The Referable Speaker vs. The Hustle Machine

How to Stop Hustling and Start Building a Referable Business

Is the “NSA Way” Killing Your Business?

Why dialing more numbers and sending more emails won’t build a sustainable speaking business.

SpeakingGigs.ProAndrew Davis

Which kind of speaking business are you building? 

One that requires endless hustle and outreach… or one that relies on a strong performance to generate referrals and momentum?

Choose wisely, my friend.  This is your chance to decide.

This entire topic of the NSA way of business-building versus the Referable Speaker method first occurred to me a few weeks ago when I was chatting with one of our premium subscribers… Let's call her Judy.

Judy expressed considerable frustration after working hard to develop her speech and perfect its delivery. Now that it was “done”, she was unwilling to make any changes.  Sure, it could be improved, but she had already spent SO. MUCH. TIME. ON. IT.

That’s when she confessed that she felt like everything she’d been taught about building a successful speaking business was a lie.  She had faithfully followed the NSA way – marketing herself, positioning her talk, and doing outreach through calls and email.

But, it wasn’t all coming together.  Her business wasn’t growing.

So, is it possible?

For decades, the industry has operated on a set of assumptions that have gone largely unchallenged.  We’re left with thousands of speakers trapped on the marketing treadmill with a speech that just doesn’t work.

They’re constantly hustling…  (there’s that word again!) … looking for their next gig and watching their fees stall while their stress climbs.  

At its core, the problem here is that every one of these speakers has made a decision…

They chose to build a business that follows an outdated way of thinking. 

Today, you have the opportunity to follow a different path.

Option #1: Choose the Endless Hustle

The NSA model of business building is an endless hustle – built on relentless outreach with one simple belief at its core…

This means you need to make daily calls, write weekly emails, attend monthly networking events, and post non-stop on social media.  It means you check in again and again using email templates that, frankly, make me want to gag.

This approach creates a business that never stops demanding your energy, your patience, or your stress.  There’s no tipping point… no autopilot…  

It’s just more and more outreach until your calendar is no longer looking thin.  And if your calendar is always thin, then you’re always on this outreach treadmill.

Here’s the worst part…

There’s zero correlation between the effort you put in and the results you generate.  We’ve broken down those cold outreach numbers before.  It’s completely possible for you to get ghosted after a thousand emails. 

Ugh… Cold Calling… Is It Even Worth Your Time?

Let’s break down the numbers to see if this is a numbers game you can actually win.

SpeakingGigs.ProAndrew Davis

You can attend every networking event and still watch your quarter fall apart with no revenue.  You’re working full-time hours just to stay VISIBLE.  

When you do this, you’re building a job, not a business.  (And nobody likes “jobs.”) It’s a job that requires you to be “on” 52 weeks a year.

Some People Thrive Using the NSA Model

Okay, sure.  This method works for a specific type of person.  Every speaker I know who does well with this endless outreach has one thing in common – they genuinely enjoy the sales process just as much as – or even more than – being on the stage.

Personally, I’ve noticed that the people who seem to excel tend to be sales leadership or sales speakers.  They thrive in this high-volume outreach environment and they don’t mind constant rejection as part of their daily rhythm.

If you follow this method, you have to be okay with trading (all of) your time for money.

A lot of these speakers prefer modest, steady growth over higher-risk bets.  And that’s okay.  

The irony here is that the NSA model pushes speakers to spend more time in marketing themselves and selling themselves than they spend on the thing that matters most… their speech!