O.K. I’ll admit that I’m a born-again public speaker.

What do I mean by that? Well, when I first took speech in High School, I was so painfully shy (and, I actually still am) that stepping in front of the room full of classmates who I just knew wanted to ridicule me felt like walking into a dragon’s lair and shouting, “Fresh virgin meat! Get it while it’s still moving!”

But apparently, I have the gift of gab, despite my introvert leanings, and was recruited onto the speech team, where I earned several 5th place awards and a block. Later, I joined Toastmasters. There, I went from wanting to crawl under the table every time “Table Topics” came up (Table Topics are impromptu speeches that you give, if selected, on the spot with no preparation), to practically pulling an Arnold Horshack and leaping out of my chair to be chosen.

So, every time I have the opportunity to step in front of an audience, I experience a combination of elation and terror.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know that although I know quite a bit about public speaking and am a total advocate for using this technique to grow your business, I’m not immune to the fear this lead generation method can engender. That said, I’d like share with you my top 5 reasons why you should consider public speaking as a prospect attracting tool, as well as a revenue generating profit center for your expertise-based business.

1. Personal Branding
Speaking in public can increase your brand awareness. People learn of you online, then they see you offline and it reinforces your brand. An a coach, speaker or information marketer, your brand is intimately tied to YOU. It is amazing how powerful speaking can be in building your personal brand.

2. Lead Generation
Public speaking gets you in front of more people who will either hire you, buy your products, refer more business your way or even book you for another speaking gig. You’ll even meet prospects who would have found you no other way.

3. Expert Status
Regardless of what you may think of yourself and your qualifications, the minute you step in front of an audience, you are given expert status. Why else would you be speaking before them? Of course you are an expert! As a speaker, you are seen as knowledgeable and, perhaps, even a thought leader. This underlying respect can do amazing things for your business.

4. Self Confidence and Esteem
Getting a few successful speaking engagements under your belt can really boost your self confidence and esteem. This, in turn, makes you a better business person and can translate into better service provided to your clients.

5. Profit Center
How many marketing techniques do you know pay you directly? You can actually work it out so that you get paid to speak to a group and then sell to them, too. Now, of course this is a careful balancing act, but can be done.

Public speaking really should be a part of every expertise-based business owner’s marketing funnel.

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Further Reading on This Topic

• The Importance of Public Speaking
  By The Trend Junkie
• Public Speaking As Lead Generation and Conversion Strategy
  By David Portney
• Build Your Business with Public Speaking
  By Patrick Schwerdtfeger
• 7 Ways Public Speaking Can Double Your Income
  Squidoo Lens by The 2xi7 Blog
• Top Ten Ways To Make Money Public Speaking (Also available in audio)
  By Tom Antion on Susan Levin’s “Market Yourself as a Speaker” Blog