People always ask me what’s the most successful way to get more clients? And I tell them, hands down, speaking engagements.
Now, I know there’s a lot of you out there who have a fear of public speaking, but I’m here to tell you, talking to a group of your ideal clients is so much more efficient (and effective) than talking to one at a time.
So how do you get speaking engagements? There are a variety of ways to land speaking engagements, which requires doing some homework, research and of course, putting yourself out there. Which is all TOTALLY doable!
Here are some tips and suggestions on where to go to land speaking engagements:
Chamber of Commerce and local business associations
Research your local chamber of commerce to see what kinds of events and workshops they currently offer. Where can you plug yourself in? What would you speak on? How would it fit in with their membership? Figure out who the person is who books the workshops and speakers and contact them through email, just asking if they are looking for possible speakers in the upcoming months.
Ask your ideal clients and networking buddies
Your clients and networking associates all belong to associations (local, statewide and national). Let them know you are interested in getting speaking engagements and could they put you in contact, or make a referral to a connection they might have who you could speak to. I’ve gotten many of my speaking engagements just by mentioning to friends, clients, colleagues and networking buddies, that I’m wanting to do more speaking engagements in the coming year.
Sign Up for Google Alerts and Other web-based services
Set up Google Alerts so you can receive email updates of the latest relevant Google search engines, based upon criteria you’ve entered.
For example, in Google Alerts, I’ve entered Women Entrepreneur Conferences, Women in Business Seminars, and Women’s Expos. When I receive an email alert that I think would be a good fit for one of my keynote topics, I will email the appropriate person to see how I might get on the schedule. Often times, it will be for the following year’s event, but I’ve been able to get quite a few speaking engagements this way.
Another great web-based service I’ve been using is called, Lanyrd.com. It is a social conference directory where you can learn about conferences all over the world. It also has recently added a speaker’s profile. This tool can be incredibly helpful in finding conferences that would be a good fit for your message.
The best place to start is to set an intention for a certain number of speaking engagements between now and the end of the year. Create a powerful signature speech that speaks to the struggles of your ideal clients. Do some research on local groups or organizations that are looking for speakers and make the contact to see if you can get on their schedule. You must set aside some time in your week to work on getting speaking engagements.
You can do it! Be sure and let me know how you’re doing and if I can be of help or support, please feel free to reach out at mandy@mandyschumaker.com
 Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below. |