If You Want Your Next Speaking Gig to Turn into MORE Gigs…

Speakers rarely get to see through the eyes of an event organizer.But Jeff Cohn did.Each year running The Team Building Summit, Jeff and his team carefully tracked which speakers…* delivered great content* created the most buzz* received rave reviews from attendeesBecause he was putting his own money on the line to throw those events, he also spent a lot of time thinking about which speakers to book and how their content and delivery affected the audience.And he’s come to believe that speakers aren’t judged on how smart your content is, but on how you deliver it emotionally.So this newsletter is for any coach, speaker or author who uses speaking gigs to sell, and you want your next speaking gig to turn into more speaking gigs.Non-Obvious Insights from our Conversation:No One Wants a Perfect Speaker“You win audiences by actually making fun of all the things you’re embarrassed about. If you let them see all of those things, they’re actually going to like you more. All the things you’re on stage worrying people [will] find out about you, you WANT everyone to find out…and then still deliver your message”If you’ve read the book Letting Go by David Hawkins, he shares a story of how he dealt with his fear of public speaking.He called out his flaw, admitting right up front that he was a boring speaker. Then he read his entire talk, barely looking up from his papers!Yet it still went well. The audience could relax. He was a speaker they could relate to. Suddenly it didn’t matter that he was boring, because the audience was “in on the joke.”Topics Come First…Speakers Come Second“Recruiting is a big deal...So if we knew we wanted to have a breakout around recruiting agents, we would ask all of our clientele, maybe 3-4 months leading up to the event, we’d [ask] Who feels like they’re doing a great job recruiting?”Not every event organizer goes about it this way, and certain speakers are so well-known that they’re booked first and adjust their topic to the event.But in many, many cases, event organizers are just like Jeff…they plan the topics first, speakers second.So your strongest position is to be KNOWN for a high-value topic in high demand.If you haven’t reached that point yet, the next strongest position is to produce content on that topic so consistently that you come up in a search for speakers on that topic.In the case of Jeff and Elite Real Estate Systems, they put their coaching clients on stage as subject matter experts. They only brought in outside speakers for topics where they couldn’t find clients with that expertise. This is a super powerful tactic for coaching organizations, and a great way to build a pipeline of future staff coaches.Other types of events work differently. But any big event will have a bench of last year’s speakers to consider before they look for new speakers.Your content needs to be consistent and compelling enough that when event organizers start googling or asking around, your name comes up.It’s Not the Words You Say, But the Way You Say the Words“I’ve said this a lot when I teach agents dialogue training. It’s not the words you say, but the way you say the words. Even me saying that quote just now, I slowed down and was more intentional to deliver the message. It’s not the words you say, it’s the way you say the words.”Never sacrifice energy and emotional content to get the words perfect.It’s far better to fumble some of your words and still have the right energy and emotional content in your delivery.This is especially true on stage and on video, where the audience sees your body language and facial expressions.I’ve given this advice to many, many clients as we produce their video shows and other content.Are there places where the exact words are important?Yes, the intro of a YouTube video. That’s about it.Everywhere else, energy and emotional content are more important.How to Double Your Coaching Retention…“When we first launched coaching, clients [stayed] for 7-10 months. That’s kind of the average. When we started hosting the yearly events, I’d say it went to about 12-14 months. People would stay on because they want to attend the next event and they didn’t want to leave and then miss the event, or go to the event and not be in coaching.Everyone feels a badge of honor to go to an event of the company they’re paying. They feel like they’ve invested in this. They believe in this and they want to hang out with you.”This doesn’t mean you have to rent a ballroom and throw down 5 figure deposits for Food & Bev. You can look at options like…* Mastermind happy hours at hotel bars around big conferences* Mastermind dinner that piggybacks on a big industry event* Meetup in a city where multiple clients are within easy driving distanceAnything where you can get face-to-face with your coaching clients will boost retention. The higher quality experience you give them, and the more emotional effect you have on them, the more it boosts your retention.Want to go deeper? Click on the audio file for the full chat, or search Real Estate Thought Leaders on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.There’s SO much in this episode, Jeff also went deep on tactics for creating “Disney Moments” that make your events memorable and profitable:* One weird trick with color coordinated lanyards that created buzz and sparked conversations around their coaching offer* What went into their Welcome Package in every attendee’s hotel room* How they provided Text-to-Order coffee service…without paying extra staff* How they leveraged a “hyper-niche” event to book better sponsors* How they got sponsors to CO-promote the eventCheck out the audio episode because it was a LOT of content in a short time!Steal This:Picture yourself stepping on stage. What’s the ONE thing you hope the audience doesn’t see or find out about you?Now imagine yourself calling out that flaw, whatever it is.Picture the audience breathing a sigh of relief and leaning forward, engaged and ready to hear you. All because you made yourself relatable, and gave them permission to be imperfect, too.Quick Links & ResourcesElite Real Estate Systems websiteMassive thanks to Jeff for spilling all the secrets behind the Team Building Summit. If you need a guest speaker on team building, leadership, culture and lead gen, hit Reply. I’m happy to make a personal intro to Jeff. He brings everything he’s got every time he steps on stage or in front of a mic!-MattAgency Founder & Author of MicroFamousPS Here’s how we can help…Plug-&-Play Content Machine - From Michael Maher and Lars Hedenborg to Jeff Cohn and Marki Lemons Ryhal, we’ve been the content team behind many of your fellow real estate coaches, speakers and authors. We turn conversations into videos, podcasts and email newsletters, all with zero overwhelm. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethoughtleaders.substack.com