Finding the Perfect Speaker Agent
That’s a statement I hear about once a week. But from what I’ve seen over the past 20 years, it’s easier said than done. Having been in the role of agent for the first 10 years of my career, I understand it well.
The job description may include: Sales, marketing, customer relations, database management, gig management, product management, and so on… it can go all the way down to feeding the office fish! (Thanks Vince).
The key to hiring successfully, I believe, is on the front end. Making sure that you have the right person and then training them well.
Here are the steps:
1. Preparation: Ensure that your business is streamlined (sales and marketing systems) and that you can sell yourself. You may have some work to do on your positioning, focus and marketing.
2. Timing: When you are losing business because you can’t handle all of the opportunities, that is the perfect time to hire. Asking someone to “launch” you is much trickier because you may not have a big budget to fund the start-up period (6 months minimum).
3. Finding Staff: A great place to find a staff person is in your audiences. If someone greets you enthusiastically after your presentation, take that opportunity to build the relationship. Other places to find staff: church, networking events, social media, thru friends and family, etc. Refer to The Wealthy Speaker 2.0 Chapter 7 for a list of traits, job descriptions, pay rates and where to find staff.
4. Finding Agents: If you are looking for someone with serious experience, there are a number of great speaker agencies (ie: SpeakersOffice and CMI). If you Google “Speaker Management”, you should find them. But beware and make sure they are legit. There are more and more people in the “make money from speakers” business than ever before. Some agents may expect a monthly fee plus commission.
5. Training: When you hire staff, spend time on the front end to ensure that they understand how to sell you. Have them attend several speeches and listen to your conversations with people afterwards. Have them shadow you on the phone with clients. See my note below about my new staff training program.
Hiring someone to help you is best done when your business is running smoothly to begin with. The pressure of hiring someone to “save” you can be overwhelming for that person. Take your time, and do it right.
See you soon Wealthy Speaker.
PS: I’m so excited to announce The Wealthy Speaker University’s newest course for Speaker Staff. Check out the details here:
