I'm coaching a new client on her presentation skills. How can I help her attract more clients at her business launch event?
A new client is having a launch and is requesting assistance on giving a speech on the night of the event. What is the most important thing I could coach her on, in order to attract more customers to her business?
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Aug 15, 2016
Does she have a plan for her launch and how is she marketing the launch event? Typically our clients will have a marketing launch budget and we work with them (either coach them or if they want us to help them (consulting) to help them develop a launch plan with the event itself and working back to advertise it whether it be online, advertising, web, social media....etc. You have to build momentum and can not launch and hope they will come. How this is done differs on the business. Example, if you have a local business, you will want to involve your local government and maybe get your city councilor to cut the ribbon. Here in Canada I find the local Chamber/Board of Trade will come out and if they join/belong - they will help advertise for you. There are also sometimes local celebrities.
You could coach her on developing a plan that works based on her target market and business along with developing a budget. If she doesn't feel comfortable, there are people she can hire to work with her to do this for her if she has a budget.
Aug 13, 2016
I would put all of the energy on the potential clients, and their wants, needs, and desires. I would ask someone to introduce me and give a brief overview of my credentials, but then I wouldn't put any emphasis on myself. I would focus on the people in the audience and attempt to tell them how I can help solve their problems or add value.
I would not do any selling, but give as much value as I could. At the end, I would ask them to fill out a "critique sheet" that gave honest feedback about the talk. I would ask for testimonials, and permission to use them if they liked the talk. I'd have one sheet that mentions my services, and asks for contact info for those who are interested.
The most important thing is the presenter's attitude: The people in the audience don't care what you want or need...they have problems that need fixing and things that they want done. Show how you can help them....It's ALL about them!
Hope this helps!
Jun 7, 2016
Hi Nellie - of course she will be nervous but she just needs to be herself. Be friendly and confident in what she is presenting. It seems the common them with the answers is connecting with her audience. Good luck!
Jun 5, 2016
Great question and even better responses. I think coaching someone for a presentation is one of the hardest tasks to take on because what you are really coaching is confidence. With confidence, most presenters will succeed.
Aug 16, 2014
I hope you know this is a marketing question first and a performance question second.
What does she sell? Who does she sell it to? What problem does it solve and/or job does it do for the buyer? How big of a problem is it for the target prospect? How often does the prospect think about the problem and what words does the prospect use when they're talking about it to themselves or their closest associates?
Answering these questions will begin to give you the words and headlines needed to attract the attention of those that MIGHT want to buy what she is selling. For example let's say she's selling donuts. What kind of problems do people have when trying to buy donuts. How do they know where to look, where to go, what time to buy (fresh donuts are better...right)? How could they compare donuts so that they would know, absolutely, if this was a good one, bad one, great one.... Now how does your client solve the problem of buying a great donut?
What we're talking about here is a minimum 12 week course with lots of exercises, pictures, graphs, tests and practice to get the strategy right and then the tactics to match both the strategy and her prospect(s).
She must learn how to:
1] "Interrupt" the prospect's thinking so that they are ready to listen (you can't sell to somebody who isn't listening);
2] Engage them so that they believe that if the continue to listen they will get information that is both valuable and useful;
3] "educate" them on why buying from your client is the best decision they can make;
4] and lastly "Offer" them an easy, low risk way to learn more, sample, try the product in a way that demonstrates the inescapable logic of buying whatever she sells, from your client.
Aug 15, 2014
Nellie, you have received a wide range of responses and quite frankly, I have to say that almost every one of them make great points. But I also understand that you are now at a position where need "the group" to give you some answers. For that reason, I offer the following from my past coaching and behavioral change consulting:
1. do not pretend to know the answers to the needs of your clients customers unless you have done the due diligence.
2. Ask your client what does she want the attendees to know, say, feel and do as a result of attending the business launch event. Be careful, this is much more difficult than you may think and your client will struggle at first. Be patient and make suggestions when the client is stuck. As you discover answers to the know, say, feel and do, ask the client what part of their event would directly elicit that response (for each "KFSD").
List the features that you and the client have come up with and have your client rank order them first, by which she thinks will be most powerful for her clients, most moving and convincing. Remember, this is in terms of the KFSDs that were generated earlier. Then have the client rank order them in terms of most comfortable to talk/demonstrate about. You and your client will discover what to use, what to throw away, what needs work on (delivery, content, etc) and depending upon the needs, you may have to enlist the expertise of others.
Good luck with your new client. Just be careful that you do not over promise because they are new and you want to keep them. In the end your honesty and straightforwardness will be winners in the marketplace.
Aug 14, 2014
Hi Nellie,
Two important things that will help your client:
- She has to know her audience through in depth research on business people attending her event
- then connect with the audience through what the audience really need. The focus of Her speech should be about her customers not her. Then what she can do for them knowing their pains.
Hope this will help
Aug 14, 2014
I think Nellie, You need to make sure first he departures well with the main ideal of his business to the arrival where he is, at the stage of launching his business. I will explain why I am saying departure and arrival = ( Feasibility ) As the Client is very young but energetic.
Second thing to make sure : The expectation or solution the business bringing to the clients or audience.
Departure and Arrival are the main key success of attracting clients and keeping them, this is the final stage of all, before launching any business ; you can attract, but if the outcome is not satisfying or satisfactory, you can’t keep clients ( No loyal clients),
If not I will suggest you not to advise him to launch yet, see with him the expectation or solutions is going to bring to his fresh clients, does he have list of assessments problems and solutions or how he is planning to solve those problems( Consulting Business ). He must got a team also , a small for the first start.
In short, He must do a presentation of the audience’ expectation ( Solutions) than he will impress. No talking too much or too long, just stick to the point, essentials points.
And Ask Audience ( Preparing a sheet paper with questions to give to the audience ) each one of them to give him their toughest thing they are dealing in their business as said Mike.
Wish you the best.
from Patrice Papy Nzau bayonika
Aug 14, 2014
What I used to do when I had to give presentations for the first time was to use props. It helps you get through the awkwardness of presenting by using some tools, charts, graphs to smooth it out. Good Luck
Aug 14, 2014
1) She needs to be herself and make a connection with her audience
2) Use empathy to make that connection.
3) Define how her new product solves a problem she knows her audience has
ie you have an organic food product and your audience is people who want nutritious food but don't have time to cook .... you show the audience how to help them with simple recipes and tips on how to make the food ahead for healthy meals using your products
4) Promote at the end by connecting the audience to website for a free coupon or offer for your product.
5) If client has budget, give audience sample sizes of product.
Good luck with the coaching Nellie