I can imagine that upon reading the title of tip #20, many of you would disagree when I say that you can profit from speaking for free. And rightfully so. We all want to be paid for our work. Point. Blank. Period. For the months of preparation.. for the 45 minutes of being on stage all by yourself( which can also seem like an eternity).. we want to be compensated. It doesn’t matter if you are in your dream career, or if you are just starting out. No matter what side of the spectrum you are on….Rent isn’t free.. Mortgages aren’t free.. your child’s daycare isn’t free…. You need to eat.. etc.. etc. So when I tell people that they can profit from speaking for free, I can’t blame them when they get on the defense because they feel that they’ve worked so hard and should be paid. I can’t tell them they are wrong, when they call me crazy. I can’t cast judgement because they have a valid point that the majority would agree with. So why would a public speaker entertain speaking for free?

Practically all of the successful speakers you can name had to speak for free at one point in time. If we make even broader, whenever you see a successful person on TV, it’s vastly assumed that they were always successful. Many don’t think about the journey, trials and tribulations that they went through in order to get to that point of success. But the truth is that at one point in time they needed their shot to prove themselves and that often meant that they had work for free. If you are new, then speaking for free can be your way to establish yourself. Maybe you aren’t getting any opportunities or you simply aren’t known of yet. Speaking for free  can be your opportunity to knock your presentation out of the park.  Even if you aren’t new, but you also aren’t a subject matter expert.. let’s say.. you fall somewhere in between.. then speaking for free could allow you to establish yourself as a subject matter expert. Event organizers look for speakers who have a proven track record on whatever subject they are speaking about. I’m taking about proof through testimonials, video and word of mouth between event organizers… all of which you can get even if you speak for free.

Sometimes, event organizers simply don’t want to pay you as a speaker, because money is allocated somewhere else. So if you run into an issue where someone wants you to speak for free, you can always get creative, because nothing is truly free. This is where your negotiating skills come in handy. Let’s see.. do you need more demo footage? Do you have a book to sell? Do you have e-courses? Do you need to add more contacts to your mailing list in order to get more business? You see, just because you aren’t earning a speaking fee for your time on the stage, doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit in some way or even multiple ways. It just requires you to think long-term. There are many things you can negotiate in lieu of not being paid an official speaking fee. You will never leave empty handed if you simply think things through.

No one wants to sell there-self short. So if you are ever faced with the dilemma on deciding whether or not you should speak for free, realize that it’s all just business. There are budgets that have to be followed and many people are going to attempt to not give you what you deserve. You can simply walk away. But maybe it’s an organization that’s near and dear to your heart. Maybe you are in giving mood. What if it’s a targeted audience that you wouldn’t normally have the chance to talk to? If so, then you need to think: How can you make speaking for “free” benefit you? Whenever you are being asked to speak for free, don’t think that the cards aren’t still in your hands. Although you may not be getting an official speaking fee, you can come up with terms in which you can benefit from. Organizations will feel like you are doing them a favor and saving them money, but ultimately you don’t have to leave empty handed. It’s something to truly think about, so don’t automatically say no when you are asked to speak for free. I challenge you to truly give it some thought.

Make your next presentation, your best presentation!

Sincerely,

Julian A. Leonard
(Founder of The JLeonard Group LLC)

Previous Tip