At any event, it is better to be in the front of the room speaking than in the back of the room listening! Why? When you are the speaker, you open the door wide to making many new, wonderful contacts that can quickly lead to new clients and a more thriving business. There is much to learn about using speaking to get clients and here are three tips to get you started, making sure each speech serves your business and your audience.
Be Interactive
Prepare a handout that includes key points from your talk. Be sure to include your contact info on each page. You want to build in some audience participation activities, such as asking them to write down three action steps they can take in the next couple of days. Your handout is a take-away that reminds people of the value you brought to the program.
“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Deliver Massive Value
Speak clearly and with confidence. Remember, you are the expert on your topic. The audience is there to hear what you have to say and to learn something new and exciting. Be enthusiastic and create verbal pictures. Tell compelling stories the audience can relate to and use examples from your business about how you solved problems and how they can too.
“Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.”
—Dorothy Sarnoff, America entertainer and image consultant
Take Your Off-line Connections Online
Anyone that I have met in person at a speech I invite them to be my friend on Facebook, I ask them to connect with me on Linkedin® and I follow them on Twitter. Time permitting, I include a personal note. This has resulted in many opportunities and new clients over the last few years because, through online social networking, you continue the relationship started at the time of your presentation.
Get busy. Pick your topic, find your audience and get yourself booked. By doing so consistently you will surely ensure that you have a thriving, profitable and sustainable business and an endless flow of clients.