The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.

When asked to speak at a corporation, there’s no harm in trying for a fee.

Rule of thumb: whoever mentions money first loses. When asked how much one charges, ask what the budget is. This gives you an opportunity to see what they are charging and if you are willing to speak for that. When calling a service group or organization one can always ask what the budget is for speakers. Many have honorariums that they provide to speakers.

If they are not forthcoming, and you have to mention an amount, something like $150 or $200 is reasonable to start with, moving up to $500 when you’re well known and have a killer speech. And it’s up to $10,000 when you really get up there, and are doing keynotes at national conferences.

But initially, if you just want the gigs for clients, experience, a testimonial, and a chance at some paid work, then still ask for a fee — but negotiate down as far as zero if you have to. “Well, because I’m going to get A, B, C out of it — I’d be willing to do a freebie.”

Sometimes you can ramp the fee up a little by offering a coaching session or package to senior staff.