Speak to Me
How to choose the right speaker for your sales meeting
Excerpted from Selling Power, April 2005

By Robert McGarvey

Three words describe the most important element of creating memories -- and lasting impact -- at sales meetings.  Location.  Location.  Location.  Years later you want people still saying, "Do you remember that La Quinta meeting?" or, "Hey, remember when the meeting was held in Maui?"  These visual or sensory memories make a great impact, but they can't stand on their own if you want to create really memorable meetings.  To realize the full potential of a sales meeting you must also engage the minds of your attendees.  You must motivate them to excel and give them ideas to carry them along.  In other words, your meeting speaker is really important.  Speakers are the catalysts that will help knock your sales organization out of its status quo and into new ways of tackling opportunities.

New actions require new thinking.  Meeting professionals are adamant that too often organizations hire the wrong speakers for the wrong reasons -- and this adds up to big opportunities squandered.  It also puts jobs on the line.  Book the wrong speaker, at the wrong price, and that is no way to hold onto a position in today's results-oriented corporate world.  Read on for the secrets that make it easy to book the right speaker at an affordable price.

What's Out in '05

Speaking styles change, and cataclysmic changes are upsetting the speaking circuits as corporate bookers seek new-style speakers for the new century.  This has led to clear-cut lists of what's in, and what's out.  To follow are cases in point of what's out in the twenty-first century.

PowerPoint presentations are out, says Steve Katz, a Potomac, MD, speaker and author of Lion Taming (Sourcebooks, 2004).  For a decade, audiences have meekly sat through PowerPoint shows.  No more, says Katz, who indicates the sheer ubiquity of PowerPoint shows -- people throw them together for informal departmental meetings -- means this format has been demystified.  It seems humdrum.  When companies are paying large dollars for a speaker and audience members come into the room with high expectations, humdrum won't work.  You can almost hear the bored yawns when a PowerPoint show begins.  Tell your speakers, no PowerPoint, please.  that said, Katz observes that a stream of dynamic visuals that accompany a talk can ratchet up its effectiveness -- and, just maybe, PowerPoint will be the tool of choice for delivering those images.  No problem.  What's out are the shows that revolve around PowerPoint's outlining tools.  For '05 that encapsulates boring.

Also out is generic content, says Maryland speaker Patricia Gardner.  "Organizations want speakers who come in with highly customized content."  The era when a speaker could flip through an annual report on the plane ride to the meeting, steal a few sentences and say the content was customized for this client is over, mainly because companies are raising the bar to higher and higher levels.  They now want speakers who will help them achieve specific goals.  In most cases, that means the speaker needs to be familiar in some detail with the organization, its challenges and its opportunities.  Specific goals matter a lot.  In '05 corporate brass continue to hammer meeting planners with demands that these events produce a measurable ROI -- and the prevailing thought is that speakers who work hard to understand what makes a company special are the ones who will help hit those ROI targets.

Entertainment per se also is out, says Mary Cantando, author of Nine Lives:  Stories of Women Business Owners Landing on Their Feet (Cantando & Associates LLC, 2003) and a busy speaker.  The focus in '05 program development is on the bottom line, she says, and speakers who do nothing beyond leaving audiences feeling good about themselves are finding their bookings have become slender.  Organizations want to see linkage between the speakers they book and a healthier bottom line -- and laughs, smiles, and good feelings alone won't get the business there.  Entertainment can be used, but it has to be integrated into a presentation that captures what the organization is truly about.

Out too are speakers with antique sales experience, says Virginia speaker Kristin Arnold.  This does not apply to celebrity speakers (politicians, athletes, movie stars); they are hired solely by virtue of their stardom.  Some speakers, however, still try to milk a year or two of selling that they logged some decades ago.  In '05, sophisticated, even cynical sales forces want to hear from talkers who have walked in the same moccasins.  It's difficult to amplify on current selling conditions when the last time a speaker made a sales call was before personal computers -- and there are still such speakers out there on the circuit.  In '05 they are logging fewer dates because sales forces want to hear from speakers with whom they have an empathetic connection -- they have all had the same rejections, the same disappointments, the same successes.  Hands-on sales experience is becoming a prerequisite for moving in the top-speaker circles.  In some cases, organizations want industry-specific experience; that is, they want a speaker who has sold pharmaceuticals or PCs or copiers, and they want that experience to be recent.

What's in in '05

Optimism in sales circles is high in '05.  The profits are out there, if we grab them.  That's the prevailing thinking in most organizations, and this mindset has directly shaped the kinds of meetings -- and the speakers -- companies want this year.

