Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Phil Gerbyshak, @philgerb. Phil Gerbyshak believes in the power of social selling and connection. With a unique speaking style—part sales expert, part entertainer—Phil keeps his audiences awake and engaged while providing actionable steps to bring in more leads, more referrals, and more business. Phil has published 5 books, including 10 Ways to Make It Great and #TwitterWorks. For more information, visit: http://www.philgerbyshak.com
SmallBizLady: CAN YOU USE PUBLIC SPEAKING TO GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS?
Phil Gerbyshak: Absolutely you can. Nothing is more effective and faster than public speaking. It gets you in front of your prospects, your customers AND your referral sources, all at the same time, in a way that showcases YOU as the expert.
SmallBizLady: CAN YOU SHARE A SPECIFIC AND YET SURPRISING EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU’VE USED SPEAKING TO BUILD YOUR BUSINESS?
Phil Gerbyshak: One salesperson brought me in to talk to his customers and prospects at their trade show. He was planning on introducing me to someone he had invited to come before I presented, but she didn’t show up until right as I was going on.
He went to introduce me after my program, but she beat him to the punch and walked up and introduced herself, handed me her business card, and invited me to her company to talk to her CEO, and thanked the meeting organizer for having me in to present. Over the next 18 months, we did over $30,000 in business.
SmallBizLady: WHY IS PUBLIC SPEAKING AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS?
Phil Gerbyshak: Doing presentations positions you as an expert to the audience, which you can’t do as quickly any other way. 10 people to 10,000 people, and you are the one in the front of the room with a megaphone for your message.
For me, I get to collect business cards and follow up with a relevant email. I work to schedule a time to talk more specifically about the topic I presented on. I’ve gotten over 10,000 leads this way, and closed more business than I can count.
SmallBizLady: WHAT IF I’VE NEVER DONE PRESENTATIONS BEFORE? HOW CAN I GET MORE COMFORTABLE WITH IT?
Phil Gerbyshak: Start by writing out your key points. What do you want to get across?
Practice delivering those in front of a mirror, in front of your pets, in front of your family. Video record it and watch the recording. See how it feels to you. Ask your audience (not your pets) how it feels. Break it up into 5-7 minute sections.
Join your local Toastmasters club (or more than 1) and practice it. Get comfortable enough with it you don’t need your notes or your slides. You don’t have to memorize it but you do need to practice it until you’re comfortable making your points. You can use your notes – but practice until you’re comfortable enough you don’t need them.
SmallBizLady: WHAT SHOULD I TALK ABOUT DURING MY PRESENTATION?
Phil Gerbyshak: Talk about your customers, and the results they’ve seen as a result of working with you or buying your product or service. Talk about your story, how you got here, and why you are doing what you are doing right now.
Make everything relevant to the audience you are speaking to so they can connect with you and the stories you share.
SmallBizLady: WHAT IS A GOOD STRUCTURE FOR MY PRESENTATION?
Phil Gerbyshak: Start with something shocking. Something people don’t know, or a common thing they think they know – and then share why it’s not true. Or a shocking statistic. Get their attention FAST!
Then, share a case study or two that is relevant to the audience. Think PSA – Point Story Action. What’s the point? Tell the story. What’s the action that made it work?
Lastly, close with a call to action. What do you want the audience to do differently as a result of your presentation?
SmallBizLady: SHOULD I HOST MY OWN EVENTS TO DELIVER MY INITIAL SPEECHES?
Phil Gerbyshak: Absolutely! Hosting your own events gives you complete control over the pre-program work. How will you invite them? Who will be invited? How long will it be? Will you have a hashtag to share on social media? Will it be recorded? A photographer?
You get to control the program flow. What people get to experience – and when. And where it will be held.
And you get to control the post program follow-up, send the thank yous, and invite them to the next event or to a private meeting for more information.
SmallBizLady: HOW DOES THAT HELP MY BUSINESS EVEN FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT ATTEND?
Phil Gerbyshak: FOMO is a big thing. Fear of Missing Out. People hate to miss out. You’ll want to capture testimonials from the event, and share them with those who missed so they don’t miss the next one. It may get some local or national media attention, so others will see it.
People who are in attendance will let people know they are planning to attend, while they’re in attendance, and after they return from your event. All are potentials for more prospects which means more business.
SmallBizLady: WHAT ARE SOME WAYS TO MAKE SURE MY EVENT IS A SUCCESS?
Phil Gerbyshak: As much as you can, script everything out. Plan out the whole pre-event schedule. How many emails – and when will they be sent out, and by whom? How much social media before the event? Will we run any ads? Will we use regular mail? Will we do a telephone campaign? What’s the budget?
Then plan the schedule of the day. And backup plans too as things will go wrong. What are the 3 or 5 most important things you must get across to people in case something goes totally wrong.
Lastly, what’s the post event follow up? Schedule it all – have backup plans, and be ready to change on a moment’s notice.
SmallBizLady: WHAT ARE SOME PITFALLS OF HOSTING MY OWN EVENT?
Phil Gerbyshak: It’s a LOT of work to do it right, so many miss one or more of the details needed to make it successful. Especially the post meeting follow-up. Or they don’t practice their presentation, and their transitions to other parts of the meeting. They let other presenters not practice their presentation.
I’ve seen others allow competitors to attend these events, thus putting YOUR perfect customer in front of YOUR biggest competition.
Lastly, they think that if they don’t have a certain number of people who RSVP that they shouldn’t hold the event. Unless you are making people pay for a ticket, they will show up last minute.
SmallBizLady: IF I DON’T WANT TO HOST MY OWN EVENT, WHAT ARE MY OTHER OPTIONS?
Phil Gerbyshak: First, there are people that can handle all the details of an event that you can hire. Whenever possible, do it yourself. Even if it’s smaller scale with just 10 or 20 people, do it yourself.
Other options are good though. Speak at other’s events. Other’s are your suppliers, your vendors, anyone except your competition – though if your competitor will let you speak – DO IT!
Other good places include your customer’s events (especially if you use your customer as a case study – with their approval), local service organizations like Rotary, Lions Club, Kiwanis, job seeker groups, and non-industry events that are full of your prospects, your referral sources, and your existing customers.
SmallBizLady: HOW CAN I LEVERAGE MY PRESENTATION BEYOND THE ONE TIME I DELIVER IT?
Phil Gerbyshak: It has never been easier than it is now to repurpose your event to grow your business. Video record every event. If you can’t video it, audio it. Buy a $15 lapel microphone and plug it into your smart phone with the recordings app. Here’s my favorite one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018B66EUE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Cut up the video into small chunks and post it to your company blog, and every other social channel. Use some of it in email newsletters. Put it on YouTube in smaller pieces and create a playlist for relevant videos you’ve done other times.
Get your speech transcribed (use Speechpad.com or Rev.com or a local transcriptionist) and repurpose it for blog posts and email newsletters. Send links out 1 by 1 by e-mail as part of your follow up sequence, to both attendees and non-attendees.
Take your slides and upload them to Slideshare.net and then post that everywhere. Use each slide as an image for a blog post that goes deeper on the slide topic. Post those images to social media to build more traffic for your products and/or services.
Building you as an authority in your field of expertise, for your products and your service has never been easier – if you’ll take the time to do some public speaking events and re-use them in relevant ways.
If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter. Here’s how to participate in #SmallBizChat: http://bit.ly/1hZeIlz For more tips on how to start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.
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