Negotiating with Speakers
Laura Stack, MBA, CSP offers 6 excellent strategies for meeting planners to work with speakers. You as the speaker, can learn from her suggestions and integrate the following suggestions to the meeting planner you are negotiating with.
Speaker selection is one of the most important elements in planning a successful meeting. Finding the right speaker can be a daunting task, as speakers are available in every fee range and specialty topic. If you find a speaker you’d love to invite but can’t quite swing the fee, you may want to try negotiation.
The hard part about being a professional speaker and writing an article on how to negotiate with speakers is that I might end up eating my words. But seriously, here are some strategies that may create a win/win situation, allowing the speaker to maintain fee integrity while working within your budget:
1. Ask if the speaker has an “in-state” rate. I discount my fees by 50% in Colorado, which creates value for the client and allows me to stay home more often with my three young children.
2. Get more time. If you’re already paying the luncheon keynote fee, ask the speaker to present a breakout session in the afternoon as well, thus reducing your per-program cost.
3. Practice creative accounting. If the speaker has a book, perhaps she will provide one copy per attendee as a gift. At $10 per copy for 100 participants, you can reduce speaker expense by $1000, charging materials or professional education instead.
4. Barter. A member can donate something of value to the association, officially “sponsoring” the speaker at the meeting. I’ve exchanged a portion of my fee for ski passes, travel expenses for my spouse, mini-vacations in mountain lodges, and baby formula!
5. Wait awhile. My fee goes down again when I book programs within 30 days. If the organization doesn’t have my fee, I give them a “hold” on the day. At 30 days out, I will confirm at the lower fee. If not, ask the speaker to guarantee a substitute speaker of equal or greater caliber, since speakers often have a “pool” of colleagues who can step in on short notice.
6. Offer something in return. 100% advance payment, a testimonial letter, a list of attendees, the opportunity to place literature on every seat, a product table in the back of the room, complimentary advertising in the association newsletter, or membership in the organization are all potentially attractive to different speakers.
Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is “The Productivity PRO,”® helping people leave the office earlier, with less stress, and more to show for it. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or visit her website at http://www.TheProductivityPro.com.
