Speaking for FREE... Dumb or Clever?

Before I give you my "2 cents" answer to this question...

What do you think?

There's 3 kinds of speakers

Those that say: It's Dumb!

Those that say: it's Clever!

And some that say: It depends!

Where do you fit in?

Here's my take on it. I've done them BOTH and 90% of the time I got more money speaking for free than getting paid up front.

There is a popular Mexican saying that goes: "Whoever pays the Mariachi Band, selects the songs they play"

This is also applicable for speaking...

If they pay you upfront, then you have to do whatever they tell you to do, however if you are NOT getting paid upfront, you can set your conditions and parameters and even in corporate gigs make more money.

So I believe, speaking for free is CLEVER unless you are dumb enough not to know how to monetize the back-end!

Here's an example: My UP FRONT FEE is $15,000 dollars which I can justify with my Speaker Portfolio: www.bookernesto.com

If an event planner does not have the budget to pay me the $15,000, I will start the negotiation with them and I can come up with a way to compensate me for those $15,000 in the ways I see appropriate and 9 out of 10 times they agree with my terms!

I would say thing like: I will waive my $15,000 fee if you agree to hire me twice as a corporate trainer. Or I will waive my $15,000 fee if you agree to introduce me to 5 of your clients or whatever I see beneficial.

Now, if it is a congress and the audience are my potential clients, I will waive that fee if they let me have a stand for free on the conference or if they allow me to keynote on the best slot.

and EVERY TIME, I will end up making more money on the back-end rather than the front-end! It amazes me this topic is still a point of conversation at the beginning of the 3rd decade of the 21st century!

For crying out loud: The speaking industry has changed yet speakers still operate like if it was 1994!

The other way speakers "shoot themselves on the foot" is the subject of travel expenses...

Still today it, seems to be an issue for many speakers "I want my travel expenses paid". F&%k, if you want a free trip, then you do not understand the speaking industry.

Think of it this way, Why would the event planner pay your travel expenses if he/she can get a speaker just as good as you who is NOT asking for travel expenses?

You're letting go of an opportunity paying a ton of money (front-end or back-end) for a silly airline ticket... REALLY?

To add insult to injury, 95% of all speakers think they get paid because they are an "Amazon best selling author. " Or because they are "good" on-stage! WRONG.

You are paid for your marketing. If your speaker portfolio is obsolete or incomplete, you're a dreamer thinking event planners will pay your travel expenses or give you a high up-front fee!

Are you aware 90% of the decision makers you will be dealing with are millennial's and if they see an old website or a wrongly formatted video they will toss you faster than you can say the word "formatted?"

If you are a Baby Boomer speaker and you are still thinking like if it is 1994, I can easily and rapidly predict you will be sent to Jurassic park. I mean it!

Specially Baby Boomer speakers who might have had some sort of success in the past are the most vulnerable to this generational gap and now with GEN Z getting ready to enter the work force you will be seen as an "old-fart" if you don't change your approach!

Let me share with you the success story of one of my clients. He is 67 years old and he understands EXACTLY what i am talking about! He worked with me and together we created his "casting-reel" (If you have NOT heard this term, perhaps it's time to look closely.

His Name is Frank Mulcahy

He is an expert on cyber security and identity theft.

He understands the "back-end" scenario and he jokes he is happy to speak for a "cup of coffee", last year using the casting reel we created for him, he got in more stages and made more money speaking than 90% of the speakers I know.

This video appeals to Millennial's and Baby-Boomers alike and his speaking career is soaring!

You can do the EXACT SAME!

If you want to discover how to prepare your millennial ready speaker portfolio and create a video like Frank's, please have a look at this page, where we explain step-by-step how to get that done and we will share with you multiple ways on how to get on stages (free or paid) all over the world.

2020 and beyond is NOTHING like 1994. Do yourself a favor and UPDATE your way of thinking and your marketing portfolio!

Let me know your thoughts below: