How To Book A Motivational Keynote Speaker For Your Next Meeting

What’s the first step of booking a speaker? Assuming you are starting from scratch, which means you haven’t seen the speaker, or nobody has referred them to you, you have two choices. Do a little research on your own and book the speaker directly or work with a speaker’s bureau.

Going Direct: If you want to go directly to the speaker, just do a Google search on the topic you are interested in. For example, if you type in the term “customer service speaker,” you will find many speakers to choose from. So how do you know if they’re good? Look at their videos. Most speakers who have a career in the speaking business will have a video. A word of caution; anyone can be good in short 10 second clips. The speaker should include some longer clips, so you can get a feel for their style, message, and more.

Booking Through a Bureau: Going through a speaker’s bureau means that an agent does a lot of the legwork for you. They find out the topic(s) you’re interested in and your budget and present you with several choices to consider. You still need to look through the videos and narrow down the options to the one you want—or at least two or three top choices. By the way, if you have a good rapport with the agent, you can use that agent every time you need a speaker.

The Pre-Booking Call: Regardless of whether you book directly or through a bureau, once you think you’ve made the right choice, you’re not quite finished. Get on the phone with the speaker to have what I refer to as the “pre-booking call.” Ask the speaker about their background and why they think they are a good fit for you. If the call is set in advance, the speaker should have done some preliminary homework. Their preparation for the call will give you an indication of their willingness to properly prepare for the speech.

Speakers’ Fees: The fee for speakers runs the gamut from a few hundred dollars for a neophyte to upwards of one hundred thousand dollars (and sometimes more) for celebrities and politicians. It’s been reported that President Bill Clinton’s speaking fees have been over a quarter of a million dollars. The typical professional speaker’s fee will range from a few thousand to less than fifty thousand. While you’ll find speakers at lower fees, the average fee for a professional speaker is approximately $5,000 at the very low end to $20,000. Once you start to get past twenty or twenty-five thousand dollars, you’re working with seasoned professionals who may have written a New York Times best-selling book or be recognized as a leader in their area of expertise.

Travel Expenses: Don’t forget that there may be travel expenses involved. Some speakers turn in an itemized expense report with their final bill. It’s becoming more and more popular for speakers to have a flat rate for expenses. For example, a speaker might charge their fee plus a hotel room and “X” number of dollars to cover all other expenses. The advantage to a flat rate is that there are no surprises when the final invoice shows up.

Six Questions to Ask the Speaker Before You Book:

1. What’s your background?
2. Why do you think you would be a good fit for our audience?
3. Have you spoken to audiences (or organizations) like ours before?
4. Do you have any articles, books, or videos that can give us an idea of the content you think would be suited for our audience?
5. Do you customize your speech, and if so, how?
6. Would you be willing to talk to some of our leaders before the speech (or others who can help prepare you for the speech)?

These questions are just a start. Of course, there will be other questions. You’ll want to inquire about the speaker’s fee and how they handle travel expenses. A further conversation will help you ensure that the speaker’s comments are in alignment with the theme of the meeting, your organization’s values, etc. Look to build some level of rapport on the call. You’ll get a sense of the speaker’s personality and style and better understand what to expect if and when you book the speaker.