Jaimie: Well, welcome to this week's episode of Pitch Perfect. Today we are tackling the number one question that makes so many new speakers freeze up when that exciting email comes in, what on earth do I charge now you've landed the gig, you're pumped, and then comes across that awkward silence when the event organizer asks for a fee. Do you throw out a number and just hope that that doesn't scare them away? Do you go low just to get the gig, or do you risk going high and maybe pricing yourself out. Well, you are not alone. This is one of the most common sticking points for speakers at every level, and I've been there my very first speaking gig, I got paid $30 yes, you heard that right? 30 bucks. So these days I charge $10,000 for a keynote presentation. Now trust me, I have lived through the pricing roller coaster, and I want to help you skip a few of the painful lessons that I've had to learn along the way. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through why pricing feels so hard, the factors that should influence your speaking fee, what typical ranges look like, and some practical tips on how to confidently say your price without cringing. Let's dive in. So first of all, why pricing feels so hard. Let's start with the elephant in the room. Why does it feel so terrifying? Honestly, it's like money and self worth are deeply tied together. So when you say your fee out loud, it feels like you're putting a price tag on yourself, and that can be confronting. If you charge too much, you fear rejection. Why? If you charge too little, do you then feel perhaps you're being undervalued. It's a lose, lose mind game, until you flip the script and set your fee as a reflection of the value that you provide, not just the minutes that you spend on stage. And that's really, really important when you are thinking of how much to charge, it's not just one or two hours. It's all the experience that you have built up in your head, the lessons learned, the sacrifices you've made, the mistakes you've made, the speaking, the work experience, the studying, the juggling, being a parent. It's all that knowledge and things that you've had to navigate that when you speak, you are helping someone in the audience, shortcut the system so they don't make the same mistakes you make. So it's really, really important to spend some time thinking about that when you are thinking about how much you are going to charge, not just as a speaker, but as a coach, a facilitator, a consultant or anything like that. I'll give you an example. I once massively under charged for a corporate event because I thought that I would scare them off if I quoted my usual rate. But guess what happened? They said yes in just a few seconds, which should have been a good thing, right? But instead, it left me feeling resentful, and worse, they treated me like I was just a filler speaker. Now here's the thing, when you charge peanuts, people often value you like peanuts. The big lesson here is cheap fees don't guarantee more bookings. In fact, they can do the opposite. Pricing with confidence makes clients take you more seriously. Factors that influence speaker pricing. So how do you actually figure out your number? There are a few key factors to consider, and I want you to think about each one of these when you are setting your fee. So number one is your experience and authority? Are you brand new to the stage, or are you a recognized expert in your field? Obviously, the more experience, the more credibility and results that you bring, the higher your fee should be. Number two is audience and event size. Speaking to a local group of 20 people is very different to keynoting a national conference with, say, 1000 attendees, the impact and exposure matter number three, Industry and Market corporate events usually pay a lot more than nonprofits. A large financial services company has a bigger budget than a local school, for example, and that's okay. Just know your market. Number four, travel and time commitment. Don't just think about the 45 minutes you are on stage. Think about the preparation, the rehearsal, the travel, and sometimes, in my case, days away from home, all of that is part of your fee. Number five extras. Are they asking you to MC the whole day, run a workshop, stick around for Q and A these are add ons that increase your value and increase your speaker fee. Here's a real world example. You've got a 20 minute keynote in your own city. That might be one rate, but if the same client wants you to fly interstate to deliver the keynote, run a workshop, and perhaps attend a networking dinner. That's not one fee, that's a package, and you should charge accordingly. Now let's talk about numbers, because I know that's what you're waiting for. Now these are ballpark figures, and they will vary depending on your country, your industry, but this will give you a bit of a guide beginner or local speakers. 500 to $2,000 per talk, mid level speakers with some profile and proven results. $3,000 to $7,000 establish keynote speakers with strong credibility, $10,000 and above. And here's something really important. When you confidently state your fee, it makes you more bookable, not less. Transparency builds trust. If you act a bit cagey, event organizers will sense your insecurity. But if you say, my keynote fee is $5,000 with no hesitation, they'll respect you more, even if they don't have the budget this time. Now let's dig into the psychology behind this, because this is really important, because people don't just buy your time, they buy your value, and humans are wired to connect price with quality. If you're too cheap, people will assume that you're not very good. It's harsh, but it's true. There's also something called anchoring. If you position your fee Well, the client will see it as an investment, not a cost. So for example, if your keynote can inspire their team to improve performance by even 5% that could translate into hundreds of 1000s of dollars in impact, suddenly, your $7,000 fee looks like a bargain. Here's another personal story. I once quoted what I thought was a fair fee, and the client said yes, immediately, like literally, within minutes, instead of celebrating, my stomach dropped. Why? Because I realized I had under charge. This happens a lot, not so much these days, but it has happened to me a lot over the years. If they said yes that quickly, I probably could have doubled it. That was a turning point for me, and it taught me to aim higher, and ultimately it taught me to back myself. All right, so let's get practical. Here are my top tips for actually setting and saying your fee with confidence. Decide on your minimum fee, the lowest you'll accept without resentment. If you say yes to something, it should feel good, not bitter. Create packages. Don't just quote one number. Offer a keynote only. Package offer a keynote plus a workshop or a keynote plus MC. I often do those kind of packages. Packages give clients choice while also anchoring your value. Use confident language, instead of saying, Would $2,000 be okay, or would $2,000 be in your budget? Say, my keynote fee is $2,000 period silence. Let them respond. Be willing to say, No, walking away is powerful. The right clients will come, trust me and always add GST or taxes and clarify what's included. So travel, accommodation, slides, preparation, all of it, avoid surprises. All right, so to wrap this up, pricing is not about plucking a number from thin air. It's about confidence, positioning and remembering that you're not charging for the minutes on stage. You're charging for the years of experience, training and expertise that got you here. If you're struggling with what to charge, remember this. The right clients will pay for the right speaker, and that speaker is you. If you'd like a little extra help, I have a paid speaker checklist. You can go to Jaimie Abbott, calm.au, forward slash speaker guide, and it helps you get through the wording that you need when you are quoting a client. Just send me a DM, and I can give you the link as well, or have it in the show notes of the podcast. Thank you for tuning in if you're watching this on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or listening to it on Spotify or Apple. If you found this helpful, please rate review, subscribe to my podcast, share it with a friend, and I will catch you next time.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
