Your ability to save some money on professional speaker fees while achieving desired engagement and impact is crucial. Here are proven strategies I’ve learned over two-plus decades as the owner of a full-service speakers bureau.

1) Rob Peter to pay Paul. Sometimes the difference between the speaker you really want and the speaker you think you can afford is the difference between feeding attendees chicken vs. steak. Changing one menu item could free up funds for the speaker you really want.

2) Ask if a speaker’s content is re­search-based. If so, the presentation and the results it generates could be the basis for a future case study, giving some fee leverage if the speaker can draw upon your meeting for research.

3) Seek out experts on experts. 34,000. That’s the number of results in a web search for “customer service speaker.” I’ll assume you don’t have time to sort through that number. When I see event organizers struggling to find and vet speakers on their own, I am all the more convinced of the value of a speakers bureau. Bureau agents have a deep bench of the best event talent. By outsourcing this task, you’ll save time, guesswork and worry—often without paying more, as most bureaus are paid via a commission from each speaker’s standard fee. Warning: My distinct approach is to act as an agent on behalf of meeting planners, accessing the entire universe of speakers, entertainers and emcees to find the best matches—I don’t broker a specific set of speakers from an exclusive roster. Be sure you understand your bureau’s loyalties in making your choice.

4) Offer to video-record the session in exchange for promotional use of the footage.

5) Boost education with books. If your speaker has authored a book or has products, buy in bulk. This can give you leverage on speaker fees while also offering relevant content to your attendees.

6) Send a branded gift from your speaker to your attendees. According to EventTrack, 74 percent of attendees feel more positively about a brand or product that’s promoted after they’ve attended an event.

7) Introduce the speaker to some industry colleagues known for paying their speak­ers well—and stipulate this offer in your contract.

8) Arrange for the media to interview your speaker and publish the story on a channel he/she covets.

9) Cover the cost for the speaker’s family to attend your destination event (perhaps through a spon­sor).

10) Book multiple dates on the same con­tract. If you’re holding a multi-city event series, a speaker may negotiate a lower rate for each ses­sion.

10.5) What will likely not work: asking for a discount in exchange for a shorter program. Have you heard the expression, “I’d have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time?” In the paid speaking realm, short does not equate with less value. Many speakers will, in fact, need to spend more time customizing a shorter talk, so a fee reduction is almost always unappealing.