So you have heard all of the rumors that professional speaking is the way to go in order to get your products and services in front of massive audiences and really boost your business.  But how do you do it?  The truth of the matter is that professional speaking is not a difficult field to break into.  You just have to be willing to put in the work it takes to get paid speaking gigs.

The first step is to determine what you are passionate about and become an expert in that subject.  Your passion is what will drive you toward success.  Learn all that you can about your specialty.  Interview industry experts, join professional affiliations and read all available literature.  Subscribe to white papers and stay abreast of important innovations.  You want to be the one with all of the answers when it comes to your chosen topic.

Once you are comfortable with your subject matter, write a book using the wealth of information that you have collected.  Publishing a book helps to establish you as an expert.  You will be the resource for people interested in your specialty.  The credibility that comes along with being a published author paves the way for speaking engagements.  Send out press releases to announce your new book.  Create a media kit that includes cover art and a synopsis of your book and forward it to your media contacts.  You should also send your media kit to libraries, colleges and other organizations that may have an interest in your subject matter.  You will soon find yourself being contacted by these folks to arrange book signings.  Books are also a great additional income stream that can be used to boost the revenue you earn at each speaking engagement through back-of-the-room sales.  Even if you are not chosen as a speaker for a particular event, your book may still be used in the absence of the chosen speaker having a published work.  Most bookstores have a “signed by author” stamp available.  Make sure that after every book signing event that you request the stamp and leave behind additional signed copies.  People will remember this personal touch and be more apt to contact you.

The third step is to market yourself as a speaker.  You will most definitely need a website if your business does not already have one.  Make sure that you include a highly visible line that reads “available for keynote or breakout session presentations” within your website’s content.  Create a brochure that highlights your niche topics and include a short bio about yourself.  Send your brochure and a professionally produced presentation clip, if available, to your target audience.  Your target audience may include universities, high schools, trade schools, professional associations, chambers of commerce, corporations and community groups.  Contact meeting planners, human resource managers, alumni associations, radio stations and orientation coordinators.  Decide which group will be most receptive to your expert topics and focus your marketing efforts in their direction.

Finally, leverage your bookings.  Ask for multiple bookings at a time.  Many conferences are multiple-day events and will have a need to fill several speaker vacancies.  Make the conference organizers aware of your availability to fill more than one slot.  This means you could present both a morning and an afternoon workshop. Event planners will be appreciative and remember how easy you are to work with for future events.  Request to be used again for events that will reoccur annually.  Also, request testimonial letters for a satisfactorily delivered presentation upfront.  Most event planners will be agreeable to providing these for you and then you don’t have to worry about chasing them down later as they would have already committed to giving you one.

Becoming a professional speaker is not rocket science.  It just takes a big of legwork and dedication.  The biggest thing to remember is that as long as you have a subject that you are passionate and knowledgeable about, all you need is a willingness to share the information in a way that will help others.  Secondly, it is important to note that the difference between an amateur and a professional is that professionals make money so make sure that you charge what you are worth for your services.

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About the Author: Niquenya D. Fulbright is a Chicago area executive life coach, mediator, professional speaker and corporate trainer with over 10 years experience specializing in motivating small business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, groups and individuals in a career or life transition to use their innate abilities to master their goals and achieve successes beyond their wildest dreams. http://www.niquenyafulbright.com