How Speaking Has Helped These Business Owners Grow and How You Can Do the Same
Speaking is on your vision board for this year. You've been attending events and conferences secretly wishing you were the one teaching from the stage.
Unfortunately, hesitations (and lies you're telling yourself) have you stuck at square one.
"But is this really going to benefit my business?"
"I'm not HER. That won't work for me."
"She has it all figured out."
Today, I want to share with you the behind the scenes, honest insight from a few of my business friends. Each of these ladies have started to dip their toes into speaking for their business. They are already seeing business (and personal) growth from it.... but guess what - they don't "have it all figured out" yet. Want to know exactly how speaking can impact your business and how to make the most of those opportunities?
Perfect, you're in the right place!
9 Business Owners Dish: How Speaking Has Helped them Grow PLUS, Tips on How to Make the Most of Speaking Opportunities
Nevica Vazquez
Business Strategist
How speaking has impacted her business: "Though I have only done one speaking engagement, in my terms it was a huge success. I was able to get in front of all of my ideal clients, and teach them about how to take their followers from interested to sold. Because of the reputation of this event, and the opportunity to speak it immediately boosted my reputation as an expert. As of today (few months since the event) I've booked 3 clients from it, definitely making it a profitable investment. I'm also now able to put the logo of that event on my website, showing others that I am a trusted expert and speaker."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "I made the most of my speaking opportunity by first picking a topic that (1) I knew that audience needed to hear and (2) I knew would lead to paid client work. I also really invested time into getting to know each of the other speakers that were there. Some of them are my best business friends now. So this means prepping before the engagement on who will be at the event, and following up after. I plan to put a speaking page up on my website to show that I am a speaker and to attract new opportunities."
ashlyn carter
COPYWRITER & CALLIGRAPHER
How speaking has impacted her business: "Before talking to Jessica, I was getting asked to speak and had no idea how to format a talk ... much less deliver it. Now that I've worked with her, I'm so comfortable delivering a talk that actually turns around and affects my business's bottom line -- without ever pitching anything. Client work and new students for my program have come my way ALL because I stood up and shared what I'm passionate about. Jessica's given me the confidence and pricing structure I needed to make speaking a stream of revenue for my business."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "The takeaway that always sticks with me -- even on webinars -- is not to waste precious breath re-introducing yourself after you've just been introduced. Duh, right? I mean, I tell my clients not to do this on their websites, but it'd never translated to speaking for me ... until Jess pointed it out, that is!"
MALLIKA MALHOTRA
Photographer and Brand Energizer
How speaking has impacted her business: "Speaking has helped me position myself as a leader in the field of brand photography. The more I share on webinars, podcasts and conferences, the more I can introduce my business to new audiences and offer my visual storytelling expertise. As a photographer and local service provider, speaking has also allowed me to scale my business to a national level. I am now reaching more people and consulting with clients across the US."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "I am new to the speaking game but I have maximized my opportunities by offering additional resources and freebies to my audience like e-books and links to my Pinterest boards. I try to offer valuable information that can help (give, give, get!) in return for them to be part of my community. This allows me to connect and build ongoing relationships."
Ruth Pitt
wedding planner + mentor
How speaking has impacted her business: "Adding speaking has afforded me the opportunity to get in front of other creatives and share my message. I was sharing my message with my clients but when I could add speaking to a bigger variety of creatives, educators, etc it greatly helped to grow my business, and allowed me to give back at the same time."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "Having a clear idea of what I wanted to accomplish helped me to get the most out of every opportunity. If it was a free event I made sure I would receive pictures, reviews, or video which in turn helped me to add to my portfolio and book paying engagements.
