What Should I Charge to Speak? The 3 Things That Drive Your Fee

"If you don't know your number before the conversation, the buyer will pick the number for you."

Welcome back to The Speaker Lab Podcast! In this solo episode, host Dan Irvin tackles one of the most common — and most avoided — questions in the speaking business: what should I charge?

Everyone asks it. Almost nobody answers it straight. You've probably heard "charge what you're worth" or "it depends" — which, while technically true, isn't much help when you're about to hop on a discovery call and you know the question is coming. Dan breaks it down with the three things that actually drive your speaker fee, shares the exact way he handles pricing conversations, and gets real about the moments he's had to decide whether to hold his number or adjust.

Whether you're just figuring out your first fee or you've been leaving money on the table for years, this episode will help you walk into your next pricing conversation with clarity and confidence.

You'll learn:

• The 3 things Dan always considers when setting his speaker fee: audience, budget, and outcome
• Why "charge what you're worth" isn't helpful — and what to think about instead
• The real reason most speakers underprice themselves (hint: it's not what you think)
• Why every discovery call should be on video — no exceptions
• How to bring up budget without it being awkward — and what to do when they won't give you a number
• Why Dan never sends a proposal the same day as the discovery call
• The factors that should move your price up or down: travel, sessions, repeat clients, and long-term opportunity
• The story of a $22K ask that became $15K — and why that decision led to three more events
• Why pricing to the outcome (not the talk) is the shift that changes everything
• What to do when your heart rate spikes the moment someone asks, "so what's your fee?"

And much, much more!

"I want to walk away from that conversation with a number that actually excites me, that takes care of my family, and reflects the impact I know I'm going to have in that room."

Not sure what to charge? Book a free 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment at thespeakerlab.com/SBA — Dan and the team will walk through your audience, pipeline, and revenue model to help you get clear on your number and confident in the conversation.

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