Episode 288
Speaking Industry Scams and Shady Practices Exposed!
A man paid $6,000 to a speaker agency that promised him multiple $10,000 bookings. Six months later, he had nothing but excuses. John, your host, has been in the coaching industry for years and has either seen or personally walked into most of what he covers in this solo episode: six distinct ways new professional speakers get sold something that looks like opportunity and isn't.
Some of these are straightforwardly dishonest: fake agencies charging registration fees, pay-to-speak stages dressed up as exposure. Others are murkier: podcast invites that turn into PR funnels, speaking coaches with no paid industry experience, and PR agencies that deliver exactly what they promised but don't move the needle. John draws on his own experience getting pulled into a podcast-to-PR funnel, and on years inside the coaching industry watching credentials fail to guarantee competence.
Every example comes with a specific, practical question to ask before you hand over money or trust, the kind of question a legitimate operator answers without flinching and a dodgy one stalls on.
You'll walk away with a single filter that applies well beyond the six examples covered here: a real opportunity survives you asking one basic question.
4. FAQ
What is a fake speaker bureau/agency? A fake speaker bureau/angency charges new speakers an upfront registration fee, typically five hundred to fifteen hundred pounds, to be listed in their directory, without any track record of actually booking speakers into paid work. A legitimate bureau earns a commission, usually twenty to thirty per cent, only once it has booked a paying gig.
How can a new speaker tell if a speaker bureau or agency is legitimate? John recommends asking any agent or bureau to name three speakers they've booked into paid gigs in the last six months. A real bureau answers specifically and quickly. A fake one stalls or gives names you can't verify. Most proper bureaus will feature their speakers on their website, so you can ask directly.
What is pay-to-speak, and why is it a trap for new speakers? Pay-to-speak conferences charge speakers, typically five hundred to five thousand pounds, euros, or dollars, for a short speaking slot marketed as exposure to bookers or credibility building. The trap is that the audience is often largely made up of other speakers who paid the same fee, not buyers deciding whether to hire a speaker.
Is paying to speak at a conference always a scam? No. John Ball notes that paying for access to a room isn't automatically illegitimate, since some sponsorship arrangements are genuine trades. The key question is whether the room includes real buyers or mostly other paying speakers.
How can a new speaker tell if a podcast guest invite is actually a sales funnel? Warning signs include a show whose business name mimics a recognisable publication it isn't actually associated with, interviews that get rescheduled repeatedly for no clear reason, and a post-recording debrief that pushes toward a call with someone else who can "help with your business goals" rather than simply asking the guest to share the episode. John Ball notes that a defensive or angry reaction to being asked about this confirms it as shady.
Do certifications like ICF or EMCC guarantee a good speaking coach? Not at all. John Ball states that these bodies certify a coaching process, not a coaching outcome. He notes as an example that ICF certifies specifically in ontological coaching, a purely question-based, non-directive style, which is why he's never pursued the certification himself despite operating as a coach for over twenty years. No barrier prevents anyone from calling themselves a speaking coach, regardless of paid speaking experience.
What should a new speaker check before using a podcast pitching or PR agency? Ask how they actually find and select the shows they pitch you to, and whether they check for topical relevance before sending a pitch. John Ball notes that most of these agencies blanket-pitch the same generic message to any podcast that's loosely adjacent to your field, regardless of whether the audience would ever be an interested buyer, which is why the placements they deliver often don't produce any inquiries even though they're technically legitimate.
What is a Keynote Speaking Coach? A keynote speaking coach is someone with industry, coaching, and often additional experience and expertise who can help you improve your keynote talks, which in turn helps you get more bookings and referrals. Many keynote coaches only work with speakers on the talk and stage elements, but a select few, like John Ball, will first work with speakers on the business side of speaking before developing the stage and presentation side, which may still involve work on the keynote itself but will more relate to market positioning, becoming known as a speaker and developing warm relationships with bookers, as well as developing an opportunity engine that will help you to stay as fully booked as you want to. Programs like John Ball's Known, Booked & Paid Blueprint offer the full range of elements to help you grow your speaking business.
What is the Known, Booked and Paid Blueprint? The Known, Booked and Paid Blueprint (KBPB) is John Ball's cohort-based coaching programme for professional speakers, built to give speakers a structured route into the industry rather than having to work out what's legitimate offer by offer. Find out more at https://presentinfluence.com/kbpb
For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email john@presentinfluence.com or find me on LinkedIn, where you can also access the Serious About Speaking weekly newsletter.
