How to Keep Nervousness from Losing Business Opportunity

If a large percentage of your potential customers are local to you, using Web 2.0 channels to market your business is only going to provide a portion of your capabilities. So if you haven't done it yet, you're going to have to add SPEAKING to your marketing platform. When I say speaking, I mean that you must seek opportunities to get in front of your prospects and get noticed. Why?  Because your competition is already doing just that.

Getting up and in front of your prospects means doing business presentations, speaking at networking event, presenting at chambers of commerce breakfasts or even doing talks at Rotary and Kiwanis Club events. And have you thought about breaking into the conference speaking circuit? Speaking to your prospects does not mean selling your products and services from the front of the room. It means proposing solutions to your potential customers' challenges to make them investigate your company and what you have to offer.

So what if you get nervous speaking in front of small or large groups?  How can you deal with your nervousness so that it doesn't interfere with business growth. Recently I was interviewed and asked questions to help those who are contemplating adding speaking their marketing plan.  The First question was, what tips did I have for someone who is nervous about public speaking and what suggestions could I offer to help them feel more comfortable and confident?

Before stepping onto a stage: Make sure that you know your material forwards and backwards; it's a huge step in tackling nervousness. When a speaker is confident with his or her knowledge of the subject matter, it helps to ease nervous feelings. Also know that your audience DOES want you to succeed. 

Just prior to a speaking event: Take time to visit the room where you will be presenting, before anyone arrives. Stand at the front of the room and envision the room full of people. Practice speaking in that room, moving about. Hearing your own voice and practicing your presentation. Successful speakers imagine their presentation before they actually give it.

During your presentation: Take deep breaths frequently. The more oxygen you get to your brain, the clearer you can think and the more relaxed your body will feel. As you look at your audience, look for familiar and friendly faces. Focus on them and look for as many of those faces as you can. Avoid looking at those with discouraging facial expressions.

How to Fill Your Speaking Pipeline

Professional speakers are always speaking.  That’s advice coming from professional speaker Mike Jaffe who says that what he does provides a Human Wakeup Call.  As a business and personal coach, Mike provides an important jumpstart for his clients to help them reach their goals.  That’s because Mike himself experienced a huge wakeup call quite a few years ago that put him on the path he’s on now.  You can read his story of what happened to him by visiting his site http://www.HumanWakeupCall.com.

Have you seen the white board you can take anywhere: Whiteyboard

I interviewed Mike Jaffe recently on my television show FROM THE SOAPBOX TO THE STAGE (http://StartaSpeakingBusiness.com) and asked him for a few tips for aspiring speakers or for those who need a jump start for their speaking business.  During the interview Mike made it clear that professional speakers are always speaking, even during downtime and in between the higher paying gigs.  He reminds us that there are many organizations seeking speakers for their meetings, such as Rotary.  Here’s the clip of that interview:

I love it when someone contacting me about my availability tells me that they heard about me from another source.  This proves the point that the more you get out there and speak, the more you get seen and heard AND recommended.  You certainly have to have good speaking skills to showcase, but if you’re not putting yourself out there, what’s the point.  We all want to get paid for our work, but speaking for free should always be an option to help clients and to showcase your skills.

Join and download PPT templates for winning presentations.

Speaking for free doesn’t mean you can’t gain something from doing it.  Your first gain is that you’re giving something to someone and helping them.  At the same time, new people are meeting you and experiencing your skills.  It’s been my policy that I think first about how I can help someone, and look for a benefit for me second.  At free events I’ve sold books, had the organization video tape my presentation for me, publicize the event to get more people in seats, and the best result… having people come up to me afterward and ask for my business card.

My friend Mike Jaffe says speak, speak and speak some more.  During your slow seasons it’s great to be creating content, working the phones to generate more work, and networking.  But it’s equally important that you’re speaking where ever you can find an audience interested in hearing what you have to say.  

ASSIGNMENT:  Leave a reply to tell me about a free (or low-paid) gig that turned into something big for you.