Offline Marketers - Three Lead Generation Techniques You Need To Start Using Today...

24 replies
Hey Offline Warrior,

This post is going to be quick, I'm about to head out the door to have a late lunch with a colleague of mine.

Below are three of my favorite lead generation strategies. They aren't always free, but they're effective. If you have any questions about any of the ideas here, just reply to the thread and I'll do my best to answer them as soon as I can.

1. Public Speaking

If you can get in front of a group of business owners, you've automatically set yourself up as an expert in their eyes. Even if you've been a part of their group for months and they know you well, just by being on stage you're looked upon as their superior.

Talking to groups of business owners will repeatedly bring in qualified leads that are ready to buy your services.

However, finding groups to talk to can be hard, especially if you've never spoken in front of a group before.

My favorite place to find a group is through Meetup.com. Via Meetup you're able to directly email the owner of any group. This makes it fairly easy to find groups who could use your expertise.

Here's a short, yet effective email that will bring in some good responses. Feel free to use it.

Hey [name],

I hope everything's going well with you.

I'm sure you're extremely busy, so let me be brief.

You have a bustling group here on Meetup, and I'd love to have a chance to share some of my knowledge with them. I'm a marketing consultant who focuses on using the internet to reduce marketing costs but still increase response.

You may be a bit weary of letting me just get up and talk to your group, so I'd love to buy you a cup of coffee in exchange for a few minutes of your time.

I look forward to hearing back from you very soon.

Yours in business,

Your name
2. Direct mail

This topic has been discussed at length here on these forums, and there has been letter after letter posted here that other Warriors have used.

I'll give you one simple letter that I've used as well as a way to find people to mail.

Manta.com is a fantastic website that I've used for months to help me locate businesses that could use my help. Through Manta you can sort through businesses that only have a certain number of employees, single locations, and certain revenues.

By sorting this way you're going to find a good number of local companies in which the owner works and manages. These are who you should be going after.

Not only that, but you'll also be getting their mailing address and the business owner's name.

Now, find 40-50 businesses and send them the following letter...

Dear [name],

I hope all is well with you.

My name is Chris Ramsey and I'm a local marketing consultant. I know you're busy, so I'll be brief.

I've looked over your website and I have a few ideas that I believe could bring you some new clients as well as reduce your current marketing costs. I'd love to get together sometime and toss around some ideas to see how you feel about them.

Feel free to give me a call at 555-555-5555 or email me at Name@Website.com.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this letter.

Talk soon!

Chris Ramsey
(real signature)
As always, handwrite your envelopes for a better response.

3. Press Releases

This is a fantastic way to get your business in the news, and therefore generate some huge interest in your company.

When I first started doing offline consulting (most web design/development) I offered free services to a non-profit company. By doing this, I had something newsworthy to promote.

If you're going the route of press releases, you NEED something newsworthy, otherwise you'll get skimmed over just like so many others.

Helping out a company that helps others is a great way to do this. Your press release could simply be about you teaming up with So&So Inc. to bring awareness to the Elephant Flu... or whatever the cause is.

Once you have a solid PR written (There's hundreds of formats available to you online) it's time to start sending it out. You could get a list of possible magazines and newspapers, or you could just go local. Going local is often the easiest route.

Call up your newspaper and ask for the editor. You may be directed to his answering machine, but if you get his name in advance, you can simply ask for him by name. This gives you a better chance at talking to him.

Once he's on the phone, simply let him know you're going to fax a press release over that he might be interested in. It's short and to the point, so he won't have to waste his time if he doesn't like it.

Get the fax number, thank him, and hang up. That's all.

Now fax it in!

Because you've personally talked to the editor, your chances at getting the PR noticed is a heck of a lot higher than if it was just randomly faxed in.

-------------------------

Now, we've covered three different methods for generating solid leads that are interested in what you're offering... there's thousands more though. I think this would be a good place to start talking about those methods.

If you have a method you'd like to share with the community, please post it here. We'd all appreciate it.
#generation #lead #marketers #offline #start #techniques #today
  • Profile picture of the author Kelly Verge
    I love doing seminars. They seem to be an easy and effective way to talk to a group of prospects at one time.

    I've never considered using Meetup to promote one, though. That's a great idea.

    -K
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Ramsey
      Hey Kelly,

      Before my little Central America trip (last fall) I had a short-lived Meetup group of my own.