You can find all our clips, episodes and more on the Present Influence YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PresentInfluence
Thanks for listening. Rating the show 5* on Spotify helps their algo recommend the show, so please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating.
Transcript
A man I spoke to recently paid $6,000 to a speaking agent that promised
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:him multiple $10,000 bookings and six
months later, all he had was the stack
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:of excuses and no bookings at all.
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:Sadly, this happens more than anyone
in the speaking industry would
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:rather admit or you perhaps even know
about, and it could happen to you
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:too unless you know what to check.
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:Now, the reason it worked on him
is the same reason it might work
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:on you if you're new to speaking.
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:You don't yet know what looks
normal in this industry, so
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:almost anything official or proper
sounding could pass as legitimate.
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:This is especially for you if you've
already built some credibility
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:somewhere else as a coach, A CEO,
a founder, consultant, an expert,
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:and you are now trying to break
into paid speaking because these are
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:exactly the kinds of people who these
approaches are targeting and built for.
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:So I've been in the coaching industry
for many years now over 20 years, and
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:I run a speaking business myself, and
I've either seen or personally walked
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:into most of what I'm about to cover.
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:There are six in total of these,
and a couple will flat out take
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:your money under false pretences.
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:A couple are perhaps a little more
murky and aren't against the law.
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:They're just built on deception that
you might not spot until it's already
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:cost you time, money, or trust.
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:So welcome to Professional
Speaking, the show full of people
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:who are serious about speaking and
becoming known, booked, and paid.
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:My name's John Ball.
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:I'm a professional speaking
coach, keynote speaker, standup
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:comedian, and sci-fi nerd.
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:I'm here as your guide on the journey
to a successful speaking career.
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:So let's go back to that agency situation
because the, I think it's one of the
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:clearest versions of this, and that's
worth taking a look at $6,000 upfront.
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:I mean, that's not a small investment,
but multiple $10,000 gigs were promised.
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:And then obviously you were
told the fee will pay for itself
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:within the first one or two gigs.
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:Three months in, he started
doubting it by six months.
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:He already understood that agent
was not gonna get him booked,
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:and he probably wasn't ever
gonna get his money back either.
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:So how did he actually find out?
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:Well, first three months was a lot
of excuses and reasons why things
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:weren't going the way that you
wanted, but it would come, it was
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:happening just like, wait, be patient.
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:It will happen and it it takes a while.
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:All these kinds of things.
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:Then the next three months that started
to tail off a bit more, the communication
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:started to come a bit less frequent
until it just stopped completely.
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:And at that point, that's where
he knew they weren't responding
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:to his messages anymore.
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:They weren't gonna do anything for him.
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:Now a real agent operates
different bureaus as well.
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:I mean bureaus, what they actually
do, they take a commission like 20 to
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:30% out of whatever they book for you.
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:But that fee only exists
once the booking does.
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:Now I come across agencies or
people who come across agents,
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:even Tels or Bureau, but what
they actually do is sell training.
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:So they use the label of agent or bureau
just to get you through the door into
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:their funnel, and then they'll pitch you
the course perhaps on a big group call.
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:That's where they're getting
you into their funnel.
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:So if you are having to register your
detail to attend what seems like a
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:webinar or group call, you are probably
entering somebody's sales funnel.
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:It's the same kind of con,
although who's to say whether
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:the course is any good or not?
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:Different signs definitely
involved in that.
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:My take would be that if someone has to
get you into their training programme
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:on false pretences, that it probably
isn't a training programme that's worth
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:having, that they probably wouldn't be
able to sell on its own merits otherwise.
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:So before you send anyone
money, ask them one thing.
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:Ask them to name three speakers that
they booked in the paid gigs in the last
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:six months, who you could check out.
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:Now, a real bureau can do that in seconds,
but if what you get back is a stall or
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:they say, I can't really share that for
privacy, or get excuses or prevarication
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:send you around the houses or even
get defensive or angry with you for
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:asking, well, you've got your answer.
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:But those situations are more
about someone reaching out to you.
