A question I receive from clients often: How can I make the most out of the speaking engagements where I am not allowed to sell product or make a sales offer?
My reply: If you have provided the audience with amazing content; if you have been authentic and personable, the sales will come without any selling. But it is also important to make sure the audience does know what you do and how you can help them.
You can mention all that without making a sales pitch. The information about you should be delivered with the same energy the rest of the talk held. I find many speakers rush through the part of their talk where they make sure the audience knows what they do and how to reach them. If they do talk about themselves, they change their energy when they do. For example if they spoke normal toned and energetic in their talk, they turn soft and talk fast when they talk about themselves.
This change comes unconsciously, possibly because the speaker fears feeling like they are selling when they are not allowed to. Remember you can let the audience know what you do and how to reach you without it being a sales pitch. If you do it respectfully and out of a genuine sense of wanting to help people, no one will believe it is a sales pitch, mostly because – bottom line – it isn’t.
Also if it’s permitted by the meeting planner, it is helpful to have brochures, business cards and a signup sheet so you can reach out to the audience after the talk.
That is my quick reply to that question. I am always here to help all speakers with a personalized strategy for all scenarios involving speaking engagements.
Every opportunity can be a big win!
Jennifer Ellis is Owner of Life Enlightenment. She enjoys helping all of her clients reach their goals. Jennifer just launched the Life Enlightenment Virtual Assistant Certification Program to help create more Virtual Assistants with specific skills to assist speakers. Check it out HERE