Leads going cold while you’re on stage

You know the feeling. You're on stage three days in a row, your phone is on silent, and meanwhile an events agency emails wanting to book you. You only spot it on Friday evening, over a late bite to eat. You reply enthusiastically. Then it turns out they've already found someone else.

That's not bad business. It's a matter of timing. Anyone looking for a speaker or performer is usually in a hurry and emails a few people at once. The first to reply personally and clearly has a real head start.

Quick doesn't mean instant

You don't need to reply within five minutes. But do reply within one working day, ideally with something concrete. A short message like: "Lovely to hear you're thinking of me. I'll check my diary for 14 March and send you a proposal before noon tomorrow" works wonders. The organiser knows someone's on it and stops looking for now.

That first reply doesn't take much thought. So it's easy to hand it over to someone who knows your diary and how you talk.

Three habits that make a difference

One: keep all enquiries in one place. Whether they come through your site, LinkedIn or a friend of a friend, put them in one overview with the date, name and request. A simple list is enough, as long as it's just one list.

Two: set a follow-up day. Sent a quote and heard nothing back? Send a friendly message after five working days. Nothing pushy, just checking that everything's clear. You'd be surprised how often the reply is: "Oh, glad you asked, we were just about to call you."

Three: a few ready-made replies that sound like you. A response to a first enquiry, a message with your availability, a friendly reminder. Write them well once, then just tailor them to the person.

What if you just can't manage it yourself?

Let's be honest: most speakers know all this already. Knowledge isn't the problem. The problem is that when it needs doing, you're on a train, warming up a room or finally enjoying an evening off. So it gets left undone, and that's only human.

That's when it helps to have someone else keep an eye on the list and send that first message. You just get to do the fun part: chatting with the organiser. A little effort can lead to a lovely booking. Or as my grandma in Spain would say: if you sleep, you catch no fish.