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:This next one, well, it could be that
I've had these opportunities show up in
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:my inbox, but it could also be that you
go around looking for these things or
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:seeing a call for speakers, and you find
yourself with a stage opportunity that
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:they ask you to stump up and pay for.
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:So it might be 20 minutes on stage, and
maybe the price is somewhere like 500 to
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:5,000 pounds, euros, dollars, whatever.
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:And it gets sold to you as
credibility, putting you in a ring
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:full of an audience of buyers.
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:Now, to be fair, paying for access
to a ring isn't automatically a scam.
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:Sponsorship packages exist,
and there are definitely
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:legitimate ones in proper trades.
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:But what makes this version a scam,
a trap is who's actually in the room,
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:because it's generally not buyers who
are trying to decide whether to hire
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:a speaker it's other speakers who have
paid the same fee that you did or similar
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:and are sitting there waiting for their
turn on stage whilst they watch your
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:talk and have probably no real interest.
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:So ask the organisers directly, how many
of your speakers are paid and how many are
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:paying to be there, and see how fast the
answer comes, who will be in the audience?
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:That's worth me being in front of.
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:What kind of results have you
had for clients in the past?
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:You want to look for specific answers
here, not general rubbish, because you are
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:being asked to pay for this opportunity.
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:So here's a question.
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:Would you pay for a magazine feature
that nobody in your industry or the
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:industry that you speak to has ever
heard of Why you put it like that?
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:Obviously not.
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:But that's exactly what
gets sold in this next one.
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:It's an opportunity dressed
up as pr, but it's a scam.
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:And it is kind of a legit
scam because they will do what
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:they said they're going to do.
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:They will get you to feature in
publications, and what you actually
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:end up buying is maybe just a
line for your website not terrible
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:in itself, but the chances are
that you are doing these things
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:for exposure because you
want leads and inquiries.
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:You want more business, and that is
not what you end up getting because
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:the audience that you hope to reach
and impress really never existed.
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:These are basically
sales scams or funnels.
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:I fell for one of these kinds of things
very early on in my own coaching business.
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:Where I was offered to put
an ad into a local magazine.
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:And when I was inquiring about things
like return on investment and what sort
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:of results to expect, I was blatantly
lied to and told that, you know, and
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:the ads tend to get, one in 10 readers
tend to respond to ads, and you will
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:definitely get inquiries from it.
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:I got not one inquiry, I admit
I didn't spend thousands, but
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:it was still more money than I
had when I was getting started.
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:To be able to just say, well, this has
to give me a return on the investment.
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:I was promised a return.
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:I didn't get one, but I had no
way to prove what they had said to
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:me or to take action against it.
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:And so I just lost out and know.
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:Yes, I felt scammed and fooled,
and yes, it was legitimate.
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:They did actually put the ad there.
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:They sent me the magazine.
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:I saw it featured, but it did
not help me one little bit.
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:And that ends up really being a legal
scam that you could get burnt by.
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:In my inbox and there was no fee,
nothing that looked like a catch at all.
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:But after a lot of back and forth
trying to set up this interview, I
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:thought, yeah, why not do more guesting?
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:I was trying to do more guesting at
the time anyway, and I kept having the
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:interviews cancelled by various people
who were supposed to be interviewing me.
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:And it's like, I can't interview.
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:This person's gonna interview.
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:And they cancelled and it was one of them
was last minute as well, and it gets moved
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:out several days and actually moved it
to a time that I couldn't do and had to
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:go back to them and say, I can't do that.
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:You have to change it.
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:And then someone else follows up and says,
well, I'm gonna do the interview now.
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:Have you got so many people for this pod?
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:That was a red flag.
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:Their business name sounded
like a legitimate, big business
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:publication that I recognised.
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:I checked out whether they were
associated at all and they weren't.
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:So they were definitely trying
to leverage off that association
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:even though it wasn't there.
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:The interview itself was fine.
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:The guy who interviewed me
did a really nice job and I
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:said that to him afterwards.
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:He asked great questions.
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:He was doing.
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:I think he actually took pride
in what he was doing as well.
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:The guy is a podcaster.
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:And I don't know, I think he must
have known what the real setup was.
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:But in the debrief from once we'd
finished the recording, that's where
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:I was offered a chance to have a
conversation with somebody who could
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:help me with some of my business goals.
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:So the conversation,
what can we do for you?
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:How can we help you?
