Consultants for speaker bureaus, conference speakers, and their teams deal with a very large number of questions about how to book guest speakers from people organising various events.
Here are some examples of the kinds of the questions one asks these bureaus to help you figure out if you can add value to their events.
Just choose a few favourites and add them to to your current repertoire of enquiry calls.
You will likely come up with better results if you make an enquiry sheet which has some topics and prompts.
SOME INITIAL TIPS
- Make use of your phone voice and put on a smile.
- Adopt the mindset of a winner: a positive attitude, optimism about life, and a high energey level
- Be appreciative and thankful with words like “awesome”, “fantastic”, or “wow”
- Try asking some relationship building questions to find some connections or common points
- Listen carefully and repeat the most important information about their event, and ask for further details as well
- Potential clients buy based on their emotions, and only justify purchases later using logic. And remember, what they are buying is you.
GO FOR BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS
- What do you have in mind?
- Really?! – Please tell me more about the event
- What kind of thing are you looking for?
- Oh, please elaborate that part
- Could you give me a bigger picture of …
ASK ABOUT THE SOURCE OF THE ENQUIRY
- Would you mind if I asked how you heard about us/me?
ASK ABOUT PAST EXPERIENCE
- Have you ever done something like this before?
- Who did you use in the past?
- Have you ever done an event like this before?
- Have you ever hired a professional speakers before?
- Who was the best speaker you’ve ever hired?
TIMELINE QUESTIONS
- When will you start to plan the meeting?
- Where have you gotten to in your planning?
- How far along are you in your journey?
- How far along the track have you gotten?
- Why did you choose to get involved with us at this point?
OTHER BUREAUS/SPEAKERS BEING CONSIDERED
- Are you in the process of talking to anyone else?
- What other bureaus have you been spoken with?
- Have you been in touch with any other bureaus or speakers?
CHOOSING A SPEAKER
- Who has been proposed so far?
- Have you come across any other speakers that appealed to you?
- What specifically have you heard about that speaker?
- What qualities in a speaker would best complement your event?
- What is the ideal length of time for your guest to speak?
DETAILS OF THE EVENT
- Do you already have a particular date in mind?
- What kind of meeting/event will this be?
- Will your event be local, national, or interstate?
- What kind of audience will you have, and how large?
- I’d like to hear more about the venue
- How long will the entire event last?
THE THEME
- What do you think is the most important message your event should communicate ?
- Is there any overall theme or focus area?
- Why did you choose that particular theme?
EXTRAS AND ADD-ONS
- Ask if there are any extras or add-ons you would be able to offer
OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
- Multiple presentations, or more than one topic at the event
- Break–out workshops
- An MC for the event
- Guest panel facilitators
- A speaker for after dinner
- Additional entertainment
- A lunch for VIPs or sponsors
- Original products or books
- Follow-up material like e-books or webinars
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
- Will you have an MC to keep the energy level high and keep things running on time?
- Have you though about having a panel with some facilitation?
- Are you looking for some entertainment, like a comedian?
MONEY MATTERS
- What kind of budget are you looking at?
- Are you willing to give details about your budget?
- Do you have any budget limitations I should be aware of?
- Do you have a ball-park figure on the event?
FINAL DECISION
- When and how will the decision be made?
- Who makes the final decision about your speaker?
- Is the final decision being made by a committee?
- Do you know when you’ll make your final decision?
- Is there anything I can do to help the committee with their final decision?
- Will anybody else be involved in the final decision?
- Do you know how soon you’ll be making your decision about your speaker?
EVENT SUCCESS
- Do I need to know anything else to make this event a true success?
- Have I overlooked anything of integral importance to your event?
WHAT COMES NEXT
- What would the next steps of the process be?
CHECK FOR REFERALLS
- Do you have any associates who need help with their events?