The big theme in '05 is involvement and interactivity.  "People don't want to listen to a lecturer," says Gardner, and that means speakers who are wowing audiences are showing up with techniques and tactics that get the audience alive.  A subset of this trend, says Gardner, is more breakouts or smaller sessions.  She reports of one client that usually pulls its 300 sales executives together for one large meeting.  This year, to foster more hands-on involvement, it's splitting them up into three sessions of 100 each.  In this process, the role of the audience has undergone a huge shift.  Passive is out, active is in, and in '05, audience members will definitely be kept busy at meetings.  Don't go expecting to play golf between naps in meeting rooms; companies are determined to force content into the heads of their reps in '05.

Here is another theme that is out there:  This is the year of the customer, says Gardner.  By that she means five years ago speakers had the whip hand.  They told their customers what they would get and that was that.  "Today, customers are telling speakers that, to get the gig, they want specific needs met," says Gardner.  Go ahead, get micro in telling potential speakers what you really want from them -- you'll probably get your wishes met.  For instance, do your people stall when talking with C-level executives?  No sweat, just tell your next speaker you want a strong component in the presentation that will jumpstart their C-level skills.  Are your people getting clobbered by the reps from a particular competitor?  Just ask the speaker for help.

In that same vein, practical content is very in in '05, says Denver speaker Karen Susman.  "Organizations want material their sales forces can implement immediately."  ROI still rules when it comes to '05 meeting planning, and practical content is the key that unlocks returns.  Don't be embarrassed to ask a speaker to come in with concrete tactics designed to pump up the bottom line immediately.  Other organizations are asking for exactly that, and they are getting it, says Susman.  The goal is for sales reps to leave with skills they can use today.

This year also brings much more diversity among speakers, as there is more diversity among sales teams.  Women speakers report they are enjoying a strong booking pace, but similar optimism is heard from black and Hispanic speakers.  The day when almost all speakers were white males is over.  Savvy companies are looking to bring in speakers who reflect the diversity of their sales forces.

Web seminars, too, are coming in, reports speaker Dave Stein, who says that his in-person platform business remains strong, but increasingly, companies are asking him to augment his in-person talks with follow-up Web seminars.  The plus for a speaker who uses this, says Stein, is "seeing the curve of retention of the material I present going sharply up."  More reinforcement of teachings means more absorption by sales teams (many probably learn better at their desks than they do amidst the hurly-burly of a national sales meeting).  Don't assume the Web seminars are replacing in-person talks, however.  There still is electric excitement that comes only from in-person gatherings.  Where Web seminars shine is in follow-up; for example, when reps get a  chance to ask for more pointers on how to apply the tactics taught by the speaker.

Tying it together

Does the choice of location influence the choice of speaker, and vice versa?  You bet, says Chicago meeting planner Bonnie Hansen.  She points out that before choosing a location, an organization needs to define the goals for this event.  Once the goal is known, narrowing down choices and selecting a location gets simpler.  Once the location is picked, hiring the right speaker also gets simple.  She points out that a spa is an ideal location for speakers with strong personal-improvement pitches.  A rugged location might be perfect for a speaker who talks about staying motivated through adversity.  A conference center -- with its built-in A/V bells and whistles -- might be best for speakers who give mechanically complex presentations that could strain the capabilities of the hotels.  "The setting," adds Hansen, "sets the tone and helps drive the choice of speaker."

Want a powerful tip for '05?  Ask meeting venue sales managers for pointers on speakers who have enjoyed successes at their facility.  Speakers sometimes just click in a particular venue, and they may fare less spectacularly in another hall.  Hotel sales staff members usually hear when a particular speaker has created great buzz at an event, and they file away this fact -- so ask and you may get a lead to a terrific speaker.

Reference checking

"Check references before booking that speaker," urges Joyce Gioia, a North Carolina management consultant.  In recent years many speakers were booked on the basis of word of mouth alone, but in '05, as companies get more determined to see results from every dollar spent at meetings, they are picking up the phone and calling a speaker's recent customers.  What about deciding on the basis of videos?  Don't, says Gioia.  "Videos often are deceiving."  Besides, no speaker will circulate a video of a flop; speakers only distribute highlight reels that show them at their best.  "Call references, and ask the magic question:  'Would you hire this speaker again?'" says Gioia.  Some speakers used to be superb, but they have fallen off in recent years, so as for current references and bookings in the past 36 months.  Check multiple references, and ask questions that help you find out if the speaker suits your group in particular.  You know your organization's idiosyncrasies -- are there last-minute program changes?  Requests for specific content?  Ask references how this speaker responds to the kinds of demands you are likely to make.  That's key to matching up the right speaker with the right organization.

