Throwing darts blindfolded at your speaking goals?

Speaking is a goldmine for experts.

But it's easy to get overwhelmed wondering where to start.

“Do I need a website?"

"What stories should I tell?"

"How much should I charge?"

"What should I talk about?"

All these questions are legitimate ones.

But they shouldn't matter right now.

Why?

Because they're all tactics. And tactics without strategy is like throwing darts blindfolded.

Let me explain the difference in the context of monetizing your expertise through speaking:

Strategy is your big-picture plan - the "why" and "what" that guides everything else. For example:

- Positioning yourself as a premium industry authority who speaks at select, high-paid events

- Using speaking as a lead generator for your consulting/coaching business

Tactics?

Those are the specific actions you take - the "how". Things like:

- Setting up a professional speaker website

- Creating follow-up email sequences for organizers

- Building relationships with speaker bureaus

Let me make this real with a quick story.

My first boss ran a Financial data SaaS. His strategy was simple: use speaking gigs and webinars to drive prospects to buy the software.

Once that was clear, the tactics naturally followed:

- Network with event organizers in his industry

- Create and host his own industry events

- Craft talks showing how his software solved specific problems for the industry

- Build customer case studies into his presentations

- Have a clear next step for interested audience members who want to start using our software.

See how that works?

Strategy first, tactics second.

Without knowing what you're aiming at, you'll stay stuck forever, jumping from tactic to tactic, never getting paid what you're worth.

So... what's your strategy?