That in-betweenness is what makes this little webpage so powerful!
Before we go one step further, I want to credit Phil M. Jones and his book “Exactly What to Say.” His advice about discussion documents is a big reason why they are part of my own speaking business.
The 4 Commandments of Discussion Docs
There are a couple of rules you should follow to make a really great Discussion Document.
- It must be easy to share. Not a large digital file with passwords, viewing privileges, or fancy graphics that only show up on a supercomputer.
- It should be customized and personalized to the person (or people) you’re working with at an organization.
- It must be timely. A Discussion Document has maximum impact if it’s sent within 48 hours of your Client Theme Call.
- It must be mobile-friendly. That’s another one my team has learned the hard way over the years.
There Are Always ‘Hidden’ Decision Makers
To help illustrate the power of a discussion document, let me tell you about a Client Theme Call I recently had…
The event organizer’s name was Daria, and we spent about 25 minutes talking through her upcoming event. She did much of the chatting, and I just listened… a lot!
Toward the end of our call, I shared my recommendation for which speech would work best for her event. Then, we had a brief discussion about fees and budget.
Now, at this point, I’ve established a great relationship with Daria. She is on “Team Andrew” when it comes to hiring a keynote speaker for their event.
But there’s a twist… Daria wasn’t the only one I had to convince. She had a squad of hidden decision-makers from her organization CC’d on the initial inquiry emails. So, Daria isn’t the only one making the decision on who to hire. But how can I win over the other members of the team? I’d never get to meet them.
At this point in the sales process, I can only imagine what went on within their office walls…
Daria probably interviewed several prospective speakers and ended all of the calls with a similar vague statement she gave me,
“All of this sounds great! We'll review all of this and get back to you.”
Then, I imagine she set up a Zoom call with the rest of her team to discuss all the speaker options.
From here, Daria is the one who needs to share her impressions of each speaker, the value of their fee, and whether they are the right fit for their audience. So, essentially, I was relying on Daria to pitch my speaking services!
Go, Team Daria!!
This happens a lot. When you talk to just one or two representatives from a company, you’re relying on that event organizer to pitch and present you in the best possible way.
Maybe Daria liked my session idea and feels great about adding me to the agenda. But she still needs to regurgitate my session description, my fee, my energy, and my enthusiasm to her colleagues so they, too, can feel confident in the decision to bring me on board.
A MUCH easier solution is to give Daria a tool that she can easily and confidently share with her colleagues to help the entire team make their decision.
That leads us to the two main purposes of a Discussion Document…
- A Discussion Document helps your event organizer pitch and present you in the best possible light.
- A Discussion Document is something the event organizer can easily share with other team members, which includes all of the information they need to know about your speech and you.
Really, a Discussion Document helps THEM sell YOU.
Win the Waiting Game With This Ace Up Your Sleeve
Right now, maybe you’re thinking, “Sure, that’s cool. But my regular follow-up emails seem to be working fine.”
Well, I’m thrilled if you’re already having success with your follow-up. But – I’ll betcha a dollar – a polished Discussion Document will work even better…
It’s much stronger than a simple follow-up email saying, “thank you.”
It’s more impactful than a link to some generic PDF you send out.
It’s friendlier than a full-blown Speaker Agreement sent immediately after the call – which feels full of pressure and legal obligations.
It’s not really a marketing piece, but it gives you a solid excuse to reach out and see their impressions. Plus, you can feel confident they have every single piece of information about your speech ready and at their fingertips so they can make the right decision.
Typically, event organizers will reply back after receiving a Discussion Document with something like this:
“Oh my gosh, this is amazing!”
“This is a great resource. We’ve never had a speaker send something like this before!”
“I can’t believe you took the time to do this… this thing rocks!”
If you don’t get an immediate response to your discussion document (which is rare), you can just ask them when they have a meeting scheduled to discuss speakers. Then, plan to follow up with them just before and right after that date.
Then, you wait… knowing they have an amazing asset at their fingertips that they can use to make the decision.
Remember that speaker friend I mentioned before?
He didn’t send any Discussion Document. Instead, he sent three session descriptions after his Client Theme Call. (I don't recommend sending multiple session descriptions, btw. I’ll explain why another week.)
So, he continues to sit… and wait… and wonder what they’re thinking.
But a Discussion Document makes your hand in the game MUCH stronger. It gives you something concrete to follow up on in the time between your Client Theme Call and the time you send a Speaker Agreement.
Rather than sitting back to do nothing, you’re giving them an asset that every single member of the decision team can use to learn about your work.
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