At the suggestion of speaking in public, most small business owners would choke on their cornflakes. But the good news is there is an ever-growing segment of the Australian marketplace that are discovering just how effective speaking can be for attracting new clients and making more sales.
I know for most people there might be a few fears to get over and if you are nervous about speaking in public, that's ok. Because for most people public speaking is (apparently) their number one fear.
But overcoming this fear takes on an even higher priority when we discover just how beneficial delivering a great presentation can be for your business.
Here the top 5 reasons you should bite the bullet and investigate speaking as the next marketing channel for your business.
The Top Five Benefits Of Public Speaking
1. Increased self confidence
Once you have mastered speaking in front on an audience, whether it is in front of a crowd of ten or a crowd of thousands, your confidence levels will go through the roof. Do this and you can do anything. Honest. 1-1 sales becomes a breeze when you can deliver a simple presentation to a group.
2. Build credibility
When you are on stage you become an authority in your field. People look up to you. Their opinion on you changes simply because you are standing on stage. Strange but true!
Think back to a speaker you’ve seen in the past. Did you automatically assume they were good at what they did?
Imagine if that instant credibility was yours… Imagine – you would be able to ATTRACT more clients effortlessly. Why? Because you are perceived as the expert. You would never have to chase down clients again.
So time to get on it!
3. Reach more people
Most small businesses hit a ceiling in their growth due to staff numbers. But this can be easily remedied by leveraging the time of each sales person, or consultant.
For example -do you find yourself saying the same thing over and over to client after client? Have you ever wished you could get them in a room together and say the same thing to all of them? Well this is simple when you master the art of the Effective Presentation. Now you can share your information one-to-many rather than one-to-one.
4. Make more sales
You will multiply your sales and in far LESS time when you sell to ten (or even a hundred) people at a time rather than selling one on one. It’s simple math. And this holds true regardless of what you are selling: your products, your services, or just the opportunity for a follow-up appointment with a sales consultant who closes the ultimate sale 1-1.
One of my clients who sold security lighting to property developers was trapped selling 1-1, developer after developer. It would often take him eight meetings to close a contract. So he made some changes.
He started delivering presentations to groups of developers at a time, and inviting people to book a 1-1 appointment with him after his presentation. As a result, not only did he increase his conversions (he was now seen as the expert), he also minimised the number of 1-1 appointments he had to do. He was now able to close a deal in 1-2 appointments, where previously he’d been doing it in 5-8.
This is a MASSIVE benefit of public speaking – the opportunity to make more sales in one sitting. It's called leverage. And it can make you a lot of money. Fast.
Nothing I have seen allows a business to accelerate faster than when the key sales person in an organisation masters the art of selling to a group.
Go On . . . Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway!
So, now you know the benefits of public speaking, why not go out there and stretch your comfort zone this week?
If you’ve never spoken at an event (but always secretly wanted to), is now the time to book your first one? It doesn't have to be huge! A few people is as good as start as any. Or if you’ve only ever spoken to smaller audiences, could now be the time to step up to the next level? Or if you’ve spoken to large audiences, what could you do differently that will stretch you this week?
There’s always another step out there. This week could just be the week to take it.
If you’d like some support in designing and delivering an effective presentation, join international speaker, Dr Joanna Martin at one of her live 1-day training programs around Australia in March.
For details, click here.
Dr Joanna Martin is an internationally acclaimed speaker and sought-after educator who has taught over 55,000 people on three continents. She is one of the world’s most successful and inspirational speakers having taken her own speaking business from stand still to 7 figures, and two countries, in 12 months.
Joanna's corporate clients include ANZ Bank, Fairfax Publishing and eBay; and students of her company Shift Speaker Training include successful 6 and 7-figure speakers and coaches alike. Indeed one of her students took her Effective Presentation techniques and made over $2 million in sales at a single weekend seminar.
Comment