Wednesday, September 22, 2010

"I Want To Be A Paid Professional Speaker"

I regularly receive phone calls from business professionals who say "I want to get paid to speak!". They are not always sure what that means, but they have received positive feedback from people who have heard them present, and are interested in getting money for their talks. They call me to "pick my brain" about how they can enter this world.

Due to the high level of interest in this topic, I have started a consulting program to help people navigate their initial interest in speaking as a career.

I have spent fifteen years studying the Professional Speaking Industry. It is an exciting, unique, and serious business that requires a mix of skill and intention. I honor and respect the industry and those who earn their living through speaking. I am very excited to be a professional speaker, and really do love my job. It is wonderful to be able to share this passion with others.

Most people view the "big-time" celebrities and assume that is the whole business. People who are famous for something else (titans of industry, sports heroes, politicians, reality TV stars, etc....) headline many events and take home large paychecks. Some of them are great speakers, others are good, many are just famous (or infamous) so people want to hear what they say. Bill Clinton (who is a great speaker!) makes over $100,000 per speech and is the highest earning professional speaker in the world.

However, most of us were not the leader of the Free-World, so our path to speaking success is a little different than that of Mr. Clinton.

I have begun to consult with people who have an interest in the speaking business to share my ideas, observations, pontifications, etc... on the industry. While I cannot magically bring success to anyone, I have seen a lot of people come and go over the years, and have useful advice that can help. I have talked with speakers, speakers bureaus, agents, meeting planners, sales managers, CEO's, association executives and others about the trends in the business, and ways for up-and-coming speakers to get established.

My goal is to provide a perspective on the business that will assist with developing an understand of the variety of different ways one can be successful in the speaking industry. This is not a "get-rich-quick" program, as there are lots of people out there offering such courses (Good luck with that!). Instead this is a facilitated dialogue that will help someone explore the business and begin their pursuit with a realistic foundation.

If you are interested working with me to discover more about my perceptions, ideas and suggestions on how to grow a speaking business, call me at (512) 970-0398 or email thom (at) thomsinger.com.

Have A Great Day.

thom


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

No, don't do it, Thom. There are enough competitors already in the speaking world