Make "Big" Money Speaking??

I came across an interesting article in wikiHow - an online resource of "how to" articles.  The article that caught my attention was, "How to Make Big Money Speaking."  Read it at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Big-Money-Speaking.  I don't know who wrote the article, but I'd be curious to know how much money they make speaking.   It's not as easy as they make it sound.  While the information in this article is sound, there is much, much more to making any money than this article covers. 

I recommend setting smaller goals like just getting "free" speaking gigs then work up from there.  Remember the saying "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is."  Understand that most professional speakers don't make their money speaking.  Actually, only about 10% of their overall income comes from speaking.  Most of their income comes from selling product.  Keep that in mind when you're preparing your speaking plan.

Another tip that his article doesn't mention is that speakers come a dime a dozen.  I know most new speakers hate to hear that.  In fact, all speakers hate to hear that.  But, it's true.  When preparing your speeches and thinking about making money, consider what is unique about your topic.  If you're just speaking about customer service, well, you'll be sadly disappointed to learn that that market is saturated with thousands of others who speak on the topic and mostly likely already have a track record, credentials, product and a long list of referrals.  Those are tough to compete with.  But you can if you simply research your competition and find a new hook to your topic, such as Joan Fox's approach in her book, "The Chronicles of Sir Vival" as featured in the Book of the Month. 

One of the first steps I learned about business planning came from my mother who taught the subject.  Ask yourself one simple question: Is my product or service feasible?  In other words, who will buy your product or service?  I have had speakers offer me some rather unusual subjects, and I cannot help but wonder, "who would want to hear about that?"  As a bureau, I need that answer otherwise I cannot sell the speaker.  So, as much as you love your topic, consider WHO would pay to hear you speak.  If you cannot define that simple request, then you may want to reconsider your topic.  Or at least reconsider making "big" money.  However, I do believe you need to be passionate about your topic, no matter what it is.  If you are, there is guaranteed to be others who are passionate about it too.  You just have to find them.

To learn more about how to launch your speaking career, attend a 2-hour seminar in Lexington, Kentucky on August 2nd.  Visit www.TheSpeakerStudio.com/reg.html for more information or to register.