Jaclyn Mellone
Mindset and Marketing Mentor
How speaking has impacted her business: "While I could go on and on about the ways that speaking has directly impacted my personal growth, or even my own bottom line...for me the greatest impact that has come from speaking is the relationships that are formed. All of a sudden, people who you may never have crossed paths with otherwise, are engaged and approaching you. And people that you may already know, are seeing you (as a speaker) in a brand, new light. Speaking connects fellow speakers and breaks down the barriers that help you make an impact on AND off the stage."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "If there is a private Facebook group for attendees, that is always a great way to connect after the event. One way I have been able to make the most of this is by capturing "testimonial" style comments from the group. These are great to share when I'm looking for my next speaking opportunity."
Reina Pomeroy
Life + Biz Success Coach
How speaking has impacted her business: "It has given me a boost of credibility that wasn't present in my business before. It gave me the "she's everywhere" factor that gave me extra visibility due to the conferences' marketing. It has given me an opportunity to sharpen what I want to be known for rather than speaking about topics that don't apply to me or topics that are suggested to me by the conference organizer."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "I don't see speaking necessarily as an opportunity for new clients, although that has happened. I actively engage as a mentor while I'm there and try to "give it all away" so that when attendees go home, they have some specific things they learned and are able to do in order to move the needle on their business. These women join my Heart Centered Biz Bosses community and they start listening to the Creative Empire Podcast.
Christy "CeCe" Todd
Floral Designer
How speaking has impacted her business: "Speaking has helped me two fold. It has allowed me to reach a higher end luxury clientele with my floral design business. They have been able to see my live videos and local speaking engagements which allowed them to fall in love with my outgoing and positive personality.
Secondly, it solidified me as an expert in floral and event design within the wedding and creative industry. As I continue to speak, I'm given opportunities to work with other creative entrepreneurs around the United States that I would not have met if not for these speaking engagements. I love teaching, and getting the opportunity to share my knowledge with others looking to learn."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "Always be prepared! Be passionate and ready to speak when the opportunities arise. Whether it be a local bridal show, a regional conference, or using technology to hone your craft, take the opportunities that present themselves. I am constantly using technology to reach a broader audience which has allowed me to be ready when "bigger" opportunities have come my way. I am looking forward to multiple conferences this year including Wedding MBA. These speaking engagements have also allowed me to mentor, coach, and host 2 day intensive workshops."
Myrna Plaisir Daramy
Co-Founder and CEO of Mezzohead Media and Co-Founder of Newlybride.com
How speaking has impacted her business: "Speaking has impacted my business in many ways. For starters, it has allowed me to meet and connect amazing people! Because of the line of work we do where I mostly work from home and stare at my computer, I rarely have the opportunity to connect with people face to face. Since I have started speaking, I am overwhelmed with the love, community and connection that has been created. Secondly, it has allowed me to own my craft and keep me on my toes. I realized that speaking has made me more accountable in making sure that I am up to date with anything tech."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "One tip that I can share in making the most of those speaking opportunities is to stay connected. Make it a point to maintain the connections that you have made.
Dannie Fountain
STRATEGIST. AUTHOR. EDUCATOR.
How speaking has impacted her business: "Speaking has given me a way to showcase my knowledge in a new and fresh way. So often, we only get to know folks through blogs / email / social media. During a speaking engagement, people can connect with my stories about pickle juice and dishwashers (not together) and then learn more about what I do after they're plugged in to where I'm at."
A tip on how to make the most of those speaking opportunities: "I've leveraged speaking engagements into additional speaking engagement, client relationship opportunities, corporate sponsorships of my nomad year, and so much more!"
Ready to leverage speaking to grow your business?
It's time to start booking those speaking opportunities for YOU business... and implementing the tips from above. Not sure how to land the engagement? No problem - we've got your back. Click the image below to take the quiz to find out which speaking path is best for your biz and how you can take action today to start getting paid.
JESSICA RASDALL // MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER + COACH
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST
Jessica Rasdall is your secret weapon to achieving the speaking success you desire. As a professional speaker and coach for female entrepreneurs, she is dedicated to partnering with women business owner to craft stories and presentation that connect with their audience and help them stand out in a saturated market.