Why Your Speaking Business Isn’t Growing

Nobody Knows Who You Are

(2:34) Believe it or not, some speakers take a “build it, and they will come” approach to their speaking business. 

They set up their website and social media profiles, hoping people magically find them and book them to speak somewhere!

I’m sorry, but that’s not how any of this works. You need to let people know you exist, so they know to book you! 

That means you need to be very proactive with your marketing – both online and offline – so that people know who you are and how to get hold of you.

Attend networking events, post regularly on social media, write regular blog posts on your website, and try to secure slots on popular podcasts or webinars. Whatever it takes to get the word out there.

Your Speaker Website is Letting You Down

(4:07) Building your speaker website is one thing, but if it’s poorly designed or doesn’t include the right information, then nobody will book you!

Always ensure your website is easy to navigate and that your planner page is never more than ONE CLICK away from your home page. 

It’s probably a good idea to highlight the button or navigation link on your home page so that it stands out from the rest of the content.

You always need to make sure you have an effective Call-to-Actions (CTA). You need to take your website visitors on a journey, but if they never receive any prompts regarding what to do next, they will leave your website and not return.

Who You Serve is Not Clearly Defined

(5:35) It doesn’t matter whether it’s your website or your social media presence; every element of your branding (online or otherwise) should deliver CLARITY. 

Irrespective of what the first client touch point is, your target audience needs to know precisely what you do and how you do it. Otherwise, how are they supposed to decide if you’re the right person for them?

You need to utterly dominate your specific segment, rather than trying to be all things to all people. 

The more specific you are with who you want to serve, the easier it will be for your audience to find you in the first place and then book you once they do.

So whether it’s your speaker video, website homepage, or social media profile bio, people who come across you should know within seconds who you are, what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for.

You’re Not Quite Nailing Your Presentations

(7:07) It’s one thing to get booked; it’s another to deliver a fantastic presentation or talk. 

Remember, the fastest way to grow your speaking business is through referrals and repeat bookings from clients who are genuinely happy with the way you delivered your presentations.

If that’s not happening once you’ve started to gain a little traction, then it’s probably time to revisit what you’re doing up on that stage. 

It could be that you’re not dressing correctly for the occasion, it might be that you’re not tailoring your content to the specific audience enough, or maybe you’re simply not putting your best foot forward when you stand up there and deliver your talk.

Whatever it may be, you need to diagnose the problem so you can fix it going forward.

Reach out and ask your clients for feedback after each of your presentations – not just the ones where you’re doing well. And if you’re struggling to connect with your audience, then it might be worth investing more time into practice or some speaking coaching to help you nail those presentations once and for all!

You’re Putting Too Many Eggs in One Basket

(8:31) While a speaking business is an enriching and potentially lucrative opportunity, it’s not the only way to make a living as a professional speaker. 

While some speakers build successful businesses on the back of speaking fees alone, most also have additional income streams that allow them to invest back into their businesses.

For example, it’s very typical for speakers to offer consulting, coaching, or training services in addition to their speaking engagements.

Other ways to leverage speaking gigs include offering mastermind groups, online courses, and membership programs through your website. 

Many have written a book, and speaking is a way to promote it.

Whatever you choose to do as an additional revenue stream alongside your speaking engagements is up to you – just make sure that your speaking business model allows for it so you can add healthy recurring revenue to your bottom line.

You’re Not Working the Numbers (And Making Excuses)

(10:27) Building a speaking business from scratch isn’t easy in any industry. But speaking is really a numbers game. 

Speakers I’ve worked with that are treading water simply aren’t talking to enough people each day and are making excuses as to why they can’t grow the business as quickly as they’d like to.

As I mentioned at the top of this article, most professional speakers aren’t “discovered.” They get out there and introduce themselves to as many people as possible. 

That means they actively seek out and touch base with dozens of new potential leads EVERY DAY.

The days of waiting for the phone to ring are over – you need to get out there and tell the world who you are. 

The more people you contact daily, the faster you’ll start to build a sustainable speaking business.