Speak for Leads

November 21, 2016
speak_for_leads

Getting paid to speak is a dream for many people. However, one of the most lucrative ways to view public speaking is as a lead generation channel.

Getting in front of a group of prospects and presenting useful information is one of the most potent ways to create awareness and build trust, all while demonstrating why someone might want to work with you.

Here are five strategies to make speaking for leads pay off big:

1. Get Referred
You can try to build your own event, but I'd suggest starting off by approaching one or two groups that already hold presenter groups. The key here is that you have a topic that is very hot and seen as very valuable. This is not a sales presentation; it's an education and value-add tool. Approach your two partners with the idea that you'll present a great topic, they can offer it to their customers, and they get to cross-promote to each other's attendees as part of the deal. 

2. Make A Deal 
You should never do anything for free; there should always be some benefit to you and your business. Let your presenting partner know that you are willing to waive your speaker fee in exchange for the opportunity to reveal a way for attendees to work with you or acquire your products. Make it known that you have no intention of selling, merely informing. 

3. Educate Like Crazy
Don't be afraid to tell all of your secrets. Tell them how they can work for themselves on the topic over which you are presenting. Earn their trust, don't make them feel as if they're only getting a teaser of the whole deal. Show them that you are an expert and they will understand the value working with you will bring. 

4. Collect Addresses
Be sure to build in a way of collecting the information of attendees. You can offer them the slides to your presentation, a free resource guide related to your topic, or a more detailed report based on the topic, in exchange for business cards. If you don't have this preplanned, you'll find you won't get a second chance to wow these folks.

5. Create a Simple Call to Action
You should also build in a simple, understandable call to action into your presentation. You can't just end with a "That's it!" and walk off the stage; you'll lose any potential leads you may have collected in the crowd. Every call to action must have three important elements.

  • A summary of purpose. Tell your audience right up front you're going to give them great information and tell them at the end about what you do.
  • A reveal. About half way through, after you've built some trust, take a quick minute to reveal, for instance, a paid workshop or program you have coming up, tell them the price and go on.
  • An offer or call to action. At the end, answer questions, make free offers, and, almost as an afterthought, agree to let them also bring a friend to the event you mentioned at the same price if they sign-up today.

If all goes well, everyone in the crowd will be scrambling to work with your business and your speaking engagement will be a major boost for your business.

This article originally appeared on Inc.

Public speaking can be a great way to gather leads if you follow these five simple steps.

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