Will speakers welcome reference checking?  They don't object.  "I find that more companies are checking references, and that's good," says Rhode Island speaker Alan Weiss.  An attitude shared by professional speakers is they genuinely want the customer to know what they are buying.  When there aren't surprises, everybody will be happier.

Paying the piper

What will a top-notch speaker cost in '05?  Be prepared for uncertainty.  When it comes to speaker fees, "it's the Wild West out there," cautions Arizona-based speakers consultant Vickie Sullivan.  There's just no reliable standard that, say, all $10,000 speakers have a particular quality level.  They don't.  Then, too, the same speaker will charge different organizations different fees.  Here's a guideline for organizations that want to book speakers cost-effectively:  "Don't get your heart set on one speaker too early," says Sullivan.  Shop around, and that often will translate into substantial savings on fees.  (See "Tips & Trends" for more advice on saving money when hiring speakers.)

Probably as important as price is your need to clearly establish exactly what you are buying, advises Princeton, NJ, speakers bureau executive Janet Pickover.  Do you want the speaker to do a book signing?  Meet and greet at a reception?  Distribute awards to top performers?  Any are possible, but urges Pickover, put in these requests during the contract negotiation.  If you ask after the contract is inked, the speaker may decline or ask for a fee increase.  Sound crazy that the fee should go up just because the speaker shakes hands for an hour at a cocktail party?  That's the reality of the speaking business, cautions Pickover.  Sometimes speakers will agree to such events at no extra charge if the request is made before the final contract is signed.

Speakers definitely matter

Sullivan has proof of how important selecting the right speaker has become:  "Picking the speaker is moving up the food chain."  This means, the highest-ranking person involved in meeting planning -- typically the top sales executive in the organization -- is making the final approval.  It works because it brings real perspective to the decision ("the worst decisions are made by meeting planners; usually they know very little about the real challenges facing the organizations," says one speaker).  When the buck stops at the top executive's desk, the speaker definitely will be one who can help the company with the problems management perceives are key.

Riders add up

The deal is sealed; you've agreed on dates and speaker fees; so, are the negotiations over?  Don't deceive yourself.  The next phase revolves around the speaker's expenses, and they can add up.  Pickover lists the following among the many issues that ought to be addressed in writing:  What class does the speaker fly? (Most want business class.)  What level hotel room?  (Often speakers want a suite.)  Is extra security needed?  (This is a common request among name speakers, who want the organization sponsoring the meeting to foot the bill.)  Pickover relates that some speakers come up with more exotic requests, ranging from a personal hairdresser to transportation on a private jet and free transportation for guests of the speaker.

Speaking expert Lilly Walters, author of How To Hire a Speaker (Lilly Walters, 2003), adds that speaker requirements can get even more minute.  Some, for instance, ban smoking in the audience.  (A very few are themselves smokers and won't speak if they cannot puff away.)  Other speakers get highly specific in itemizing the A/V tools they want on hand.  (Harvey Mackay, for instance, traditionally asks for redundant microphone systems because once, early in his career, he took the stage and the mike was dead.  He vowed to himself that would never happen again.)  Who pays for handouts?  Do they come out of the speaker's pocket, or the sponsoring organization?  Can you tape or otherwise record the appearance?  Don't assume you can -- in fact, many speakers explicitly prohibit any recording of their appearance.  Walters' point isn't that these clauses and conditions are good or bad, but that they are commonplace in the industry, and savvy planners know that the negotiations often are just beginning when a fee is agreed upon.

Shrewd advice with riders is to challenge anything that seems out of line or excessive.  Keep asking, "Is this necessary?" and you'll chop the list down to a livable size.

Do it now

Don't procrastinate when booking in '05.  Booking cycles are definitely getting longer, reports Jack Schmidt, chief marketing officer of Benchmark Hospitality, a leading collection of conference centers.  In 2002 and 2003, short-term bookings were the norm, for facilities and speakers alike.  Flash forward to 2005, says Schmidt, and suddenly organizations are more confidently booking months in advance, and that means prime dates, for hotels and speakers, are getting grabbed.  A-list speakers already report that they are again booking events as much as one year in advance -- a sure sign that the meetings business has gotten healthier.  Move fast, says Schmidt -- that's the only way you can be assured of getting the meeting you want.

Check out www.sellingpower.com for more news and articles

"You were very thorough in your knowledge of the speaking industry and of my situation. Your strategies were on target and effective in moving my speaking to the markets I want to expand in. Your advice also prevented costly mistakes I would have made by following the traditional approach. Thanks for your help."

Chris Mercer, CEO
Mercer Capital
www.bizval.com

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