Jaimie Abbott: Welcome to today's podcast episode where we're delving into a topic that's really important for every speaker and that is understanding and communicating your value. Now, whether you're new to the speaking circuit or a seasoned professional, knowing your worth and being able to convey it effectively can significantly impact your success and your income. So today we'll cover some practical tips on how to determine your value and communicate it to potential clients, ensuring that you get paid what you're worth. So let's dive in. Number one, assessing your skills and expertise. So the first step in understanding your value as a speaker is to assess your skills and expertise. Take some time to reflect on your unique strengths and areas of knowledge. So, what topics do you excel in? What specific skills do you bring to the table that others might not? Perhaps you have extensive experience in a particular industry, or you've developed a unique approach to solving common problems. To help with this process, consider the following questions. What qualifications and certifications do you have? What significant achievements or milestones have you reached in your career? What unique perspectives or insights can you offer your audience? And what feedback have you received from past speaking engagements? By answering these questions, you can start to build a comprehensive picture of your value as a speaker. Understanding market demand once you've assessed your skills and expertise, the next step is to understand the market demand for your speaking topics, research current trends in your industry, and identify the topics that are most sought after. Look at conferences, webinars and other speaking events to see what subjects are frequently covered and which ones attract the largest audiences. You can also reach out to event organisers and ask about the topics that they're interested in and perhaps the challenges their audience face. This will give you a better understanding of where your expertise fits into the current market and how you can position yourself to meet demand gathering social proof this is a powerful tool for demonstrating your value as a speaker. It includes testimonials, case studies and endorsements from previous clients and audience members. Positive feedback from others can significantly enhance your credibility and make it easier to communicate your worth to potential clients. Now to gather social proof, follow up with clients and audience members after your speaking engagements. Ask them for written testimonials and if possible, video testimonials highlight specific results or transformations they experienced as a result of your talk. This concrete evidence of your impact can be incredibly persuasive when negotiating your speaker fees creating a professional speaker's toolkit I speak about this fairly often, but this is kind of a collection of materials that will will showcase your value and help you market yourself effectively. It should include a professional bio which is a concise and compelling summary of your expertise, achievements and what makes you unique as a speaker. High quality headshots professional photos that present you in a polished and approachable manner a speaker reel a short video that highlights your best moments on stage, demonstrating your speaking style and the value you deliver. Testimonials and case studies social proof that showcases the impact of your previous speaking engagements and your speaker one sheet and I run training fairly often which teaches you how to put together your speaker one sheet. It's basically a one page document that includes your bio, key topics, testimonials and contact information and this can be sent to event organisers and potential clients as a quick reference. I actually use my one sheet to send to podcast hosts and I get a lot of podcast guesting opportunities. This way having a well crafted speakers toolkit can make a significant difference in how youre perceived and the fees you can command.
Setting your speaking fees now determining your fees can be challenging
Setting your speaking fees now determining your speaking fees can be challenging, but its a crucial part of understanding and communicating your value. Start by researching the average fees for speakers in your industry with similar levels of experience and expertise. This can give you a baseline to work from. Consider the following factors when setting your fees. Your experience and expertise more experienced and highly specialised speakers can command higher fees. Market demand topics that are in high demand or require specialised knowledge can justify higher fees, event type and audience size larger events and audiences often have bigger budgets, allowing for higher fees and additional value. If you can provide additional services such as workshops, consulting or promotional efforts, factor these into your fees. Once you have a clear idea of your fees, be confident in communicating them to potential clients. Remember, your fees reflect your value and the results that you can deliver.
Communicating your value effectively is key to ensuring you're paid what you deserve
now effective comm strategies effective communication strategies communicating your value effectively is key to ensuring you're paid what you are worth. So here are some strategies to help you convey your value to potential clients. Highlight your USP's, your unique selling points. Clearly articulate what sets you apart from other speakers. This could be your unique perspective, your results oriented approach, or your ability to engage and inspire audiences. Use data and testimonials so support your claims with data and testimonials that demonstrate your impact. For example, if your talks have led to increased sales, higher employee engagement or improved performance, highlight these outcomes. Tell compelling stories. I love storytelling and you can use this to illustrate your value. So share anecdotes and examples that highlight your expertise and the positive changes you facilitated for your clients. Be confident and assertive. Confidence is so important when you're communicating your value, so I want you to be assertive in discussing your fees and the benefits you provide. Avoid underselling yourself or even apologising for your rates. Building long term relationships doing this with clients and event organisers can help you maximise your income and create a steady stream of speaking opportunities. So here are some tips for nurturing these relationships. Follow up and stay in touch after your engagements, follow up with clients to thank them and ask for feedback. Stay in touch I hate asking for feedback. By the way, stay in touch by sending periodic updates about your new topics. Achieving and availability the reason I hate asking for feedback is I don't like criticism. even though like when I ask for feedback, most of the time, it like 99.9% of the time, it's always positive feedback. It's just, I don't know, maybe it's my political background. I just hate criticism, sick of it. So I just don't want, any negative criticism. But, you know, you need to do it because it's the way to get better. So suck it up. Suck it up. Jamie deliver consistent value. Always strive to deliver exceptional, value in your talks. This will increase the likelihood of repeat engagements and referrals. Offer additional services. Consider offering maybe workshops, consulting coaching. I, talked about this in last week's episode actually, because this can really deepen your relationships with clients and provide additional income streams. Continuously improving your skills. Now to continuously command higher fees and attract more opportunities you need to just keep improving your skills as a speaker. So invest in professional development by attending workshops, taking courses and seeking mentorship. Practise your speaking skills regularly and seek feedback from trusted colleagues or mentors. Stay updated on the latest trends and developments in your industry to ensure your content remains relevant and valuable. The more you invest in your growth as a speaker, the more value you can provide to your audience and the higher fees you can command. So there you go. Understanding and communicating your value as a speaker is just essential for maximising your income and also achieving long term success. By assessing your skills and expertise, understanding market demand, gathering that social proof and creating a professional speakers toolkit, you can effectively communicate your worth to potential clients. Setting your fees confidently, using effective comm strategies, building long term relationships and continuously improving your skills will help you command higher fees and attract more speaking opportunities.
If you love this episode, please give it a five star review
Thank you for tuning in to today's episode. I really hope that you find these tips helpful and that they inspire you to recognise and communicate your true value as a speaker. If you love today's episode, please give it a five star review. I would love you to do that. Hardly anyone does that. I know I have so many downloads every single week, like hundreds, but people often very rarely. Sorry, people very rarely take the time to give me a five star review. Would really appreciate if you did that because it means my podcast will show up to more people and then more people get to, hear these valuable tips. Remember, your worth is defined by the unique value that you bring to your audience, so don't be afraid to ask for what you deserve. Until next week, keep speaking with confidence and purpose.
>> Jamie Abbott: Thanks for listening to pitch perfect. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review, view it and share it to social media. If you'd like to download my free paid speaking resources, go to jaimieabbott.com.