      Turnout was great even at the first meeting.

      I'd suggest having your own group to anybody who's serious about booking their calendar. In fact, for nearly any service professional I would suggest it.
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    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      Nice tips.

      My high school English teacher would have had a field day with this email intro:

      "I hope everything's going well with you.

      I'm sure you're extremely busy, so let me be brief."


      She might have said something like if you were trying to be brief you wouldn't have wasted my time with those first 2 sentences.

      If you want to get a high response from your emails customize and personalize.

      Remember that just ONE group that has you as a speaker can be worth thousands of dollars to you...even tens of thousands....so it's worth the time to research the group and their site, find out who you're emailing etc and then personalize that email as much as possible.


      I'd also add one more lead generating technique...

      4. Ask everyone you talk to for referrals.

      Referrals are the easiest prospects to convert to paying clients.

      If you get face to face with a business owner and give him some good suggestions...establishing that you really do know your stuff....then he's going to want to reciprocate even if he doesn't hire you.

      So if you ask which other business owners he knows in the street, which friends he might have who also own businesses etc etc then there's a good chance he'll introduce you to someone.

      And those prospects are very easy to convert.


      Many people have a shotgun approach to approaching businesses and that's a whole lot better than doing nothing.

      But if you keep in mind the value of just ONE good client then you'll realize that you can afford to take some time with each prospect and get the maximum value from them.

      Even if they don't hire you they can be a fantastic source of referrals.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
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      • Profile picture of the author Nightengale
        Excellent info!

        I get a little nervous when doing any kind of public speaking, but basically, I do well at it and actually like it. I haven't done much of it though, so I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to get started.

        If you don't know, I just lost my job less than a week ago. I'm out trying to get another job, but I'd much rather jumpstart my own online consulting business for local offline businesses.

        Thing is, I need to get in front of business owners FAST. I'm trying to figure out how to get in front of local business owners with credibility.

        MeetUp.com is a great suggestion.

        How would you approach your local Chamber of Commerce to get speaking gigs?

        Also, there was a thread here a couple of weeks ago titled something like "Get Unlimited FREE Leads." The link in the post led to a video which I didn't have time to watch at the moment, but if I remember correctly, the post and video talked about how to get the names of the owners of local businesses as well as the business profile.

        Does anyone know where that post is? I've done a search and still can't find it.

        Thanks,
        Michelle
        Signature
        "You can't market here. This is a marketing discussion forum!"
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        • Profile picture of the author Chris Ramsey
          Hey Andrew - As always, great post!

          Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh View Post

          Nice tips.

          My high school English teacher would have had a field day with this email intro:

          "I hope everything's going well with you.

          I'm sure you're extremely busy, so let me be brief."


          She might have said something like if you were trying to be brief you wouldn't have wasted my time with those first 2 sentences.
          She'd be right too, however for those that aren't "hip to the jive" with copywriting, having these two sentences ensures the reader that you're going to be in and out, no trouble or taking away too much time.


          Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh View Post

          If you want to get a high response from your emails customize and personalize.

          Remember that just ONE group that has you as a speaker can be worth thousands of dollars to you...even tens of thousands....so it's worth the time to research the group and their site, find out who you're emailing etc and then personalize that email as much as possible.

          I'd also add one more lead generating technique...

          4. Ask everyone you talk to for referrals.
          I have a long-time friend who's been doing something similar to our offline consulting for a few years now. He did a small business trade with a referral expert in his area. After using just a couple of his tips, he's seen huge increases in his business.

          Referral business always pays great, and it's easy to book.

          Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh View Post

          Referrals are the easiest prospects to convert to paying clients.

          If you get face to face with a business owner and give him some good suggestions...establishing that you really do know your stuff....then he's going to want to reciprocate even if he doesn't hire you.

          So if you ask which other business owners he knows in the street, which friends he might have who also own businesses etc etc then there's a good chance he'll introduce you to someone.

          And those prospects are very easy to convert.


          Many people have a shotgun approach to approaching businesses and that's a whole lot better than doing nothing.

          But if you keep in mind the value of just ONE good client then you'll realize that you can afford to take some time with each prospect and get the maximum value from them.

          Even if they don't hire you they can be a fantastic source of referrals.

          Kindest regards,
          Andrew Cavanagh
          Originally Posted by Nightengale View Post

          Excellent info!

          I get a little nervous when doing any kind of public speaking, but basically, I do well at it and actually like it. I haven't done much of it though, so I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to get started.

