Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

Speak Well

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People make judgments about you based on how you speak. Your speech affects your credibility and even how intelligent you are seen as being. 

I recently watched a presentation where the speaker used “uh,” “umm” and other verbal fillers more than 37 times in 10 minutes.  I counted. He fidgeted, put his hands in his pockets and looked completely uncomfortable. He knows his subject, but his nervous mannerisms made him appear less than credible.

Fillers, tics and nervous mannerisms are most common when speaking in front of a group, but can creep in to your daily conversations, too. I overheard two women talking about business, and I was astounded at how often they used the word “like.”

If you catch yourself using “like,” “uh,” “you know,” etc., it usually means that you are stalling for time to think of your next word. Slow down. Take a breath. Think about what you’re saying. Ask a friend to signal you when you slip into one of your bad habits.

To make the best impression, also be sure to:

Use words correctly. It’s better to use a common word correctly than to try to impress by using a long, unusual word incorrectly.

Use proper pronunciation. If you’re not sure how to pronounce a word, look it up in the dictionary. Saying “liberry” instead of “library,” for example, will make a poor impression.

Learn correct grammar. While no one speaks absolutely perfectly 100% of the time, some errors are more egregious than others.  Double negatives (“don’t have no”), “ain’t,” confusing “have” and “got,” mixing singular and plural forms, etc. will grate on the ears of listeners.

Remember that anyone listening to you speak, whether one-on-one or in a group, is usually hoping you will speak well and communicate effectively. They’re on your side. Don’t let nervousness affect your ability to communicate powerfully. 

Profit from “Free” Speeches

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Giving free speeches to professional and community organizations will generate visibility and build your reputation as an expert, helping you to grow your business. But you can also make money – directly and indirectly – from speaking for free.

First, create or obtain products you can sell after your talk. If you do not already have your own products to sell, the fastest way to do this is to buy products from someone else. For example, if you are a expert on personal security, you could offer a few security devices (such as hand-held alarms or pepper spray).

You can also develop information products. Put together booklets of personal security tips for women, security for travelers, keeping your home secure, etc. They don’t take long to write, and can be produced in small quantities for about $1 each. Additional information products would include books, posters, audio and video, t-shirts, etc. An audio program can be created simply by recording one of your talks.

Always provide a handout when you speak. One page is fine. Include some of the important points from your talk, or some tips related to your topic. Make sure you include information about how you can be contacted. On the back, put a brief bio and/or information about your products and services. Include a special offer or coupon, with an expiration date, to encourage the audience to contact you.

Customers often need to see you more than once before they make a buy decision, so keep in front of the audience. Collect names and addresses of the audience members, and mail to them after the talk. Remind them when and where they heard you talk. The organization may give you a list of attendees if you ask. Or, you can collect the information. Offer a drawing for a prize (such as one of your booklets or other products) and collect business cards for the drawing. Or offer to send additional information to those who provide a business card. (Note: Do not add people to your email list without explicit permission.)

After you have been speaking for free for a while, you will get asked about your fee to speak. This opens the door to a whole new set of opportunities. If you are asked about your fee for speaking, it means you are ready to become a professional speaker – a professional expert on your topic.

Asking For the Sale

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ask-for-the-saleAre you asking your customers to buy? This is one of those “duh” things that many of us miss. It’s so simple we often overlook it. And sales will suffer as a result.

The fact is that in order to make a sale, you’ve got to ask someone to buy. It’s not being pushy, it’s just asking.

A while back, I attended a class where I knew going in that the instructor had some optional materials to sell. I had my cash in hand when I walked in, ready to buy, but he never mentioned what was available. I saw the books sitting there and took a look during the break. But even with several of us looking them over, he never asked for the sale. Finally, at the end of the class, when many students had already left, he said something like, “Oh yeah, we’ve got these here if you want one. They’re $15.”

Well, by that time, I’d talked myself out of buying. If he had asked up front, or better yet right before the break, I would have bought one. And many other people would have, too. As it was, he sold a few.

Failing to ask probably cost him a few hundred dollars that night. Look at what he had going for him: All of us knew coming in that something would be available to buy. He did a very good job teaching the class, and showed he knows his stuff. He created the demand, but didn’t show how he would fill it.

He gave out several resources in the class (such as web site addresses) that are listed in the book, and he missed opportunities to say, “These are all in the book I have available, if you don’t want to write all of this down.” That would point out one of the benefits of buying his printed materials.

Most importantly, he failed to show his product respect. If it is really good, he should want us to have it, and encourage us to buy it—not simply mention it as an afterthought.

How can you avoid this trap?

When you do a presentation, ask for the sale. No, you won’t say, “So, do you wanna buy this, or what?” But you can ask, “Would you like to put this on your credit card?,” or “Would you like to take this with you today?,” the ever-popular, “Would you like this one or that one?,” or even “How many would you like?”

Weave benefits into your presentation. Whether you are doing a sales presentation or a speech, talking to one person or thousands, use the opportunity to talk benefits—what your product does to help people.

