Speaking to Groups

To market yourself prepare a list of topics that you can speak on with relative ease to groups.  Contact local organizations, charitable or for-profit groups and offer yourself as a public speaker for one of their upcoming meetings.  It’s great if you can get paid for this but more than likely you will be offering your services for free.  However, we recommend that you “barter” for something that will be of value to you:

Barter Ideas:

• A letter of recommendation written by the president or program chair.
• Referrals to 3 other groups that may have an interest in your presentation.
• The ability to do a drawing for a free month of your service or a free product.  This allows you to collect business cards that you can use to follow up with people.
• If they have a member’s publication ask for a free ad or write up in their newsletter.
• Be allowed to have a sign up sheet for people interested in a free consultation or demonstration or to sign up for your newsletter (if you have one – if not, for when it is available).

Suggested topics:

• Looking and Feeling Great after 40 (For Extreme Care Professionals: Skin Care, Fitness Trainers, Hair Stylist, etc.)
• Protecting Your Assets for a Lifetime (Estate Law or Certified Financial Planners)
• Time Management in the Corporation (for managers)
• How to Improve Communications ( for a Communications Company)
• How to Care for Your Aging Pet (for Veterinarians)
• Customer service at Its Best (Any Small Business Owner can speak on this topic)
• Stress Management (for Physicians, Massage Therapists, Chiropractors)
• How to Buy Your First Home (For Realtors)

Of course, the topic you choose will be dependent on your background and expertise, as well as the needs of the group.  What works best is to have a Menu of Topics so that when you do call these organizations you can offer them 3 – 5 topics for them to choose from.

When possible you will want the topics to be about, or complementary to, your business.  That way you can weave in many stories and examples about your business and how it can be beneficial to them or someone they know.