In the franchise consulting industry, the industry standard is to purchase most of your leads through internet portals (there are many different ways to do this and several types of portals to use).  However, many consultants find the leads costly — considering the number of leads potentially needed to purchase to make a sale.  There are many lead generation systems you can use, we’ll cover new and different systems and lead generation options throughout this blog.

We recently discussed cultivating your current contacts and networking to create new ones.  Another excellent and inexpensive methods for promoting your service and generating leads is to become a speaker and industry expert on your topic.  Public speaking promotes your business two-fold, it builds awareness in your community and creates buzz about your brand, as well as solidifies you as an expert in your field.

For every audience member you present to, you have a potential client and their network of potential referrals and clients.  You will build a network of contacts, associates and colleagues in your local business community.

Use all of your local sources for potential speaking opportunities and engagements, including:

• Networking Groups — such as your Chamber of Commerce, Meetups, BNI and other local business networking organizations
  
• Local radio and TV — offer to be an expert they can contact for specific stories and beats
• Universities and Colleges — offer to be a guest speaker in business and other applicable courses
• Organizations that your services can assist — offer to hold conferences at their location, or offer to speak at their large events such as conventions and yearly meetings

If you, as most people, have some nerves about public speaking and where exactly to start when preparing your presentation, Entrepreneur offers some great advice to prepare a topic for a speaking engagement.  Content could include:

A solution to a problem or challenge in the industry
Mistakes people often make when not using your services
Real stories and examples
FAQs about your service, industry and business

Another piece of good advice is to use a handout, this gives the attendees something to take with them.  Make sure to gather contact information so you can follow up — THIS is where you get your connections and contacts.

Public speaking is a very effective and cost efficient way to build your network and lead flow, with a little work and dedication you can use it as an excellent source of promotion for you and your business.

Do you use public speaking and presentations as a lead generation tool?