Most of us are casual speakers.
You get a handful of opportunities a year.
If you could increase that to 1-2 times a month…you’d 2X…even 5X your business.
Selling more services, books and courses to the audience, of course. But also the added exposure and marketing content that comes from consistent speaking gigs.
But there’s a LOT you don’t know.
Things event organizers notice….and mention to each other…but will never tell you.
And what you don’t know…is killing your chances of getting booked consistently.
That’s why I reached out to Craig Grant…
* Pro speaker
* Averaging 150+ speaking gigs a year
* Founder of Real Estate Technology Institute
He’s also the creator and event organizer for theBEATS conference - a conference for speakers to be found and those who hire them, April 19-22 in Oklahoma City.
I’ll be attending, and a client, Marki Lemons Ryhal, is a keynote speaker. If you’re attending, hit REPLY and let me know!
Now let’s get into the…
10 Things “Casual Speakers” Don’t Know That Are Quietly Locking You OUT of More Speaking Gigs
You’re treating gigs like gigs.
“It’s a cardinal sin…they just show up, do their thing, shake a couple hands and leave. …If I can turn that gig into a friendship, I almost guarantee I’m going to get additional gigs…I have clients who, if they book me, they reach out to other associations, other companies in the geographic area,...they’ll literally build the trip for me.” - Craig Grant
I’m absolutely guilty of this. But speakers who do 100+ events a year treat every gig like the beginning of a friendship. That’s a mindset shift any of us can make. And it can turn one gig into multiple gigs.
You have no idea what event organizers actually WANT right now.
“Having good relationships and communicating with my clients (event organizers) all the time does help me with that. The other thing is I read the RFPs. So if a conference puts out an RFP (request for proposals) I read the details. A lot of times they tell you right in those RFPs, what kinds of topics they’re really looking for. And sometimes you [have] to mold your topic into fitting what they want.”
While casual speakers are guessing, Craig is doing market research. So maybe you don’t have event organizers on speed dial, but anyone can read RFPs.
You’re a jack of all topics.
“If you talk to a lot of association executives or people that hire for events, they’ll literally tell you the worst thing a speaker could ever say is ‘I can speak on that!’ They don’t want somebody who just figures it out. They want a subject matter expert.”
You don’t fit into their ‘mental rolodex.’
“Every hiring person, they have a little mental Rolodex in their head. So if they’re putting together their education calendar or an event, they’re [thinking], ‘I need somebody for [this topic]. Who are my top three people that popped in my head right away for that topic’. You want to be in their little mental Rolodex of that top three people they think of in your subject matter.”
You can’t be in three Rolodexes for three different topics.
That’s why it’s so important that your video show, podcast, email newsletter and social content all revolve around a single, unified message.
That makes it very, very easy for event organizers to instantly know your key topic and where you fit in their mental Rolodex.
In our done-for-you service, we help our agency clients stay on message in a bunch of different ways from the topics we suggest, or the copywriting in the content we produce, to scripts, outlines and personalized coaching on how they record their video content. It’s absolutely critical and will instantly set you apart from the sea of competing coaches, speakers and authors.
You’re riding a topic that peaked two years ago and you don’t even know it.
“I’ve pivoted many times over my career. I’ve been speaking about AI at least in pieces for the last 20 years. But [when] it blew up at the end of 2022, I realized it had to become a dedicated topic. I couldn’t just sprinkle it in. Reading those tea leaves…figuring out when to pivot…is huge.”
Craig gave the example of speakers in the tech space jumping on crypto and making it their primary topic. And it worked….right up until it didn’t.
You’re doing free gigs without negotiating the terms of the free gig.
Everyone says “do free gigs to get started.” Fine. But Craig didn’t just do free gigs…
“When I did that, I told them, I’m going to come in and do this free or dirt cheap, but you’ve got to help me out if I crush it. If I do a great job, you’ve got to guarantee you’re going to hire me and you’ve got to at least call a couple of your friends and tell them how good I was. And they were happy to do it because they were able to hire me for nothing. Treat your first few gigs almost like an audition to build up your speaker profile.”
I love this approach because it maintains your value as a speaker, and ties a concession on speaker compensation to something concrete…referrals and more opportunities.
You don’t have a speaker reel and you’re wondering why nobody’s calling.
“I always say for a speaker, the most important thing you need if you don’t have it is a speaker reel, an actual video content of you speaking in front of an audience, because nobody is going to invest money and bring you in if they don’t know you’re good in front of a crowd. So creating that little hype video of how good of a speaker you are goes a long, long way.”
In our done-for-you service, our team can edit a speaker reel for you. All we need is raw footage of you speaking in front of a crowd. If you don’t have that, the next best thing is having a video show (which we produce as part of our service).
A great speaker reel removes risk.As Craig put it, “that’s what most [hiring people] will say.. just don’t make me look bad.”
