I am just starting to market myself to local chiropractors, as I have seen a need (via ads, etc) for what I can offer them. Have gotten a couple responses already to only a dozen I have emailed with my attached letter- one wants ONLY for me to get him into local companies as a one-time speaker (obviously he doesn’t GET that marketing takes more than 1 talk!!), in & out, another might contract with me to do various marketing projects, including company events/health fairs, etc- he is offering $15-20/hr + undetermined “bonus structure”- I am just seeking advice from marketers who have worked with chiropractors in the past, about pricing strategy. Any advice you can give would be helpful- not sure if I should do an hourly rate or flat fee, and if a flat fee, what is reasonable- per company I get him in, etc?

###

Jay’s Answer: Your confusion is because you’re unclear about the value of the service you’re providing.

• You can charge him a % of his perceived value (in $) to the chiropractor of appearing as a speaker.
• You could charge him a % of the business that results from the appearance, but you’ll have a harder situation to monitor and also can’t control their speaking effectiveness.
• You could charge him a flat fee for each speaking engagement.
• You could charge him an hourly fee for your effort.

As for what’s best – it’s a combination of your skills, their needs, and their budget. From their perspective, getting the engagement has value, but your time doesn’t. Therefore, a % of perceived value/flat fee makes sense. What’s fair? If you’re unsure, ask local PR people for their fee structure. That’ll help. Realize that the chiropractor doesn’t sound like they want a long-term relationship with you: they simply think more speeches = more clients = more $. So, create a short-term fee structure that’s fair for your time and their response.