Secrets of speaker success in 2023.

Problem: Demand for speakers and experts is higher than ever before. So why aren't you packing your diary with gigs?

Solution: You're looking under the wrong rock.

Access and trusted reputation is what holds back most speakers. I've been following hundreds of the worlds best speakers and their transactions for years now. The key success factors are not what you think. 0.01% of speakers, or one in 10,000 are well served by agents and bureaux. The rest face an uphill struggle of recognition in an industry that is far from meritocratic, until now.

At the time of writing, I am recruiting for 100 speakers for 100 projects we have coming up in the United States, and reflecting on the state of play in the speaker business as I do so. There is an abundance of demand, and I believe it's your unique humility and purpose which will get you to a successful year ahead.

While there is no shortage of talent, (there are 10 million speakers globally who are good to great). The problem is, your magnificence is not ordered in a way that makes much sense to a buyer in 2023, which highlights your rating, review score, and skills in a way buyers can digest. Kindly allow me, if I may, make a few observations you may find helpful as you look forwards to an interstellar new year.

Walking the talk.

In 2022 we started to generate exclusive demand for speakers through my own business. We looked for a number of speakers we could represent and guarantee work. Instead of the well trodden path of planners and conference organisers, we chose to speak to business owners, and discover what their needs were. Post pandemic, so many CEOs and HR Directors were looking for key information, soft and hard skills that will support sales teams, staff meetings, leadership attributes, DEI, advanced technology and myriad other things. The new way of working means that a virtual, "event" solution is the perfect device to bridge these knowledge gaps, provide motivation and purpose.

The cool thing? Instead of being part of supply, we created demand ourselves, and we've managed to maintain and scale that so all our events are those that we've negotiated exclusively. We examine the problems Chambers, businesses, Universities faced, and come up with the optimum solution, modality, timeframe, speaker, budget and most importantly content - in order to really move the dial, not go through the motions.

Speaker demand is ubiquitous.

Every day, every hour, there are tens of thousands of enquiries into speakers. All over the world. The great problem that exists is that confusion reigns. Individual websites with glossy images and testimonials without dates just create more doubt. Speaker bureaux have lots of smiling faces, and a phone number, (and when you get through, an eye watering fee from which the speaker only retains 60% and often worse). What a buyer often defaults to is asking around, or seeking out the safest bet. All of this is stifling the actual fulfilment of that demand.

The event planner, conference, agent, bureau model is all very well for the very few. On a rebound post-pandemic, my industry insider recently told me physical events run by giants like Gartner are growing in size and stature, as more delegates are looking for meaningful, multi-day experiences which drill down to specific subject group and specialisms. Delegates are prepared to pay $3,000 to attend such extravaganzas, (and let's face it, escape from the routine). Speakers in turn are being paid $10,000 to $30,000 to speak, and even higher. So those inside the bubble are doing fine.

The kinds of speakers who do the conference rounds are 1 in 10,000, who've completed the same talk, thousands of times. The 0.01%. That could be you, and that's all very well but you are still missing out from a huge opportunity.

The thing is - demand exists in abundance ... it just needs to be channeled, and categorised to meet the supply, in a way that creates trust and engagement. Google search analytics will show you how much demand for your own skills. People all over the world want what speakers, experts, consultants, coaches have to give. They want what you know - thousands of times a day. The challenge is that unlike products like cars, books, accommodation, a meritocratic process for evaluating quality and dependability just doesn't exist. So how do you turn the fire hose of demand to your own benefit?

It's about a change in mode.

The 'keynote' is a mode, or asset class all of its own. It demands resect, high fees, and requires research and development to achieve well.

My observation is that experts, (of which speakers are a subset, like consultants, authors, coaches, specialists), are needed not just to stand on stage and deliver a one-way rallying cry or motivational seminar, but in much more ubiquitous circumstances today. Have you ever considered speaking on webinars for Chambers of Commerce, working groups in large enterprises, sales teams, individuals looking for 1:2:1 time with the best of the best? With virtual communication that we are now all accustomed to, anything is possible, and use cases are abundant.

So, what if we establish a different kind of "asset class" which is distinguished from a "keynote" because it's 100% virtual, delivered from home or office, and it not requiring extensive research or development. Most important, what if said asset class does not cannibalise the perceived "value" of a speaker?

Let's say it requires an hour commitment: a short prep, 40 minutes on camera, some Q&A, and done. Let's also assume it is to a variety of people, sometimes tens, sometimes hundreds, who all represent downstream opportunity. Provided the event works around your schedule, and pays a reasonable dollar figure, would you do it?

Almost all, when fully understood, understand that it would not only build a very useful support income, it would actually supercharge their existing 'keynote' speaking, that averages $7500 to $15,000 each time. Why? because access to people generates network effects.

What if we can get a global sponsor?

We've managed to secure sponsorship for individual events we produce (so you speakers can be paid). The benefit to the sponsors is disproportionately greater than a lot of other events, they get access to our database of attendees. We've catered to thousands of event delegates online and offline since we began, so what's stopping us securing a sponsor for the whole of the USA, so we can commission hundreds of events at a time in a series? Why not globally? Watch this space.

It's a race to the top.

Within the boundaries of reason, what you charge for your time to speak in a virtual capacity does not govern demand. There are far more important factors at play in a decision to book you.

What every buyer really wants to know is how good you really are, and if you are a safe pair of hands. Companies will pay a reasonable rate to have someone they can rely on to make them look good. Individuals in companies just want an easy choice - and today they want an orderly arrangement of excellence presented to them which they can evaluate.

Discounting doesn't affect demand for speakers. In fact the opposite is the case. In 2022 several reports came out which showed that meaningful ratings and reviews, which often include use cases, are as powerful as recommendations from a trusted friend or colleague.

