Hiring a speaker is time-consuming, expensive, and risky.

Even if you do your research, how will you know if the speaker will be great in front of your audience?

The most seasoned professionals recognize that the only thing worse than not getting hired for an engagement is landing the deal and then being awful.

As a result, they’ll ask you very specific questions during the sales process designed to see if they’re the right fit. (As a bonus, answering these questions for yourself before you start looking for a keynote will help in your search.)

What value do you expect this message to provide?

Every answer to every question is at the tip of our fingers. How do I handle conflict? There’s a webinar on Tuesday. How do I effectively communicate a vision to my team? Find the TED Talk. How do I grill salmon? Google it. (In other words, why don’t you just send your audience an inspirational TED link?)

What makes your group unique?

Each association and organization offers unique value to its members. Further, each member has its own expectations of what they want the group to deliver. You are the expert here. Identifying what makes your group unique will frame your thinking to deliver exactly what they need from you.

Tell me about a speaker your audience loved and still talks about. What made them so great?

Not every speaker is right for every group. Name recognition can help, but you really want someone who has experience with the heart of the matter your group is living out right now. Hiring the right speaker will energize your group and keep them looking forward to the next event. Picking a bad fit for your audience will leave people wondering if this was a waste of their time.

Knowing the answers to these three questions, and ensuring each keynote cares about each one increases the likelihood of finding the perfect speaker to keep your audience engaged and growing.