The secret sauce to your event success is the speaker. When your speaker offers value to the audience, time flies. The result is often happy attendees, more signups, good feedback, and great business.

But approaching professional speakers takes time and effort. Many times you’ll be ignored. The good news is there are ways to hack approaching process and land a busy speaker with relatively less hustle. Before you rent training room or rent seminar room, be sure to read the below tips on how to approach a highly sought-after speaker.

1. Leverage your connection

Maybe you know someone who knows the speaker of your choice. One way to discover mutual connections like this is via social media. Dig into the social media profiles of your potential speaker. See if you can find a common name in their friend list. If you’re lucky, use that common friend as a mediator to get started.

2. Make a great first impression

As with any act of trust building, the first impression matters. If you get a chance to speak to your desired candidate, make sure you do the basics right. For instance, many people simply forget to thank them for their time. Some other first interaction disasters include not being brief and to the point, not calling them by their name. On the other hand, if you get an email response from your candidate, you need reply back to them as soon as possible.

3. Initiate candid communication

Another common mistake people make when approaching celebrity speakers is not being upfront about the requirements and payments. Typically, you need to set reasonable deadlines for your requirements. For instance, you may need a bio, a presentation outline and a photo of the speaker. Ask for these things well in advance. Also, negotiate on the fees and check for any additional expenses associated with hiring your favorite speaker.