Ep. 128 - How to get Booked as a Top Speaker - Maria Franzoni

In this episode of Future Fuzz, Justin speaks with Maria Franzoni, a renowned international speaker bureau owner and agent with over 23 years of experience. They dive into her new book The Bookability Formula, breaking down the essential traits and strategies that separate the top 1% of bookable speakers from the rest. From relevance and memorability to ego management and storytelling, Maria shares the science, and math, behind building a thriving speaking career.

Guest Bio

Maria Franzoni is a leading authority in the speaking industry, with a distinguished career spanning more than two decades as an international speaker bureau owner and agent. She has worked with some of the world's most iconic and in-demand speakers, helping them navigate and grow in the competitive world of professional speaking. Maria is also the founder of Speaking Business Academy and author of The Bookability Formula, a practical guide designed to help speakers of all levels understand what makes them bookable, and stay booked.

Takeaways

• The top 1% of speakers deliver 80% of bookings and over 50% of revenue.
• Bookability = Relevance + Known + Memorable + Easy, all multiplied by Value, divided by (e)Ego.
• Relevance means solving a pressing, timely problem for a paying audience.
• Specialists get booked, generalists don’t.
• You don’t have to be famous to be highly bookable.
• Memorable speakers lean into their authentic personality and master storytelling.
• Value is measured not just in impact but in return on time for the audience.
• Ego can kill your bookings, be easy to work with and easy to find.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Guest Introduction

01:38 The Origin of The Bookability Formula

02:49 R – Relevance to a Paying Market

05:03 K – Known for One Thing

07:36 M – Memorable to Bookers and Audiences

10:26 Introverts vs Extroverts in Speaking

13:23 The Art and Science of Storytelling

16:00 E – Easy to Find, Work With, and Book

19:45 V – The Value You Bring

20:39 The Danger of Ego in Speaking

22:48 Bad Behavior Story from the Speaking Circuit

23:12 Where to Find the Book and More from Maria

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