Thank you for purchasing PAID to $PEAK: How to Become a Professional Speaker!

This book will share how I got started in professional speaking, and more importantly, it will outline a step-by-step blueprint for you that has enabled me to speak for over 1,000,000 people across 1,150 audiences in all 50 states and around the world. I was able to quit my full-time ‘day job’ as a Dean of Students and live my ‘dream job’ as my own boss. I am confident you can do the same by following the roadmap I’ve outlined for you.

Audiences I speak to range from students to corporate groups, from associations to nonprofits…and all in between. Because I have been asked to speak for practically every industry I know exists, your target audience(s) are likely groups I have previously spoken. Therefore, I am confident that the content in this book will equip you with the resources, guidance, templates, strategies, and motivation needed to build your speaking business…and get PAID doing it.

PAID to $PEAK will provide you with the knowledge and process to launch a speaking business. All you need is the passion and discipline to work through the entire book. Be prepared to read this book with a pen. It’s a workbook that allows me to be your virtual speaker coach and help you customize and build your own speaking business along the way. If you complete the exercises, you should have speaking engagements by the time you have finished reading!

SPECIAL BONUS for action takers…you have 30 days from your date of purchase (list deadline date here: ________________) to receive a FREE coaching call with me to ask any questions – value $250! All I ask is that you read the book and provide an Amazon review before scheduling your call. On the final page of this book are directions for how to schedule your call.

Some readers inform me they read completely through the book (not completing exercises) and then later re-read portions to work through the exercises. This strategy is fine, especially if you find yourself getting stuck in certain areas. But in order for an event organizer to hire you for speaking, they will need from you what I’m sharing in this book! By speeding through the book and not completing the exercises, you’ll be short-cutting your own future speaking business.

Important Recommendations Before Getting Started

(1) Visit my website (www.KevinCSnyder.com) to see specific examples of suggestions inside this book.

(2) Visit my website dedicated for speaker coaching at www.PAIDtoSPEAK.biz where you can subscribe to my “PAID Speaker Tips” email newsletter and view free speaker resources.

(3) If you would like for me to help you work through this book or review any of your speaking materials and provide feedback along the way, I offer one-on-one speaker coaching programs. I also offer a self-paced PAID to $PEAK online course working you through this book, a “Speaker Mastermind Group” and access to “The Vault!” Visit www.PAIDtoSPEAK.biz for more information.

(4) To help you work through this book, I’ve created FREE worksheets for each module at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets. (password: paidtospeak)

This book is not only the product from over 20 years of my own professional speaking experience, but also hundreds of questions I’ve been asked by aspiring speakers along the way. There’s not a speech that goes by where I don’t have someone asking me how I got into speaking and how they can too. I wish my answers could be simple, but they are not. Hence this book to outline my strategies for you!

In this book I am sharing a step-by-step process to help you do what I’ve done. I believe what I have done is replicable as long as you’re coachable, follow my blueprint and are committed to taking action, consistently.

I wish a book like this existed when I first started speaking. As you will read in my Preface, I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t seek out help. As a result of struggling, I doubted myself, made lots of unnecessary mistakes and nearly quit on several occasions.

I have read dozens of other books on professional speaking and found significant gaps in what they try to share. None of them outline a blueprint model that guides the reader step-by-step. None provide templates and free resources that I’ll be sharing with you in this book. Reminder: visit www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets for access to these resources. (password: paidtospeak)

Professional speaking is a business, and if you are willing to treat your speaking like a business, you will attract business results. I’m living proof. I’m also here to help you.

While reading this book, and/or afterwards, feel free to drop me a question or comment at my personal email – Kevin@KevinCSnyder.com. In case you missed it on the prior page, there is a SPECIAL BONUS for action takers…you have 30 days from your date of purchase (list deadline date here: ________________) to receive a FREE coaching call with me to ask any questions – value $250! All I ask is that you read the book and provide an Amazon review before scheduling your call. On the final page of this book are directions for how to schedule your call.

Copyright © Kevin C. Snyder

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transferred in any form by any means, except in brief quotations in a review, without the express written consent of the individual author/editor. All quotes contained within this book are written by the author unless credit is specifically given to another source.

PAID To $PEAK™: How To Become a Professional Speaker is a registered trademark and cannot be used or copied without permission.

ISBN-13: 978-1505436266

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Snyder, Kevin C.

PAID To $PEAK™: How To Become a Professional Speaker

Edited by Write Way Publishing Company

Layout and Design by Write Way Publishing Company

www.WriteWayPublishingCompany.com

For additional information:

Dr. Kevin C. Snyder

www.KevinCSnyder.com

Kevin@KevinCSnyder.com

Follow Kevin on your social of choice

@KevinCSnyder

About the Author

Kevin Snyder battled through teenage depression and being arrested to becoming a bestselling author and sought-after motivational speaker. Audiences love Kevin’s high energy, his interactive delivery style, his authenticity and the actionable leadership principles he shares through his empowering inspirational presentations.

His struggles growing up inspired him to write his first book on personal development that would ultimately launch and lead to his motivational speaking success. His first book, “Think Differently to Achieve Success,” became a best-seller.

Kevin was inspired to work in collegiate Student Affairs in order to help other students battle through negative mental health, realize their full leadership potential and unleash their purpose. After earning a Bachelors degree in Marine Biology, Kevin continued onward to earn Masters and Doctorate degrees in Higher Education. His Doctorate research focused on student success factors for first-generation community college students.

Most recently Kevin served as Dean of Students for High Point University. He has worked in Student Affairs for institutions including University of South Carolina, University of Central Florida, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Kevin continues to teach as adjunct faculty for Wake Tech Community College based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Publishing his first book, “Think Differently to Achieve Success,” and presenting a TEDx talk began Kevin’s transition to full-time professional speaking. To date he has presented keynotes and workshops for over 1,000,000 people through 1,150 organizations in all 50 states and around the world. Clients who have booked Kevin to speak include JetBlue, Anheuser-Busch, FedEx, Orkin, Caterpillar, Bank of America, SHRM, the United States Air Force, hundreds of associations, and over 400 colleges and universities.

Kevin is also co-founder of Write Way Publishing Company, a self-publishing company he created to help other aspiring authors become published.

Kevin is also a certified skydiver, scuba diver, has sailed around the world and been a winner on the television game show, The Price is Right!

www.KevinCSnyder.com

Dedication

To Dyess, my first boss. You politely told me I wasn’t any good at speaking. Thank you, because you inspired me to improve… and prove you wrong.

To Michael, you didn’t know it at the time, but you gave me my first paid gig - $250. I still have the framed check.

To Karen, on that cold day in Chicago, you told me my silly story of being on The Price is Right changed your life. You helped me realize that speaking is really about sharing a message that connects to others.

This book is also dedicated to YOU, the reader, for being a future agent of change through speaking and by sharing your story. One speech at a time, you’ll be making this world a better place. I’m honored to be part of your journey.

Contents

Introduction

Author Preface

Module 1: Where to Start

• Setting your foundation and knowing your speaking goals

• Understanding different formats for speaking and ways you can be PAID to speak

• Dissecting the elements of an incredible speech

• Differentiating yourself as a speaker and positioning you as an expert

• Selecting your problem to solve

• Crafting your Call to Action

Module 2: Developing Your Program

• Breaking through speaking mythbusters

• Understanding what event organizers need to hire you for speaking

• Developing your One Page

• Designing your presentation

• Identifying practice opportunities

Module 3: Finding Speaking Opportunities & Getting Found

• How to find speaking engagements and how they find you

• Crafting outreach to meeting planners and event organizers

• How to speak and get PAID for colleges and universities

• Getting referrals and inquiries for speaking

• How to brand yourself, build your contact lists and stay in touch

Module 4: Getting PAID to $PEAK

• Monetizing a pro bono speech from FREE to FEE

• How to set your speaking fee and providing options

• Identifying an organization’s level of budget

• Understanding the psychology of a speaking fee

• What speaking proposals, contracts and invoices should look like

Module 5: Getting PAID Bookings Consistently

• Applying a consistent system to earn consistent speaking engagements

• Surrounding yourself with support

• Ways to show appreciation to clients

• Giving and getting referrals for speaking

• Finding a speaking mentor

BONUS Module: How to Write and Publish a Book in 90 Days!

How to claim your complimentary coaching session with Dr. Snyder (final page)

Introduction

This book will outline a roadmap to help you develop a professional speaking business. The chapters of this book are written as step-by-step modules within my PAID to $peak™ coaching program. Therefore, read with a pen in hand and be prepared to work through each module as if it were a coaching call. By holding yourself accountable to complete the activities, you will not only gain tremendous momentum toward your speaking aspirations, but you will also have created what meeting planners need to hire you for speaking.

Each module is designed to help you customize my blueprint to make it your own. If you speed through the modules without completing the reflective questions and module checklists, you won’t have aspects of your speaking business addressed and this will negatively impact your potential speaking success and paid bookings. To support you working through this book, I have created FREE worksheets for each module at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets. (password: paidtospeak)

I know my process can work for you. It’s also worked for me and within six months, I had eleven keynotes lined up. It’s also worked for numerous other speakers I’ve coached. This process, and success, is replicable!

The only reason you do not complete the questions is because you plan to read the entire book first and are committed to reading the book again in order to complete the activities. From previous feedback with some coaching clients, this was a preferred approach so they could envision the “big picture” upfront.

Many people inquire with me about coaching and working with them through this book. My most popular coaching programs are the 1-on-1 coaching program (10-week and 5-week option) and my online coaching program. I also created “The Vault” providing templates and scripts of everything I used in my own speaking business and a “Speaker Mastermind Group” to help provide accountability and additional collaboration opportunities with other speakers. Details on my PAID to $PEAK™ one-on-one coaching programs, and online course, are available at www.paidtospeak.biz where you can find more information and apply. I do not work with everyone so please inquire.

I also recommend you visit my personal speaking website, www.KevinCSnyder.com, so you can see samples of everything I share with you in this book. Read through my sample programs, watch some of my demo videos, and visit my client summary of over 1,000 organizations I’ve spoken all over the world. If you become one of my coaching clients, I can make introductions to those clients for you.

Important: This book is about professional speaking and what’s required to earn PAID speaking engagements. This book is not about how to SPEAK; rather it is about how to get PAID doing it. This is the reason you will notice I will capitalize PAID each and every time. Of course being a great public speaker will impact one’s ability to be a professional speaker, so in this book I will share techniques and strategies to help you outline a great speech, design a signature presentation, and differentiate you as a speaker. However, this book outlines step-by-step business strategies to help you launch and grow a professional speaking business. This book is for people who are passionate about sharing a message that will help people in audiences be better as individuals. And the good news is that my blueprint can help speakers at any level, whether they are just starting out or they have significant speaking experience behind them.

Module 1: Where to Start

Question: How do you eat an elephant?

Answer: One bite at a time!

This module will help you understand specifically where to start on this journey of professional speaking. In this module, you will:

• set your foundation of speaking through a series of reflective questions

• learn the most critical components of a successful and engaging speech

• discover how to differentiate and brand yourself as a speaker

• understand the beginning steps to crafting your signature speech

• identify your Call to Action and how audiences will remember you

Module 2: Developing Your Program

In this module you will:

• learn how to avoid the most common pitfalls and speaking business myths

• understand what meeting planners need to hire speakers

• learn the requirements for submitting proposals and Call for Speakers

• begin to outline your signature speech and presentation using my ‘Speaker Storyboard’ model

Module 3: Finding Speaking Opportunities & Getting Found

This module will show you how to:

• identify the right target audiences and industries for your speaking

• connect in that industry and find speaking engagement opportunities

• outreach to meeting planners and event organizers

• learn about speaking to college and university audiences

• know how to maximize your ability to gain both referrals and inquiries

Module 4: Getting PAID to $PEAK!

This module will help you:

• monetize a pro bono speech to maximize benefit for your speaking

• know when to charge for speaking and what to charge for your speech

• understand the psychology of a speaking fee and how to position yourself

• craft speaking proposals, contracts and invoices

Module 5: Getting PAID Bookings Consistently!

This module will:

• provide a collection of recommendations to help you earn consistent gigs

• teach you the importance of surrounding yourself with support

• offer ideas for how to show memorable client appreciation

• share strategies for how to stay in touch with prospective clients

• help you identify and set realistic expectations moving forward

BONUS Module: How to Write and Publish a Book in 90 Days!

Upon completion of this book and leaving an Amazon review, you are eligible for your complimentary coaching call with me directly. Details for scheduling your coaching call are on the final page of this book.

Let’s get started.

Author’s Preface

“So how did you become a speaker?”

The most common question I receive from aspiring speakers is how I got started in professional speaking. It’s also the number one question I receive from anyone I meet once they find out I speak for a living. Not because people are interested in me, per se, but because the profession of speaking sparks quite a bit of curiosity. It’s not a career most people desire. In fact, speaking in public causes most people to panic and feel terrified. So when someone meets me and knows I speak professionally, they usually ask lots of questions.

My backstory of how I started in professional speaking, i.e. the Preface, you are reading now, is extremely important because it sets the tone for this entire book. I did not set out to speak professionally. I had no interest in speaking growing up. A wild variety of events occurred that led me to begin my speaking journey and to where I am today as a professional speaker. Moreover, I am confident you will identify with many of my experiences and connect to them for your own benefit. You’ll be able to learn from the things I did well, and not so well, which will help you build your own speaking business and hopefully avoid pitfalls along the way.

I suffered from depression in my teenage years and was diagnosed with an eating disorder at just twelve years old. This was in the mid-1980’s when the doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers, and even my family had no real clue how to treat my condition and help me. Mental health back then was not nearly as understood as it is today and treatment and services were not nearly as available. I write much more about my depression and eating disorder experience in my book “Think Differently to Achieve Success,” and I dedicate an entire chapter, Turning Point, to that time in my life and how I recovered. Additionally, at sixteen years old, I was arrested. This experience with the police would also change my life and I share it in a chapter of Think Differently titled, Lessons of Wisdom. Still to this day in my presentations, I share my teenage depression and arrest with audiences. After my speeches, people always tell me how much they appreciated and/or connected to what I shared. As you’ll soon read in this book, audiences connect more to struggle than strength. When they feel a speaker is authentic and transparent, they pay attention.

I continued to struggle attending college. I remember being a first-year student (i.e. freshman) and feeling so lonely. I kept my bags packed the first month because I didn’t expect to make it. My roommate and I had nothing in common, I was in a long-distance relationship several hours away, and I lacked self-confidence. I was still struggling through many aspects of my depression earlier in my life.

I tried dropping out of college on numerous occasions, but the Dean of Students, Dean Terry, always convinced me otherwise and would never sign my withdrawal paperwork. I remember him saying to me, “Kevin, I’m technically required to sign these forms when students come to see me, but for some reason, I don’t want to sign yours. I see something special in you. Will you let me help you and just give us another month?” Because I admired and respected Dean Terry, I always gave him another month. He always had ideas to help me and, most importantly, he just really seemed to care.

In the beginning of my sophomore year, things began to change for me. I had gotten more engaged on campus, had developed more confidence in myself, and I had a new roommate (because the first one flunked out). I finally felt like I was fitting in. College would ultimately become transformational and help me discover aspects about myself I never knew existed, both personally and in my own leadership abilities. Not only did I excel academically with a near 4.0 GPA, but I excelled as a leader on campus as well, receiving awards like Greek Man of the Year, the Chancellor’s Achievement Award, and Homecoming King.

During my senior year I was giving a campus tour to prospective students and parents when a life-changing awareness hit me. I wanted to be like Dean Terry to help other struggling students transition to college like I did. I realized that I wanted to work on a college campus. Although I was going to graduate with a Marine Biology degree a few short months later, I knew my future career would be taking a detour. This became my moment, at the age of 21, where I set a vision and career dream for becoming a Dean of Students.

I would eventually work in Student Affairs at several different colleges and universities across the country – University of South Carolina, University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and High Point University. Titles I served in included Assistant Director of Student Activities, Director of Orientation, Director of Greek Life, Director of Advising and ultimately, Dean of Students. In all these roles, I would frequently speak to student groups and be asked to facilitate workshops at conferences I attended. I did not necessarily enjoy presenting to students, but I did it anyways because it was part of my job. I never had any intention or desire of becoming a professional speaker early on. And when I did speak, I never got paid or ever thought about compensation in any way.

One particular conference in 2001 changed my life. I remember listening to the opening welcome remarks from the conference organizer. I do not remember what they shared but I do recall them being extremely boring and looking as if they were having a panic attack. There was nothing engaging about the opening remarks and frankly, it was painful to watch. If smart phones existed back then, I would have immediately been texting or checking my email.

Once the conference organizer was finished with opening remarks, they introduced an opening keynote speaker by the name of ‘Zig’ Ziglar. Music began to play, the energy skyrocketed and Zig took the stage. Within the first 30 seconds, I was laughing and giving high five’s to people sitting around me. One minute later, I was on my feet both giving and getting a back massage from the person sitting next to me. I kept thinking, “This speaker is amazing!”

Zig commanded attention from me and that entire audience of 1,000 people for over an hour. What I remember most is relating to his stories, feeling inspired and laughing constantly. Zig did not share any type of ‘Mount Everest achievement’ or ‘near death’ experience that changed his life. He was just extremely good connecting with his audience, engaging us and setting an incredible energy tone for the conference event.

Half-way through his presentation, I heard a voice inside my head say, “You can do this, Kevin. You can speak like this. You can make an impact like this too.” This inside voice made me feel good. It filled my chest with positive energy.

Right then and there my first seed of desire for becoming a professional speaker was planted by watching such a great speaker. My heart felt like it was pumping rocket fuel. This feeling was something I had never experienced before. And when Zig finished, the audience responded with a standing ovation.

I found Zig at his book-signing table afterward and waited in line behind at least 50 people. When it was my turn to greet him, I said, “Thank you, you were incredible. I would love to talk with you about bringing you to my campus for a keynote presentation.”

Zig smiled and replied, “I’d be honored.”

Unexpectedly, the spirit moved me to keep talking and I added, “How in the world did you get into speaking?”

It had not been my intention to ask him about speaking. It somehow just came out of my mouth.

“Meet me for coffee in the lobby when I am finished here,” Zig said. “I’d be happy to talk with you about speaking and answer any questions.”

My heart pounded with excitement. I could not believe Zig Ziglar was going to talk with me! I was both honored and humbled. I didn’t even know what questions to ask or where to start.

I waited in the lobby for nearly an hour while he continued shaking hands, and taking future speaking leads, from those who were in the audience. “Wow!” I kept thinking, “I can’t believe he gets paid to speak. What a rush. What an impact!”

When Zig finally sat down with me, we spoke for nearly thirty minutes. He was just as authentic and amazing one-on-one as he was on stage. He gave me excellent tips about how to get started in speaking and how he commonly got speaking engagements like the one where I just saw him speak. (Note: Some of what Zig shared with me about how to get started as a speaker is the basis of what you will read in this book.)

The most important tip Zig shared with me though was through a question. Zig asked, “Kevin, young man, there are two questions you’ll need to answer in order to be successful as a speaker. What’s your story, and how can it help people?”

“What’s my story? How can it help people?” I thought. “Uhm, OK. I don’t know though, Mr. Ziglar.”

Zig replied, “I think you have a few stories in you, even at your young age. I sense you have a real passion. And once you figure out which stories to use in order to help people, you’ll be far ahead of most speakers. You see, great speakers are great storytellers with a purpose.”

“Wow,” I thought. He’s incredible.” Our time was short so I sincerely thanked Zig for his time. He was gracious enough to take a picture with me which would serve as a constant reminder of him and the time he invested with me that day at the conference.

I reflected on Zig’s questions throughout that entire day and evening. The next morning I facilitated my own breakout session at the conference. The session was my normal workshop which I had presented several times in the past. However, I made a slight change to it this time. Incorporating Zig’s advice about a personal story, I added a personal element to the workshop. I shared my story about how I lived a dream of meeting Bob Barker and being on the television game show The Price is Right (TPIR). Being on stage with Bob Barker had been a dream of mine since early childhood. After years of studying grocery prizes, analyzing how to play the games, arranging my class schedule in college around the show and even skipping my college graduation to drive across the country to be on the show, I finally was able to achieve, and live, my dream of meeting Bob Barker and being on TPIR.

I had never included this story in any previous presentation. I never really understood how meeting Bob Barker related to leadership or was relevant for my workshop. Although unique and funny, my story just seemed like a silly adventure. I did not realize how important it is for great speakers to also be great storytellers. Zig was exactly correct.

Not only does a great story connect and engage an audience, but it also differentiates the speaker. The more unique your story, the more people will remember you for it, find you as authentic, and be engaged with the message carried by that story. Great speakers truly do have an ability to craft great speeches through great storytelling.

Extremely nervous and apprehensive about adding my new ten-minute segment of winning on TPIR in the workshop, I followed Zig’s recommendations and included it. I used my story as an example connecting to the overall workshop message of (1) having a clear vision for your dream in life, (2) developing an action plan around that vision, and then (3) never giving up to achieve it despite the adversity.

My workshop ended up being a huge success! Attendees were more engaged and excited than ever before. Presenting it was also more fun for me than it ever had been as well. As attendees left the room, several stopped to thank me. Normally a few students would talk with me afterwards, but this time was different. There was a line of students waiting!

I observed a young lady standing in the back of the room. She appeared shy and uncomfortable. After making eye contact several times, I quickly realized she was waiting for everyone else to leave. I had a hunch there was something important she wanted to say to me.

She finally approached me once the room had cleared, slightly shaking.

“Mr. Snyder,” she said with a tentative smile. “That…that, was an incredible presentation.” She paused and looked down.

“Well thank you. That’s very kind,” I replied. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Karen,” she said. She paused again. I could sense she was struggling for words. A few moments later she continued, “I want you to know that your presentation today really made an impact on me. It got me thinking.”

“Oh really?” I said. “How so?”

Something then triggered in Karen and she shut down. She took a step back and looked away. Her face turned slightly pale and I could tell she was extremely uncomfortable talking further. I felt there was more she wanted to share yet she seemed conflicted on how to say what was really on her mind.

“Just about stuff,” she said. “I have a lot of stuff I’m dealing with right now.”

I noticed that both times she said the word ‘stuff’ she looked away. Before I could ask her anything else, she turned to walk away, heading out the door. As she walked out, I called out, “Thank you Karen.”

I felt I would hear from her again at some point. I was convinced there was more she wanted to tell me…and for a reason. I finished packing up my workshop materials and left the room.

Later that day I was standing in the conference hotel lobby. An older gentleman approached me with a smile and asked, “Are you The Price Is Right guy?”

“The Price Is Right guy?” I thought to myself. I was confused. I had never heard that phrase before.

“The Price Is Right?” I replied to him. “Uhhmmm. Well, I was on the show not too long ago. How did you know?

He continued in an enthusiastic tone, “You made a presentation earlier today didn’t you? And you spoke about your dream growing up to meet Bob Barker and being on The Price Is Right?”

“That was me,” I said, smiling.

“Wow!” he replied. “Let me tell you something. My students have been raving about you all day. I’m glad I found you. My name is Mike. We have a student leadership conference in a few months and we want you to be our keynote speaker. We’d love for you to share the same story.”

Mike didn’t know it, but he had just given me my first keynote presentation opportunity.

Trying not to seem the amateur I was by showing too much excitement, I smiled and replied, “That sounds amazing. I’d love that opportunity. Thank you, Mike. And by the way, my name is Kevin.”

“Wonderful, Kevin. I’ll contact you soon for more details. But just remember, we want to hear The Price Is Right story that you shared today. Our students will love you.”

As we exchanged business cards, we made small talk for a few moments. He then inquired, “Oh, one more thing. What’s your speaking fee?”

I felt like I had been jolted with a mini bolt of lightning. “Uh oh,” I thought to myself. “My speaking fee? I don’t even have a fee. I didn’t expect this. What do speakers even charge?”

“Uhm…uhm…uhm,” I stuttered. “Mind if I get back to you on that? I just need a few more details from you first.”

Mike seemed a bit surprised I was not prepared to quote a fee. I am confident at that point he sensed I was a newbie in the field of speaking. In fact, I am sure that a vibe of ‘speaker rookie’ was oozing from every pore in my body.

“Sure thing, Kevin,” he said. “We’ll talk very soon.” Mike then turned and walked away.

I turned around and mentally jumped up and down clicking my heels together. “My first real speaking gig! I cannot believe it!” I was thrilled. That day is still one of the happiest days of my life because it helped me open up a new door that would ultimately lead me to where I am today as a professional speaker.

But now I also had a problem! Not only did I have to organize my workshop presentation into a keynote speech, which I had no clue how to do, but I also had to determine a fee and write a contract. Would I be engaging enough? Would I be good enough? What should I charge? How does travel work? I did not know where to start. (Note: We’ll be covering all these questions in this book.)

Throughout that evening at the conference event, random people kept approaching me with a smile and inquiring if I was ‘The Price Is Right guy.’ Although I must admit the attention was inspiring, it felt plain odd. I didn’t expect any of this. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I liked the nickname of ‘The Price Is Right guy.’ It did seem to stick well though and it was unique.

The following morning I checked my email. I had a message from Karen, the student from the previous day who was hesitant talking to me. Her message began with:

Dear Mr. Snyder, you probably don’t remember me but...

Of course I remembered her! In fact, I had hoped to hear from her. As I continued reading her message, my jaw dropped and a tear dripped down my cheek. She wrote that my presentation and story of being on The Price Is Right inspired her to find a dream. For as long as she could remember, Karen suffered from depression, addictions, had been in and out of rehabilitation clinics and foster care homes, and had been arrested. She continued writing about her challenges being bulimic and had attempted suicide on multiple occasions.

Another tear rolled down my cheek when I read that she had attended the conference in order to commit suicide. She wanted to be in her own room and far away from anyone who could help her. She had tried committing suicide before by taking pills, but someone always found her and saved her life by calling an ambulance.

Karen wrote, “Your presentation about living your dream got me thinking different about my own life…you gave me hope to find my dream. Kevin, you saved my life.”

I re-read her message several times. I couldn’t believe it. “I saved her life?” I thought. “No way. Not my silly little story.” I did not understand what was happening. How could my presentation have such an impact on someone?

Also, Karen had no clue how much she and I had in common. You see, she did not know that I had dealt with very similar issues as she growing up. As you read earlier in this Preface, you know that I had also suffered from depression through my teenage years, was clinically diagnosed with an eating disorder, had run away from home a few times, had considered suicide on multiple occasions, and had even been arrested. Karen had no clue about any of that. How could she? I didn’t share it in my presentation. All I shared was my silly story of being on The Price is Right.

What I immediately realized sitting alone in my hotel room was that whether by accident or by divine intervention, I had an opportunity to help people through my presentation. I had the answer to Zig Ziglar’s second question, “How do I want to help people?” By sharing my struggles from the past, I could use those experiences for good to encourage others. By revealing my pain and loneliness from having depression, perhaps other people wouldn’t feel so alone. And by disclosing mistakes I had made in my past, like my arrest, I could empower others to learn from my teachable moments.

Karen taught me that I needed to share even more in my presentations, not less. She showed me that people in audiences relate much more to struggle than strength. Karen gifted me that day by helping me understand the power of transparency, connection and relatability whether through speaking to audiences or in a one-on-one conversation.

As speakers, when we share our stories of struggle and perseverance, our audience knows we have been tested and are more open to hearing what we did to get through it. Someone in the audience is dealing with a similar issue. After all, the audience assumes we are the expert and are speaking to them for a reason. We have command of the presentation which means the audience expects us to inform and help them in some way. Our signature story crafted into a problem-solving professional speech will not only differentiate us, but it will also carry a powerful message that audiences will remember us for…and recommend to others.

I sincerely thanked Karen for her message and asked if she felt comfortable talking with me in the hotel lobby over coffee. During our conversation, I applauded her for demonstrating strength by sharing her story and talking with me. I also told her briefly about my struggles and how she and I had much more common than she realized. She cried while listening to me talk about my depression, eating disorder and being arrested. (Note: Again, I write about my teenage struggles, my depression, my eating disorder, and my arrest in my book, “Think Differently to Achieve Success.” You can download a complimentary copy by visiting my website, www.KevinCSnyder.com.)

Sitting there with Karen, I realized I was connecting with a complete stranger and helping her through a very dark time in her life. And best of all, Karen agreed to talk with a professional counselor when she got back to campus.

Karen and I have kept in touch since that day. In fact, she is aware of my dedication to her in this book. The dedication is always the first portion of every book I write. It anchors me to why the book is being written. When you know your why, you become stronger than any adversity you face. Purpose fuels persistence.

Karen earned her Masters degree in psychology and is now a college counselor. I will not be surprised to hear she becomes a Dean of Students or Vice President of Student Affairs one day in the future. Perhaps she just might even be a keynote speaker.

After my conversation with Karen in the lobby, there was a closing session to conclude the conference and send all attendees on their way back home. I walked inside the ballroom and took my seat at a table with my students. One of my students immediately shouted out, “The Price Is Right guy!”

We all laughed. My own students had somehow heard of my new nickname and were happy to let me know they would carry it back home to our campus as well.

Lunch began and several awards were given out. One of the awards was ‘Best Presentation’ which recognized the highest evaluated session from over 150 educational breakout sessions at the conference. I didn’t even know such an award existed.

“The ‘Best Presentation’ award goes to…” the emcee announced into the microphone. “Kevin Snyder…Kevin, please come to the stage to receive your award.”

My students all jumped to their feet as I sat there in disbelief. I felt numb as I walked toward the front of the conference room and onto that stage. But once I stepped onto that main stage in front of 1,000+ people in the audience, it felt natural. And as the emcee and I shook hands and smiled for the camera, I remember feeling a sense of connection to the stage, the lights and the people in front of me.

Walking through the audience and sitting back down at my table, my students patted my back and put their arms around me. They were just as surprised as I was about the award which I passed around to them. When the award came full circle back to me, I held it in my lap mesmerized by Best Presentation Award in laser etching.

After all the awards had been given out, the emcee announced, “Before we conclude our conference, it is my privilege to introduce our closing keynote speaker.”

“Awesome!” I thought. “Another keynote speaker!” Whereas most people would be gritting their teeth wanting to leave, I was ecstatic about hearing from another keynote speaker. If they were anything like Zig Ziglar, the opening speaker, we were in for an incredible treat. I was already rooting for them even before they began speaking.

Unfortunately though, this closing speaker was nothing like Zig. In fact, they were absolutely horrible! They did nothing interactive during the presentation, spoke about themselves quite a bit, had no audience laughter, used bullet-pointed presentation slides and actually shared an inappropriate joke that offended many people in the audience.

Within the first 15 minutes, that internal voice inside my head started saying to me, “You CAN do this, Kevin. You can do this…better!”

Zig Ziglar helped instill the desire of me wanting to be a professional speaker and the closing speaker instilled the belief that I could be a professional speaker. You’ve probably had a similar experience watching a great speaker and then watching a not-so-great speaker. I speak at dozens of conferences each year and most of the keynote speakers, even the ones whose names are well known, are simply not very good. By watching speakers, I learn a lot about what to do and what not to do.

Both realizations would serve to be extremely important in my speaking journey and developing my speaking business. Desire for speaking is not enough. You must also have high levels of self-efficacy and belief that you can do it. Those beliefs will ultimately provide the grit for you to do what is required to make your vision of speaking a reality. Because like purpose, when your desire and passion for something are greater than any adversity you face, you will be successful. Passion fuels purpose.

