"If you can align your expertise with a specific industry and then really bring tremendous value with a clear ROI, you're always going to win the game."This week, Grant’s on the show with TSL legend Erick Rheam. We’re a little late to this year’s state of the speaking industry, but better late than never, right?"It's not necessarily that budgets are cut, but what I would tell you is that event planners, they tend to be intentional with the money that they're spending. Instead of saying "I've got a $100,000 budget for this event," it's "Yeah, I've got $100,000, but I need to see a return on that $100,000."In this episode, Grant and Erick get into:00:00 Current trends in the speaking industry06:06 Why do relationships matter more now than ever before?07:32 How do you focus on building relationships?11:20 The importance of offering a virtual service as part of your speaking business15:51 The key to growth right now, even in a tough economy 19:44 Why you should focus on relationships and providing long-term solutions for your clients21:50 How to leverage industry expertise to prove ROI26:35 What it looks like to tweak your message to withstand the test of time.28:00 The importance of iterating and meeting your client’s needs.31:11 How to balance other streams of income + being on stage35:28 How to get comfortable creating value for clients36:44 Reflections and wrap up"Something that is not attractive is desperation. And you could tell it, you could smell it from speakers — when they're just trying to get the gig, they're trying to get the money, as opposed to speakers who are like "Hey, I want to add value and I'm willing to go on a long term type of commitment with you."Episode Resources: Get Free Speaker ResourcesBook a Call with The Speaker LabCalculate Your Speaking FeeJoin The Speaker Lab Community on FacebookSubscribe on Apple PodcastsSubscribe on SpotifySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.