A meeting planner has about 10 seconds to decide whether you might be a fit for their event—or whether they should move on to another talented speaker.
That’s where your speaker positioning strategy matters.
You want that meeting planner to quickly understand:
- What problem do you solve?
- Who really needs your message?
- What makes you different?
- And why should they believe you’re the person to solve this problem?
This isn’t about coming up with a clever tagline.
It’s about making it easy for the right buyer to say, “Yes! We need that.”
In The Wealthy Speaker 3.0, I talk about the importance of staking your claim to fame and expertise. Being a generalist can keep you busy, but it may not get you to your financial goals. The goal is to become the go-to person when there is a need in the market that you can solve.
That’s the real power of positioning.
1. Start With the Problem You Solve
One of the questions I want every speaker to be able to answer is:
“What problem am I solving?”
Not:
“What do I like to talk about?”
And not:
“What would be a cool keynote title?”
Those questions can come later.
Start with the problem.
Because people don’t hire speakers simply because they have expertise. They hire speakers because they have a problem they want help solving.
Maybe you help leaders navigate change.
Maybe you help sales teams perform at a higher level.
Maybe you help organizations retain great people.
Maybe you help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
Your topic is important. But the problem you solve is what makes your expertise valuable to a buyer.
2. Figure Out Who Really Needs Your Message
Once you’ve identified the problem, ask:
“Who really needs this message?”
This is where a lot of speakers get stuck.
They want to say, “I speak to everyone.”
And I get it. You probably could speak to lots of different audiences.
But here’s the problem: when you try to speak to everyone, it’s much harder for anyone to think, “That’s for me.”
You want to stake your claim.
That doesn’t mean you can never work outside your niche. It means you need a clear place to start.
Think about the people who have the problem you solve.
Where do they work?
What industries are they in?
What are they struggling with right now?
Where do they gather?
What kinds of organizations hire speakers to address that problem?
That’s where your prospecting should begin.
3. Create Your Promise Statement
This is one of my favourite pieces of the positioning puzzle.
Your Promise Statement is your big-picture, one-line statement that shows the decision-maker the results of your expertise. It communicates the problem you help solve and gives the prospect clarity about what you can do for them.
And here’s my advice:
Don’t try to be clever.
Clear beats clever.
Every time.
I’ve seen speakers struggle with their Promise Statement for months because they’re trying to come up with something brilliant.
Meanwhile, they’re not communicating what they actually do.
I’d much rather see you get a clear message out into the marketplace and test it than spend six months trying to find the perfect words.
Here’s how you can start.
First, list all of the outcomes that happen as a result of your presentation.
What changes for the audience?
What changes for the organization?
Then ask:
“If people do all of these things, what will they get?”
Keep going.
Look for the bigger outcome.
Then take your best, most unique words and try to sum it up in one sentence.
And here’s the really important part:
Take that Promise Statement to the marketplace.
Ask your clients and prospects, “How would your organization be different if this happened?”
You want them to say:
“Yes. We need that.”
That’s when you know you’re onto something.
A couple of basic examples:
- Turning Managers into Leaders
- Creating a Culture Where People Feel Valued
For more help developing a clear message for your speaking business, read How to Create Your Speaker Promise Statement.
4. Make Your Message Easy to Repeat
Here’s a simple test for your positioning:
If a client loved your presentation and wanted to refer you to someone else, could they explain what you do in one sentence?
Imagine they say:
“You have to hire Jane. She’s great.”
That’s nice.
But it’s not very helpful.
Now imagine they say:
“You need to talk to Jane. She helps speakers build the speaking business of their dreams.”
Now you’ve given them something they can actually repeat.
Your speaker positioning strategy should make you easy to refer.
It should also make you easy for a meeting planner to explain to the person who controls the budget.
Remember: you’re not trying to impress the buyer with how much you know.
You’re trying to make it easy for them to understand why they need you.
5. Turn Your Positioning Into Everything You Do
Once you have your positioning, use it everywhere.
Your website.
Your speaker bio.
Your keynote descriptions.
Your social media.
Your speaker one-sheet.
Your outreach.
Your podcast introductions.
Your sales conversations.
Everything should reinforce the same basic message.
This is where a lot of speakers get themselves into trouble.
They describe themselves one way on their website, another way on their podcast, and yet another way when someone asks, “So, what do you speak about?”
Your positioning should become your internal compass.
It doesn’t mean you have to say exactly the same words everywhere. It means people should come away with the same understanding:
This is who he helps.
This is the problem he solves.
This is the result he creates.
6. Test It in the Real World
Don’t spend six months building a new website before you find out whether your positioning actually resonates.
Test it.
Use your new Promise Statement in conversations.
Put it into an email.
Try it on your LinkedIn profile.
Use it when you’re talking to meeting planners.
Listen to what people say next.
Do they immediately understand?
Do they ask questions?
Do they tell you about someone who needs what you do?
Or do they look confused and ask, “So…what exactly is that?”
That feedback is valuable.
Positioning isn’t something you create once and then put in a drawer.
It’s something you take to the marketplace.
7. Let Your Positioning Evolve
Your positioning can—and probably will—change as your business grows.
When you’re newer, you may need to stake a fairly specific claim so that you can establish yourself and build momentum.
Later, as your reputation grows, you may find that your expertise naturally expands into adjacent markets, topics or offers.
That’s okay.
Just don’t confuse evolution with throwing everything at the wall.
Every new topic doesn’t need to become a new business.
Every opportunity doesn’t need to become a new keynote.
And every audience isn’t necessarily your audience.
Stay anchored to the problem you solve and the people who need it.
The Goal: Become the Go-To Person
Your speaker positioning strategy isn’t about creating the most impressive description of yourself.
It’s about creating clarity.
When there is a need in the market, you want people to think:
“I know exactly who can help with that.”
That’s the goal.
To stake your claim to fame and expertise.
To become the go-to person for the problem you solve.
And to make your Promise Statement so clear that the right buyer can quickly say:
“Yes. We need that.”
You don’t have to get it perfect.
In fact, please don’t wait for perfect.
Clear over clever.
Get your message out there, take it to the marketplace, listen to the response and keep refining.
Because the speakers who build the strongest businesses aren’t necessarily the ones who can speak about the most things.
They’re the ones who become known for solving a problem that matters.
The bigger the problem, the bigger the potential paycheque.
And that’s how you start building a Wealthy Speaker business
