There are more than 300 speakers bureaus across the country, with close to 450 agents working hard to secure appropriate speakers for their clients. These are powerful marketing and distribution channels for professional speakers looking to grow their businesses.

What is a bureau? It is a booking or sales company that sells the services of multiple speakers. Within the bureau, there is an agent, or in many cases numerous agents, who act on behalf of the speaker and on behalf of the customer to match the ideal speaker with their event. With so many speakers, clients, and agencies in the mix, it is important to be very clear about your area of expertise and what industries you are best suited for, and then determine which bureaus are an ideal match for you. Typically, it is much easier and more effective to focus on a smaller, targeted group of bureaus than attempt to appeal to the masses.

Read Holli Catchpole's entire article, Power Partnerships: Working with Bureaus featured as Chapter 16 in the National Speakers Association’s first-ever book, Paid to Speak. The book covers every aspect of launching, building, and maintaining a successful speaking career. Paid to Speak corresponds with four core competencies NSA has identified for the success of a professional speaker: Eloquence, Enterprise, Expertise, and Ethics.

Order your copy of Paid to Speak: Best Practices for Building a Successful Speaking Business!

The National Speakers Association’s first-ever book, Paid to Speak: Best Practices for Building a Successful Speaking Business,  is a must-read for professional speakers–whether keynote speaker, motivator, coach, trainer, facilitator, or consultant–as well as those aspiring to a speaking career.

The book covers launching, building, and maintaining a successful speaking career, and corresponds with four core competencies NSA has identified for the success of a professional speaker: Eloquence, Enterprise, Expertise, and Ethics.

The book's Introduction was written by Jim Cathcart and also includes chapters from Dr. Nido Qubein and Holli Catchpole.

Download and read the Introduction written by Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE, Charting Your Professional Growth: Using NSA’s Professional Competencies

Order your advance copy of Paid to Speak: Best Practices for Building a Successful Speaking Business!
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NSA is the leading professional association for speakers, providing resources and education designed to enhance the skills, integrity and value of its members and the speaking profession.