DECEMBER
2004 ********************************************
IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Article: Critical Success Factors for Public Speaking
News and Announcements
Contact Information
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WELCOME
During this last week of 2004, I hope many of you are taking
time to relax, enjoy friends and family, and celebrate the achievements
of the past year.
This is also the perfect time to bring your marketing plan out
of closet, dust off the cobwebs and re-tool it in preparation
for a fantastic 2005.
As you know, I’m a big believer in active marketing strategies.
One of the best such strategies in my opinion is speaking to groups
of individuals in your target market. There are a few things you
can do that will really increase the success you have in bringing
in new business through speaking. Read this month’s article
to get the low-down on the critical success factors and then get
a wonderful start to your New Year’s marketing efforts by
giving
speaking a try. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need
some assistance getting started on choosing topics and venues.
I’m here to help!
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CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR PUBLIC
SPEAKING
Many things determine the effectiveness of using speaking as
a tool to grow your practice. To begin with, keep in mind that
the goal of your speaking
program should NOT be to “get new clients.” Rather,
the goal should be to secure Complimentary Consultations, which
in turn will lead to growing your practice. Here are a few of
the key Critical Success Factors to public speaking:
1. FOCUS ON YOUR TARGET MARKET
Before you even open your mouth, a major, major determinant of
your success in securing Comp Consultations through speaking is
whether or not the audience is your target market. Your talk needs
to be completely relevant to the needs, wants and desires of your
audience. For example, if
you are speaking on employment law issues and only 60% of your
audience employs workers, you are 40% in the hole! I know this
is a simplistic
example, but it demonstrates an important point. For the best
results, you should target professional associations that are
congruent with your target
market. In addition, the topic of your talk should really resonate
with the audience.
In general, groups like Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions Club, etc. are
not the audiences that will generate the best results. Of course,
speaking
at a Rotary meeting is a heck of a lot better than not speaking
at all, but to achieve excellent results you want to speak to
a more targeted group. For example, let's say you are a corporate
bankruptcy attorney. It would be a lot more effective to speak
to a group of bankers or to a group of accountants than to a gathering
of project engineers.
I challenge you to reach out to organizations, associations or
companies that are congruent with your target market.
2. PROFESSIONAL POSTURE
In its purest form, professional posture is how you carry yourself.
In order to secure Comp Consultations, it is imperative that you
are confident and professional when speaking to groups. Many professionals
do not portray the necessary professional posture by falling into
one of three traps. See if you fall into any of these and use
the guidelines below to overcome them.
A. Many professionals really want and need clients and this comes
off in the talk, especially in how they offer the Comp Consultation.
See below for more information.
B. Whether you are a lawyer, consultant, broker accountant or
anything else, the very nature of doing your craft – whatever
it is – is different than speaking. For instance, as a coach
I am a partner, a conduit, a questioner, a listener. In speaking
I am a teacher, a facilitator and an "expert." Do you
see the difference? It is important you portray this!
C. Many professionals are hesitant in offering their services.
They are afraid of sounding too "salesy." See below
for more information on how to overcome this. There is a way to
balance confidence with humility. You can be professional and
attractive when articulating how your service is valuable and
can benefit the members of your audience.
3. OFFER THE COMP CONSULTATION
You must communicate to the audience that you are available for
a complimentary consultation. This must be done from the podium
verbally. You can't simply put a bowl in the back of the room
and hope to collect business cards. When inviting people to engage
in a Comp Consultation,
you want to communicate your offer in a powerful, confident and
articulate manner. This is worth practicing! Do not leave it to
chance.
Remember, you are providing a service by giving people the opportunity
to meet with you 1-1. It is not the other way around! They are
not doing
you a favor by accepting your offer! Do you see the difference?
One is attractive, the other is needy!
I challenge you to see and feel the difference and practice making
your offer. For example, let the audience know that you have a
limited number of spots available. The number I use is 10-20%
of the audience size. Let them know that you are not interested
in speaking with everybody. For example, you can say that you
are interested to meet with "those people who are ready to
create a customized estate plan that will protect and preserve
their assets according to their wishes.”
This makes people feel special and lets them know that you are
busy and are looking to talk to people who are serious, committed,
dedicated,
etc.
4. COMP CONSULTATION REGISTRATION SYSTEM
Once you extend your Comp Consultation offer, you must have a
smooth, straightforward and professional system that makes it
easy for people to sign up. One idea is to have a "clipboard”
available in the back of the room that lists the time slots you
are available for Comp Consultations. The form should also include
space for their name, email address and phone number.
It can also work really well to have somebody at the back table
near the clipboard. After a talk, several people will come to
the front of the room and want to visit with you. You want to
be able to give them your undivided attention and support. You
do not want to be worried about whether people are signing up
for Comp Consultations or if they have questions. Have somebody
handle this for you! Ideally, find someone who knows you and your
work, so they can answer questions gracefully and speak on your
behalf.
I encourage you to keep these four Critical Success Factors in
mind the next time you are speaking to an audience. And of course,
the absolute most important Critical Success Factor is you must
be out speaking! So make speaking a part of your marketing plan
for 2005. I think you will be delighted with the results!
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NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
To purchase your copy of my booklet, Business Development: 97
Quick & Easy Tips For Lawyers, go to my web site at www.rainmaker-strategies.com
or send me an email at Barbara@Rainmaker-Strategies.com
and I’ll be happy to process your order. Cost is $5.00 for
a single copy (plus tax where applicable and shipping).
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Barbara Nichols Mencer
Rainmaker Strategies
Barbara@Rainmaker-Strategies.com
www.rainmaker-strategies.com
If you’ve enjoyed this article and learned a valuable
business-building tip, please feel free to forward
this newsletter to your friends and colleagues.
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Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
