Sound too good to be true? It isn’t. What I’m talking about is marketing to your local Convention and Visitors Bureau or Convention and Visitors Commission. If you don’t live in a larger city, pick one close to you. You may even want to belong to more than one.
I say “belong” because most of them make you join to see the goods. What are the goods? The Convention Calendar. It is a beautiful thing! It lists all companies, associations and organizations coming into that city to meet, when they will be meeting, how many will be attending, where the meeting will take place and even give a contact name. (Don’t get excited by the contact name. It’s never the person I want you to call.)
The Convention Calendar lists meetings of all sizes and shapes. You will even see family reunions listed! Most CVC’s only allow you to access this information if you join. There are some exceptions to the rules, so check it out.
Look at meetings that have, say, at least 75 attending. Then go for it. If it’s a company or corporation, sell to them the way you would any company. (See my earlier post on selling to corporations.) If it’s an association, sell to them as you would any other. (See my earlier post on selling to associations!)
You’ll want to customize your sales-speak a little. I would say something like this. “I see you’re coming to my hometown for a meeting. I’m a professional speaker who (insert positioning statement I helped you create here!). I live here. You’ll love meeting here! If my program would be a fit realize there would be no associated travel expenses. If there is bad weather, it won’t affect me being there on time. If I’m not a fit, keep my information handy in case you have a cancellation. If I’m not booked, I can be there fast!
Worst case scenario? They don’t need you this year. You know this is a group that meets and so you can contact them the next time around to see if you may be a better fit. So it’s in a different town? It’s a great lead and could be a great booking!
Does it get better than speaking to a terrific group and sleeping that night in your own bed?
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Copyright 2012, Lois Creamer. Lois Creamer works with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes! She can be reached in the following ways:
Lois@BookMoreBusiness.com
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