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Publish It Right: Legal, Rights, Production & Promotion Tips

The Simple Art of Presentation: Part III - Finding an audience is only the first step. Knowing your audience and meeting them head-on with your message comes next.

By Miriam Otte

Finding Audiences Full of Prospective Clients and Referral Sources (continued)

PUBLIC SEMINARS SUCH AS ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES

The continuing education market is HOT and experts predict that it will continue to be so well into the 21st century. The Information Age is upon us. Adults are hungry for the latest information; they want to share your expertise. Because many adults choose to obtain this information through continuing education classes, they attend colleges, privately run schools, community centers, recreation centers or just about anywhere there is a classroom or meeting room. They love to attend classes at beautiful resorts, at retreats and on cruise ships. Also, many professionals are required to earn continuing education credits (CPE and CEUs), and consequently they are always searching for appropriate classes.

Pretend you are a detective hunting for adult education clues. You will be amazed at what you will suddenly start to see. The clues are all around you. A visit to your local library may reveal flyers and catalogs from community centers, recreational facilities and privately run adult education schools. Many of them are offering classes and they could be offering yours. Look in the neighborhoods close to community colleges and even grocery-store bulletin boards for class announcements. Check out small community newspapers: they often have a calendar section that lists upcoming classes all over town.

Open your telephone directory and check under Schools. Depending on the size of the community, there may be several community colleges as well as an adult education center. Check out recreation departments as well. Call these places and ask if there are any subjects that have been requested for which they have no instructor.

If you have friends and family in other cities, ask them to send you a copy of their local school's catalogs, or request them yourself. Look for topics that are not (yet) offered in your town. You could be the trendsetter.

Don't be discouraged if the topic you are considering is already being taught. You can create your own "spin" which will make it unique. A consultant friend of mine wanted to teach telephone sales techniques but she found she had a lot of competition. So she designed her class to teach job seekers how to sell themselves over the phone. Believe me, she has created a winner!

Attend some continuing education classes so you can analyze the audience, the instructor and the material. Take notes on what you liked and what you would do differently.

The beauty of working with community colleges and adult education centers is that they do so much of the "grunt work" for you. They distribute their catalog throughout the community--an expense which would be astronomical for you. They provide the classroom and the audio-visual equipment. And sometimes they even assist with the cost of producing handouts. Many of the program coordinators can advise you about effective titles and course descriptions. They will also tell you which days of the week and times of day are best to offer your seminar. This is all a big help to a beginner. It will eliminate a lot of hassles and provide a shortcut on your path to success.

These types of seminars can range from as short as an hour to all day. You can decide to meet once or several times.

Here's a bonus: Don't be surprised if a stranger wants to do business with you or refers business to you even if they did not take your class. They will assume you will serve them well just because you teach a class. If the adult education institution does any publicity this is yet another addition to your visibility quotient.

SELF-SPONSORED SEMINARS

Maybe your research on your ideal future clients reveals that they do not usually attend adult education classes but they may be drawn to a private seminar held in a nice hotel or resort. How about a cruise ship? Maybe you can offer them a meal, or at least some nice snacks and beverages.

If that's the case you may decide to "self-sponsor" a seminar. That's where you make all the arrangements and do all the promoting. The advantages? Well, you are in complete control. If you do your homework you'll probably draw a very targeted audience full of people who are ready to buy your services.

Many, many companies offer free seminars where they give a demonstration along with a sales presentation. Start looking for their advertisements in your newspaper and local magazines. You'll also hear this kind of event being promoted on radio and TV. Drop by and observe what they do.

But don't think you need to offer your self-sponsored seminar for free. In fact, your prospects may perceive a higher value if there is a fee for your seminar, rather than thinking all they will get is a high-pressure sales pitch. And if they shelled out money to hear you, they are probably some fairly serious prospects. It does tend to eliminate the curiosity seekers.

Let your imagination roll on this idea and you may come up with a collaborative effort with other professionals who wish to target the same group of buyers. How about a half-day conference on estate planning offered by a lawyer, a stockbroker, a CPA, an insurance agent and a CFP?

One great way to market your own seminar is by procuring a mailing list of your prospects and sending them a compelling invitation.

Another twist on this same theme is to give a seminar to your existing clients. This is an excellent way to acknowledge them, to inform them of recent trends and tell them about other services you can provide.

Self-sponsored seminars usually run anywhere from an hour to all day long.

SEMINARS SPONSORED BY SOMEONE ELSE

Maybe the thought of taking on that financial risk connected with self-sponsored seminars is a bit much for you right now. Well, a seminar sponsored by someone else may be just the ticket.

Let's just take a moment to brainstorm the possibilities of organizations you can ask to sponsor your presentation.

* Banks and credit unions
* Corporations offering events for their employees
* Cruise lines
* Department stores
* Employee assistance programs
* Hospitals and medical clinics
* Internet providers
* Malls and shopping centers
* Newspapers and magazines
* Office supplies stores
* Product suppliers
* Public Libraries
* Resorts and tourist attractions
* Retirement homes
* Software companies
* Telephone companies
* Wineries and breweries

The list really is endless. Some of these entities are very accustomed to serving as a sponsor; others may need to be convinced. The nice thing about being sponsored by someone else is that they underwrite the costs, make all the arrangements and coordinate the promotion. Of course, you'll need to follow their guidelines.

Although most of these presentations are seminars, occasionally a company will sponsor a keynote speaker or a panel discussion. The vast majority of these presentations are in a seminar format lasting anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. For example, it is not unusual for banks, office supply stores and software companies to put on a day of seminars for small business owners. This is a wonderful opportunity for lawyers, accountants, consultants and anyone else who targets that clientele.

TARGETING REFERRALS

Another variation on getting more clients through speaking is to solicit referrals from peers and collaborative professionals. In this case, you are shifting your target to colleagues who will recommend you to others.

Many professionals will not make referrals unless they know you or have seen you in action. Making a presentation to them is a wonderful way to show them your stuff. If you do a great job, the next time one of their clients or acquaintances needs your type of services, it's your name that comes to mind.

There is another strange phenomenon that takes place once you start presenting to these types of groups. I call it the "prestige factor." You may find you'll get referrals from people who have never met you and have never even heard you speak. They assume that because you were on the agenda to speak to a particular group you are competent and dependable. Amazing, but just see if it doesn't happen to you. It's as if you have an invisible sales force (elves?) working for you.

Still another technique for getting referrals is to ask someone to attend one of your talks. Maybe it's an older professional in your own field who is no longer taking on new clients and would be glad to connect you with new people, or it may be someone in a supporting profession.

Use your expertise to sell yourself as a speaker! Use your speaking engagements to gather prospects and to sell more books!

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Miriam Otte, MSW, CPA has worked as a business consultant for the past 25 years. She is a highly respected speaker and trainer specializing in marketing and small business development. She is the owner of Zest Press, publisher of her book Marketing with Speeches and Seminars: Your Key to More Clients and Referrals. You may reach her at 8052 136th Ave SE, Newcastle, WA 98059; (206) 523-0302; fax (801) 761-9335; or email MiriamOtte@compuserve.com