If you are focused on responding, then you ll use the number of incoming calls and invitations to justify the continued existence of the bureau. If you broaden your outlook to include what happens as a result of stronger relationships with a community or current clients, or measure the leads the bureau generates for sales, then it s a whole new ball game. Tie the bureau s results to sales, and watch the attention the bureau gets. No proactive plan for getting speaking engagements Because bureaus are focused on the intangibles, sufficient resources don t get assigned to the real task at hand. So staff gets stretched thin and only focuses on responding to incoming calls rather than increasing speaking engagements.
Staff gets to the real stuff in their spare time.
Getting speaking engagements the hard way This is worse than not having a plan at all. Bureaus in PR departments and agencies assume that the process of getting speaking engagements is just like getting media coverage research the source, call the contact to pitch to, and keep at it until someone says yes or dies. Professional speakers are now dropping their telemarketing efforts because they know that such prospecting doesn t work. They stop doing it, putting the unpleasant task of cold calling and fishing expedition RFP s at the bottom of the to-do list. No structure for leverage Getting the speaking engagement and confirming the speakers are just the first steps.