According to Success Motivation Institute, there are nearly two million meetings a year with opportunities for outside speakers. Many of those who are hired to address these meetings are full-time professional presenters — motivational speakers, consultants, trainers, or experts who left their jobs because they became interested in teaching others about their cutting-edge ideas.

Others want to continue as, say, senior executives, professors, authors, dentists, or chefs, because they are high achievers, but also enjoy having the influence and high profile (not to mention the extra income) that occasional public speaking engagements can provide.

Many of the steps you need to take to get from freebies to fees are the same, regardless of the path you want to pursue.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Vickie Sullivan, president of Sullivan Speaker Services, says that before you charge off to be in the glamorous limelight of professional speaking, you need to ask yourself some hard questions:

• Do you realize this involves more time selling yourself to potential hirers than doing actual speaking?

• Do you enjoy running a business? If you have not been an entrepreneur before, you may not realize that success requires a lot of skills beyond speaking ability.

• If you are in a relationship or have children, what will be the impact of extensive travel?

• Do you have a personal network that will help you get referrals to speak? (Speakers often get hired by recommendation.)

• Perhaps most importantly, can you invest $50,000 until your fees put you in the black? That is what she estimates is the typical start-up expense. Do not count on your talent, good looks, and luck to get a fast start on the process.

Vickie says that it is critical that you leverage a speech during the “honeymoon period,” right after it is given. A positive reaction fades quickly, she notes: reach out to those from the audience who gave you their cards and give them ideas to take the relationship with you to the next level, such as one-on-one career counseling or corporate consulting.