The Secret Behind “Speak To Sell”

2 Stories to Engage Your Audience And Sell More Programs

It’s no secret that public speaking is a powerful way to promote a small business, especially a service business. After all, people see you as an authority figure. You’re up front. You’re dispensing wisdom.

You can do the same. But, if you want to maximize the amount of business that you get from presentations, there are two things that you can share from the podium.

Of course, we all know that shameless self-promotion never goes over well with audiences, especially if it is a paid presentation. But that is not what I am suggesting. Rather, I am going to propose more of a stealth mission for you…

1. A story that shows you are in business and you actually have clients.

It’s easy to get so caught up in content that we fail to let the audience know we’re in business to serve clients. I’m not talking about a blatant commercial, which almost always will turn off your audience. And it’s rarely a good idea to hand out brochures, flyers or business cards. People won’t keep them.

The key is to include at least one story that shows who you serve and what you do. For instance, when you want to illustrate a point you’ve made, share a story about a client you’ve worked with.