I’ll get straight to the point. I don’t and I will not lie about a speakers fee to a prospective or current client. No lying and no stealing. It’s really quite simple. I don’t want it on my conscience, and personally, I do not believe that I can sow that kind of behavior and reap a reward. In this business, however, its called: practicing ‘fee integrity.’
There’s a dirty little secret in the land of speakers bureaus. The secret is that there are some speakers bureau’s and agencies that do NOT practice ‘fee integrity.’
Here’s what I mean:
If you, a meeting or event planner come to me and need a speaker, it is my duty to tell you what a speaker or consultant’s exact fee is.
If I quote you a fee, and then say you were to go to the speaker and ask him or her what their fee is, and they give you a number that’s way different than the number that I gave to you, that means either of two things: a) Someone’s lying or b) There’s a reason why an additional amount has been tacked on to the speaker or consultants original fee.
There are times in speaker and consultant bureau/agency land when an addition to a speakers fee must be made. The thing is though, is that when that addition needs to be made, you should be notified of why that is or needs to be the case.
If I tack on an additional 3000.00 to a speaker or consultant’s actual fee, and I don’t tell you and I don’t tell them, that’s not called business. That’s called stealing or theft. For one thing, it jeopardizes the reputation of the professional speaker and/or consultant, if people from all over the world have different ideas of what their fees are, only because they’re being misquoted. There is supposed to be congruency between the fee of the speaker or consultant and the fee that an agency quotes, and if there isn’t you the prospective or current client should know why. I have had a few professional speakers come to me and explain that they were hesitant to work with bureaus due to malpractices experienced in this arena of things. This is totally unacceptable. The way we do things is just as important as doing them in the first place.
A professional speaker or consultant, at the end of the day, is the owner of their own business
We value our business relationships with our professional speakers and consultants. We have zero interest in deceiving them, stealing, or in potentially damaging their or our reputations. No matter what agency or bureau you decide to work with, you owe it to yourself to ask them if they practice ‘fee integrity,’ so at least they know that you aren’t unaware of what it means.
To learn more about ‘Fee Integrity,’ and when it’s acceptable to tack on additional surcharges feel free to call me at (410) 299-9948. You can also email me at: candacec@theintelligentsia.co
