How Connor Wins Gigs (Referrals)

“If you’re consistent, you may miss the event with that event planner this round, but you’re going to get it the next round, and you’re going to get the next round too because you’re going to stay on top.”

In this episode of The Speaker Lab Podcast, Erick Rheam, professional speaker and author, opens the doors to a behind-the-scenes coaching session as Connor Wentling and Michael Hidalgo join him to unpack the realities of building a speaking career from the ground up.

Connor shares his journey transitioning from free gigs to landing paid opportunities within the municipal association market. Despite finding traction, he’s faced with the anxiety and uncertainty that accompany a slower season, prompting a deep dive with Erick into sustaining momentum. They dig into the nitty-gritty of keeping the pipeline full, leveraging referrals, and making strategic tweaks based on feedback.

Michael, meanwhile, discusses the challenge of prospecting habits and mastering the art of following up with potential clients. Together with Erick, he explores tangible ways to stay in the game, even when faced with delays and rejections. Erick also shares insights about the power of consistency, the importance of tracking your outreach, and why even a “not interested” is a positive sign.

Throughout the conversation, you’ll hear actionable advice on everything from upgrading your presentation skills to maintaining discipline with prospecting “Power Hours,” and understanding why the speaking business takes patience and resilience. If you’re ready for some coaching wisdom and inspiring reminders to keep moving forward, this conversation is for you!

You’ll learn:

• The idea of an inflection point in every speaker’s career
• Importance of leveraging each gig for referrals
• Following up and tracking email opens and responses
• Using event surveys to gauge authentic feedback
• Rule of Three: pipeline should have three times the number of desired gigs
• The Power Hour method
• How to communicate with prospects post-event
• And much, much more!

“When it comes to speaking, there’s always an inflection point for every speaker’s journey. The problem is we don’t know what it is.”

Episode Resources

• Erick’s Website
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• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
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