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:You've helped us.
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:How can we help you?
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:Very sneaky, but clever, clever.
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:I'll give them that.
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:And there's like, well, let me set
you up a call with this person.
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:They do pr, they can really
help people like you.
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:They've helped loads and
loads, you on a call with them.
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:And that, I was really
suspicious at that point.
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:I was like, all right, you don't want
me to set up a call now with somebody?
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:This is just connecting you.
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:Who, this what I said, this is
just connecting with someone
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:who I think could help you.
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:And then when it came to as well,
I'm registering for this call.
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:I think, and this looks like
this is actually their model.
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:This is what they do.
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:And it was completely was, it was
a funnel to bring people in for
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:as leads, really for a PR agency.
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:They have the whole trust
and reciprocity thing going.
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:They've done you a favour.
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:They've helped to promote you.
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:They've published your
episode, which they did.
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:In fairness, the episode was out there
on a show with like daily episodes
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:that probably no person listens to.
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:And you could put it on your website
but it's not gonna get you inquiries.
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:It's not gonna get you booked.
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:It's not gonna do anything for you.
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:The real purpose of the whole thing
was to get you onto that sales call,
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:a prospecting call with the PR agency,
who would then sell you their services.
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:That was the whole business.
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:So there's a lot of dishonest
practises going on in the business
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:to get you to what might actually be
legitimate and worthwhile services.
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:But my take is this, if you have
to get people into a discovery call
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:dishonestly, if you can't be upfront
about your process and your funnel,
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:is that somebody you would, you
could ever really trust to work with?
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:I think it's right to be suspicious
about these sorts of things.
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:Even if they end up being a
good value product or service.
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:I would suggest that the unethical
practises that they display would
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:mean they're probably not worthy.
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:Probably better off to look around
for someone who is more upfront and
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:less shadowy about what they do.
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:So there are definitely shows that
exist purely to feed these programmes,
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:PR companies or training programmes.
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:And the podcast itself is just
the entry point into the funnel.
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:And that's, and they publish
a real episode with you on it.
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:You get that sense that you
owe them something back.
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:The principle of reciprocity comes into
play, which makes their pitch land as
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:well, especially as it's so subtle.
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:And I would love to help you, let's
say you open the conversation, I
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:think could help you achieve your
business goals, and we really like you.
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:So it's a con.
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:So check the show out before
you say yes to anything.
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:How old is it?
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:How many episodes are going out?
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:Published?
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:Is it just one guest after under
like a treadmill of guest with
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:nobody obviously really listening
to it or to that many episodes?
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:And, is the follow up actually
asking for in the debrief?
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:Do they kinda lead you to
setting up a call with somebody
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:or to doing something else?
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:Sharing, being asked to share
an episode is one thing.
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:Like, yeah, I can easily agree to that.
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:Yes, I'll help promote the episode.
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:They didn't even ask that at all.
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:Book a call with someone else.
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:And when I questioned that, they
got very angry about it, that I
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:was, insulting the guy who had
interviewed me by asking that question.
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:And that really just confirmed
for me, yeah, I should be
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:able to ask that question.
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:Like if there's any, any kind of element
of illegitimacy about something and I,
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:and that gets asked and picked up on
it, and you get defensive about that,
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:the, the question has come up because
of what you are doing, not because I'm
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:just have a suspicious mind and don't
trust anybody or maybe a bit of that.
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:But, dishonest at all, really
makes it worth naming because
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:almost nobody checks out a coach's
background before they hire them.
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:I've been in coaching industry for years
and years, seen this from the inside.
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:Check.
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:Like you don't, you don't ever
check out a coach's qualifications.
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:They may not even have any, even the
credentials thing doesn't fix it.
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:I-C-F-E-M-C-C, okay, a
bit more credibility.
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:You perhaps have a bit more trust
there, but whatever letters get put
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:with their name, none of that guarantees
you a good experience because these
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:bodies really certify a process in
a way of coaching, but not a result.
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:One of the, done the, certification,
ICF particularly because they only
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:certify in ontological coaching.
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:And whilst I'm all for ontological
coaching, which is very much just only
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:asking questions and never actually,
or being consultative, that's not
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:how I operate as a coach and it's
not how I want to operate as a coach.
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:And so they would say, what
I do isn't actually coaching.
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:And I would say bullshit.
