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Selling From the Stage Most Effectively

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Selling From the StageTips for Selling From the Stage

Making money as an entrepreneur means that someone must buy from you (your own products and services) or through you (affiliate marketing) in order for you to make a sale. I thought it would be valuable for me to take you through this process with examples of how to do this effectively when you make a presentation and selling from the stage to those you are speaking to in the audience.

I’ve been a professional speaker since 2008. That was the first year I was asked to speak at a marketing conference and became immersed in the world of selling from the stage. Since that time I have spoken at dozens of live events, conferences, and workshops in various cities around the world, as well as my own events I hope twice each year. And my skills continue to improve as I make a study of myself and others to see which are the most effective strategies.

When you speak at someone’s live event you begin selling the moment you arrive. This means that all eyes are on you to learn more about who you are as a human being. This is the time to be humble, vulnerable, and caring to others. If you start bragging about your accomplishments and not truly listening to others your time with the group may be off to a start that cannot be reversed.  First impressions mean everything!

If you’re an author, bring at least a few copies of your book(s) to give away to attendees. I’ve carted a suitcase filled with my books to events in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Finland, as well as on cruise ships to the Caribbean and to events throughout the United States. I’ve never sold my books or only given them to those who purchase from me at the event because that is not my business model or the way I wish to communicate with others. Instead, I make them available for those who would like them as a gift from me and then autograph them, if I am asked.

If the event I will be presenting at is not my own, I make sure to promote it to my list for several weeks in advance. There are several reasons to do this. First, it is respectful to the promoter. They will also be providing you with an affiliate link to their event, meaning that you will earn a commission for each person you invite. In my case, once someone makes a sale of any of my products they are cookied in for all future sales. Many of my speakers over the years go on to earn thousands of  dollars in the future because of the people who attended my events through their affiliate link. This is the type of “big picture” thinking that brings great results over time. And do not rely solely on social media to get the word out, as this will typically be your least effective type of marketing.

Once you’re on stage, introduce yourself in relation to the topic you will be speaking about to the group. This is the moment where congruent messages must be communicated from beginning to end. What I mean by this is that many of us are credible in several areas and may speak on a variety of topics. But on that day, for ninety minutes or so you are only representing your knowledge, experience, and expertise in one specific area. This “message to market” must be consistent throughout your time at the event, while you are on stage, and for the remainder of the time you are there. Keep in mind that something you might see as pertinent to your talk may be perceived as braggadocios to others.

Your offer at the end of your presentation is where you are selling from the stage. What you offer the audience must make perfect sense for those in attendance. It’s an extension of your presentation. Including a live component becomes crucial, until you have reached the status very few attain of being THE expert and authority in your field instead of being AN authority or expert. Also, limit your bonuses and remember that less is more. Adding more and more as you share your offer is a red flag to your audience that you lack confidence in your knowledge and overall in your life. Instead, offer one or two bonuses that make sense to complete your package. Keep it simple and in alignment with what you wish to project about yourself and your knowledge.

If public speaking and selling from the stage are a part of your business model, make sure to get in front of a live audience once a month to practice your skills. Be open to ideas and feedback on what you could change to be even more effective. Once I made the decision and commitment to add this to my business I learned how to close as many sales as possible at each event where I was fortunate enough to be asked to present on my topic.

I’m Connie Ragen Green and I work with new online entrepreneurs to help them get into profit as quickly as possible. Download your Online Entrepreneur Blueprint and get started right away.

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Making the Most of Your Biological Prime Time Hours

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Biological Prime TimeFiguring Out Your Biological Prime Time

During the twenty years that I worked as a classroom teacher people would regularly comment to me about my being a “morning” person. To them it was obvious that I was enthusiastic and energetic first thing in the morning, (I don’t usually drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages, so this was all natural) but I did not see it that way. Instead, I believed that I was simply a person who had chosen a career that required me to be alert and on task by seven or even earlier each weekday morning. I dreamed of sleeping in until nine or ten, but even on the weekends I had to be up bright and early to do my real estate work.

Fast forward to 2006, when I left my teaching position and gave away my real estate clients. Now I was an entrepreneur and could choose the hours I worked each day. But guess what? To my surprise I found it almost impossible to sleep past eight in the mornings unless I had been up late the night before or wasn’t feeling well. Since both of those scenarios are rare for me, it’s up with the chickens for me each day for eleven years now.

