Hi…VERY new to this forum…and this is probably a long shot. Dropped this request on another site, but thought I would ask here.
I have been asked to do a speaking engagement/motivational in regards to tris and well life (then intertwining it with the company concept). I have zero clue what the going rate is for engagements. In the past when I have done speaking engagements it was either required of my position, received a flat fee, for a sponsor, or for a grade.
Anyone who has done this in the past, or involved with corporate speaking engagements what is the normal fee? I believe they want me to speak for about an hour. What do I charge?
If for some reason you are involved in your company and do not want to share this information on-line you can pm me or reach me via real email.
Long shot I know…but need to give an answer by the weekend.
I used to do this fairly regularly (as well as brought in ‘famous’ faces, at least in my very narrow field, for lectures and whatnot). I was usually paid $50-$100/hour. The names got much more, some as much as $5k/day plus expenses.
I have given seminars on my profession, and I had asked someone the same question. How much is your time worth? On a weekend, it is time-and-a-half for me. I would figure that out X hours speaking + travel and expenses.
Are you the Eileen Steil that did the DECA in Oahu?
If so, then you bring more to the table than “time and a half”. You also have to consider the finances of the sponsor. Ford might pay you $2,500.00. A local trade association might only be able to pay $250.00. If you are good and want to get in the biz, the important thing is to start charging something, and do it as much as you can. Oh–and be good! When you wake up thinking “How can I be of benefit to someone, instead of how can I make $100 today to pay my rent”, the money will take care of itself–unfortunately, maybe not in time to pay the rent (success has a long-term training plan).
It depends on the host/sponsor and venue. I think you should charge a reasonable fee up front and then some sponsorship stuff going forward. Several pairs of gloves come to mind. By the way, even though I have only about 10 hours on my bike since August, I’m thinking about Sebring…tell kiss my ass to watch out…cheers
You haven’t stated who you are doing this for. Is this for a small group, a large group, a small service club, a large corporation, etc?
I’ve done lots of talks, many, many of them for free but to promote my business. In other cases I’ve been paid, charged admission or in some cases been surprised with cash or a gift at the end that I wasn’t expecting.
It really depends upon who you are doing this for. It’s possible that they have what they consider to be a going rate for external speakers. If that’s what they pay, then that’s all they may offer. A lot also depends upon your experience or if you have “celebrity” status or are at least known somewhat within your field.
Perhaps it might be best to discretely ask the contact person with the organization which you will be talking to. It’s possible they could even either be expecting you to do this for free as a goodwill service or instead are willing to pay you nicely for your time. You won’t know unless you ask what their policy is.
Monk nailed it: Tailor your fee, for now, based on your audience. I don’t know exactly what your industry is (is Monk right?), but sheez, I would think $500 to a business would be baseline minimum, plus accomodations/food if it is out of town. We pay far more than that for our speakers, but it is a larger company. If you are speaking to a club or something, keep the fee way down or do it gratis - builds goodwill and enhances reputation.
I do a lot of speaking engagements and attend tons more as a listener. Number one key: Give them something different, something they’ll remember. Make it interactive. If all you do is speak, the value goes far down in my opinion. Use visuals, whether it be powerpoint, photos, toys, etc. Use examples from the audience, toss out hypotheticals, be Socratic.
Any chance you can turn your “speaking” engagement into some exercise routine for those who wish to join you after your talk? Perhaps a little friendly competition among co-workers? If you are at a resort, perhaps a mini-tri, a relay of sorts. We’ve done similar things and the bonding experience is great.
A guy that used to work for me was trying to become a motivational speaker. He said he always shot a very high price to the prospective company. This established his value. He said he very rarely got this rate. He usually did it for much less, but he always told them they could make up the difference is free publicity. Most companies have a newsletter they can talk about you in. Some may have web sites that will link to yours…etc.
I demand cigars, a value meal and a 13 year old Thailand boy.
That is way to cheap, there is currently a glut of unaccounted for 13 year old boys from Thailand - can you say cheap labor? (call me a jerk, I dont care)
My topics are pretty technical so the crowds are usually fairly small. I charge $1,000 - $1,200 plus travel expenses. The size of the crowd is the main determinant unless you are a recognizable name already. Of course, I have done seminars in some pretty nice places for just the travel expenses for myself and my wife.
Bottom line: What should you charge? Whatever they will pay.
Monk Nailed it…and yes Monk numbers were suggested way more than I would expect. I about killed myself last season to come UP with race app fees and what was offered was way more than I was able to raise all season. I just don’t see how my words can be worth that kind of money. I guess I have been giving out my advice/experiences for free for way too long…but it is because I genuinely want to see others succeed at whatever they are doing. So honestly, the money is importang bc I need to live, but my only concern is being able to have enough to pay bills and race the rest is just gravy–my current business almost covers the basics so the engagements would not be an all or nothing.
Thank you for ALL the advice.
I can’t remember who suggested the minitri…but I am definately going to incorporate something along those lines. The picts and power point are already done and tried out in front of a larger group on numerous occasions.
I had the same group that wants me --told me to get involved with organizations to keep the 6 week Revolutioners into their programs…so I have a wee bit of work ahead of me to get moving. Nothing like time is of the essence. Thinking before I agree to the money from last night will do smaller ones first to nail my skills (they offered something that I turned down bc I didn’t think engagements were worth that much!). I am totally all ears and picking up ideas every day. One of my sponsors for the Deca when I was asking her about speaking engagements today asked me to come talk to her work staff, so have my first real already paid for trial group. They will be brutally honest bc they have been behind me for years.
Excited and scared
Bunny man…thanks for the input about being paid beforehand (have learned that one the hard way in regards to sponsorship).
Simple Stevie—YOU BETTER COME TO SEBRING!!! I am not going there to SUFFER on my own!!! Sister is probably going to do the 12 hr (she might not know that fact yet). If you need help getting from the airport in Orlando or if you fly into ATL let me know, happy to drive down or Kath would pick you up. I will be leaving late on Fri night (nothing like starting a race on no sleep!). BTW I think ‘kiss my @ss’ Raam qualified out in Tx on the race I bailed on in Oct. His lady friend is doing the 24 and he is doing the 12 at Sebring. He will cover in his 12 more than I will in my 24…nice…right? PS>…have lots of gloves if you need any minus the pee.
