A number of years ago, Mark Victor Hansen, when asked about the success of best seller Chicken Soup for the Soul said “it’s a business, not a book”. If you make your living in public speaking, the same is true for you. Which I why I’m puzzled to find so much of the public speaking training focused on the speech itself and not the business.

The fact is that public speaking is a business built on top of a speech. Many speakers are attracted to the business for the applause. They thrive on the recognition. I have found however, that those who remain in the public speaking industry do so only when it becomes a business for them.

Looking to make money speaking?

In his “Big Lesson Of The Month” which is published in the Glazer-Kennedy NO-BS Marketing Newsletter, Bill Glazer notes that “Dan (Kennedy) was in the ’speaking business’ along with thousands and thousands of other speakers. The traditional speaking model is to speak for fees and/or to sell products from the stage at the engagements. Then they were done and moved on to the next speaking appearance. On the other hand, Dan built a newsletter business from customers he acquired while speaking”.

Effective speaking focuses on the business more than the speech

What can you learn from Dan Kennedy’s example? In my opinion, alot. As I’ve been discussing in my other free public speaking tips, and in my Facebook group called “Speakers Passive Profits”, there are ways of earning a very rich living without spending your life at the airport or living in hotels.

My clients know that once we develop a product continuum customized to their unique message and fully implement it, that everything changes. If you want to learn more, then stop by regularly and I’ll show you how you can do it too.