Episode #528

How to Know Exactly What To Say To Book More Paid Gigs

With Phil M. Jones

“One of the easiest ways to demonstrate your value in the sales conversation is to not try to sell yourself, it’s to show them you understand the puzzle they’re trying to solve. If you can show somebody that you understand their puzzle, they’ll trust you with a solution.”

One of the most challenging things that all speakers face — at all stages of their speaking career — is overcoming fear of rejection. If you’re a new speaker, you might be surprised that even veteran speakers still struggle with things like confidence and beating imposter syndrome. Constantly having to pitch yourself and establish your value is never easy, no matter how many times you do it.

So, how do you overcome all of that and feel confident in who you are, the value you bring, and the fee you charge? This week’s guest has some great advice on that. Phil M. Jones is a world-class speaker (and friend of the podcast) who teaches people how to know Exactly What To Say in all areas of life. This week, Phil is breaking down how to build your confidence and master tough conversations without feeling personally rejected or passed over.

Phil also talks about why you need to vet potential gigs just as much as they vet you as a potential speaker — after all, speaking is a two-sided business. From start to finish, this episode is a masterclass in learning how to embrace uncertainty and maintain your confidence as you navigate hard conversations and negotiations. No matter where you are in your speaking journey, you’re going to want to hear this.

You’ll learn:

  • Why you should thoughtfully pick your gigs
  • The difference between arrogance and conviction
  • How to overcome self doubt
  • How to cater your talks to each business
  • What 4 things event planners find the most valuable
  • Why it’s a good thing to lose gigs
  • And much, much more!

“You have to work like your life depends on the money, and play like you don’t need it.”

Ready to build a real speaking business?

Take the free Speaker Business Assessment to see exactly where you are and what to do next. 17,000+ speakers have built paid speaking careers with SPEAK in the Age of AI.

About Phil M. Jones

An entrepreneurial success story and founder of 5 multimillion dollar companies, Phil M Jones is Strategic Advisor to pioneering leaders of the world’s biggest brands. The author of 7 best-selling books including the “Exactly” Book Series with over 2 million copies sold, he is the Producer of the “Most Listened To” Audiobook of all time and Innovator of the highly coveted “How to Persuade” audible production. To date, more than 800 different industries, across 59 countries and 5 continents have benefited from his input. Phil recently joined a long list of global leaders who serve in residence at High Point University’s Access to Innovators Program. The program at HPU connects students with industry leaders for networking and mentorship opportunities. He joins Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph and many others.

Episode Resources

Share This Episode 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email
Reddit

Explore Recent Episodes

#595: The Truth About Speaker Bureaus: 3 Things You Need to Hear
“I finally realized I was not paying for a service. I was paying for hope. And hope is not a business strategy.” Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! Fair warning — host Dan Irvin is ruffling...
#594: Which Type of Stuck Speaker Are You?
“Preparation feels like progress. It’s not.” Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! After thousands of calls with speakers at every stage, host Dan Irvin has noticed something: it stops...
#593: Why Your Follower Count Isn't Filling Your Calendar
“A speaker with 200 followers and 30 conversations a month is going to out-earn a creator with tens of thousands of followers and zero conversations. Every single time.” Welcome back to The...