CHAPTER 10
Seeking Excellence: What Speakers’ Bureaus, Speaker Management, and Meeting Pros Are Looking For
In This Chapter
• How speakers’ bureaus and management companies can boost your career
• The difference between a speakers’ bureau and a speaker management company
• The fee structure of these organizations
• The importance of creating marketing materials so you can pitch to a bureau
On the spectrum of speakers’ bureaus, there are superstar-speakers’ bureaus on one side and making-a-good-living-speaking speakers’ bureaus on the other—and everything in between. Bureaus represent all caliber of speakers, such as motivational and leadership speakers, politicians, sports figures, business executives, television and movie stars, and humorists. Speakers’ bureaus are a great resource for organizations, meeting planners, speaker management companies, and event coordinators. Large bureaus, like Washington Speakers Bureau, Harry Walker Agency, and Eagles Talent, sometimes represent thousands of speakers.
Bureaus can provide excellent networks for speakers and can change the status of someone’s career, but they are neither required for success nor are they something that works for every speaker and trainer. That choice is yours.
Understanding How Speakers’ Bureaus Work
The more you know about speakers’ bureaus and how they function, the better the chances you will have of building a strong relationship with one and getting booked to give a speech.
The bureau’s job is to bring its speakers’ expertise to the attention of its clients and find a good match for their special event, annual meeting, conference, training event, or keynote. Meeting planners and event planners are usually the clients of the speakers’ bureau and work through them to find speakers for annual meetings, special events, and training sessions.
A bureau’s fees are paid out of the fees charged by the speaker, not by the clients they represent. For example, Anne has worked with Eagles Talent for more than 15 years and the large clients she’s been privileged to speak before often came from them. Paying 25 or 30 percent of her fee was inconsequential for the opportunity to present to Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 organizations with iconic brands across the nation.
There was a time when bureaus were considered the big pond for big fish in the industry. Today, the speaker is the big fish and makes the decision whether to work with outside representation.
Find the Right Fit
Know your strengths and align yourself with the bureaus that you can work most effectively with. These are the bureaus whose clients and meeting planners you can benefit most and vice versa. In our experience, our relationships with bureau owners and agents are very similar to those we have with our editors and publishers. The people who work at the bureaus are some of the hardest working people you will ever meet. We always appreciate the business bureaus give us and we respect their and their clients’ decisions to book other speakers if we are not the right fit.
Even if you were to get listed with a big bureau, you would still be one of hundreds, or thousands, of speakers in its database. It can feel like a stable of speakers sometimes. And it is. There’s no guarantee that you’ll ever get a booking. Being associated with the most prestigious speakers’ bureaus can be an ego trip for a lot of speakers, but as we established earlier in this book, that’s not why you’ve chosen this career.
For many of us, our speakers’ bureau relationships include another viable platform to showcase our body of work. We appreciate that. Focus on creating and building relationships with the bureaus that are best suited to your category of speaking and the talents, subject matter, and competencies you offer. You may get several bookings from them in a year because you fit their customer demographic, or you may not get a booking for several years. All the more reason to build in your own internal marketing strategies to support the sale of your speeches and training programs.
When Bad Things Happen to Good Speakers
When Anne started out speaking and training for a living, she immediately called the Harry Walker Agency in New York to see if they wanted to represent her. It was a rookie mistake.
Harry Walker Agency primarily works with superstar speakers like Christiane Amanpour, Michelle Obama, Shaquille O’Neal, Tony Blair, and Simon Sinek, as well as contemporary humorists like Ali Wentworth and The Passing Zone. Anne hadn’t even published a book at that time. It was foolish of her to have pursued them, not to mention a waste of the receptionist’s time to even have taken her call. But Harry Walker himself had the courtesy to call her back after that initial contact and encouraged her to keep moving forward in this business. Anne was truly a no-name in the field, but Harry was kind enough to give her advice and point her in the right direction. She never forgot that.
The moral of this story: Know the size of the pond in which you swim. Very few speakers are Harry Walker Agency worthy. Most of us won’t reach those heights, which is perfectly OK, because there’s plenty of money, status, and opportunity available in the trillion-dollar meeting industry.
