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If you read Part 1 of this article, you already know my 3 ways to earn new gigs with a brand new speech. Now, let’s dive into the specifics of the most important one… Learning how to take another speaker’s table scraps!…

If iteration is the key to crafting a really great speech…

You’ll want lots and lots and lots of practice – regardless of the audience.

That’s why I recommend you reach out to two sources, C-level contacts and associations, who can give you the chance to talk with their people. Remember, the point isn’t to earn money…yet.

Instead, it's to gain experience.  Use every opportunity you can to get feedback from your audience, check for understanding, and refine your speech.

These first two sources for new gigs are certainly valuable…

But it’s the third source of fast gigs that’s a real game-changer… it’s other speakers!

When you connect with other speakers – in the right way – they’ll be able to confidently recommend your speech to event organizers.

So, maybe you’re wondering…

Why Would One Speaker Refer Another Speaker?

If you’re new to the game, it might feel wild… but some speakers simply can’t say yes to every single potential client.

Sometimes the event organizer can’t offer a high enough fee.  Sometimes there is a date conflict. And sometimes, they’re just not a good fit for a particular audience.

Either way, the speaker who was contacted wants to maintain a good relationship with their client, so they’ll often refer other speakers to fill the slot.

Let me use myself as an example.  I recently finished a new keynote called the “Cube of Creativity.”  It’s really well suited for marketing audiences.  I’m at the point right now where I’m trying to ramp things up.  I’m focused on iteration so I can refine the message and perfect the delivery.

So, in order to gain more first gigs for this speech, I might reach out to other speakers with a similar audience to mine.  They might be more successful than me with more inquiries than they can handle.

This is where the referral comes in…

5 Things You’ll Need to Get a Referral From a Fellow Speaker

As a speaker with a new speech, there are a couple of things you need to accomplish when you reach out to another speaker:

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