Ep. 128 - How to get Booked as a Top Speaker - Maria Franzoni
In this episode of Future Fuzz, Justin speaks with Maria Franzoni, a renowned international speaker bureau owner and agent with over 23 years of experience. They dive into her new book The Bookability Formula, breaking down the essential traits and strategies that separate the top 1% of bookable speakers from the rest. From relevance and memorability to ego management and storytelling, Maria shares the science, and math, behind building a thriving speaking career.
Guest Bio
Maria Franzoni is a leading authority in the speaking industry, with a distinguished career spanning more than two decades as an international speaker bureau owner and agent. She has worked with some of the world's most iconic and in-demand speakers, helping them navigate and grow in the competitive world of professional speaking. Maria is also the founder of Speaking Business Academy and author of The Bookability Formula, a practical guide designed to help speakers of all levels understand what makes them bookable, and stay booked.
Takeaways
- The top 1% of speakers deliver 80% of bookings and over 50% of revenue.
- Bookability = Relevance + Known + Memorable + Easy, all multiplied by Value, divided by (e)Ego.
- Relevance means solving a pressing, timely problem for a paying audience.
- Specialists get booked, generalists don’t.
- You don’t have to be famous to be highly bookable.
- Memorable speakers lean into their authentic personality and master storytelling.
- Value is measured not just in impact but in return on time for the audience.
- Ego can kill your bookings, be easy to work with and easy to find.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Guest Introduction
01:38 The Origin of The Bookability Formula
02:49 R – Relevance to a Paying Market
05:03 K – Known for One Thing
07:36 M – Memorable to Bookers and Audiences
10:26 Introverts vs Extroverts in Speaking
13:23 The Art and Science of Storytelling
16:00 E – Easy to Find, Work With, and Book
19:45 V – The Value You Bring
20:39 The Danger of Ego in Speaking
22:48 Bad Behavior Story from the Speaking Circuit
23:12 Where to Find the Book and More from Maria
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