Pre-Speech Communication Strategies –

The Real Value of Pre-Speech Telephone Calls

There’s no disputing the relationship-building and fact-finding value of calling your audience before your speech.

In the 4Profit Speaking SystemSM, the profit value of the pre-speech phone call is the INFORMATON you get to use in your post-speech follow-up designed to sell something.

If my pre-speech phone call uncovers a marketing problem in a company, I may or may not use what I learn in the speech.

But for sure, I’ll use the information in my follow-up phone call. Without a pre-speech phone call, a post-speech follow-up phone call might go something like “I enjoyed having you in my seminar last week. I was wondering if you would tell me about any marketing problems your company might be having that I might possibly help you with.”

There’s no disguising this approach as anything but a sales call…and the prospect will resist sharing information that:

1) exposes a weakness

2) makes it easier for you to sell something.

Now, let’s go back to the pre-speech telephone call. Ask the same question as above “Is your company having any marketing problems? and add “that I could help you with by addressing them in my speech?”

Now, answering my questions has a payoff for the audience member – now his/her marketing issues are going to be addressed in my speech – and he/she just might get some answers that will help them.

My payoff is that when I do my follow-up I already know what the problems and issues are and I can use that information to create a successful selling environment.

It was great having you in my presentation last week. You know, you mentioned a couples weeks ago that one of your company’s marketing problems was ______. I’ve been thinking about that and I have a couple of ideas for you.

Now, I’m a problem-solver, not a salesperson and that difference makes ALL the difference!