Surviving As a Speaker in Tough Times
Jay Lillie
July 26, 2009
We've asked some of the top speakers in the U.S. to share their thoughts.
Jim Tuman is a national youth speaker who has spoken to more than two million young people in over 2000 schools in a 30-year period.
He says, "Based on input from fellow speakers, there has been a tremendous shift in opportunities for even the most seasoned speakers. With the challenging economy, it is very difficult for a company who has faced large employee layoffs to justify the cost of a speaker or presenter. Unless it is correlated with saving the company, the message versus the cost cannot be equated. I am in a specialty area of dealing with at-risk youth and creating a positive school environment. Please refer to my web site www.jimtuman.com.
With a still uncertain economy and the entire meetings industry in a bit of turmoil, what's ahead for those of us in this arena? The general consensus among meeting planners, trainers and speakers is that the overall negative public perception of our industry is the main causal factor. The public just doesn't "get it!" They don't realize that when a meeting is cancelled, the domino effect takes a horrfic toll on that city's overall economy. Let's say, as an example, a meeting of 5,000 attendees is canceled in Las Vegas. That means 4-5,000 people won't be taking that cabride from and to the airport; several thousand meals won't be served; hundreds of bell staffs, housekeepers, waiters, etc., etc. are not working. Meetings matter! Until our industry gets its story out and shows that meetings are important and are a solid way to build the economy, we are in for several more months before we see a turnaround.
Edward E. Scannell, CMP, CSP
My company has been ramping up for a new product for the past five years. My new book, 8 to Great: The Powerful Process for Positive Change, came out last month and are selling like crazy off my website. My calendar for the next three months is booked solid with engagements. I was on a talk show earlier this week for my 4 minute interview and was asked to stay on for the next 45. But it's not a few isolated cases. I just spoke to 500+ real estate agents and taught the concepts from my new book including that we get, not what we deserve, but what we expect. I challenged them to start believing this could be their best year yet. Two people stood up to say they'd already surpassed their best year ever and it was only June!!!
MK Mueller
author of 8 to Great
With the crisis in the Health Care Industry and the Media on top of that then Go for Health Care Providers. Do your homework and find which one is hurting the most and go after that market. They truly are having difficulty and probably cannot pay your fees however if your fees are shared with another affiliate and the cost of marketing and the event is shared then it becomes a win win situation. They will also mail or email to their data base which expands your attendee base. Remember Health Care is expensive for the Small Business Owner and they are assisting their customer to face and overcome the crisis. One of the key things in the mix is do they still maintain a good personal credit score? We have been working closely with banks and funding is available. We have also worked with an independent company which has all the banking connections and assists with the applications being done correctly and getting the money at a low rate. They, too can become your sponsor.
June Davidson is an international trainer and authority on content development, niche marketing and sponsorship.
Paid speaking is in a serious state of decline, except for at the high end. Speakers such as Bill Clinton, Jack Welch, and soon Sarah Palin, remain in high demand. The general decline can be attributed to several factors. First, so many people are so preoccupied with the Internet and their cell phones that other forms of intellectual stimulation seem less relevant. Second, and related to the first reason, fewer people join groups, clubs and associations that would hire speakers. Third, people care less about experts than in the past. To them a Tweet or inane blog is as good as or better than hearing from a specialist. Fourth, the slowing down of the economy has probably diminished the demand for speakers.
The biggest challenge for speakers when hired is to cope with the information-technology-based rudeness while presenting. At the end of the presentation, most members of the audience are more interested in checking their cell phones than approaching the speaker, saying a few words, and shaking hands. If you ask the audience to in advance to put away their electronic devices during the presentation, the reaction is as if you asked them to donate a kidney during the session—complete disbelief.
Andrew J. DuBrin, Ph.D
As an executive voice/speaking skills coach, as well as a keynote speaker and former corporate trainer, I decided to form partnerships with companies that served the needs of C-level executives. By offering my skills as a value-added service to a successful executive search firm here in Raleigh, NC, I've watched my coaching business soar. Many high-ranking executives have been laid off and now find themselves searching for a job, often for the first time in their careers. The search firm, "Elinvar" refers them to me, and I help them improve their communication and presentation skills. As a result, our clients have gained greater confidence in re-entering the workplace. Being successful in a challenging economic environment requires us to lose our fear and simply serve the needs of others. In our speaking profession, it is actually healthy to release our egos, watch our clients prosper and give them the applause for a job well done!