When I returned home from that conference, I proudly displayed my ‘Best Presentation’ award in my office next to my picture with Zig Ziglar. As excited as I was, I was also overwhelmed with mixed emotions. I knew there was something inside me that connected to speaking but I was still unsure what it all meant. My career was in Student Affairs, not in speaking, so why was speaking pulling me towards it so strongly like a gravitational force? Should I pursue speaking? Could I pursue speaking and still work my day job? Where do I even start? I had a great speech at the conference, but am I really that good or was I just lucky?

As my mind raced with all types of questions I did not know the answers to, I remember feeling excited about the idea of at least further exploring speaking with more seriousness and commitment. I began by writing notes down from the recommendations given to me by Zig Ziglar. After a few pages, I felt surprised remembering so much of what he had shared with me in a very short period of time. I also went to the local Barnes & Noble and looked for books on becoming a professional speaker. I could not find any so I bought several books on public speaking.

I began reading those books instantly and taking notes. The energy that filled my chest while reading them felt indescribably good. As I worked through the book content and reflected on my own situation and goals for myself, I ultimately found clarity in what type of speaker I wanted to be like and what I wanted to achieve through speaking. (Note: You’ll experience the same by working through Module 1 of this book.)

At that time in my life, my goals for speaking were not to quit my day job as a Director of Orientation. Rather, speaking was something fun and passionate for me to do ‘on the side’ while I still worked a full-time job in Student Affairs. My ultimate professional goal was to be a Dean of Students. Speaking was just something new and exhilarating that made me come alive in ways I had never experienced before. Some of my friends worked side jobs on the weekends to make extra money. I decided to do the same, but in my own way through college speaking. I thought, “Why work at Bed Bath and Beyond or be a bartender on the weekends when I can speak instead, help people and get paid a lot more money doing it?”

And because I would bring in speakers to my campus and present for my students, I knew the types of specific events where colleges hired speakers. I knew how to find those events, who to outreach to and how to outreach to them. I also knew what speakers charged for a speaking fee. The speakers I would hire for my student events charged $3,500 - $5,000 per speech. So if I even came close to speaking at half that fee just one or two times a month, I would be making as much money through speaking, if not more, than I would compared to an entire month’s salary in my full-time day job.

But as you read this, please remember that although potentially lucrative, money was not the primary motivator that got me into speaking. It should not be for you either. The way I looked at it was that money was a byproduct of me being successful in speaking and sharing my message with students. If I was successful getting in front of student audiences, then the money would follow.

So finishing my public speaking books and preparing for my first PAID keynote presentation at Mike’s campus event on Saturday, June 2, 2001, I wrote an outline, I scripted out my entire speech, I joined a Toastmasters organization, and I practiced segments of my speech with my own students on the campus where I worked. When June 2 arrived for my first ‘professional’ speech, I was just as terrified as I was excited. Nerves had hit me. I remember feeling the pounding of my heart and moisture from the palms of my hands. As much as I thought I had prepared, it still wasn’t enough. Or perhaps more likely, I didn’t prepare in the correct ways. In front of 200 students, I remember losing my train of thought constantly and feeling like everything was going wrong. The only portion of my presentation that seemed to go right with the student audience was my segment of The Price is Right. They loved hearing that story more than I ever expected. In fact, I felt like a stand-up comedian sharing the story, and then a true motivational speaker when I connected my dream of winning on The Price is Right to them by asking, “What’s your dream? What’s your Price is Right?”

Sitting down after the keynote speech was over, I remember thinking to myself, “Well, that didn’t go so well. I have a lot of work to do.” Surprisingly, Mike approached me afterward and congratulated me. “Well done, Kevin,” he says. “I know this was your first real speaking engagement and I think you did a good job.”

“Thank you, Mike.” I paused. “Is there a ‘but’?” I smiled with hesitation.

“Well,” he responded. “Depends what your goals are and how serious you really are about speaking. Since you mentioned wanting to speak to colleges more often, there are some things to be aware of. You are going to have a lot of competition and you’re going to experience tougher audiences than the one you had today. So I can help you. I spoke for over 10 years and would be happy to mentor you if that’s of interest.”

“Help me? Mentor me? I’d be honored,” I said. “I didn’t know you had so much speaking experience.”

“Well I’m glad you didn’t know. But now you do. And if you’re committed to speaking, I will help. Your Price is Right story is one of the best I have ever heard. It has all the elements of an extraordinary speech. I see something in you. How about I take you to dinner tonight and we start talking about it all?”

“Thank you, Mike,” I said. “I’m grateful to you for seeing something in me.”

“You have ‘it’ so we just need to figure out what ‘it’ is. It’s not going to be easy, but it’ll be worth it if you work hard enough and are coachable. See you in about 2 hours for dinner.”

“I’m coachable. I promise,” I said to Mike.

“We’ll see,” he responded, smiling.

That night during dinner, Mike sat down with me for several hours to talk about the speaking business, his experience speaking, and his recommendations for me starting off. We stayed at the restaurant until closing time. Mike came into my life at the perfect time and provided me with beginning tips and recommendations that I otherwise would have only learned the hard way and by making mistakes. He helped me understand the difference between speaking as a hobby and speaking as a business. I knew nothing about how to actually start a speaking business. I knew nothing about how to find consistent speaking opportunities, how to charge, when to charge, how to promote myself, etc. I knew nothing about real professional speaking…until I met Mike.

Good news for you is that, similar to Zig’s advice for me, a lot of what Mike shared with me over dinner that night and throughout the following year is inside this book. Mike helped me refine my program description, tighten up my actual outline, identify which college groups were the best fit for my program, and how to best outreach to campuses to get the attention of students and staff so that they knew about me.

Mike and I connected monthly for a little over a year. These were the days before smart phones, social media and texting when it was more difficult to stay in touch. After a year, Mike and I started to lose touch. I had just taken a new job as Director of Advising and had also started writing my first book. Plus, I was already speaking one or two times a month which kept me busy enough. My plate was full both professionally and personally and I didn’t want to waste Mike’s time if I wasn’t following through and making progress on his recommendations. Besides, I felt content.

But once I took a step back from Mike’s coaching, I realized my contentment was disguised as complacency and the speaking gig inquiries no longer came to me so frequently. I landed nine PAID speaking engagements during the year that Mike was coaching me, and each gig ranged $2,500. The year after Mike’s coaching ended though, I had only three speaking engagements. I felt confused and frustrated. My contentment and complacency crushed my budding speaking business and I turned away one of the greatest speaker coaches someone could ask for. When I reached back out to Mike the following year, he was at a different place in his life too. He was now a Senior Vice President for a university and had no available time.

“I’m sorry,” Mike said to me. “But the good news is that I taught you what I know. You know more than you think you do, Kevin. Your main challenge is holding yourself accountable to do what you already know to do.”

Mike was exactly correct. Accountability was my biggest issue and was exactly what I struggled with most. When I felt distracted in the past, Mike would help me stay on course and focus. Despite feeling disappointed about not having Mike as my coach any longer, I opened my folder of speaking notes that Mike had helped me with the year before. I reviewed every page from every discussion he and I ever had. Reading through the folder, my passion and energy for speaking came back to life. This time though, I wanted to make speaking a top priority.

A few months later I had several speaking engagements on the calendar. That next year, I totaled eight speaking engagements. I had twelve speaking engagements the year after that. This time it felt different. Not only was I spreading my powerful message and helping students across the country, but I was getting PAID to do it! I was now making more money in part-time speaking than I did in my full-time day job. I used every sick day and personal leave day to go speak somewhere. Luckily, I had a supervisor and Dean who believed in me, supported me in speaking, and provided flexibility for me when needed. When I wasn’t speaking though, I was back at the office working 10-12 hours a day to catch up. I was also still writing my book and exploring Doctorate programs. I’m not sure how I kept it all together…but passion and purpose were the glue that binded everything and provided the motivation sources I needed to press onward when tired.

Early the following year I reached out to CAMPUSPEAK, a collegiate speakers bureau. I applied to be on their speaking roster and was humbled to be selected! Later that same year, I had also finally finished my book and found an editor and publisher. I had also applied for, and started, a Doctorate program in Student Affairs Administration.

The following year I had become CAMPUSPEAK’s ‘New Speaker of the Year.’ A year after that I was one of their ‘Top Ten Speakers.’ A year after that, I was a ‘Top Five Speaker’ and on track to be one of their top speakers on the entire speaking roster. I felt like I was living a dream again, maxing out speaking roughly 15-20 times a year while also achieving a variety of other personal and professional goals.

One month after I finished my Doctorate program and walked across the graduation stage, I spoke at a campus called High Point University (HPU). As I was doing my typical research on the university in advance of my speaking engagement, I remember thinking HPU was a special place. When I was on campus, I felt a special connection. I had spoken at about 150 campuses before then, but none had the energy and atmosphere that HPU did. After my presentation, several students approached me and told me about their Dean of Students position being open. They recommended that I apply!

Even though I felt completely unprepared to be a Dean of Students at just 34 years old, the job description was actually perfect for me. The position was responsible for all the Student Affairs positions I had previously worked in. It seemed like a perfect fit if they could overlook my young age. So despite expecting a rejection letter due to green experience, I still applied. Less than one week later, I received a phone call from HPU to set up a phone interview! Although ecstatic, I was terrified. I assumed that once they realized my age, they would move onto another applicant with more experience.

The first phone interview must have gone extremely well, because they wanted to fly to campus for an interview. The on-campus interview must also have gone well because they invited me back to campus to solely meet with the university President, Dr. Nido Qubein.

If you know much about professional speaking or High Point University, then you likely have also heard about Dr. Nido Qubein, or vice versa. He is an amazing hall of fame professional speaker who has earned top honors and recognition throughout the National Speakers Association. So as you can imagine, I was both terrified and thrilled to meet with him. This short, 30-minute interview would be the most important conversation of my life. In preparation for my interview with Dr. Qubein, I read several of his books, watched his videos, and anticipated the ultimate interview test.

My interview with Dr. Qubein was fascinating. He was, and is still, a truly exceptional person with an aura that exudes charisma, personality, and suave. When I walked into his office, I felt like I was in the Oval Office with the President of the United States. I was unsure if he knew anything about my own speaking. Part of me hoped he did so that we could talk about speaking. However, another part of me hoped he did not because I didn’t want to appear like an amateur in front of him or, more importantly, have him question my commitment to being his Dean of Students. Since he was a university president and spoke professionally, commanding fees of $50,000+ per speech, then I felt I had nothing to hide. I was the Young Jedi and he was the experienced and respected Yoda.

Dr. Qubein did bring speaking up during my interview and asked how I planned to balance both if selected as the Dean. I had planned for that question, so my response was, “Well Dr. Qubein, both Student Affairs and speaking are passions of mine. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do both. However, Student Affairs is my career. Speaking is not. Being the Dean of Students for High Point University is and would be, my top priority. Period.”

My response must have been more than satisfying. I didn’t directly answer his question and he didn’t push me on whether I would give up speaking to be the Dean of Students. A few days later I received a phone call with the official invitation to be the Dean of Students for High Point University! I graciously accepted and began working out the logistics of moving from Florida back to my home state of North Carolina. I felt dots being connected and stars aligning like never before. I felt so blessed and humbled.

When I received the official hiring paperwork in the mail though, I noticed a condition that I did not expect. In writing, this condition was that I no longer speak. Being the Dean of Students had to not only be my top priority, but also my only priority. Although I was taken back by this requirement and spoke with my hiring manager about it to take the job, I ultimately signed the paperwork. I felt if I pushed the issue and tried to negotiate speaking in any way, they might retract their offer. So I gave up my speaking to become the Dean of Students at High Point University.

Giving up my speaking business to take the Dean position was not a mistake. However, giving up speaking which I had built over several years and loved eventually made me realize how much I missed it. Looking back, I had convinced myself that my mantra of “Student Affairs is my career, not speaking” sounded better to others than how it sounded to me. I was trying to convince myself more than anyone else.

Long story short, being the Dean of Students at High Point University was an ‘extraordinary’ opportunity. I knew being a young, green Dean I had a lot to learn. I did my best to make up for any lacking experience with uber compassion, authenticity, and doing my absolute best. I worked twelve-to-fifteen-hour days consistently, dealt with every issue you can possibly imagine in high stakes circumstances, visited hospitals weekly to check on students, and got called by furious parents for a variety of reasons. I did the best I possibly could that first year, but it was tough. The far majority of my work was managing serious conflicts, putting out metaphorical fires, and leading a team of seventeen staff members overseeing an entire Student Life division. I put up with anything that came my way hoping it would make me a stronger and better future Dean. Besides, doesn’t every job have its stressors and complicated issues? Of course it does.

During that first year as a Dean, I also received speaking inquiries. However, I had to turn them all down and refer them to other speakers. I was even asked to keynote at conferences I had only dreamed about before I retired my speaking. Not keynoting these events was literally painful and every time I was contacted about speaking, I felt as if it was a reminder that something greater than me was calling my name. I didn’t understand it at the time, but speaking was trying to get my attention.

Everything changed one morning. My mom called, crying, to share that my sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer. My sister was just 31 years old with two young kids. I was just as shocked as I was in disbelief. She seemed healthy. She was a teacher and took care of herself and her family. This wasn’t fair. Her life was too short.

On my way to work that morning, I made a decision that something needed to change for me too. Life is too short to deal with more stress than happiness. Life is too short not to be able to pursue your dreams and explore your passions. I committed that morning to resign my role as the Dean of Students to go back into speaking.

I began my exit strategy to resign my ‘day job’ in order to live my real ‘dream job.’ I gave myself three months before submitting my resignation. During those three months I constantly doubted myself and wondered if I was making the right decision. I did more soul searching, reflecting and praying than I had ever done in my life. Every time I considered staying at High Point University, I felt conflicted. However, every time I envisioned myself speaking full-time professionally and being my own boss, there was no conflict whatsoever. Speaking felt right.

Was it risky? Yes. In fact, even perhaps a bit crazy. I was leaving familiar waters to enter waters of uncertainty. However, I knew I was being called for something greater in my life and I could no longer ignore it.

On January 2, 2012, I burnt my metaphorical boat on the island of professional speaking by submitting my resignation as the Dean of Students. There was no retreat back into familiar waters now. I was going to sail to my own destination and risk losing sight of the shore.

I stayed at HPU through February to help with transition issues and finish up projects I had been working on. I also spent every extra waking moment quietly working on my speaking business. I did not tell anyone what I was doing. When they asked, I just replied, “I’m pursuing other opportunities.” I’m sure this response aggravated some and confused others, if not both. And during those three months of exit strategy preparation, I did land some speaking engagements, but most were quick pro bono freebies. I needed PAID speaking engagements and most of these were booked out months in advance.

Although I had some collegiate speaking experience to fall back on, speaking full-time was a different ball game. I had been speaking ‘for fun’ but now I was going to be speaking ‘for real.’ Meaning, the stakes were much higher and I had to treat speaking like a business. No longer could I treat my speaking like a hobby. Yes, I had significant success after four years as a part-time college speaker, but those achievement fruits required several years to grow from seeds. I didn’t have several years to wait this time.

That first year of speaking I floundered. I nearly quit several times. I felt pressure to be successful, I had bills to pay and I no longer had a safety net salary. I remember traveling to speak at one of my pro bono freebie speaking engagements with a group of human resource professionals. My credit card was maxed out and all I had was $22 in my bank account which was not enough money to pay for gas and return home. I thought to myself, “All I need to do is sell two books and I’ll have gas money to get home.” I kept saying this to myself even during the presentation!

After the presentation, people applauded and thanked me, but only one person bought a book. This meant I didn’t have enough money to even drive home. As I sat inside my car in the parking lot, I just cried. Not only was I unable to pay next month’s rent or afford groceries, but I couldn’t even afford gasoline to drive home! I felt like a total failure.

Once I stopped crying a few moments later, I reached across the seat and opened a small gift bag that the group had given me as a ‘thank you’ for speaking. I could tell there was a t-shirt and mug inside the bag, so I hadn’t bothered to look inside it yet. I pulled out the t-shirt and mug. “Whoopie,” I thought. “This doesn’t get me home.”

Then I noticed there was something else inside the bag. It was a small card. As I opened the card, I started crying again. Inside the card was a $50 gasoline gift card! I just sat there in amazement trying to control myself. After a few minutes, I started smiling. Then I said out loud, “OK, big guy,” looking up to the sky. “You’ve got my attention again. But is this a sign or is this a test…or both? Unless you want me to be one of the most educated bartenders out there, I need some help.”

That drive home I reflected on all the hard work and sacrifice I had made in my career. In a prayer, I made a deal that as long as I was provided for, I would not give up speaking. I was never motivated by money to start speaking, so I was not going to let money persuade me not to speak either. I still felt destined to speak and I felt something was missing in my life when not speaking. I had entrepreneurship blood in me, I wanted to control my own schedule and I wanted to be my own boss. I knew speaking had the opportunity of being extremely lucrative as well and far beyond any glass-ceiling salary.

Looking back on that first year of full-time speaking, what really kept me from quitting was commitment to my faith and keeping the end in mind. The vision that I knew I would be successful in speaking, despite not having the success yet, was no different than my vision for being on The Price is Right. Just like I made a decision and committed to my vision of being on The Price is Right, I made a decision and commitment to become a successful, professional speaker. I was now in the midst of my own motivational speech and I had to walk my own talk! And although I needed to accelerate my speaking quicker than I had before, I still knew it would not happen overnight. But I also knew I needed something more than hope. I needed strategy.

I reached back out to Mike and begged him for some help and coaching. Unfortunately, his situation as a Vice President still did not provide him any availability. However, he did recommend and encourage me to attend a seminar for professional speakers which was ironically coming up in a few weeks just a couple hours away from where I lived. Mike shared with me that this same seminar was what started him off in speaking. Mike said, “The greatest athletes have coaches, Kevin. So if you want to be great at speaking, attend this seminar and ask about coaching with Kirk. I credit Kirk with any success I ever had. He’ll be a great fit for you.”

Mike was exactly correct. I attended that seminar, met Kirk and was immediately captivated by him. Kirk did things a bit differently and had this amazing ability to help speakers not only find speaking engagements that could pay, but a proven system for how to outreach to meeting planners and stay in touch. What Kirk provided was what I needed to get to that next level in professional speaking.

The problem I had was that I didn’t have any money! So long, long story short, I knew I had to ask Kirk to consider customizing a training program for me.

“The answer is always ‘no’ if you don’t ask, right?” I said to Kirk.

Kirk smiled and responded, “You were paying attention during the seminar.”

Kirk ended up customizing a special speaker coaching program for me but it was still outside my budget. I knew he did the best he could, and I knew that I needed his program. But most importantly, I knew that just one speaking engagement would pay for the entire training program and a lifetime of knowledge for a career in speaking.

I went home and considered asking my mom and dad for help. But at 34 years old, my pride was in the way. So instead, I contacted my financial advisor. “All that money I’ve given you and your company,” I said to him. “I need $7,500 out immediately and I don’t care about the taxes or penalties.”

As you can imagine, my advisor did everything in his power to persuade me from taking that money out, but I had no choice not to. And the way I looked at it was that it was my money anyways and it was making his company more money than it was making me. So with a long-term vision requiring small-term sacrifice, I withdrew that $7,500 and re-invested $5,000 in Kirk’s speaker coaching program. I would come to find out later that my investment in Kirk’s program was a business expense; meaning it was a tax deduction and so were the taxes I paid on withdrawing the money! So all in all, for me at least, it was a wise decision to ‘reallocate’ a small portion of my standard retirement and treat it like a true investment in my own speaking business.

Important Note and Disclaimer: consult your CPA and/or tax advisor before doing what I did and withdraw funds from any retirement account. I am not recommending you do what I did necessarily. I’m simply sharing what I did to find a way to make Kirk’s speaker coaching program possible for me. You do need to know that most business expenses such as training and coaching are also tax deductions. Also, one consideration I have always focused on before any major expense in my speaking business is whether just one speaking engagement should pay for that investment. If the answer is ‘yes’ or ‘it should,’ then it’s a no-brainer for me to invest in it. Serious speakers make investments in their speaking because they treat it like a business.

One of the quotes Zig Ziglar shared with me was, “Kevin, when you have passion for something, you will find a way to make it happen.” I include this story about how I invested in Kirk’s speaker coaching program as a testimony to you, the reader, for how difficult my circumstances were when I started speaking full-time and how I pushed through those circumstances to live my dream of speaking. As I say to my own audiences now, “Circumstances don’t define you, they reveal you. So extraordinary measures are often required to create the circumstances you want.”

Mike was exactly correct about the power, clarity and return on investment that Kirk’s speaker coaching program would provide to me. It was a ton of work, but within a few coaching calls with Kirk and following his process and guidance, I had narrowed down my corporate keynote speech, had identified my target associations with professional audiences, and had developed outreach strategies to connect with meeting planners. By the end of my 3-month coaching program, I had eleven paid speaking engagements lined up. By the end of that first year I was asked to keynote at several state associations and by the middle of the following year I was asked to be a keynote speaker at the national association conference in between Daniel Pink and Hillary Clinton. The year after that I was appreciating six-figure speaking results. I don’t write that to impress you; rather, I write that to impress upon you that having a proven speaking strategy and following that blueprint is what professional speakers do who operate a successful speaking business. It’s not easy and most speakers who are just interested in speaking will, respectfully, never make it as a professional speaker. But if you’re committed to results, if your passionate about your message, and you’re coachable to following a proven roadmap, then success is replicable. My results should be no different than yours…if you do what I’ve done and if you did what Kirk did. I do believe that success leaves clues.

Kirk is no longer with us, so I’ve outlined in this book some of the most valuable portions from his speaker coaching program. Much of his program is trademarked but with his permission I was able to tweak it and make it my own for you. My own speaker coaching programs are also similar to what Kirk provided me – view them at www.PAIDtoSPEAK.biz. I customize my speaker coaching like Kirk did for me. If you’d like my review of your materials while working through this book, or if you need some help, simply reach out. I don’t work with every speaker, so I encourage you to apply so we can determine if you’re a fit. My website provides more details.

Since my first keynote speech at Mike’s campus on June 2, 2001 in Tampa, Florida, I have presented keynotes and leadership programs for over 1,000,000 people through 1,150+ audiences spanning all 50 states and several countries. I have spoken at over 400 colleges and universities as well as hundreds of associations and companies like JetBlue, Anheuser-Busch, TIAA, SHRM, Wells Fargo, Toshiba, the United States Air Force and many, many more. Visit my website and view my client summary – www.KevinCSnyder.com. If you see a client I have previously spoken and you are interested in speaking with them as well, we can talk about this during your coaching call after finishing this book.

Because I started speaking to college audiences and evolved into corporate, professional speaking, I am one of the few speakers who understands the collegiate, youth speaking industry as well as professional industry. I am also one of the very few speaker coaches who is actually a speaker. Most coaches out there don’t speak professionally so there’s quite a bit of knowledge they do not have. If college audiences or youth audiences are one of your target audiences, then the blueprint you will read in this book is just as effective for youth audiences as it is professionals. (Note: At the time of this publication, roughly 70 percent of my current PAID professional speaking is with professional audiences and the remaining 30 percent is with collegiate and high school groups and organizations.)

Sharing my journey and story with you about how I started as a speaker is important because you likely connect with different aspects of it. My journey wasn’t pretty and although I had a passionate vision and desire, there were still many times I wanted to quit and nearly did. I figured out most of the speaking business the hard and long way, which is why I wrote this book to help hungry, aspiring speakers like you. You’ll benefit from knowing what Zig Ziglar shared with me, what Mike taught me, and what Kirk showed me. You can do it alone and figure it out the hard way, but you don’t have to. I’m here to help.

Points to remember…

“What’s your story? How do you want to help people?”

“Treat your speaking like a hobby and you’ll earn a hobby income. Treat your speaking like a business and you’ll earn a business income.”

“You don’t need to quit your day job to be a professional speaker… but imagine if you could?”

“What’s your Price is Right? In order to live a dream, you have to have one first.”

“In order to truly live your dream job, at some point you’ll need to let go of the day job.”

“Are you calling speaking or is speaking calling you?”

“Any investment in a speaking business is also a business expense. And if it could pay for itself, do it!”

“Circumstances don’t define you. They reveal you. Extraordinary measures are often required to create the circumstances you want!”

Author’s Preface,
Part II

Why I wrote this book…

When I first moved to Raleigh, North Carolina after leaving my Dean of Students position at High Point University, I was doing anything and everything to meet people and network in hopes of building my speaking business. As people found out or heard about my speaking background, I was naturally connected to other people who wanted to get into speaking.

I’ve always enjoyed talking with people about speaking and helping people with a great message do what I was able to do in building a speaking business. So when people would ask me out for coffee to ‘pick my brain’ or invite me to lunch ‘to just ask a few questions,’ I was happy to do so.

However, after coffee chats, lunches and cocktails with so many people I can’t count, I recognized several patterns that finally forced me to look differently at how I could answer those questions and more effectively help people build a speaking business and find PAID speaking engagements. I realized that I knew more about the speaking business than I thought. The strategies I applied and the model I created were not so obvious to others. I became aware of three patterns:

Pattern #1: I started getting asked the same questions over and over…and over.

How do you get paid to speak?

Who books speakers?

Is there a specific topic that is best to speak about?

How do you get hired to speak on college campuses?

Should I speak for free?

How do you set your fee?

Should I hire an agent or speakers bureau?

When you start being asked the same question, or questions, repeatedly, the universe is telling you something. More importantly, it means you have knowledge that can help others. However, when pattern #2 emerged, I started becoming frustrated.

Pattern #2: All talk. No action.

Our coffee chat and lunch conversations about their interest in becoming a speaker did not lead anywhere. I was providing actionable tips and recommendations, but they weren’t taking any action.

I would meet with people again perhaps 1-2 months later or I would bump into them at an event and ask, “So how’s speaking going?” Though I was assuming they had applied a few of the recommendations we discussed, I consistently heard, “Oh well…you know, things have been really busy…< insert excuses here >…”

Here I was sharing important and helpful advice, as well as my valuable time, in hopes it would help them move forward toward their speaking aspirations. I soon realized both their time and mine had been wasted.

This might sound like I had unrealistic expectations, but most of those people I met with were business owners, consultants and entrepreneurs. Some even had ‘Speaker, Author, Coach’ on their business card and I assumed they were serious about the speaking business. I just expected a bit more action from those I was volunteering my time to help and was finding myself being frustrated more often than I wanted to be.

So I stepped back from agreeing to coffee chats and lunches and went in a different direction. I coordinated a workshop on speaking and attached a small price tag of $49 for room rental and supplies. I then cast out a net of invitations. I did not even have a name for the workshop, so I called it “How To Become A Speaker Workshop.”

To my pleasant surprise, 33 people attended this workshop. Moreover, what was scheduled to only be a 2-hour workshop ended up being 3.5 hours and people following me to my car asking about one-on-one coaching services.

Pattern #3: Feedback from the speaker workshop evaluations, although extremely positive, helped me recognize that attendees were hungry for more.

Despite my efforts to outline a roadmap that could be customized for specific topics and industries, most attendees still seemed to lack a clear strategy for where they should to start in speaking. It was then that I thought about developing a step-by-step approach to help people become speakers.

After weeks of writing, tweaking, reviewing, beta testing, editing, and re-writing, that written system is what you have in your hand. If it were not for patterns 1, 2 and 3, this book would not be in your hands.

Because every speech, every speaker and every industry is unique, each person needs a customized approach. One size does NOT fit all. Every audience is different. Furthermore, speakers have different stories, help audiences in different ways, and frankly, speak in different ways. There are many ways to get PAID to speak as well.

Despite my process taking me years to fully understand, I am confident that you can have, and accelerate, your speaking success by following my proven roadmap. My approach works and I am reminded of that each time I receive a speaking gig.

Important Recommendations Before Module 1:

I encourage you to write in this book and underline and highlight everything that connects with you. By working through this book, you’ll be creating what event organizers need in order to book you for speaking!

To help you work through the most important exercises in each following module, I have created FREE worksheets for you on my PAID to $PEAK website. To download those worksheets, simply visit:

www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets (password: paidtospeak)

Each module builds into the next. Don’t get stuck. If earning $3,500+ per speech is motivation for you, I’m here to help you get there more quickly. Contact me.

NEW! I provide samples and templates of everything I use in my own speaking business inside “The Vault.” If you’d like access to these resources, simply visit www.paidtospeak.biz/Vault. This way you don’t have to create documents on your own.

To Your Speaking Success,

~ Kevin

MODULE 1:

WHERE TO START?

“It all begins first with a dream.” ~ Walt Disney

What makes the speaking profession fascinating to me is that every speaker is unique. Not only do speakers have different experiences, stories and expertise, but speakers also desire to speak for a variety of reasons. Just as no audience is the same, no speaker is the same. With that in mind, never compare yourself to another speaker and then think that you’re not good enough. You are unique and you have experiences and expertise that no one else does. I applaud you for opening this book and I am looking forward to hearing how you are using this roadmap to grow your own speaking business.

The greatest inventions of all time have a common denominator – a vision with the end in mind. That vision was achieved because someone eventually broke it down into actionable goals with strategic legs and timelines. A career in speaking is no different. The journey must start with vision first. You have to have a vision - a dream - for what you to want to accomplish through speaking. It’s impossible to achieve a dream if you don’t know what that dream clearly looks like.

For me personally, my vision for speaking was born by watching Zig Ziglar, a phenomenal speaker (see Author’s Preface), when I said to myself, “I WANT to do that!” Zig helped me establish a vision for doing exactly what he was doing. That vision anchored my planning for years as I worked extremely hard to build my speaking business. Even when I finally met my speaking goals, I envisioned higher goals so that I would continue growing. I continued to envision the next higher level I wanted to achieve. Even now I continue to create new visions for my speaking career. These visions are what guide and motivate me to stretch my speaking goals further and perpetually advance. They are expectations for what is to come. If I don’t vision something, I don’t make it a goal.

Having a vision for speaking is imperative for your speaking success. You have to begin with the end in mind. The clearer your vision for speaking the more likely you will achieve that outcome. Below is a series of broad questions to help you attain clarity on what your vision to become a speaker looks like. As you reflect and answer these questions, picture yourself being five years old and feeling as if anything is possible. Do not put limits on yourself.

Describe your overall vision for speaking. What do you want to accomplish through speaking?

Envision you just completed a speech. One of the attendees approaches you afterward and gives you amazing feedback about your presentation. Write down what you hope they will be saying:

Do you envision yourself speaking full-time where speaking is your primary income?

Do you envision being hired to speak or is your speaking designed to market a product or service that you offer such as training, consulting or coaching?

How do you want to inspire others through speaking?

Do you want to speak in front of large audiences (500-1,000+) or do you prefer speaking in smaller group audiences (< 100)? Or both?

Describe your average audience participant. Who are they?

What frequency of speaking would you like? Twice a week, once a week, once a month, etc.?

Are you bound by geography or would you be open to traveling across the country/globe and anywhere you are asked to speak?

Unless you plan to re-read this book, it is recommended that you do not continue until you have answered the previous questions. As simple as they read, your clarity for speaking goals is the foundation for everything else in this book. You can’t hit a target you do not see. And if you’re not sure what your goals are, there’s no better time than right now to figure that out. To help you get serious about your future speaking, please go back and complete any unanswered questions.

The questions I’ve just asked you are designed to help get your creative juices flowing. Exploring the possibilities as well as identifying any limitations for your speaking career is fundamental to your success. Let me provide you with a real-life example of why defining the boundaries of your vision is so paramount:

A 3-day Tour: A few years ago I invited one of my speaker coaching clients to join me on an upcoming speaking tour. I had been booked for three consecutive days of speaking with different groups and I thought it would be invaluable for this person to experience all the behind-the-scene details with three completely different types of audiences. The plan was to fly in on Sunday evening, speak to one group on Monday, speak to another on Tuesday, another on Wednesday and fly back home Wednesday evening.