For a period of about three hours, somewhere between about six thirty or seven and ten or eleven I accomplish more than I used to by working eight to ten hours in my previous life. I believe these morning work hours are my “prime time” and that my brain is ready to conquer the world with my writing, ideas, and creations. I took this phrase from the world of “prime time” television, where the regularly occurring time at which a television or radio audience is expected to be greatest is typically the hours between eight and eleven in the evenings. And it turns out that the study of “biological prime time hours” is a fascinating one with lots of case studies that make sense.

Also, I absolutely love the work I am involved in as an online entrepreneur, and that makes a huge difference as well. Whether I am writing articles, blog posts, and short reports, or creating information products, I’m anxious to get started and enthusiastic about completing each task or project.

Have you thought about your biological “prime time” hours each day? Sam Carpenter coined this phrase in 2009 in his popular and well-received book, Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less. It is my sincere belief that knowing which hours of the day are your best can be crucial to your success. I recommend that you give this some serious thought to figure out what works best for you in terms of writing and creating for your business. If you have a job or career that precludes you from working on your business during these hours, like I did when I was a classroom teacher, then take full advantage of your days off to make up for it.

Also, over the years I have made an effort to get a “second wind” and work for another three or four hours later in the day. Sometimes I am successful with this, but the work I do at this time is never quite as good as what I can accomplish early in the morning. I thought that by napping for sixty or ninety minutes in the early afternoon or evening I might wake up refreshed and ready to work, but if anything this works against me. So I went back to the drawing board and figured out that if I go for a walk or do some other exercise for about thirty minutes I am able to have a second round of prime time. Perhaps it’s the blood rushing to my brain that makes this so. I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this topic of discovering and maximizing your biological prime time.

I’m Connie Ragen Green, online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship and inner game mind shifts. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future. And be sure to check out my popular training course, the Internet Marketing Six Pack.

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The 3 Marketing Mistakes Most Online Entrepreneurs Make

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Marketing MistakesMarketing mistakes can be costly. After working with online marketers for ten years now, I’ve seen them run into the same problem over and over again. Even though they have amazing things to offer their customers, they get stuck and stagnate.

I’d hate for that to happen to you, so let’s put a stop to that right now and talk about the 3 mistakes to avoid…

Mistake #1: Not Marketing Consistently

It never fails. Most new bloggers, affiliate marketers and product sellers get excited when they start out, so they tell everyone they can about their project. But then…

They don’t get the results they were hoping for and just give up.

OR

They get some good results, but fail to keep it up.

The thing is, marketing is an ongoing process, but it doesn’t have to be a difficult one. It just has to be Done for You Templatespart of your overall business plan. Each daily plan needs to include at least one marketing item, so you develop a habit and stay consistent with your growth.

Mistake #2: Being Wishy Washy

Oh yeah, I see you over there nodding your head. I get it…you’re a blogger or you’re a writer. You’re not a marketer and the last thing you want to act like is a used care salesman. I do NOT blame you.

But the thing is, marketing is not the same as a high-pressure sale. If you do it right, marketing blends in with your content creation process. It becomes a part of everything you do. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your work and recommending it to others and that’s exactly what a smart marketing plan does.

Mistake #3: Trying to Reinvent the Wheel

The world of online marketing can certainly be difficult to navigate, but what you need to succeed is right in front of you. See what is working with others and figure out how you can apply that to your own business.

Of course, sometimes that’s easier said than done. How do you know what’s really working and how can you apply the strategies without copying someone else?

Well, I’m sure you know that I’ve got your back and have the solution just right for you….

My friends Ron Douglas and Alice Seba have been at this for a long time. They know what works and what doesn’t, and they’re always willing to share freely.  They’re the perfect example of marketers who don’t sound like used car salesman, but certainly aren’t wishy-washy. They engage their audiences by educating them and making them feel like they need their solutions.

That’s one of the reasons they opened up DFY Templates and I’m inviting you to join me over there. Each month, they offer you their fill-in-the-blanks templates to help you get your marketing done quickly and effectively. You have full rights to edit the templates how you’d like. You can even use them with your clients or brand them and resell them.

The special charter member opportunity expires very soon, so go here now and get the lowest price possible. I want you to have instant access to your first marketing template package and let me know what you think.

 

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