Speakers Bureau Agents Pitching Keynote Speakers
You are pitching keynote speakers to clients. That’s your job as a lecture agent (or a bureau sales agent or person). You have a new speaker, maybe even one you’re worked with for years and you are talking to a new event planner client. Suddenly, you start getting some of the talking points of several different speakers mixed up.
You start thinking, “Man, I wish I had a one-sheet or a template. Something with the talking points, selling points… all the info for each speaker separated individually.”
Pitching Your Speakers: Understanding Event Planners
As a bureau or lecture agent, knowing your event planner’s unique goals and expectations is paramount when pitching keynote speakers. Customize your pitch by truly comprehending their specific needs and industry demands. Delve into their past events, target audience, and event themes. By tailoring your approach, you build confidence and trust, proving that the speaker you’re pitching is a perfect fit.
Titles in the Bureau World
Your title reflects your role and expertise. Here’s a subtle understanding of what different titles mean:
- Lecture Agents: Mainly concerned with academic and educational speakers. These agents have a strong grasp of intellectual trends and work closely with institutions.
- Speakers Bureau Sales Agents: Focused on sales and diverse speaking opportunities. These agents often handle various types of speakers, matching them with suitable events.
- Event Coordinators: Tackling the logistics of coordinating speakers. These professionals ensure smooth communication between speakers and planners.
- Talent Managers: Concentrating on speakers’ career management and promotion. Talent managers shape the speaker’s brand and enhance visibility in the market.
Crafting the Perfect Pitch: Connecting Keynote Speakers
When pitching your keynote speakers it is vital that you know their capabilities. Highlight the speaker’s authenticity, storytelling ability, humor, and genuine engagement. Align these qualities with the event planner’s goals to build a winning pitch. Emphasize unique aspects that make your speaker stand out, such as their ability to captivate audiences or their specialized knowledge in the field.
Here’s a thought — GET THE SPEAKER TO GIVE YOU A PITCH TEMPLATE.
Sample Format for Pitching a Keynote Speaker
Title: Jerome Mayne
Subtitle: Humorous Fraud and Ethics Expert, Former Felon and Author of Diary of a White Collar Criminal
Keynote Speaker Pitch:
Jerome is a powerful storyteller sharing his personal journey to federal prison for a white-collar fraud conspiracy. His intimate style is serious and humorous — rare for the topics of fraud and ethics. Your group will have a transformative experience sparking critical conversations about accountability, personal growth, and with his business and corporate keynote presentation, he helps protect the company’s bottom line.
Keynotes:
Choices and Consequences – making the right decisions when the right decisions aren’t easy
For 2 years, his name was Federal Inmate Number 08657-041. Before that, Jerome Mayne was the founder and CEO of two corporations, respected in the financial community and the father of two young boys. In 1999 he received a 21-month prison sentence for conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering – crimes that took place four years earlier. On November 4th, 1999, he reported to the Federal Prison in Yankton, South Dakota, and his career and his life were changed forever. Jerome keeps your audience riveted – laughing and sometimes crying. He covers the ‘always relevant’ business topics of fraud and ethics with wit and passion. It’s a ‘real-life’ lesson in ethics.
Keynote: 1 – 2 hrs.
Bonus: Most keynotes and workshops qualify for continuing education credit in most professions and industries. (ask about CE credits, CLE credits, CPE credits)
Survive Life – and laugh yourself to death
How does a motivational keynote speaker, cancer survivor, who is also a convicted felon, live a happy life? In this keynote presentation, the answers will actually have you laughing.
Life Is: losing a job, a death in the family, a sudden change in financial stability, a life-threatening illness. We all have problems. Our character is defined by how we deal with them. Adversity, obstacles, and challenges will shut us down and change who we are forever — if we let them.
Jerome Mayne tells his story; how he overcame adversity and found humor in the middle of a nightmare: cancer, while of serving almost 21 months in federal prison as well as quadruple by-pass open-heart surgery.
This dynamic keynote presentation by a top-rated keynote speaker is riveting as well as humorous and will demonstrate that you can overcome any life obstacles.
Keynote: 1 – 2 hrs.
Bio:
Jerome Mayne is founder and CEO of the former, Fraudcon, Inc. As a keynote speaker for over 20 years, he is one of the premier keynote business speakers on ethics, choices, and consequences in corporate America. As a budding, young finance professional he was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. The charges stemmed from his seemingly normal actions years earlier. This resulted in a 21-month prison sentence and his life was changed forever.
He has written dozens of articles for industry trade publications as well as developed professional continuing education courses. The personal diary of his life in the business world and behind bars is documented in his autobiography, Diary of a White-Collar Criminal—now available on Audible. With wit and passion, Jerome brings his intimate story to your event. Your audience will take away life-saving lessons for themselves and know how to protect the company’s bottom line. Jerome is also a former touring stand-up comedian.