The first day of speaking was exciting. We had flown in the night before and had a one-hour drive from the airport. We each woke that morning at 6am to be onsite at the client conference and ready by 10am. The keynote was scheduled for noon and it went phenomenally well with a very receptive audience. Following the keynote we had two hours of book sales and mingling in the conference hotel lobby. Finally at about 3:00pm we packed up and began the two-hour drive to the next day’s presentation city. We checked into the hotel near 5:30pm and then visited the conference center ballroom where the following day’s morning keynote was going to take place.

Speaker Tip: Always view your location/venue setting as far in advance as possible. It will help you with visioning your speech delivery.

At about 7:30pm we relaxed and strategized over dinner. I then returned to my room to review my notes for the next day’s keynote and breakout sessions and went to bed about 11:00pm.

I was downstairs in the ballroom the following morning by 6:45am and ready to greet the meeting planner and AV tech staff who arrived at 7:00am. By 7:30am we finished our sound check. I then mingled around the ballroom with my coaching client until the conference kicked off at 10:00am. My keynote was an opening keynote presentation. The keynote went extremely well and the audience seemed quite engaged. We spent the following two hours on book sales and book signings. Then there was a conference lunch followed by two breakout workshops I had agreed to facilitate at 2:00pm and 3:00pm. The conference concluded by 4:30pm and we were packed up and leaving by 6:00pm.

We hit the road and drove three hours to the next city, arriving that evening about 9:00pm. After checking into the hotel and visiting the ballroom where the conference was to be held, we ate a late dinner and were back in our separate hotel rooms by 11:00pm. I stayed up until 1:00am reviewing the morning’s keynote and additional breakout presentation. Just like the day before, I woke up that Wednesday morning at 5:30am to be downstairs and ready by 6:45am for the 11:00am keynote presentation.

Wednesday’s keynote also went extremely well and I facilitated my breakout session from 2:00-3:00pm. Following the breakout session, we mingled for a bit and then packed up near 4:00pm. We drove two hours to catch our evening flight from Texas back to North Carolina. While waiting for our flight, I was surprised to hear my coaching client talk about how exhausted he was.

He says, “Kevin, I did not expect this to be so much work! These were 15-hour days!” I kept silent, apprehensive of what might come from my mouth. I finally responded to him, smiling, “It’s not work when you love what you do. Speaking will be the toughest job you ever love.”

I then reminded him that I didn’t have any speaking engagements booked until the following week, so technically I had just worked a 3-day week. And not that money motivated him or I, but I also reminded him that those 3 different speaking engagements PAID me $22,500.

During our coaching call the following week, we talked about how he was feeling. I wasn’t surprised to hear that he was having second thoughts about speaking. Experiencing all the pre-logistics and onsite details seemed to have overwhelmed and intimidated him. He also shared with me that he did not want to travel that intense or be that far away from his family for more than one day a week. Even though he felt stuck in his day job and had a bad boss, it was less risky.

I share this story with you for a variety of reasons. Know that speaking requires incredible investment and work upfront. Building your PAID speaking business will likely be one of the toughest things you have ever done. But it’s no different than starting any type of business, whether you want to be a baker or an attorney or launch a startup business. It’s also really no different than starting any new job. Every career and occupation has an intimidating startup phase requiring a learning curve.

Like being a successful business owner, there are aspects of a speaking business you might not want to do. But that can’t mean you can ignore what’s required. Speakers are entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship can feel exhausting at times. But would you rather work for a boss or would you rather be your own boss? Would you rather have a day job or live a dream job? Speaking is one of the few professions that every time you do it, you could be changing people’s lives.

This is why beginning with the end in mind is so crucial. You have to work through the beginning stages of its learning curve. You have to work through the intimidation factor and the imposter syndrome that you might encounter. All the ‘work’ becomes less work the more you do it because you put systems in place. So let’s reframe your speaking aspirations as a new adventure that will help you break through any limitation and glass ceiling you might face working for someone else instead. Yes, some weeks will just seem crazy. You might be preparing for one speaking gig right after the other. Some days you might be speaking two or three times. Then you might have a week or two completely off in between speaking engagements. That might seem exciting and appealing now, but when you’re in the moment, tired from traveling and having to be on and off, it can seem daunting.

But then you receive emails from people in your audience stating that you changed their life, like Kelly shared with me when I was first getting started in speaking. Then you receive inquiries for speaking because people talked about how amazing you were. Then you receive a check in the mail for $5,000 or $10,500 or even higher…these are the things I hope you will focus on because they make everything worth it.

And, by the way, the coaching client I mentioned earlier didn’t quit even though he wanted to. I was able to help him circle back to his ‘why’ for speaking and why it was important to him. He is a successful speaker now averaging fees close to mine. I’m so proud of him. He quit his day job so he could live a dream job. This is one reason why coaching and support is so crucial for anyone who is serious about living life to the fullest and taking advantage of opportunities. “You might be able to do it alone, but you don’t have to.”

Be clear about what your vision for speaking looks like. Do you have geographic or schedule limitations? Are you able to travel? Do you want to travel? If you have a full-time job, will you have flexibility 1-2 times per month for speaking? Do you desire to speak just once per week or would you prefer to only travel once or twice per month? These are all extremely important factors.

So What Is Professional Speaking?

Although the focus of this book will be on keynote speaking, you can be PAID to $PEAK in a variety of formats. For example, I have been hired as a keynote speaker for hundreds of conferences and special events. I also have been paid to be an emcee, small group workshop presenter, full day retreat leader, board meeting facilitator and even have presented public speaking seminars for organizational leaders and their internal employees. When people see you speak and they are captivated by your energy and content, they will be thinking of creative ways to use you. You want them thinking, “Wow, this speaker would be great for our ______< insert >______.” Point is that you could be hired to speak in a variety of formats, venues and environments. Be prepared for random requests once people start seeing you speak!

Keynote speaking is unique because people are listening to you, and only you, for a specified period of time. Most likely you will be on a stage, or at least in front of a room, and you will be speaking for roughly an hour. You might be asked to speak for less or more time depending on venue, environment and objective. Audience sizes range as well – from a handful of 15-20 people to thousands. When I speak at conferences, my most common audience size ranges from 400-600 people. My largest audience has topped 5,000 and my smallest was three attendees. I was PAID the same amount for both keynote speeches and it was the same speech! As I will explain in later modules, I have a daily fee regardless of attendee size, speech length and location. Professional speakers do not get PAID by the hour.

As you will read in Modules 3 and 4, speaking fees are determined by scope of customization and additional services provided. A large percentage of my speaking business comes from offering additional value beyond just a keynote speech or single training. Meeting planners and event organizers usually inquire with me about presenting just a keynote, but when they find out I can offer them much more they become even more interested. Not only do they select me over another speaker, but I end up getting PAID even more.

Three Most Important Questions

Regardless of the type of speech you are asked to give, there are core fundamentals that any keynote, training workshop or retreat must incorporate. The fundamentals of any presentation must be:

• extremely engaging and connecting with the audience

• share a powerful, relevant message

• integrate personal/relative stories and examples

• leave attendees with an empowering Call to Action

Module 2 in this book will help you integrate these fundamentals in your speech. For now though, just know how important they are. This segment will provide three questions to ensure your speaking foundation is built correctly on these fundamentals just listed. Through experiences of my own and many others, I have found that being able to answer these questions will keep you focused on not only developing a tailored program that gets referrals but also identifying the best industries and organizations for you to seek speaking engagements. If I had focused on these three questions years ago, I would have been much more successful in significantly less time. When I realized the importance of the answers to the three questions below, my speaking business exploded.

Question 1: What problem do you want to help others solve?

Explanation: As a speaker, you are not being hired to speak. Rather, you are hired to help an audience solve a specific, or series, of problems. It's about your message and how the content empowers the attendees with problem-solving strategies they can apply in their own situation. You will be developing your presentation around your overall message of how you will help them solve a problem.

Most speakers do not realize they are expected to be professional problem solvers. Instead, they focus on what they want to speak about. Speaking on a specific topic but not addressing the problem of that topic are two different things. Most meeting planners and executives who hire speakers are seeking experts who will help them solve problems, not just talk about a particular topic.

For example, one of my speaking topics is employee engagement. Although I address various aspects of employee engagement and motivation throughout my program, the signature problem I am helping professionals at all levels address is why 73 percent of employees are disengaged in the workforce leading to low morale and increased turnover. Through my program, attendees will learn techniques and strategies to empower themselves and those around them leading to increased motivation, performance, and bottom line results. See the difference?

The speaker coaching clients I work with often struggle with becoming crystal clear on the problem they want to help audiences solve. They are more focused on what they talk about rather than the problem they will be helping people solve. It’s not easy to understand this differentiation but it’s crucial because successful speakers not only understand it, they promote it. And the clearer you are on your problem-solving abilities, the more likely you will be perceived by others as a credible expert in your field.

In the space provided below, describe what specific problem you want to help your ideal audience solve. Complete the following sentence:

The signature problem I will be helping my audiences solve is …

Question 2: What makes you different as compared to another speaker on a similar topic?

Explanation: There are lots of speakers, but only one you. How you are different is how you will be remembered. Your uniqueness is part of what differentiates you. Be different. Be so good they cannot forget you. As I previously mentioned, share a unique story that only you have or share something proprietary that you coined or created that no one else has. Sharing information that someone can find online isn’t unique or proprietary. Or perhaps, like a good TED talk, you have a unique, uncommon angle on something common that will ensure you stand out.

Not only does a speaker’s content need to be unique, but their delivery needs to be unique as well. If you watch any of my keynotes or demo videos (visit my website demo page – www.KevinCSnyder.com), you’ll realize that I differentiate myself through audience engagement, energetic delivery, and humor. I wasn’t very engaging or funny starting off, but I’ve developed that craft through repetition. The reason my audiences laugh is because I have practiced what makes them laugh hundreds of times.

Meeting planners and executives book me now because they’ve either seen me speak or heard about me delivering a great problem-solving message in a high-energy manner. So point is, for you, to reflect and think about the various ways you can be unique. Or what are the ways you already are unique that people share with you?

In the space provided below, write what you feel makes you different from other speakers on a similar topic? What differentiates you?

For example, I've been called ‘The Price Is Right guy’ to my face countless times - behind my back likely thousands - but that's a good thing because people remember me for that story. As you read in the Preface, that story literally launched my speaking career. I've been stopped on campuses, at conferences and even in airports by people asking, “You’re that speaker who was on The Price Is Right?”

My story of being on TPIR isn't about how to win on a game show; rather, it's about how to live a dream. Thousands of other people have been on TPIR, but no one on this planet has my signature story. It's what makes me different, just like you and your story. Our story anchors our message. Our story helps liven our speeches and keeps the presentation engaging.

And your story doesn’t have to be about sailing solo around the world or climbing Mt. Everest. Of course those achievements help but very few speakers have them. In other words, most successful speakers do not have achievement-laced stories that precede them. I didn’t understand this until a few years ago. I wish I understood it much sooner in my speaking career because I would not have doubted myself so much.

My experience on The Price is Right was a hidden gem story. I didn’t even know how incredible that story was until others told me it was one of the best stories they’d ever heard. Meaning, it took others to help me realize that I was sitting on a story that would ultimately launch my professional speaking career.

I’m confident you have a great story that aligns with your overall message and problem for helping your audiences. The challenge for you is to discover it or perhaps decipher which story to use. Most speakers starting out have too many stories that compete for attention and confuse the audience. Or they think they have a great story but they just haven’t packaged it the right way that captures all the elements needed in a professional speech. One story, a signature story, is the best one to use because it sticks.

What are some of your life and/or career stories that have impacted you?

What is your signature Price is Right story? Meaning, what one single story stands out in your life that has most meaning?

How can you use that story to help people in your audience solve the problem you identified earlier?

Question 3: What is your Call to Action?

Explanation: This is by far where most speakers, even professionals, fall painfully short. What do you want your audiences to do differently as a result of hearing your message? Your Call to Action is what clearly inspires attendees to take action toward something. Most speakers I have seen do not have a clear Call to Action, or any at all.

In order for your attendees to know what your Call to Action is, you must tell them specifically. Do not let them wonder. Be transparently clear. If your presentation does not inspire them to make a change in their personal life and/or business, then you have wasted your time. More importantly, you've wasted theirs and, as a not-so-surprising result, the likelihood of you getting referrals and spin-off speaking inquiries will be minimal.

In the space provided below, list some of the action steps you would like your attendees to do differently as a result of hearing you speak.

From the prior list, write your single most important Call to Action below:

“So What Do You Speak On?”

Envision this scenario of you and I sitting next to each other on a plane. I am a professional meeting planner for a major association and you are a speaker. We have just met. We make small talk for a few moments and then exchange names one hour into the flight. The likely question I am going to ask you at some point is, “So, what do you do?”

This is one of the ultimate questions you need to be prepared for as a speaker.

You reply that you are a speaker. After hearing your response, I’ll likely inquire further. Consider the dialogue below:

I’ll respond, “Oh really? You’re a speaker. So what do you speak on?”

You look away to the left and then back at me, responding “Well, uhmm … I speak about < business leadership. >” (or insert your topic here _________________________)

I’ll likely probe a bit further because I have a need for a speaker at our upcoming convention, so I’ll ask, “What about business leadership?”

“Well, uhmm …” you reply again.

Our exchange begins to fade away this quickly, and also my interest in you as a speaker. When I hear the words “Well uhmm,” it makes a statement far greater than the statement itself. Do not let this happen to you. Be prepared. You very likely just lost an opportunity for a speaking engagement because you do not seem to be clear on your own speaking topic. If I were a professional meeting planner or conference organizer, your lack of an answer tells me that you are likely not the professional speaker I need for my big event coming up.

However, if you were prepared to answer that question, you’d immediately capture my interest and likely close the deal. Point is, know what it is you speak on and anticipate that question! Also, be able to answer that question in one sentence or less.

I cannot count the number of times I have been asked, “What do you speak on?” This question always arises whether I am on an airplane, at a conference where attendees have not seen me speak yet, waiting in line at random locations, at a networking event, etc. This is by far the most common question I receive.

Let’s assume now that the roles are reversed, and I am sitting next to you on that plane. You ask me, “So what do you speak on?”

I would answer that question in a way that would compel you to further inquire with yet another question. The more you talk and inquire the better.

My reply, “My programs help people and organizations think differently to achieve new results.”

What would your response be to my answer?

Likely your response would be something that inquires further:

“Interesting. Tell me more.”

“Who are some groups you speak to?”

“What are some of the topics you speak on?”

“How did you get into speaking?”

Important: Depending on who I think you are will likely determine my answer. It also depends where we are. For example, if we are at a professional conference for a certain industry, at a local networking event with business entrepreneurs, or at a collegiate leadership conference, I will at least vaguely know what type of career you are in. Therefore, my responses might be, “I speak on topics of leadership and innovation that help organizations empower and engage their employees.” Or I might say, “I speak to college students about how to identify their passions in life and be exceptional leaders.”

My Call to Action for you is this:

“Prepare in advance for the question, ‘So what do you speak on?’, and always leave them with a desire to ask you more.”

In the space provided below, write down three ways you could answer the following question, “So what do you speak on?”

Module 1 Review

In this module, you have:

• gained clarity in your vision for speaking

• forecasted possible speaking limitations

• reflected on what problem you will help audiences solve

• begun to discover what differentiates you as a speaker

• understood the power of your message and your signature story

• identified what your Call to Action will be

• developed a powerful answer when you are asked, “So what do you speak on?”

If you have completed all the reflective questions in this module to your own satisfaction, then congratulations! You are ready for Module 2! However, if any portions are missing, I highly recommend you go back and complete them now. You will not be following my PAID to $PEAK™ blueprint by speeding through this book. Remember, what you are reading is designed to be a step-by-step coaching manual to help you grow your speaking business. Be your own accountability coach and complete the activities if you have not done so already! The checklist on the next page will help ensure you are ready.

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it again?”

If you have checked ‘YES’ on all the items above, proceed to Module 2!

** As a reminder, I have provided a free worksheet for each Module to help you work through the most important exercises. Visit www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets to download (password: paidtospeak). If you find yourself stuck or need some help working through any module, reach out to me for help or questions. I offer discounted coaching for readers of this book! Also, check out “The Vault” on www.paidtospeak.biz/vault.

NOTES

MODULE 2:

DEVELOPING YOUR PROGRAM

I hear a lot of excuses why speakers struggle or don’t think they can make it. They make assumptions about what the speaking business is like and reasons why they aren’t getting booked:

“I have to have a bureau represent me.”

“I need to have a book.”

“They aren’t returning my phone call.”

“They don’t have any money.”

“I need a better website/marketing video/flier.”

While some of these statements may have relevance later down the road on booking higher paid speaking engagements, do not focus on them right now. They are common speaker myths that should not be allowed to get in your way as you get started.

To get started, and grow further, you need belief in what problem you solve and an incredible presentation to share that message. You will never get booked as a speaker until you first have a great, engaging presentation that helps the audience solve problems. Your presentation gets booked, not you. That is, unless you are a famous speaker the likes of Anthony Robbins, Les Brown, John Maxwell, Wayne Dyer or Tom Hopkins and your name precedes you.

I would encourage you to have two or three programs eventually, but let’s start with getting your first program solidified and nailed solid. Chase one squirrel at a time. Chase more than one squirrel at a time and you won’t catch any. Focus on just one. I have found that most beginning speakers chase squirrels and shiny objects all over the place. Then they blame circumstances and wonder why they were not successful. It comes down to F.O.C.U.S. – Follow One Course(Squirrel) Until Successful!

Later in this module we will go in more depth on how to design your presentation, both as an outline and in aesthetic appearance. I will also provide you with tips that will help you differentiate yourself from other speakers in your field.

Let’s be clear here - your program is what you speak on and it articulates your purpose for speaking. Your purpose should be the problem you are helping audience participants solve (Module 1). Your actual program includes several important components such as a presentation title, a description and at least two learning outcomes. All of this information should fit onto one page and also include a short speaker biography, professional headshot, contact information, a few clients (if available), some client testimonials (if available) and a link to your website (if available). Most commonly this is referred to as a Speaker One Page. Consider it the same as your information sheet that gives a conference organizer or meeting planner initially what they need to consider you for speaking. And don’t worry for right now, because whatever you do not have you will eventually get by speaking pro bono a few times. I’ll explain this in much more detail shortly.

Speaker Tip: Inside “The Vault” you will find several examples of Speaker One Pages so that you have an idea what they should look like.

Whether someone is inquiring with me about a speaking opportunity or I am submitting a ‘Call for Programs’ or ‘Request For Proposal’ (RFP) to speak at a conference, these elements in my Speaker One Page are always required.

(Note: ‘Call for Programs’ or an ‘RFP’ are defined as what conference organizers announce when they are seeking speaker submissions. Commonly, these are for educational sessions, not keynotes. These phrases might also be called ‘Call for Speakers’ or ‘Call for Presenters.’)

I have never been asked to speak where at least a presentation title, description and bio were not needed upfront. Having these elements available immediately and upfront sets you apart, makes you appear professional and saves you considerable amounts of time because you already have it prepared. I can submit a conference ‘Call for Programs’ within 15 minutes because I already have my presentation content available.

Your program description should always be tailored for the industry and audience you are speaking. If you are speaking at a conference and they have a theme, tweak your program title and description to fit. In fact, I have had numerous occasions where a conference theme was set around my keynote title! The attendees likely did not know this, but the meeting planner or conference organizer loved me for it.

When you tweak your presentation title and/or description, you do not have to change considerably much content – hence the word tweak. If more than a tweak was needed, I would call it a new keynote. All you need to do is adjust it ever so slightly so that the person(s) reviewing your proposal feels as though your presentation is relevant for their audience. Your goal is to make them feel that way and say to themselves, “Wow, this presentation is exactly what I’m/we’re looking for!”

Example #1: I recently was encouraged to apply for a ‘Call for Speakers’ announcement at a prestigious national conference. After doing quick research on both their association and the event itself, I tailored my common leadership presentations around both the conference theme and the industry itself. I simply took ten minutes to review their website and I wrote down common buzzwords and reflected on what I felt would most appeal to the people reviewing my presentation. With this information in mind, I made a few simple tweaks to tailor my presentation descriptions and submitted them online. I knew my proposal would be compared to dozens of other submissions. Long story short, I heard back two weeks later that two of my programs were selected!

Speaker Tip: When submitting ‘Call for Speakers,’ I recommend you submit several different presentations. Do not submit just one. I recommend you submit at least three. However, if you do not have several programs yet, that’s fine. Start with one. But just keep in mind that down the road you will need to create additional programs.

Example #2: I shared this same ‘Call for Speakers’ announcement with my “Speaker Mastermind Group” (www.paidtospeak.biz/mastermind) and several of them applied for this same conference. A few weeks later I received an email from one of my mastermind members who speaks specifically to that type of industry. Surprisingly they were denied. This person was frustrated and was inquiring with me why. I asked if they tailored their presentation for the conference or if it was one of their common programs also listed on their website. What do you think their answer was? You likely guessed right – their submission had not been tailored whatsoever. They took the easy approach and submitted the same presentation off their website without tailoring it for the unique conference theme. The presentation reviewers likely recognized this lack of attention and effort as well.

Whether you are submitting a ‘Call for Programs’ or they are contacting you with an inquiry, tailoring your program goes a long way. It shows you care and you are willing to stay fresh and current in your topic. It’s the little things sometimes that make a big difference. And remember, it doesn’t take long! You might even surprise yourself and develop a new keynote through the tweak.

Presentation Title

So let’s start with your presentation title. Do you have one? Remember, depending on where you are at in your speaking career, you might have several titles or programs in mind. For right now though, let’s just focus on one presentation. Remember, chase only one squirrel at a time.

If you do not have a presentation title, think about what your title might be. It will not be set in stone at this point and it will likely be modified many times depending on the type of group you are speaking to and if they have a conference theme. If you are not sure what presentation title to move forward with, contact me for help. Consider these tips below:

Speaker Tips:

• I recommend looking at comparable speakers for your topic and their presentation titles. Study them and take notes. Do NOT copycat them. Do this only to generate ideas.

• Find a conference schedule, likely online, of an industry where you would like to speak. Review their previous year’s conference and published programs to study the presentation titles that were accepted. (This is also helpful when drafting the description which we will do next.)

• Write out title ideas and show them to a few of your close friends or business acquaintances. Get feedback. Ask me for assistance if needed. If you’re a member of my mastermind community, you could also share this with the group for feedback. (Note: Always be open to feedback when you ask for it.)

• Presentation titles should sound unique, intriguing and even somewhat ‘sexy.’ Think of your presentation title like a book title or a movie. But don’t give much away in the title other than plant curiosity for the person to learn more about it while watching you present it!

• Share titles with me. When you complete this book and earn your coaching call, I will provide feedback as well. Asking for your Speaker One Page will be one of the first things I ask you for in advance!

Below are a few of my most common presentation titles:

“The E.D.G.E. Factor: Keys for winning success!”

“Millennials and Motivating the Multi-Generational Workforce”

“Success Leaves Clues: How to attract, retain and empower your employees!”

“The Ripple Effect: Where growth mindset cultures start and real change begins!’

Speaker Tip: Visit my website at www.KevinCSnyder.com for samples of my own program titles and descriptions for my youth, college and professional speaking engagements.

As you can see, I currently have four main programs that can be designed as interactive breakout programs or as signature keynotes. In fact, I often send my ‘menu’ of programs – listed on my Speaker One Page – to those who inquire with me for speaking. I allow them to view all my presentations and then select which one sounds most appealing and the best fit for their industry and audience. Besides, they know their industry, group and attendees better than I do. Once I am informed which title is most appealing to them, I then tailor the title and description to meet their needs and objectives. As you build your speaking business you’ll be able to do this as well.

Write below the title of your presentation(s) - or at least write down ideas for a title. You might need to do this on a separate piece of paper:

Of those titles you just drafted, write below the single, specific title of your signature presentation. There can only be one! This will be our working title for you:

I do not recommend continuing onward until you have your working presentation title. If you need assistance, reach out to me and we’ll schedule a coaching call.

Presentation Description

Congratulations, we now have your presentation title to work with! Next step is to craft your presentation description. Your description should capture the essence of your presentation and include your purpose, what problem you will solve and the Call to Action (Module 1). We also want your description to sound both catchy and powerful.

Similar to your title, envision your presentation being compared to 20 other presentations for the same speaking slot. It likely will be so make it good! You also want to envision being a conference attendee and comparing your presentation description to the others in the same educational session block. What would make your description so appealing that attendees feel they must attend your session instead of someone else’s? Keeping these two reference points in mind will help you greatly in writing down your presentation articulately and powerfully.

I recommend two different types of descriptions; one description under 100 words and another under 150 words. Most ‘Call for Programs’ require a description of 100 words or less because word count is based on space available in the conference program and/or on websites. Moreover, readers should be able to understand your point within 100 words. If you cannot fit your description within 100 words, find someone who will help you edit down, cut content and make it concise. Sometimes though, a longer description might be required – it all depends. Remember, the speaking business is not one size fits all. Be prepared for anything. By having both short and long descriptions available, you can respond more quickly and professionally.

Still focusing on one presentation and the title you just created, let’s move forward with creating your program description. Start with just writing phrases, one-liners and sentences you feel best describe your presentation. Once you accomplish this, begin writing out a description keeping it about 120 words for now. We can adjust the length later so that you have one presentation description under 100 words and another under 150 words. What we need now is a good beginning description to work with.

Speaker Tip: Review my tips listed previously on selecting presentation titles to also help you with crafting your program description. You can also view samples of my own descriptions on www.KevinCSnyder.com.

In your description, be sure to state a problem/issue, how your presentation will address this issue and what attendees will learn from your presentation. Your description should reference both the industry and your learning outcomes in some fashion so attendees will know upfront what that they take away.

Do not rush this process. Most of the speakers I work with take at least a week or two to complete this assignment – some need longer because they are reflecting on questions I posed to them from Module 1 – i.e. problem to solve, Call to Action, story differentiation. Review your program description over and over, tweaking and modifying it until you are satisfied. Have others look at it as well. If you’re a member of my mastermind group, share it with them. Contact me for help as well. You have resources and support all around you!

Next is a sample presentation description of my “Millennials: Motivating the Multi-Generational Workforce” presentation. I’ll share with you my shortened description (< 100 words), the longer description (< 150 words) and the tailored version from the marketing conference I referenced earlier.

< 100 words:

A new generation of professionals has emerged, officially becoming the majority workforce demographic. This population known as Generation Y, or Millennials, is changing how organizations attract, develop, retain, and engage cross-generational employees. Organizations that understand the needs of Millennials will benefit from more engaged employees and an ability to bridge all generations in their workforce, but also avoid significant costs of rapid employee turnover. In this interactive presentation, you will learn how Millennials have impacted workplace culture and take away ideas to bridge all the generations in today and tomorrow’s workforce culture.

< 150 words:

A new generation of professionals has emerged and officially become the majority workforce demographic. This population known as Generation Y, or Millennials, is changing how executives and managers foster an organizational culture that attracts, develops, retains, and engages cross-generational employees both now and in the future. Organizations that understand and embrace the needs and perspectives of different generations will not only benefit from more engaged employees and an ability to bridge their workforce, but also avoid significant costs of rapid employee turnover and disengagement. In this interactive presentation tailored for both Millennial and non-Millennial professionals as audience participants, you will discover empowering best practices, ‘next practices,’ and tangible take-a-ways on how the ‘corporate melting pot’ can leverage unique generational mentalities and expectations. You will learn how the arrival of the most civic-minded and tech-savvy generation has impacted workplace culture and the way work will continue to get done.

Tailored version for marketing conference:

A new generation of creatives and marketers has emerged and officially become the majority workforce demographic. This population known as Generation Y, or Millennials, is changing how marketing, communication and branding is being performed and accepted. Organizations that are proactive about how to attract the interest and attention of Millennials will find better results in their marketing efforts, engagement and retention. In this interactive presentation, you will discover empowering best practices, ‘next practices,’ and tangible take-a-ways on how to leverage and embrace unique generational mentalities and expectations. You will learn how the arrival of the most hyper-connected, civic-minded and tech-savvy generation has impacted how marketing gets done and innovation begins.

As you read my examples above, I hope the differences are easy and clear to understand.

Using all the space you need, separate sheets if possible, write below sample sentences and phrases that describe your presentation:

Now that you have sample phrases and sentences, write below a draft of your presentation description under 120 words:

I do not recommend continuing to the next section until you have a presentation description to work with. Return to previous pages and complete your presentation description if you have not yet done so. If you need help, you have resources all around you!

Presentation Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes can also be called learning objectives. They are succinct statements that describe what the attendees will learn and take away through your presentation. Consider learning outcomes as articulated Call to Action statements. I am not always asked to provide learning outcomes but regardless, I always submit them. Having learning outcomes shows the organizer that you are clear on your objectives and action statements. My advice is to have learning outcomes ready. I recommend at least two learning outcomes but no more than four per program description.

Below are a few learning outcomes from my Multi-Generational program:

• Learn about generational perspectives and how to embrace and leverage those unique mentalities.

• Discover what isn’t being said and written about Millennials that will lead to a new understanding about this new workforce majority and their needs.

• Leave with several ‘Call to Action’ and ‘Next Practice’ strategies for bridging the generations and building workforce synergy.

Write below three or four sample learning outcomes for the presentation you selected earlier. What will attendees learn and leave with?

I do not recommend continuing until you have at least two learning outcomes. Help surrounds you if you need assistance!

Speaker Biography

Your speaker biography is extremely important. It must reflect your experience, your credibility and the impact you have made in the industry, or industries, you serve. Your speaker biography is not your speaker introduction. Your introduction is what someone reads to introduce you before speaking.

Look at it this way, your speaker biography is what attendees will read and your introduction is what attendees will hear. Most speakers are good with drafting a biography – shocker – because they enjoy writing about themselves. However, please be cautious about this. When I read a biography or hear an introduction longer than the actual presentation description, I know am going to be listening to someone with a very large ego. It’s a turn off from the very beginning.

Focus on the impact you have made more than the work you have done. Throw some humor in there. Be different. Add a fun fact. I have people come up to me all the time inquiring about information they read in my biography or heard in my introduction that had nothing to do with my speech. I learned early on that as long as I include the most relative experiences about my background for the industry I am speaking to, I should sprinkle some personality on there as well.

Below is an example of my speaker biography:

Dr. Kevin Snyder is a motivational speaker and author with a PASSION for helping individuals think differently to create new and innovative results. Kevin has presented for over 1 million people through 1,000 auidences in all 50 states and around the world. Prior to becoming a sought-after speaker, he held a career in university Student Affairs and most recently served as a Dean of Students for High Point University. Kevin is author of several books, has sailed around the world, is a certified skydiver, scuba diver, and a winner on the television game show, ‘The Price is Right!’

Speaker Tip: You can read an additional biography, and perhaps a more current version, on my website, www.kevincsnyder.com/for-meeting-planners. I frequently update and edit my biography.

Keeping your speaker biography under 100 words, write your sample biography below:

I do not recommend continuing until …
your speaker biography is complete!

Headshot Photo

Your headshot photo can make you appear less than professional or more professional – which do you think a meeting planner or executive would prefer? You want your photo to represent a professional aura, not a Facebook one. Your headshot is likely going to need to be taken by a professional. If you do have a headshot photo but it’s more than two years old, then I recommend getting a new headshot. If you have gained, or lost, significant weight or have changed your hair color since your last photo, then get a new headshot. If you are missing hair or teeth since your last headshot, then get a new headshot! I’m assuming you understand my point. Your headshot will make a statement about you while meeting planners consider you and before audiences hear you speak. Make your headshot look professional and, please, just look like your picture.

