If you are a speaker, a basic rule to remember is that event planners don’t want to keep having to email you and call you to get a hold of you. So if you are a busy person, assign someone the responsibility of checking your message and emails. Give that person access to your calendar because some planners want to get a commitment as soon as possible and if you take a week to return a phone call, another speaker that was waiting by the phone could end up getting your gig.

Plus not keeping in touch is a bad business practice. If you have to, setup an automatic email response with phone numbers and other people to call to get in contact with you. This helps build trust between you and an event planner. Very few planners do booking solely via email.

Most planners would rather pick up the phone and talk to you. This is good news for you as a speaker because once they get a hold of you and call you by name they feel a sense of being on your team so to speak. It’s kind of like booking a concert artist, if you are the one booking them, then of course you have the right to be backstage with them and ask them any questions that you want. The same is true for speakers. Planners want to know you before they book you or even better refer you to someone else. If that person cannot afford your speaking fee, it’s likely that they know someone else who might and if they like you, they’ll refer you to them. Referrals are like gold because they can continue to grow over time.

So if you only receive messages from people through email, be sure to setup a time and talk to planners ahead of time. If they are on the fence about booking you, hearing your voice could help you land the engagement.