Talking Points For Pitching Jerome Mayne Keynote Speaker :
- Through his amazing storytelling ability, and with wit and passion, Jerome shares his personal journey of how he ended up serving 2 years in federal prison for a fraud conspiracy.
- His keynote performance takes your group through the complicated world of ethics, choices, and consequences, with plenty of laughter along the way.
- His choices as a young finance professional led to many unexpected consequences that your group would never imagine.
- Your audience will experience the valuable lessons he learned the hard way yet laugh at how he found humor in the middle of a nightmare.
- Jerome’s keynote includes the mind-blowing and intimate emotions he felt after realizing he got caught up with a conman.
Selling Points For Pitching Keynote Speaker Jerome Mayne:
- Jerome’s keynote is not a snooze-fest. It’s seriously impactful yet humorous — an experience your audience will thank you for.
- With over 20 years of speaking experience and a former touring stand-up comedian, Jerome can captivate a crowd and deliver a memorable presentation that keeps attendees entertained and wanting more.
- Jerome’s unique blend of humor and personal storytelling creates an unforgettable connection with the audience, ensuring they’ll be talking about his keynote long after the event.
- With Jerome, you’re not just hiring a speaker – you’re inviting a humorous storyteller who will inspire, entertain, and protect the financial bottom line of your group.
- Has been referred to as the bargain Frank Abagnale.
Categories:
These are the 6 most on point categories.
- Storytelling — My primary keynote is based on my story. My success has depended on being able to connect with the audience by using my storytelling skills and experience. I do this extremely well.
- Trust/Honesty — An audience will understand the importance of trust in the corporate culture and how this quality is imperative for success.
- Comedian/Funny — I am most well known as the keynote speaker who brings genuine humor to very serious and chilling story on fraud, ethics, and prison. I was also a touring stand-up comedian.
- Crime — My keynote and story stem from my own criminal activity.
- Ethics/Values — As a keynote speaker on ethics, my topic definitely falls under this category.
- Real Estate — My keynote works extremely well in most industries and event themes. And, at least 1/3rd of my past clients are in the real estate industry (real estate, real estate finance, mortgage and title insurance). Additionally, my crime took place in the real estate finance industry.
Current Fees — Gross (20% to 25%)
In-person events: $XX,XXX for up to 2 hr keynote.
Virtual events: I don’t prefer virtual keynotes but have done many of them. I wouldn’t want to go less than $X,XXX. Your sales team can evaluate this.
Travel: Prefer a $X,XXX travel stipend plus client cover up to 2 nights accommodations. Agents can discover what works best for their clients — an all-inclusive proposal may be a better fit for their clients event budget.
Bonus — A lot of industries have ethics continuing education/professional designation requirements and my keynote has been approved for many of them (audit, legal, CPAs, real estate, mortgage). CE sessions usually are ’50-minute hours’ so a keynote of 2 hours – for CE credit would be 1 hr 40 min.
Why Pitching Keynote Speakers Guide Works
This format for pitching your keynote speakers is designed to resonate with event planners by emphasizing the keynote speaker’s unique skills and personality. As a bureau agent, utilizing this approach helps you:
- Demonstrate Professional Understanding: Show your grasp of both the speaker’s talents and the event planner’s needs. By aligning these, you create a personalized connection.
- Build Trust: By aligning the speaker’s strengths with the planner’s goals, you foster a sense of reliability. Trust is vital in long-term collaboration and repeated business.
- Enhance Flexibility: This template for pitching public speakers allows you to tailor your sales conversations to different scenarios, increasing its effectiveness. Flexibility proves your ability to adapt to different needs, enhancing your professional credibility.
Follow-Up: The Long-Term Connection
Foster lasting relationships with event planners by offering continuous insights and support, further strengthening your pitch’s impact. This will allow you to pitch additional keynote speakers on your roster. Send regular updates, share additional speaker information, and maintain open communication lines. Building a long-term connection ensures repeat business and solidifies your reputation as a reliable bureau agent.
Bonus SEO Section for Lecture Agents:
Use your SEO expertise to pitch your keynote speakers online will help you and your speaker’s profiles more discoverable. Also, you’ll be reaching out to a broader network of potential clients. Regularly update your online content, utilize strategic keywords, and engage with online communities. Your digital presence not only extends your reach but also portrays a contemporary, tech-savvy image.
Contact Jerome
If you are a lecture agent or sales agent for a speakers bureau, or if you are an event planner looking for a keynote speaker that fit’s Jerome’s capabilities — let’s talk further.