Headshots do not need to cost a lot of money, if any. Ask around. Post a request on Facebook. Look on Craigslist services. Reach out to your local community college and inquire with their graphics department or faculty who teach photography. Attend a charity silent auction and bid on photography. I attend charity events all the time and there is always a photographer package someone has donated. You end up winning a professional headshot session for a fraction of the cost and you help charity. Respectfully, there are photographers everywhere. Talk to an emerging photographer and tell them you will credit their photography if they provide you with a headshot. For them it’s free marketing. For you, it’s a free headshot. Barter.

You can view sample headshots of mine at the following link: www.kevincsnyder.com/for-meeting-planners. Although I use my favorite headshot in my outreach and marketing, I refer meeting planners to my website so that they can review several headshot samples and select the specific one they prefer and feels is most appealing for their group. I have found this to be creative and unique. Sometimes they use one headshot for the website and a different one for any email newsletters or anything that goes to print.

Do you have a current headshot? (yes/no)

If yes, would you consider your current headshot a professional headshot? (yes/no/kinda)

If ‘kinda’ or ‘no’, then you need a new one. Write below your plan for obtaining a professional headshot:

Congratulations, you have come far. If you have completed all the portions in this module, then you have most of what you would need to speak at a conference or other event. Depending on the event and your speaking fee (Module 4), you might even have enough for a meeting planner to hire you for speaking. Since you have followed instructions and treated this module like a coaching session, I hope you have not allowed yourself to advance until each prior section has been completed. You might be saying to yourself, “Well, I’ll come back and finish this later. I want to get through the book first.”

I understand your desire to get right to the Moneyball module – Module 3. However, there are aspects in Modules 3, 4, 5 that will not help you without having completed the foundations from Modules 1 and 2. You haven’t graduated yet to Module 3 if you are still doing homework from Module 2. Please just trust me on this. More importantly, trust the process.

If any prior sections are not complete, please revisit them now unless you are committed to return and complete them immediately after reading this book. You’ll never be selected to speak at conferences without your presentation, title, description, learning outcomes and biography. Meeting planners and executives will also always ask you for program information as well.

Are You Ready For a Speaking Engagement?

No seriously, are you ready? Is your presentation actually outlined, do you have a finished presentation PowerPoint (or Keynote for Apple users)? Have you been practicing and refining your delivery? Have others told you yet how awesome you are?

Now that you have your program title, description, learning outcomes, speaker biography and a headshot, you have much of the needed information to be considered for a speech. Congratulations! But let’s assume that you receive an email right this second for a speaking engagement next week. Or perhaps you have a speaker friend who gets sick or has a family emergency last minute and needs you to take their keynote speaking spot tomorrow. Would you be ready to send them your PowerPoint today and present tomorrow? Envision having a $8,500 speech inquiry…would you truly be ready to speak for an audience of 500 people and feel confident about receiving a standing ovation?

I have had last minute inquiries occur on multiple occasions for a variety of reasons. I recently flew across country on a day’s notice to fill in for another keynote speaker whose mother unfortunately passed away. Because I had the presentation information ready, I was able to take on the speaking engagement. More importantly, because I was truly ready to deliver that presentation, it showed and I benefited from spin-off referrals and inquiries for additional speaking engagements afterward. Short term speaker requests are common, especially for conferences and annual events so having your presentation sincerely ready will position you nicely for paid speaking engagements.

Assuming you have your Speaker One Page complete and your program is ready to be selected for a speaking engagement, whether PAID or not, let’s focus on the presentation itself (i.e. your product) because only a polished product will lead to a happy meeting planner, referrals and spin-off requests for additional speaking engagements. The best marketing for a speaker is to speak and the only way you will earn future speaking business is by having an outstanding presentation that audiences will remember you for and want more of.

Throughout your presentation, you and your content need to be so excellent that attendees will be thinking, “This speaker is amazing. We have to bring them to our __< insert event they had in mind >__!” A presentation that does not lead to referrals and spin-off opportunities means something didn’t hit home in the actual presentation. Something needs to be worked on whether it’s in presentation delivery, content, organization, or all of the above. Another way of saying it is this…the issue of not getting speaking leads or spin-off business after speaking is either the message, the messenger, or both! Speakers who struggle in their speaking business need to work on their speech most above all. Nothing else really matters if the product needs work.

I am frequently asked, “How did your presentation go in _< insert city or group >_?” I respond with, “Think it went pretty well. You should check my Twitter or Facebook page for some really impressive comments.” Or better, I might say, “I woke up to some emails today that make me think it went really, really well.” Or even better, “I got five inquiries for speaking already. It must have gone really well!”

To help ensure you are truly ready for an upcoming speech opportunity, and most certainly a PAID speaking engagement, I have created a Speech Review Form that others watching you speak can complete and provide constructive feedback for you. You can download your copy at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets (password: paidtospeak). My Speech Review Form is based on science, public speaking instruction and modeled after the judging rubric from the Toastmasters International Speech Contest.

If you are feeling confident and ready for a speech, then wonderful. But until others actually watch you in action and provide consistent written and verbal feedback that you are indeed ready, you’re not ready yet, respectfully. From my experience watching hundreds-if-not-thousands of other speakers, even well-paid professionals, at conferences and other types of paid speaking engagements, most speakers are not as ready as they think they are. It should be no surprise then why their speaking business suffers. You cannot wing it or fake it til’ you make it on stage in front of a live audience for sixty minutes. Anyone who thinks they can doesn’t have a clue. Professional speakers don’t approach a speaking business this way.

The majority of speakers I coach are not nearly as ready as they think they are. But that’s OK because they usually know it and are asking for my feedback. They want to grow and improve! It’s interesting that the more experience someone has, the less likely they are coachable! So if you are new to speaking or still in the developing stages of building your speaking business, you have an advantage over someone with more speaking experience as long as you are coachable and willing to receive feedback! After my coaching clients share a sample video of them speaking, a coaching benefit I provide, I watch their entire video and provide feedback on the Speech Review Form. As a ‘thank you’ for purchasing this book, you can receive the form as well.

For me personally too, I would much rather know the areas I need to work on before launching myself into my next speech and struggle. There’s no greater pain than the feeling you are bombing a speech in front of a live audience. I’ve had this experience and every speaker I know has encountered it as well. I created my Speech Review Form to get feedback for myself when I was practicing new speech content. I still use it too when I’m practicing new content.

As you’ll read about later in this module, there are many opportunities to find and create free speaking engagements to practice your speech. During those free engagements, you should be getting feedback from those watching you through some type of evaluation. I recommend giving certain audience members a copy of my Speech Review Form and asking them to complete it for you because I guarantee it will provide the feedback you need to improve your speech and take it to the next level. Again, you can download your copy at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets.

How To Design Your Presentation

I will now help you actually design your presentation so that it includes all the important speech elements and helps you grow your speaking business. As you read in Module 1, the elements of an incredibly powerful presentation are engagement, a powerful message, a memorable story and a Call to Action. Each ingredient matters and provides its own secret sauce for an amazing speaking recipe. If anything is missing, the finished product won’t have the flavor it needs. However, these elements are somewhat conceptual. What does audience engagement actually look like? How is a powerful message within the presentation outline actually structured? What should you include? How do you time your presentation? How can you add humor?

Your presentation must be organized and crafted like a heartbeat. If it doesn’t have a heartbeat, it’s dead. You must organize the content - what I call the 'puzzle pieces' - around the big picture emotions, sensations and interactive components that take your audience participants on an emotional and engaging 'ride' up and down. Aspire to design your speech the way master engineers design a roller coaster. This will keep the audience’s attention regardless of the timeframe of your speech. You will need to incorporate audience laughter, empathy, lecture, interaction, listening portions, watching portions, and more. Your presentation should be organized to engage and connect with different personalities and various senses of perception - auditory, visual, kinesthetic. Just do NOT make them smell you.

As you design your presentation, ask yourself these questions:

How am I going to be introduced?

How am I going to raise the energy immediately at the beginning?

How am I going to intrigue them to listen to me?

When are they laughing?

When are they going to be emotional?

When will they be moving?

When are they being reflective and writing something down?

When are they sharing with the person next to them?

When are they watching?

When are they listening?

When are they...?

How do I get them to visit my website and subscribe?

How am I planting seeds during my presentation so they know I travel to speak?

How am I going to close my presentation to get that standing ovation?

I created a Speaker Storyboard to help me outline my presentations and ensure all the above questions are answered. Similar to how I outlined my course syllabi when I taught at the university, this storyboard instructional design process has proven to be extremely effective in my speaking business as well. Even successful speakers who hear about my storyboard model ask me to share it with them so they can make it their own. (Note: I refer them to “The Vault!” too! I do not give this away for free because it is such a valuable resource that took me years to create and craft.)

Not only does my Speaker Storyboard help me organize and outline a speech, but it also ensures I vary my delivery techniques to maximize audience interaction and keeping their attention and focus! The average person’s attention span is less than 10 seconds, so as speakers, we need to keep this in mind. If I keep talking, talking, talking without any interaction, laughter, or empathy, I’m going to lose my audience. Or if I show too much video or have too much audience reflection, I’m going to lose my audience. A proper speech heartbeat ensures I do not lose them. My Speaker Storyboard ensures I keep them.

I will share with you one of my completed Speaker Storyboard’s to demonstrate how the heartbeat concept works so that you can outline your own presentation to ensure it includes all the necessary elements. You can view my completed version below and at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets.

You likely do not understand the content, or descriptors, in my storyboard. That’s OK – you should not understand them because it’s not your content. But if you watched me speak, you would easily be able to follow along. I have uploaded several videos of my keynote presentations on my professional speaking website at www.KevinCSnyder.com/demo-videos. I encourage you to visit, watch and follow along with the storyboard sample I provided for you!

By writing my presentation down on my Speaking Storyboard, I ensure I have a clear mental picture for how everything should be organized. This also ensures I diversify my audience actions and emotions to ensure that heartbeat I mentioned earlier is crafted. What I encourage you to focus on are the speaking mechanics and how to ensure the ‘puzzle pieces’ of content vary in approach.

Important: Within the first sixty seconds of your presentation, your audience has already decided if they like you and will pay attention for the remaining portion. Do what is necessary for them to be thinking, "Wow, this speaker is amazing...funny…inspiring...different!" Otherwise, they will already be checking their phone – and perhaps their pulse - and you will have lost them. The ‘likeability factor’ is imperative with any audience and you must ensure this upfront. They 'likely' have just come from another speaker they did not like for this exact reason.

The first five minutes of my presentations are simply fun and engaging. I design my speech beginnings to create immediate laughter and to set an energetic tone. We have plenty of time for content. My 'style' is to get them 'two-clapping' and singing Don't Stop Believin' as soon as possible. Again, observe sample demo videos on my website, www.KevinCSnyder.com. Point is to be likeable and immediately engaging.

I have reviewed presentation outlines from other speakers and find it extremely evident they lack organization and emotional variety. Unfortunately, it’s even more evident when they are on stage. Boring.

I recently asked one of my speaker coaching clients to send me their Speaking Storyboard outline so I could review their speech organization for an upcoming speaking engagement. They confidently replied, “I already have my own outline. See attached.”

“Ugh oh,” I thought. “They think they are ready.” When I reviewed their outline, it looked like a monologue. I thought to myself, “How in the world can they remember this content? More importantly, how do they expect to engage an audience? Where are they not talking about themself?” I then asked them to show me specifically where in their outline the attendees would be laughing, doing something interactive, being reflective, watching or listening to a video or music. The response I received was silence. I kept my feedback constructive, but we had a lot to work on. They were not ready for that upcoming speech. The fact they thought they were ready concerned me even more. If I were an audience member, their likeability would be zero. So I shared my Speech Review Form with them and asked them to evaluate their own speech. I also recommended they present a portion of their speech at an upcoming Toastmaster club meeting and ask for feedback using the same form. Once they did this, they called me almost in tears.

“What do we do?” they asked.

“Well, what do you think we should do?” I responded.

After some discussion back and forth, I was finally able to lead them where they needed to be in understanding how to effectively design a presentation. They outlined their presentation using my Speaker Storyboard and sent the updated presentation to me a few days later. It looked completely different…and fantastic!

“How do you feel about your presentation now?” I asked.

“I feel great! It feels like a completely different presentation. I’m so much more confident in it now and I cannot wait to present it.”

“Outstanding,” I responded. “And because I know you will continue practicing, you’ll do just fine. Let me know how your presentation goes, OK?”

During our next coaching call about two weeks later, they told me the presentation went extremely well. “I still have some things to work on that I need your help with, but overall I’m pleased. And more importantly, the group that brought me in to speak was happy. They want me to come back next year.”

“Congratulations!” I said. “Just remember to follow the process by using that Speaker Storyboard for each of your presentations. There’s nothing else like it and it’ll help you grow your speaking business.”

“Thank you, Kevin!”

Speaker Tip: Always remember that the best marketing for a speaker is a great speech!

If you have a presentation coming up and you’d like my help to outline it with you and/or provide feedback, simply reach out to me for a coaching call. I’m glad to help. Your next presentation should lead to more speaking opportunities if designed effectively!

As you develop your presentation outline, you must ensure your audience quickly knows where you are taking them. Once you are likeable and have set a positive tone, make sure you are addressing the problem, or challenge, that you will be helping the audience member solve upfront. Tell them what you will be telling them. Tell them how you will help and why it is important. Otherwise, they might begin to wonder what your point is and why you are speaking. Once they begin to wonder, they begin to wander.

It is tough, if not nearly impossible, to get an audience back after you have lost them - another reason to appeal to a variety of senses and keep them engaged from beginning to end. Remember that you are there to help them solve a problem whether they know what that is yet or not. Some attendees, if not most, might be sitting in that chair listening to you because they are required to attend or they are receiving professional development credit in some form. Even for those folks who are just there for themselves, still appeal to a variety of senses and pull them in. Everyone has challenges they face personally and professionally. Drop a statistic. Know their industry and share a relevant story. And once you tell them your message, triple down and tell them what you just told them. Anchor your points well and your Call to Action even stronger.

Now that you have seen what my storyboard looks like, it is crucial that you create your own. You can view and download both my completed version and a blank version by visiting www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets. If you have subscribed to “The Vault” then you also have access to the Speaker Storyboard template in Microsoft Word. For more information, visit www.paidtospeak.biz/Vault.

I do not recommend continuing until you have drafted your presentation storyboard. Your presentation IS your product and one of the most important aspects of your entire speaking business. Spend as much time on this as you need. This is where most speakers struggle. Contact me for help. Don’t get stuck here!

Presentation Aesthetics

What does your presentation actually look like? Are you using Keynote(Apple)/PowerPoint(Microsoft) or are you speaking with just a microphone? If you are using anything visual, please have someone review your slides before you incorporate them into your presentation. When you complete this book and earn your coaching call, I would be happy to review your presentation slide deck and share feedback with you.

To help you know what professional slides should look like, I have uploaded a few slide deck samples from one of my presentations at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets. I encourage you to observe my slide designs. Members of “The Vault” receive actual PowerPoint samples from several of my programs as well.

I constantly see horrible presentation slide designs. I speak at dozens of conferences each year and am able to watch hundreds of speakers. From the hundreds of presentations I see, roughly 80 percent of them look poorly designed and need quite a bit of work. I do not design presentations for my coaching clients but I would be happy to refer people to you who create slides professionally. Your investment in having someone help you will be priceless. An attendee knows when you put something together last minute or if it’s done unskillfully – that attendee could have been your next speaking lead. The conference organizer or meeting planner is also someone you need to impress. They likely hold the gate key for additional presentations.

Any audio/visual you use should complement your speaking and the overall presentation. Anything coming out of your mouth should be viewed on the screen in a different way. Absolutely no bullet points. Your font size for all text should at least be thirty. When possible, show pictures rather than words. No more than twenty words per slide.

If you don’t adhere to these recommendations, your attendees will be squinting trying to read your slides and not listening to you. Do you really want them not paying attention to you and staring at a screen? Of course not.

View some of my presentation slides for samples of my own work. I am commonly told my slides are engaging and visually appealing. I aim for pictures that portray the story I am sharing. It helps me and the attendee both. I also weave in two or three videos, add some music here and there and just keep it lively and fun. However, I am fully prepared to do my keynote presentation without visuals should my PowerPoint not be available.

Example: A few years ago I showed up to deliver a keynote presentation and was told that their entire audio visual system was down. All they had for me were two handheld microphones. Prior to my arrival, and confirmed through two pre-event conversations plus my contract and email communication, I was ensured that they would meet my AV request which included two projectors, two large screens and house sound for my interactive PowerPoint. Upon hearing that nothing was working, I immediately had to adjust my content and plan for the worst. I couldn’t even share my video of winning on The Price Is Right – my signature video. Well, I didn’t feel bad for me – I felt bad for the attendees and even more for the conference planner. The fact nothing worked looked bad on the planner.

Always be prepared in case your technology does not work. Expect it to fail and have a backup plan. It would have been a disaster if I wasn’t prepared to present my program without any audio/visual. If I had not already envisioned something not working, which I do before every speech, then I would have looked like a chump on that stage with 1,000+ attendees in the audience.

After my presentation, the representative for the audio visual company approached me with a handshake and a smile. The conference organizer was standing beside him as well. The representative said to me, “Of all the speakers I have ever seen, you have been the most engaging even without the AV working. Best speaker I’ve seen. Good job today.”

My heart smiled. This experience was a test and luckily I passed. But it was not luck. I prepared for it. Technology problems occur frequently.

Speaker Tip: Before every presentation always ask yourself what could go wrong. Vision the worst. Expect the worst. Plan for the worst so that you’re not surprised when it does happen - because it will at some point.

As Steve Jobs is quoted, “People who know their content don’t need PowerPoint.” Please, for the sake of the professional speaking business, know your speech. At some point in your speaking career, the projector will die, the computer will freeze up, your remote clicker will not respond to you, and your projector which was supposed to be there never showed up. (Note: notice I highlighted the word “and.”)

Every single one of these situations has happened to me…and on multiple occasions. Remember, I’ve spoken for 1,000+ audiences in all 50 states and around the world. Something goes wrong in most every speech actually! But the professional speaker adapts to it quickly – even in the moment – so that the audience doesn’t even notice and the meeting planner is impressed. It’s like skydiving. After so many jumps your parachute eventually will not open and you will have to cut the cord to pull the reserve. Not fun. That’s why I stopped skydiving after 12 jumps. Always be prepared for the worst case scenario.

With speaking you want to minimize the equipment and materials you need, especially starting off. This is a challenge for me because I like using props and other types of tangible items to connect with my audience. If you have watched my videos or seen me speak live, you’ve likely even watched me jump on stage holding up my Price is Right prizes as the audience is watching me win them on the screen. When I do this, the audience erupts in laughter. It’s actually pretty hilarious and something people remember for a very long time. It requires me taking along an extra suitcase though. Not a big deal, but I’m usually bringing another suitcase of books to sell, emergency AV cords, handouts, business cards, my tripod (or two), my video camera, and possibly a few more items. It can end up being a lot of stuff! So when I do show up, I show up early and bring everything in before anyone sees me carting two or three suitcases with me.

For you right now though, my recommendation would be to focus on your content, not your props. When you need your slides and are glaring at them unsure of what slide is coming next, it more than shows. It suggests you are not professional and do not know your own content. So never rely on PowerPoint or whatever medium you’re using. If you need notes to speak, why? In that case, what you really need is simply more practice.

Speaker Tip: The only times I am nervous before speaking are when I feel unprepared. The more I have prepared for that specific presentation, the more confident I feel. When you are speaking to a variety of different groups and industries, this is a challenge. However, as you’ll read in Module 3, having a specific target audience minimizes this from happening.

If you are getting paid thousands of dollars to speak, or want to, the expectation is that you are an expert in your topic and you know your stuff. Makes sense right? Well, common sense isn’t so common sometimes. I have watched speakers use notes, literally read content from slides verbatim, and blame technology when something didn’t work right. It’s painful to watch and not only does it look extremely unprofessional, that speaker will never ever get repeat or spin-off speaking business.

If you need notes at this point in your speaking journey, I understand. But that also means, with all due respect, you are not yet ready for a paying gig – or at least an upper pay-tier speech yet. However, I’m here to help you get ready. Perhaps you just need some tweaking in your outline, or you need some help with your slides or you need some practice opportunities. Contact me and I can help and explain more.

Moreover, I also believe in what we attract from the universe. When you are ready because you have outlined your presentation and you’ve practiced it numerous times and always received great feedback, you show the universe that you are ready. When you don’t need notes and you have practiced enough, an opportunity will come your way when least expected. You cannot fake professional speaking. You will get referrals because you are an incredible speaker with a well-prepared speech that has specific, thought-leading points.

Now you must begin creating your actual presentation and consider using Keynote, PowerPoint or some other technology. You must plan on investing several hours of research and design on creating your presentation. Contact me for help.

If you have subscribed to “The Vault,” then you have access to several of my PowerPoint slide decks to use as reference! Don’t do this part alone.

Practice Opportunities

As Anthony Robbins, another mentor of mine, is quoted by saying, “Repetition is the mother of skill.” Let’s assume you’ve crafted a really good Speaker Storyboard outline, your presentation slides have been reviewed by me or someone else with legitimate design experience AND you are ready to give your presentation to a live audience. Where can you practice?

What you do NOT want to do is practice on a group that could actually book you as a speaker. Even a Rotary group, who by the way books speakers each week, is not a group to practice on. You want to speak to them once you are ready to launch. Even though they do not pay speakers, Rotary group members are business leaders who pay a decent chunk of money to be a member.

Your community is different than mine. You know your area best and are aware of resources available. I can help you identify more opportunities when you reach out to me for your complimentary coaching call, but consider these next following groups and resources to practice your speaking:

• Toastmasters: Most clubs meet weekly and there are likely over a dozen different groups within a 20-mile radius from you meeting every day during all sorts of times. Start with one group and then consider joining two or three other clubs so you have several speaking opportunities each week. I joined four clubs when I first started speaking and I still am a member of Toastmasters. In fact, I earned my Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award not too long ago. I also visit other clubs as a guest speaker when I travel for speaking engagements. On some weeks I cannot attend my club due to travels, but I try to attend meetings as often as possible. Toastmaster clubs are incredible groups that support speaker development and will help you improve your speech. If you are not a member, you should be to take advantage of practice opportunities and surround yourself with other like-minded people who want to grow and improve their speaking. To find a club near you, visit www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club.

• Meetup Groups: Check out www.Meetup.com and search for groups related to speaking, leadership and networking. Just search and you’ll find a variety of opportunities. Often there are events where you can offer yourself as a free, pro bono, speaker. I’ve done this too and it works.

• Networking Groups/Seminars: Do a Google search for groups, contact your local Chamber of Commerce, look on Eventbrite, and just explore. You will find opportunities to speak and meet others who speak as well.

• Facebook/Friend Inquiry: Ask for referrals where you live. Ask friends you know if you could provide some free training for their company or any group they are involved. Post about your speaking development on Facebook and offer yourself for a free workshop. If you live in an apartment community, reserve the clubhouse, offer free food and invite anyone you know. Call people to make it happen. Caste wide nets. Cast deep nets. Do anything to make it happen and find speaking opportunities to practice in front of live audiences regardless of size. No excuses. Reasons or results!

When you do find or create a practice opportunity to speak, maximize what you can glean from it. Videotape yourself and study the video. Audio record yourself and listen. If your video/audio is really good, and professional quality, you could even use it in your marketing or edit it as a demo video. Count your ‘ahs’ and ‘ums.’ Count how many laughs you receive. Practice new content. Study your vocal inflection, your movements, and body language. Also, ask for feedback when you do speak. Request that the audience complete your Speaker Review Form or create your own evaluation form and ask questions specific to the type of feedback you are looking for. Get testimonials. Get pictures. Plus, the groups you do speak to, even for free, are now part of your client summary! The only two people who know whether you got PAID to speak or not are you and the person who brought you in to speak. It’s no one else’s business and frankly, they won’t care. The only reason they should care about your speaking fee is because your speech ends up being so incredible that they ask you to speak for a different group they had in mind!

Example: When I was preparing for a new keynote presentation, I leveraged all the above resources to practice new content, try out a new delivery style and hear feedback from those in the room. I videotaped myself and critiqued myself harshly. I also watched the video on mute to study my body language and I listened to just the audio of my presentation without watching. It is amazing to ‘hear’ communication that does not exist. If you have never watched yourself on video without having audio, give it a try. You might need a stiff drink afterwards. I did. I also asked each attendee to provide feedback on my Speaker Review Form and share what they enjoyed most, what they felt was best, what they felt could have been improved and what could have been omitted. The feedback I received was priceless. Months later, when I delivered that keynote presentation at a direct marketing conference of over 2,000 attendees, I nailed it. I had both the confidence and content that made my keynote a winning speech. And as result, I received numerous spin-off inquiries and paid speaking engagements.

List the local resources below where you can find speaking opportunities to practice your content:

Module 2 Review

In this module I have described the importance of the following:

• Speaker One Page, including your presentation title, description, learning outcomes, speaker biography and headshot picture

• Speech Review Form to receive helpful and constructive feedback

• creating your speech outline using the Speaker Storyboard

• having your actual presentation designed properly

• practice group opportunities

This was a chunk of a module. Do not let it feel overwhelming. Of all the modules, this one is the most important because it lays the foundation to your product which is your presentation. Nothing else really matters beyond this module if your product needs work. If you’d like for me to review your materials or help you design your speech, I provide Speaker Assessments and coaching calls to review your work and talk through these issues to create your final product. I’m here to help as a resource.

If you have completed all the reflective questions to your own satisfaction, then congratulations! You are ready for Module 3! However, if any portions are missing, I highly recommend you go back and complete them now. You will not be following this PAID to SPEAK™ system by speeding through this book. Coach yourself and review the checklist on the next page to help ensure you are ready for Module 3.

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it again?”

If you have checked ‘YES’ on all the items, proceed to Module 3!

** As a reminder, I have provided a free worksheet for each Module to help you work through the most important exercises. Visit www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets to download (password: paidtospeak).

NOTES

MODULE 3:

FINDING SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES & GETTING FOUND

Who you know is important, but what’s more important is who knows you!

Question: Do you find speaking engagements or do they find you?

Answer: Both.

I am consistently amazed at the variety of ways I find speaking engagements and how speaking engagements come to me. Inquiries come in all sorts of ways - from the associations I network with, from an attendee in the audience at a previous speaking event, from the spouse of an attendee, from one of my speaker bureaus, from a ‘Call for Programs’ that I submitted, from a fellow speaker referral, from my own marketing, from social media (I recently booked a $10,000 speaking contract off LinkedIn!), sitting next to someone on a plane, at a coffee shop, from a blog I just wrote, from young professionals who saw me speak at their college and now work for a company needing a speaker and from my email newsletter, just to name a few!

Point is, you just never know where a speaking engagement could originate. A great presentation will be remembered, referred and lead into spin-off inquiries. This is again why Module 2 is so important. Craft a great speech and then follow the roadmap I’ll provide here in Module 3. There will be times you need to outreach to find speaking opportunities, and if you do that well, opportunities will find you. Because meeting planners and event organizers rarely need a speaker until they need a speaker. And when they do need a speaker, you come to the forefront of their mind. It’s not so much about you knowing who needs a speaker; rather, it’s more about them knowing about you when they need a speaker!

My best marketing strategy is simply to be seen. Over 90 percent of my speaking comes from referral and that most always originates from somewhere as I previously described. I do not invest much in marketing. I do not invest in pay-per-click advertising and I will not be suckered into marketing gimmicks.

Also, as I will share in the bonus chapter of this book, “How to Write and Publish Your Book,” my books sell my speaking and my speaking sells thousands of my books each year. We will discuss the power of a book and how to leverage your book for speaking opportunities, but for right now just keep in mind that a book can help you be found for speaking opportunities. A book can also help you get the speaking gig and, most importantly, can help you double your speaking fee if not more. When people know about your book, they know about your speaking – and vice versa!

The questions I recommend you focus on answering are:

“How can I find speaking opportunities, whether PAID or not?”

“How can I be seen?”

“Who are the people who book speakers and how can they find out about me?”

“What do I have to do to get exposure?

Now that you have a dynamic and engaging presentation loaded and ready (Module 2), it’s time to aim and fire that metaphorical gun at the appropriate target. What does that target look like though? Meaning, who is your ideal target audience? Knowing the answer to that question is essential for your speaking success.

I always ask new speakers that I coach the following questions, “Who is your ideal audience?” Answers I commonly get are “Executives,” “Anyone really,” “College students,” “Uhmm,” “Business Owners,” “Uhmm,” “Technology People” or “Not sure.”

None of these answers will work. They are not focused enough. You need to have a specific vision for the type of organization and industry you want to be speaking for (Module 1). You have to be extremely clear on who you want and envision listening to you. Funnel your focus. The more specific you are, the clearer you will be on finding your specific target audiences and opportunities to speak.

One way to identify your target group is to think of the specific position title on a business card of the person sitting in your ideal audience. For example, some sample business titles include Director of Marketing, Director of Human Resources, Certified Public Accountant, High School Teacher, Principal, Attorney at Law, Auditor, Branch Manager, IT Manager, Project Manager, Sales Manager, Direct of Student Activities, Director of Greek Life, etc., etc. This is how specific you need to be, especially starting off.

But you might ask, “Kevin, my speech is great for a variety of groups. Why should I limit myself?”

Yes, your presentation should be solving universal problems (Module 2) and therefore suitable for a variety of groups, audiences and industries. However, getting started in professional speaking and growing your speaking business requires that you focus on just one group at a time. A scattered shotgun approach will not work. Your speaking must be very targeted and precise. Remember, chase one squirrel at a time. Even if you are already having some speaking success, you are going to need to know which groups you want to grow into.

Follow me for an example. Let’s say you speak on topics of marketing. It should be obvious to you then, I hope, that the speaking sandbox you want to play in is organizations within the marketing industry. Those could be marketing associations, marketing agencies themselves, marketing departments within colleges, suppliers to marketing companies, etc. I would recommend that you identify as many organizations as possible within the marketing niche – if marketing groups were your focus. If marketing groups are not your focus, then you will apply this same process to your own ideal niche group. To teach you how my speaking model works, we will first focus on marketing organizations as an example. Then I walk you through the same process to help you customize the model for yourself later in this module. Clear?

Although I speak to marketing groups on occasion, my speech topics are generally not tailored for marketing industries. I am not a thought-leading expert in the marketing space. However, I am a motivation expert and since marketing professionals are people, my programs are relevant for them because everyone needs to be self-motivated to be effective.

I am not as immediately familiar with all types of groups that exist in the marketing industry as compared to someone who actually worked, or spoke within, the marketing industry. Yet even still, my speaking model will work for this group which is the reason I specifically selected marketing organizations for you. I performed a Google search specifically for ‘Marketing Organizations’ and identified the following groups within 20 seconds:

American Marketing Association

Business Marketing Association

Interactive Marketing Association

The Marketing Association

Web Marketing Association

Mobile Marketing Association

Internet Marketing Association

Digital Marketing Association

Word of Mouth Marketing Association

Legal Marketing Association

Direct Marketing Association

Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association

Produce Marketing Association

Destination Marketing Association

American Wholesalers Marketing Association

International News Media Marketing Association

Multimedia Marketing Association

… and many more!

