Behind the Curtain: An Open Convo with a Buyer and a Bureau (ft. Tim Mathy & Lynne McNees)

Mic Drop

Behind the Curtain: An Open Convo with a Buyer and a Bureau (ft. Tim Mathy & Lynne McNees)

How do you find out what buyers and bureaus want in a speaker? You ask them.

OPENING QUOTE:

“That standing ovation, it's not about the speaker, it's not even about the audience to me. It's about the people planning the event. That's who that standing ovation is for.”

-Tim Mathy

GUEST BIO:

Lynne McNees is president of the International Spa Association, or ISPA — the worldwide professional organization for the entire spa industry active in over 70 countries.

When magazines like the New York Times, USA Today, Travel and Leisure, or the Associated Press need a spa expert, Lynne is the only name they trust.

Before joining ISPA, Lynne was a Washington DC power player with high-profile roles in multiple presidential administrations. It's no wonder she jumped into the industry designed to help people relax.

Links:

• Bio
• LinkedIn

Tim Mathy is the current president of the International Association of Speaker Bureaus. He has been in the bureau space since he joined SpeakInc over 20 years ago, and since then he's been active with industry leaders like PCMA, MPI, IMX, and the list of acronyms goes on and on. If you want to know how bureaus work from the inside out, Tim is your guy.

Links:

• Bio

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[8:49] - From Bureau to Buyer

How speakers go from Tim’s list to Lynne’s event

After working together for over 20 years, Tim and Lynne have a well-established bureau-buyer relationship. Tim says it all starts with knowing the buyer’s community. He’s not just picking the best speakers to present to Lynne, he’s presenting the best speakers for her needs. For speakers, that means you don’t have to generalize your message in order to meet every possible organization or subject. You can feel empowered to specialize, knowing that if your message is strong, you’ll be able to find an audience that’s right for it.

[19:32] - What Gets You on the List?

An inside look at what bureaus and buyers are looking for

When it comes to what attracts Lynne or Tim to a speaker, they offer a clear list. First off, they’re looking for the basics — customization and preparation, plus an easy-to-work-with attitude. They’re also looking for a balance of inspiration and nuts-and-bolts takeaways, a business focus while also offering a humanitarian perspective. Consider these elements when preparing to pitch yourself to bureaus or buyers. Do you know how to strike that balance of uplifting and down-to-earth, business-centered and human? If you can find that sweet spot while remaining true to your character and message, you’ll find opportunity.

[20:28] - Changing Priorities in a Changing Industry

What’s new when it comes to booking speakers

Lynne and Tim both explore the way that a speaker’s primary purpose at a conference or event has evolved. It used to be that big-name speakers were a primary draw for industry conferences — you would go to the conference because so-and-so was going to be there. But today, these conferences have grown to attract attendees on their own. Now the speaker is less about a name and more about delivering actual value. Can you knock your keynote out of the park and leave the audience with relevant, actionable takeaways? If you can do that, it doesn’t necessarily matter if you’ve got a megawatt name or massively impressive credentials.

[27:08] - The Long Game

Advice from Tim and Lynne on looking forward

For two people who have been working together in the speaking for decades, it’s no surprise that Tim and Lynne advise playing the long game. Don’t get bogged down in temporary setbacks or issues. Instead, focus on long-term strategy. What are the efforts that will be worthwhile no matter how the world changes? Focus on them

And finally, all along the way there’s one simple way to supercharge your career — be kind and trustworthy. “Once you have that trust,” Tim says, “you can’t beat that.”

RESOURCES:

• [1:54] About ISPA
• [2:46] About IASB

Follow Lynne McNees:

• Bio
• LinkedIn

Follow Tim Mathy:

• Bio

Follow Josh Linkner:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube

ABOUT MIC DROP:

Hear from the world’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests’ Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter it’s starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is sponsored by ImpactEleven.

Learn more at: MicDropPodcast.com

ABOUT THE HOST:

Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He believes passionately that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he’s on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar.

Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.

Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.

Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza.

Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.com

SPONSORED BY IMPACTELEVEN:

From refining your keynote speaking skills to writing marketing copy, from connecting you with bureaus to boosting your fees, to developing high-quality websites, producing head-turning demo reels, Impact Eleven (formerly 3 Ring Circus) offers a comprehensive and powerful set of services to help speakers land more gigs at higher fees.

Learn more at: impacteleven.com

PRODUCED BY DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:

In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown’s processes to launch today’s most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits.

Here’s to making (podcast) history together.

Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.com

SHOW CREDITS:

• Josh Linkner: Host | [e-mail]
• Connor Trombley: Executive Producer | [e-mail]