The How and Why of Creating a Speakers Bureau

So you’re an expert huh?  Now is the time to share the wealth of knowledge you have and become the credible go-to guy or gal in your industry. Nothing says “expert” more than speaking on your chosen area of expertise in front of your peers at trade events, conferences or association meetings.  Creating a Speaker’s Bureau for you or your firm takes some work, but the benefits to be had are well worth the investment. A successful speaker can add credibility to the firm, promote the firm brand, create buzz in the industry, gain free PR, enhance your social media presence and create numerous networking opportunities. 

How to Get Started

First you will need to ask yourself a few questions:

What do I know more about than others? What information do I have they want or would help them grow their business?

When you attend a conference, what draws you to a certain speaker?  Most likely you want information you haven’t heard before or at least a new spin on an old idea. You want something timely, of value, and to listen to a speaker that provides you with at least a few takeaways that can help you grow your business.

What expenses am I willing to incur in order to speak?  What are my expectations for reimbursement?

Decide in advance what expenses you want covered in order to speak at an event – travel? hotel? food?  What costs are you willing to incur?  You’ll also want to look at your ROI on the event.  If it is an organization that holds great potential for future business, then you might be willing to eat more costs than if you aren’t sure your target audience will be there or not.

Can I speak on my areas of expertise for a minimum of one hour and a maximum of two?

Nothing is worse than being scheduled for an hour and running out of material after 30 minutes. Be sure you have enough good information to make a strong presentation. If you’re new to speaking, run through your first presentation and time yourself. You can always fill a few minutes with Q & A, but don’t count on it to fill much more than the remaining couple minutes of your presentation.

How can I make the format visually interesting? How can I re-use the material later?

Add some excitement – nobody wants to hear you drone on for an hour even if you are brimming with new information.  Video casts, PowerPoint presentations or even a YouTube video will add some punch. Be remembered! Also look for ways to use your PowerPoint or a recording of your presentation on your website or in social media.

Am I comfortable speaking in front of a group or will I need some coaching?

Practice, practice, practice. May we suggest Toastmasters, a coach and a good mirror?

How does my suit look? Tie? Jewelry? Shoes?  Do I look like an expert?

If you want others to invest their time in you, invest in yourself first. If you want to be considered an expert, you need to look like one. If you know how to present information but don’t know how to present yourself, seek out a stylist or a personal shopper.

How good am I at follow-up?  Will I need help in this area?

You can come away with all the good leads in the world, but if you never follow-up, you will not be successful and have wasted your time.  If you need assistance in this area – ask for it. We often bring two people to a speaking event: the expert who is speaking and a business development person who can collect, manage and follow up with leads.

Do my topics create a need I can fill?

Don’t speak on a topic that won’t turn into business later; know your audience and what you want to be able to sell them in the future. You will learn how to finesse a topic so it doesn’t sound like a sales pitch, but gives the audience valuable information while leading them back to your door. Don’t present topics that you can’t turn into a sale – even if you have a wonderful speech on the power of positive thinking, if you can’t sell positive thinking, don’t talk about it! 

Avoid giving them all the information they will ever need on your topic – why would they seek you out if you’ve already delivered the goods?  As they say in show biz – leave them wanting more. You don’t need to give away the bank in order to give them good information – trade secrets are secrets for a reason!

Work Your Plan and Plan Your Work

If you want to get on the speaking circuit, you need a speaker’s bio (brief representation of why you are credible to speak on said topic) your presentation topics summarized and a good long list of organizations, conferences, trade association and events you want to target. Many organizations slot their speakers anywhere from 6-12 months in advance of the event. Coming up with a system to record who you submitted speaker submissions to, the various deadlines, contact people and other information needed to track your submissions and speaking dates is critical to your success.  Don’t miss out on a good opportunity because you missed a deadline. Be vigilant and you’ll be known.

Once you’ve established yourself as a credible expert, you can be a little choosier about where you want to speak, but in the beginning just get yourself out there to gain experience and develop a comfort level as a presenter.  The rewards of your speaking engagements will come to fruition if you do it right!

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