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If you read Part 1 of this article, you discovered three reasons why speakers are often shocked to find an empty calendar after it was previously packed with dates on hold. Now, let’s look at how to avoid this pipeline problem.

Looking ahead, your months were packed with dates on hold… 

But when the calendar switched over, you discovered that very few of those prospective gigs turned into actual paid speaking engagements.  

Yikes! You were a victim of the pipeline paradox.

Today, let’s discover how you can form a more realistic picture of what your future schedule will look like… so you don’t take your foot off the gas at exactly the wrong time.

In fact, maybe we can help you increase your efforts at the right time… so you can convert even more of those holds into confirmed gigs.

Step #1:
Overcome the Illusion of Security

As you’ll recall, the illusion of security is that nice, comfy feeling you get when you look ahead at a calendar packed with dates on hold.  To help yourself better separate dates on hold from definite gigs, you’ll want to make some adjustments to your calendar set up.

Typically, I’ll use my own GiGs software to manage my entire pipeline and this includes a calendar function.  You might use a different type of calendar like Google Calendar to track upcoming dates on hold and confirmed gigs.

The first step is easy.  Separate your calendars.

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Have one calendar that just shows dates on hold and another that just shows confirmed gigs. This way, you’ll have a more realistic idea of what your schedule will be like months from now.

Let's take a look at my calendar for all the leads, inquiries, holds and even confirmed GiGS! As you can see below, I'm gonna be slammed in October! YAY!

GiGS Calendar for all inquiries, dates on hold, and confirmed GiGS. Look how busy that looks!

Or... Am I?

Here's a look at only the Confirmed GiGS for October. Looks like I need to step on the gas...

Only the confirmed GiGS... hmmm... looks like I need to step on the gas.

So, when you look ahead and see eight dates on hold for this November, but only one confirmed gig, you’ll know that you still need to hustle with those remaining prospects to actually close the deals.

Put your foot on the GAS!

Step #2:
Don’t Overestimate Your Conversion Rate

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Your conversion rate is the rate at which you change ‘dates on hold’ into ‘confirmed’ gigs. Don’t feel bad if you’ve fallen victim to this problem. Even some of the most seasoned sales professionals make the mistake of overestimating their final results.

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