Consultants, Attract More Clients with Public Speaking.

Welcome to QuickBites, public speaking tips and techniques you can digest in five minutes or less. You chose to be a consultant so you could help people overcome obstacles and achieve their objectives — a worthy and lofty goal. But if you're like many consultants, dare I say most, you struggle to consistently acquire high-quality, high-paying clients. So what do you do? In this episode, you'll learn one of the most effective ways to develop a steady flow of clients — one that puts you well on your way to helping more people and building the prosperous practice you envisioned.

The One-to-Many Approach

A surefire way to build a consulting business — and many businesses for that matter — is to implement the concept of one-to-many. The idea is to do something once and have it impact many people. This strategy includes public speaking, writing, and other leverage-building activities. In this episode, the focus is on speaking.

Think of how effective it would be to speak to audiences made up of your ideal prospects. Consider how a singer reaches a crowd. For some audience members, hearing the performance once is enough. But others become raving fans — they visit the singer's website, sign up for updates, tell friends, and keep coming back. When you speak in front of your target audiences, something similar happens.

Three Objections Worth Addressing

If you're with me so far, you're probably thinking one of three things. Let's take them one at a time.

One: "I'm nervous about speaking in front of groups." You're not alone — everybody experiences anxiety to some degree when speaking in public. Thankfully, public speaking is like most things in life that frighten us: the more you do it, the more comfortable you become. Speak as often as you can, even to small groups.

Two: "I'm not very good at it." No matter how much courage you have, if you don't know how to craft and deliver presentations that resonate with your audience's wants and needs, getting in front of prospects may do more harm than good. But don't let that stop you. There are many resources available to help you develop into an effective, even powerful, public speaker.

Three: "I have no idea where to speak." This is where a clear process becomes essential. I encourage you to follow this three-step approach: first, develop your message and delivery; second, identify your public speaking opportunities; and third, build the steady flow of clients you may have never experienced — or even thought possible.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Public Speaking with Peter George. Are you ready to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then visit petergeorgepublicspeaking.com and let's make it happen. I'll see you next time.