How Professional Speakers Get Hired: The Bookability Formula with Maria Franzoni

Being a good speaker and being a bookable speaker are not the same thing. Most speakers confuse the two -- and it costs them.Maria Franzoni is a former speaker bureau owner and author of The Bookability Formula. She has spent her career on the other side of the table -- deciding which speakers get hired and which get passed over -- and her view of what actually drives bookings in the UK and European markets is blunt, practical, and essential listening for any speaker serious about building a sustainable career.What you'll learn in this episodeWhy "follow your passion" is often terrible business advice for speakers, the real differences between the UK and European speaking markets versus the US, why relevance to a paying market matters far more than polishing your keynote, what actually builds credibility and what immediately signals "fake," the networking mistake almost every speaker makes, why speakers who overrun damage not just their own reputation but the entire event, what really drives bookings for the highest-paid speakers, what makes organisers and bureaus reject a speaker instantly, why a weak demo video is worse than having no video at all, whether your full keynote should be publicly available, and why plagiarism is more common in the speaking industry than most people admit.Key principles from the episodeRelevance is the filter -- if the market doesn't care, your passion won't save you. Proof beats claims -- testimonials, outcomes, and case studies do the heavy lifting. Bookability is a business -- relationships, follow-up, and sales habits matter more than most speakers want to admit. Great speakers are often not the highest paid -- the most bookable speakers usually run the best business.About Maria FranzoniMaria Franzoni is a former speaker bureau owner, speaker consultant, and author of The Bookability Formula. Connect with Maria on LinkedIn or visit mariafranzoni.me.Visit strategic-speaker.scoreapp.com to take the 2-minute Strategic Speaking Business Audit and find out what's blocking you from getting more bookings, re-bookings, referrals and bigger fees. There's a special surprise gift for everyone who completes the quiz.Want to get coached for free on the show? Fill in the form at this link and if we think your challenge could help others, we'll invite you on.For speaking enquiries or to connect, email [email protected] or find John on LinkedIn.All clips and episodes are on the Present Influence YouTube channel.Thanks for listening. Rating the show 5* on Spotify helps their algorithm recommend the show, so please take a moment to follow and leave a rating.Related episodes: How to Get Corporate Speaking Gigs with Jackson OgunyemiMentioned in this episode:Speaker Fee AuditFind out in less than a minute if you're undercharging for your speaking and where you need to look to fix any leaks with the Speaker Fee Audit. It's free to take and find out if you're missing out on money.