From: http://www.bizjournals.com/
Many business people fail to find effective marketing methods that can increase their income by bringing in new customers.
One solution is to add public speaking to your marketing plan.
There are many speaking opportunities that business people can use to attract more business.
Thousands of groups need of a guest speaker at their meetings and conferences. Some examples are local business groups, charity groups, associations, corporations, conferences, conventions, organizations, schools and colleges, professional groups, churches, special interest groups and many other types of groups and organizations.
Let’s look at an example of a possible “small” marketing plan that uses public speaking. Imagine if you started by giving a 30-minute speech each week to different groups ( average attendance of 50 people per group). In a period of 50 weeks, you would have spoken to 2500 people.
You will have the chance to answer their questions and shake hands with them. J You will also acquire referrals as you start speaking to a variety of business and professional groups.
This is just a starting point. Ambitious business people with large financial goals can start giving 50 to 200 speeches each year and they can start speaking to much larger groups.
So, you might be wondering, why isn’t every business person using public speaking to bring in new business? Well, there are two main obstacles that keep people from using public speaking.
First, public speaking is a very common fear for most people. The second obstacle is that most of us were never told that public speaking was a great marketing tool for attracting new customers. So, as a result, we never bothered to learn how to use public speaking to get more business.
But there is good news. We can learn to conquer these two obstacles. When I coach many kinds of business people in my seminars and tele-seminars, I use a four-step plan.
1. Know your reason for becoming a public speaker
You will have to think about the specific goal that you want to achieve by giving speeches.
For example, you might want to get 100 new clients in the next 12 months. Or, maybe you would like to earn an extra $100,000 in the next year.
Each person may have their own goal, but make sure that you have a specific goal to aim at. Having a specific goal will motivate you to put in the effort that is required for making your public speaking successful.
2. You must have a way to practice public speaking
Since public speaking is a very common fear, you will going to need a “slow and safe” way to build your confidence. This can be accomplished in small, supportive groups where people can practice speeches at their own pace.
3. Be willing to use public speaking all the time
Decide if you are willing to use public speaking on a regular basis. For example, if you give one or two speeches each week, you will discover that you have given between 50 and 100 speeches in a 50-week period. It is this kind of commitment that will make public speaking an effective marketing tool for getting new customers..
4. The business side of public speaking
This involves learning how to make public speaking profitable by getting paid to speak, or you may want to give free lectures in order to get new customers and referrals.
Public speaking can make you well-known in your field. It is also a great way to put you in front of many potential new clients and customers. Finally, you will also have the chance to speak in front of variety of business people who have the ability to make referrals.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.