Three Reasons Why Free (or Low-Fee) Speaking Engagements Pay Off For Me

#1 Low Barrier to Entry

The nature of my work in a private engagement requires the customer to expose some vulnerability and is relatively pricey. That’s why it has proven successful to have a low barrier to entry offer, a bite-sized version of my services that doesn’t require the customer to spend a lot of time, money or expose too much. A speaking engagement is my low-barrier to entry offer. Attendees get a sense of my personality and witness my ability to pack a lot of valuable content in a short period of time and finish when promised.

#2 Good Exposure

Most people are more likely to attend an educational program than a sales pitch. Groups who might not be able to pay for a high-fee program are often willing to invite me to deliver a free educational presentation. And because groups tend to advertise upcoming program speakers and topics to their members, I’m able to reach a wide audience — including the people who are not able to attend my presentation.  

To set the context for why I’m equipped to deliver the program, the group’s host introduces me and highlights my qualifications. Then during my presentation, through examples, the audience members receive useful information and a good sense for the types of problems I help people solve. The manner in which I talk about my past and current clients — including protecting their anonymity — shows attendees what they can expect if they decide to work with me. Namely, I won’t share confidential information or shame them in any way.  

#3 BuildsGoodwill

When a business owner attends one of my presentations, which includes topics such as managing employee performance or strategic planning, he or she comes away with valuable insights and free templates. This helps to establish my reputation as someone who is committed to the success of the business owner, without any promise of payment.