Cracking The Case of the Mystery Speaker Who Won Your Gig

Often, your gut reaction after you lose a gig is to email an event organizer with two simple questions…

Why?  Who?

But, this can make you sound bitter or upset.  

Instead, follow a few stealthy steps to figure out who won the gig you lost.  Then, use that info to build strong relationships with speakers who can actually help you grow your business.

So, ready to play detective?? 

Good.  

Let’s start with how you should respond to your event organizer’s email instead of asking “why” and “who”...

Positivity is the Name of the Game!

Imagine your event organizer just emailed you to let you know they chose another speaker for their event.  Your response might go like this…

“Jennifer – That is so fantastic!  I’m so glad you found the perfect keynote speaker for this year’s event.  I know it’s going to be great.  Let me know if there’s any way I can help make the event better.  Congratulations and I can’t wait to hear how it goes.”

That’s it…  

No questions.  No complaints.  

Just well-wishes and a gentle invitation to keep in touch.

This type of response will probably come as a relief to your client since they won’t have to make awkward excuses for why they chose someone else.  And really, this is a very simple way for you to build your relationship and solidify goodwill.

Whenever I use this tactic, I usually get a great response.  They’ll say something like, “Wow. Yay! We’re so excited.  Thanks again for all your help. That’s perfect.”

See?  That’s much better than awkwardness and excuses.

Still, how do we find out which other speakers were booked for the gigs we lost?

Try to think of this detective work as a long-term investment in your speaking business. Over time, this knowledge will help you understand your referral rings and truly understand your landscape of peer speakers.

Here are four steps I take to sleuth out the answer…