Who is your strategic talent partner and why?
What to look for (and what to run from) After a million years in this industry, I’ve noticed that when a corporate client or event manager seeks out a speaker bureau or speaker agency, many start from the wrong place and therefore ask the wrong question: They go, “Does this agency or speaker/talent bureau have big names on its books?” Read this next part slooowly asseblief, ngicela, nceda: An agency or speaker/talent bureau is not a catalogue. (Well, it shouldn’t be!) And it certainly isn’t a name-dropping service or a search engine. It is (or it should be) a trusted strategic partner. If you’re sending lists of random names and famous faces to decision-makers, to see who gets the most popularity votes, you’re starting on the back foot. So let me share some hard truths for choosing a partner agency/bureau. Before you trust anyone with your brief, make sure they: 1) OPEN UP Does the agency ask the right questions? Do they operate with honesty? Are they transparent about their fees, relationships with talent and limitations? A trustworthy bureau, for example, will tell you when they don’t have the right person for your brief – and even help you to find the right person. Transparency also means being clear about money. Does your chosen talent know what they’re getting paid? Has the agency communicated clearly about fees, contracts and timelines, while keeping everyone in the loop? Are speakers paid on time, every time, without having to chase? 2) HAND-PICK There’s a phrase I use a lot: “the laundry list”. These are the same 20 names fired off to every client, regardless of the brief, theme, audience or what’s actually going on in the organisation. They’re names that you (or, indeed, the client) could just have Googled. This is what happens when profile and availability drive recommendations, instead of fit. (See what I meant about a strategic partnership?) Anyone can find a big name online. That’s not curation. Curation is when a bureau or agency team has made the effort to see the talent, attend their events, watch them in front of a real, live audience and form a first-hand opinion. This is what gives us the knowledge and insight to guide you toward the right fit, without any guesswork. 3) ADVISE You don’t want a bureau partner that takes your brief at face value. You want one that interrogates it. One that will tell you when what you think you want, what you think you need and what your audience actually needs aren’t the same thing. In a nutshell, this means: Because, when magic is the desired result, understanding is the starting point. I believe that’s what gives us the confidence to say, “This speaker is brilliant, but not for you and not for this gig. Here’s who we think you need and why.”That’s true collaboration. That’s a strategic partnership, the Social Alchemists way. 4) CARE You’ll know it when you see it. Care looks like this: That’s heart. And what heart does, when you get it right, is make both the clients and the talent feel seen in a relationship that’s real. Red flags vs green flags Here’s a quick way to “gut-check” whether the prospective partner you’re working with is actually in your corner. RED FLAGS GREEN FLAGS Sends the same laundry list to every client Asks questions before recommending anyone Recommends speakers they’ve never seen perform Has attended, watched and personally vetted the talent Uses speakers’ 10- or 20-year-old photos and bios Keeps profiles updated – photos, reels, bios Copy-pastes the same proposal regardless of the brief Adapts every proposal to your audience, theme and goals Disappears after the booking is confirmed Shows up at your event, in person and on social media Has vague or hidden fee structures Is transparent about costs, commissions and negotiations Decides when it’s convenient to pay speakers Pays speakers on time, every time, no chasing Treats you like a transaction Treats you – and the talent – like VIPs If this is hitting a nerve, read it again. And if you want an agency or speaker/talent bureau that serves as a real strategic partner, you know where to find us.