I have to say that the two things that allowed me to transition quickly from the “job” world to a full time direct seller were offering myself as a free educational speaker as well as being active at vendor fairs and expos. 
Offering your self as a FREE speaker is one of the best marketing programs for lead generation.
No matter what industry you’re in, “free” is still an incredibly powerful word that folks just can’t get enough of. As a direct sales consultant, you can start taking advantage of free leads by offering your public speaking skills to local businesses, organizations, foundations and other groups in need of special guests.
Since everyone’s budgets are tighter than usual, by offering your skills and talents without any cost or obligation, you can easily find your direct sales business booming and your schedule crammed full of speaking engagements that will allow you to generate fresh leads and penetrate new markets. Before you know it, your direct sales party calendar will be booked out for months in advance and everyone will be begging for the opportunity to host your next event!
Leads And Speaking Engagements
Since not every direct sales consultant will sell the exact same products, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution to finding specific opportunities to offer your public speaking services free of charge. Instead, you’ll need to take some time out to investigate potential areas where there’s a perfect match between the knowledge you have to share, those who are seeking that knowledge, and clever ways that you can turn this sharing of information into a future direct sales party. Check out your community calendar of events for likely candidates and perform a local Internet search for further inspiration. Many Chamber Of Commerce have a book on non-profit agencies and clubs. For a minor investment you will find 1000’s of leads for speaking engagements.
Market To Clubs
This is no danger that a particular club would not be relevant to your products. Regardless of the organization, your product line or even your speaking topic you will always have the opportunity to share about yourself and your back ground. If the club or your topic aren’t relevant, you will not be wasting time as someone in the room will have an interest in your products, opportunity or services when you can weave your products or relate to your business within the scope of your presentation. This is done casually and without a big pitch. The value you provide for the group will pay off in leads for the long term.
Once you know a speaking topic it is up to you to weave your direct sales business into the program to obtain those leads. While you can start out by simply asking the event coordinator for a list of who will be attending, along with contact information, this may not always be appropriate. Instead, create sign-in sheets and prize drawings or other incentives that will encourage participants to give you their phone numbers or email addresses in exchange for a freebie of some sort, even if it’s just a pamphlet, a coupon or other perk.
Getting Started In Public Speaking
I assure you that this system of gathering direct sales leads is one of the most effective marketing systems for direct sales. It worked for me and it will work for you. You will never worry about where to find business again. Learn more about how to pick your speaking topic so that you can get started in public speaking for leads.
While this just begins to scratch the surface of the possibilities of generating leads through guest speaking opportunities, it should be enough to get your creative juices flowing in the right direction.
