One of the most important tools speakers use is their FEE
SCHEDULE. Here are ten tips to help you increase your
attractiveness and income, while communicating exactly what
you offer and clarify your fees for your programs, products,
and services.
1. Change the title. Previously referred as a FEE SCHEDULE.
These two words have gathered a quiet negative energy over
the years. In order to make your fees more attractive,
change the name. This energizes your attractiveness and
shows how you are different. Here are a few noun
substitutes to spark your brainstorming. Schedule: Menu,
catalog, list. Example Fee Menu, Fee Catalog, Fee List.
Fee: Compensation, cost, rate. Examples: Compensation
Menu, compensation catalog, compensation list, cost menu,
cost catalog, cost list, rate menu, rate catalog, rate list.
2. Include your photo at the top of your schedule
3. At the top also include an expiration line: Example:
"These fees are good for programs booked before _____date
(or expire on ____)." Expire your schedule frequently to
allow for increases. Ninety days is the normal expiration
period.
4. We have found that selling time is the easiest way for
independent professionals to offer their services. People
understand this way of thinking because many jobs pay by the
hour. You don't want to get involved with tracking minutes
and seconds. You can do this by quoting your hourly rate in
this manner: Up to 1 hour $____. Up to 2 hours $____. Up
to 3 hours (or 1/2 day) $____. Up to 6 hours (or full day)
$____.
5. Be sure to list all your time or product packages. List
any additional or possible programs for the same events.
Examples: Managers Meetings, Spouse Program, additional
breakouts, vendor education for trade shows at the event.
List any document customization fees and recording rights.
6. If you work with meeting planners and bureaus, enlist
their experience and suggestions. Let them review and
provide you with feedback on your schedule. They know the
market and continually compare speakers' schedules.
7. Create a PDF file for e-mailing your schedule. Or create
a complete marketing package that includes your fee schedule
and turn into a pdf file.
8. When presenting your services to a meeting planner,
visualize that person looking at a giant chart on the wall
which lists all the different times and programs planned at
their event, but that are not yet scheduled. Ask the meeting
planner if he or she has any unfilled time slots available
on the day you are scheduled. Then suggest a second program
for managers or the sales team. This helps them because they
have to book less speakers, cuts their planning time
considerably, and usually saves money on travel expenses and
hotel rooms.
9. Meeting planners discourage back-of-the-room sales
because they do not want you to use "paid" time to push
those materials. Instead, sell them separately through their
educational materials budget. Add your educational
materials to your schedule (books, workbooks, audio
programs, subscriptions) with any quantity discounts
(10-15%). Include special "program only" package
opportunities as well. Place these in the center of your
schedule. List shipping separately in a footnote.
10. Speakers are now asking for a flat fee for their travel
expenses. This provides flexibility for the speaker and
saves the meeting planner time.
Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing &
Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet
writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters
and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com
blog: http://abundance.blogs.com