103 - Tip Tuesday - Using Speaking to Build Your Business with Jeff Klein

No, we're not talking about becoming a public speaker, and living your life from a stage.  What we are talking about is how to get in front of potential clients by speaking and using it as a tool to market and build your business.  This can be an incredible way for you to establish yourself as an expert and to find clients in places that you might not have originally considered.

Jeff Klein, owner of Speaker Co-op came by to talk about how to even begin thinking about adding speaking, the tools you're going to need, and where you can start looking to find your first audience.

Where would someone even begin for starting to speak for business?  The first place you want to start is to think about your marketing.  Start thinking about what you can talk about that's marketable.  It doesn't necessarily have to be about your core business.   There's a guy in the local market who talks about leadership, even though he's a financial planner.  In that last-minute he talks about what he does for a living.  It's a great way to start generating leads.  Your business might be a direct path, but everyone is an expert in something.  However, you have to be someone the rotary and chambers would have in their room.

One thing to also consider who your target market is, and make sure you're getting in front of the people who you actually want to work with.

Another example Jeff gives is a tree service business.   So with a tree service business, you're only getting paid when you're doing tree service type work.  Now one or two organizations might want to talk about trees.  So in order to create something that's marketable to a larger amount of groups, you would need to speak about relatable topics.  You could talk about sustainability in your business, and how to become more green.  And as you pass out information and worksheets, you would make sure to include your business information on those.

Not only can this business get in front of people, but they can create different offerings around teaching others how to become more green in their business.  Now, they're not just getting revenue when the crew is out getting trees.  They're potentially getting paid when it rains, snows, and even while sleeping.

Besides getting a 20 minute speech ready, what should you also be prepared with?  You always want to ask the venue to provide you with a table to display things.  You'll want a sign about your business, a flyer, possibly a book, either yours or someone else 's that you can give as a door prize.  You'll also want some sort of product to sell (even just a cd of teaching others).  You'll then want a worksheet that you can pass out that's relatable to your speech.  So if someone is taking notes, they actually take it home.  Make sure to actually bring an enrollment form so someone can buy from you.

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What do you exactly need from a product perspective that you can sell?  You don't have to have an extra product, but what they do is give you extra revenue that you might be missing out on.  Not everyone in your audience might be a prospect to purchase immediately.  However, everyone could want something simple, like a $20 product.

You could have someone you know do an interview with you that's more in detail about your talk.  So you would have your 20 minute talk, and then have a one hour audio for $20.

However, keep in mind that you just need a compelling topic, and a 20 minute valuable talk.

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Where do you start calling?  Every rotary district has a website, and most of them have a speaker list that their clubs have access to.  There are also countless groups, like women business groups, minority niche business groups, veterans groups, family ministries, couple ministries, etc,  Pretty much any type you can think of.  Start getting on Google and finding places where you can speak.

Get out and start networking, and make your request to connect with a friend who runs a group.  They're the ones who need a speaker a month or one almost every week.

Jeff also recommends having an accountability partner where you can see each other speak and practice to each other.  Make sure you're helping each other as your speaking businesses grow.

More About Jeff:  Jeff Klein has received rave reviews speaking to trade associations, sales organizations, national conventions, and business groups. Following a successful career in Movie & TV Production, Advertising, and Marketing, Jeff has been a sought after Public Speaker since 2004. He has enjoyed speaking over 500 times and reaching tens of thousands of professionals across North America.

As the Founder of Speaker Co-op, Jeff teaches the Art of Speaking to Market Business to Entrepreneurs, Subject-Matter Experts, and Thought Leaders.

Jeff also teaches Business Networking inside companies, to sales teams, at meetings, and at National and International Conferences of Salespeople and Business Owners.
Jeff has served on non-profit boards for the Dallas Jewish Community, the SwimPlus Foundation, Team Networking, and the Young Professionals of Plano, part of the Plano Chamber of Commerce. His volunteer work includes the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure, the Anti-Defamation League, and his Synagogue in Plano.