Linda B. Shields, M.S.,CCC-SLP
I speak to business and leisure audiences on Luxury Travel for Less, principally at trade association and corporate meetings. http://travelspeaker.com/programs-available Speaking engagements for me have increased about 30% over the past year, probably for two reasons:
With travel budgets being slashed in the current economy, travelers who still need to go on trips want to get the most for the least, trying to find ways not to have to "trade down". By having a sponsor for most of my professional fee, I have been able to dramatically decrease my cost to the meeting planner, who is under enormous pressure to meet ever-tightening budgets.
Theo Brandt-Sarif
Co-Author, Guerrilla Travel Tactics
Because many organizations can no longer afford to hire live speakers, our business Seminars on DVD is booming. Please contact me if you are interested in including us in your article.
Mihael Jeffreys
Seminars on DVD
Gina Griep publisher of the Healthy Exchanges Monthly Food Newsletter adds," I do public speaking to diabetic support groups and also other organizations. For me my biggest challenge is finding these groups and letting them know that I do public speaking. Once they have me they always give me great reviews and many will ask me back. But this is also a group that they don't always want to hear someone talk to them about a disease they don't know much about. The other problem that I find is hospitals don't want to fund speakers to these groups. Which is strange to me since it is one of the biggest growing problems in health care today. What I speak about and teach people is how they can eat and shop for the same types of food that they have always eaten and then show them how they can make dishes that are healthier and fit more into the type of "diet" they should be following and using daily.
It is true that the speaking profession has suffered as a whole during this deep recession. Instead of hiring professional speakers, some organizations are choosing to use industry spokespeople. However, there are a number of top professionals that are still managing to do well in this economy. I have been speaking professionally for thirty plus years. Following are some of my thoughts as to how these speakers are still managing to do so well in such a weak marketplace. I believe these speakers are succeeding because of the pro-active nature of their approaches. First, they focus on marketing. They contact past clients for whom they did well. They keep their materials up to date and keep in touch with agents for whom they have worked in the past. They pursue new clients who might have an interest in their subject. Second, they focus on gaining new and in-depth knowledge of their subject matter. They narrow their subject to one facet. They customize to such a degree that their clients feel that these speakers have gained an intimate knowledge of the client's industry and can effect their bottom line positively.
Patricia Ball
My name is Robbie Motter and I am a certified National Speaker (CSL), author, certified Coach, as well as a Marketing and PR Consultant. I also serve as the NAFE Western & Mid Atlantic Regional Coordinator. NAFE is the largest global network for women ith over 66,000 members. In today's speaking world a speaker in addition to having great topics must also have a book, or e-book or other things that they can sell in the back of the room after they have spoken to help them receive additional monies for their talk. We all are experts in something so in becoming a speaker we are allowing others to learn from our expertise to help them in their business or personal lives and at the same time add more income to their bottom line.
No doubt the economy has impacted all businesses and the speaking business is no exception. That said, there are many speakers that are still keeping busy with speaking and training engagements. Some are even finding new ways to grow in this economy.
My personal business has done well this year. Through the first six months my bookings have remained steady compared to ´07 and ´08. There are several reasons for this. I recognize that the economy has hit our industry. Some of my colleagues have complained of a slow-down in business. We use multiple sales and marketing strategies to keep our business strong. The Internet has created great opportunities to remain visible. Blogging and social networking has helped. That said, there is no substitute for the basics; picking up the phone and making calls. That is our best strategy. We make over 100 calls per week to prospective and existing clients. We try to fill our "pipeline" with strong prospects and strong "holds" on our calendar.
In addition to the above strategies, I have been fortunate to come out with a best-selling book this year. It has created some buzz and has helped with credibility.
Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE
The one-show stopper speaker is obsolete. Speakers are eclectic. They're survivors and bulldogs in a dead economy where agencies, schools, and organizations are clamping down on training funds. Survivors turn prospects into gigs with a chameleon talent of tailoring the talk to what the customer wants. Bulldogs are persistent--diplomatic but perseverant. Besides this, to prosper means to expand the marketplace to audiences where speakers are needed, not just extra. For example, when I give training, the students need the credit hours of the workshop I give.
As markets shrink, competition stiffens, and more speakers hit the pavement, three other problems confront today's trainers and speakers. First are fewer hotels renting space for training or inflating their prices. Second, diversity and higher education of today's audience market requires speakers to be extremely knowledgeable, educated, and providers of enrichment, not just fun and motivation. And third, get a day job. Speaking gigs alone are insufficient to pay the rent or mortgage. Unless working for a booking agency, freelance consultants cannot book enough weekly or monthly trainings for a full-time business.
Doug Ruben, PhD