First – if you ever get an opportunity to speak to your peers or your clients you should take it. You may be hesitant to stand up in front of a crowd and speak, but as a business owner you need to get over this. Speaking is a great way to gain credibility and to be known as an expert at what you do, plus people are more likely to remember you and your business.

OK, so now that you have decided you will speak in front of a crowd, what is your offer? Like your website or any other marketing collateral, speaking requires a call-to-action. Here are three different offers you could use for three different events.

Paid Speaking Event

Because you have been paid to be at this event it is likely you will not be able to sell anything. At these events I like to offer something for free. This free item has to have value (e.g. access to your membership site for a month, a group teleseminar, etc.) Offer something that does not add significant amount of time or cost to your business but has value for the attendee.

A great tip from my friend the Millionaire Mentor, Mark Rhodes is to create a feedback form with checkboxes for items that may be of interest to the attendee. For instance:

Yes I am interested in Finding out Where Money Hides in my business and would be like to find out more about Mentoring with Barb.

Include a checkbox for your free item too. At the end of the document add a statement that they will also receive your newsletter. (If you do not have a newsletter then you need to get this working ASAP – don’t put it off).

Why do I add that they will get the newsletter? Because this is how you can stay in touch to let them know about your specials, your in-person events, your programs and/or your mentoring. It also follows the privacy and spamming rules so they are aware they will receive something from you.

Reminder – You must have a newsletter that allows people to Opt-out. Make it easy for them with an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the page.

Remember if you cannot stay in-front of your potential clients then they will forget you.

Unpaid Speaking Event

At this type of event you are often encouraged to sell something. There are different minds on how to do this but I truly love Lisa Sasevich’s teaching so I encourage you to check out my link to her “The Invisible Close” product. I have done many of her programs and have seen significant increase in what I sell at an event.

At these types of events I usually have one program that I am trying to fill. I create three levels of product around the one event, where someone can get just a little or a whole-bunch of me, including a free pre-call or a 6 month coaching package. If you are selling a product or have a physical location then you can offer people something for free if they come to your store (like a “how to” event) or add an additional product to a larger purchase to give these people that have honoured you with their time. There are lots of ways to add value to the simplest offer while you still make money and increase your sales.

Remember to let them know they will also get your high-value newsletter with resources, discounts, and valuable information.

Charity Event

Again, at this type of event you will likely be asked not to sell from the stage. You may also be asked not to tell people about your products at all. In this case I like to have a sign-up sheet that allows me to give away a gift and again gets people on my newsletter list. You could also have a draw for a gift using their business cards and again, let them know they will get your newsletter.

The core message here is always have a call-to-action and always include your stay-in-touch marketing, like your newsletter. Don’t let any opportunity to connect with your potential clients pass you by. If you have something of value for them, they will thank you for it.