Speaking opportunities can help promote your business. Consider speaking engagements that will bring visibility to your business.  However, don't grab every engagement and give a stock speech. 

Are you familiar with what is known as the “stump speech?” Politicians used to stand on a dead tree stump and give a talk to those willing to listen. The politician would give the same speech everywhere,  adding local color as possible. While it worked in that day, today we need to be more focused when speaking on behalf of our business.

“Keith” was explaining what a good bargainer he was and how he always got the lowest price. I asked Keith if he needed brain surgery would he would take a $500 surgery bid over a $35,000 bid from a qualified specialist.  Of course Ken would take the specialist.  Then, I asked if one specialist was $35,000 and the other $33,000, would you simply take the lower bid and move on or would you check into qualifications, patient outcomes, and patient satisfaction? Of course he would decide evaluate all factors before making a decision. The key is to determine which provider has the best value rather than just the lowest price. 

When I was a teenager, I made quite a bit of extra money selling Christmas cards. After I hit up my relatives, I contacted my parents’ friends and the parents of my friends to see if I could sell Christmas cards to them. When those prospects were exhausted, I went door-to-door pulling my albums in an old American Flyer wagon.  Each time I rang the doorbell I was hopeful I'd find a great prospect that would look over my albums and place in order. However, this was not always the case. I developed a habit of thinking that my next doorbell would be more productive. After each “no,” I resolved to keep going until I found a receptive prospect that would place an order.

As I became older, I began to experience more no’s from potential customers. Some days I would become so discouraged that I just wanted go home.  However, I learned a different and better response.

First, I understood that sales are partly a numbers game. The more sales calls I made, the more likely I was to make sales. In the Christmas card business I learned that out of every seven or eight houses, I would find a customer. If I quit after the first few negative responses, I'd go home empty. However, by continuing to knock on doors; sooner or later I'd bring home an order every afternoon after school.

For over two years I belonged to a local Business Network International. This group is dedicated to helping members grow their businesses through generating referrals. I understand these networking groups are not for everyone or for every business.  However, in many instances they have significant value.

One value of them is that at each meeting members give a 60-second commercial regarding their business or another selected topic. I've noticed that some members significantly improve their commercials. One fellow would stand up and say “I build houses,” and sit down. After a number of meetings, he started talking about additions and specific construction details which could entice someone to use his services.

Allen asked me to review some ad copy that contained a number of claims: “You will save money;” “The system is reliable,” or “My system is easy to use.” My first response was, “Says you!” 

Allen paused before he asked, “What do you mean?” I explained that his entire advertisement was made of claims without providing any evidence. How did he expect prospective customers to trust his statements without evidence?