          If you don't know, I just lost my job less than a week ago. I'm out trying to get another job, but I'd much rather jumpstart my own online consulting business for local offline businesses.

          Thing is, I need to get in front of business owners FAST. I'm trying to figure out how to get in front of local business owners with credibility.

          MeetUp.com is a great suggestion.

          How would you approach your local Chamber of Commerce to get speaking gigs?
          I've lived in a few different cities since starting the offline consulting gig, and each one required you to be a Chamber member in order to speak in front of them... of course if you get friendly with the board, you can probably get past that quickly.
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  • Profile picture of the author Leigh Beckett
    I've used public speaking as a marketing tool for years. I'm a member of a couple of Meetup groups. They work well for networking but they're not always so keen on people just delivering speeches/seminars because they want everyone to have a voice... otherwise I suppose it would be called Speakup

    Anyway, other useful places I've used as a platform for speaking events are:

    The local libraries - they often hold speaker series and are always looking for content. The great thing is they do all the marketing. I spoke at the business library where I live and they mailed out flyers to previous attendants and promoted it in the library for weeks before the date.

    Chamber of commerce - they always want interesting stuff to present to their members, although if you're niche is already covered by a chamber member they may not be so keen. Make sure you collect their business cards and let them know you'll follow up

    Rotary - this probably falls into after-dinner speaking. I've spoken at rotary events several times and it has always had a positive outcome either by doing some business or being referred to speak at other clubs - Rotarians are big on being members of clubs so they are a great resource.

    Community college - I had a fixed monthly event at my local community college about a year ago. They were well attended and people were interested in getting more info etc outside the venue.

    BDOs - Business Development Organizations. I live in New York so there are literally hundreds. They're like mini chambers-of-commerce. If you have something interesting to say to their members and can offer a free gift they are all over you! Make sure you collect their business cards and let them know you'll follow up

    Insurance companies - I have spoken at four events staged by insurance companies. The deal is that they invite an audience of local business people and offer them an opportunity to network along with an interesting seminar and free gift supplied by you. After the seminar they provide a some refreshment and pitch them their insurance/investment/annuity products. Make sure you collect their business cards and let them know you'll follow up

    The bank - works the same way as the insurance company gig, although they usually invite a specific section of their business customers and you have to provide something appropriate in terms of content. These are often networking breakfast or evening mixer event. Make sure you collect their business cards and let them know you'll follow up

    This list is not exhaustive and there are dozens of places to speak if you do some research.

    Hope this helps
    Leigh
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    • Profile picture of the author Nightengale
      Thanks Leigh!

      I've attended only a couple of MeetUp meetings. I was working full-time and it was exhausting to drive down to Ft. Lauderdale on a weeknight after work. I did it only once or twice.

      I know what you mean about letting everyone speak.

      I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a better idea to start my own MeetUp group so I could hold it locally and use it as a platform for sharing free tips/info/advice and get business that way? Trouble is, I'd have to find a place that wouldn't cost any money. The library won't let me hold meetings there and at this point, I can't afford to rent a room myself.

      I'm not sure where else I could do it. Panera Bread isn't ideal for more than 3-4 people at a time and it can be noisy during peak hours.

      ????

      Thanks,
      Michelle
      Signature
      "You can't market here. This is a marketing discussion forum!"
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      • Profile picture of the author Chris Ramsey
        Originally Posted by Nightengale View Post

        I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a better idea to start my own MeetUp group so I could hold it locally and use it as a platform for sharing free tips/info/advice and get business that way? Trouble is, I'd have to find a place that wouldn't cost any money. The library won't let me hold meetings there and at this point, I can't afford to rent a room myself.

        I'm not sure where else I could do it. Panera Bread isn't ideal for more than 3-4 people at a time and it can be noisy during peak hours.

        ????

        Thanks,
        Michelle
        Running your own Meetup IS going to get you clients. No doubt about it.

        My group actually asked if we could meet at Panera Some have a room you can reserve for meetings like yours. Many don't though.

        If you're charging a fee to get into the meetup, you could hold it at a hotel. You can usually find a room for under $200 at the smaller venues.

        If you've got a big-ish home, that would also work well. It'd give people a real sense of trust in you if you let them into your house.

        Hope these will give you a few ideas to jump off of.
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        • Profile picture of the author Nightengale
          Holding it in my own home is an interesting idea.