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:I can't just operate as an ontological
coach, which is why I've never done it.
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:So that's what you would get with that.
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:And maybe that's, maybe you actually
go into coaching and actually want
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:to be able to ask questions, actually
want to be able to get an answer from
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:someone, or a bit of guidance, specific
guidance, not just someone who says,
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:well, how do you feel about that?
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:Or the answers inside you.
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:Which sometimes that's great and works
really well, but a lot of times it's just
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:fucking frustrating part of my language.
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:So anyone, anyone could call
themselves a speaking coach and
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:anyone who comes as any kind of coach.
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:And I think I've seen this play out
particularly in podcast coaching,
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:possibly more than anyone else, maybe
'cause some of the work I've been
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:doing over the last several years.
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:But there are people out there who are
saying that they can help you to grow and
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:monetize a podcast if you have one who
have never actually done it themselves
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:or maybe have with their show, but
don't really have the experience to
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:be able to have other people do that.
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:Or they just copying or getting
information from all the out
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:there and pretty much they're
faking it till they make it.
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:So before you sign up with anyone, coach,
or a keynote coach, do a basic inquiry.
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:Check out their LinkedIn profile,
look at what their experience is.
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:Can you trust them?
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:Are they putting out content?
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:If they have a podcast,
check out their podcast.
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:Because if they have lots of episodes
and they do lots of solo episodes
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:and they can share and show their
expertise, that should help to
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:develop that trust relationship.
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:I think a lot of this has come
about as a sort approach to the
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:trust deficit in the industry.
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:End there because it's worth exploring.
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:But the last, the last of the scams is
this, and I think it's the sneakiest
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:because no one's actually lying to you.
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:This one's different from the
badge you heard about earlier
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:because there's no faking it here.
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:So these are the kinds of people as
well, these agencies now that will
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:get you booked on tonnes of podcasts,
and they'll send the same generic
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:pitch to hundreds of people at once.
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:They have collected bunch
of podcast names and emails.
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:Often they'll send people who
don't even have guests on their
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:show as well, and they'll still
get the same email inquiries.
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:They don't care or look into who
the audience of that show is.
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:They use AI to try and get a bit of
information about one of your recent
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:episodes so they can tell the host,
oh, your episode and this was amazing.
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:what few People actually ever check is
whether any of this actually reaches
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:someone who would check it out, who
actually cares or would actually hire you.
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:Book you as I would say, as the speaker
equivalent of paying for bots to inflate
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:your follow account on social media.
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:The numbers go up, but nothing else moves.
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:The inquiries don't move.
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:You have the perception of being
well followed, but you don't
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:actually have the evidence for it
other than likes and subscribers.
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:Before you sign anything, I would
ask , how are they doing that?
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:How are they finding these
podcasts and making sure that you
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:are actually relevant to them.
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:What most of these agencies do,
which is why it's the most of
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:'em are crap, is send out podcast
pitches to anyone who's relevant.
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:Like if you have, if you speak in
business, but maybe you speak in a
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:business psychology, they will pitch
you to any business associated podcast
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:whether you are relevant or not.
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:And they do not specify their approaches.
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:They just put in some nice line
in the email that AI is probably
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:checked out or bought out for them
about one of their recent episodes.
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:And they're all bullshit.
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:They're all just this fake to
butter you up kind of thing.
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:And they don't work for,
obviously, most of the time.
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:I guess they must work some of the time.
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:If you're trying to get yourself
on podcasts, I think podcast
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:guesting is absolutely, absolutely
a great thing to do as a speaker.
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:But you could go on a hundred podcasts
that no one's ever heard of and
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:you'll spend time and maybe money
getting somebody to book those in for
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:you, and it won't move the needle.
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:It won't get you one inquiry.
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:You'll just feel like you've wasted
your time and you have, because you have
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:to go on shows that move the needle.
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:I have, I, I can tell
the difference there.
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:You know, I, I've done
many, many podcasts.
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:Sometimes I've done just to get
some experience and that's fine.
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:If you want that, I'd suggest
go on PodMatch or one of these
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:matching services instead.
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:They're not expensive and at least
you know what you're getting and you
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:can match up with genuine podcasters
there and choose them yourself.
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:I would still say don't get an
agent to set this stuff up for you.
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:The impersonal approach is a very
bad one to take with podcasters.
