The National Speakers Association of Australia has established three levels of accreditation. The first level is Accredited Speaking Member. Once awarded, you are entitled to use the designation ASM after your name. This level is attained once you can demonstrate that you have a number of clients and that you are able to command professional speaking fees. Speakers who attain this accreditation have demonstrated that they have been professional speakers for several years, have many clients and have earned a significant income from speaking.
Accreditation has two main benefits.
The first benefit is gained as you work through the levels. Accreditation is designed carefully to assist aspiring speakers to develop good business systems so that their speaking business will grow. For instance, the gathering of testimonials is both crucial and basic to a speaking business. The ASM accreditation sets this process in place and creates a strong foundation for a new speaker. The second benefit is in the marketplace.