When to Hire an Agent
Speaking is your passion – and you want to do more of it. Is it time to bring in an agent? And what kind of agent works best?
Agents, who book speakers as independent contractors rather than as full-time employees, can use their industry knowledge and sales skills to bring in more bookings. Many speakers hire an agent for the wrong reasons, or at the wrong time and end up feeling ripped off or disappointed.
Realistic expectations
Agents are not magicians – they can’t perform miracles like making an unknown speaker famous in 30 days or less. Unlike a speakers bureau, agents represent you, not the meeting planner. Some agents may have a "golden Rolodex"; many don’t (if they did they would be speakers’ bureaus). Agents are only as good as the lead generation you provide.
Key strategy: Use visibility, showcasing, etc., to generate leads. When you can’t handle the number of incoming leads its time to hire an agent to handle the leads and to create more opportunities.
Two kinds of agents
There are two kinds of people that make good agents. The volunteer agent loves you and your message, and will be on a mission to contact people they know to book you. They may or may not have sales skills, but what they lack in knowledge is made up in enthusiasm and contacts. They will not want to go outside their own or your rolodex, nor will they want to overcome strenuous objections. These agents work well with beginning speakers or those who don‘t have a lot of leads. The professional agent has chosen to do this for a living and will choose more established speakers. They usually have a sales background and might have staffed a speaker’s office before going out on their own. They are willing to mix some cold calls with current leads and have no problem following a lead to the ends of the earth. These folks usually won‘t touch anyone without great promo materials and video.
Don’t do this!
Many speakers make the mistake of bringing in an agent for the wrong reasons. Don’t hire an agent if you:
- are starting out and don’t like to market are famous and only want to speak less than 10 times per year are an author without any publicity plans for your book are writing a book and think that the book itself is enough to get speaking engagements don’t have any lead generating plans
- want to keep the leads you have and have the agent make only cold calls
Using agents can be an excellent way to leverage your time and energy. Just make sure your mindset can make that leverage work.
Successful Book Formats
Want your book published by a major house? According to literary agent and editorial consultant Martha Jewett, editors reject proposals that don’t have a clear message or format. Below is an excerpt of her report on successful book formats:
1. THE ALLEGORY — Delivers universal business truths through fictional author personae, stories, or events. Example: Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun.
2. THE RESEARCH-BASED, HIGH-CONCEPT BOOK — Original research transformed into a high-concept message.
Example: The Millionaire Next Door.
3. BUSINESS/SPORTS BOOK — Books by coaches of famous sports teams consisting of business lessons and how-to advice interlaced with sports stories and anecdotes.
Example: The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players by Pat Riley.
4. STORIES OF BUSINESS PEOPLE AND COMPANIES — The author tells the story of how the CEO and the company did what they did.
Example:Iacocca: An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca with William Novak.
5. THE BOOK DERIVED FROM A POPULAR COURSE —
Example: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In Based on the Harvard Negotiation Project.
6. THE BOOK ABOUT A CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
EVENT OR SCANDAL —
Example: Barbarians At The Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco .
7. THE HOW-TO BOOK — These books show how to perform a critical business skill ("How To" is in the title).
Example: How to Work A Room: Learn the Strategies for Savvy Socializing by Susan RoAne
8. THE BUSINESS/SELF-HELP BOOK —Structured around self-help principles or lessons, these books interweave personal anecdotes and have a heavy emphasis on how to achieve more.
Example: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
9. THE "THIS-IS-MY-SCHTICK" BOOK —These books emphasize the personal experiences and insights (or "schtick") of the author, a "player" in business.
Example: The Negotiating Game: How to Get What You Want, by Chester L. Karrass.
(Vickie’s note: Martha Jewett is a literary agent and editorial consultant specializing in high-impact and best-selling business and motivational titles. She has a 20-year track record picking out winners like Spin Selling. Get this entire report at www.MarthaJewett.com.)
The associations love my soft skills topic but my concurrent sessions are getting me less work in the corporate markets. What’s wrong with this picture?
These are very confusing times for soft skills training. The topics are considered critical by top management but…the use of instructors are decreasing in the corporate markets. Corporate universities are partnering up with community colleges and universities, who provide instructors at very low fees. Web based training is also covering the bases for pennies per person. Larger systems are being purchased that include certifying in-house staff.
Result: association audiences who used to make these decisions aren’t anymore – the most they can do is be an advocate and pass your material along. Use association speaking to increase your visibility and leverage your appearance there to the corporate special events market. This segment still needs speakers who have high visibility and customized content.
|
