It’s weird. Professional speakers, who are often paid thousands of dollars to give a one-hour talk, are expected to “sell from the platform” – that is, by using a short commercial at the end of their talk, they encourage audience members to go to their product table at the back of the room to buy their books, CDs, DVDs, notepads and sign up for their seminars, workshops and consulting programs. The problem is that when the pitch goes on too long, it can backfire.

But as a free speaker who is typically compensated only with a meal and/or a small gift, you are not allowed to sell at all, and if you do, you will alienate and offend the very people you want to attract. This is because you were invited to speak by a particular group; you were not hired by them. It is understood that you are there to educate, engage and entertain that group, not take the occasion to promote your own agenda.

The problem is that you ARE there to sell something, and you should expect the investment of your time, effort and money in securing and giving your presentation to pay off in terms of product sales, new clients, referrals or some other form of financial return.

Here are six ways you can encourage your audience to take action on your behalf without turning them off:

• Change your thinking: Think of sales of your products or services as a way to nurture your relationship with your audience, rather than as change in your pocket. The only reason people will buy what you have to offer is because your talk touched them or taught them something, and they want to take you home with them. Buying your book, CD, etc., allows them to do that.
• Remember that nobody likes to be sold, but everybody loves to buy: Pitching is offensive, but persuasion can be pleasant. Rather than trying to sell products, your mission should be to encourage people to want what you have. Since they came to hear you, they are already interested in your topic, and when you respect their intelligence and don’t pitch or push, you’ll find they will be interested in you and be more inclined to linger afterwards.
• Have a drawing using a sign-up form: Pass out a sign-up form for your ezine (email newsletter) and draw for a copy of your book, CD, or a free consulting session. As you give it to the winner, tell them and the audience that you’ll autograph their copy – and everyone else’s – at your table after your talk.
• Incorporate your product subtly into your talk: I recently heard an author who excerpted an exercise from her book and had the audience totally engaged by it. During her talk, she would occasionally refer to her book by saying, “This is on page ______” or “This is in the chapter titled ______.” It was extremely effective and completely unobtrusive.
• Be realistic: I wish I could tell you that you can expect X% of the audience to buy your products, but the fact is that each speaking engagement is unique, and so is each audience. When I was doing a lot of speaking for my book Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams, my experience ranged from making no sales to selling 44 books in 30 minutes. Same talk but different audiences.

• Think relationships: Since people do business with people they like, your goal is to develop relationships with those who may have an interest in what you have to offer, and to encourage them to refer you to their friends. Your speaking success won’t be measured in product sales, but rather in the business that comes later.

So the next time you get up in front of an audience, don’t see them as prospects; think of them as people who are there to hear you share with them something they want to know. And very shortly you’ll discover why speaking is the most cost-effective way to generate business for your business.

By Janet White

The JW Speakers Agency

www.jwspeakersagency.com

About Janet White

This blog post was brought to you by Janet White of the JW Speakers Agency. This post is reprinted by permission from her e-newsletter Speaking of Business. Janet provides insights, suggestions and tips on low-cost, no-cost ways you can attract more clients, get more business from current clients and maximize the value of your time, money, and energy.

If you’ve been in business any length of time, you’ve probably had at least one “sales slump” – a period of time during which nothing seems to be working, no matter how hard you work. No one returns your calls, customers are slow in paying and deals won’t close. You feel disoriented, confused and if it goes on and on, most likely you begin to doubt your own abilities.

About.com suggests a three step process for breaking through a slump:

• Do Something: If you’re mentally paralyzed from a lack of sales you’re probably not thinking it through. Instead of avoiding sales situations, you need to seek them out as much as possible.
• Do More: If you would normally make 20 cold calls per day, instead make 40 or 50, or keep calling until you have five appointments, even if that means you spend ten straight hours on the phone. Talk to all your existing customers and see if you can upsell them new products, or ask them for referrals.
• Keep Doing It: Give each sales method a few days at least. If you’re still not reaping any benefits, then table it and try something else. And if you do start to see results on a particular strategy, do more of it! Stubbornness and persistence are the keys to defeating a bad sales slump.

SOHO Marketing suggests you dive right in:

• Develop a special offer for existing customers/clients and prospects. Use a short deadline so they must take immediate action or forfeit the special offer.
• Call your best customers and ask for their help. Explain that business is slow and you want to use the time to approach some potential new customers/clients. Ask them for referrals.
• Temporarily increase advertising in media where it is seen immediately (or almost immediately). For example, website and ezine ads, newspaper ads, First Class direct mail or postcards, radio spots, etc.

I take issue with both approaches. First, if you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re only going to keep getting more of what you’ve been getting, so doing more of it isn’t going to help your situation one bit.

Second, trying to force your circumstances to change may only result in a quick fix. There is only one truly effective way to reverse a slump in your business or any kind of negative period in your life, and that is to change your thinking and then take action in alignment with your new thoughts:

Thanks to the Law of Attraction, whatever you think about, hold strong feelings about or believe to be true becomes your experience, whether you like it or not and whether you want it or not; this is “Ask and it is given.”

Because the Law of Attraction reacts completely automatically and immediately to your instructions; you can use the Law by design instead of by default and get the short- and long-term results you really want. The key is to shift your feelings by directing your thoughts, like this:

• Force Yourself to Feel Good: Get quiet and think about your best clients, how you love your work and the passion you felt when you started your business. Actually it doesn’t matter what you think about, as long as you feel good. The whole idea of this step is to get you out of feeling bad.
• Remind Yourself That This Too Shall Pass: Any kind of a slump is temporary and is no reflection on you as a person or a professional. Just as it takes time to heal a cut on your hand, so it may take some time for your conditions to change, but when you keep yourself feeling good – regardless of what is happening around you – they will. That’s the Law.
• Bless Your Customers: Okay, so this is not a traditional marketing technique, but it really, really works. Instead of complaining about your slow paying customers, or that you can’t get in to see anyone or that no one is buying, want the best for them. Imagine them prosperous, successful and happy, which is exactly what you want for yourself.

The reason this works is what goes around, comes around. When you put out genuine good feelings towards others, they will pick up your vibrations on a subconscious level and automatically feel good about you. Don’t be surprised when they act warmly toward you the next time you call.

• Act As If Everything is Fine: Never tell your customers business is slow – if you can’t keep busy, they’ll wonder what’s wrong with you and why they do business with someone who can’t run their business effectively.
• Get out of the office: Now that you have the time, go visit all your customers so you can get a first-hand understanding of their businesses; chances are excellent you will walk away from these meetings with additional business and referrals. Want new clients? Start attending Chambers of Commerce, networking groups and trade association meetings (no, you don’t need to be a member or know anyone to go).

Finally, be grateful for the business that you have right now, whatever money you have in your bank account and all the good that is in your life. Do these things and you’ll turn a sales slump into a slam dunk every time.

About Janet White

This blog post was brought to you by Janet White of the JW Speakers Agency. This post is reprinted by permission from her e-newsletter Speaking of Business. Janet provides insights, suggestions and tips on low-cost, no-cost ways you can attract more clients, get more business from current clients and maximize the value of your time, money, and energy.