Small Biz 101 Podcast · Connie Whitesell - Business Planner, Strategist, Coach

Landing & Leading Impactful Speaking Gigs - SB026

May 2, 2024·33 min·2 clips

Connie Weissel opens by asking about building a paid speaking practice. She says a few business coaching clients have recently asked how to add speaking as a paid service, so she turns to Alex Tice. She has known him as a friend and accountability partner for several years, and says she has watched him build a speaking practice that now has him presenting almost weekly, online or in person. He speaks for a variety of organizations of different types and sizes. In the last year, she says, she recognizes almost every organization he mentions because many are large and well known. The conversation settles into a simple business question: how do you help more than you sell? Alex says that when he knows someone else can give a better answer, he refers them. He gives a recent example from networking in a new area, where one woman he met introduced him to people by email almost every day for a week. He says those introductions were valuable, and his mind immediately went to reciprocation. The two of them keep circling back to the value of introductions, referrals, and helping people. Alex says the purpose is not to get the business, but to help others, and the business comes back. Connie then asks about videotaping yourself and watching it to improve. She also asks whether speaker reels or one sheets are useful when talking about speaking skills. Alex says those materials are helpful and cannot hurt, but they can also be polished to look better than the real thing. The episode stays close to that balance between presentation and substance, which keeps it useful for anyone building speaking into a small business.

As heard by us

A grounded look at paid speaking, referrals, and the materials that support the work.

Small Biz 101 shifts into paid speaking as a business service, with Connie Weissel bringing in Alex Tice after hearing from coaching clients who wanted help building that side of their work.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a practical take on building a paid speaking practice, start here.

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