I’ve talked with hundreds of speakers over the years about whether or not it’s time to explore a relationship with a speakers bureau. The reality is that a bureau can be an invaluable partner in your speaking business. However, it’s all about the timing.

So many speakers have told me, “I’m ready! If a bureau would just sign me up, my speaking career would take off!” The problem is that many speakers become obsessed with the idea of being listed with a speakers bureau and lose focus on what is most important—SPEAKING!

If you can grow your speaking business on your own by marketing yourself and getting better and better as a speaker, the bureau partnership will come. When the time is right, you will be in a much better position with that bureau—or possibly several—to launch yourself as a speaker from their national or global platforms.So many speakers have made the speakers bureau relationship their goal before the time was right. I can assure you, there is nothing more frustrating for a speaker than finally being listed with a bureau who can’t book them. It is all about timing. Don’t focus on the bureau relationship. You will know when the time is right to pursue that. While this isn’t the case for all of speakers, for most of them that time comes when they are so busy speaking that they simply don’t have the time to handle it on their own.

When a speaker reaches that point and can prove it, speakers bureaus will be much more interested in having a conversation about taking on that speaker.