Why I Refer Speakers to Coaches Before I'll Take Their Money

About half the speakers who reach out to me for a reel are not ready for one. Their positioning is muddled. They list five keynote topics and cannot choose a primary. They cannot state what they do in one sentence. Their website says one thing and they say another on the phone.

I could take their money. I could build them something that looks professional. It would have nice music and clean graphics and their best footage arranged in a way that seems compelling. And it would not book them a single gig. Because the reel can only be as good as the positioning behind it.

So I do something that most editors would consider bad business. I tell them the truth. I say: I do not think we are ready to build the reel yet. The positioning needs to be clearer before I can make the editorial decisions that will make this reel convert. I would rather pause, get the foundation right, and then build something that actually books you gigs.

And then I refer them to a speaking coach.

I work with coaches who specialize in exactly this. Positioning. Messaging. Keynote structure. Stage craft. The work that makes a speaker bookable before the camera ever turns on.

This is not charity. It is strategy. When a coach locks the positioning and the speaker comes back to me with clarity, the project is faster, the reel is better, and the result actually converts. The speaker gets a better outcome. The coach gets a client. And I get a reel I am proud of and a relationship with a coach who now refers their other clients to me.

Everyone wins. And it started with telling the truth instead of taking the check.