Why Can't I Get Any Speaking Jobs?

by Wendi J McNeill

First of all, are you sure your marketing to the right audience? I strongly encourage my clients especially newer ones to make sure they know their market and if it’s a paying market as this will save so much time, money and frustration.

Many have a deep passion for a particular topic which is wonderful, BUT if you can find a market that’s going to pay you for your presentation/topic then you may need to tweak a bit or find another market that’s paying.

It’s important not to skip steps in building your speaking business. First brand yourself, make sure you have a strong online presence and have started building your speaking platform before investing your energy, time and money into marketing. You don’t want to start marketing yourself and then no one can find you online right? And if they do you don’t want to have an unprofessional presence, make sure your “walking your talk” before throwing hours into your marketing efforts.

Trust me it will be much easier and you will have better results if you have placed your speaking presence online and your message is clearly heard on your website, and I stress that you make sure your message is clear, don’t confuse the visitor when they get to your site to where they’re not sure what you can do for them. If this is done first and then the marketing campaigns start you will see much better results and will incur less time, energy and frustration.  

I do encourage you to start making a list once you know who you want to serve, where you will find them and if this market is going to pay you whether it’s in the corporate market, college, associations, etc. then do your research and you can start some marketing campaigns but I highly suggest your website be properly in place for planners first and also the marketing material you’re sending out is effective and they understand your message and benefits. Remember planners want to know ONE thing, how you will benefit their audience, how will you solve their problem, so make sure you highlight those benefits...a little less, ‘YOU’ and more on the benefits is best.  

A good resource to start with and I often offer this to new clients is to simply visit your local library, this resource is often over looked anymore because of online search engines. They are going to have information on all the local area clubs, Lions, Kiwanis, etc. and most should know who the current contact is and while your there check into information on associations, but go after associations that you know will have the audience who will benefit from your message.  

Remember as well, that when you contact someone initially via email, letter, phone, etc. that you need to follow up, this is very important, just because they did not contact you doesn’t mean they are not interested, possibly they have forgotten or did not get your email/letter. They need to be reminded and remember that follow up is crucial, building relationships is vital.  

If you have found a market that is going to pay you then see if you can narrow your audience down as much as possible because this is what’s going to get you a full schedule. For example, if you’re in the health industry and speak on leadership or team building then instead of trying to hit all fields in the health industry go after just the medical supply field or the Chiropractic field or the nursing field or the dental field...niche yourself, find those who have the power to pay you, build relationships and you will see a full schedule.

Also and this is important to remember that you will be better off drawing from your past experience and knowledge. Say you were a teacher, then your best bet is to take your topic and market to the educational industry and then narrow in on this market. Why? Because you will already have some form of credibility in the educational industry and it will make it easier for you to get your foot in the door.

You want to be the big fish in a small pond, not the small fish in a big pond, so think it through before you spend hours and money on something that just isn’t going to be there for you. 

Lastly, stay dedicated because you will get there, just keep plugging away and you can do it! You will get many more No’s then you will Yes and those who can get past this hump and keep moving forward through the No’s are the ones who are going to come out being a great success...so don’t give up!