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:But going on shows that definitely
have the following and have the
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:listeners has really moved the
needle for me in certain instances.
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:And I can tell because you get the
inquiries, you get the lead magnet
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:downloads, you get people checking
you out and suddenly following you on
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:LinkedIn or can tell the differences.
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:But the majority of interviews
I've ever done have not done
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:one little thing for me.
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:They've maybe been nice experiences, fun
chats, sometimes they've been a bit great
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:experiences in, in a number of ways.
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:But when you're doing this stuff to grow
your business and to get more opportunity,
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:you have to make business decisions.
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:And it isn't volume that's
going to get you there.
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:It's quality, not quantity.
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:So go for quality.
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:I know that looking for the good
opportunities is time consuming.
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:You'd much rather probably pay someone
else to take care of it for you or just
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:blanket pitch a whole bunch of people.
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:And I promise that stuff
does not work very well.
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:You can get some results for
it, maybe one, once or twice.
352
:People get lucky with these things.
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:But looking for quality opportunities
may take time and it may mean doing
354
:less podcast interviews, but it does
mean that the ones that you do or the
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:articles that you get published in
different publications end up going to
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:people who will actually read them and
care about them and potentially want to
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:contact you and book you as a speaker.
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:And that's what it's all about.
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:So one thing, people want speed over
quality nearly all the time these days.
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:And I think it's the wrong way to go.
361
:we need to slow down and focus on
quality because that is where you
362
:need to be landing, being associated
with, and it's what will give you the
363
:biggest bang for your buck anyway, even
if you are not paying somebody else
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:to find those opportunities for you.
365
:That CEO from the start of the episode,
multiple, that he, $6,000 multiple
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:promise bookings that never came.
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:Six months of excuses.
368
:Every version of what we just walked
through pretty much works on the same gap.
369
:It's not stupidity.
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:We're not stupid, it's just that you
may not know exactly what to ask right
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:now, and this is what they rely on,
either don't know what to ask you to
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:green to the industry to really know
things are all about or that they
373
:rely on the other side of you to.
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:A lot of people will just accept things
on face value, aren't particularly
375
:sceptical and will believe the promises
that they're given 'cause they sound
376
:good and they don't want to upset anybody
by asking those probing questions.
377
:But if you are being asked to part with
money, it's on you to have a little bit
378
:of scrutiny and to ask some questions.
379
:So I think a real opportunity can survive
you asking one or two basic questions
380
:and if the person you're asking gets
weird with you, the moment you ask a
381
:reasonable question, that's your answer.
382
:You don't need to feel rude for asking.
383
:You shouldn't have made be made to
feel bad for asking a reasonable
384
:question, but we also need to stop being
impressed by things that sound official.
385
:The people who confidently sound like
they know what they're talking about
386
:might actually just be reading a sales
script or have done this for a while and
387
:still may, may not have the first clue.
388
:I hope that what we've covered in
this episode, if it savws one person
389
:from being scammed or falsely sold
something, then it's absolutely been
390
:worthwhile to put this out there.
391
:And, think, as I said, this is, I
think it has all been a response to
392
:the trust deficit in the industry.
393
:The things have either
gone one of two ways.
394
:People have either gone the way of
wanting to set up ways to make their
395
:relationships more, more trustworthy
to, to deepen the relationship, to give
396
:you the trust factor, to be able to
connect on multiple podcast episodes,
397
:on blogs, and to be able to engage with
their videos and social media content
398
:and to develop a level to which you know
that they have the expertise and that
399
:trust them to deliver whatever offers
they have or services or products that
400
:you could be pretty sure you're gonna
get something that's worth having.
401
:And then there's the other side where
people have gone more along the deceptive
402
:ways to just get you into a funnel.
403
:And so some of it might just be about
somewhat unethical marketing tactics,
404
:and that's where you never know
if the product is any good or not.
405
:The product or service might be great, but
it might just be a massive con either way.
406
:There's not a lot you can do about
it if you end up not getting what you
407
:want, because most of these things
are pretty much legal and the ones
408
:that aren't usually have out how to
protect themselves from any comeback.
409
:And they probably disappear before you
could ever come back to them anyway.
410
:It's often just not worth the level of
follow up that it might do to bring people
411
:to justice if they are doing something
that's really legally dodgy as well.
