Repeat Speaking Business: Don’t Let One Gig Be Just One Gig
A standing ovation feels great. Getting paid feels great, too.
But you know what I really love? Hearing from a speaker six months after a gig who says, “My client called and they want to book me again for next year’s event!”
That’s the beauty of repeat business.
But I want you to think even bigger than getting invited back. What if the keynote you’re hired to deliver is just the beginning? What if it’s the kickoff to a larger program designed to help your audience put what they’ve learned into action and truly transform?
You can pitch the entire program upfront and then lock in the keynote as step one.
You’ve already built the relationship. Now it’s time to think about how much more value you could bring.
Here are four ways to make that happen.
1. Start Thinking About the Next Booking Before the First One Happens
When you’re talking with a client about an upcoming keynote, don’t just focus on the speech itself. Get curious about what’s happening in their organization.
What challenges are they facing? What are they trying to accomplish? What might their team need six months or a year from now?
For example, perhaps you’re booked to speak at an association’s annual conference.
That association could have you back. My former client Marilyn Sherman worked for the same association in the food services space for over a decade and after that they did multiple multi-city tours! Now that’s spin-off business!
Someone in the audience at an association event could also bring you into their organization. That’s one of the reasons I recommend starting with associations: they can lead to corporate work.
If your speech is working, ideally, you’re looking for two or three spin-off opportunities from each event.
You don’t need to force another sale from the stage. Just keep your eyes open for opportunities.
2. Don’t Disappear After the Event
I’m always surprised by how many speakers do a great job, collect their fee, and then disappear until they need more business.
Don’t be that speaker!
Follow up after the event. Thank your contact. Send a nice gift. Ask how things went from their perspective and what might change as a result of your ideas.
Then ask yourself: How can you deepen those ideas and keep the message alive?
A post-session “Continued Momentum” call should be part of your process. And notice that you want to give these calls a more interesting name than “follow-up” or “debrief.”
Snore!
After that, stay in touch.
You might send an article that relates to something you discussed. Share a useful idea. Congratulate them on a company milestone. Keep them on your radar on LinkedIn.
And, of course, reach out when you know they’ll be planning their next event.
The key is to have a reason to connect. Nobody needs another generic “just checking in” email.
You want to be remembered as someone who is interested in their success—not just someone who wants another paycheque.
3. Think Beyond the Keynote: Sell the Transformation
Here’s an idea I want you to consider.
What if the keynote wasn’t the whole program? What if it was the kickoff?
Your client may bring you in to speak about leadership, sales, resilience or change. But the real opportunity might be helping that audience put what they’ve learned into action.
Maybe that means a keynote followed by a workshop. Perhaps it includes a series of follow-up sessions, implementation tools or executive coaching to help people apply the ideas.
The key is to think about the transformation you can help create—not just the hour you spend on stage.
And here’s something important: you can pitch the entire program upfront.
You might propose a three-part experience designed to help the organization move from awareness to action. Then, if the client is ready to start with the keynote, you can lock that in as step one.
You’ve opened the door to the bigger engagement without making the initial decision feel overwhelming.
Once you’ve delivered a great keynote, you have a natural opportunity to continue the conversation. You can discuss what comes next and how to help the audience turn those ideas into lasting change.
You’re showing the client that you have a bigger vision for the results they want to achieve.
And that can create opportunities for more meaningful work—and more revenue from a relationship you’ve already established.
4. Make Repeat Business Part of Your System
Don’t leave repeat bookings to chance.
Keep track of your clients, when you spoke for them, who your contacts are, and when they’re likely to start planning their next event.
If an association holds its annual conference every October, you don’t want to remember that fact in September—when the speaker has already been booked.
Reach out early. Ask what they’re planning. Find out what their priorities are this year and whether your expertise might be a fit.
And remember that your original contact may not be the only person who could hire you. Build genuine relationships with others in the organization, while respecting the person who brought you in.
A little organization can go a long way.
The Bottom Line
One of the smartest ways to grow a speaking business is to stop treating every booking as a one-time transaction.
Deliver a great experience. Stay in touch. Look for the next opportunity to help. And think beyond the keynote to the transformation you can help your client create.
You’ll always need new prospects in your pipeline. But you don’t have to start from zero every time you want to fill your calendar.
You’ve already done the hard work of earning that client’s trust.
Don’t let one gig be just one gig.
