How Speaker Bureaus Work: Insights from Dominic Eldred-Earl of London Speaker Bureau

Uncover the true role of speaker bureaus with Dominic Eldred-Earl from the London Speaker Bureau. Many speakers mistakenly see joining a bureau as the ultimate goal, but Dominic reveals why this is just the beginning.Learn the crucial differences between speaker agents and bureaus, and understand the strategies needed to effectively leverage a bureau to boost your speaking engagements.Dominic shares insider tips on how to stand out in a competitive market, debunking myths and offering clear steps to maximise your success within a bureau.Episode Timestamps:00:03 - Introduction to Dominic Eldred-Earl07:45 - The purpose of speaker bureaus15:30 - Differences between speaker agents and bureaus24:10 - Why joining a bureau isn’t the final step32:00 - How to get noticed by a bureau41:20 - Strategies for success within a bureauKeywords: speaker bureau, speaker agent, public speaking, Dominic Eldred-Earl, London Speaker Bureau, speaking engagements, speaker insights, join a bureau, speaker strategiesWant the PDF of this episode's highlights? Here's the link: https://present-influence.kit.com/ddf7974237 Connect with Dominic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicee/London Speaker Bureau: londonspeakerbureau.com#SpeakerBureau #PublicSpeaking #LondonSpeakerBureau #DominicEldredEarl #SpeakingEngagementsFAQ SectionQ: What's the difference between a speaker agent and a speaker bureau?A: A speaker agent represents a smaller, curated portfolio of speakers and sells them directly. A speaker bureau is client-focused rather than speaker-focused: it takes in a brief from a booking client and searches a large roster of speakers across many categories to find a fit.Q: Why do speakers join bureaus and still not get booked?A: Bureaus search internal databases by keyword and filter, and results typically surface speakers who've been booked most recently first. A speaker with no prior bookings through that bureau sits at the bottom of the list, effectively invisible, regardless of how long they've been listed.Q: What's the shortcut to appear higher in a bureau's search results?A: Passing an existing inbound enquiry through the bureau to close, even at reduced or no fee, creates a recorded booking. That booking moves the speaker up the "recently booked" ranking for future searches on similar criteria.Q: What speaker fee makes a booking worthwhile for a bureau?A: Roughly £2,000 upwards from the client is workable, though the bureau's percentage is higher at the lower end to cover minimum costs. Higher fee brackets, around £8,000 and up, give more room for both speaker and bureau.Q: Should a speaker approach a bureau before they have clear positioning?A: No. Bureau consultants need to describe a speaker's value quickly to clients, so unclear or unniched messaging makes a speaker very difficult to put forward, regardless of talent.Q: What makes a speaker "visible" to a bureau?A: Primarily consistent, valuable LinkedIn activity with genuine interaction and comments from event attendees (not just other speakers), plus positive word of mouth from past clients when a bureau consultant checks references.Are your speaker fees high enough? Check out this fast speaker fee audit tool to find out: https://presentinfluence.com/speakingfeequizFor speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on LinkedInYou can find all our clips, episodes and more on the Present Influence YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PresentInfluenceThanks for listening. Rating the show 5* on Spotify helps their algo recommend the show, so please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating.Mentioned in this episode:The Known, Booked & Paid Blueprint (Founding cohort)Get all the information on the Known, Booked & Paid Blueprint at https://presentinfluence.com/kbpb to see if it's the right fit for you.