The Differences Between Stageside Leads and Referrals & A Wireless Virtual Event Hack

Happy Friday, my professional speaker friends!

Author Richard Powers won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for fiction with his groundbreaking novel about an unlikely topic…

Trees.

Now, whether or not you’ve read his book,?The Overstory, you’ve probably encountered a tree or two during your life.

But today, I want you to consider how another important “tree” can impact your speaking business…

Your Referral Tree.

?? A "referral tree" is a tool that maps out two different types of leads: referrals and stageside leads.

?? Stageside leads refer to inquiries from people who approach speakers immediately after they finish a speech. These leads are faster to close, with higher fees, and occur more often than other types of leads.

?? Referrals, on the other hand, are individuals who have been directed to inquire about a speaker's speech by someone who has seen them speak. Referrals tend to close more slowly and at lower fees than stageside leads but are opportunities to introduce a speaker to a new audience and build a pipeline of future revenue.

?? Speakers need to treat these two types of leads differently regarding the sales process, recognizing that referrals require more resources and energy to close.

?? Dive deeper to fully understand how these two lead types fit into your business… and how a referral tree can help you track growth for a sustainable pipeline of future gigs. **Free subscription required.**

Build a Sustainable Pipeline of Gigs with Your Referral Tree

Meeting planners find speakers through stageside leads and referrals, which is why building and leveraging a referral network is critical for speakers.

?? To create a referral tree, speakers should map the gigs that led to other gigs and understand the industry subsets, or fractals, in which they are most popular.

?? Tracking this information over time can help speakers determine fees, potential revenue, and whether a new inquiry is likely to lead to valuable opportunities.

?? Speakers can also use the information to decide whether a free gig is worth the investment, based on the potential future revenue it may generate.

?? See exactly how I track and build my referral tree and learn how I used my referral tree to track one “free” gig that earned me $342K over the following seven years. **Paid Members Only**

A Wireless Hack For Your Virtual Events (Video)

You'll never believe the simple hack I engineered to create a wireless virtual experience.

Being tethered to a desk during my virtual events is stifling.

It's just as bad as being jammed behind a podium on a keynote stage during an in-person event.

So, sure, I use an excellent wireless microphone system. But you'll never believe the simple hack I engineered to create a truly wireless experience.

I explain it all in this week's?Speaker Tech Tuesday?video (and you'll find the links to the gear below.)

I'll see you next week for another round-up of our?weekly content exclusively for professional speakers.

Remember, the advice that got you here won't get you there.

Andrew Davis