You’ve never once asked the person who booked you to dinner.
“I can’t tell you how many clients have told me, ‘Wow, nobody’s ever asked me that before. I’d love to!’ And even if they can’t, they’re still shocked that I even wanted to do so. So it really does break down a lot of barriers.
Then when I send them that friend request on Facebook or whatever network they’re on, they accept it. And then they get to see what’s going on in my family life, what I see what’s going on in theirs, and that becomes talking points in our friendships. It’s not just showing up and speaking for two hours. Now I’m building that friendship and getting more business out of it because of it.”
When it comes to building relationships with event organizers, the bar has been set pretty low. Doesn’t take much to clear it and make a lasting impression on event organizers.
You’re leaving the event promotion entirely up to the organizer.
“I am hardcore about the fact that if you hire me, I am providing you marketing materials. I know if I control the marketing, I control the message and the look…that I can help fill those seats. If it’s struggling, I’ll [offer to] do a webinar for them, whatever we need to do. But the way I do things is ‘I’m going to help you make sure all those seats are filled.”
Craig has built a system that allows him to create co-branded marketing materials in that sponsor’s logo, their color scheme, everything…so he knows they’ll use it. He understands that to an event organizer, his session is just one thing on the To Do list.
By stepping in and providing materials and support, he’s no longer just a speaker that checked a box, he’s part of the solution to a pressing problem…filling the seats.
You have no business plan for your speaking.
“I really believe that most people in the speaking industry don’t treat it like a business. I run my speaking business like a flat out business. Business plans, budgets…I forecast everything. I have processes in place for how I’m going to get hired and where I’m going to get hired.”
Maybe you only want to speak 1-2x a month, so you don’t need complex forecasting and budgeting. But you can still have a plan for that 1-2 per month level.
Treat speaking as an ongoing system, with dedicated timeblocks for…
* Follow up
* Optimizing your slide deck
* Improving your presentation and body language
* Building a dedicated Speaker page with a killer speaker reel
* Tweaking and improving your ‘Signature Talk’ - something we do with every client when they first sign up
Basically, go from ‘casual speaker’ to ‘pro speaker who is very selective about how many opportunities you take.’
You don’t realize that event organizers are a tiny, tight-knit community who all talk to each other.
“It’s crazy. I’ve talked to so many speakers who have blown up. It’s like all of a sudden at one point, your phone starts ringing like crazy. And your email inbox is getting stocked because they talk to each other. Which is another reason why I’m so focused on relationships with my clients…they’re a small community…So if you do a great job in one location, they tell their friends how good you were and [tell them] to bring you in as well.”
I love that real estate is such a small world. But it also means every single gig is critical and should be treated accordingly.
One great performance can get you recommended across an entire network.
One mediocre, transactional, show-up-and-leave performance gets you... crickets.
Which might be worse than a bad review, because at least a bad review means they remembered you!
Want to go deeper? Click on the audio file for the full chat, or search Real Estate Thought Leaders on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Craig dropped so many incredible nuggets in this conversation, it’s worth listening to multiple times to catch everything.
Steal This:
Create a recurring timeblock - a dedicated time where you treat speaking as a business.
Even one hour a month could create exponential opportunities.
Quick Links & Resources
BEATS Conference - April in Oklahoma City
Real Estate Technology Institute
Connect with Craig on Facebook or Instagram
Massive thanks to Craig, he showed up and just gave, gave and gave some more!
If you want to get more speaking opportunities, get yourself to the BEATS conference.
Craig started the event to bring educators and associations together. You literally get to network with association staff, event organizers and other speakers.
Our client, Marki Lemons Ryhal, who already speaks on 100+ stages a year, is one of the keynote speakers.
-Matt
Agency Founder & Author of MicroFamous
PS…When you’re ready, here’s how we can help…
Done-for-You Content Production & Strategy - We turn raw footage into professional YouTube videos, podcasts and email newsletters. All with zero overwhelm, guaranteed.
From Michael Maher and Lars Hedenborg to Jeff Cohn and Marki Lemons Ryhal, we’ve been the content team behind many of your fellow real estate coaches, speakers and authors.
We start every client engagement by developing your Signature Talk - uncovering the Clear & Compelling Idea that serves as the ‘north star’ of your content. So you have a message you’re excited to take to stages, guest interviews and videos.
Then we launch your flagship video show, supported by audio podcast and email newsletter, delivered with pro-quality and relentless consistency. We promote with short video clips and social posts on any platform where you’re active.
And you get all the support you need to stay consistent, from research-based video title and topic ideas, scripts, outlines, even slides, to weekly updates and monthly strategy calls.
So if you’re not putting out the quality of content…consistently…to become the thought leader you’re meant to be, let’s talk. Click here to learn more and schedule a Free Brainstorm Call.
