Public Speaking: Top Ten Ways to Make Money Public Speaking

SELL YOUR KNOWLEDGEThis is my overridingon travel expenses for you and the participants along
principle that came from years of hard knocks tryingwith all kinds of savings for the participants (travel, time,
to get people to hire me to speak. I get more speakingetc.) For visuals you can have the participants sitting in
engagements than I ever had before when I quit tryingfront of their computer while on the phone. You tell
to sell them and began selling my knowledge in asthem what web page to visit to see your visuals. I
many different formats as possible. The idea is thathave produced a CD set on this topic. is similar to
infinitely more people can buy what you know throughtelephone seminars except you are using the Internet
books, tapes, CDs, Ebooks and videos than could everinstead of a telephone to hold the seminar.TRAINING
hire you to speak. Your name recognition because ofCOMPANIESIn this case a company hires you to
your knowledge distribution makes speakingdeliver their programs to public seminar participants, or
engagements much easier to come by because theto participants all from the same private company.
people that could hire you have already heard you andCareer Track, SkillPath Seminars and Fred Pryor
your message on your knowledge based products. InSeminars are examples of companies who hire
the mean time, the money from the product salesseminar leaders. In some cases you can develop
keeps your business thriving.GET SPONSORSHIPYouprograms for the seminar company and get a higher
can get other companies to sponsor your speakingfee for delivering that program and a fee each time it
fee so they can be associated with your messageis delivered by another seminar leader. You also get a
when you speak. Stop and think of what kinds ofpercentage of all the back of room products you sell.
groups would want to be associated with yourThese companies can keep you on the road quite a
message. Let's say you speak to the banking industry.bit so you better be ready to travel and don't think
Maybe mortgage, or mutual fund companies wouldeach event will be in the Bahamas . . .Your events are
sponsor you. Maybe bank equipment companiesmore likely to be in places like Toledo, Cleveland and
would. Think of anyone who would want to haveColumbus. These are relatively low paying jobs when
exposure to your target audience then simply make acompared to the kind of money you can get
proposal to their public relations department.GETpromoting your own speeches and seminars.SPEAK
DIRECTLY PAIDThis is pretty straight forward. YouFREE TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESSMany
speak to a corporation, association, civic group, orprofessionals speak or give free public seminars to
anyone who would hire you and they pay you directly.help get clients. Attorneys, doctors, dentists,
Most of the time you should try to get a deposit upaccountants, real estate agents, lawyers, home
front of about 50 percent and the balance eitherbuilders and many other people from a wide variety of
before the event, or the day of the event. You will useprofessions give seminars to promote their business
various methods to get hired. I have had the greatestand to gain clients directly from the seminars. To do
success in my career getting hired to speak bythis effectively you must not spend the entire seminar
promoting myself properly on the Internet.SPEAKERSpromoting yourself. You must give the participants
BUREAUSA speakers bureau is a for profitgood information with the idea of establishing yourself
organization that locates speakers for paying clients.or your company as the expert. There is certainly
The speakers bureau normally takes a percentage ofnothing wrong with showing people how complicated
your gross fee. The percentage is usually in the 15 tothings are and even though they can do it themselves,
30 percent range with the average fee being 25it might not be a wise thing to do. For instance, you
percent. It is very difficult to start with speakerscould be a plumber giving a seminar on how to
bureaus unless you are a bonafide celebrity and yourremodel your bathroom. You tell the participants every
fees are substantial. You must remember they getlittle detail of how to do it and also tell them the perils if
paid on straight commission and the higher your fee,they do it wrong. No one will complain that you were
the more they make. Also, unless you have a provenjust giving a sales pitch, but many will think to
track record, a speakers bureau will be afraid to putthemselves, "Maybe this is too much to tackle by
you in front of one of their clients because if youmyself. Maybe I should hire this person to either help
bomb they could lose many more bookings from theme or do it for me."SPEAK AS PART OF YOUR
same client. You must also supply the bureau withJOBMany companies have their own speakers
promotional materials that don't have your contactbureau. Normally the only reason it exists is as a public
information so anyone that sees the material willrelations tool to provide a good image of their
contact the bureau directly and not you.PUBLICcompany to the community. One of the ways you can
SEMINARSThis is another fairly simple idea, but thatspeak for pay in your company is to volunteer to be in
doesn't mean it's simple to do. Basically you promotethe speakers bureau. As long as you are on company
your seminar to the public and they buy tickets totime when you are speaking, you are indirectly getting
attend. You could also promote it to corporatepaid to speak. If they always ask you to speak after
management and get them to buy tickets for theirhours on your own time, well that's a different story.
employees to attend. I avoided public seminars forYou still might want to do it to continue to become a
years because of the risk and expense involved inbetter speaker. Another way to get paid to speak in
printing and mailing brochures. Now I do lots of publicyour job is to join the training staff of your company,
seminars because I can promote them at no costor start one if one doesn't exist. You can simply target
through my website and email magazine.TELEPHONEa problem the company is having and work up a
SEMINARSThis can be a form of public seminar, or itprogram to train others in the company on how to
can be done for private groups. You arrange for asolve the problem. Suggest a few sessions to your
telephone bridge line (very inexpensive), or aboss to see how it goes. If you get results, chances
conference call (can be VERY expensive). You haveare they will want you to do the same program for
participants call in and you deliver the seminar over theothers in the company.
telephone. This saves a tremendous amount of money