Patience Is a Virtue
When Anne first got accepted with a speakers’ bureau, she didn’t get booked to speak right away. She instead built relationships over the years and continually updated her speaker profile and video demos. Over time she eventually made the short list for events, but even then she rarely made the cut. However, she persisted, and eventually the perfect engagement presented itself. The bureau representative worked with Anne and the client, one step at a time, to ensure she was the right fit for the right engagement. That solidified an ongoing relationship with a highly respected and high-profile speakers’ bureau. It was a win-win for all. Anne paced herself, proving she was ready to swim in the bigger pond and not sink.
If you get listed with a big bureau and you’re not ready, it won’t be a successful relationship. Either the bureaus never call you, or when they do, they place holds on dates with you and then release them. That’s no way to speak for a living.
Building Relationships So You Can Ride the Bookings Roller Coaster
Neither of us are represented by a big-pond bureau the size or magnitude of a Washington Speakers Bureau, for instance. Our agents don’t wonder, “Do I book Barack Obama, Sardék Love, or Anne Bruce for this engagement?” The bureaus we work with book us to do keynote presentations at events or training programs or breakout sessions at conferences. The frequency of our bookings from these bureaus varies and can be an up and down roller-coaster ride. That is to be expected. Over time you build relationships with the owners of the bureaus and that continues to keep you top of mind, but with others, it may be strictly business. Our motto is go with the flow but be ready to act as your own free agent.
Anne emphasizes this key point to her coaching and talent management clients: you must build your skills of business-to-business communications, thereby opening yourself to greater opportunities. The speaker business is evolving and shifting even as this book is being written, and it all boils down to selling yourself, first and foremost. Simply put, you must not put all your eggs into one basket. Being self-reliant and innovative without the help of anyone else just may save your entire career, especially when business dips. Speakers are entrepreneurs, but they sometimes forget that and rely on others to get them bookings and generate revenue. At the end of the day, you can only rely on yourself.
It’s estimated that in the United States in 2016, 1.9 million meetings generated $845 billion in economic impact (Long 2018). You are part of this statistic, and you want to keep some of that revenue for yourself. How? Stay in close touch with clients—check in four or five times a year—even more. Don’t become a distant memory. The sheer power of your relationships, follow-up, and ability to create a marketing plan for your business can make the difference between your thriving or fizzled speaking career.
Stand Above the Noise
Social media has been the biggest game changer in recent years. We think it’s a great thing because speakers are now more empowered than ever and in a trillion-dollar meeting industry with millions of events each year and billions being spent on production, there’s never been a better time to distinguish yourself from the pack. Build those relationships, promote yourself, and design your own YouTube channel. Use these tactics to demonstrate to others the brilliance of your message, the shine of your energy, and the creativity in your brand and public persona.
Getting Noticed by Speakers’ Bureaus and Event Planners
If you want speakers’ bureaus and event planners to notice you, then focus first on building your speaking and training business on your own. Create a website with punch—onstage performance video samples are a must!—and get out there and speak. Every speakers’ bureau we presently work with came to us because they’d heard about one of our presentations; saw us speak; read our books, blogs, and articles; or visited our websites because someone referred them.
If you’re doing the soliciting, know that most bureaus post on their websites the requirements for how to become one of their speakers. And just like publishing houses that post submission requirements for book proposals, bureaus expect you to give them precisely what they require so they can decide whether to list you with their firm. The closer you get to meeting their criteria, in either case, the better the chances you’ll be successful in your quest.
Market Yourself
Let’s say you get that long-awaited call from an agent at a speakers’ bureau. She has a booking that you might be a good fit for. It’s in Chicago for a major insurance company on May 8. Do you have your marketing materials in order? Do you have a first-class speaker’s package or kit ready to send them via the cloud or overnight delivery? Do you have a link on your website just for bureaus and event planners where they can download your bio, photo, view your latest video, see your one sheet, read client testimonials, and more? Do you have a commissionable fee ready to quote?
The following are a few must-have items to market yourself effectively:
• A first-class speaker kit, including professionally produced video of you in front of an audience speaking or training. Be sure to have great lighting, sound, and two or three cameras for action and static shots, audience reactions, and testimonials afterward. The total cost for a complete speaker kit can range between $15,000 and $20,000 and up, depending on the quality of your materials.
• Your fees range, from at least $5,000 as a beginner and higher.
