Association of Women Business Owners plans January meeting
Published: January 6, 2012
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Name one thing everyone does every day that also happens to be the most effective marketing tool on the planet. If you answered “speak,” Denise Hedges will tell you that you’re 100 percent correct.
Ms. Hedges is a personal and business development coach with the Business Break Through Institute, Hendersonville, N.C. Her presentation, “How to Build Your Business by Speaking: The Inside Scoop!” promises business owners that they can learn to harness the power of speech as a marketing engine. She specifically means speaking engagements — as in being the featured speaker at a luncheon or even at the regular meeting of a trade group.
“When you put yourself in that role—all of a sudden: instant credibility,” Ms. Hedges
says of the power of public speaking.Attendees will learn, however, that Ms. Hedges advocates good public speaking —as opposed to “death by PowerPoint.”
She will talk about four steps would-be speakers should take to be sure they are using the power of speech to its full potential.
The first step is to identify who your appropriate audience is. For example, a spot at the podium of a business gathering is of no use to a dog groomer—whereas a 15-minute demonstration at a pet supply store is solid gold. Ms. Hedges says her presentation will teach attendees how to find the right groups to speak to and what to say when you contact those groups.
“You should script what you are going to say” to snag a speaking engagement, she says, and, “You should have two signature speeches. They should provide value — real tips.”
Next, she advises on how to handle all the logistics so that you won’t be surprised or thrown off by the inevitable “stuff” that happens when you arrive at an event. Speakers who are unable to cope with faulty equipment or fail to arrive early to check out the room configuration will not deliver the talk that establishes them as the “go to” expert in their field.
Another vital point is to be authentic. “You need to connect with your audience to be a good speaker,” Ms. Hedges says. "You’ll need to do some research to know what this group wants and then craft and deliver a talk about what they need.” Moreover, she says, speakers “need to connect in a real and genuine way.” As she sums it up: “Be real. Be authentic. Be yourself.”
As for the actual speech, she advises speakers to pay particular attention to their introduction and their closing. “People take just a few seconds to decide whether or not they like you,” she says of the importance of the intro. She likes intros that feature a story that serves to establish your credentials without reciting your resume.
As for your ending—use the closer to make a compelling offer, one that will move the audience to make a buying decision in your favor. If all goes well, Ms. Hedges says, people mob the speaker and say, “I have to hire you!” “You won’t find that result with any other marketing tool,” she says.
