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READING TIME: ABOUT 5 MINUTES
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You just got off the phone.
Desks And Chairs wants a "lunch and learn" session for their warehouse employees. And last week Rotary wanted a speech on healthy lifestyles for busy execs.
Did you think twice about doing it?
Most wellness professionals cringe when they're asked to speak. These public
presentations are usually unpaid - and experience has taught them that it doesn't usually produce new customers, either.
We actually encourage clients to jump at these publicity opportunities - but only if they're truly committed to a B.A.D marketing strategy.
B.A.D's our reminder that you have to do the right things BEFORE, AFTER and DURING your presentation. Otherwise, you'll never see a business payoff.
1) Do the right things BEFORE the speech
- Establish evaluation criteria for speaking opportunities. The audience,
topic and the group's overall focus should be compatible with your business.
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Set realistic expectations for the results of your speech. Unpaid speeches
usually produce the following results in the following order: publicity that
reinforces your reputation as an authority; increased awareness that your
business exists; and lead generation. It's rare that a public presentation
results in immediate sales. It's reasonable to expect, say, 5 leads and 30 new
newsletter sign-ups. It's not usually realistic to expect 5 actual sales.
- Announce the speech in your newsletter.
- Post signs and other promotional material in your business. Consider a
postcard marketing campaign if justified by the scope of the event.
- Personally invite selected prospects or existing customers who'd be interested in your topic or the organization.
- Provide your preferred introduction to the person who will introduce you.
- Wander through the crowd and introduce yourself to attendees.
- Put your contact info on all of the materials you'll use or hand out.
2) Do the right things AFTER the speech
- Follow up with everyone - on a prioritized basis. For example, you can send a general follow-up to everyone, and place a phone call to the
contacts that seemed most promising.
- Email attendees a link to the recorded session on your website.
- Important: Incorporate attendees into your ongoing marketing processes. Don't just
throw business cards in a drawer.
- If you don't have an ongoing marketing process through which you can
continue building your relationship with attendees, you're wasting most of the
business potential created by the speech or presentation.
- Add them to your mailing list if they've agreed.
- Keep your promises. Promptly send anything you promised to send - the name of a book, an article, an email introduction to someone else.
- Convert your presentation into a short article. Then, include it in your
sales kit, post it on your website, hand it to prospective clients - whatever's
suitable.
- Consider submitting your article to online article submission sites (like EzineArticles.com).
- Schedule a future presentation with the same group. Repeated exposure will increase your perceived authority.
3) Do the right things DURING the speech
- Circulate a sign-up sheet for your newsletter.
- Invite people to leave business cards if they'd like to receive a complimentary item (say, a pedometer or tip sheet) or a copy of your presentation.
- Make it interesting. For example, work with a colleague and demonstrate what you're
recommending. Or use props - for example, a giant box of cereal or the "fake fat" teaching products that illustrate what a pound of fat really looks like.
- Consider embedding prerecorded video snippets of existing customers in your
presentation.
- Incorporate anecdotes or references to the brief conversations
you had with attendees before the speech.
- Keep it interactive. For
example, pose questions that can be answered by raising hands: "How many people
ate breakfast this morning?".
- Record the presentation. Post it on your website.
Promote the link in your newsletter or print ads.
- Have someone take pictures of you and the audience. Post them on the website
and in your business to promote your expertise and availability as a speaker.
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