Ask the Coach

  • June 11, 2009
  • Gary Mitchell

Q: “I have given numerous presentations to associations and at conference events but I haven’t been able to translate that into new business. What do you suggest I do to better leverage these opportunities to attract new clients?” 7-year associate, national firm

A: First off, speaking at events doesn’t always translate to new business, but at the very least it affords you the opportunity to be in front of your target audience (prospects). If you can learn how to find more appropriate contacts from speaking and then develop relationships with them, you are likely to see an increase in new business.

Presentations and speaking opportunities are one of many business building tools you can use to build your practice. They are good for:

  1. Networking, adding people to your contact list (FIND)
  2. Building profile and expertise in your subject area (FIND)
  3. Building profile and relationships in your target audience (FIND/BUILD)

With that in mind, you can set up goals that you are able to measure. How many quality people are you meeting by speaking? How many of those are you able to move from find to build? Then how many of those are you able to get to the discover stage? And finally, how many people are you getting to the stage where you offer your services and they agree to hire you?

Be patient. Meeting new people won’t always lead directly to a new file. But if you’re still not satisfied that you’re meeting the objectives you’ve established for your efforts, then here are a few things to consider to make your investment more efficient and produce measurable results. There are three key areas I want to highlight. First is what you do, and that involves selecting your speaking engagements and being content appropriate.  Second is how you do it, which involves how you interact with and engage with your audience. The third area is how you follow up with the people that you meet.

1. What you do

Who: Because of the amount of time it takes to build your presentation, you must ensure that the audience you are speaking to fits your exact target audience model. Don’t waste your valuable time speaking to people who have no real need for your services. What is the benefit of that?

You can do this by speaking only to groups or associations that target your target audience. And if you are just starting out at this and don’t know what those associations are, ask your clients what associations they belong to, what events they attend and why?

What: Next, ensure the content of your presentation exactly meets the needs of your audience. So how do you do that? Fully understand your audience. Start with your current clients. What would they like to learn, know or take away from such a presentation? What is missing for them in the way of professional development? What recent changes or events in case law have occurred?

Then approach the organizers from the association or the event and provide them with an outline to sign off on. They will know the needs of their members and be able to guide you in creating your content. And they will be very appreciative of this approach.

2. How you do it

As your audience arrives Be sure to greet as many people as you can. Ask them what they would like to take away from your presentation. If time permits, try to find out more information about why they are attending and what some of their challenges are. Try to address these throughout your presentation. Get their business cards and agree on a form of follow-up that works for them.

During: Ask questions frequently. Even if you are getting no answers, you are still planting the question in the minds of your audience, getting them to think or react at least internally. Use eye contact as much as possible. Avoid reading from a script. You should know your material inside and out and only have to refer to it occasionally. Organize your content into sections and have a Q&A following each section.

Do not hand out material for your audience to follow while you are speaking. You want their attention to be on you. You want to connect with them. One key thing to note is that a few days following your presentation, over 90% of your audience will not remember what you said. They will remember how you made them feel. So engaging them and making that connection is paramount.

Content tips: Don’t put your entire script up on your power point slides. Keep them lean and mean. This will ensure that the audience is actually listening to you and not simply reading from the slides — BORING.

As far as your handouts go, provide your audience with valuable take-aways without giving them the kitchen sink. Hold something back that they must email you to receive. This is another great way of getting their contact information.

Following: Make it clear to your audience that if there was something that was missing or if they did not get a chance to ask you the question they wanted that you will stick around for a while to meet with them individually. During this time ask as many questions of them as possible to ascertain if they are potential clients. If they are, get their business card and agree to follow up at a specific time. Then follow up.

3. Following up

This is where the ball usually gets dropped.  Make sure to follow up with the people you made contact with and had agreed to follow up with, and try to do  it within 24 hours or the agreed upon period of time. Use something that you learned to start the conversation off. Then suggest that you would like to learn more about their needs, so when can the two of you meet?

Remember, you are not giving presentations because you don’t have enough to do already. You are giving presentations as a way of showing your expertise, building your profile and connecting with people who may need your services. So making a connection at the event and then building on that connection following the event is where you will gain the most results.

Gary Mitchell is the Managing Director of GEM Communications, where he leads an international team of consultants and coaches who help lawyers and law firms prepare for and profit from transformation in the legal industry. GEM’s services include strategic planning, marketing, media relations, and a suite of coaching programs that address the talent development needs of law firms. Gary can be reached at gary@gemcommunications.ca or 604.669.5235, or visit him on his blog, www.lawfirmtransformation.com