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As the founding director of University of Texas/Pan American's dietetic program for four years (and clinical dietitian before then), I have taught hundreds of classes. But, I didn't start "speaking" until 1991 when my first book, Dining Lean in Houston was released. To market my books, I offered to speak to every networking, association, chamber of commerce...group in Houston - for free. From there I met the director of the wellness program at Compaq Computer Corporation (now HP) who hired me to teach all their weight management classes, as well as speak on every diet-related subject. I then expanded into wellness/brown bag luncheon programs with many of the other large companies in Houston. My fee? $50, $100, $150. That's it - I couldn't seem to ask for more than that even though I had already spoken hundreds of times.
In 1994, in order to get paid more for my speaking, I joined up with CareerTrack, a business-training company. With them I trained full-day programs on Stress Management, Conflict Resolution, Overcoming Negativity, etc. Not nutrition! And, even as they were billing me out at $3500/day (not paying me that much, mind you), and with hundreds of speaking engagements under my belt, I STILL couldn't ask for more money when I spoke on nutrition. I had convinced myself that nutrition just doesn't pay.
Everything changed after returning home sick from a FNCE conference - only to find out my house was flooded with two feet of water after a storm dumped 20+ inches of rain over three days (the whole downstairs had to be gutted). Turns out I had hepatitis A, prompting me to sleep it off for a full month. I was so exhausted from the disease and the stress of losing much in the flood that I woke up each morning just to get my daughter off to elementary school - then headed back to bed. I got up when she returned home from school, but I needed another nap to get through the day. I was so exhausted that I really didn't care if I ever worked again.
A week or so into my illness, I got a request to speak a month down the road. Because it was for a non-profit women's group, I would have asked for my usual (low) fee...but I felt so bad...that I boldly doubled my fee. And, she said, "Ok, that's great!" I was floored! The next week, I got another similar call - and again, not caring if I ever worked...I doubled my fee again. And, I got it! By the time I fully recovered from hepatitis six weeks later, I had increased my speaking fee by more than 10X!
Does this mean you can increase your fee by 10X? Not necessarily. But, if you are an experienced, seasoned, professional speaker and know that others with similar experience are charging more than you, it just be time to ask for more dough. (Keep in mind if you're charging lower fees, it may be difficult to persuade them you are a seasoned professional. People make certain assumptions based on price. And, if you're just charging $150...then, they're thinking, you can't really be good enough for that national conference). If you're scared that you'll lose the business, try these tips:
- Try not to respond to a fee request by email - call them on the phone, if possible
- On the phone, try to get THEM to talk fees first. Ask them, "What is your budget?"
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If you can't get a clear idea of their budget, offer them a fee range and add, "depending on length of the program, the location, and the extent of customization" And, then follow with, "Is that within your budget?"
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If it's not within their budget, but it's close...see if you can make it work. Maybe they can throw in some added value such as free booth space, buy one of your books for every attendee (this often comes from a different piece of the budget), access to the attendees emails, an extra night in the host hotel (if it's a desirable city)....
Also, keep in mind that if you fee is X, you and your marketing material have to "look" like you are worth X. That includes a professional photo and website plus a demo video. Good luck! |
I got my speaking fees up into the thousands per one hour keynote - and for that, I have to thank a 100 year flood and hepatitis. Read my Flood Story down below for more on this.
