Change is impacting every industry segment around us, including some businesses that have relied on traditional approaches for a fairly long time.  I see speaking as one of those industries. For decades there was a specific pattern to building a business, with information controlled by bureaus and a few other sources. Today, speaking is being turned on its head. One shift can be seen in the content that buyers demand from today's speakers. I asked Lois Creamer for her insights on the shift in what buyers want when it comes to speaking.

Many of you remember the “good old days” when we knew a year in advance what our speaking schedules would look like. And, there were very few “last minute” bookings. The worm has turned!

Things have definitely picked up in the meetings industry.  AMEX meetings report that 2013 will not be a growth year; however, we should not lose the gains we have made. BUT, Meetings and Conventions reports that they predict a slight uptick in budgets. So, we can count on budgets being the same or with slight growth. Decisions again will be last minute. Don’t be surprised by groups asking more and more of you, making last minute requests. (I think this is normal for us at this point.)

"Companies consider meetings and events to be a key strategy to driving revenue growth and change management," noted Issa Jouaneh, vice president and general manager of American Express Meetings & Events. "But they acknowledge that they are proceeding with caution in a challenging global economy. To maximize return on their investment, companies are highly focused on gaining clarity around spend, ensuring transparency as to why their organizations are holding meetings and who is attending them, and measuring the degree to which their meetings objectives have been achieved."

What does the above mean for you? It means that content reigns. Overly motivational fluff will not make it. Many of you have heard me say that you need to describe your programs as “high content, motivational in style and tone” if you insist on the “M” word!

Companies are looking for programs that will increase productivity, profits, performance, communication, employee retention, keeping customers and employees happy and more. So, high content programs with lots of take-a-way value, value that their people can implement immediately.

We all have read that the economy is improving, and that corporations are making more money than ever. Concern is they are not hiring yet. They have a “wait and see” attitude on hiring. What they are spending money on again are outside experts – you!

Let’s keep our fingers crossed, our calendars open, and our negotiation skills keen!

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Lois Creamer works with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes! She can be reached in the following ways:

Lois@BookMoreBusiness.com

Twitter: @loiscreamer

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BookMoreBusiness

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/loiscreamer

For more information on Lois’ business check out http://www.BookMoreBusiness.com or http://www.BookMoreBusiness.tv