• An up-to-date bio. This changes constantly—so stay on top of it.
• Postcards, bookmarks, and promotional materials on your books, blogs, podcasts, articles, or other products you sell.
• Your top three program titles. Let the bureau know if you do breakout sessions, training workshops, book signings, panel discussions, consulting, or coaching, or if you have products to sell.
• The industry you specialize in—pharmaceutical, law, technology, and so on. Don’t just say associations and corporations. Be specific.
• Name other speakers’ bureaus that have booked you in the past and provide your A-list client roster.
• References and testimonials from clients.
We encourage you to keep your marketing materials up-to-date and at your fingertips so you can immediately respond to all inquiries. You don’t want to put yourself in a position of throwing together a few marketing pieces willy-nilly or scrambling at the last minute to compile a marketing package. Your marketing should be part of your business plan.
Charge Appropriate Fees
Bureaus collect 25 to 30 percent of your fee as their commission. Do you charge enough to make hiring you a cost-effective move for the bureau? Are you charging at least $5,000? That’s the minimum fee for an engagement; preferably, it should be $8,500 or $10,000. Remember, speakers’ bureaus and speaker management companies have to make a living, too. If your fee is only $4,000 for a speech and the bureau receives 25 percent, they’d only be getting $1,000 for the booking and that doesn’t keep their lights on. If that same bureau books a speaker for $10,000 and gets 25 percent, then their commission would be $2,500 and much more worth their time and energy to pull you into it. As we said in the beginning of this book, speaking for living is a business first.
The way we see it is we would never have had certain clientele and all the spin-off business if not for our bureaus, so we are happy to pay the much-deserved commissions to get the work. If you are uncomfortable paying a commission of this size to a representative, we suggest getting your own bookings and keeping your entire fee. Not everyone is at a level where they can charge enough to justify working with a speakers’ bureau, especially if they’re just starting out. Be patient and persevere.
The bottom line: Do not waste a bureau’s time if you are not ready to swim with the big fish in the big pond. If you’re still a guppy, then you’re not ready to work with a bureau.
Betty Garrett and the Seven Speakers’ Bureaus Myths
Industry veteran Betty Garrett operates the full-service speakers’ bureau and consultancy Garrett Speakers International (GSI) in Dallas, Texas. She’s been in the business more than four decades; most recently, she was named a 2018 recipient of the Dallas Business Journal’s prestigious Women in Business Award for Tourism, Travel and Hospitality. GSI, and bureaus in general, is a professional matchmaker of sorts—bureaus match the right speakers to the right client by identifying the category of speaking and the talents, subject matter expertise, and competencies the speakers offer—but they also do so much more. They help focus on a conference’s needs, the organization’s culture, and attendee demographics to find the right speaker for the right engagement. A bureau should be an expert in leadership, communication, sales, trends, sustainability, customer service, business growth, and innovation. And bureaus like GSI offer special touches like working with a client and speaker until the event is over—even attending events on-site to ensure all goes seamlessly. They’re in the relationship business as well as the speaker business.
Here, Betty not only debunks the myths that speakers and meeting planners have about working with bureaus, but also gives you a good idea of how bureaus work behind the scenes and what’s required to swim in their waters.
Myth #1: Speakers’ bureaus only book celebrities and top-billing personalities such as Barack Obama, Maria Shriver, and Brené Brown.
Fact: While those speakers are available, quality speakers’ bureaus work with all budgets. Not every event merits a high-end speaker; however, every event deserves a professional speaker with a proven performance record regardless of the size of your budget.
Myth #2: Speakers’ bureaus add more hassle for meeting professionals because they create a middleperson.
Fact: Although that can happen occasionally, for the most part bureaus and speaker management groups eliminate the minutia that goes along with researching a speaker and handling all the paperwork. Speakers’ bureaus facilitate the process for meeting professionals because there is often only one contact person to assist you, not the many representatives for each individual speaker, especially celebs. While many companies now go directly to the speaker, they usually have an internal team or person handling the arrangements. A quality bureau can eliminate your headaches, while streamlining the process and paperwork. Again, all bureaus work differently.
Myth #3: Speakers’ bureaus cost more to use.
