Last modified 11/04/18

The know – like – trust – funnel to get invited on a panel

by Elizabeth Van Den Bergh

The funnel

Are you familiar with the know-like-trust-funnel?

The know-like-trust-funnel is a common term in the marketing business, but applicable in the speaker business as well.

The know-like-trust-funnel means people will engage and do business with people they know, like and trust, in that order.

People go through these three steps before doing business with you.

  1. KNOW – Who are you? What do you do? Should I care?
  2. LIKE – Do I like you? Do I like what you have to say?
  3. TRUST – Are you an expert? Can I trust you? Are you a pro?

If all steps are positive, you’ll be hired.

  1. HIRING – I’ll work with you!
  2. REFERRING – I’ll refer you to other people looking for speakers!

If you can guide your potential client through these steps, business is done and solid.

How to use these steps in your speaker strategy

1. Get out there to show yourself and your expertise

Make sure moderators and event organisers know about you by making yourself visible. You can do this online and on-site.

Approach event organisers as human beings and find out more about what makes them tick. What are the topics they are working on and what are their interests. Find a connection and see if and how your topic corresponds to their work.

Go to events yourself and meet with the right people. Set-up a blog. Or start writing articles for existing blogs (guest post) or relevant organisation’s newsletters.

Get in touch with specialised media and ask if they would be interested in a story on your topic or area of expertise.

2. Make friends and build trust

Do more small talk. The technique of small talk is the foundation of building a relationship. It is about connecting with another real person about something tangible.

We build trust by finding something we both connect to. Also known as the human to human approach.

3. Come up with something new and be bold about it

A lot of people or working on your topic.  Be interesting. Make sure you come up with something new, something surprising.

This could be a new perspective. A different take on what is now considered common ground.

Are you following these steps already?

To know more, read these books:

Duct Tape Marketing (John Jantsch), Endless Referrals (Bob Burg)