Being a generalist used to be a great thing! In fact, many newer speakers still think it’s a great thing. I hate to report the bad news, but that ship has sailed. The market is now seeking out experts. Speakers and consultants who go deep into one particular area instead of many are the ones in demand.
Companies who seek out people who are generalists now typically hire training companies to come in and present and handle it through their HR Departments. They are also used to paying lower fees for this type of training.
I tell my clients to never go through HR seeking out a decision maker! If you are a professional speaker and have expertise in one area you go to executive level people to get hired. Never Human Resources! Further, if you try to start out in HR you’ll have a hell of a time getting anywhere else. In the same vein, never call yourself a trainer. Sadly, trainers are underpaid in the marketplace. If you are pegged a trainer you won’t garner a top-notch fee.
So, a mile deep and an inch wide is my suggestion. Joe Calloway, CSP, CPAE says it best, “Pick a lane”! Reality is clients will pay more for people who have deep expertise. Think of it this way. Say a decision maker is considering two speakers.
Speaker A – Speaks on sales.
Speaker B – Speaks on sales, customer service, change, time management and leadership.
Who do you think the decision maker will choose if they are looking for a program on sales? I suggest he or she would choose Speaker A, and be willing to pay more to boot.
So, less is more in this “content is everything” market! I say “Go targeted or go home!”
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Lois Creamer works with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes! She can be reached in the following ways:
Lois@BookMoreBusiness.com
Twitter: @loiscreamer
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LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/loiscreamer
For more information on Lois’ business check out http://www.bookmorebusiness.com as well as http://www.bookmorebusiness.tv!
