Should You Accept Every Speaking Gig You Are Offered?

Recently these similar two questions have been asked of me by several of my clients… so I thought I’d answer the questions here where you can all benefit from my responses;

Question #1:
“Jo, I’ve been offered a speaking gig several hours away, should I accept it?”

and

Question #2:
“ I’ve been offered a speaking gig but I’m not allowed to sell and there is no speaker fee. What would you do?”

Now, I know when you are just getting started in your speaking business, being offered a gig is an extremely exciting occasion… and you’ll be keen to say yes because it’s an opportunity for you to get on stage and do your thing.

But, I really want you to understand that more gigs don’t always equal a worthwhile use of your time. It’s important that you’re able to identify how to determine a great opportunity from a time-suck.

Let’s get started with the first situation… the gig is several hours away, so the questions you need to be asking yourself are;

1. – How long will I be away from the office? Don’t forget to factor in the time it takes to create or edit your presentation too.
2. – How much will it cost in my time and travel?
3. – How many people will be in the room and are they my ideal customers?
4. – Do you know and trust the event promoter enough to be confident they can deliver on their promised attendee numbers?
5. – What percentage of the audience do you need to convert if you are to at least break even on your costs? Is that achievable based on your previous gigs?

When you have the answers to all of these questions, you will have a much better idea whether the gig will be a good use of your time or not… if the answer is no, you can politely decline the opportunity knowing you have made the right decision.

Remember, the event promoter will be looking after their interests… it is up to you to put your business first… don’t allow yourself to be persuaded if you feel it isn’t such a great opportunity for you.

In the second situation… you will still need to ask yourself the first three questions, but there are other factors for consideration too;

• Will the event promoter allow you access to the details of everyone who registers for your seminar? If there is no separate registration for each speaker, this question won’t apply as Data Protection rules don’t allow the promoter to share the information with you.

or…

• Can you hold a prize draw… offer your time or program for free to one or two winners in exchange for business cards or names in a hat?

If so, and you know that the audience will be full of your ideal clients… the gig could be a great lead generator for you.

Perhaps consider inviting all the draw entrants to a webinar a few days later where you can promote your product or service and make sales?

When you can get clarity on these questions, you will be able to make an informed decision around whether you should accept the gig or not.

I turn down any gig that isn’t a good fit for us financially or in alignment with our core vision. There is no benefit to you in accepting every gig if you are going to be left out of pocket as a result.

There will be other opportunities that are more suited to your business so don’t be afraid to say no to any that aren’t right.

What factors do you consider in deciding whether to accept a gig?

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