Become a Six Figure Professional Speaker
by Kathleen Gage
Published on this site: January 11th, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
Have you ever dreamed of getting paid to speak? Not sure where
to start? Wondering if you can make a living as a speaker?
Have people told you what a wonderful presence you have in
front of an audience?
If you are like many people you have a secret desire to become
a professional speaker, but you're just not sure where to
begin or what to do. As someone who has been speaking professionally
for many years I often recommend to people who have the dream
to start right where you are at. Begin by speaking for free,
work into a small fee, then a bit more, then more and then
more.
The type of response I get to this recommendation will determine
if someone has what it takes to become a professional speaker.
Note that I did not say public speaker. Many people confuse
professional speaker with public speaker.
The main difference between a public speaker and a professional
speaker is the professional gets paid. Granted, there will
be times that professionals choose to not get paid for an
engagement, yet they do derive some, or all of their income
from speaking.
The profession of speaking can be one of the most rewarding
and lucrative you will ever have. On the other hand, it can
be one of the most frustrating. As with anything there are
pros and cons with this career choice.
Being a professional goes beyond having a good, or even great,
speech. You must also have business savvy. Simply put, you
must know how to identify those people who want to hear what
you have to say; differentiate yourself in the marketplace;
market yourself; be able to sell your services; give great
customer service; deliver an stellar product (you); and have
great follow up.
An excellent way to find out more about the industry is to
visit your local chapter of the National Speakers Association.
There are chapters in cities throughout the United States,
Canada and other parts of the world. A quick search on the
Internet will give you a number and contact person of your
nearest NSA Chapter. You can even call the corporate office
which is located in Tempe, Arizona.
Before quitting your day job, take the time to develop your
presentation skills. Read a book, take a class or attend a
speaking seminar. Join an organization that assists you in
developing presentation skills such as Toastmasters International.
Consider hiring a presentation coach. Your time and money
will be well spent.
To determine what topics to speak on look to your own experience,
knowledge and passion. What do you have a great deal of expertise
in that people would want to hear about and be willing to
pay for?
The amount you get paid is based on skill and market demand.
A more seasoned speaker will likely make more than a new speaker.
A speaker with specific expertise that is not your run of
the mill type tends to command more than a generalist. A speaker
who is an author of a best selling book also can command more
than a non-published speaker.
There are many factors that are a part of the equation of
a successful professional speaker. Again, a great way to find
out what the determining criteria are is to find others who
are succeeding in the industry and learn what they have done,
are doing and plan to do in their career.
Kathleen Gage is an award winning professional
speaker based out of Draper, Utah. Join Kathleen Gage for
a free teleconference – How to Become a Six Figure Speaker
on January 18th. Visit http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com
to register
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