What are the most effective ways to leverage events and speaking engagements to find new clients?

1. Only speak at events where decision-makers in your exact target audience are attending. 2. Prepare your LinkedIn profile so that it's tailored to your audience and clearly communicates your expertise and positioning. 3. Have your LinkedIn QR code as your locked screen wallpaper so that it's ready for people to easily scan at the event. 4. When speaking in front of an audience, don't be afraid to weave in phrases like, "When I work with clients, I see...." to remind folks what you do for a living, without overtly promoting yourself (which can be off-putting). 5. Follow up with everyone you meet, ideally via LinkedIn vs. email. This way, they will see your headline and profile, both excellent marketing tools for your services.

Make sure you are presenting in front of an audience that is full of people who look like your best clients. It does you no good to present to people who have no need, authority or money to invest in your services.

Your time is the most valuable asset you have, so dont just accept any opportunity. As a startup founder you might feel desperate at times but dont be driven by FUD.

Success requires careful consideration of which events to target and research. It's important to make sure you're where your potential clients are as well as to attend. These are beneficial tips for anybody trying to properly collaborate.

Even if I don't plan to attend or speak at events, it's crucial to have a clear understanding of my ideal clients. Researching events related to my industry on platforms like Eventbrite and LinkedIn and seeking recommendations from my professional network can still help me stay informed and connected with potential clients or industry trends, even if I'm not directly involved in event planning.

Your talk should offer solutions to one or more specific problem(s) your ideal clients are struggling with. The talk itself should be valuable enough that if someone is taking notes, they can use your advice to start solving the problem. Your value proposition is: Here is the solution. Don't worry. You can give them all the secrets and they will still need you. Because even with a blueprint, they cannot build a house. The more great information you give, the more they realize they need you. Pack your talk with value but the value proposition is the solution to the problem.

When crafting a value proposition for a conference talk or webinar, it's crucial to seamlessly integrate the core value your business's product or service offers. For example, if your software streamlines project management, your talk might focus on "Overcoming Common Bottlenecks in Project Execution." In this way, you are addressing a ubiquitous pain point that resonates with your audience, drawing them in for a solution. Make sure the emphasis is on empowering the audience with knowledge and tools they can use immediately, subtly underlining that your product or service offers an even more convenient, scalable, or effective solution.

Just put in your best no matter the audience or location. Someone in the audience may pick interest or share your presentation with someone else of influence

You should understand what your value proposition is, without this clarity it does not makes sense to even to meet or to pitch to individuals. The value proposition should short and clear and concise. It should be difficult for someone outside of your work or industry to understand

Benefits, benefits benefits! Always play the professor and teach/educate everyone about why what you're doing matters and they should care.

I recommend to fellow speakers to get out into the crowd BEFORE you go on stage. (No hiding behind the curtain, waiting for a big reveal.) This is a key moment to interact with people and build rapport and trust before you even take the stage.

This is a key part of engaging with the participants of the event. You need to bring consistency if it is on social media or in-person event, you need to practice your pitch and I have seen similar like inbound sales, you could build a brand on LinkedIn and then it becomes easier for individuals to recognize you and trust you or corelate with you in person versus the content that you put online

As a natural introvert that has learnt to speak in public, this is for me the most difficult part. The easiest thing is to go on with your own agenda and message. The most fun - for everyone - is when you engage with the audience. It has to be planned from the beginning and you should not rely on intuition or impulse. Of course impulse or intuition can be used, but plan your engagement method from the beginning. Start by asking a question. Use some of the responses throughout the presentation.

The key element of this aspect of your presentation is an actual engagement device. Some people call it a "lead magnet." At an inflection point in your talk, usually at the point of maximum value, you offer the audience a free report or whitepaper in exchange for their contact information. This can be done by scanning a QR code or simply grabbing business cards passed to the front of the room. The folks who request that info have "opted in" to a follow-up conversation about your services and the value you provide. By the way, if anyone tells you, "Just give good value and people will sign up," they are kidding you. You have to "sell" your free report or whitepaper. Selling your service is offering to help people. There is no shame in that.

This is the most important advice because if you build positive, genuine relationships in your field, clients will come to you for who you are and what you're truly eager to do for them. No sales pitch is required.

There are a few contributions to this article that are not productive. During the past 33 years, I've built five professional service businesses - three consulting companies. Most of my lead generation comes from professional speaking. The number one quality you need to develop business at a speaking engagement is CLARITY of PURPOSE. This means you are giving that talk for one reason: To identify people who are looking for help that you can provide. Go into each speech with that mindset, and you'll be way ahead of the folks who tell you to "just give a good speech, and the clients will come."

If you are a subject matter expert, you should look for platforms to showcase your expertise. A lot of times you can grow your network through referrals from meeting individuals at conferences and events. Of course, there are digital platforms to do this, as well, but in person allows for human connection and further conversation.

Play the professor! You started this company because you know something they dont and/or identified an opportunity they dont see - teach them!

What are the REAL needs of the audience? The most presentations are like " I am the greatest person, look what i can do and what I have". Start with: I will show you in the next xx minutes whats your advance when you work with me. Use the problems of your audience and reflect them directly with the solutions which you can give. The most issues here are, that people doesn´t know the REAL needs of their target group. And if you have a personal presentation, this real needs are different from the general needs from the overall target group. So please know your target group / customer. It´s so much easier to make business than. And for this, use the Active listening skills which i talk about above in an article.

Ignore all feedback except from the person paying you to give the speech. That's the only feedback that matters. If you're not getting paid and you've delivered great value in a friendly, professional way, then the measurement of success is the number of leads you leave the room with. That's it. Survey forms and crowd responses are for ego purposes only. Get paid and make sure the person paying you is thrilled. If you're not getting paid, then get leads. You can't buy groceries or clothes for your kids with survey forms.

This is a hard one as people are generally overwhelmed with surveys and "please let me know how you think". But if you do add some tracking, make sure to keep it simple. A QR code for a virtual event should not lead to a 25 question 5 page questionnaire, but just ask a few simple questions that are indicators of the respondees perception. And as for more tracking, keep in mind that GDPR and other country specific legislation may prevent you from tracking everything you can.

Leverage Digital Platforms: Use social media to promote your upcoming engagements, share behind-the-scenes snippets, and create post-event content. Platforms like LinkedIn are ideal for B2B outreach and can increase your event’s visibility manifold. Offer Value-Added Content: Extend your speech into downloadable content, such as whitepapers, case studies, or e-books. These resources can be a soft entry point for potential clients interested in your expertise. Follow-Up Strategically: Collect contacts and express gratitude to those who attended your session. A personalized follow-up can turn a casual interaction into a potential lead. Use this opportunity to understand their needs better and propose how your services can be of help.