Not all these groups will provide the structure and events to make them verified and worthy of pursuing. I will explain to you how to verify shortly. Right now though, just know that all you need is to find the right one or two associations, because these alone could keep you extremely busy with speaking engagements. You see, every industry has dozens of organizations and associations that belong to it and book speakers for their conferences, workshops, trainings, chapter meetings and other special events. The main point I want to ensure you understand is that these groups were simple to find. And again, what I have shared with you is only a short list.

What you will need to do is reflect on your target industry and then ‘Google Search’ your way to identify as many organizations and groups as you can find in that industry space. This should slightly overwhelm you because you will find numerous opportunities. After verifying those groups, you will then focus on just one or two associations. Later in this module I will help you weed through all the noise to find the best groups who have the events that actually hire speakers.

If you do not find at least five specific groups (whether companies or associations) within your target industry, then your industry is likely not specific enough or it doesn’t have the structure or events conducive for hiring speakers. If that’s the case, move on to another industry. From my experience, most industries do have qualified groups that belong to it which need speakers. This might be where you need to stop doing this on your own and ask for some help. Contact me, because selecting the right target audience is crucial for you. You do not want to go down a metaphorical rabbit hole where you might get lost.

In the marketing example I just provided and searched for you, I found mostly association-level organizations. Of course you could identify marketing departments and marketing companies singularly, and you should, but to get the best bang for your time investment, I recommend focusing on the associations first. My rationale is your exposure. Think about it…would you rather exhaust yourself to contact each company one by one for a speaking engagement or would you rather be a credible speaker at the association meeting in front of 100 marketing professionals each representing a different company who could book you? I hope you answered the latter. Speaking at conferences is the best use of your time and it’s incredible exposure. This same principle, and process, applies to most any association whether marketing or not.

Speaker Tip: Focus on associations first that belong within your target industry. Do not start contacting companies one by one.

Once you have a list of associations within your target industry, you must verify, or qualify, them as the proper association to dive deeper into. Remember, you only need one or two verified association groups.

Verified association groups meet two criteria that I look for: (a) structure and (b) events. If the association you are reviewing does not have both structure and events, move on to another association within your target industry that does. If they have structure, they very likely will have events as well.

A verified structure means that the association has a local, statewide and national association structure. Keeping the marketing industry as our example, one easily verified association within the marketing space would be the American Marketing Association, or AMA. The AMA has local association chapters and state chapters within its national umbrella. Professional marketing professionals who are members of the national AMA are also likely to be members of, involved with, or at least attend, local chapter events.

Each association is different though. Some associations require that professionals join the national association to be accredited, or certified, to do that line of work. It just depends on how regulated that association is. Accountants, teachers, human resource professionals, real estate professionals, and attorneys, for example, must also earn a certain number of ‘professional development credits’ each year to be approved to work in that industry. This not only helps ensure quality control, but it is also ensures the association makes a ton of money off its own members through membership fees.

I focus my efforts on highly regulated industries. The more regulated by the government, the more regulated the association will be and very likely require strict and high amounts of professional development credit to be earned. For a speaker, this is good news. Because think about how professionals obtain the actual professional development credit. This could be through webinars, taking tests, attending local events for a one-hour (one credit) presentation, and attending conferences where they can earn all their hours in one day or weekend!

I speak at dozens of events each year where I know the main motivation for most attendees is to earn their ‘credit.’ They are not attending the conference because they want to necessarily. They are attending because they have to earn credit in order to do their job back home.

Within my speech, and early on, I make reference to this so the audience knows I am aware they earn credit to do what they do. I make an appropriate comment about them ‘showing up’ primarily to earn credit and tie it into my actual speech two or three times. By creatively addressing it, I get their attention and it helps add further to my credibility and their perception of me understanding of their industry. (Note: To learn how I do this appropriately, watch my demo video on www.kevincsnyder.com/demo-videos and skip to the portion about the sign-flipper. The sign-flipper ‘showed up,’ but how he showed up was ineffective. “Showing up gets us started, but how we show up determines our potential.”)

Speaker Tip: Speakers should focus on the most highly regulated industries and then seek out the best association(s) that belong to it for speaking opportunities.

It is not so important that you investigate to find out whether associations require professionals be a local chapter member in order be a national association member or vice versa. It all depends and this can be slightly confusing. So don’t worry, your focus is simply looking upfront to find, and verify, whether a structure exists. Because if structure does exist, events will very likely follow where speakers are needed.

In addition to membership fees that associations make from their members, they also make significant money from providing professional development credit and hosting conferences. Registration fees and sponsorships from vendors and suppliers total quite a bit of money. And because meeting planners and conference organizers have sufficient funds from these registration and sponsor dollars, they have budget to pay for speakers.

As you will read in Module 4, I outline a few criteria for helping me know both when and what to charge. Whether I am reaching out or responding to a conference speaking opportunity, I require my full speaking fee. I do this because I know they can afford it.

Envision a conference registration price tag of $299 per person. Now multiply that number by 300 attendees. In registrations alone for that one event, that association just banked nearly $90,000. Adding in sponsors and revenues could easily exceed $200,000. After expenses, and assuming the event was coordinated properly and fiscally reasonable, profits should be anywhere between $50,000 - $100,000+. Does this make sense why associations are so excited to host events for their members? I hope so!

Again, a verified association will meet your structure criteria. And if it meets the structure criteria it will meet the event criteria. Furthermore, the more regulated that association is, the more likely you will have both!

In order to speak at the state and/or national conference of your verified association, you will likely need to first do some pro bono free speaking, or at least heavily discounted, at the chapter level. Chapters likely do not have budget to pay speakers as compared to the state or national conference. If you are newer to speaking or are just starting off, you’ll need to speak for free until the inquiries and spin-off speaking begins to flow. As I wrote in detail throughout Module 2, if you’re out there speaking but not getting speaking business after a speech, then something in your own speech needs to be worked on. Follow my guidance from the previous module.

Keeping the end in mind though, delivering an outstanding speech at just two or three chapter events should be all you need to springboard your speaking. Before you know it, you’ll be speaking in front of an audience where attendees are also members of the state conference planning committee or another group that needs a speaker. So whether you are PAID or not, every speech is the best marketing for a speaker. Because when the first one is free, the second has the fee!

In addition, a verified association will provide opportunities for you to speak all over the country. If the Virginia Association of _ < insert association name >_ has several local chapters and a state conference, then it is very, very likely that so will California, Texas, Indiana, New York, Florida, North Carolina, etc. A properly qualified and verified target association will have a state association model that you can replicate for most every state across the country. This is another reason why focusing on the right target association should keep you busy enough.

Does this make sense for you? If not, re-read this module because this blueprint is extremely important for your future speaking business. If you end up not verifying associations properly, you’ll be investing time in groups who don’t have the events to hire you or the ability to pay you for speaking. Most of my speaker coaching clients who initially struggle, even the ones who speak fairly well, do so because they haven’t identified the right target association groups. Once I help them weed through groups with a focused lens of seeking out structure and events, they quickly find more momentum…and speaking opportunities! So contact me right now if this process does not make crystal clear sense for you.

Speaker Caution: Do not select a target group or association outside your expertise just because it is highly regulated and meets the structure and events criteria I’ve outlined. You must be a specific problem-solver (Module 2) and have a presentation relevant for the group you are speaking to. Module 2 comes before Module 3 for this reason! You must be Ready before you Aim and Fire! However, after completing this module you might need to take some time to review Module 2 again.

To help you verify structure of your own target association, I recommend you start with internet research. Your goal is to identify local and statewide chapters and find out when and where they meet. If you cannot find more than two or three groups within your state, then focus on a different association. Assuming you do find several groups within your state, now explore whether they have monthly or quarterly meeting events. If they do, they very likely bring in speakers. If there are several groups locally or within the same state, which is even more ideal, they likely host a conference, annual meeting and training events where they bring in speakers. Assuming you are able to verify this, then seek out what that speaker selection process looks like. Usually this information is online.

You can also, and should, attend their next meeting to network with their leadership who brings in those speakers and begin building trust and likeability. Invest your time with them upfront and you’ll likely be asked to speak once they know who you are. Asking to speak upfront might turn them off. It’s a delicate dance of knowing who goes first. Start with cultivating the relationship. Be a giver, not a taker.

When you visit this group’s next meeting, you’ll likely determine whether there is a fit and if it is a group you should actually join as a member. If you speak to marketing organizations, keeping to my example, then why not join the local marketing association chapter and network with other marketing professionals? You do not necessarily need to be a member of your target industry association to speak at their events, but it could certainly help. The bigger, most important factor is your expertise and how it is relevant and helpful for that group.

I am shocked that more of my speaker colleagues do not have a blueprint like the one I have just shared with you. Meaning, they do not focus on an industry specific association model. Their target groups are scattered and they do not follow a state association model. Most speakers struggle until they either quit or break through. It’s impossible to dabble in speaking for too long, especially when you are treating it like a full business. However, I do believe that success will come if you follow the roadmap I’ve laid out for you. It’s worked for me in nearly every target association and it’s worked for dozens of other speakers I have coached.

Example: I became involved with and joined my local meeting planners organization (MPI). This group is comprised of professional meeting planners and suppliers who coordinate big events for companies and associations. This means they book speakers! MPI doesn’t have an extensive local structure, but they do have a statewide structure. Moreover, they are the ideal professional for me to be connected with and speak in front of. So after the second chapter meeting, I joined the association. During the third chapter meeting, I was asked to lead a committee. By the fourth meeting I had gotten to know all the leaders on the Executive Council and had been asked to keynote their statewide annual conference. And once I keynoted that state conference, I leveraged that experience to contact other state associations and spoke for their conferences as well. During all of this, I was always one of the very few speakers who attended these local chapter meetings and state conferences. It made no sense to me why other speakers were not there at these meetings. In a way though, I am glad they weren’t!

In summary, once you identify the local associations for your target industry, look at how they are structured. If you find a local chapter in your community, then this organization likely has numerous sister chapters within the state where you could speak. You could inquire immediately about speaking opportunities outside your local chapter through these sister chapters. If they know you had spoken for another chapter and had excellent reviews, you’d have a good chance of being considered for speaking to them as well. Also, if you use a bit of their ‘lingo’ in your conversation and email messages, and include a testimonial, your chances of being selected to speak are even better. There should also be a state association, a regional association and a national/international association – all of whom have conferences and trainings and seek speakers.

This blueprint state association model - system really - has been my secret sauce roadmap for not just finding opportunities and getting found, but also getting booked to speak – and PAID. Within one association alone, you could have your entire year of speaking all booked! This is how I launched into corporate, professional speaking. This is what Kirk, my speaker coach, helped me learn how to do many years ago as I shared in the Preface. Now I’m sharing it with you step-by-step. It’s time we put this model to work for you…

List some of the broad industry professions you desire to speak to:

(for example: accountants, human resources, marketing, college students, teachers, military, lawyers, financial services, real estate, parents, grocers, etc., etc., etc.)

If you are struggling with types of groups and industries, then just ask yourself, who are the groups of people I want to help? Who are the groups my content is most applicable and relevant for?

This might be difficult but select just one of those groups/industries and list below. This will be your target industry. Yes, select just one:

Now, do some internet research and type in the name of this industry from above in the search toolbar. Then, below, write down the names of the first five associations that appear once you hit ‘enter.’ (Note: I recommend you skip over the sponsored ad groups that might appear at the top)

Now what you will need to do is verify all the associations in your top five list to confirm which one is best in having most clear local and national structure and events. You definitely will need to do this on a separate sheet of paper. Start with looking for structure on their website. Often this tab is located under ‘About’ or ‘Membership,’ or ‘Communities.’ When you find the right tab, simply investigate for chapters near you and how many are in your state. You are hoping to find several. If you have experience in your target industry, or know someone with experience you can ask, finding the best target association should be quick and easy.

Investigating your top five associations in order to find the best one should take some time. Whether that time is an hour or several, several hours is up to you. I could help you in just a few clicks during a coaching call, so contact me for help if needed. Do not expect this to be easy. It can feel daunting and overwhelming, especially if your target industry is large and has numerous associations that belong to it. From my experience though, most industries have two or three premier associations that belong to it. Your job is to find the best one to start off. Focus and chase just one squirrel at a time.

Example: If you selected human resources as your target industry, then you should have both identified and verified that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is your target association. This is the website where you can view there are numerous chapters within every state as well as state chapters and state conferences: www.shrm.org/Membership/communities/chapters/Pages/default.aspx. For events, click the far right tab on their website (www.shrm.org) and their state conferences are nicely organized here: www.shrm.org/Events/Pages/State--Affiliate-Conferences.aspx. Clearly, SHRM is a verifiable and premier target association if, and only if, human resources is your target industry.

Speaker Caution: Do not select SHRM just because it is a group I used and is previously verified. Only select SHRM if indeed it is the most suitable association for you and your program.

Speaker Caution: Do not speed through this process. Invest all the time you need because the remaining portion of Module 3 relies on you identifying and verifying your target association. Contact me for help.

Of those first five associations you identified, write them down below in order of priority preference. #1 should be the best verified association and #5 (if applicable) should be least verified.

#1 from above will be your target association that you have identified having the best structure and events. Write down below the name of this association:

(Note: you will not forget about associations #2 - #5. After completing Module 3, you can repeat the same process you’re about to experience with those associations. You can also repeat this entire process with new industries.)

Write below the website for the association’s local chapter. Also write down how often this chapter meets (i.e. monthly, quarterly, etc.) as well as when/where their next meeting is:

Now mark this date on your calendar and RSVP for the next chapter meeting. After you RSVP on their website, identify the leadership contacts for this group and send an email to the President, President Elect, and Membership Chair stating that you are a first-time guest and look forward to meeting them. That’s it. Include nothing else in your initial email. Ensure that your message signature lists what you do and your website, if applicable.

Be subtle. Be sweet. Chances are they will look at your website without you asking and notice your signature line indicating that you are a speaker. This drip approach works. You want them asking about you rather you telling them about yourself.

Please, do not continue until you have completed the above tasks.

Assuming you have this chapter event on your schedule, congratulations! You will soon be connected and networking with dozens of professionals in the industry you desire to be booked for speaking!

Speaker Tip: Whether or not you have extensive experience in this association or not, you should do your homework on the association and the local chapter before attending the meeting. Study this group online and write down copious notes. Find their latest state and national conference and look at their list of keynote titles and program descriptions. What are their top issues? Challenges? Buzzwords? How does your program fit? How does your program help them solve problems they face?

By doing your professional homework upfront, by the time you eventually attend that meeting you’ll be well informed and much better to ‘talk shop.’ Be sure to get there early and bring plenty of business cards. Casually meet officers of the group and be sure to also introduce yourself to the VP Programs or whomever it is that books speakers. Just introduce yourself – no more. Afterward, before you leave, tell them how much you enjoyed their event and the speaker. No need to be eager on your first date!

In preparation for this meeting, or afterward, you should stay familiar with the structure and events for this association. For example, how many chapters are within the statewide association? When/Where is their state association conference? Do they have a regional sub-association and/or conference within the association? If so, list those details. Then, list when and where the national or international conference is being held.

Does the association you selected have a statewide association? If so - and they should since they are verified - list the state association’s name below:

Looking at that state association website, how many chapters are within this statewide association? List the names of each chapter below:

By clicking on each chapter’s website within the state association, you will want to identify which person at each chapter makes decisions on speakers. Likely their title will be similar to a VP Programs or the President Elect.

For each chapter, write the name and email for VP Programs/President Elect:

(Note: you should need much more space to write so flip to the end of the module and list in the notes section.)

Once you write this information and know who to contact, you’ll have it organized and ready to fire once you attend that upcoming local chapter meeting. Or if you already have some speaking experience and are confident your speech is great fit for this association, then you do not necessarily need to wait to make contact.

When you are ready to reach out to other chapters, I recommend writing something similar as below via email. You will attach your Speaker One Page as well.

“Hello _____________,

I speak to ________________________ organizations on topics of _____________________________________________ and I help them to _________________________________________________________________________.

Through your _______ website, I noticed that you select speakers for your meetings. I would be honored to present my “____________________________” presentation for your group. Attached is more information about the program, other groups I have previously spoken, testimonials, etc.

I look forward to the opportunity of presenting for your group,

< your signature >

Speaker Tip: Above is just one example and you can tailor. I provide several more examples of outreach emails in “The Vault” including follow up emails that receive high response rates!

If you do not hear back within one week, make a phone call or send a very brief follow-up email. If you do not hear back within another week, pick up the phone. Most of the association leaders are volunteers for their association and work full-time jobs. I keep in mind they are busy people. And remember, they don’t need a speaker until they need a speaker!

When/Where is this association’s state conference?

List the conference ‘Call for Programs’ deadline date:
(Note: you should always submit several proposals – never just one!)

Does this group/association have a regional association and/or conference as well? If so, list that name here along with date, location, and any ‘Call for Programs’ deadline. Plan to submit proposals here too!

List when and where this association’s national or international conference is being held. Include the ‘Call for Programs’ deadline date and plan to submit a presentation.

I have followed this exact process with numerous industries and associations. This blueprint has worked for me each and every time as long as the associations are verified having structure and events. If you are following my roadmap, but not finding success in responses or speaking opportunities, then we can discuss during your complimentary coaching call once you complete this book. I tell readers upfront that if they are working through this book, they should have speaking engagements on their schedule by the time they finish reading! I stand behind my process and I truly want to help you as much as I possibly can. If you decide to read through this book without completing the activities, that’s OK but don’t expect the speaking engagements. You can still schedule your complimentary coaching call with me.

Speaker Tip: As a reminder, once you complete the previous questions for the top #1 association, rinse and repeat for associations #2 - #5 you identified earlier. You can also repeat for additional industries as well. You will find that the majority of industries follow a similar association model structure. Remember, associations make money through memberships and hosting conferences. This means they always have need for speakers!

Should You Speak For FREE?

Now, I know you are wondering, “OK, great, Kevin, but how do I get PAID to speak!?”

Some chapters do pay speakers at their monthly or quarterly events and some do not. Presenting breakout sessions at conferences typically does not pay. However, keynote speakers at those conference very likely do get PAID…and well! This is where you speaking locally and for conference breakout sessions should position you nicely for next year’s state conference keynote!

I’ll discuss how to better monetize these pro bono speaking opportunities in Module 4. For the purposes of this module though, you need to find the appropriate association sandbox first. You must pursue every opportunity possible that puts you in front of the right people who might think, “Wow, this person would be a great speaker for our __< insert their event >__!”

You are much more likely to be invited to speak, and PAID, if your reputation precedes you through referral from prior speaking at a few of the chapter-level groups. When they contact you, you should have a standard speaking fee. Furthermore, when you speak at these association meetings and conferences, you will be in front of dozens, if not hundreds, of different companies. I can think of no better marketing promotion for you than to show high value prospects what you can do for their own organization. This is the genesis of PAID speaking. When your presentation is solid with a powerful Call to Action, you will receive referrals and inquiries. When those inquiries come in, you have a fee. Again, if the first one is free, the second has the fee!

Question: Should you speak for free?

Answer: What do you think?

Yes, speakers SPEAK! Plain and simple. In order to be referred for speaking, someone needs to see you speak. Which comes first, the speaking chicken or the speaking egg? Stop debating…who cares?! Just speak! The more you do it, the more referrals and inquiries you will receive. As you prime your speaking pump, water will flow! If it’s not flowing, then something isn’t working with the pump. If you have verified the association correctly, there is water there. Reach out to me for help.

If 90 percent of my speaking business comes from referral, do you think I still speak for FREE occasionally? Of course, yes, but only when certain criteria are met. I’ll share these criteria with you in Module 4.

Speaking To Colleges

I could write an entire book on college/university speaking and how to get booked – I probably will. There are over 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States alone. You have public and private institutions, colleges and universities, two-year and four-year institutions, proprietary institutions and many more.

From this point forward, when you read the word ‘college’ know that I am referring to all of the types of colleges and universities. Each one has numerous opportunities for speaking and many of them can be PAID at the $2,500 level and beyond. Some college speaking engagements do not pay so you have to know how to avoid those.

As I stated in the Preface of this book, I started off speaking to college students. If you have not read the Preface, I encourage you to do so. It will shed light on how I evolved from ‘fun college speaker’ to ‘professional motivational speaker.’ To date, I have spoken at over 500 colleges. My college speaking fees average $3,500, some more and some slightly less. I encourage you to visit my website to see some of the colleges I’ve been honored to travel: www.kevincsnyder.com/client-summary.

I understand college speaking because Student Affairs is where I started my professional career. Before I resigned being a Dean of Students at High Point University to launch into speaking, I also taught as Adjunct faculty at several colleges and held several different positions. I have a significant advantage in understanding the college speaking niche, just as you do in your own industry niche. So if you have a desire to speak to college students or faculty/staff, or all the above, then you just need to know how to find speaking opportunities, who to outreach to and how to outreach.

Speaking to colleges will require a learning curve but do not get frustrated. Just focus. Once you understand how one college is structured and the types of groups that you could possibly be booked by, know that most colleges are structured in a similar way. Depending on the type of institution and size, there will be variation, but for the most part you will understand the most important elements.

If you attended college, think back to how you enrolled and what you were involved with during your time in college. If it’s been a long time since, and you have children who are attending or attended college, think of them. There was an Admissions Open House or campus tour. Once admitted, there was Orientation. After Orientation there was Campus Activities Week. Depending on the types of organization(s) on campus, there were fraternity and sorority organizations, Student Government events, a variety of campus programs, student leadership conferences, activities sponsored by Resident Advisors and Hall Governments, Homecoming events, Athletic events, guest speakers in classes, Lecture Series, Faculty/Staff events, Parents Weekends, all sorts of Awareness Weeks which included topics such as ‘Safe Spring Break Week’ and ‘Alcohol Awareness Week.’ At the beginning of each semester there were officer trainings, and at the end of each semester, there were awards banquets and leadership dinners of all types.

The speaking events and groups above are just a short list of just some of the collegiate organizations which have booked me to speak. I am also proud to be on the roster for CAMPUSPEAK, a collegiate speakers bureau. They help represent me to these colleges but I also invest my own time attending various student conferences so students and faculty/staff can see me in action.

Speaker Tip: If you desire to speak to college students, I recommend you visit www.CAMPUSPEAK.com/snyder or www.kevincsnyder.com/college-university. Observe my speech titles and how they are tailored differently than my professional speaking titles.

The question you need to ask yourself is, if interested in collegiate speaking, “What is the type of collegiate group I want to speak to?” Do you have a specific group in mind or do you feel that any type of college group could book you for speaking?

If you feel that any type of college group could book you for speaking, then unfortunately you are mistaken. The process for speaking to collegiate groups is very similar to professional groups. You must know, and verify, the specific association within your target industry. This means you have to know the specific type of type of student association within the collegiate industry. Yes, perhaps your message can appeal to several different college groups, but you have to focus with college speaking just as you would with professional speaking.

For example, below are specific groups you should consider:

• College freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students

• Student Life departments

(Student leadership, student government, fraternities and sororities, peer educators, resident advisors, etc.)

• Academic Departments

(Business, Marketing, Communications, Education, Political Science, etc.)

• College athletes

• Admissions departments and events

• Orientation Services

• Residential Life or Housing

• Faculty

• Staff

• Lecture Series

Similar to researching your professional associations, identifying the contact in each respective area is just a few clicks away on the college and/or college association’s website. Do some research on your own. Select a college and look at their website. You will quickly see that the type of group you desire to speak to has events listed throughout the year where you could be PAID to speak! Once you know who these contacts are, I recommend you reach out to them and share your Speaker One Page which should be tailored for the collegiate industry. If you are unsure how to tailor your presentation toward a collegiate group, then do research on the Internet to better understand the issues and challenges they face. You can also contact me. Also, since colleges are one of my expert niches, we can discuss this during your coaching call once you complete this book.

Once you identify the type of collegiate group you want to speak to, know that this group very likely has its own state and national association as well, both professionally and for the students. Typically, the professional association is nationwide and they host an annual conference. The student conferences tend to be more regionally based. All of these conferences hire multiple keynote speakers per event and also accept ‘Call for Programs’ proposals!

It is extremely important for you to focus on your ideal collegiate audience. For example, let’s assume you wanted to talk with collegiate women. Even that’s too broad because you need to know what ‘type’ of collegiate woman would most benefit from your presentation? For example, collegiate women athletes? Collegiate sorority women? First year collegiate women? Collegiate women seniors? Etc.

Keeping it broad to collegiate woman for right now, and performing a quick Google search, I recommend you consider the following groups:

Panhellenic Associations (i.e. sororities)

National Association of Collegiate Women

American Association of Collegiate Women

University Women Centers

National Association of University Women

National Association of College Women

American Association for Women in Community Colleges

The American Collegiate Women’s Association

Some of these groups are campus based at each college and some are more association based and only host regional and national conferences. After a bit of review and homework on your part, you should be able to quickly determine which student group is most suitable for you. When you do speak at association conferences, you will likely be speaking in front of hundreds of campuses being represented, each with the potential of saying to themselves, “Wow, this speaker is great. We need to bring them to our campus!”

Speaker Tip: In my speaker coaching, I invest considerable time to help speakers become very clear on their target audience. Again, the clearer the ideal audience, the clearer it is to find them and then reach out to them for speaking opportunities…and be found! You can do this alone, but you don’t have to. Reach out if I can help!

If collegiate speaking is of interest to you, list below the specific college groups you feel your presentation is most suited for:

Of those groups, which college group are you going to focus on?

Getting Referrals & Inquiries Yet?

Let’s assume you have been working through this book and been speaking for groups in your target association. Or perhaps you’ve been speaking anywhere and everywhere you can for experience while you’re sorting out your program and your ideal audience. Either way, congratulations! You are successfully finding speaking opportunities, but are you getting PAID yet? Are referrals and inquiries coming in afterwards? If the answer to either question is ‘no,’ then now is the time to reflect and adapt. Now is the time to make some tweaks so you can earn PAID speaking gigs.

This is a common scenario, so if this is how you feel then know you are not alone. Not every speech is in front of people who have authority to book speakers. To help you build momentum to getting PAID speaking engagements though, let’s dissect what might be happening. First, answer the question for yourself. Meaning, why do you think you’re not getting referrals or inquiries after speaking? What feedback have you been getting from these previous speeches? Or have you been getting any feedback at all?

If you have been speaking but have not been receiving referrals and spin-off inquiries, I would encourage you to review Modules 1 and 2 again. The content in these modules is commonly where your answer will be found.

You must reflect closely on what problem you are helping attendees solve, your Call to Action and the overall effectiveness of your presentation whether that be in content or delivery – or both. Something is likely missing or not powerful enough in the content you are sharing. This is within your control and what can you also strengthen. As I’ve written several times in this book, people don’t need a speaker until they need a speaker! So perhaps things might change for you in the next few weeks or months.

Also, not receiving inquiries could also mean you are not speaking in front of decision makers, maybe you aren’t building your contact list or staying in touch (Module 4 and 5), or perhaps you are not planting the right seeds to ensure they know that this is your business of speaking. Let them know you speak for a living! I can’t tell you many times when I spoke early on and attendees would come up to me afterward asking, “So do you travel to speak?” I wanted to bang my head against the wall. “Of course I do!” I would think to myself, “Why they would ask me that?”

Well, the problem was with me and in my presentation design. I modified my presentation accordingly and no longer get that question because the examples I use in my presentation are from my speaking travels and how groups have applied my content to get different results.

If you’re not getting good feedback or you’re not getting spin-off speaking business from each speech – whether you’re PAID or not - it is impossible for me to provide a proper prescription for you without an accurate diagnosis. I would need to see your outline and watch you speak in action to identify further recommendations. Once again, contact me. Show me your Speaker Storyboard (Module 2). Revisit Module 2 carefully and be sure you are ready to speak. Are you building your contact list and keeping in touch properly? I’ll be sharing tips about this shortly. Remember, Ready, Aim, Fire!

You should always be asking for feedback from others as well. Invite people to watch you speak – provide them with my Speech Review Form (Module 2) and ask for feedback. Befriend a fellow speaker and ask them to watch you speak – ask for feedback. Develop a relationship with an attendee who just saw you speak – ask for feedback. Record your next speech – ask yourself for feedback based on what you observe. Watch yourself with audio on and off. Send me that video of you speaking – ask me for feedback.

There are so many ways to get feedback. If you do not ask, you will never know. If you have been choosing to just keep speaking while not asking yourself and others how you can improve, how has that approach been working for you? Chances are, with all due respect, it hasn’t been working at all. So it’s time to make a change and chart a new course. This is within your control.

I was not a good speaker when I first started speaking. But I was coachable and always wanting to grow and improve my speaking. I embraced the need to get better and sought coaching to help me do just that. Still to this day, I ask for feedback every time I speak. I provide a short, two-question evaluation to people that talk with me after a speech. I also provide numerous ways for my audiences to share feedback with me which you learn about shortly.

Ask yourself again, why do you feel you have not been receiving inquiries and feedback on your previous speaking engagements? Do you need more practice? Is your content relevant and actionable for the audience? Is the audience engaged? Is the issue perhaps your delivery style? Does your PowerPoint look like junk? Are you still looking at notes? Or perhaps the attendees you are speaking to are not decision makers? The group you thought you had verified as your ideal audience actually isn’t.

Any of these questions above could be a factor explaining why the referrals and spin-off inquiries are not flowing after you speak. You need to find out why. Get feedback. Continually improve.

If referrals and inquiries are not coming in yet, why do you think that is? What do you think you need to do?

Do You Keep In Touch?

Another reason inquiries and referrals may not be coming in is that you do not have a system for building your contact list and keeping in touch with attendees – whether they keep in touch with you or you keep in touch with them. This could be through social media, your blog, a follow up email you send them, your newsletter and other means of communication.

Always be thinking about ways for an attendee to find you weeks, months or even years later. Attendees during your current and previous speaking engagements will likely not have a speaker need tomorrow or next month, but they likely will at some point in the future. If you have a system of keeping in touch and you have built a solid list of contacts within your target industry, you will not be forgotten. Below are tips on how you can, and should, develop your system.

When I speak, I provide several ways for attendees to connect with me. First, since social media is currently very popular, I add @KevinCSnyder to the bottom of every third PowerPoint slide in addition to a customized event hashtag. As incentive for them to post, I announce a social media competition (usually Twitter) that rewards the top ‘Tweeter’ with a free book at the end of my presentation. Towards the conclusion of the event, during a video, I review the posts on the hashtag. Or I might event ask the meeting planner who hired me to do this. After the presentation, I also ensure that I reply to direct messages and follow those individuals who have tweeted. Typically, if these individuals are not following me already by that time, they will follow me back when they are notified that I am following them. At the conclusion of my presentation, I also have a slide with all my social media information and encourage them to follow me to stay in touch. I have thousands and thousands of followers for this reason. Speakers have incredible exposure opportunities that can be used to successfully build their contact lists quickly and efficiently.

If you are not familiar with social media, you are missing incredible connection opportunities with your audience. I have booked speaking gigs through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. You can visit YouTube for a tutorial on any of these social media platforms. Five years from now there will be new ones. Simply type in ‘Tutorial and __< insert what you want to learn >_’ and you can find anything you need to learn more about!

Second, on the bottom of every handout, I list my contact information including email, social media usernames (which are all ‘KevinCSnyder’) and my website. You want to ensure they have your information and provide options for how attendees can keep in touch with you.

Third, I provide a quarterflier or evaluation that provides my contact information and asks for their feedback and a testimonial. I have found massive success with this process. Especially when I am at a table after a presentation or doing a book signing, I ask everyone who visits me at the table to complete a short evaluation. And they do it, providing me with helpful feedback, a testimonial, and most importantly, their contact information so I can add them to my newsletter and we keep in touch in perpetuity!

