| |
| |
|
Public Speaking Information |
|
|
|
How to Use Public Speaking to Attract Clients
When Robert Middleton moved his marketing consulting practice, Action Plan Marketing, to Palo Alto, California several years ago, he started his business from scratch. He had left his well-established client base several miles away and now had to find strategies to generate new clients. Because Middleton had always spoken to promote his business, he turned to public speaking with a vengeance. He researched local organizations whose members comprised professional business owners, his target clientele. He called chambers of commerce, business groups and others likely to be interested in his three-hour marketing workshop. Within a few months, Middleton had spoken at over a dozen organizations, establishing his reputation as a marketing expert for professional service firms. He quickly became a known entity, having personally introduced his business and credentials to hundreds of prospects. Better yet, Middleton's speaking strategy helped him land all the business he could handle in a relatively short time period. Over the course of sixteen talks, he averaged one new client each time. Today, the seminars he conducts at business groups and, increasingly, teleconferences promoted through his web site generate more than 50 percent of his business. Speaking Is Selling Many business people never consider standing in the front of their buying public to share professional wisdom. If you're one of them, you're missing the boat. Speaking is a marketing strategy you can immediately embrace to get in front of potential customers. Speaking puts you within handshaking distance of your best prospects, many times helping you close sales before you leave the room. By speaking regularly you can end the uncertainty of knowing where your next client will come from. Speaking can help you reach dozens, and sometimes hundreds of your best prospects every time. Speakers report that speaking regularly continuously fills their prospect pipelines, ensuring a steady stream of new clients and customers. Speaking is effective because it showcases your knowledge before groups of people who eagerly show up to hear it. Your prospects may tune out advertising, but they'll pay attention to your talk because it presents your knowledge in polished form to people who think it will help them. Speaking gives you tremendous visibility and credibility that increases over time. Whenever you are in the front of a room, you get noticed. People will remember who you are and what your business does. The more people see you speak and see your business name, the more successful people think you are. Speaking gives prospects a taste of what you offer in a non-threatening environment. When they are in a room full of people, they feel comfortable. There's safety in numbers. They do not feel the sales pressure of a one-on-one meeting. It's also low risk, as chances are, they didn't pay as much to hear you speak as it would cost to hire you. Get On The Program You don't have to be a seasoned speaker to put speaking to work for your business. If you're willing to speak for free, you'll find that there are more outlets available than you'll know what to do with. "If you can get up there and do a decent job you will immediately position yourself as an expert in the minds of an audience," says business coach, author and professional speaker Caterina Rando. "You only have to be 'decent' to make an impact. Even though speaking can be scary at first, anybody can find groups to speak to and master the basics of giving a good speech." Choose the right topics Before you contact an organization about speaking, create sample talk descriptions with catchy titles. For example, a financial planner could avoid generic descriptions like "Planning Your Retirement," and use a more snappy title like "Enjoying Your Gold Years On A Champagne Budget". Targeting speaking opportunities Once you are clear about your topic and its benefit to the audience, make some calls and offer yourself as a speaker. Here are ideas of where to look for a free podium. Many of these groups need speakers all the time.
Getting the most out of your speech The promotional value of your talks goes beyond your time on the podium. Often, when you speak to a group, the group publicizes the event. Many people who do not attend the event will still read the information, or will hear about you from other attendees, and may give you a call. Consistency is the big thing. Getting out there and speaking on a regular basis keeps your pipeline full of prospects. When you're done, put a follow up mechanism in place, even if it's a simple mailing or newsletter. If you keep in contact with people who've heard you speak, you get more long-term leverage from your efforts. About The Author Steven Van Yoder is the author of Get Slightly Famous (tm.). He teaches small business owners how to attract more business with less effort by becoming a mini-celebrity in your field. Visit www.getslightlyfamous.com to claim your FREE Slightly Famous Marketing Plan Workbook.
