Tools

The best way to boost your reputation as an expert and boost your business box office is to speak and to have a booking agent in place

From short talks to panel discussions and auditorium-filled formal presentations, public speaking catapults you from relative unknown to business superstar

The amazing ways to find these business-building opportunities and speaking engagements.

Your richest resource is the people you already know. This includes clients, former clients, prospects, vendors, friends and family.

• Ask them what groups they belong to.
• What organizations would host a workshop or would invite you to present to their members?
• What organizations might host a workshop for their clients?
• What conferences can you pitch yourself as a breakout presenter?
• Local publications
• Scour them weekly to find events and groups.

Does your speaking topic have a commercial application? Become a corporate speaker! You may be able to get a corporate headquarters or local branch of a company to let you speak during lunch, after hours, or at a business meeting. Plus, being associated with a recognizable brand name adds to your business cred. Join Glorious Ovation Speakers Bureau

While you’re speaking, or after you’ve wowed the group with value) ask your audience for other suggestions. At the right time (usually at the end, you can say something like, “As you can tell, I am really passionate about what I do. If you know of a group who could benefit please let me know about them and let the group know about me?”

Your clients

No need to get all fancy and overlook one of your most highly qualified sources! Ask your clients what groups they belong to and whether they accept outside speakers

A non-profit club, devoted to helping its members improve their public speaking skills in a supportive environment, Toastmasters also has its own speaking bureau.

Speaker directories are matchmaking services that list speakers for a fee. Meeting planners sometimes go to these directories looking for a speaker on a certain topic.

• Speaker Services – speakerservices.com
• Speaker Zone – speakerzone.com

Set up alerts for speaking opportunities and keep a steady stream flowing your way. Here are three tools to create alerts

• GoogleAlert
• Talkwalker

Every city, big or small has organizations or clubs – think, Rotary clubs, Chamber of Commerce, etc  – that meet regularly. These members need content to fill their weekly or monthly meetings. Help them out by out by connecting with the programming chair and offering to speak on your specialty

Ask your friends, neighbors and colleagues who participate to connect you with these service groups

No matter what your interest or circumstance, there’s a group for it

 If you can share information on a topic that’s relevant to its members, they’ll welcome you as a speaker

Local business publications

Look around at your colleagues, competitors, and other professionals who target the same audience you do. Check their websites and LinkedIn profiles to see where they’ve spoken.

Check out the periodical’s Events page (in print or online), then contact the organizations listing presentations and pitch them for speaking.

And do you want more? You got it! You can also find speaking opportunities right from the comfort of your own laptop:

• Meetup.com is the world’s largest network of local groups.
• Eventbrite.com is a web-based event registration
• With LinkedIn and Facebook, events might be in-person or virtual

Subscribe to get an RSS feed of those events, delivered to your inbox. Genius

Online conference directories

• Lanyard.com
• Think and Grow Your Event
• Conference Alert
• EventinAmerica.com
• Allconferences.com

Look around you. Chances are, you live near a university, college, state school, technical school, or some other educational institution. Team up with a professor or department head to hold a forum a subject relevant to you and the educator’s interest group. Invite people from the community to attend as well.

Join your preferred group of individuals from diverse businesses who meet regularly for the purpose of bringing business opportunities to the other members and let the members know that you’re interested in speaking opportunities Popular groups are Le Tip, Business Networking International (BNI), and Local Business Network (LBN).