Remember, you are giving away in order to receive. Attendees are less likely to give you their email or subscribe to your newsletter, for example, unless you are giving them something of perceived value such as your presentation slides, a free tip sheet, a white paper, an e-book, etc. The key to building your list is by giving away something helpful and informative. Give to get.

Speaker Tip: I have more examples of everything I use in my own speaking business such as evaluations, handouts, sample presentation slides, and much more. This way you have examples of everything I write about this book and templates to make your own! Visit “The Vault” for more details at www.paidtospeak.biz/vault.

Fourth, when I do receive attendee names and emails from the handout or quarterflier, I connect with them on LinkedIn within 24 hours. This allows me to stay in touch with them via LinkedIn in perpetuity and it allows them to see my posts in the future. They are much more likely to accept my LinkedIn request if I connect quickly.

Think about this approach and timeline from an attendee’s perspective. If they are hearing you at a conference, they likely also heard dozens of other speakers. Hopefully your presentation made an impact (Module 1 and 2) but with so much going on, expecting them to remember you on top of all the other speakers is not a good assumption. You are the one who needs to connect – and quickly. When you do, include some point from your presentation so they remember and connect you with your message. By doing so, you show professionalism and you stand out among the rest. Surprisingly, most speakers do not do this.

Fifth, within 24 hours I also send attendees who provided me with their email whatever it was I promised to send, i.e. an e-book, article, video link, an activity, white paper, my presentation handout, or whatever it was that I promised. Waiting beyond this time window is destructive for you and your speaking brand. The longer you wait, the sooner they forget you and get back to being busy. You want to schedule time that same evening or early that next morning in order to specifically thank them for attending your session. Don’t have time? Either make time or hire someone. Remember, this is what successful speakers do. It’s business strategy.

In your follow-up email message you also include the item you promised to send. That message could look like this:

Thank you so much for attending yesterday’s session on ____________________. It was a privilege speaking for you and I look forward to staying in touch!

As promised, I am sending you a free copy of my best-selling book, ‘Think Differently To Achieve Success!’ Simply click here to download your free copy. You have my permission to share with others as well. If you enjoyed the presentation, you will enjoy this book.

I would like to stay in touch. Thank you and make it a PASSIONATE day!

< insert email signature here >

Important: On this first email, you do not want to promote yourself. You only want to give them what you promised. They will expect you to promote yourself. This is one of the very few times you do not want to meet their expectation! In fact, you should rarely promote yourself. Rather, let your speaking style and its content promote itself. When you share and post great content, your readers will appreciate YOU! Share CONTENT. Most speakers get this wrong.

Again, and surprisingly, most speakers do not follow up. When I’m at a conference listening to a speaker who promises to send me something by visiting their website or subscribing to them, I do what they ask to test how quickly they follow through. Some might follow up a few days or weeks later and some never follow up at all. Point is, none follow up as quickly as I do. The key is to follow up and follow through quickly while their audience memory is fresh. They will be impressed!

Sixth, I provide a free copy of one of my books on my website that audiences can instantly download via a pop-up opt-in. I mention this during my presentation two, maybe three times as a reminder. By the time I am finished speaking, I should have dozens of email notifications for each new opt-in subscriber. These subscribers simply provided me with their email to download their free book. Now they are in my contact list for future newsletters in perpetuity unless they opt-out. Creating an opt-in pop-up on your website is very easy to do. Whoever designs your website can provide this quickly and easily.

Below is a screen shot of my email from a recent presentation. Of the 250 attendees that day, 86 subscribed for my free book during the presentation!

List below how you plan on keeping in touch with attendees during and after your presentation:

What do you plan on giving away in order to receive their contact information?

Share Your Content

As I briefly stated above, let your content be your brand and messenger. If you are not sharing content in a variety of different ways, such as blogs or social media posts, then you are missing out on opportunities to build your contact list and then connect with them. More importantly, you are missing out on an excellent strategy for attendees to remember you. You can share content through a variety of social media platforms - by blogging, replying and contributing to other blog postings, writing for industry publications, sending a newsletter, etc.

By sharing content, you are earning free marketing. I would much rather invest one or two hours to write a newsletter or an article for an industry publication than to spend $500-$1,000 on advertising in that same magazine. In fact, you could even receive complimentary advertising space by writing an article for your target association. The possibilities are numerous. Just know they exist and then look for them.

I enjoy sharing relevant articles, commenting on other’s articles and blog posts, sharing trending content, adding a funny video clip, attaching a motivational picture, sharing a relevant industry quote or statistic, etc. I post items each week on social media and I also send out my e-newsletter every two or three weeks. This does not take long and it is extremely effective to stay in touch by sharing content.

Some speakers utilize an instant text-to-subscribe feature. I did this at one point as well before offering my book as a free download on my website. For example, I used to have audience members text the word KEVINCSNYDER to #22828. Audience members would receive an autoreply confirmation and be added to my list while I was still speaking! My email platform was Constant Contact. Mailchimp is another common platform. I don’t use an instant text-to-subscribe feature any longer. Instead, I reference my website, www.KevinCSnyder.com, where they input their email to receive a free copy of my book immediately.

Speaker Tip: Connect with me on social media to see and follow how I share content and keep in touch. Feel free to model it. Visit my website at www.KevinCSnyder.com and enter your email at the pop-up to experience how I leverage my book to build my contact list as well.

Even if you are starting from scratch right now, start somewhere. You will be glad you did six months from now. Or perhaps you already share content frequently. If you are already a frequent content generator, how can you take it to the next level? How can you brand yourself even better as an expert on a topic by sharing more content about it? Food for thought.

What is your strategy for sharing content and what media/platforms will you use?

Google Alerts

Google Alerts are a way for numerous speaking opportunities to find you. You set up keywords and phrases, such as ‘Marketing and Keynote Speaker Wanted,’ and then anytime Google finds that announcement posted online, you receive an automated email – called a Google Alert. Each alert is one particular keyword or short phrase. The alert is up to you. You decide what the word or phrase is. You can set up as many different alerts as you wish. This strategy is simple and effective. I have received many speaking bookings through Google Alerts.

To help you set up your own Google Alerts, reflect on the popular words and phrases used in the types of speaking announcements you are most interested in. You can edit, delete, or add alerts whenever you like. You also can dictate how often you desire to receive the alerts; daily via one email, separately for each alert, weekly, etc. I recommend a daily email for each alert so you can respond in a timely manner.

I also have my own name as a Google Alert – which I recommend you do as well. You want to know when your name pops up on the internet! Simply visit www.google.com/alerts to learn more and get started.

List below the phrases and keywords that would best describe the speaking opportunities you are looking for:

Website

Do you have a website for your speaking yet? If yes, how would you rank your site on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being ‘cr*p’ and 10 being ‘amazing?’ How would others rank your site? Unless you and others unanimously agree that your site is a solid 10, you have work to do.

This segment will not focus on website creation, SEO, or what an ideal website should look like – that is not my forte - but you just need to determine whether your website is helping or hurting your speaking aspirations.

Speaker Tip: Meeting planners and event organizers often select the speaker they want by ruling out the speakers they don’t want. Speakers are always being compared against other speakers, so if a speaker doesn’t have a website and/or demo video for meeting planners to review but other speakers being considered do, then that speaker likely will not be selected. They could even be the better speaker!

If you do not have a website yet but have been diligently working through this book, then now is the time to begin compiling the text, pictures and outline for your website. Although I have not focused on websites until now, it’s time to recognize that the big players, meeting planners and conference organizers who PAY speakers significantly will be needing to see a website and speaker demo video. If you do not have a website, or do not have one that you are proud about, it’s OK. You likely have numerous friends and contacts who do website design. Or contact me for a few resources to get your site made < $1,000 including videos and blog features. You do not need a website to get started speaking but you need a website to make money and grow your speaking business.

If you have someone else designing your website, all you need to focus on is a general idea for what you would like your website to look like. I recommend that you study other speaker’s websites and send examples of what you like and don’t like to your website designer. From that point on, all you need to focus on is the website content. At minimum, you want to have the following items in your website:

• About you page

• Programs page

• Client summary with testimonials page

• Demo videos

• Blog page

• For meeting planners

• Contact page for inquiries

I encourage you to weave pictures, a few testimonials and a few demo videos of your speaking throughout your website as well. You also will want to have a products page if you have products to sell or give away. Other features, like a resources tab, would be an additional recommendation.

I have both a products page and a free resources page. I reference my resources page to share my presentation material with audiences.

I frequently hear about speakers who pay fifteen or twenty thousand dollars for a website. This baffles me. Even after looking at their site, expecting to be “Wow’d,” I am not. Websites do not need to be that expensive unless you have extensive infrastructure for course access you might be offering.

Speaker Tip: I highly recommend you visit my website to look at all the elements I’ve included in mine – www.KevinCSnyder.com. Also, study the website of other speakers you want to be like. Model their layout and content elements. No need to recreate the wheel!

Note: If you’re on a serious budget, I recommend Wix.com. I built www.PAIDtoSPEAK,biz on Wix.com and it took me just one weekend. However, compare that site to www.KevinCSnyder.com which was professionally done…you’ll likely notice a difference. The reason I decided to do www.PAIDtoSPEAK,biz on my own was because I knew I would be adding content constantly. I wanted access 24-7.

Now is the time to either begin compiling your content for your first website or to assess your current website objectively and get needed changes made immediately. If you have been working through this book, you should already have the majority of text content needed. When you actually start speaking, you have the opportunity to build your client summary, compile testimonials, get professional pictures taken, record clips for your demo video, and much more. By approaching your first pro bono speaking engagements in this manner, you should have everything you need to compete with a professional speaker! Your website needs to rank at least a 7 or 8 on a 10-point scale if you want to be realistic about earning PAID speaking engagements.

Speaker Tip: Every free, pro bono, speaking engagement is yet another client and additional opportunity to obtain testimonials, speaking pictures, and obtain clips for your future speaking demo video. Whatever you do not have yet for your speaking business you can obtain for free by speaking for free!

Do you have a website? If not, what is holding you back from beginning to draft content, compile images and begin building one this weekend?

If you have a website, how would you rank it on a scale of 1-10? What elements need to be improved? What is missing?

Who is someone that can help you get your website created or up to speed?

Module 3 Review

In this module, you have learned:

• how to find speaking opportunities and how to be found

• the process for verifying your target association and audiences

• how to connect with that association and get involved

• the various groups of college students you could speak for

• tips for building your contact list and staying in touch with audiences

• techniques to build your brand through sharing and creating content

• how to use Google Alerts so speaking opportunities find you

• the importance of a website as it relates to PAID speaking

• which elements to include for your website and how to get them

If you have completed all the reflective questions, then congratulations! You are ready for Module 4, Getting PAID! The checklist on the next page will help ensure you have completed each question.

If you have checked ‘YES’ on all the items, proceed to Module 4!

** As a reminder, I have provided a free worksheet for each Module to help you work through the most important exercises. Visit www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets to download (password: paidtospeak). If you find yourself stuck or need some help working through any module, reach out to me for help or questions. I offer discounted coaching for readers of this book! Also, check out “The Vault” on www.paidtospeak.biz/vault. “The Vault” is extremely valuable for samples in Modules 3 and 4!

NOTES

MODULE 4:

GETTING PAID

If the first one is FREE, the second has the FEE!

I have written this phrase several times already, but let’s dive deeper into its meaning and how it should benefit you when applied. If I found or had an opportunity to speak but was told there was no speaker budget, then I might consider that pro bono, waived fee, speech as a marketing opportunity. I will not pass up an opportunity to speak as long as the speech is in front of my target audience (Module 3) and I am available within a reasonable amount of time. Referrals and spin-off inquiries will result if my presentation is good enough and delivers the impact that it should.

The challenge when agreeing to a pro bono speaking engagement is what you will do if a conflicting PAID opportunity comes along? For me, I do not agree to pro bono opportunities more than two months out. It is very, very bad business to cancel a speaking gig, whether PAID or unPAID. However, sometimes the circumstances might be too tempting to pass up the opportunity – especially when you are starting out. If you do agree to speak without payment, I recommend providing a statement or clause in your contract that simply informs the meeting planner of this dilemma and how you will handle it. When they read this clause, they might change their mind and creatively find funds for you.

Moreover, as I’ve written about already, there are many ways to monetize value and future speaking gigs from a pro bono speech. Not only are you gaining experience and being visible so others know about you, but you are adding a new client for your client summary, building contacts, adding testimonials, getting video, selling books, selling your program (if available), receiving advertising space in their publication and more. Is that not what you want regardless if you are getting PAID? Answer should be “yes!”

Speaker Tip: Always provide a speaking contract whether PAID or unPAID and include clauses to ensure all parties are in agreement for what is being exchanged and expected. If you plan to have a professional photographer or videographer present, include that in the contract. If you plan to sell books, include it. If the client has agreed to provide you with a testimonial, include that.

I know speakers who claim they would never speak pro bono. These same folks wonder why they are not getting referrals and desired results in their speaking business six months later. Any successful speaker who says they do not speak for free is likely not telling the truth. Speakers SPEAK to get speaking business! It is impossible to get a referral for speaking if you aren’t speaking. Remember, 90 percent of my speaking business comes from direct referral and people who have seen me speak.

You might be thinking, “OK, I agree, Kevin, but I cannot speak for free all the time. I need to get PAID!”

You are exactly correct and I understand. This is where the association model approach I referenced in Module 3 comes into practice. What I love about associations is that once you get to the conference level, whether that be state, regional, national, or international, they likely pay very well and at the $5,000 - $15,000 range. An experienced conference organizer or meeting planner knows that a good speaker costs money and they have a budget to pay for speakers through attendee registration fees.

As you may have felt while reading Module 3, building your speaking business to get to the state or national level doesn’t happen overnight. Speaking to at least one, if not a few, local association chapters of your target association will serve you well. Your reputation will proceed you and they will be contacting you because they know you are good and can deliver when it counts most – their state conference! Once you speak at your first state conference, getting PAID and delivering well, you have leverage to speak at several more state conferences. Once you speak at several state conferences, then expect your next level to be at the national and international conference. Once you are in with an industry, you earn the speaker fee desired and you can continually increase it. Once I keynote two different state conferences for a particular association, my speaking fees increase 25 percent.

From your work in Module 3, you know your target association. With that association in mind, write below three(3) different state conferences where you can set a goal for speaking:

With your target association in mind, write below at least one of its national conferences where you can set a goal for speaking:

How do you know When to Charge for a Speech?

I have four simple criteria that help me quickly determine my speaking fee, sometimes called a speaking honorarium:

(1) Is this person contacting me? (as compared to me contacting them)

(2) Has this person seen me speak or been referred by someone who has?

(3) Is this speaking opportunity at a conference where attendees pay to attend?

(4) Is this a new industry I want to explore?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to the first three questions, then my proposal will require my full standard speaking fee. If they are contacting me, have seen me speak (or been referred to me by someone who has seen me speak) and are charging a registration fee, then I have leverage. The only reason I would consider discounting my speaking fee is if they were a new industry I wanted to tap into, and they were upfront about having a limited budget (and I confirmed this through my own homework). I would not want to risk losing the speaking opportunity to get inside a new lucrative industry that was of interest to me.

Example: Several years ago I had spoken locally for a CPA group. I had discounted my speaking fee because they were upfront about not having the local budget available to pay my full honorarium. This was also a new industry for me at the time. I agreed to speak but I ensured they understood they were getting a one-time discount and that my fee had to be kept confidential. The speaking gig went extremely well and the meeting planner just so happened to be the individual responsible for finding speakers at several other regional conferences later that year! They asked me to speak at two of those conferences and PAID my full fee. Those opportunities put me in front of more than five hundred CPAs throughout several states which led into additional bookings as well.

During one of those regional conferences, I was approached about speaking at one particular state conference. They were upfront about not paying their speakers. Instead, they tried to convince me that my payment was the ‘exposure.’ However, knowing they met all three of my personal criteria for charging my full speaking fee, see #1-3 on prior page, I was reluctant to waive my fee. Before responding back to them, I did my homework and looked online to find the website for this conference. I was pleased to see they were charging $499 per attendee!

I delicately responded back to their inquiry and thanked them for contacting me. I included my Speaker One Page, a link to my website and a sample video from the regional conference they had seen me present. I then indicated that I always do my best to work with reasonable budgets; however, my normal daily speaking honorarium was _< $ my full fee >. I also informed them that my honorarium included a full day of availability, additional breakout presentations, 50 complimentary copies of my book, and an unlimited e-book download for all attendees.

I front-loaded value for them. I did not know it at the time, but my response and additional value also stood out amongst my speaker competition - the other speakers they were considering. They were asking me for a keynote presentation and the proposal they received back included options for a whole lot more. When they realized I could facilitate additional speaking sessions, it meant less work for them to find additional speakers. Also, by offering my complimentary book, this added value for attendees. The final result was that we negotiated a speaking fee pleasing to me that was $8,500 more than what they initially stated they had. Interesting?

In your conversations and in your contracts, you must state a confidentiality clause about your speaking fee. Meeting planners and conference organizers talk, understandably and they should, but your fee is conditional on circumstances that you determine, not them. When your fee is confidential, only you and the conference organizer or meeting planner know what and if you were paid. This is extremely important not only in your decision to discount any type of fee, but also for future speaking inquiries. All inquiries and conversations about speaking fee are only, and strictly, had by you.

Speaker Tip: Have a daily speaking fee. Speakers are not hourly workers. We are being compensated as experts in specific content knowledge that we’ve crafted and built over a lifetime. Moreover, whether you are speaking for sixty minutes or six hours, your full day is booked. Unless you are speaking in town, it would be impossible for you to be somewhere else on that same day. Therefore, establish a daily speaking fee for yourself and encourage the conference organizer or planner to utilize you as much as possible on that day. Organizers expect speakers to arrive and leave quickly. However, when you express interest in, and options for, maximizing your time, they appreciate that. This reflects positively on you as a professional speaker. I have been approached on numerous occasions by both attendees and organizers and told they noticed, and appreciated, me being so visible before and after my keynote at a conference. Guess where that visibility leads to? You guessed right – more speaking bookings! We’ll discuss this more in Module 5.

When you speak at conferences, offer upfront to facilitate extra sessions as educational breakouts. Conference organizers and meeting planners love this even if there is not a need. Offering yourself to do more not only frontloads your value but also makes them aware you have additional programs. Facilitating additional sessions is beneficial to you because it allows you to be in front of more people at the conference as well. I cannot count how many times this strategy has worked for me and helped secure additional PAID speaking engagements. If my keynote presentation happens to be before the educational breakout session, then I know those who attend the breakout session liked me, enjoyed my presentation, and are excellent prospects to hire me for speaking at their company. If my keynote presentation follows the breakout sessions, then I use the pre-keynote sessions to get my speaking juices flowing and ask lots of open-ended questions to really get to know my audience better and the challenges they specifically face. I’ll incorporate as much of this last-minute intel into my keynote presentation later on. If it were up to me though, I always recommend a breakout session after the keynote.

Speaker Tip: Offer something extra for attendees. As stated above, I offer complimentary copies of books with my full speaking honorarium. If I choose to discount my fee, then I include fewer books. What I love about the arrangement with my book printer is that I can tailor books for the group bringing me to speak. This allows me to offer a welcome letter with their logo on the inside page of the book. This personal touch goes a long, long way for both the conference organizer or meeting planner hiring me as well as the attendees. Having a personalized, tangible takeaway yields golden results later on. Providing a book is the equivalent of them taking you home and talking about you with others. We will talk more about the book in the BONUS section at the conclusion of this book. To see complimentary samples from my customized books, visit www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets (password: paidtospeak).

Speaker Tip: Offer a three-tiered speaking proposal. Most speakers only offer one tier which just includes their speech. When they do this, they end up leaving money on the table. I’ll share more about speaking proposals later in this module.

Which of these speaker tips can work best for you? Why?

List ideas for how you can add value to your speaking fee by offering more than just your speech:

How do you know What to Charge for a Speech?

You should now have a better understanding of when to charge, but how do you know what to charge for speaking? Meaning, what will be your standard speaking fee?

This can be a tough question to answer because part of the answer lies in a sense of self-worth and you feeling ready. And if we’re honest with ourselves, there is also a bit of ego attached to setting speaking fee. Of course we all want to be $10,000 - 20,000 speakers, but are we there yet? What do speakers in the higher fee range do differently than speakers charging $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000? Why do industries pay speakers differently? What is the difference between industries? What does the target association you identified in Module 3 pay speakers? If you do not know, how can you find out? These are all questions I will be helping you answer in this module!

What does the target industry and/or association you selected in Module 3 typically pay a speaker?

If you do not know, what are ways can you find out?

If I were working with you as your coach through this book, this would be an excellent, in-depth conversation for us to talk through and help ensure you were setting your speaking fee correctly upfront and out of the gate. I could also help you know what your selected industries and the associations that belong to them typically pay speakers, if anything. What you don’t want to do is select an industry that can’t afford to pay you.

Although I do have a standard speaking fee with a three-tiered approach, not every group has the ability to pay me the same. There are some groups I know I can charge more and there are some groups I know I will need to discount my speaking fee. Within the same week, I have spoken pro bono, presented another gig for $3,500 and presented another gig for $10,000. What I have discovered is that speaking fee is based on both what your selected industry and event can afford and the psychology attached to it.

Industry: Let’s say, for example, you want to speak at colleges. Unless you are a celebrity or a mainstream author, comedian, actor, or political pundit, your speaking fees will range between $2,500 and $5,000 per speech. These speaking engagements will be for student events as well as groups I previously listed in Module 3, not the marketing club or the political science club, for example. Those clubs will never have the ability to pay you unless they are hosting an event such as a conference and have budget from the Student Government Association to pay you.

Speaker Tip: If you plan to speak to college students, like I did when I first started in speaking, always focus on events such as conferences where they need speakers. Review Module 3 for refresh details.

If you desire to speak to community colleges or Small Business Development Centers, then know upfront that these groups typically have much smaller budgets. Do not expect $5,000. In fact, expect $500 at best. You simply need to know parameters. I italicized typically for a reason because some of these groups can pay a higher fee. Since I earned a Doctorate degree, have experience working in Student Affairs for nearly fifteen years and have spoken for over 400 colleges and universities, I can charge more than most speakers. Often when I speak for a college, I know how to help them find more money to pay my full speaking fee. In short, I help them block-book me and collaborate with other campus departments and/or other local institutions. I can also speak to faculty, staff and students so I might recommend they utilize me for a faculty/staff event in the morning and a student event in the afternoon or evening. When I combine a variety of groups, I combine their budgets too. Make sense?

I am not suggesting you not speak to groups with smaller budgets. Instead, I am recommending that you be realistic and aware of their budget limitations and understand what fee they can afford. Otherwise, you will constantly be frustrated. To know all this you will need to do some homework. Or just schedule a call with me so I can help you and talk this through.

While some professional organizations and industries simply do not have the budget to pay speakers, others commonly do – banking, health care, technology, legal, government groups, national associations, etc. The challenge is not about selecting a high-paying industry and telling them what your speaking fee is hoping they book you. The challenge is sincerely being an expert thought-leader in their industry so you can help them and their employees solve problems and increase their bottom line profit in some way. On a few rare occasions, I have been ‘nickel and dimed’ to speak for high-profile companies, but not by associations at their conferences. This goes back to the structure and event concepts that I explained to you in Module 3. My top recommendation for you is knowing how to verify associations and then focusing on the events for one specific target association at a time.

Psychology: There is both an internal psychology (for you) and perceived psychology (by others) as it relates to speaking fee – and this fascinates me. Envision you have a speaking inquiry for a conference keynote. Whether it’s the meeting planner, conference organizer or member of the planning committee who contacted you, they will be very likely comparing you with several other speakers. Upon their inquiry you send them your information (professional response including your Speaker One Page, website, link to your demo video) and wait patiently. As they begin to review proposals, they narrow down to three speaker finalists. And you’re one of them. They are not sure whom to select though. All speakers seem like a great fit. One speaker’s fee is $10,000, another is $6,500 and your fee is $3,500. What do you feel they might be thinking based on comparing speaking fee of these three speaker finalists? I can guarantee you that a thought held by all of them, and likely spoken, will be, “Well, I really like the $3,500 speaker, but I wonder why they are charging so much less? Maybe they are not as good. Let’s go with the middle speaker < insert other speaker’s name > for $6,500 and buy some of their books too. We’ve budgeted for it.”

This psychology may not make sense to you at first but think about the scenario from the conference organizer or meeting planner perspective. Even with budget in mind, they are always looking for the best speaker. Your speaking fee will be a factor they consider, and your amount and how you position your proposal will be perceived as the quality of you and your speech.

Example: I discounted a speech for a high school athletic conference several years back. In transparency they paid me $2,500 which I was pleased with because it was a huge conference, a new industry and it was held at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas! Of course I would have wanted to charge more, but the event was less than five weeks away. I felt the cost-benefit analysis of me agreeing to speak weighed higher than not speaking and hoping to get booked by another group six months away. So I agreed to do the speaking gig. (Remember, speakers SPEAK!)

After the presentation, one of the adult chaperones approached me and we spoke for several minutes. I will never forget the exact words coming from her mouth, “I’d like to book you for my company. Do you speak for professional groups, and if so, what is your speaking fee?”

I stood there like a deer in headlights. “Ughh, my corporate fee? Well…ughh.” I felt like an idiot because I did not know what to say. At that time, I had not done much corporate speaking.

She asked, “You do speak for corporate groups, don’t you? What is your corporate fee?”

“Most certainly,” I replied. (note: I should have replied, “Absolutely, tell me more about your event.”)

Working through my unprofessional stutter I said, “$5,500 is my speaking fee with corporate clients.” I threw that number out like a dart in the dark. I had no clue what her industry could afford to pay a speaker.

“$5,500?” she confirmed. “OK, send me a contract for $5,500 at this address and we’ll find a date that works for your schedule,” handing me her business card. She then said, “In the future though, you might need to raise your speaking fee because some people in my industry might not think you are as good as I know you are based on your amount. Luckily I just saw you speak. I would have paid whatever you told me.”

Arrghh! I wanted to charge her double after saying that! But I knew I couldn’t and had to honor what I told her. This situation is a perfect example of knowing your industry and the perceived psychology that is attached to a speaking fee. Be prepared. In this example, if I told her my speaking fee was $10,000, or even more, she would have been happy paying that higher fee. I easily missed out on an extra $5,000 or more that day. Some lessons are expensive.

Speaker Tip: When you quote speaking fee, always emphasize that your speaking fee starts at $__________ amount. If you are submitting a three-tiered speaking proposal, you will list option one at base price, option two at a higher, middle price and option three at premium price. Think of it like purchasing a car. Most versions have a standard style, sport version and the luxury model. If groups receiving your speaking proposal have a higher budget than what you quoted, they likely will go with option two or three! Plus, you got the speaking gig and did not leave thousands on the table like I did in the previous example. Make sense?

You do not want to overprice yourself either though. This is a delicate balance and something you must learn how to navigate around. Before I ever quote a speaking fee or send a customized speaking proposal, I state to them both in discussion and in their proposal, that I do my best to work with reasonable budgets. That way at least they know there might be some wiggle room if needed. The ones who can pay do not ask for wiggle room though. They pay the full amount.

Other professional speakers might disagree with me on my previous paragraph. That’s fine because I likely will get their next speaking gig due to their ego-inspired-refusal to work with a client’s budget. I have earned speaking business and beat out fellow professional speakers – even speakers I felt were a better fit for that event - on numerous occasions for this reason alone. If the conference organizer or meeting planner feels the speaker will not budge on price, they will not waste their time to negotiate. Similar to the analogy I shared earlier of buying a car, this process is akin to buying a home! There is usually negotiation regardless of list price. A speaking honorarium often needs to be negotiated so that both parties feel as though they win.

If I am available on a requested date, would I really want to turn down $6,500 even though I proposed $8,000? Or turn down $9,500 even though I offered $12,000? Of course not. Would you?

Remember that your speaking fee carries a perception of your credibility and quality of you and your program. As long as you have done your homework to know your industry and are clear how to verify your target association, you should be setting speaking fee correctly. Do not undervalue yourself but don’t overprice yourself either. Be realistic and leave your ego at the door. Contact me for help and to discuss. Setting speaking fee is a paramount decision for you that will greatly impact your speaking business.

How much do/would you currently charge for a speech right now?

What would you like for this fee to increase to within ONE year?

What do you envision this fee increasing to within THREE years?

Proposals, Contracts and Invoices

It is now time to create templates for your speaking proposal, contract agreement and invoice. I will be sharing a few screenshots of my own documents on the next few pages. You can also access full Word templates inside “The Vault” at www.paidtospeak.biz/vault so you can create your own. If you are working with me through this book, or you decide to now, I will help you create your document templates so you are more likely to get the speaking engagement and maximize your speaking fee! You can do this alone and hope it’s correct, but you don’t have to. I’m here to help.

Let’s first review a typical process for how speaking gigs are commonly booked.

Step 1: Speaking inquiry arrives or you make outreach and they respond.

Step 2: You respond and set up conference call to discuss their needs. (note: see sample “Phone Script” on www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets)

Step 3: After successful call(!), you send a customized three-tiered proposal.

Step 4: After proposal terms are agreed upon, you send contract agreement and invoice.

Step 5: 50 percent of your speaking fee is paid in advance to block the date and confirm your speaking engagement.

Sample Step 1: Speaking inquiry arrives or you make outreach and they respond.

Hi Kevin,

I received your information from my colleague, __________________. She had wonderful things to say about you and her experience in listening to your presentation at the __________________________________. I was inquiring about having you speak at our Annual Business School Awards Symposium.The date is November 12th from 6-8 pm.  Please let me know if you are available and your fee to speak at this event.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Kim __________

Sample Step 2: You respond and set up a conference call to discuss their needs.

Hi Kim,

Great to hear from you! I would be interested in talking with you about this event and learning more about some of your needs. Would a time window this Thursday morning or Friday morning be convenient for you? Also, when you reply if you don’t mind answering a few quick questions:

* Is this request for a keynote speech? Would you like for me to present more than one presentation?

* Do you have a website and/or selected event theme?

* I’ll be happy to share my speaking fee with you. I do my best to work with reasonable budgets. What is your speaker budget, or range?

* Anything else you would like for me to know before we speak?

Thank you!

~ Kevin < signature >

Note: Above is just a sample response and this will likely be tweaked each time depending on the information I already have. My response to them helps me obtain very critical information before our phone conversation. Even though I will be following my phone script during the call, I want to know as much as I can before it takes place. I never just jump on a phone call unprepared. I also never send a speaking proposal or tell them my fee until after we speak on the phone or I at least know they speaker budget. By asking the right questions and knowing more about the event itself – whether through conversation, by my own research, or both – I will have a firm grasp on their speaker budget, whether they are charging attendees, audience size, outcomes they expect, etc.

Speaker Tip: Have a proper inquiry form on your website which asks the right questions upfront. Visit my website for a sample: www.kevincsnyder.com/hire-kevin.

Speaker Tip: During the call itself, it’s always best to keep them talking. Usually the person who talks first, and the most, loses. The best phrase that works in my discussions is, “So tell me more about…”

At some point in the conversation, they will either ask you about your speaking fee or you need to confirm what their speaker budget is. You should already have a sense of their speaker budget and know what types of speakers they have hired in the past from doing your homework. I prefer to be the one who brings up speaking fee, the elephant in the room. If I am bringing up fee, I keep it simple by requesting, “Tell me about your speaker budget for this event.” Even if they have already responded to the question about fee via email, I ask again for confirmation.

I then shut up and listen. Whatever next comes out of their mouth will determine what my proposal looks like which I will send to them afterward. I have lost speaking engagements because I didn’t know a prospective client’s budget before submitting a proposal and either underpriced or overpriced myself. I have also lost out on thousands of dollars because I underpriced myself. Point is, it is imperative to know their budget. Do your homework. Ask the right questions. Confirm it.

