Insights From a Bureau Legend (ft. Martin Perelmuter)

Mic Drop

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1y ago 42:29

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Insights From a Bureau Legend (ft. Martin Perelmuter)

A top name in the speaker industry tells us what it means to succeed in this business

OPENING QUOTE:

“Whenever we look at new speakers I always look at not just who they are today and what they've done up until now, but look at who they could be 5 or 10 years from now and look at the potential.”

-Martin Perelmuter

GUEST BIO:

Martin Perelmuter is the president and co-founder of Toronto based Speakers Spotlight. The agency is one of the top speaker Bureaus in the world, with 36 full-time team members booking over 2,500 events each year. Martin is a self-described unapologetic idealist and has played a key role in the speaking industry for over 25 years. He serves on the board of governors of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus and is currently the president-elect, taking the helm in 2024.

Links:

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[8:55] - Canada vs. U.S.A.

Not a competition — just a discussion

As someone who has found major success in both the Canadian and U.S. speaker markets, what does Martin have to say about their differences and similarities?

He highlights how Canadians are “...more like the British in terms of…social values and the way Canadians think. For a US speaker speaking in Canada, the most important thing to keep in mind is you are speaking in a different country, we're not the 51st state.”

His point? You can’t walk onto a Canadian stage and deliver the exact same keynote you would deliver in the U.S.— and vice versa. Even simply acknowledging that there are differences between Canada and the U.S. can go a long way in endearing you to audiences in either country when you’re speaking abroad.

[25:29] - What Do Planners Want Today Versus Ten Years Ago?

A decade of change in a fast-moving industry

Martin highlights the movement toward more “authentic” speakers, who eschew the three-piece-suits for t-shirts and jeans, eliminating barriers between themselves and their audiences. Meanwhile, the industry has begun placing particular value on those who have actually been “in the trenches” — living real experiences that they can then go speak about.

And, of course, there was the rise of TED events which made public speaking a much more visible, accessible phenomenon. Now people are more familiar with keynote speakers — and better able to detect when they’re not authentic.

[37:38] - The Next Ten Years

Looking into Martin’s crystal ball

Martin acknowledges that while the last few years have shown us it's impossible to predict with certainty what will happen, there are certainly some trends to watch.

He believes we’ll see greater adoption of tools that help speakers get their message through to people and see lasting impact. Whether that looks like regular Zoom chats with clients or virtual Q&A sessions — or something we haven’t thought up yet — that ongoing engagement is going to be central to in-person and virtual events.

Different platforms might come and go, but the purpose of keynote speaking will always remain: impact and behavior change in people that need and want it most.

[42:29] - What Puts a Speaker in the “Top Five”?

Martin shares his thoughts on what makes for a go-to speaker

Josh asks Martin what characteristics or attributes make someone an “inner circle, top five go-to” speaker for a bureau leader like Martin?

His reply is simple — flexibility, reliability, and the willingness to put in work. When a speaker can adapt to a wide range of audiences and events, will always bend over backward to deliver for their clients, and is willing to improve anyway they can, they’ll always be in-demand among the bureaus.

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ABOUT MIC DROP:

Hear from the world’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests’ Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter it’s starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is sponsored by ImpactEleven.

Learn more at: MicDropPodcast.com

ABOUT THE HOST:

Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He believes passionately that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he’s on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals, and communities soar.

Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.

Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Co-founder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training, and consulting firm. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.

Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist, and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza.

Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.com