8. Meeting Canceled – Now What Do I Do?

When you hear the words meeting canceled as a speaker (and you will from time to time), you have the opportunity to set yourself apart in a positive way.

In Episode 8, I continue to share how the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is impacting my speaking business. As of this recording, I have heard the words meeting canceled for 10 speaking engagements so far. Additionally, I expect more cancelations in the weeks and months to come.

The temptation for all of us in tough times is to check out and whine. But remember, you are still in charge of your life and business. A better approach to dealing with canceled speaking engagements is to SHOW UP and SHINE for the decision-makers and meeting professionals who originally booked you.

An Inside Look at This Episode:

SPECIAL WEBPAGE AND VIDEO mentioned in this episode to help you build resiliency and courage.

Any speaker can SHOW UP and SHINE when business is strong, but only the true professionals serve well in difficult circumstances. One difficult circumstance speakers face is hearing a decision-maker say the words meeting canceled.

When speaking engagements are canceled (and this will happen from time to time), it's best to focus on serving your clients exceptionally well. Here's are 4 customer service tips that will help SHOW UP and SHINE when you hear meeting canceled:

1) Be Proactive

• Don't wait for decision-makers and meeting professionals to reach out to you
• Remember, when an event is canceled, decision-makers have 1,001 other details to handle

2) Be Positive

• Speaking is a relationship business, so take the opportunity of canceled speaking engagements as a chance to build stronger relationships with meeting planners
• Never forget, decision-makers do business with people they know, like, and trust

3) Be Different

• Set yourself apart by how you communicate with decision-makers and meeting professionals
• Give decision-makers options for how to move forward such as virtual summits and rescheduling
• Be a resource and solution-provider for decision-makers

4) Be Service-Oriented

• Remember, as a speaker, you are there to serve your client, not to have your client serve you
• The more you serve, the more decision-makers and meeting professionals will know, like, and trust you

Episode Resources:

• 9 Ways to Get Paid as a Speaker
• 5 Keys to Create a Speech That Pays
• SPECIAL WEBPAGE AND VIDEO mentioned in this episode

Thank You for Listening!

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Until next time, continue to move from #DREAMtoDO as a speaker.