When the fee issue is being discussed, I tell them I have a daily fee with a range based on several options they might like to consider. They will receive the proposal after the phone call to review those options which could include:

• Availability of additional breakout sessions

• Purchasing quantities of book(s)

• Including personalized book(s)

(Note: This is included in option three which can double my speaking fee. See a sample at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets.)

• Including unlimited Amazon e-book download

• Including pre-event welcome video to help boost registrations

• Etc.

The key is for the prospective client to know that your proposal will have options. Option one should be your standard fee. Option two is a few thousand higher and option three should be near double option one.

Sample Step 3: After successful call, because you followed my phone script(!), you send a customized three-tiered speaking proposal.

Each proposal is unique based on the conversation you had with the prospective client. Your ultimate goal is to have the proposal reflect your conversation and meet their needs. When they read it, you want them thinking, “Wow, this is exactly what we are looking for!” Of course it will be because you customized the template for them based on your discussion! Most speakers do not do this which is why you should.

I share sample proposals I have personally used as well as templates for you to create your own inside “The Vault.” If you choose to work with me as your speaker coach, I would be happy to review your speaking proposal, contract agreement and invoice to ensure you are including all the correct elements and positioning yourself properly. This step is extremely important because if you do not position yourself properly or do not set your fee range correctly, you’ll either miss out on the speaking engagement or leave thousands on the table. I did this many times early on because I did not know how to properly follow this process! Below is page two of a recent speaking proposal which reflects my tier options.

After sending them your speaking proposal, ask for confirmation they received it and indicate that your speaking availability could change. This will initiate a sense of urgency for them to make a decision sooner than later. In my proposals and contracts, I emphasize that I only block out dates once the speaking agreement is signed. This process is similar to buying a house! If you do need to follow up, simply inquire via email or phone. If they decide not to go forward with you as the speaker, try to find out why. That information and reasoning will help you in the future.

Thinking positive though, let’s envision a scenario where they select you as the speaker for their event and go with option two which includes your keynote, an extra breakout session and some books! Woot woot - congratulations! Now all you need to do is follow up with a contract agreement and invoice…and perhaps write the book!

Sample Step 4: After proposal terms and options agreed upon, contract agreement and invoice are submitted.

Once your proposal arrangements are agreed upon, the contract agreement outlines and confirms all details. Nothing should be a surprise and expectations should be transparently clear. You include everything from date and location, to speaking session(s) titles, when deadline dates are, fee payments, additional add-on’s, travel, confidentiality, etc.

My contract is four simple pages in total and has been vetted by attorneys. I keep it simple to be readable and clear for planners and organizers. If the meeting planner or conference organizer has their own contract requiring your own signage, read it carefully and make sure you understand it and agree to the terms.

Important: Still submit your own contract to them as well! It will ensure you get PAID when you expect to be, not when they tell you. I have had clients send me contracts before that are not in my best interests as a speaker. In fact, I recently reviewed a contract that contained a clause literally stating they would only pay me if they had ‘sufficient funds to do so.’ I struck through that clause and inquired whether they had funds. Even though they assured me they did have funds and it was just legal jargon, I asked them to remove that clause, to send me a new contract, and also sign my contract which included a 50 percent deposit. As you can imagine, you will need to be delicate doing this.

Page one from one of my sample contract agreements is next. As I’ve mentioned several times, you have access to full samples of contracts and invoices (including book sales!) as well as Word document templates inside “The Vault.”

Next is page one from another sample contract agreement where they selected option three. You can also download it at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets (password: paidtospeak).

Next is page four from another sample contract agreement where they selected option two. You can also download it at www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets.

Invoices: I send the invoice along with a contract agreement. The invoice is the bill statement and often what most companies need to process payment. The invoice is different than a contract agreement for this reason. My invoices now require 50 percent deposit (non-refundable) upfront to confirm booking agreement and block out dates on my calendar. Most groups will pay this. In fact, it makes you appear more professional. If they cancel on you, it is their dime and not yours. Of course, you hold yourself to that date as well, even if a higher-paying gig comes through for that same day.

Here’s a portion of page one from a sample invoice:

When I first started speaking, I made lots of mistakes. One of those was not having a signed contract. About one month before an event took place, the person who had hired me for speaking took a new job with a different company. The new person who replaced them decided they no longer wanted to coordinate the event where I was supposed to provide a half-day training. They sincerely apologized, but it was my fault for neither having a signed agreement nor collecting a deposit. Either, or both, would have prevented them from canceling. And to make matters even more frustrating, I had another speaking inquiry for that same date which I had previously turned down because I was not available.

Another time I made a very poor rookie decision was when I booked a speaking engagement and then referred it to someone else once a higher-paying engagement came through. I did not think the client would mind, but they did. In fact, they were extremely upset with me and asked for the deposit back.

Speaker Tip: When something negative happens, don’t ever allow it to happen again. As my dad told me one time, “Son, some lessons are expensive. All you can do is learn from them so they don’t get repeated.”

Sample Step 5: 50 percent of your speaking fee is paid in advance to block your speaking date and confirm your presentation.

As I have shared earlier several times, I did not collect deposits earlier on in my speaking career. Two weeks before one particular speaking gig was to take place, the client canceled on me – “not enough registrants for the conference” they wrote. I started collecting deposits after this and I have never had a problem since.

Let’s review the process one final time.

Step 1: Speaking inquiry arrives or you make outreach and they respond.

Step 2: You respond and set up conference call to discuss their needs. (note: see sample “Phone Script” on www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets)

Step 3: After successful call(!), you send a customized three-tiered proposal.

Step 4: After proposal terms are agreed upon, you send contract agreement and invoice.

Step 5: 50 percent of your speaking fee is paid in advance to block the date and confirm your speaking engagement.

* If you are working through this book and completing the module activities, you should have inquiries arriving by this point! Responding to inquiries is easy…it’s getting inquiries to originate that can be time intensive! If you are not receiving inquiries by this point, let’s look into this together. Reach out to me.

Important: You should have your response email templates, outreach email templates, phone script, speaking proposals, contract agreements and invoices ready as soon as possible. Not having them ready will cause you delay in responding to inquiries and unprepared when an opportunity arises needing your quick turnaround. I also feel that not having the documents ready is akin to you telling the universe that you’re just not ready yet. On the contrary, having them ready means you are ready and you’ll be sending out that ‘Available For Hire’ energy vibe! I shared this in Module 2 as well…be ready for an opportunity.

True Story: Earlier this year I was contacted at 4:17pm by a meeting planner to speak at a major conference event. For some odd reason, she needed a contract and invoice by 5:00pm that day because the planning committee was making their decision that evening at 6:00pm! I didn’t ask too many questions when she told me upfront, “We’ll pay your full fee. I need it today though.”

Do you have your response email template, outreach email template, phone script, speaking proposal, contract agreement and invoice ready? If so, write ‘YES’ below. If ‘NO’ write ‘NO’ below.

Module 4 Review

In this module, we have described in detail the importance of:

• speaking pro bono and how to monetize those engagements

• how to grow into larger speaking engagements

• criteria for establishing your speaking fee and when/what to charge

• understanding what your target industry can afford

• the psychology of your speaking fee and how to position yourself

• the process from inquiry to proposal to contract and invoice

• having templates ready for inquiries, proposals, contracts and invoices

If you have completed all the reflective questions, then congratulations! You are ready for Module 5, Getting PAID Bookings Consistently! However, if any portions are missing, I highly recommend you go back and complete them now. The checklist on the next page will help ensure you have completed each question.

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it again?”

If you have checked ‘YES’ on all the items, proceed to Module 5!

** As a final reminder, I have provided a free worksheet for each module to help you work through the most important exercises as well as to provide samples of documents I have included in this module. Visit www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets to download (password: paidtospeak).

NOTES

MODULE 5:

GETTING PAID BOOKINGS CONSISTENTLY

“The difference between people who achieve their goals and ones who don’t is all about strategy and consistent execution.”

“Repetition is the mother of skill.”
~ Anthony Robbins

Are you excited about getting PAID to $PEAK?! If you have followed the modules appropriately, you should already be busy responding to inquiries and following up on speaking leads! If you have held yourself accountable to complete each section but are not feeling momentum or clarity, then it’s time to reflect why. Do you feel stuck? Is it finalizing your program? Perhaps you aren’t making enough outreach or your target association isn’t the right one for you now. When you reach out to me for your complimentary coaching call after completing this book and leaving a review, I will help you. Whatever you do, do not STOP! You might actually be two feet from gold this very moment. The phone call or email inquiry you’ve been longing for might be just around the corner. You are likely less stuck than you feel. I share this from my own experience and the experience working with many other speaker coaching clients.

Remember, speaking professionally is a business. And if you’re planning to treat your speaking seriously, then you need to assume the seriousness of being a business owner – an entrepreneur. Just like any business where customers purchase a product, the office doors just being open does not mean people will walk in and buy product. The store owner must provide a service or product that people want, need and know about. The owner must also give a potential customer a reason for walking into their store. In this scenario, you are the store owner. You must do the same consistently for your speaking business. If people are going to hire you for speaking, they must want, need and know about you.

You have accomplished so much by reading and completing the guiding questions in this book. Let’s revisit what you now understand about the business of speaking that you likely did not know before.

You:

• have a good understanding of your speaking aspirations

• have reflected on your speaking parameters and limitations

• understand how your speech can help an organization and its people solve problems and challenges they are facing

• know what differentiates you as a speaker

• have developed a powerful Call to Action in your speech

• created an engaging program that keeps attendees involved

• have crafted that speech in an outline format

• have begun to practice that presentation to ensure you are ready

• know what industries are most applicable for your topic

• have verified at least one target association in that industry

• know when and where that association meets

• are attending an event in the near future to network with professionals

• know how to submit conference program proposals and RFP’s

• are excited and have strategies about ways to connect and keep in touch with professionals in those industries

• understand what your ideal association/industry typically pays speakers

• know how not to under/overprice yourself

• feel confident knowing when and what to charge for speaking

• are clear with how to frontload value and negotiate/maximize speaking fee

• have a proposal, contract and invoice ready to launch

• are ready for that first PAID 4-figure speaking check!

Your System for Speaking

Success is not created by taking just one step or a series of steps just once. Success is the result of applying a strategic system over time. Similarly, getting booked and PAID for speaking is the result of applying a consistent speaking system over time. Many factors matter. If even one aspect of the system is missing, then the whole system suffers. Like spokes on a bicycle wheel, if even one spoke is too long or too short, the entire wheel suffers. The result will be a rough ride. I hope you have identified what your spokes are so that your ‘wheel’ spins smoothly and quickly.

What I have shared in this book is a blueprint model which allows you to customize it for your own speaking. I believe the success I have had in my own speaking business is replicable for anyone who is passionate about speaking and willing to invest the work like I did, and still do. As long as you have followed the blueprint and taken action along the way through this book, you should feel ready to apply your own personalized system. Your approach, based on your speaking niche and delivery style, will be different than mine – in fact, it will need to be. No two speakers are the same. The importance of a system though is that you have one and you make it your own to differentiate yourself and stand out in your own way. Then you apply that system over and over, becoming more successful and polished each and every time.

Each of the modules I have outlined for you contain building blocks to help you construct your own speaking business in the proper order. Step-by-step and block-by-block they are in their order for a reason. Trust my process. If I didn’t feel they were important to get you started or to help you grow your speaking business, I would not have included them. There are many, many other aspects of your speaking business that you still need to have developed and nurture. It is for this reason I established “The Vault” providing you with all sorts of additional samples and templates of important items I use in my own speaking business (www.paidtospeak.biz/vault). Otherwise this book would easily be an intimidating 500+ pages of material with simply too much content for you to absorb at once. At some point you will need everything inside “The Vault.”

Special Offer: As a ‘thank you’ for purchasing this book, when you decide to subscribe to “The Vault,” I will provide you with lifetime access whereas others only have one-year access.

In this module I am going to share a collection of tips, recommendations and lessons learned that have helped me develop and glue my overall system together. Some of the items I have never shared with anyone until publication of this book. I’ve learned the hard way on many occasions and I also have learned from watching others learn ‘harder.’ Either way, these lessons learned are teachable moments for you to benefit from. Just as I learned from others, you can learn from the mistakes I have made. As you progress, you will make your own lessons as well. Share those with me and I’ll include that wisdom in my next book!

If the speaking business was easy, there would a lot more speakers out there. Sometimes I think there are already too many. However, as long as speakers are making a powerful and authentic impact, then that’s quite a bit of empowerment and positive influence being applied in this world.

As I have shared many times, the reality is that the speaking business is just that - a business. You have to treat it as such. If you treat speaking as a hobby, then you will have a hobby income. Treat speaking as a business and you will have a business income. If you have read this far and have completed the reflective questions, you have demonstrated seriousness commitment to treat your speaking as a business. And as a result, you should expect those type of results.

Are you planning to treat your speaking as a hobby or as a business? Write which one below:

There will be times you want to give up or question yourself. That’s OK. Expect to feel that way so you are not surprised when it happens. It’s during these times you need to put yourself as a participant in your own speech. What advice would you give yourself? Walk your talk. Do what you encourage others to do. It’s an interesting scenario to role-play.

Example: A few years after writing my first book, Think Differently, I went through a tough time personally for a few weeks – my dog had died, a relationship had ended, I had a sciatic nerve issue in my back…you get the point. After listening to me gripe and complain for over an hour, a good friend of mine asked, “Kevin, didn’t you write a book about how to deal with adversity? You’re the master at positive psychology so if anyone can think differently about a situation, it’s you!”

Wow, hearing this from them set me straight pretty quick. It’s tough to be a motivational speaker when you are not feeling motivated yourself. So at the end of the day, you have to walk your talk. Do as you say in your presentation.

As speakers, we have to prime our own motivational pump. No one is going to do it for us which can also make it lonely at times. The only way we are going to maximize our success as a speaker is by doing the things most people will not do. And by taking those actions, we will be successful. When other people quit, we do not. When other people get frustrated and doubt themselves, we do not. We march on and push through the frustration because we have a guiding vision for speaking. It is only a matter of time before that speaking opportunity comes through. We must prime our own pump!

What advice would you give yourself right now about speaking?

How Bad Do You Want It?

If you are going to be successful, you need to possess the same desire for SPEAKING that you do for breathing. When you want something bad enough, you’ll do seemingly crazy things in order to manifest it in your life.

Example: A few years ago, I thought I had purchased a flight for one of my speaking engagements. The evening before the engagement, I went looking through my email files for a copy of the flight itinerary. I could not find my reservation anywhere. After a few phone calls to the airline, I realized my mistake. I had never actually purchased the flight!

Buying the flight the night before was going to cost me over $1,000. My only options were to purchase the uber-expensive flight or rent a car and drive 1,000 miles across the United States. If I drove, it would be a 16-hour trip one way…and I would need to leave immediately.

I looked at my dog sitting next to me. If he could talk, he would have said, “Stupid Dad. Just stupid.” I literally said to my dog, “We’re going on a road trip boy.”

I packed my bags, rented a car from the airport and drove 16 hours through the night for that speaking gig. I arrived two hours before the presentation, did the keynote, took an hour powernap afterward, and then hit the road driving 16 hours back. In two days, I drove over 2,000 miles. The car rental agent was not happy with me when I returned the car. I remember him asking, “Where in the he*l did you go son!?”

I didn’t tell anyone about this random act of mishap craziness until writing this book. At first I was extremely embarrassed about my mistake. Now I realize that this experience was actually a test of my hunger for speaking. I passed. It was also a lesson I needed to experience. I have had a few other late night and early morning drives but nothing as ridiculous as the story I just shared with you. One thing for certain is that I have never missed booking a plane reservation since. Lesson learned.

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being ‘not so much’ and 10 being ‘I’m starving,’ how hungry are you to speak? Describe your desire:

Surround Yourself With Support

The reality is that there might be someone in your life who will question your pursuit for speaking. Someone close might even doubt you. It is crucial that you surround yourself with people who believe in you and support your speaking aspirations. There are doubters and haters everywhere unfortunately. Perhaps your motivation for them is not through a speech, but rather in being a walking testimony about the importance of living a dream and stepping outside of a comfort zone to try something new. Don’t talk to them about speaking; rather, show them the results of having a dream for something and working to make that vision a reality. When you don’t feel supported contact me. It will be my privilege to pump you up and remind you that you can be as successful as YOU want to be. What matters is what you believe, not what anyone else thinks.

I do recognize though that if you are married with three children and considering quitting your job to launch into speaking, your spouse might question how the bills will get paid. That is understandable. You don’t have to quit your job. You can still pursue speaking by taking one step at a time, like I did, and setting the proper parameters for your speaking. Begin with the end in mind and follow your passionate vision. It’ll bring a new life and energy to your world. As Zig Ziglar told me when we spoke one-on-one (see Preface), “When you have passion for something, you’ll find a way to make it happen.” And once you start making $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000+ per speech, that might alter your spouse’s mind and perception of you speaking. And most certainly once you crush through your current salary and become your own boss with no limitations, I’m confident you – and your spouse – will both be happy in other ways as well. It might just take some time and you following my process very strategically!

If you have complicated circumstances, and everyone does in some fashion, treat your strategy for speaking like planting a garden. Your thoughts and desires are seeds. You plant those seeds in the right soil, sunlight and then you water them daily. Those seeds grow into plants over a period of time, and ultimately, they bear fruit. As this metaphor demonstrates, you truly do reap what you sow.

Plant your speaking seeds and nurture them with passionate care. Over time you will be fascinated by what grows. The fruit you will bear will be determined by the seeds you plant and how you surround them in the right type of environment you control. Be patient and ask for encouragement from those around you. You need their support more than anything. Understand if they have concerns about your new journey. But more importantly, seek to understand why. Strive to communicate your plan and strategy so they have confidence in why you will be working so hard, especially at the beginning. Once they understand, they’ll be on your side. Once you start speaking, and making money, they’ll be your biggest cheerleaders. If you feel like they are not on your side, chances are they need some time to better understand your ‘why’ and start seeing your results.

Write the names of people close to you who you feel will, or already do, support your pursuit of speaking:

I recommend you contact these individuals and let them know you appreciate their support in advance. Let them know you will need their encouragement and understanding. Be grateful to them early on. You’ll receive that back tenfold.

However, do not be surprised that some people close to you may not understand or support you as you might expect – or hope. This occurred to me and it was surprisingly painful. Again, what’s most important is what you believe. However, if the person not giving you full support is your spouse, for example, then it’s in your best interests to fully understand their concerns. It’s likely an issue of communication. Remember, plants do not grow overnight. Neither will your speaking. But your speaking will grow and could further grow beyond your wildest expectations.

Write the names of people close to you that you feel might challenge you or not understand your pursuit in speaking:

Why do you feel these individuals will not understand or support you?

Consider the Source

Never take advice about speaking from someone who does not speak professionally, full-time. If this ‘advice’ counters anything I’ve shared in this book, consider the source. I’m happy for you to email me. I promise to respond.

Also, expect there to be times when you get advice from others you may not like. Expect it so you aren’t surprised. People will give you unwarranted criticism, tell you what to do and make comments that you do not agree with. During these times, I want you to remind yourself of one thing - consider the source.

Example: Not too long ago, a coaching client called me with a few questions about speaking. I felt we had a positive breakthrough in our prior monthly call and I was looking forward to hearing progress. After hearing a few of his questions, I was surprised. I felt he had taken a different direction since the last time we had spoken. I asked, “Is there someone you have been talking to since our last coaching session?”

There was silence on the phone, so I repeated my question.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

In a delicate tone, “I mean, someone has gotten into your head and made you doubt yourself. You know the answers to the questions you’ve been asking me. What makes you doubt yourself right now?”

He said, “Well, I was talking to _____________ and they got me thinking different.”

I paused. I had invested quite a bit of time with this person and I was quite surprised he allowed himself to get stumped by a naysayer who didn’t even speak for a living. He was now questioning the strategy we had developed together for his speaking success.

I kept silent.

“Are you still there?” he asked.

“I am,” I said. “Look, you have come tremendously far since we have been working together. I am proud of you. But with all due respect, _______________________ is not a speaker. They have no clue how to make a dime in the speaking business. Please, consider the source when you talk with other people. What this other person told you is not something I would recommend for your situation.”

Moral of the story – consider the source when you get feedback and advice. If you receive feedback from someone about speaking who is not a speaker, what do YOU think you should do?

Consider the source. Contact me if you have a question or idea.

Please acknowledge below that you will consider the source when receiving feedback. Simply write “YES” below as a commitment:

Showing Appreciation To Clients

How do you plan to thank your clients for hiring you to speak? Will you show appreciation? If so, how?

Regardless of my honorarium amount, I always send an immediate thank you via email to all those involved with booking me to speak. They have a message waiting for them first thing in the next morning. Additionally, within 2-3 days I send a hand-written thank you card in a package with several autographed books. I make my own personalized quote cards which are an excellent branding tactic. I have received pictures via email and text from clients that show my thank you cards framed and placed on their desks and walls. My point to you is, send a hand-written thank you.

For speaking bookings where at least a significant portion of my fee is paid, I send an edible arrangement. I’ll typically invest $75-$100 on a nice arrangement without blinking an eye. It’s a business expense plus their entire office will likely be grazing on it all day long and asking, “Who sent the arrangement?” Hopefully the answer will be, “That incredible speaker we booked for the event!”

See how that works? Showing appreciation and gratitude makes an impact.

What are some of your ideas to show appreciation to your clients after they book you to speak?

Keeping In Touch

How are you keeping in touch? Or are you? This goes back to Module 3 and developing a system for staying in touch. If you do not have a system by now, why not? There are plenty of resources out there to help you. Some cost money and some are free. I highly, highly recommend you develop a system for staying in touch not only with attendees who opt-in to receive your information, but also with your clients and prospective clients.

Note: Never, ever, ever send unsolicited emails or newsletters to people who do not opt-in and give you permission to contact them. This is a HUGE ‘no-no’ and will place you on their unprofessional list. You’d be better off not sending them anything than to send them information they didn’t ask for.

Example: Several years ago I received a speaking booking directly as a result from sending a newsletter to opt-in subscribers. It had been months since I had sent anything and I was doing a poor job of keeping in touch at the time. The email I received read:

Kevin! Just got your newsletter and remember seeing you present at a conference over two years ago. Our state association just announced they are looking for speakers at their upcoming conference. Are you available March 4th by chance?

This example proves a point that meeting planners and executives may not need a speaker tomorrow, this month or even this year. However, when they do need a speaker and you have kept in touch, you will be on their mind. Also, this inquiry met all three of my criteria for charging a full speaking fee. You can see how my criteria for establishing speaking fee now works in action. In this example, the person making the inquiry was contacting me and had seen me before. My full fee was paid.

What is, or will be, your system for keeping in touch?

Tracking Speaking Leads

You also want to have a system for tracking speaking leads. For me, I do this ‘old school’ with a simple email folder. I simply file leads and prospective speaking opportunities in my ‘Leads’ email folder. I then make it a point to look inside this folder every 2-3 weeks to make follow ups.

I also type those leads into a tracking Excel document so I can add notes and keep track of the status. Below is an example:

What is, or will be, your system for tracking speaking leads?

Referrals

Every referral should be a humbling experience because that likely would not have been a speaking engagement received otherwise. Of course this feels great when people do this for us, but think about the last time you made a referral for someone else? Referrals are a two-way street. Remember, give to get.

You might be thinking, “Kevin, why would I want to refer someone else and give away business?” Well, first off, you’re not giving away business. You make referrals for other speakers to clients who have already booked you to speak. Since they just brought you in, they likely will not be bringing you in again for 2-3 years, regardless of how awesome you were. Speakers are rotated. So why not ensure that rotation stays in the family? When you refer others, what do you think happens afterward? They appreciate you and usually refer right back to you…it’s a beautiful thing and it feeds itself. This referral network doesn’t always work the way it should, because not everyone is a giver.

Example: A few years back I received three speaking inquiries where I was not available. I hated missing these opportunities, but I referred each of these inquiries to one particular collegiate speaker colleague who I knew could do a great job. Within a few months, I had referred over $10,000 in speaking business to this person.

You would have thought that I might have received a nice thank you card, a bottle of wine, a gift card, or perhaps even a nicer gesture of appreciation. I hand delivered him over $10,000 he would not have earned otherwise.

Well, what I did receive was…nothing. In fact, the only ‘thing’ I ever received from this person was a text message stating, “Thanks K-Dawg!”

I did not refer these speaking opportunities with the expectation of receiving anything back. However, it is an unspoken gesture of professionalism to provide recognition when others help you get business. This person is lucky I didn’t ask for a commission or have the contract go through me. To this date, I have never received a referral from this person referenced. I also have never referred him again.

Who are other speakers you would be willing to give referrals?

Create Checklists

Without a checklist you will forget something, and it likely won’t be too important until you need it most. Learn from my mistakes. I have forgotten my laptop, my laptop charger, my wireless remote clicker, handouts, my introduction, my shoes, my suit, my cell phone, my cell phone charger, etc. You name it, I’ve left it somewhere at home, in the airport or in my rental car. If you do not have a checklist yet, create one. Once you forget something, like me, you’ll develop a checklist then. Don’t wait.

I also have a supplies checklist which I keep a print copy on top of my suitcase before each and every trip. I also have a checklist for all the pre-speech details. I write these items in my calendar so I do not forget. A sample is on the next page:

KEVIN’S SPEAKER CHECKLIST: DO NOT FORGET!!

Pre-Event Communication

• Review and follow script for ‘Final Happy Call’ 1-2 weeks out.

• Reminder/Update call 2 days before.

• Get copy of finalized agenda/schedule.

• Inquire about updates/changes. Review copy of agenda/schedule. Confirm logistics, room set-up, handouts being provided, AV needs, ppt, arrival time, sound check, lavalier/lapel mic?

• Will someone be picking me up from airport? (if required)

• Will room set-up include tables, moveable chairs, etc.?

• Will participants have pens?

• Music playing before I am introduced?

• Confirm length of presentation time. When is hard stop?

• Cell phone of point of contact: _____________________________________________

• Location address: ___________________________________________________________

• Time for sound check: ______________________________________________________

• Name of AV tech: ____________________________________________________________

Packing The Bag – confirm day before

• License and flight itinerary, car itinerary and hotel itinerary

• Back-up debit/credit card

• Directions to venue location

• $150 cash

• Laptop & Battery Charger

• Wireless remote clicker and extra batteries

• HDMI cable and sound cord

• Pens & stapler

• Referral slips, handout copy and 2 copies of introduction

• USB (w/ ppt saved); also email to myself and upload to Google Drive

• Bag of prop items (TPIR shirt, hamster wheel, rubberbands, etc.)

• Video recorder and tripod; ensure space is available on recorder & charged.

• Books and Square processing for books (have $40 in cash for change)

• CD with music.

Type your AV/Tech Requirements

Set yourself up for success, not failure. Your meeting planner needs to know everything needed for your speech. Providing your requirements in a document checklist makes you low maintenance and also professional. To view a sample of my AV checklist, click the following link: www.kevincsnyder.com/for-meeting-planners. A sample is below as well:

Offer to Create Event Promotion

Usually an event planner doesn’t need your promotional assistance, but I offer to create an event flier or marketing piece for them to share with attendees. By having it in an attachment, they can forward it along via email. They could also copy and paste on their event website, if available, and distribute however they’d like. Samples of this are available in “The Vault.” Here’s another example as well: https://bit.ly/2tqUsqT.

I provide marketing promo videos as well. These are more complicated but very effective. Consider how you can help promote the event where you are speaking. Even if the planner doesn’t take you up on it, they will appreciate your offer. They’ll remember you for it as well. To view a sample of one of my event promo videos, click the following link, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiT--6L_Hc8&feature=youtu.be, or visit the worksheets resource page for this book located on www.paidtospeak.biz/worksheets (password: paidtospeak).

Carry A Speaker Introduction With You

Your introduction sets the tone for your speech. Make sure you are introduced the way you want and need to be. Carry copies of your introduction with you regardless if you have previously sent the planner an introduction. With so much on their mind, they will likely forget it anyways.

Remember that whomever is introducing you is not a speaker. They are likely the not-so-exciting CEO or Executive Director who has no clue how to engage an audience. Take control of your introduction by having it with you. I have been introduced so many horrible ways. The worst introductions were always when I didn’t ensure they had my introduction. They introduced me their own way. Learn from my mistake.

I have different introductions for my youth audiences, college audiences and professional audiences. Furthermore, I customize each introduction slightly so it’s targeted for the specific group I am speaking. I also have several slides that go along with my introduction to help engage the audience while they are listening to me being introduced. If you read my introductions, you’ll notice areas where the audience actually laughs…and remember, this is during the introduction!

A sample introduction is below and you can also view samples of my introductions for high school, college and professional audiences on my website at www.kevincsnyder.com/for-meeting-planners.

Set Realistic Expectations

I have worked with aspiring speakers who quickly become frustrated because they spent a few hours sending out emails but never received a response. Or they submitted a few ‘Call for Programs’ and kept getting denied. They immediately expected to earn several speaking bookings a month and each at the $3,500+ level, yet they became frustrated with speaking pro bono or at a discounted rate. They became even more frustrated when referrals and spin-off inquiries were not following a presentation.

We discussed these issues in detail throughout Modules 3 and 4 of this book. You now know that you must implement a consistent system approach for both FINDING opportunities and being FOUND. Speakers SPEAK. No one can refer you for speaking if they have not seen you speak. Moreover, no one can inquire with you for speaking if they do not know about you.

It is a slippery slope when you begin to doubt yourself. Do not listen to that negative mental chatter trying to convince you that you will never be PAID to speak. Do not allow yourself to become frustrated. If you have worked through this book alongside me, remind yourself how close you are to your next speech. You just need to have the proper expectations within a realistic timeframe. Neither expect results too quickly nor too far out. For whatever it is worth, I am confident you will achieve success much more quickly than I did. What took me over a decade to understand is what you are learning in this short book.

Important: Even the most prominent speakers and companies have teams of full-time speaker bureaus and administrative and marketing professionals making phone calls, sending emails and paying prime marketing dollars to coordinate and promote their speaking, books and seminars. I will not drop any names – well maybe just a few: John Maxell, Brendan Burchard, Tony Robbins, Les Brown and Success Seminars.

This should be an ‘aha’ moment for you. It is crucial that you recognize even the highest paid speakers must advertise and lay rubber to the road somehow. They do not sit back and wait. Rather, they pay people to advertise and help them be found. In fact, think of the last time you became aware of a seminar or speaker presentation. Without needing to know what type of event it was, someone was paid to promote it! Even for successful speakers and seminars, it takes a village and a lot of work to be successful.

Note: I am a huge fan of John Maxwell, Wayne Dyer, Tony Robbins, Les Brown and Success Seminars. I would not pick on names of people or groups if I didn’t already respect them. I name them to point an example for you simply prove my point. Apply your system and work hard. Plant seeds and nurture them so they can grow. They won’t grow overnight…but they will in time. Set realistic expectations.

Reflecting on your speaking goals, do you feel you have realistic expectations?

Write down the specific date you expect to earn your first, or next, PAID speaking engagement:

How much do you truly envision being PAID for that speech?

How much do you truly envision being PAID per speech one year from now?

The Best Athletes Have Coaches

I have written this book with you in mind. I designed each module to be a coaching blueprint so you can understand, customize and apply the content regardless if we ever talk or work together. I hope my writing style has felt conversational, organized and encouraging. I also hope you appreciate the practical examples, stories and tips from the road that I included. Unlike other books about professional speaking, I did not want to simply give you abstract examples. Rather, I wanted to lay it out for you step-by-step like a roadmap you could follow.

