We all know that public speaking is the fastest way to increase your authority in your industry and be seen as the go-to expert. But after speaking at event after event, racking up travel expenses and days out of the office you may be wondering, “When exactly is this going to start paying off?” Will you ever book more clients?
I attended my very first ‘creative’ conference in 2006. I was a nationally recognized speaker with a decade of speaking experience under my belt. However, I was brand new to the online business world. I felt like a complete impostor looking at my name on the speaker line. “Why would these successful women trust me? What value did I bring to the table as the new kid in town?”
What I quickly realized was these incredible business owners had spent blood, sweat and tears pouring into their clients and businesses but no one ever taught them how to translate their talent to the stage. Maybe I DID have something valuable to share with them after all.
I’m willing to bet the same goes for you. You have so much knowledge to share and just need a little help packaging your message up with a bow that your audience will be begging to receive from the stage. But don’t you worry, that’s my specialty.
Let’s get that package started today with…
5 ways to book more clients from the stage
1 | Speak to the right audience
Even the best presentation will fall flat if it’s presented in front of the wrong audience. When looking for opportunities to speak, make sure you’ve taken time to research who will be in the audience. You want to seek out events that your ideal clients attend.
Let’s say that you’re a senior photographer. Speaking at a photography conference about in-person sales is not going to help you book new senior photography clients. In this scenario, your ideal clients would (typically) not be in the audience.
On the other hand, let’s say you’re a senior photographer who also has educational offers for other photographers. In that situation, speaking at a photography conference on in-person sales could be the perfect way for you to book new coaching clients.
Not exactly sure how this plays out for your business? Download our free workbook on ‘How to Select Your Speaking Topics.’ It will walk you through a few exercises to clarify your audience, offerings, and ideal speaking topics to scale your business and your impact.
2 | Share your story
People buy from humans. We want to know, like and trust the people we’re purchasing from and working with. None of that changes when you step on stage. If anything, it becomes even more important. Every single time you step on a stage or grab a microphone, your audience instantly puts you on a pedestal.
It’s not as a result of anything you did, that’s just how we (as the audience) perceive speakers. We’ve been conditioned to believe that speakers on stages are more important than us. They are the thought leaders that we should aspire to be.
Your most important job as a speaker it to knock that pedestal over. You need to get on level playing field with your audience and show them that you understand exactly where they are and what they’re going through.
The easiest way to achieve this is to share your story. People want to hear about your journey. They want to know why this work is important to you, why they should trust you and if you truly care about their success. Sharing your story allows you to show your audience that you’ve walked in their shoes and you want to help them take the next steps in their journey.
3 | Showcase the results
It’s tempting to get caught up in the fancy features or elaborate processes of our product or services. Your audience will be oh-so grateful for those details, but right now they’re asking themselves, “What is this going to do FOR ME?”
When sharing your teaching points focus more on the results your audience can expect to receive. They’re much more likely to take action on what you’re teaching if they can clearly see how it will benefit them.
If you’re an SEO specialist, sharing a list of technical steps the audience should take may leave them overwhelmed and running for the hills. Instead, give them one or simple things that they can do right now and clearly illustrate the impact that will make for their business. “Do x, y, z and you’ll start ranking higher in local searches so that potential clients can easily find you.”
4 | Address their concerns
Before you ever teach your audience any important concepts, make sure that you’re taking the time to call out and address their concerns. If your audience doesn’t think the results you’re promising will work for them, they’re not going to invest in a solution.
What common misconceptions or concerns may your audience have about the result you’re working to help them achieve? How can you actively address those concerns in your talk?
5 | Give them a clear next step
Whether you’re asking your audience to download your latest freebie, purchase your new book, or book your services, we need to tell them exactly what to do. This is especially important if you’re speaking at an event with multiple speakers. The audience is consuming so much information already. We want to make it easy for them to say “Heck Yes!” to purchasing from us.
We use HoneyBook to collect leads and book new clients from the stage. Before I’m back to my hotel room a potential client can inquire and schedule a consultation without me getting involved. (Click here to try HoneyBook).
Whether you’re speaking to five people or 5,000 as long as you stay committed to putting people first you’ll be surprised at how quickly speaking can help you add new bookings to your calendar. Stay focused on delivering transformations and give your audience (the correct audience) a clear next step. Before you know it you’ll be booking more clients from the stage.
Ready to sell well & book more clients? Get our Small Business Sales Strategies Ultimate Guide.
