Sprinkle Seeds of Interest

There is a subtle, proven way to sell your products or services when you’re giving a talk that doesn’t come across as “salesy.” It’s called “sprinkling seeds of interest.”

Right from the beginning of your talk and during your talk, let the audience know that although you only have limited time with them, you do have other resources they may be interested in, which you’ll share with them at the end of the talk. So when you come to the end of your talk and share with them your other offerings, they’re curious and ready to hear what you have to offer.

Ways to Start Your Talk

There are many ways to start your talk that will engage the audience right from the start. I always recommend starting off with your personal story about how you got to be who you are today. Other ways to start your talk are sharing a story about a client, asking a question to engage the audience, sharing some current news story that would be of interest to the audience, or some startling statistic that relates to your talk.

For example, I sometimes start a talk about speaking by saying, “Did you know most people would rather be the person being eulogized than the person giving the eulogy?” I usually get a few chuckles and people nod their heads in agreement.