BUSINESS
MELINDA MYERS
Build your speaking business
PHOTOS COURTESY MELINDA MYERS
I f you are reading this column, you are currently speaking on gardening, nature, communications or social media, and want to grow your business. Or, you are just getting started with speaking gigs. Either way, here are a few things to keep in mind as you grow this portion of your business.
First, evaluate how speaking fits into your overall business plan. Is this a major source of income, or is it a way to promote the sales of products, books and other services? This can help you determine your audience and fee, as you focus your efforts on accomplishing your goals.
BUILDING SKILLS
If you are just starting out, look for opportunities to hone your skills as a speaker. Master gardeners, garden clubs and business groups are always looking for speakers, but they have limited or no budgets.
Though the dollars won’ t be pouring in, you will be building your skills, reputation and network. This is an investment in your future.
Melinda Myers suggests one way to boost the number of speaking opportunity is to expand or tweak your list of topics.
EXPAND YOUR GIGS
If you have some experience as a speaker but want to expand this part of your business, consider a few of these suggestions:
• Let people know you are looking for more opportunities and ask for referrals. Fellow speakers and groups you have presented to are a great place to start. This often happens naturally, when members of the audience approach with future opportunities. Just be sure to follow up. Or, when speakers perform well, they are often asked to recommend others for future events.
• Talk to others in the profession or visit their websites. Find out what they are doing and where they are speaking. Most groups rotate speakers, so you will not be stealing business from your colleague. If they are good, they will be invited back.
• Join several speakers bureaus such as Great Garden Speakers. This is an easy way to let groups looking for a speaker find you. Plus, Great Garden Speakers allows your audience to post comments on your presentations. So when you receive rave reviews in person or writing, don’ t be afraid to ask them to submit these comments to your profile.
HIGHLY EXPERIENCED
And for those who have lots of experience but are looking for new opportunities, consider the geographical area you want to target. Can you expand into new areas or find new opportunities within the gardening region you prefer?
Expand your list of topics. Perhaps it is tweaking what you already speak about to add an updated look, a different twist or to fit into current trends.
And consider non-gardening audiences. They often have more money to spend on speakers. Health care, community service organizations, women’ s expos and more can increase your opportunities.
DETAILS
Now down to the nitty gritty of setting your fee, promotional expenses and contracts.
This is your business, so you need to cover your time and resources spent in creating the talk, promoting it and traveling. If you are losing money with no plan to turn things around, you need to evaluate how you are doing business and your fee structure.
You also need to know what the market will bear. This does not mean underselling your services, but helping organizations see the added value you provide. Does your appearance provide PR and additional media opportunities, or can you help promote the group or event through your website, Facebook or other outreach efforts?
Despite all the added value, it may still be up to you to help them afford your fee. Is there a local sponsor, or one of your partners that can cover some of your costs? Perhaps the group could sell your books and keep the profits to offset some or all your fees. Some speakers stay at the home of one of the group’ s members to save the group travel expenses. Or, offer to speak twice for one and half times your normal fee. This saves them money on a second speaker and you make more money at one location.
And don’ t be afraid to put a contract in place. My attorney taught me,“ A good contract makes for a good partnership.” Spelling everything out in writing ensures a clear understanding of what each party is responsible for in making the experience successful for all concerned.
So take a bit of time to evaluate how you are currently operating this portion of your business and what you can do to expand your opportunities and enjoyment.
Former GWA National Director Melinda Myers is horticulturist, award-winning author, television and radio personality and popular speaker.
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