Fact: Not usually. Professional speakers pay the bureaus out of the fees they would charge a client. It costs no more to use a bureau than to go directly to the speaker. For the same price structure, a bureau acts as a resource for you and your group. Speaker management and talent agents often set up different structures and fees.
Myth #4: Speakers’ bureau staff are never around when you need them.
Fact: Unlike the professional speaker who is always on the road traveling from event to event, a bureau is stationary and can send materials at a moment’s notice. Most bureaus will give you an emergency number so you have 24-hour access to them.
Myth #5: Speakers’ bureaus only market their speakers.
Fact: Almost all independent bureaus have a core group of speakers who produce consistent results and have earned different bureaus’ respect. However, bureaus constantly research and identify those speakers who are the best match for your group. Bureau owners are not speakers; their advice in your selection process is unbiased. They have thousands of speakers they can research to fit your particular need.
Myth #6: Speakers’ bureaus do not care about the outcome of your event.
Fact: A professional bureau has a vested interest in making sure your speakers are a success and that you receive the standing ovation you deserve. There is nothing more painful than being in the audience and realizing the speaker you have hired was not a good fit or did not perform to your expectations. If a speaker cannot honor their commitment, a bureau can help you find a solution. Using a speakers’ bureau is like having good insurance—you need a back-up plan and support when the unexpected happens.
Myth #7: Speakers’ bureaus are interested only in a one-time sale.
Fact: Quality speakers’ bureaus are interested in long-term relationships with their clients. Consequently, they become information resources for the meeting professional. They can be as involved with the decision-making process as needed. Many times, clients look to them for topics, trends, and determining who and what is hot in the market. Your continued satisfaction is their primary concern.
Adapted with permission from Betty Garrett.
Hiring a Speaker Management Company
When you’ve really made it big and you’re getting dozens of speaking engagements a year, you may want to consider the services of a speaker management company. What’s the difference between a speakers’ bureau and a speaker management company? The management company handles your travel, calendar, follow-ups to leads, and so on. They are paid on a retainer plus a commission on bookings. They are the business managers of the speaking world. Speakers’ bureaus do not have full control over speakers’ calendars like management companies do. Bureaus neither book a speaker’s travel or hotel accommodations (although the bureau’s clients often do), nor do they get paid a retainer, only a commission. Two of the best are ADL Speaker Management (www.adlspeakers.com) and SpeakersOffice (www.speakersoffice.com).
Typically, speaker management companies will only handle a select group of world-class speakers, whereas a speakers’ bureau will represent many more. The significant difference between the two is that a speaker management company will provide a range of essential business and marketing services to a speaker, including bookings, so you can concentrate on speaking. A bureau will focus mainly on handling your bookings.
Speaker Management: Your Business Partners
Speaker management companies are in business to help make your business operations and bookings more seamless and even more successful. They provide the management and business backbone for speakers by partnering with speakers’ bureaus, companies, associations, and agencies. We caught up with two of the industry’s best to see what experience to look for in management company staff and what it can do to boost your career.
Holli Catchpole is the powerhouse behind the management company SpeakersOffice. She worked her way from shipping clerk for speakers Tony Alessandra and Jim Cathcart through the ranks of the organization, eventually becoming vice president of sales and marketing for Alessandra & Associates. When she founded SpeakersOffice, Tony and Jim were the first two speakers on her roster. She knows what it’s like on both sides of the microphone, having spoken at numerous National Speakers Association events. She’s a contributing author of Paid to Speak—Best Practices for Building a Successful Speaking Practice. In 2010, IASB recognized Holli with the John Palmer Award for exemplary service to the association and industry.
ADL Speaker Management owner Michele Lucia (also the co-author of this book’s foreword) helps speakers grow their businesses using her 30-plus years of marketing and sales expertise in the meeting, speaking, trade show, and hospitality industries. She shared with us some services to look for when hiring a management company. You can expect your speaker management company to provide the business framework to support your speaking career. Management companies are your business partner; they should help you form a business plan, proactively provide best practices and solutions to your challenges, and serve as your coach and confidant. A good management company will provide back office support like creating and maintaining a contacts database, contract writing, invoicing, event logistics, and calendar management. Finally, you’ll want to look for a management company to help you market your speaking business by providing social media campaigns, negotiation services, sales, and new business leads.
