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-Earl

07:45 - The purpose of speaker bureaus

15:30 - Differences between speaker agents and bureaus

24:10 - Why joining a bureau isn’t the final step

32:00 - How to get noticed by a bureau

41:20 - Strategies for success within a bureau

Keywords: speaker bureau, speaker agent, public speaking, Dominic Eldred-Earl, London Speaker Bureau, speaking engagements, speaker insights, join a bureau, speaker strategies

Want 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 #SpeakingEngagements

Q: 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/speakingfeequiz

For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email john@presentinfluence.com or find me on LinkedIn

You can find all our clips, episodes and more on the Present Influence YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PresentInfluence

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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.