          Up until recently, it just was not possible since my home was under renovation. (Well, new floors were being laid and the house was a DISASTER for MONTHS and MONTHS.) But it's recently been put back together.

          My home isn't nicely decorated though so it's not impressive. But it's finally fit to have someone come over. (I haven't even been inviting friends over because it was such a mess.) So I guess this IS an option.

          My only concern about it is safety. I'm a single woman and safety IS an issue. I guess it would depend on who I attracted to my little presentations.

          My local Paneras don't have a separate room though. Still, it's worth a try....

          Where on earth do you find rooms for $200??? That would be nice!

          Michelle
          Signature
          "You can't market here. This is a marketing discussion forum!"
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        • Profile picture of the author Leigh Beckett
          Starting your own meetup group is a great idea but remember, anyone who wants to attend a meetup for a particular niche is just as likely to be looking for clients as you are.

          I am a member of three meetups, one of which I started myself. I have picked up clients from each of them but I find its the people they know outside the group that most likely to become clients - I use the meetup members as referral sources rather than prospects.

          Two of my groups meet in private function rooms attached to restaurants. One of the groups is so well attended we meet in the function suite next to a church. The group I founded meets in a different venue each time - every member is invited to host the meeting and most of them have space where they work or they come up with a suitable diner/cafe etc. We've met in the lobby of a couple of large hotels - find a quiet corner, order coffee if you have to. We've also done promo deals with a couple of conference-room-by-the-hour places. Two of the members are CPAs and we use their conference rooms on a regular basis.

          There are lots of places to meet - you just have to find them
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeff Snyder
        Originally Posted by Nightengale View Post

        Thanks Leigh!

        I've attended only a couple of MeetUp meetings. I was working full-time and it was exhausting to drive down to Ft. Lauderdale on a weeknight after work. I did it only once or twice.

        I know what you mean about letting everyone speak.

        I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a better idea to start my own MeetUp group so I could hold it locally and use it as a platform for sharing free tips/info/advice and get business that way? Trouble is, I'd have to find a place that wouldn't cost any money. The library won't let me hold meetings there and at this point, I can't afford to rent a room myself.

        I'm not sure where else I could do it. Panera Bread isn't ideal for more than 3-4 people at a time and it can be noisy during peak hours.

        ????

        Thanks,
        Michelle
        One good place to hold MeetUp groups is restaurant party-rooms or hotel restaurants.

        Find a time they have unbooked space and tell them you'll bring people in for appetizers and desserts. Most restaurants are more than happy to do this and many have large spaces you can use. You're brining people into their restaurant at a time they otherwise wouldn't have those people in there, so it's really win win for everyone.

        In your meetup announcement, tell your group the meetup is free but they need to buy an appetizer, dessert, or meal.

        Give it a shot, it works
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      • Profile picture of the author lipstickchick
        Michelle

        This will take some legwork but you can find plenty of restaurants and coffee shops that have back rooms for meetings. A Chick-fil-a near me has a separate room with Wi-fi, dvd, overhead projector..... all for free if people buy lunch. I go to a meetup that meets in a sports bar on Saturday afternoon right at opening time. Very little business in the bar at that time. A coffee shop in my neighborhood has a separate room that anyone can reserve. Ask around, you can find something.
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        • Profile picture of the author Nightengale
          Lipstick Chick,

          Thanks for the tip!

          Leigh,

          That was my experience with the MeetUp groups before: people were using them mainly to GET clients. I met some nice women, but the group was small and the woman I connected the most with was selling self-help material and services (transformational, self-image, positive-thinking kind of stuff) which I have a personal bias AGAINST. I absolutely HATE that stuff, so it wasn't a good thing.

          (I DO believe that positive thinking, a strong self-image and faith are important and key components to personal and professional success. But I feel that most positive-thinking programs and gurus are a little on the smarmy side. Self-awareness and soul-searching are important and have their place, but most often, I felt that such programs actually made me doubt myself and actually feel bad about myself more often that not. I HATE the feeling they give me and I steer clear of them as much as possible.)

          Anyway, I need to do some thinking to attract the kind of clients I want and make this work for me.

          I could do a small FREE presentation about getting a local business listing in Google and issue a press release to my local media to get people attending that way.... I'm just not sure how many people I could attract by doing that.

          I need to think about what else I could be doing to attract people to such a free presentation....

