When I first started speaking years ago I had no idea what I was doing! I knew nothing about the art of speaking or the business of speaking for that matter. All that I knew was that I had a message that I wanted to share with students and that it was a powerful one that needed to be heard. 

After speaking for free for nearly a year, I had trouble pivoting my free services into a profitable enterprise. 

I wasn’t sure... 

• How much to charge. 
• When to start charging. 
• When was it okay to charge? 
• How to negotiate with an organization, etc. 
• What do I say when someone asks me what my fee is? 
• Or even better yet, why are they not asking what my fee is? 
• When do I bring up fees during the conversation about a talk? 

I knew I was qualified to speak on my topic, but I wasn’t sure if everyone else understood why they should bring me in to speak. So, there was a big question and problem around positioning myself as the expert. 

How do I clearly communicate that I am expert in this area and I am qualified to be paid to speak in this area?

When I first started I thought all my leads would come in through cold referrals. I quickly realized if I wanted to grow my business, I couldn’t just sit around and wait for the phone to ring. I needed to do something. 

I had questions like:

• Who is the decision maker?
• How do I get them on the phone? 
• How do I even know who is in the market for a speaker? 

These were all things I stumbled through trying to create a system to help me continuously get booked and paid. 

I got my first break after completing a free gig. A gentleman approached me and asked if I’d be interested in speaking to his organization. Before I could even think about it I told him I would! 

Once email communication began he asked what my fee was and after a long deliberation... 

I typed back with a quivering finger $1,250.00. 

And then I waited…

After I wanted to respond and retract my quote nearly 20 times the next day, I got a reply saying it was approved! I was now officially in business. 

But, then the next set of challenges presented themselves. I had never created an invoice... 

More questions came:

• Did I need software for that? 
• When should I make the invoice due?
• Do I request a deposit to hold the date?

After the first paid gig I began to collect all the components needed to close a deal. So, I was able to seamlessly book and secure a contract on the next gig, and the next gig. 

I was asked after one of my talks if I had a book. I had never thought about writing a book, but I could see a market for product sales after my talks. The next year I wrote a book and started invoicing bulk book sales in addition to speaking fees for every engagement. 

After I finally started making some money, I wondered…

• When I could increase my fee and by how much? 
• Do I charge different amounts based on the client or do I just have one set fee? 

I left so much money on the table because I didn’t know how to approach the topic and conversation of fee.

Then there were the problems of…

• How do I improve as a speaker? 
• How do I ensure the audience has a better experience? 
• How do I increase my odds of getting rebooked at an event? 

I was performing talks and loving what I was doing, but being the competitive person that I am I wanted to get better. I wanted to perfect my message, clarify my points - basically I wanted to become a more effective communicator. I would get some feedback from my audience at times, but feedback that just states, “It was great!” just left my ego feeling good but kept me at the same level as a speaker. 

I had so many questions and little direction on how the business of speaking worked. I knew I had something that was valuable because I kept getting asked to speak time and time again. Being entrepreneurial, I knew I had to figure out how to take my speaking services to the next level. 

Things I tried to do that didn’t solve my problem and often left me more frustrated: 

Waiting for all of my speaking leads to come in from cold referrals… not only did the phone not ring, I wasn’t actively acquiring new leads so I didn’t have anyone to call. 

Waiting for someone to tell me what their budget was before I quoted a fee… I spoke many times for free when if I had only introduced my fee earlier in the conversation the client could have organized to have my fee covered. 

Believing people would just know I was an expert without actively positioning myself online… There was a lot of confusion in the  beginning about why I was qualified to speak on my topic. 

Speaking on any and every topic with no niche or intention… I thought I could put a talk together about anything really, but without positioning people didn’t know what to book me for. 

Introduction to Beginner Speaker Training

After I learned these lessons the hard way I was able to put a process together to address all of my problems. 

First I started to clarify my message and speak on a very specific topic. This allowed me to go after a specific client and provide a specific solution to a problem I knew they had. This positioned me as an expert and professional on my speaking topic.

Once my message and the problem I solved were clarified, I built a team and created an outreach system where my team cultivates and qualifies leads weekly. This system drops them into our relationship building process where we ultimately offer my speaking services as a solution to their needs. 

Once a client is identified and a need expressed, we quote my current rate and negotiate based on the clients needs. 

This system brings in incoming leads through a referral process I’ve put in place to maximize each speaking gig by collecting referrals each and every time I speak. 

I have now received over $10,000 at the highend for one day of services. I have also added other offerings to create more value packages by including workshops and training materials to maximize each engagement. 

With this system and positioning I’m able to run an extremely successful speaking business and continue to practice medicine full time.

Who is Beginner Speaker Training for?

You want to begin to get paid for your speaking services regularly and at the fee you feel you are worth. You are just starting off and want to learn the ins and outs of the speaking business. You have a current job, but want to increase your revenue streams by getting into speaking. You are passionate about a message you feel will impact the world in a positive way. 

Who is it NOT for?

You aren't willing to put in the hours required to position yourself as the expert on your topic. You expect to get paid ten thousand on your first speech. You're looking to make some quick easy cash. You aren't a true hustler and think growing a business doesn't take work. 

What specifically will I learn from this course?

You’ll get THE Best beginner speaker step-by-step system created to teach you how to start to get paid in speaking. This is the exact system I used to build my speaking fee to TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS for a 1 Hour presentation. 

Do I have to complete the course in a certain time frame?

No. Once you join, you’ll have LIFETIME access to all the training and any future updates and additions I make! You can go completely at your own pace. 

What if I don’t like the course?

I'm hoping you enjoy the course and I'm confident that you will. But, if for whatever reason you don't, you can ask for a full refund within the first 30 days after your purchase. 

Am I being shipped a physical product?

The BST platform is completely run online, nothing will be shipped to you. Once you enroll, you’ll receive instructions on how to log into the membership area so you can start accessing the training.

How quickly can I expect results?

If you're a hustler I've seen people increase their fees in a matter of months. This will be entirely up to you and your work ethic. 

How much access do I get to Dr. Lee?

I've included everything I know about the process of getting paid to speak and put it in this course. I will have some involvement in the private Facebook group, but if you want more personalized or customized help, you might consider working with me as a coach.

How can I contact you?

If you still have questions, please email me at BST (@) ClarenceLeeJr (dot) com.