Building Your Business With Speaking
Mel Schlesinger
The #1 Challenge Facing Sales and Small Business Professionals
WHY SPEAK?
Speaking Opportunities
• Civic Clubs – Kiwanis – Optimist
• Chambers of Commerce • Professional Associations
– SHRM – Heating and Cooling Contractors
• Specialty Clubs – Over 50 – AARP
• Public Workshops
Goal of Speaking Events
• Establish Expertise
• Generate Buyers
– Educating is secondary
Choose Your Topic
• It must have the ability to explicitly relate to a product or service that you can provide
Creating a Talk that Opens Opportunities
• Interesting and Actionable Topic – How to Reduce Employee Pressure for Increased
Wages
• Seed Talk with Examples from your clients – One client was struggling with employee
dissatisfaction due to benefit cost-shifting. We came in and by implementing a new communication strategy were able to demonstrate measurable improvement in morale
• Have a call to action at the end – If you would like to know more about our
communication strategies and measurable results just give me your business card.
Civic Clubs, Professional Associations, Chambers, etc –
Zero Cost
Public Workshops
• Call prospects to invite
• Invite selected clients
• Offer breakfast or lunch
• Promise useful information that can help
• Nothing will be sold!
• Keep the meeting to 90 minutes or less, including dining
DOWNSIDE IS COST
After-Action Steps
• Immediately connect on LinkedIn with anyone that gave you a business card
• Follow-up three to four days after the event
• If you get an appointment send a “Thanks for talking with me – Look forward to seeing you next (DAY) at” Snail-Mail card
One speaking opportunity with 15 good prospects should result in 3 to 5 sales
appointments
(336) 525-6357 [email protected]