Public Speaking - Hard or Soft sell?

Firstly, people are not daft - especially most business people.

So change your expectation of being able to pull the wool
over their eyes by "pushing a sell without looking like you
are."

You may want to consider taking a multi-step approach
rather than trying to convert the attendees into paying
clients right away.

For example, make it your end goal to get the permission
of as many attendees as possible to be able to follow-up
with them after the event.

Focus your talk on talking about the problems they can
relate to and what solutions and results you offer.

Maybe give away one of your best tips so that they get
value from your talk regardless.

Make an offer at the end of your presentation for people
to get a free report/presentation slides/consultation and
then follow-up with them thoroughly and promptly after
the event.

Just ask those that are interested in getting the freebie
to give you their business card and have them write free
report on the back.

So, take it a step at a time and pre-qualify people along
the way.

Dedicated to your success,

Shaun

Soft soft soft.

Give them information, show them you are an expert.

Make them remember you as someone to trust.

Give them a week then follow up.

Hi mate,

Just wanted to say that there is some really good advice above.

All I would add is that you should give away as much "good" freebies as you can. Try to provide as much value in your presentation and build your relationship with your potential clients from there.

In my experience I have presented something very similar to social media a few weeks back and I actually tried the hard sell approach and my conversion rate was very low.

People didn't see me as someone who would be with them for the long term. I made few sales but after much research I found out that most people didn't "sign up" to my course at the end as they saw it as some kind of short term solution to there problem.

If you can maintain a long term relationship approach with your potential clients you trust you for who you are and what you can share with them you'll have many clients for longer periods.

So to answer your immediate question I would steer towards the soft sell at least initially.

Hope this helps

Rash & Ash

BE AUTHENTIC.

Hi Plish,

I have conducted many seminars over the last 18 months, both to local businesses and in 'other' niches.

When you are presenting to a 'make money online' crowd (i'm sure you have been to some of these seminars) then the hard sell approach at the end of the seminar works very very effectively. It also works effectively in other niches. The prospects are 'hot' and in the mode and ready to buy. Hopefully the product providers sell them valuable information but i suppose that depends on the seminar

However, the small business crowd is a little different.

Like Shaun mentioned above, small business owners are not stupid. They know you won't be providing a Free (i'm assuming it is free) seminar for nothing so presenting an offer to them is not going shock or surprise them.

One thing to remember though is that depending on the size of the businesses you are presenting to many times the actual business owner or decision maker will not be presesnt and in many cases it will be the 'marketing personnel' working at the business. Again, this depends on the size of the business.

The best approach is to present as follows when presenting to small business owners (based on my experience)

1) In the introduction to your seminar tell the prospects exactly what to expect. If you have an offer at the end make it clear that you will be presenting them with an offer.

2) Also, make it clear that the actual presentation will be providing 'real' value. It is paramount that you provide 'real' value in the seminar.

3) Throughout the seminar make subtle references to the importance of xyz - with xyz being related to the product you will be offering at the end.

3) Make an offer at the end. An offer which is only available at the seminar. For example, this could be a cheaper price or an added bonus to your normal service. The business owners will be expecting this as you made it clear at the start.

4) Offer a Free follow up consultation at the end whether they take the offer or not.

5) The follow up allows you to convert the prospects that did not invest on the day and will also give you a gateway to the actual business owners that were not present.

Hope the above helps.

Riz

Be confident in your skin. remember, if you do try public speaking as a mean of marketing then you really have to be comfortable and confident in your skin coz then people would be pushed further than rather intended

I use my speaking engagements as a list building opportunity. I won't sell from stage unless the event is setup that way.

I prefer to tell them not to take notes because they can download my talk at the following url...

Then they go into my regular updates.

My lists from speaking gigs are the most responsive to offers too

I personally disagree with the no selling presentation. I've done speaking in both business and financial workshops and seminars and have discovered that if you provide real value during the presentation, people aren't threatened by an offer presented in the right way.

I love to buy as much as I love to sell. If something has given me value, I want more of it. So, while presenting, show them what to do and why to do it but don't show them how.

Then do small closes throughout your presentation. Something like, if you can see how Social Media can increase your branding, say YEAH or raise your hand. That makes people know that they're not alone and can really see the value using social proof.

I remember a presentation for a $5,000 product and from the very beginning, he said if you're ready to get more results in your business, stand up. Everyone stood up. A few minutes later he said, if you're committed to doing what it takes to get the results you want, stand up. Everyone stood up.

Needless to say, that contributed to him being the one with the most sales in the back of the room though he was the highest priced option.

So, take advantage of your speaking opportunities. Offer something of incredible value for a surprising price. Don't low ball yourself either. There's absolutely nothing wrong with selling if what you have to offer does change someone's life.

Also, don't mistaken a hard sell with a harsh sell. Hard sell sounds bad but is basically about offering something valuable for a price at the workshop. It doesn't have to be harsh. In fact, you can offer something there without even making it "salesy" just like Shaun said.

Ultimately, no matter what anyone says, whether its me or others, do what you think works for you. We're all speaking specifically towards our personal experiences and you'll learn best through yours.

Hello,
I would go with the HARD sale, customers need to be convinced that they are doing the right thing.
There are just too many customers that are on the fence and they just need the right push.
When people go to this type of event they expect to be sold and it is your job to do it.