          Michelle
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      • Profile picture of the author T.R. McCarroll
        Originally Posted by Nightengale View Post

        Thanks Leigh!

        I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a better idea to start my own MeetUp group so I could hold it locally and use it as a platform for sharing free tips/info/advice and get business that way? Trouble is, I'd have to find a place that wouldn't cost any money. The library won't let me hold meetings there and at this point, I can't afford to rent a room myself.
        Just Do It! Start yor own meeting..easy enough to do .. make sure you advertise a topic that will bring in your type of potential client ..

        as far as a place to use:

        1. Denny's Restaurant (sometimes have an area walled off for overflow .. free if they buy a meal) like breakfast

        2. Team up with a complimentary partner .. graphic designer / web designer etc and see if they can host a meeting ..if your potential partner lives in a larger condo complex they almost always have a "Great Room" to use

        3. Try area churches

        4. Try local schools

        leverage who you know to accomplish this.

        Hope this helps

        Thom
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  • Profile picture of the author xlfutur1
    Thanks for the meetup tip, never thought of that one.

    As far as the direct mail, that opening might be a little weak. How about this maybe...

    Dear [name],

    My name is Chris Ramsey and I specialize in helping local businesses increase sales while lowering advertising costs at the same time.

    I have spent some time today looking over your website www.theirsite.com and I came up with a number of things that could improve sales for you.

    In fact, I wrote down 10 ideas and strategies that I believe could help bring you new customers - and keep them coming back.

    I would like to share these ideas over a cup of coffee this week if at all possible - I'll buy.

    No obligation of course.

    When you get a minute, give me a call at 555-555-5555 or email me at Name@Website.com to schedule a convenient time to meet. The Starbucks on [starbucks street location here] would work great for me. Mornings are good.

    Thanks so much, and I'll look forward to sharing my findings with you.

    Sincerely,

    Chris Ramsey
    (real signature)

    Of course you would have to test this.
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  • Profile picture of the author Emersion
    Great tips, Chris. Always appreciate free information! I just wanted to add to your 3rd method - Press Releases. It can be really difficult to get in touch with the right person at your local newspaper or news station. They get TONS of press releases, faxes, emails, & phone calls every day. But here's a cool way to get a foot in the door that worked for me.

    I noticed that more and more local reporters are starting their own personal Twitter pages. Most of them are new to Twitter still and don't have many followers yet so they are easy to contact via Twitter. I befriended a couple of local news reporters on Twitter and then eventually told them about how I did a free website and some free marketing for a local non-profit. They jumped all over it and obviously know the right people to talk to in order to get the story on air. I made the 10:00 news. Not bad =) (it was good exposure for the non-profit organization too!)
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    • Profile picture of the author Denise Million
      Could some of you who have done these short talks at meetups give us an outline of what to talk about? Maybe covering the title of our talk, what to cover for each service (email marketing, video marketing, article marketing, website layout for best conversion and whatever else).

      For those of us who have never been a public speaker - we could use how to open the meeting, what to say in the middle to not sound too salesy, and how to close it. And what handouts to have with us.

      Could you tell us from the angle of it being our own meetup and who we are telling people this is for to get the right crowd.

      And also from the angle if we are offering to speak at someone else's meetup.

      Thanks.
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      • Profile picture of the author T.R. McCarroll
        Originally Posted by Denise Million View Post

        Could some of you who have done these short talks at meetups give us an outline of what to talk about? Maybe covering the title of our talk, what to cover for each service (email marketing, video marketing, article marketing, website layout for best conversion and whatever else).

        For those of us who have never been a public speaker - we could use how to open the meeting, what to say in the middle to not sound too salesy, and how to close it. And what handouts to have with us.

        Could you tell us from the angle of it being our own meetup and who we are telling people this is for to get the right crowd.

        And also from the angle if we are offering to speak at someone else's meetup.

        If you understand most of the Offline threads you are going in as a business problem solver and for the most part listen to what the business owner is TELLING you what they want.

        The same for public speaking you are there to inform and help solve their business problems.

        Thanks.
        The meetings I have been to are very informal and are led by the organizer. It depends on what the organizer has on the schedule. The usual is an intro by name and a short 15 second on what you do.