412
:And that is what some
of these people rely on.
413
:Others just want to use whatever
they can to get you into their
414
:marketing funnel and they don't care.
415
:I think, look, if they're, if they are
that money focused and to get you into
416
:a marketing funnel, to get you onto a
webinar or a training call or a discovery
417
:call and then do the baits and switch
with you, that should be your first clue.
418
:This isn't what I thought I was
signing up for, as I think it's fair
419
:to say this isn't what I thought I
was gonna get and think I'm gonna
420
:proceed any further, but thank you.
421
:Bye-bye.
422
:And, and step away I personally do not
want to part with my money to people
423
:who operate unethically, people who are
willing to deceive me to do the baits and
424
:switch the whole confidence trickster.
425
:It means gaining your confidence,
gaining your trust, and that's where
426
:the co confidence trick comes from.
427
:It is about leveraging, abusing
your trust, the fact that we want
428
:to trust people, whereas it actually
pays us to be a bit more sceptical.
429
:I don't think anyone now has the
experience of not having been
430
:burned, burnt, at least maybe in
a small way, but sometimes in big
431
:ways people have been scammed.
432
:We are aware of scams
coming around all the time.
433
:There are proper scammers who are just
illegal crooks want to rob you money.
434
:And then there's just the unethical
people who are not very upfront or a
435
:little deceptive in their practises.
436
:You find yourself suddenly thinking,
oh, this isn't what I thought it was.
437
:Somewhere along the way.
438
:That probably means that you have
been deceived in some way, shape,
439
:or form, probably intentionally.
440
:And I don't think that's a good
start to a professional working
441
:relationship or purchase either.
442
:So if you're about to pay someone right
now and you're not sure whether it's
443
:legit, please feel free to message me.
444
:And, if you're tired of all these
scams and dodgy industry, I say
445
:be a little bit sceptical and find
the people who have the legitimacy.
446
:Just be prepared to do even a small bit of
homework might save you from making a bad
447
:decision or help you walk into a good one.
448
:So I do hope that this helps you to avoid
some of the scams and pitfalls and bait
449
:and switches that are out there in the
speaking world, and I will say this, there
450
:are genuine shortcuts to speeding up your
journey, but not bypassing it altogether.
451
:To go from zero to 10 K is unlikely.
452
:It can happen mostly in circumstances
where you've been in the news or you're
453
:famous for something or you are in
demand already and people desperate
454
:want to have you come and speak.
455
:But if you're just moving into speaking
as a business or you're still in your
456
:earlier days of this, and don't fall
for the idea that someone can help
457
:you suddenly get 10, 15, 20 K a gig.
458
:We do have to build up to that stuff.
459
:And there are people like, myself among
them I hope, who can help you to speed
460
:that process up and to have a better,
clearer idea of what you're doing.
461
:Find those people who are right
for you if that's me, great.
462
:If it is not, find, find who it is
and who feels right for you to work
463
:with and guide you on that journey.
464
:And even if you're just following
them and following their content,
465
:may never buy anything off them.
466
:Still find the voices that you can
actually trust and walk away from
467
:those who just seem a little bit dodgy
or have some unethical ways, or maybe
468
:call themselves an agent or a bureau,
but they're not really, they're just
469
:a training programme or a PR company.
470
:There's enough crap to watch out for
and deal with in this life without
471
:anyone adding to it like that.
472
:So I hope this saves you some time,
energy, and money in your speaker journey.
473
:And next time I will be interviewing
a speaker called Lorne Kelton . He
474
:does some amazing trainings.
475
:We has some great conversations.
476
:Think about, he talks about
coaches critical thinking skills,
477
:which I just loved talking about
there amongst other things.
478
:It was a great chat,
well worth tuning into.
479
:If you're not subscribed or following
the show, I know that probably the
480
:majority of people who listen to
episodes here and there are not
481
:subscribed, are not following.
482
:It makes a big difference to me,
even for just get my undying love,
483
:but actually it helps other people
to be recommended the show as well.
484
:So in just giving us a like or a
subscribe, you could be helping
485
:other people to find information
that could help them as well.
486
:So if you've got some value outta this,
if you're still listening to me at this
487
:point, then then give the show a follow.
488
:But that's it for me for this week.
489
:Until next time, go and do
something worth talking about.
490
:See you then.