Speaker Showcases and Contests
There are many speaker showcases and contests. Some are run by meeting planners and some by bureaus. The purpose is to spotlight up-and-coming speakers. For some of these events you must be selected to participate; for others, there is an open call where you can pay to be previewed by experts and bureau owners in the business.
Should You Pay to Be Showcased?
Some large and reputable bureaus charge to showcase talent, and in some instances, that can be a good way for a new speaker to get in front of bureau agents and their clients. If you think you this will get you a shot at getting in front of important decision makers who might otherwise never have the opportunity to see you in action, and you can afford the fees to do so, then by all means go for it.
But do your due diligence first. Ask around and see how much business other speakers have gotten from being part of these events. There are legitimate and prestigious showcases that you may want to be a part of, such as the annual International Association of Speakers Bureaus convention and the annual National Speakers Association convention. Visit their websites for details and talk to bureau owners who are members—see if they might be able to get you into the showcase after viewing your demo video and speaker package.
Approach Speaker Showcases With Caution
We advise caution before going in this direction because many disreputable companies on the Internet prey on hopeful speakers by claiming to have big marketing campaigns where they will market you to thousands of meeting planners and others—for the low, low cost of only $1,500 or more. They usually claim to have limited slots available for these campaigns to create a sense of urgency on your part. We recommend saving your money and investing it in building your speaking practice on your own. The idea of speaking and training for a living is that you are the one getting paid, not the other way around.
If you are just starting out and relatively unknown in the business and are suddenly approached by a group or bureau that wants to charge you to be a part of their showcase—proceed with extreme caution. These folks are often making more money on hopeful speakers’ dreams than they are on booking them. Our advice is to wait until a bureau books you at least one time before paying them to showcase you, or at least talk to other speakers affiliated with the bureau to see what experiences they have had participating in such showcases.
Reading the Fine Print: Contracts Basics
Contracts with bureaus are proprietary; therefore, we can’t print one here. You can call and ask for a sample contract; many bureaus are happy to send them to potential speakers. But remember that every bureau is different. Some have lengthy and complex contracts and others may use a simple agreement. Either way, all contracts are typically templates that you will see again and again and will become accustomed to signing and understanding the fine print.
Some of the things you might expect to find in a speakers’ bureau contract include:
• Mutually agreed to speaker fees paid to the speaker, when and how payments are made, the commission rate to be paid to the bureau, and when and how commissions are paid.
• Method of payment, terms, and conditions, such as the client shall pay 25 percent to the bureau to secure the date (also referred to as the holding deposit), that the balance owed shall be paid directly by the client to the speaker the day of the presentation, and that you agree to send a bill to the client for expenses within one week after your presentation, or that a per diem will be included in the total amount being paid to you.
• Any restrictions placed on speakers regarding ongoing contact with the bureau’s client.
• Your travel and equipment requirements.
• Any business and inquiries, or spin-offs, from this client at any future date (sometimes there is a specified time, like two years) shall be booked for you by the bureau and you will refer all contact and negotiations to the bureau.
• Contact between speaker and client. These rules vary greatly from bureau to bureau, but it is often not allowed—including product sales, consulting, and training offers—unless contacts are first referred to the bureau who originated the booking.
• General speaker etiquette. This may include points such as the speaker should not charge incidentals to a client’s master account, or that a speaker agrees not to use vulgar language or off-color materials, get drunk, or engage in other unprofessional behavior while working the booking, both on and offstage.
• All-inclusive engagements. This is a simplified flat fee structure where you receive one fee and then pay all the overhead and expenses yourself. This kind of arrangement is becoming increasingly popular because it helps alleviate administrative costs and extraneous minor expenses (like that bottle of water you bought at the airport).
Only you can determine whether it’s the right time—if ever—to bring in the help of a speaker management company or solicit representation from a speakers’ bureau. Each offer a different way to support your career as a professional speaker. Even if you don’t choose to work with a bureau or management company, it’s smart business to have your marketing materials always at the ready.
Making It Happen
• Carefully consider whether it’s the right time in your career for you to be represented by a speakers’ bureau.
• Determine your fee structure and if it’s cost-effective for you to pursue bureau representation.
• Create marketing materials and always have them at the ready.
» Always read your contracts thoroughly.