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How do we stay afloat when all the other speakers are sinking?

davecrane industry icon speakers speakonstage Jan 26, 2021
Speakers, how to stay afloat and ahead of competition.

Great question AND it requires 3 sub questions BEFORE we deep dive into any solutions…

First is this…

  • Are ‘speakers’ really sinking?
    The answer is a resounding YES, but with a caveat that this only applies to speakers who didn’t pivot their focus or reinvent their business model fast enough. Everyone else is either incubating in their reinvention cocoon or waiting for the lifeboats to arrive with floatation devices for everyone. They are pushing to the front of that queue now in anticipation of the rush that will come as we return to normal later. It’s never coming.
  • Is ‘afloat’ too simplistic?
    Not really. Let me explain. Afloat gives the idea of staying above the surface. That would include using a flotation device or even learning to tread water. The waves are now getting so high that unless you are ready for them and know how to surf the breakers, you will very quickly get too tired to paddle or disappear swiftly downwards once you become too exhausted to keep fighting for air. You need a different strategy. Immediately.
  • Does ‘All other’ imply that there is a sense of finality and pessimism?
    I’m afraid so. It’s already affecting everyone who relied on their reputation, contacts and experience.

 Let me be clear…

Lockdown, quarantine and social distancing are as potentially lethal to the revenues of keynote speakers, entertainers and event organisers as actually catching COVID-19. The realistic fear of what could happen at a super spreader event means that a business model that has always depended on:

  1. Number of attendees
  2. Atmosphere
  3. Social media coverage
  4. ROI for investors

…is frozen stiff and dead in the water until rescue comes. So what’s the solution?

Let’s look at the problem systematically.

There are fewer gigs than before.

In lockdown people might be reading more, but they are also less exposed to events where you might normally sell your book or training courses from a table at the back of the room.
So they might never find your book.
Or you.

Speaking events, of the near future, are most likely to be 90% online with a 10% physical element for keynotes, panel guests and a small socially distanced audience.
This will need a REALLY big reason to draw in a physical attendee.

Therefore, you can either be:

  • A big established name.
  • A highly recommended cost-effective crowd pleaser.
  • A newly shining rising star.
  • A master of the new spatial universe (if you don’t understand this, you aren’t one -yet).
  • An industry buzz who can’t be ignored.

 Remember this…

  • NO event manager cares about you.
  • They don’t want to see your 30 minute demo reel.
  • They don’t want to read your book.
  • They don’t care what kind of gigs you did pre-coronavirus when you were busy.
  • They don’t want to hear your sob story.
  • They will NOT invest in your future successes.
  • They are having a very tough time too.

 However…

  • They want to know what you can do for them RIGHT NOW.
  • They want you to make THEM look good.
  • They want you to have a great speaker’s media kit.
  • They want a highly effective sizzle reel AND a signature showreel AND a testimonials reel (in that order).
  • They want you to have an active social media following.
  • Basically, they want to make money from doing as little work as possible whilst shifting the heavy lifting problem of persuading the client to buy their expertise TO YOU.
  • Oh. And by the way. They also have the option of choosing ANY speaker on the planet now that gigs are virtual. Location means nothing anymore. 

The big names are dropping their big fees to appear on Zoom calls.
The small names are working for buttons or EVEN free to stay relevant.
Where does that leave you?

ANSWER? In the BEST position of your lifetime.

Seriously.

Did I mention that YOU DON’T NEED AGENCIES OR EVENT MANAGERS anymore?
They are people who just spend more time on Google, LinkedIn and contacting more people than you.

Did I mention how you can monetize your own media?
There are several very exciting revenue for getting paid regularly as you build your own media empire.

Did I mention that your expertise in brand building will also be a highly sought after skillset for every small business owner or new entrepreneur trying to get up and out again?
Guess what? Yes, they WILL pay you for this too.

But, let’s leave more on that for the next issue.
Meanwhile…

Remember…

A - Event managers want certainty.
B - Clients want guaranteed ROI (certainty).
C - You want to get paid.

Become an Industry Icon.
That’s exactly how you’ll get your cash, set up a stream of business opportunities and a lifeboat until we all see/ build/ ignore dry land again.
Warning. Some of us won’t make it.
They will get proper jobs (if they can).
In which case, they will probably be the ones who hire your services later on.

 

 

P.S: I regularly get asked to write articles on my expertise for online magazines. This is written for the November issue for Authoritti5.0 . 

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