Tell your audience what you have available for sale. Put the thought in their minds that they could buy and own the item.

Tell them how much it costs. People like to know what their commitment will be.

Encourage questions and objections. Don’t make people sell themselves. Encourage them to ask questions to get the answers they need. It gives you a way to demonstrate the benefits most important to them.

Make it easy for them to buy. Accept checks, credit cards, oh, and cash, too. Sell on account, if that’s appropriate. Some publishers will send a book out before receiving payment. They simply enclose an invoice. Those who have tried it say they get paid every time (although it may depend on your target market).

Respect your customer. They’re not stupid and they don’t want to be pressured. They are however, willing to learn. Teach them about your product, what it can do for them, and why they need it.

Respect your product. Handle it carefully. Have you ever looked at diamond necklaces at a jewelry store? They are displayed on velvet. The salesperson gently removes them from the display case, and hands them to you with care. The atmosphere promotes the idea that these products are valuable. Don’t your products deserve as much respect? (Although you might be able to forego the vault and the guys with guns!)

Reach Out and Teach Someone

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Want to make money while you’re building your credibility and being exposed to hundreds of thousands of potential clients? Teach a class.

Here in Houston, Leisure Learning Unlimited http://www.llu.com presents hundreds of interesting classes in cooking, business, computers, travel, relationships, crafts, and just about everything else. Classes are also offered by many colleges and other organizations.

If you have an idea for a class, come up with a snappy title and list the topics to be covered and the benefits students receive. Then call a class provider and ask how you can propose a course.

Now the bad news: You won’t get rich. You may get paid a set hourly rate as low as $15 – $20 per class hour, or you may receive a percentage of the class fees. These rates may be negotiable, but there is usually not a lot of money available. You may be able to increase your profits by offering required or optional texts.

There are very good reasons to teach, though, even if you don’t get paid much. One, you get exposure in the catalog. Leisure Learning sends out more than 600,000 catalogs a year, and my information is in every one of them. I meet people who already know who I am, because they’ve seen me in the LLU catalog.

Two, many of my clients come from the classes I teach, or from seeing me in the catalog. If someone likes your class, but needs more help, they will turn to you.

Three, you can learn what is important to customers. The feedback you get from students will help you to develop new products and services, and refine your marketing message.

Of course, you can put on a seminar yourself. However, you will have to absorb the cost (in time, money or both) of marketing and registration, as well as the cost of booking a room. And, if the class doesn’t make (which happens), you are out that money with no offsetting income. If you are hired to teach, you don’t have to deal with that. And, the credibility of the sponsoring organization transfers to you, too. My bio includes the names of many of the colleges where I’ve taught continuing education courses.

Look for other opportunities to teach. A professional association may be willing to host your seminar as a fund raiser, and you share revenues. You might even consider doing a free workshop for a community college, library, hospital or other organization, if the exposure you receive is worthwhile. For example, a realtor might offer a session on what a first-time home buyer needs to know. Although the point is to give valuable information, not self-promotion, to whom will students turn when they need a realtor? Probably that knowledgeable person who taught the seminar. How much is that worth to you?

Teaching gives you an expert reputation, increases your income, and it’s fun! I love to teach because I love to learn–and I always learn new things from my students.

Profit from Giving Free Speeches

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speakerGiving free speeches to professional and community organizations is an easy way to improve your credibility and build your reputation as an expert. More than that, it is also a way to make money—directly and indirectly.

First, create or obtain products you can sell after your talk. The fastest way to do this is to buy products from someone else. For example, if you are a expert on personal security, you could offer a few security devices (such as hand-held alarms or pepper spray).

You can also develop information products. Put together booklets of personal security tips for women, security for travelers, keeping your home secure, etc. They don’t take long to write, and can be produced in small quantities for less than $1 each. Additional information products would include books, posters, audio CDs, DVDs, t-shirts, etc. An audio program can be created simply by recording one of your talks.

Always provide a handout when you speak. One page is fine. Include some of the important points from your talk, or some tips related to your topic. Make sure you include information about how you can be contacted. On the back, put a brief bio and/or information about your products and services. Include a special offer or coupon, with an expiration date, to encourage the audience to contact you.

Customers often need to see you more than once before they make a buy decision, so keep yourself in front of the audience. Collect names and addresses of the audience members, and mail to them after the talk. Remind them when and where they heard you talk. The organization may give you a list of attendees if you ask. Or, you can collect the information. Offer a drawing for a prize (such as one of your booklets or other products) and collect business cards for the drawing. Or offer to send additional information to those who provide a business card.

Encourage audience members to sign up for your email list. Do not just add people to your email list because you have their email addresses. Make sure you also have their permission to email them. Doing otherwise makes you a spammer.

After you have been speaking for free for a while, you will get asked about your fee to speak. This opens the door to a whole new set of opportunities. If you are asked about your fee for speaking, it means you are ready to become a professional speaker—a professional expert on your topic.

Learn more about creating information products and making your speaking more profitable here.