Now that you are close to finishing this book, it is imperative that you find someone who can continue to guide, support and mentor your progress and development. More bluntly, if you’re truly committed to your speaking, then you will need to find a speaking mentor or coach.

Find someone who can help you advance to the next level. This person must be someone who is a successful speaker and understands the business. I caution you on hiring a business coach who isn’t a professional speaker. Whether you ask me to be your speaker coach or you have someone else in mind, make a commitment to find someone. Often when someone agrees to mentor or coach, they also make connections for you and help you grow your speaking network. At least this is what I do for my coaching clients…and I take them behind-the-scenes with me on phone calls and onsite speaking engagements.

On my website, www.PAIDtoSPEAK.biz, I have outlined what my coaching programs look like. I can customize my coaching to fit your budget and timeframe as well. I offer personalized 1-on-1 coaching in either a 5-week or a 10-week program. I guide you along the way and answer questions each week to ensure the content is understandable and applied for your speaking goals and niche. I review your information and provide feedback from a meeting planner perspective. I also provide a 1-day retreat where you spend the full day with me. Other opportunities you can consider are my online coaching program, my TEDx speaker coaching, “The Vault” and my “Speaker Mastermind Group.”

Whatever you decide, have someone who can support you, mentor you, guide you, cheerlead you, and be available to you. Most importantly, work with someone who has experience and a proven track record in professional speaking.

List below those people, or person, who could be your speaking mentor or coach:

Now send them an email. Tell them your goals for speaking and that you’d appreciate their support and guidance to achieve those goals!

You CAN do it. You WILL do it.
Do NOT quit 2 feet from gold.

Module 5 Review

In this module, we have anchored principles to help you be successful as a PAID, professional speaker. I shared a wide variety of tips and ideas to help you grow a speaking business like a professional. You now know about:

• the importance of developing and applying your system consistently

• forecasting tough times so they are not a surprise

• identifying how hungry you truly are

• surrounding yourself with support

• showing appreciation and keeping in touch with your clients

• carrying your speaking introduction with you

• how important it is to create and provide checklists

• both giving and getting referrals

• finding a speaking mentor and

• setting realistic expectations

Congratulations! You have done it! I hope you feel not only inspired but also equipped with new knowledge and a blueprint that will support your journey to speak and inspire others. You are embarking on one of the noblest of professions. Be authentic. Share your story. Be unique. Work harder than anyone else. Work smart. Inspire.

If you have checked ‘YES’ on all items, CONGRATULATIONS! See next page to learn how to schedule your complimentary coaching call with me to ask questions and talk through any portions of this book.

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

I would be honored to hear from you and receive your feedback on this book.

I’d also greatly appreciate you sharing your feedback as an Amazon review so others will know about the benefits of this book. In appreciation for leaving a review, I will provide you with a complimentary coaching call to answer any questions you may have about the book and provide further explanation.

Follow these steps below to leave an Amazon review and schedule your complimentary coaching call:

(1) Find this book on Amazon first. You can do this in three ways; (a) Visit your Amazon account and find the book in your “Orders” tab, or (b) type “PAID to SPEAK and Kevin Snyder” in the Amazon.com search bar, or (c) visit www.paidtospeakreview.com.

(2) Once you find the correct book on Amazon, scroll down to “Write a Customer Review.” Write your review there.

(3) After leaving your review, schedule your coaching call with me here: www.calendly.com/snyder

Note: If you have questions about leaving a review, contact me. (Kevin@KevinCSnyder.com)

NOTES

BONUS!

HOW TO WRITE & PUBLISH YOUR BOOK IN 90 DAYS!

After having success publishing my first book in 2007, I’ve been asked countless times for help from speakers who also wanted to become authors. That interest, similar to why this book was written, combined with meeting an extraordinary editor who worked with me on PAID to $PEAK would evolve into the creation of Write Way Publishing Company in 2015. As co-founder of Write Way Publishing, I am honored to have worked with and supported dozens of aspiring authors become published and live their dream of publishing a book. As a speaker, publishing a book will differentiate you and should lead to boosting your speaking business. Books sell speaking and speaking sells books!

For more information about book publishing services offered through Write Way Publishing, visit www.WriteWayPublishingCompany.com. Several book publishing packages are available.

Until now, writing a book required years and dozens - if not hundreds - of request letters to publishers to even get a response. Today with new publishing technologies, you can write your manuscript quicker than you ever thought possible! In just a short period of time, in as little as 90 days, you can even FINISH and become an author.

Let’s keep it simple - the only way to finish writing a book is to start and hold yourself accountable to finish. This may seem to be a simplistic statement, but similar to speaking, book publishing requires massive focus, commitment, strategy and follow-through. I believe most anyone can become a published author if their desire is stronger than the adversity they will face along the way of completing it. By having passion, purpose and a process, becoming an author is not rocket science. Most aspiring authors struggle with the basic fundamentals and trying to do it all on their own. As a result, writing becomes a frustrating chore, the manuscript never gets finished and the overall quality is hindered.

In the next few pages, I’ve condensed the most important aspects of book writing and publishing that you need to be aware of upfront. I’m going to help you get your mind ready to write, become more efficient when writing, organize the best outline possible, and end up with a completed manuscript in as little as 90 days…or less! If you have the desire to become a published author, follow these clear action steps to make that desire a tangible reality!

Following each section, I’ll be asking you a question or two that will help clarify and personalize the content for your book. Trust the process. Feedback from dozens of author clients proves our recommendations and guidance are essential. Don’t speed through these steps. We encourage you to think about and complete each question. You’ll be conditioning yourself and focusing your mind so you can write in the ’write’ way…and finish!

But First…What Type of Book Are You Going To Write?

Today we can no longer think of a book as just bound printed pages. In addition to printed books, we also have digital books to read on e-book reader devices and audio books to listen. New technology has made it possible that books can now be enjoyed, and purchased, in a variety of formats.

These new technologies have also opened the door to new publishing opportunities, resulting in ‘gatekeeper’ changes in the book world. Writers are no longer dependent on the big publishing houses to get their books published. Now authors can retain ownership and control of their work, publish their content independently in the profitable new world of self-publishing, and retain well-deserved royalties.

Both the concept of what constitutes a book and the path that book takes to become published have changed irrevocably. Now the author, i.e. you(!), gets to decide what to deliver, when to deliver it, and in what form. This is an extraordinary new era for aspiring authors!

Books come in many genres, styles, formats, and lengths. Nonfiction, fiction, memoirs, family history, poetry, business, professional workbooks, self-help, cookbooks, collections of blog articles, a narrated speech, and children’s books name a few broad genres. There is an audience, large or small, for any subject or book category you can envision.

The length of a book can be any size as well, from 30 pages to 300+ pages, more or less. People once assumed a ‘real’ book could only be a thick novel or a lengthy non-fiction biography involving years of extensive research meeting ‘industry standard’ approval from a publisher. These are incorrect assumptions in today’s book world – which is why we formed Write Way Publishing Company! How else would aspiring authors know that publishing and self-publishing has never been more possible?

Your future book can be written on any topic you wish, written in any length, and in your preferred style. Your book will be whatever you want it to be. You can have your book available globally on Amazon.com, or you can print only a few copies as a legacy project for family and friends. Because of technology, our society has evolved into a do-it-yourself era today, rich with experience and sharing opportunities that allow more people than ever before to learn from others. Do not convince yourself that you are not worthy to be an author. You are worthy because you have a message to share. Your book is your speech! Your book can be comprised of several speeches! You are worthy to write and should write!

Your intellectual property is your book. What you know is your book. Your business is your book. Your workshop or keynote presentation is your book. The story behind your achievements is your book. The story of your tragedy and struggle is your book. Whatever message you feel passionate about is your book.

Writing a book must come from desire to share your story, adventures, struggles, lessons, characters, and what you have learned through research or experience. Share what inspires you so that you can be an inspiration to others. There have never been more resources available to help you become published than there are ‘write’ now.

Know Your Purpose for Writing

Knowing your ‘why’ for writing your book and anchoring to this purpose will help you persist and complete the book-writing marathon. There will be times of frustration and times of writer’s block, times of doubt and times of feeling ‘over it.’

It’s during these times that you must press on, reminding yourself why you are writing, and, of course, thinking about the multitude of benefits you will receive once you become a published author. The work you do now and in an acute period of writing time will have a positive impact on not only your future in many different ways, but also the future of your family, your speaking career and your finances!

So what is your ‘why?’ Is it for personal fulfillment, to build business credibility, to generate additional income for your business, to leave a legacy, to inspire others, to share your knowledge, all of the above, etc.? Knowing your ‘why,’ your purpose in writing, will help provide the motivation you need to get out of bed at 4:00 a.m. or keep you writing at night until 4:00 a.m. Knowing my ‘why’ and anchoring to it when I needed it the most is how I was able to write my first book, finish my Doctorate degree, and build a successful speaking business.

Circle below some of your ‘why’s’ for writing your book. Why is it important to you to publish?

Share content to help others

Establish credibility

Legacy project

Extra income

Support speaking business

Personal interest

Other:

Getting Your Mind ‘Write’

Getting your mind ready to write is an imperative first step to complete your book manuscript. You must be mentally ready and properly conditioned for the undertaking before you start writing. Don’t think about your book layout, font style, editing, cover, publishing, or book sales at this point. That is important but it will come later. What’s more important is understanding what being ready actually means so that you can organize your content, avoid distractions, push through writer’s block, and find time to write in your already busy schedule. Focus only on being mentally ‘in the zone’ so you can write, and finish, the manuscript draft. You have nothing for an editor to look at, nothing to publish, and nothing to sell on Amazon or during a speech if the manuscript never gets finished. Is this clear? So, just like in speaking, take this one step at a time. Follow the guidance in these short few pages.

Getting your mind ‘write’ means you identify a writing system that works for you. Don’t start writing before you are ready. Don’t FIRE, AIM, and then get READY! Instead, get READY. AIM. Then WRITE…!

The main components of our recommended system to help you get your mind ‘write’ and ready are:

• Know when you’re most productive and alert

• Schedule consistent blocks of time to write without distractions

• Expect frustrations

• Be realistic with expectations

READY.

What Time of Day Are You Most Productive?

When are you most alert and at your best? Are you a morning person, a night person, both or neither? Do you feel most productive early in the morning while most everyone else is asleep, late afternoon over a cup of coffee, or late at night? Also, due to your work and life schedule, when can you reliably set aside time to write during your most alert period? What schedule and writing timeframe is best for you?

When you identify your time of day and environment that helps you attain maximum focus, clear of distractions, that is the time for you to schedule a two or three-hour writing block. Do not write early in the morning if you are not a morning person. Do not write in the late evening if you routinely get tired after a full day of work and family activities. If you have a full-time job, then perhaps you only have the time and energy to schedule writing time once during the week and focus writing time on your weekends.

Being aware of when you are at your best is crucial. Most people do not know when they are at their optimum, so you might have to experiment a little to figure this out. The point is, know when your mind is most alert and schedule writing blocks during that timeframe so you can write the “Write Way!”

What time of day are you usually at your best?

What days of the week do you routinely have more available time?

READY.

Schedule Time Without Distractions

You likely schedule all sorts of priorities each week, so why not schedule time to write? If writing a book is a significant goal for you, then you need to simply prioritize it. Tell those who are important to you that you are embarking on writing a book which will require focus and dedication. Share with them that you likely will not be as available to them as you normally are for a few weeks. Explain to them why writing your book is important. Be sure to have them understand so that they can be your biggest cheerleaders!

As I share in my motivational presentations, “What we care most about is also what we’re willing to work the hardest for.” Becoming an author is no exception. If writing a book were easy, everyone would be doing it. It’s hard and it’s time-consuming to become an author. It can feel very lonely at times as well. That’s why most people who desire to write or start writing never finish. This is why having a publisher like Write Way Publishing Company is extremely helpful because you are assigned a writing coach to help you with accountability, motivation and support when it’s needed the most!

We frequently hear from some aspiring authors that they try to fit writing into their already existing schedule, rather than scheduling their time upfront to write. To my knowledge, we have never worked with someone who successfully finished their manuscript by writing 15-30 minutes a day or whenever they had time. On the contrary though, our successful authors scheduled their writing time, were assigned one of our writing coaches, and held themselves accountable to write.

Scheduling your writing time blocks and keeping to your writing schedule will help you stay motivated because you will see regular, real progress toward finishing your manuscript. Firmly keeping to your dedicated writing time will help you stay focused during your writing sessions as well. A schedule you abide by and honor will minimize the temptation for other things to distract you and pull you away from your writing.

We recommend that you identify three different writing sessions each week that are at least three hours in length. If you can afford more time, then wonderful, but strive for a minimum of eight to ten hours of weekly writing time. Scheduling sufficient time to write will give you time to review your outline, review a few prior pages of your writing, and then settle into your writing zone so you can be mentally at your best. I personally need at least fifteen to twenty minutes for my brain to start feeling focused and ‘zoned in’ for writing. Once I hit my zone, magic begins and my fingers start typing.

Yes, eight to ten hours of weekly writing time likely means giving up some leisure time, some sleep or even time with family and friends, but remember, writing your manuscript is only temporary, and there is a reward at the end—your book!

Honor your writing time as well. Turn off your phone, social media and email in order to put yourself in an environment where you will not be distracted or tempted. Let’s think about that environment for a moment. Depending on your schedule and your preferences, you may prefer to find a quiet place at home to write, you may prefer to go to a local coffee shop to be around people, or you might prefer some other place of inspiration. The important thing is to find a place where you can avoid distractions and be at your best so you can enter your writing zone.

You might also need to choose things around you to feel more comfortable and relaxed. Music or no music? Inside or outside? Private office or bustling coffee shop? Coffee, cocktail or water? All these small decisions will help you hit your writing zone more quickly and easily.

If you ever feel unfocused or distracted when trying to write, it’s likely because you haven’t placed yourself in the ‘write’ environment at your optimum time of day. Don’t force yourself to write if you’re not zoned in. Instead, identify what you need to do to get in the zone and become distraction free.

Describe the best place and environment that you will write:

Write the days and times during a week that you can schedule writing time blocks:

Of the writing time blocks you just listed, you will need to honor them by adding them to your calendar! Also, be sure others important to you know about them as well. This way they understand these times are when you will not be available. If you don’t work with Write Way Publishing during your writing phase, we encourage you to find someone, or people, who agree to be in your support network and provide encouragement. Ask them if it’s OK for you to share your writing goals with them so they can check in with you for progress once or twice a month. When you know someone is going to expect an update from you, you’ll be amazed at how much more productive you’ll be!

Who is someone, or people, who can serve as your accountability partner?

READY.

Expect Frustrations

Every author will experience frustrations and challenges while writing. Even I have writing this book! Writers encounter a moment, or even days, when they felt frustrated or mentally exhausted. As long as writers expect these moments though, they won’t be caught off guard and can push through. Frustrations can occur anytime, especially during the initial outline generation phase, on chapter one, on the final chapter, during the editing and re-editing phase, when writer’s block sets in, or even with something as simple as getting stuck on a particular word or concept.

You need to accept that frustrations will surface at some point. When do you expect that to be in your writing journey? The bigger question is how do you get through it?

During times of frustration you just need to take a break. Here are some tips:

• Go for a walk

• Listen to some music

• Grab a drink or snack

• Talk with someone close to you about what is happening

• Exercise, meditate or perform breathing exercises

• Re-read your previous chapter to get the flow back

• Look at your outline and think about what you will work on next

• Work on a different part of your manuscript

• Reflect briefly on where your frustration is coming from

If you don’t actively deal with the frustration, you’ll become more frustrated by the simple fact you’re frustrated! So expect frustrations. It’s part of the writing journey and something every author must break through.

What are frustrations you foresee when writing?

Why do you feel you are experiencing, or might experience, those frustrations?

READY.

Be Realistic With Expectations

If you’re like me, you probably want your book published yesterday. Writing is one more thing calling for your time in an already busy schedule. You’re investing part of your life in writing your book and sacrificing other significant priorities to achieve it. When finishing the book might seem overwhelming, take a few minutes to savor the anticipation of having your book completed. Imagine holding a copy of your very own book in your hand. Envision it in someone else’s hand too! You can manifest this vision by staying focused and disciplined in the writing process. Sometimes you will just need to remind yourself that you will be a published author soon.

Your Calendar. We’ve talked about the power of your writing schedule, but of course, the total time length will vary depending on your total word count. Overall though, what does that calendar timeline look like for you? If you’re planning an opus with the scope of War and Peace, obviously you will need more than three months of writing time. You need at least some idea of the scope of your book. Do you envision your finished book to be 100 pages, 250 pages, or something massive? Now ask yourself when you’d like to have the first draft complete. Be realistic.

Write down below the specific date you realistically think the first draft of your manuscript will be written:

________________________________________

Now circle this date, smile, and congratulate yourself!

It’s on this date that all your work will be worth the investment you’ve made!

Begin and write with the end in mind!

Now that you have committed to that important date, work backward on your calendar and mark off as many two or three-hour writing time blocks as you realistically can afford. Be clear about your expectations for when your book will be finished. Assess the time in your schedule you think you can set aside to write. Does the available time seem realistic to achieving your manuscript draft date? If not, will you add more writing time or move back the first draft date?

With the realistic first draft target date in mind, chunk your writing process in segments. Here are some very general tasks to consider using a non-fiction book draft on a familiar topic to be completed in 90-days as an example:

• Write a brief (2-3 sentence) paragraph summarizing your book concept

• List ideas you want to cover in your book

• Devise a content outline based on the topics

• Create chapter divisions

• Set weekly word/page writing goals

Your actual word count will vary based on good writing days and slow writing days, but the numbers will give you targets and keep you on track. You should also mark word or page goals on your calendar. For example, you could write about 10,000 words a month for three months to create a 125-page book. Divide this out based on the number of your writing periods in the month to set word or page goals for each writing session. You might discover you need fewer writing periods or more words/pages per period! Don’t obsess about the goal numbers, but do try to stay on track. Make sense?

Now That You Are READY & Have Your Mind ‘Write,’
It’s Time To AIM!

READY. AIM.

Create Your Outline First

When planning a trip to a specific destination, you need directions—a roadmap if you will. Likewise, in writing your book, you must know where you want to go and how to get there. Otherwise, you’ll be driving around aimlessly.

A book outline is akin to a roadmap for writing your manuscript. It’s important that you have a general sense of how you want your book to be organized. Without an outline, there’s a tendency to meander, forget relevant issues, or get lost trying to make your key points. The result is a lot of extra work for you and your editor.

If you have held yourself accountable to complete the questions up until now, then you at least understand how to get your mind ‘write’ already and have a schedule prepared. But before you begin writing your manuscript, you must create an outline. Make this a fun process and expect your outline to change and evolve as you begin writing.

To get your thoughts flowing on outline generation, you need to ‘brain dump.’ Start by writing down thoughts, themes, chapter title headings, scenes, characters, stories, experiences, triumphs, tragedies, talking points, quotes, subtitle headings—anything on topic that comes to your mind. Write on a memo pad, on sticky notes, on a whiteboard, etc. What’s most important is getting your thoughts written out. It will clear your mind and allow your creative juices to flow.

The more you can write down, the better. Don’t censor. Don’t edit. Don’t put limits on your thoughts. Just write ideas that come to mind. You won’t capture everything in one swoop and create your exact outline in one sitting, but you will get a good start. More ideas will come to you.

Once you have phase one of the ‘brain dump’ complete, now organize that jumble of ideas into an outline draft for your book. Identify and isolate your main topics, scenes, and points on your road map. Group and circle related ideas and patterns as subtopics under the main topics. Or if your book follows a certain timeline, organize the events accordingly. From there, add bullets for key points you want to make under each subtopic.

There are several ways to organize your ‘brain dump’ and you might create your own way. However you do it, in a short amount of time you will produce a rough working outline of your manuscript. Congratulations! This process works especially well for non-fiction books. Using plot points within this process, instead of topic ideas, can help you create an outline for your fiction book.

Here’s another way to think about this ‘brain dump’ and organization process…imagine you are putting a 1,000-piece puzzle together. What would do you do first? Most people place the lid of the puzzle box in front of them and then dump all the pieces out on the table. After scanning the pieces, they begin sorting through puzzle pieces pairing common colors, edge shapes and patterns.

Another approach that helped many of our author clients quickly and successfully develop their outline is allocating a wall at home or in your office for sticky notes. Each sticky note is a ‘puzzle piece’ of content that you create through the ‘brain dump’ phase. Whether it’s a story, a quote, a lesson, a metaphor, an experience, etc. – write only one per sticky note. As you write these sticky notes, place them onto a clean wall or whiteboard. No organization needed at this point. Just get them written down and posted.

Tip: You’ll need more space than you think so use an entire wall or get a very large whiteboard! And remember, there are no limits to this process. Just because you write down a thought doesn’t mean you have to use it.

Once you feel you have captured all the most important ideas that come to mind you could, take a step back and look at your wall. Appreciate and relish all your ideas. You’ll likely be very surprised how much content you have! Now start looking for common patterns, themes and categories. Begin grouping these common sticky note themes together like you would by making a puzzle. After you have categories grouped, then decide the order of categories to be introduced in your book. Nothing is set in stone and things can be moved as needed. It’ll likely take a few sittings to complete, but piece by piece, your wall outline will begin to take shape and look like a beautiful picture!

Because your ideas are all now written down and you can actually see your book unfolding, you’ll feel progress. You’ll also be flooded with more clarity than you’ve ever had before. This will make more sense once you do it. Trust the process.

Once complete ask someone who knows you well and is aware you are writing a book, i.e. family member or a close friend, to come look at your outline wall. Have them scan your ideas and ask them to share any thoughts you may have overlooked. Since they know you well, they likely have additional stories, memories and experiences you can consider including.

As additional ideas come to you throughout this entire process, remember that you can add sticky notes anytime you wish. You might likely also decide not to include certain sticky notes, but do not throw them away! Rather, move them into a ‘parking lot’ area of your wall or whiteboard. You might decide to use them later or perhaps even in your second book! You initially wrote them down for a reason. What’s most important during this outline generation phase is to get ideas out so your mind becomes more clear and that you have a roadmap to write!

Creating your outline is not that difficult but it is a crucial step that requires time and focus. It also requires a system to identify your content and some time to organize. And remember, even after you begin writing, you are likely going to make modifications to your outline. As any changes are made, be sure to keep your revised outline updated.

Tip: Be prepared for ideas to enter your mind at unexpected times. Do not risk losing those ‘aha’ moments and precious content opportunities by saying yourself, “I’ll remember that.” Unfortunately, you likely won’t and that great idea is unfortunately forever gone.

Expect ‘aha’ moments at completely random times and in unexpected environments. Keep a notebook or recording device on you at all times and especially where you spend large amounts of time—in your office, your car, your home office, your bathroom, even beside your bed. Carry a voice recorder on your next long drive or walk. Place a dry erase board in your shower. Carry a small notepad and pen with you through the day or be ready to record notes on your phone. Text yourself ideas. Write yourself emails and file them in an email folder specifically for your book ideas.

Invest 15 minutes right now and begin making a list of points you plan to include in your book. Write them below.

Continue here …

Congratulations! If the preceding pages are full of ideas, you’re well on your way! This list is just a start for your outline, and it’s a good one. If you have questions or get stuck, contact Write Way Publishing Company – www.WriteWayPublishingCompany.com

READY. AIM.

The Power of the Dedication

The book dedication is powerful, and needed, inspiration for finishing your manuscript. By writing the dedication upfront, you know you are writing in honor of someone or something important to you. After you write your outline, or perhaps even before, write your dedication and put it somewhere visible, so you see it every time you write. Post it on your wall or tape it to your computer. Looking at it will inspire you to do your best and to push through challenges.

Who are you dedicating your book to? Write your dedication below:

READY. AIM. WRITE…

Writing Your Manuscript

You have your writing calendar laid out, your writing time is scheduled, your ‘why’ is anchored, your mind is ready, those people important to you understand you’ll be writing often, you have your outline complete, and your dedication is posted for inspiration…now it’s time to write!

It’s perfectly fine that your writing not be perfect upfront, so do not expect it to be. You will likely rewrite some portions over a few times. Your editor will help you polish your work so don’t expect a polished gem on the first draft. Even the most experienced authors have several editors and several rounds of editing to get their final manuscript ready for formatting and publication. I’m not suggesting you will need several rounds of editing; instead, I’m just reminding you to set realistic expectations upfront and not be too hard on yourself. Just start writing and following the process we have outlined for you in this book. Unless you hire a ghostwriter, no one can write your book for you.

Pay attention to your writing schedule. Don’t get bogged down or frustrated with yourself. If one part isn’t flowing, move to a different section or chapter, and come back later to the area where you were temporarily stumped. In fact, you might find it more helpful to start writing in a later chapter than you would for a beginning chapter. These kinds of things are part of the creative process. Allow your inspiration to guide you.

I’ve never worked with an author client who didn’t experience some sort of frustration or setback along the way. When you do experience any frustrations or issues, contact us! We’ll listen and then talk you through it. We can help you climb to the top of Mount Manuscript!

And remind yourself that once it’s done, it’s DONE! You will then have the majority of your future book complete.

After the Manuscript is Complete, Then What?

After the manuscript is complete, then comes editing. Editing is a must, even if your budget is tight. You should not format or have your manuscript sent to a publisher until a professional editor has reviewed your manuscript. Otherwise, I guarantee that you will have published mistakes that sacrifice the total quality of your book you have invested so much time in. Why risk it?

Editing is important because it provides another set of careful eyes, professional eyes, on your work. While you should always consider the source of the feedback, having an editor, or editor team, for your writing will provide you with needed perspective. Editors will see issues that you will not, including errors and phrasing that might need clarification.

So should you expect to hire an editor? Absolutely. You must find someone who does editing professionally and has edited numerous books before. Read portions from some of their previous book projects. Respectfully, a friend of yours who enjoys reading is not an editor. Of course they think they are…but they are not, respectfully. Also, a beta reader is not an editor. An editor needs to be someone with professional experience who you trust to review your manuscript with the utmost professionalism and experience.

You do not want a misspelled word in your book or a phrase that just doesn’t make sense. Readers who see mistakes will not finish your book and leave negative reviews. Again, why risk it? You are so close to the finish line and have already invested countless hours, sacrificed so much time, read and re-read your book many times. Finish strong. Finish professional.

An editor will not only help you see your blind spots, but they’ll find them. Being so close to your work, it’s normal not to notice needed text corrections, confusing sentence structure and character development that needs work. An editor with a fresh perspective and lens will catch needed edits you have likely missed.

There are several different kinds of editing. A developmental editor helps you along the way. As you’re writing each chapter, or portions, they are providing you feedback. Developmental editing is extremely helpful for new authors who want to ensure the quality of their work is professional from the beginning.

Copy editing is another type of editing. A copy editor will read your manuscript line by line for text errors, confusing passages, continuity, incorrectly used words, and the like. Often this requires more than one pass through the manuscript. It is up to you whether to accept or reject their editing feedback. Be sure to keep an open mind!

Once you have integrated the copy editor’s feedback and created a newly revised manuscript, a proof editor reviews again and searches for misspelled words, errant commas, added spaces, poor sentence breaks—all those annoying little things that can make your book look less than professionally done. The copy editor can be the same person as the copy editor.

The challenge becomes finding the right person or persons to serve as your editor(s). Again, for best editing results, choose editors who are not friends or family. Choose people who can provide the level of editing services you want to be reflected in your final product. Also, select an editor who is familiar with your book genre. A business book editor might not be the best choice for the romance novel or memoir you’re writing!

In many of Write Way Publishing Company’s publishing packages, editing is included! www.WriteWayPublishingCompany.com

List names of people or resources who can provide editing support for your manuscript.

What About Interior Layout and Formatting?

In what format should your book be written? How should the book be laid out? What font type and size should you use? What about margins? Headers and footers? What resolution is necessary for pictures or images, and how should they be submitted? What about color preferences and type of paper?

These are all great and important questions. There are many more considerations and decisions you should be making as well! A professional formatter will guide you through each one carefully. However, if you are just beginning to write your book, do not even think about formatting yet. There’s no need to. Focus only on your writing and finishing your manuscript. Once your manuscript has been edited and you and your editor agree it is the final polished product, then and only then is your manuscript ready for formatting.

A book not properly formatted will never be approved for publishing! Unless you are experienced with layout and formatting, let your publisher handle this for you. Formatting requires professional design expertise. Do not spend needless hours trying to format your book yourself. You need to know formatting specifications and how to properly set up your book for the printer who is publishing your book. Your job was to write the book. Let a professional formatter make it look great!

What About Cover Design?

Your cover is the book’s first impression. It will also be the deciding factor whether people will purchase your book or not. Similar to editing and interior formatting, designing a book cover requires professional design expertise. It also requires knowledge on setting up the cover file so that your publisher can approve and print the cover successfully.

We’ve worked with many writers who initially attempted to design their own cover, had a mass-produced template or had a friend design their cover for them. Unfortunately, not only did the covers not look professional, but the amount of time and money required to make corrections and adjustments ended up costing them more than if we had just designed the cover for them to begin with. A book cover not properly designed will never be approved for publishing.

Unless you are experienced with cover design, let your publisher handle this for you. Again though, if you are just beginning to write your book, do not even think about cover designs just yet. Focus only on your writing and finishing your manuscript.

How To Find a Publisher?

Write Way Publishing Company works with writers in any location and with all types of books. Our team prides itself on over-delivering and providing the best value for your investment. Our philosophy is that your book is as important to us as it is to you.

Being co-founder of Write Way Publishing and having published several books myself, I understand every detail that is required to publish a book successfully. Write Way Publishing’s one-stop-approach ensures no detail is left out and you have everything you need to produce a finished product that looks professional.

Contact us so we can talk more about your book and learn more about you. Our consultations are free and we can offer you a variety of free resources. We also provide editorial assessments on work you have already written. Assessments are a great start to help you write on track and finish!

Final Thoughts

Are you feeling clear on where to start? Are you feeling more confident in your direction and ability to write your book? What might get in your way? Reading this far proves you are serious about writing and becoming a published author. I’d love to hear from you and will happily provide a complimentary consultation. Write Way Publishing is passionate about all kinds of book genres and, humbly, we’re pretty good at getting our aspiring authors to the publishing stage!

Before I close this book so you can begin writing yours, let’s recap 12 important concepts you have learned:

• The only person who can write your book is…you!

• Current technology has changed the traditional model of publishing and made it an amazing time for anyone to become a published author now

• Knowing your ‘why,’ your purpose for writing, is a powerful motivator

• It’s important to get your mind ‘write’ before you start writing

• Identify and write only within your most productive and alert times

• Scheduling time to write fosters focus and helps you meet your writing goals

• Having an accountability partner will help you stay on track

• Expecting frustrations along the way and dealing with them before they get out of hand will make your writing path smooth and more enjoyable

• Developing your book outline provides you with a roadmap for writing

• Your book dedication can provide you with powerful inspiration and motivation to complete your book

• Editing is an essential part of the process and there are several types of editing to help you polish your manuscript

• Editing comes before formatting. Formatting comes before cover design

Write Way Publishing Company is here to help you! Contact us for a complimentary consultation and learn more! I hope you will put what you’ve learned here to work to get your book written. Write the book once and benefit long term for all the reasons you wanted to write your book in the first place!

TO YOUR SPEAKING AND PUBLISHING SUCCESS!

Kevin@KevinCSnyder.com

@KevinCSnyder

KevinCSnyder.com

PAIDtoSPEAK.biz

WriteWayPublishingCompany.com

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