Make more presentations, Make more Money: 3 Reasons Public Speaking should be a sales tool in your toolbox!

Question:

What would be the better investment of your time/effort/energy?

Scenario 1:  Spend 6 to 8 hours preparing a bad #$% presentation about your company, services, products, and expertise and then share that presentation to a group of 100 people that would be potential clients for you 

OR....

Scenario 2: Spend the time calling, emailing, scheduling a meeting with 100 different potential clients to come by and have a conversation with all 100 of them?

I hope like heck you would go with scenario #1.  It is a much better use of your time and money to do the presentation route.  Here is why:

Establish you are a THOUGHT LEADER!
A GREAT presentation establishes your credibility and positions you as a thought leader in your industry to prospective clients and customers in a way that a sales call cannot do.  Your competition is out there doing the ol' make a phone call and schedule a meeting approach too.  Why do what your competition is doing? Do something different!  

For example, Christine Cunneen, CEO of Hire Image uses presentations to find new clients at industry conferences.  She attests: I plant the seeds that will help my business grow.  Although we have added numerous clients because of my speaking engagements, many do not happen right away.  We added a large university a year after they heard me speak at a conference."

A GREAT presentation creates an ENERGY & RESPONSE that a conversation or sales call simply cannot.  People are moved by a collective response in a way that a one-on-one conversation cannot.  The energy that is created by a great presentation can be transformational.  Think back to a GREAT and GAME CHANGING presentation you saw before and you will understand.  For example, when we look at historical turning points in our history, it is very a compelling speech we have to thank.  "I have a dream" is perhaps the best example of how a message can change a nation.  Now, I understand you probably won't need to create sweeping changes of this magnitude but if you could create some kind of ripple effect with your presentation, imagine the impact it could have on your business!  

CLIENTS SELF IDENTIFY!                                                              Let your new clients identify themselves for you!  When you give an amazing presentation people come to you!  Imagine that.  Your next client will actually come to you and say "tell me more." Of the three reasons to start using presentations this is perhaps the most powerful.  Out of an audience of 100, your goal should be to connect to and have a conversation with 10 of those people.  Lucky for you, those 10 people are going to hang out after your presentation to talk to you more about what you do, what you offer, what you sell.  They have done half the work already.  They present themselves as a "warm lead" without all the leg work.  That is pretty amazing if you ask me.  

If you are not sure where to begin for your next presentation, let's talk!  I build presentations from concept to completion with you.

Say What you Need to Say....Market to the Problem

I had my second coaching call this morning with Annetta Wilson. She is pretty good at what she does. I enjoyed our time on the phone. She asked me about the challenges that Bravo is up against right now and as we made our way through them I took fast and furious notes.

It is simply amazing how Annetta can talk about what Bravo does in a way that I simply cannot. I don't have to wonder why. I know why. She is not married to Bravo. She can look at what we do from a distance and provide me with insight into the services Bravo provides in a way that I struggle with. One of the big take aways from our conversation this morning was so simple and elegant and yet profound for me:

"Market to the Problem"

This concept is something that we actually teach in our public speaking workshops. Identify someone's problem and make it go away. Talk to them about SPECIFIC things you can do for them and tell a story about someone who had the same problem and how you solved it. Bravo's problem is we get academic in a hurry and it is something that we must resist at every turn. If someone has a headache they want some Advil. They don't want (or need or have the time for) a long drawn out discussion about why they have a headache. First solve the problem. Then you can talk about why they keep getting the same headache over and over and over again.

The "headaches" we solve? Terrible Presentations, Terrible Slides, Terrible Presenters, Terrible Managers, Terrible Leaders, etc. (And terrible can take many forms--terrible can be inexperience, lack of knowledge, fear, lack of vision, lack of goals, and so on and so forth)

And all these terrible things lose time, money, clients for the business.

So this week Bravo will focus here and beyond on saying what we need to say by marketing to the solution. Thank you Annetta!