I think the most important thing you can do for your speaking/consulting business, or any business for that matter, is to position it well. And in doing so, you must be able to answer the question, “why hire me instead of someone else”?
My approach with my clients has always been to introduce them to what I call a “positioning statement”. I define it as the concept and outcome of working with you. It is the foundation of your business. If you haven’t done positioning work first, you may have wasted a lot of time.
I’ve worked with clients who don’t have positioning. Yet they have gone on to create marketing plans, materials, web pages filled with information about their business. However, without proper positioning, none of it is seen in context!
Let me share my positioning statement as an example of concept and outcome marketing. “I work with speakers who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes”. Isn’t this more powerful than merely saying “I consult with professional speakers about their businesses?”
Once I have a positioning statement, everything else, all content must be congruent with that statement. Every marketing piece, website, every blog post, article, consulting program, speech and every product must connect with my market positioning.
You make your life much easier once you adopt a positioning statement. It’s what I say when I network, when I write, when I leave a voice mail, on all of my social media sites and especially when I do outbound marketing and selling to get clients. A sample call/contact may go like this:
“Sorry I missed you today. My name is Lois Creamer. I work with professional speakers just like you who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes. I’m calling to see if ….. blah, blah, blah …..“
If I was calling for a speaking opportunity I may say:
“My name is Lois Creamer. I work with organizations like yours who want to fast forward their selling skills so that they will make more sales. I’m calling to see if one of my programs may be a fit for an upcoming program”.
Every time I call anyone about anything I do, I always open with my positioning statement. Much more powerful than “My name is Lois Creamer and I’m a speaker, or I’m a consultant.”
If you gift yourself with great positioning, you will reap the rewards of better defining yourself in your target markets. You’ll be speaking in the language of “concept and outcomes”, and you’ll be much better received. You’ll open more doors! Isn’t that what it’s all about?
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Lois Creamer works with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes. She can be reached at http://BookMoreBusiness.com, lois@bookmorebusness.com or 314.822.8225.
