What do you do if your freelance motivational speaking fees are being negotiated?

When negotiating freelance motivational speaking fees, it's crucial to focus on the value you bring. Highlight your expertise, unique approach, and the impact you've made. Be flexible but assertive, knowing your worth. Consider factors like audience size, travel, and customization. Emphasize long-term benefits over short-term costs. Ultimately, aim for a fair compensation that reflects your skills and effort, fostering a win-win outcome for both parties.

??Assess Your Value: Consider your expertise, experience, and the value you bring to clients. ??Set a Minimum Fee: Determine the lowest amount you're willing to accept for your services. ??Highlight Benefits: Emphasize the benefits clients will gain from your motivational speaking, such as increased productivity or morale. ??Be Flexible: Offer options like package deals or additional services to accommodate different budgets. ??Negotiate Terms: Discuss payment schedules, travel expenses, and any other relevant factors to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

If you are getting booked out often, maybe you are charging too little, and is time to raise your fee. Higher fees also help you get clients that are more invested in you due to the amount they invested. That means less trouble and a lot more pampering. If you are getting events interested to the point of asking what is your fee but afterward they fall through and choose someone else, then you might have to reconsider lowering your fee. There is no point in charging a huge amount and having no client. Don't let your ego get in your way.

I am a firm believer in the fact that experience is the father of wisdom. While offering my services to every new client, deep down I always know that the term negotiation will again make me learn a new lesson. So, I maintain a very mindful approach. Ever since I started freelancing, time has made me learn that like every service, negotiating is an art that demands not only making bold assertions positively and humbly but also fellow-feeling and unbendable authority in one’s worth. Keeping such aspects in mind, trust me, the sky is the limit. A simple and subtle mind never fails to scale new heights in every walk of life, let alone negotiations.

This also gives you flexibility to take on events that won't pay much but will be great for your portfolio. Early on my career, I've accepted to give a speech for leaders inside the United Nations Headquarter in Vienna and, although the pay barely cover my travel costs, the credibility I got from it was really good for my business. Beware though of event planners that try to pay you less or nothing at all because of "exposure". Only you can determine if an exposure to such an audience would actually make sense for you. Again, early in my career I took on pro-bono or travel cost-only gigs with C-level audience or TEDx events which really helped my career. Be smart about your fee and don't undervalue yourself. Also, don't be arrogant.

Additional offerings in a package add a lot of value to event organizers and might be what tips the scale and allow them to agree to the amount you ask for. Maybe it will be because they will see more value or maybe because they can combine the budgets they have. Either way, it's a win-win for both.

Here are some other ways you can get good benefits from speaking that can't pay your full fee: - Ask for referrals - Ask for testimonials (both from the event organizer and the audience) - Record the presentation or get their recording in case they are already recording the event - Use their logo as past clients on your marketing material - Try out new material The opportunities are endless if you are creative enough. Just be careful not to think every event that can't pay your fee will be good for you. Sometimes, it just won't make sense and you will have to say no.

A client today will always be a prospective client who may approach you even after a few years or give referrals. Never ever leave a client with a bad taste in the mouth as negativity travels much quicker, doing more damage to your reputation. Following up keeps the connection alive in the mind and opens the doors for opportunities.

Some events that hired me came from previous negotiations where they decided to go for other speakers. Courteous follow-ups as well as sincere wishes for a great event that year go a long way in opening doors to future events.

BENEFITS TO STARTUPS - negotiable fees gives benefits to us also , we will get more clients even small or just started startsups can engage the speaker and get benefited . When you deliver talk efficiently and create a legacy money will automatically follow . So fees can be negotiated

Remember that you can negotiate on several aspects to make a lower fee worth it for you and affordable to your client. Here are some examples: - Instead of speaking for 60 minutes, you can speak for only 45 or 30 minutes - They can give you a recording of your presentation - They can cover travel costs - They can promote your private services to their members at the event, through social media or through their email marketing campaigns - Set the number of referrals they will give in advance - Video testimonial - VIP treatment (room upgrade, paid spa, introduction to the top attendees, etc) The opportunities are endless.