“I can sell anything to anyone, but I am just uncomfortable and find it hard to sell myself!” My initial response? Get into another line of work. And I’m only half kidding.
I’m not trying to be rude, I’m merely a realist. In order to get speaking gigs, you are the one who has to reach out to prospects and convince them you can make a difference in their business.
Another question I’m often asked – “Doesn’t it sound better if I’m not the one making the call?” In a word, no. And I think it’s a cop out if this is your thinking. You are the one with the intellectual property. You know how to talk about your information better than anyone else. That said if you hire someone to make calls on your behalf, you still must be the BEST at doing it!
A reality in speaking businesses is that staffs come and go. It’s a revolving door. Ask any veteran who has had staff and they will agree with me – they may not like it, but they’ll agree with me. I’m not going to go into why this is now, that’s another post!
You must always be the best at selling your programs because you are the constant in your own business! The closer the client can get to the speaker the better. If you have staff doing outbound marketing, they must always let the prospect know that you are happy to talk with them and answer specifics about content.
So, I’m still uncomfortable selling myself. What can I do? You can review earlier blog posts that I’ve written on selling, positioning, qualifying and practice technique. You can hire me to help you do it! (My favorite!) Another option that works well and I always suggest when I work with speakers – shift your thinking.
Shift your thinking.
Instead of selling yourself, think of yourself as a commodity! You are actually selling your intellectual property, aren’t you? That’s what people are buying – the difference that you make via your speaking services. Sell like a commodity and you’ll become more comfortable with the process.
In a nutshell, you need to do everything and anything you can to make yourself not only comfortable but terrific at selling!
The bad news? It’s up to you. The good news? It’s up to you! Happy selling!
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Lois 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
Phone: 314.822.8225
Twitter: @loiscreamer
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/loiscreamer
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/loiscreamer
For more information on Lois’ business check out http://www.bookmorebusiness.com as well as http://www.bookmorebusiness.tv!
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