Speakers are brilliant

The vast majority of speakers are fabulous people, with a will and purpose to communicate their messages to the largest possible audiences, and also to make them stick. They are open about learning, love a community and are all prepared to invest in their self-improvement. Many are held back by established practices including agencies, bureaux and speaker societies which stifle competition and diversity in talent.

Most exciting of all? Speakers have time. Often the very biggest engagements occur infrequently, so you are always willing to improve, but most of all they have "unused inventory" during the week while they prep for big events, compose podcasts, and appear on TV.

Why should I decide how good you are?

I struggled for the last 2 years as I put together my recipe for success with speakers and experts. Initially I put together an online channel which was beautiful, but curated by me, which was both not a responsibility I wanted, nor practically possible to scale in the way I wanted - to have an impact.

Another thought occurs at this point. Who am I - a Brit for chrissakes! - to decide really how good you are, and whether you deserve a spot on my channel, my roster, my list of speakers? Sure, I've been around in business for north of 30 years, travelled the world, lived and worked in the USA for much of my early adult life, done spells at Harvard, UCLA and NYU. But I still don't qualify to judge you. I don't want to create an exclusive club, or worse still a frat house.

I want to create a safe environment where the best rise to the top, on merit. I want diversity to be at the foundation of our purpose, not a peripheral, soundbite "re-fit". Why? because by definition, access to knowledge and wisdom from everyone, benefits everyone. Seeing life through a single lens is so 20th Century. Enough.

A long time ago, In a galaxy far, far away ...

(OK ... San Francisco, 2007). A young man called Brian Chesky build a website to sell spare inventory of another sort. Instead of knowledge and time, (my model) he chose beds (in fact the first bed, was an airbed in his own apartment ... eureka!). Most people thought he was mad. Why on earth would I let a total stranger into my house?

Brian kept going, relentlessly, trying to sell this model, until just a few at a time people began to see the opportunity. The buyer could get what they really needed (a clean, welcoming place to lay their head), the seller saw opportunity for extra income, when it suited them (during the week, say, so they kept the weekends for family). Brian worked through problems like payment (keeping the money in escrow until both buyer and seller were satisfied); ratings and reviews (the best rose to the to of listings and were repeat booked): images and marketing (he actually took great photography himself with his friends, which differentiated from anything else at the time. Hey presto - 4 years of hard work, REALLY hard work, and Airbnb was born.

Hang on a minute, I've got an idea ...

Surely if you can create a digital marketplace for accommodation, books, trips, cars, holidays built on ratings and reviews, with secure payment in escrow so both buyer and seller are protected ... can't you do it for knowledge?

Supply: If experts, speakers and consultants are willing to spend time on virtual talks, its a factor of how much money they receive for the transaction, how much downstream opportunity lies in the interaction, and how genuinely altruistic they are about sharing knowledge. Will the best sort of expert, with purpose, accept $300 to $1200 per hour, for a satisfying exchange of knowledge, lighting up people's lives a little, a great social post and some future opportunity for more?

Demand: Can we capture and create demand, by sharing the extraordinary news that speaking doesn't cost $10,000 and have to be on a stage? Can we divert thousands of enquiries from Google to our safe, secure environment which is curated, cared for and has purpose and energy behind it? Can we demonstrate through now well-understood meritocracy levers of rating and review, (thanks Brian) that people from every economic background, ethnicity, orientation, geography, gender ... are in fact safe "pairs of hands" and absolutely fabulous?

So ... I built Elevate.

In my view, a well-established digital profile, peer-reviewed and rated will double an annual income of a great speaker. We're lucky to have made sales now since we spun up the demand side in September, and we're really excited now demand starts to flow in volume.

Bringing together supply and demand for knowledge sounds logical in principle, but not in practice. It's taken 3 years of hard work, a lot of money, strained relationships, trial, error, rabbit holes, black holes and cul-de-sacs. But finally Elevate is here, and it looks fabulous. A digital marketplace for knowledge. I want to profoundly thank the adventurers and pioneers who helped me get this far, who helped me raise funds, and all those new comers who will join me on the journey for 2023. Without you and your inspiration, none of this would have been possible, nor would myself nor my team of dedicated helpers have the energy and will to push forward into new territory next year.

A drop in the Pacific Ocean?

Elevate is recruiting the first 1000 speakers and experts to be part of our new digital marketplace. Currently we stand at 270, and judging by growth rates we will reach our target before 31 January. Why should you want to be part of a market of speakers that compete directly with you?

In reality, (because the internet exists) you are part of a global market for speakers, who are not organised into categories, modalities, ratings and reviews. You are one in ten million speakers who operate in North America, Europe, and Asia. And that just counts the good ones. Being part of Elevate - especially at 1000 speakers, will enable you to stand out, get found, and be selected alongside a group of peers in a safe, trusting, secure market.

Our plans for 2023.

We've build a digital marketplace for knowledge, with a secure payment process powered by Stripe and Paypal. We attract thousands of visits a month from buyers, and we will develop hundreds of new enquiries per month into your services. We will improve 5* ratings and reviews, rankings based on those ratings, SEO latency to ensure your answers pop up whenever there is a request, and much more, attributes to improve how you are found, booked and paid.

The success of Elevate owes so much to everyone that has been bold and innovative enough to list with us. For those that are considering Elevate for 2023, please know we will do everything in our power to make your year as successful as you dream of, and hope that in return you summon the energy to participate. I hope you choose to invest in yourself, be part of a global community, and take pride in proving to everyone that you were one of the first. When you find our website, and click on "how it works", you will find details of our membership structure. At the first level its free to participate. At the second, elite level our membership provides a range of critical benefits, and also rewards you for investing your time and energy helping to build the market.

There ... you won. And we've not even turned 2023 yet :-)

Robert.