I believe strongly that every entrepreneur should speak if they want to find more clients…
…even if you don’t want to be or consider yourself a speaker.
Before I tell you why, consider this:
- Would you like to be able to easily find more clients?
- Does the question of “when on earth is someone going to finally say YES” sometimes keep you up at night?
- Are you exhausted by ups and downs in your entrepreneurial income where you’re constantly swirling between, “Yay! I’ve got a client!” and “Oh my gosh, how the heck am I going to find my next client?”
If I’m describing you even remotely, I want you to know that speaking changed my business into a “real business” (where I was actually making money consistently and serving real human clients on an ongoing basis), even though I am a mega-introvert who gets anxious speaking in front of groups of people ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the time…
How to Get More Clients, Part One: 3 big reasons speaking is the perfect next step for you
Reason #1 You Should Start Speaking: Visibility & Credibility
Speaking is an awesome way to get instant visibility and credibility for your business, even if you’re brand new or still struggling to get clients.
If you’ve been an online entrepreneur for any length of time at all, you have probably realized one messy and unfortunate truth:
If you build it, they do NOT necessarily come.
Getting eyeballs on your business is not easy. You have to find a way to grow an audience. Simply putting up a website or designing an online course or creating a Facebook Page is NOT enough.
If you’ve tried those things and they aren’t working for you, it’s not because you did them wrong. It’s because those strategies alone do not work. (So stop feeling bad about it, okay?)
Here’s what does work: Speaking.
Why?
You have to find people to make offers to. If you want more clients, you need leads and prospects, period. The easiest way to do that is by getting your face and your message in front of people who really could use it… not by hiding behind a computer screen tinkering with your branding colors.
Reason #2 You Should Start Speaking: Fast-Track Your Biz Growth
Now, I know you know I’m not a big fan of hype-y marketing language…
“Grow your 7-figure online biz in 3 easy steps!”
“How to blah blah blah even with no email list!”
“Secrets to easy passive income while you sleep!”
(Ugh, please. Just stop.)
…Speaking is almost (but not quite) an exception to my no-hype rule for one simple reason: speaking works to help you get known and get clients quickly.
You may have heard of the “know, like, and trust” factor. What this means is that people have to basically fall in love with you before they’ll be ready to buy from you… and the good news is that speaking helps you fast-track that process because you are giving them an opportunity to connect with YOU, not just your website, brochure, or business card.
There are so many organizations out there looking for speakers, everything from Rotary Club meetings and small community events to bigger conferences and corporate gigs. In fact, Lisa Sasevich (of Speak-to-Sell fame) has a directory of 108 places to speak and get new clients that she periodically releases to the public.
(Update 7/26/18: The directory of 108 places to get speaking gigs is available.)
In fact, there are SO MANY PEOPLE looking for speakers right now that:
- You don’t have to have a fancy speaker reel or professionally-done speaker sheet
- You don’t have to have a website or have a book or otherwise be even remotely well-known
- You don’t even need to have any speaking experience
There is just one thing you DO need to have: something you feel called to share (see reason #3 below).
Reason #3 You Should Start Speaking: It leverages the best marketing tool in the book
You have something to say that no one else can.
-Lisa Sasevich
You may have heard me talk about Lisa Sasevich before.
She is the mentor responsible for helping me find my mission, passion, and voice.
Sounds lofty and super woo-woo I know, but the truth is that I would still be being invisible behind my computer working my tail off making other people’s businesses a success… if it weren’t for Lisa.
Being in Lisa’s tribe helped me to uncover something profoundly true and also usually totally unbelievable (until you experience if for yourself, that is):
THE best (and actually the only) marketing “tactic” you can ever, ever master is simply this: Use your own voice, always.
When you speak – and this is an incredibly beautiful thing by the way – you don’t have to be “polished” or “professional.” You just need to be you. Your words, your voice, your way of moving and expressing yourself.
You can say “ummm” and “uhhhh.”
You can flub a bunch of words.
You can lose your place in your notes (yes, you can have notes!!) and go, “Hang on, guys, I need to figure out where I was!”
It’s not about being perfect, it’s simply about being you.
(That sounded like BS to me when I first heard it, actually. And then after a couple of years of modeling others’ “marketing tricks” and failing miserably, I decided to give being myself a go, and all of a sudden the pieces finally, finally started to fall into place.)
Of course, it’s nice if you have an idea what you want to say.
It’s also helpful if you have some idea where you might find gigs (hence why I shared Lisa’s directory of 108 places to speak and find new clients).
Other than that, the only thing you really need is a desire to share what’s in your heart and people. will. love. you.
If you want more clients who are not just paying you money but also are a lot of fun to work with and don’t drive you crazy, speaking is a great way to find those clients…
…Because the people who hear your heartfelt message and see you for who you are AND THEN decide “Hey, wow! Tell me more please!” … those people are always the most fun to work with because you already know that they get you and resonate with you (hello, mutual admiration society!).
Has speaking been on your mind? What’s been holding you back?
I really hope you’ve found this post helpful. If you have, please do 2 things for me: (1) leave a comment below and (2) share this post with 1 or 2 people you think would really benefit. Thank you!
I appreciate you,
Kathryn
Thanks for sharing this resource. I love speaking, and I’m really good at it. But I always get tripped up over, “WHERE can I actually speak?”
Your comments about being yourself are SO true. You can only “fake it” for so long. Then you end up feeling like a fraud (which so many people struggle with in the FIRST place. Better to embrace who you are and be authentic to that, right from the beginning. Be you. Because you are enough.