Home :: Working With cmi :: Why Choose cmi :: managed by cmi

managed by cmi

When you are managed by cmi, you are freed up to do the things you should be doing. It is our job to run your business so you can focus on creating new ideas for your presentations, honing your platform skills, writing books and/or articles, blogging, developing video programs, focusing on other business interests...and having a life. 

Founded by Karen Harris in 2001, cmi provides a full menu of services to speakers: coaching & mentoring, sales & marketing, calendar management, contracting, invoicing and event management. Karen hand-picks our speakers, focuses on getting to know you over a period of time and when we add you to our family, your interests will be foremost in our minds. In return for this attention to the speaker's authenticity, Karen is known within the global speaking industry as one of the top managers for speakers. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Speaker Bureaus and is responsible for the strategic development of “Telling the Story” for the Association. 

Here's what you can count on from cmi.

Sales & Marketing – Our extensive relationships with bureaus, production companies, meeting professionals and corporate executives has earned us the reputation of being the premier management agency they can turn to for their speaking needs. When our speakers are fully engaged in their speaking business, along with our efforts and reputation, cmi produces results. 

Our Niche - Our management company specializes in working with speakers who need help to manage all the business coming in the door and/or who want to grow their business in fee or volume. Generally, when we take on a new speaker there is some business to manage, on average at least a dozen quality speaking inquiries per month.

Global Presence – cmi has expanded its presence into the Asia Pacific region by creating an alliance with O2 Speakers based in Australia. For speakers interested in expanding into this area, our alliance joins two powerhouses in speaker management. We have plans to expand into other global regions which will provide our speakers with management and promotion, around the world, 24/7.

Prior to Engaging a Speaker

The cmi team will research your internet presence, looking for your books, articles, blog, social media, video programs and media exposure. We never commit to working with a speaker until Karen Harris has met them in person and seen them present. Over and above getting to know you as a person, she will ask for some detailed information about the current status of your business. 

• Number of inquiries per week/month 
• Number of bookings YTD and for the last 3 years 
• The percentage that are direct and through bureaus
• Average speaking fee of each year's  bookings
• Which bureaus are booking the speaker 
• Which bureaus have put the speaker on hold but not booked 
• Average # of bookings per month 
• Current speaking fees 
• The amount and type of marketing the speaker has done to help generate bookings 
• Future marketing plans

Menu of Services

Management:

• Calendar - management of all inquiries, holds and bookings via cmi’s online calendar
• Events – management of all details and logistics pertaining to each booking
• Customer data - managed  via Salesforce, cmi’s CRM (customer relationship management software)
• Accounts receivable – cmi invoices and collects all fees associated with each booking
• Annual review and updating of bureau websites and databases
• Mentoring and coaching re: positioning, branding, strategy and promotional materials 

Sales & Marketing:

• Custom proposals – we provide customized material making the customer experience very personal
• Proactive selling – we mine our database for each of our speakers and work every hold to nudge it to closure 
• Cross-promotion - we always cross-promote our roster of speakers 
• Email marketing - we send bi-monthly email blasts to database with the latest and greatest information as it happens
• Social media – we are active and has a strong presence on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
• Industry memberships - an active member of IASB, MPI, CAPS & NSA, we build stronger relationships with agents, production companies and meeting planners worldwide.