        You need to approach the organizer and let them know you have a topic you think would benefit the group and then you pick out one of the above you would like to talk about. DO NOT GET technical in your talk. Give the attendees enought information to have them come see you after the meeting and/or to ask you questions during your session.

        the whole idea about meet-up is they sort of advertise for you. The majority of the people coming are from the Meet-up community. You need to be crystal clear in your description of the type of group you are forming.

        Presentation: there are a million sites to teach how to give a presentation so start there.

        Other Meetings: the angle is you have information that will help their group understand the topic, use it to better their business.

        If you understand most of the Offline threads you are going in as a business problem solver and for the most part listen to what the business owner is TELLING you what they want.

        The same for public speaking you are there to inform and help solve their business problems.

        Hope this help with your questions.

        Thom
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        • Profile picture of the author Zanti
          This isn't for actual presentations, I think Thom gave some great information on that for you.

          But for some general business networking info. I have a section in my book that may help. Here is what I share:

          BUSINESS NETWORKING STRATEGIES

          Let's take a look at some general tips and local Networking opportunities first.

          Understand the reason that you are Networking is to build your business and contacts that may prove beneficial.

          As best as you can, try to make Networking a natural and fun part of doing business.

          You must be completely confident and knowledgeable about your business and niche to effectively engage in Business Networking. This will not be the time to "fake it until you make it." First impressions can last a long time and often forever.

          You will find that there are several groups, organizations, clubs, churches, schools, and meetings that take place on a regular basis. Search those out that fit your business model or niche and become involved.

          Reminder: Whatever activities you become involved with you must provide some type of value to the activity. If your only purpose for attending is to get more sales, Business Networking will backfire on you. You'll receive more business from giving than by taking.

          You have your tools on you to give and gather information. Don't forget to dress the part for the event you're attending.

          In any Business Networking situation, being a great listener is more than half the battle. Talk less and listen more.

          The better you can retain and use first names of the people you meet the more opportunities you will create. Practice, using visual imagery or any other technique you know to remember names.

          Always follow-up the same or next day with any contact you make. Send out an email or better a hand written note card.

          Hope this information helps.

          Brian
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          Brian Alexzander ~ Irie To The Highest - Respect
          "Irie"...the ultimate positive, powerful, pleasing, all encompassing quality/vibration


          A Candle Never Loses Any Of Its Own Light... By Lighting Another Candle

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  • Profile picture of the author ijohnson
    Good questions, Denise!

    I'm surprised none of the experienced offline-WF'ers have answered your questions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Originally Posted by Chris Ramsey View Post


    1. Public Speaking

    If you can get in front of a group of business owners, you've automatically set yourself up as an expert in their eyes.
    I'll testify to that. I once gave a talk about web design and one of the people in attendance was in charge of the marketing board for a local college. A few weeks later he called me with an invitation. Long story short - I've been a board member ever since.
    Signature

    Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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  • Profile picture of the author Zanti
    To tag on to what Dennis and Chris said, be prepared, know your stuff, present it with confidence and good things happen. Oh, and have fun doing it. If you're having fun in your presentation it shows up.

    Brian
    Signature
    Brian Alexzander ~ Irie To The Highest - Respect
    "Irie"...the ultimate positive, powerful, pleasing, all encompassing quality/vibration


    A Candle Never Loses Any Of Its Own Light... By Lighting Another Candle

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  • Profile picture of the author WordWaves
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author Denise Million
      Thanks Thom for the tips.

      I'm thinking from the few responses that maybe not too many people have gone the speaking route.

      It would really help me if I had an outline to follow or something like that.
      Not sure if it'd be best to cover one thing in depth or go over a lot of things needed to market online and just touch on each one lightly.
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      • Profile picture of the author T.R. McCarroll
        Originally Posted by Denise Million View Post

        Thanks Thom for the tips.

        I'm thinking from the few responses that maybe not too many people have gone the speaking route.

        It would really help me if I had an outline to follow or something like that.
        Not sure if it'd be best to cover one thing in depth or go over a lot of things needed to market online and just touch on each one lightly.
        Unless you have an unlimited time to talk .. your outline would be bullet points on what you want to say to the point. Your best bet as I said in a previous post is to check with the organizer and find out what he/she wants you to tlak about. Give them a list of subjects you know about and they will direct you.

        Sit down and draft an outline as you see it and either post here or PM and I would be happy take a look at it. I do think many of the offliners do speak at functions but just don't have an outline as you are suggesting. Most of the time it is not a hard speech but a free flows of conversation...which is what you are looking for, but focused.

        Thom
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