Public speaking is an important part of the relationship marketing mix. I am a part of the Professional Speaking Association, which helps it’s members ‘speak more and speak better.’ One of the secrets of public speaking success (as long as you are a good speaker) is that the more often you speak, the more often you will get booked to speak. The act of public speaking delivers value, but it is also a promotional activity, as is the service or product delivery of any business.
Relationship MarketingApart from the value a public speaker delivers for a client, there are a number of relationship marketing benefits for you. Speaking adds to your perception as a specialist in your field, strengthening you as the go-to expert, and also helping keep you front of mind with prospective clients.
The American investor Warren Buffett once told a class of business students that he would pay anyone in the room $100,000 for 10% of their future earnings. If they were good communicators, he would raise his bid by 50%, because public speaking would make his ‘investment’ more valuable. Being able to speak well really does make an impact on relationship marketing.
I have five top tips for public speaking which aid relationship marketing, <link to my blog series>, the first of which is; start with the end in mind, be very clear about what you want to achieve. Secondly, know your audience well; know what their pleasures and pains are and speak into them. Thirdly, create memorable content; the speaker at a recent conference said, “Launch and learn don’t plan and perfect.” Fourthly, have a natural conversation; those people who have a speaking voice are just so irritating. Finally, master your stagecraft; forget PowerPoint simply communicate well, use the microphone confidently, don’t walk up and down but find two or three anchor spots from where you will deliver the talk and lots more besides.
These five tips can be summed up in just one attribute, and that is that the world’s greatest public speakers build a relationship with their audience. They get to know them, they inspire them, they lead them, they wait for them and they take them on a journey.
Remember if you would like an external inspirational speaker for an event, you know where to find me.
Relationship Marketing Question: What is your next public speaking opportunity and how can you use it to build a relationship with the audience?
Author: Matt Bird
