly from an event host, I add them to my client’s prospective host database, and set up a custom follow-up schedule. I keep the ball rolling until the opportunity window closes or I secure a firm offer.

Before any of these steps above, I have already:

• Crafted the commission strategy for my client and rolled it out to my personal network of speaker bureaus (500+ individual contacts I have nurtured over the past 24 years).  The strategy is based on my client’s speaking objectives, and my insider knowledge of the industry.
• My insider knowledge comes via decades of booking experience, and my ongoing membership in the International Association of Speaker Bureaus, aka: IASB.  I am a member of the IASB because they allow individuals who directly manage speaking for multiple folks and book engagements through multiple bureaus/agencies to join after they’ve been in business for more than a year. It is $600/year. My membership provides the industry insider perspective so often missing for self-represented speakers.
• Set my client’s pricing strategy based on my 24 years as a private speaker’s agent, my knowledge of their value proposition, & expertise in what hosts pay now for someone with their accolades, expertise, proven speaking prowess, and visibility.

I am an atypical agent for atypical individuals.  I don’t run a speakers bureau. I am a fully freelance, independent speakers’ agent with decades of expertise working with highly visible experts who love non-exclusivity and independence, but don’t love overhead, complexity, or being taken advantage of. I preserve the perks of self-representation and eliminate the risks. A bit more on what a private speaker’s agent is/does can be found by clicking this bold text: What the Heck is a Private Speaker’s Agent?

*The number of inquiries that result in a firm offer (roughly 5-15 offers per 100 inquiries) is relatively low because my clients’ rates range from $25k – $120k. The higher the speaking fee, the fewer hosts can support that amount in their budget. If a speaker has a fee less than $25k, the percentage of offers per 100 inquiries goes up. The higher fee speakers almost always have very high visibility on social media- 50k+ followers on LinkedIn or Instagram (or both), or 250k on any other social media platform. High visibility is crucial to getting high fees.

High fee speakers are typically very selective, too- they don’t accept every offer– even if it is full fee. Why? Because they are rarely full time speakers or largely dependent on their speaking fees for primary income. While I love it when they do accept a booking, I believe it is important for them to only accept offers that align with their priorities. I do not push for an acceptance on any offer they want to decline. Period.

Speaking should be a joy for them. I believe enjoyment and enthusiasm for speaking is crucial for Speakers and Hosts to be thrilled with the outcome.