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Here Is A Different Way to Advertise. Really simple but wonderful

Well often when people are thinking about advertising their business, they think of newspaper ads, billboards, TV commercials, and radio commercials. Each of these outlets are very expensive. And if it is not done right, the return is minimal, if not non-existent.

And here let me say- There is another outlet that generates business that very few people consider. Speaking.

Okay now- Speaking to a group has added benefits that normal advertising does not. First of all, you establish yourself as an expert in your field. You obviously know what you’re talking about if you are able to stand in front of a roomful of strangers with confidence and pass along information that they otherwise would not have. Second, they instantly have a face to the name. You develop a relationship with each person in the room. They know who you are and, if you do a good job during your speech, they will come to you when they need a person with your expertise.

And one thing important, If you plan on getting in front of any association or civic group, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

Well important thing is that, your speech should not be a sales pitch for your business. Your first and foremost interest is to share valuable information with the group. Their interests are your top concern. An audience will be very turned-off by a guest speaker that tries to sell them for 20 to 45 minutes. Walk in with tips, suggestions, and steps for the audience to use right away in their own business.

Okay now let me say- Here’s the kicker. You must be a good speaker. This isn’t to say that you have to be a pro, but you do need to have a well prepared, well structured, and information-driven presentation. Walking in unprepared will not generate business. My clients do not hire me simply to improve their speaking skills. They hire me to better present themselves to their prospects, therefore they can create more business. Business is based on relationships. Speaking is a great way to jumpstart those relationships. If you are a good speaker, then you have the ability to grow your business. This is why the fear of speaking inhibits so many professionals.

Okay well- If you have a well prepared speech and have your audience’s best interest at heart, then you are ready for the next step: to generate prospects. To execute this, you need to have a follow up strategy. There are many options for your follow up strategy. You can have product at the back of the room, you can give discount certificates to each member of the audience, you could have you business cards on all of the tables, you could say at the end of your speech that you’d be happy to answer any questions and then visit with the members that approach you, or you could refer them to your website for an article on the subject you talked about. Those are only a few options for you to use. For more ideas about the business side of speaking, I highly recommend you visit your local chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA). They are a very helpful group with a multitude of resources.

So, the next time you’re brainstorming new ways to generate more prospects, remember the benefits of speaking. This is too easy too cool and too simple. Am I Right?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 5:27 pm and is filed under Advertising And Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.