MORE RESOURCES:
Public-Speaking - Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Speaking for FUN and PROFIT How do you gain contacts from a speaking engagement?The name of the game in providing speaking engagements is to gain more contacts to add to your list of potential clients. Speaking is only one way of attracting business. No More Stagefright - Have Fun Speaking! 7 Tips that calm and center you before your presentation:1. Breathe and stretch before your presentation for at least ten minutes. What to Do When an Audience Member Disagrees With You Some people enjoy drawing attention to themselves by trying to trip you up on a fact or statistic during your presentation. A few will find something you say threatening to their secure view of the universe and want you to know that " You are dead wrong!!" When this happens it is important to remember that you won't be able to please everyone in your audience and you shouldn't try. For Speakers: Ten Tips on How to Increase Your Fees One of the most important tools speakers use is their FEE SCHEDULE. Here are ten tips to help you increase your attractiveness and income, while communicating exactly what you offer and clarify your fees for your programs, products, and services. The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Speakers Successful speakers do not do all the right things all the time. They often take risks and risk bombing. Speech Making - Reasons Why People Dont Listen Making a speech seems simple. You speak, others listen. Start Conversations as Easily as You Start a Car Starting a car is easy. Put the key in, turn it, and the car starts. Ten Steps to Fearless Public Speaking There is plenty of dubious material which suggests you can combat public speaking fear. Much of it includes fancy techniques such as 'visualisation' or 'breathing techniques'. Speaking Body Language I observed an almost surreal event when I was a business student.At the front of the classroom, an entrepreneur was practicing a pitch he would make later to venture capital firms. Five Tired, Worn Out Speaking Cliches The subject of public speaking is riddled with tired, worn out cliches we ought to throw out. Here are a few to let go of:1. Is Information Delivery Instruction? Do you work for one of those organisations whose "training" invariably consists of someone standing up in front of a group and saying something? If you answered 'yes', you're not alone. It's a common practice which leads to a widely held perception among many that it's training. How to be a Great Speaker Did you know that great speakers are often nervous with butterflies in their stomach before giving a presentation? And there are many actors/actresses who can not speak to live audiences without cue cards. My 13 years as a professional speakers bureau owner allowed me to hear several thousand speakers give their presentations. Internet Marketing and Public Speaking: Seven Steps to a Successful Murder Board I recently posted an article providing tips on public speaking for internet marketers, and was bombarded with Emails asking me to expand on one tip in particular-how to conduct a Murder Board, a realistic simulated practice. I did so in a follow-up article providing a more detailed explanation of this practice method, which has its origins in the US military. Let Your Products Sell Your Name: For Public Speakers Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to be one long, giant commercial for yourself all the time? If maybe your products and your name did the promoting for you? When someone hires you to speak at a high profile event, they are taking a large gamble on your ability to engage an audience's interest, and the extent of your knowledge. That said, it is important to have some credibility to your name, or you'll be speaking at every pitiful engagement that comes along. Speaking On Your Feet Your ability to communicate effectively will account for most of your success in life. As we move farther into the communication age, we are becoming more and more dependant on being able to communicate and interact effectively with others. Boost Your Confidence, Credibility, and Career There's one skill you can develop that will boost your confidence, credibility and career. It's public speaking. Speech Tips - Ten Things to Remember When Accepting an Award Many people are recognised for their work, industry, sporting or community achievements.The giving of awards by associations, businesses and groups helps recognise achievers and excellence. Speakers Learn How to Define Your Niche This is one of the hardest things speakers have to do - defining their niche, and in most cases, it can stop them dead in their tracks. Inexperienced speakers have a tendency to generalize themselves and that won't lead to those successful paid speaking engagements. Let Your Appearance Speak for You, Not Against You! Every 7 seconds another baby boomer turns 50. What does an aging workforce mean? It means that the average age of your seminar attendee if getting older. Know Your Audience What is worse than wearing a tuxedo to an event when everyone else is attending in shorts?I have said the same thing over and over again: before you attend the event, get to know the audience. If the audience is not right for you, you may attend, but it is unlikely that you will gain any new business.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
