This week, we’ve focused on utilizing public speaking as a marketing tool.

We’ve covered why you should be doing public speaking, how to become a better public speaker, and tips on where you can find speaking opportunities that will naturally translate into tax resolution lead generation opportunities.

But today I want to give you the absolute most important tip that I could possibly give you.

No, seriously, it is.

If you skip this one, single component of your public speaking opportunities, you shouldn’t have bothered speaking in the first place.

As a matter of fact, this doesn’t just apply to public speaking marketing. Rather, it applies to ALL of your marketing, no matter what it is. But when you’re deploying a presentation marketing system as part of your lead generation mix, it becomes much more “in your face” that you need to do this one thing if you want to see results.

What is it? What am I stretching out this sentence for in an effort to add further drama and suspense? What amazing revelation could possibly exist beyond the end of this paragraph?

With just a bit more ado, it is…. Making an ask.

Also known as making an offer.

If you fail to make offers in your marketing, you’re simply wasting time and money in doing the marketing at all.

Without an offer, marketing is just… Writing, speaking, and hanging out.

Without an offer…without making an ask of your attendees…You’re not going to generate the lead.

Now, if your purpose is NOT to generate leads — such as my presentation last week to James’ real estate investor club — then it’s OK. I had no personal economic reason for being there, I taught the class simply because I like to teach and I wanted to give something back to somebody that has done so much for me.

But if you’re delivering a presentation for the purpose of generating leads into your accounting or tax practice, then you have to make an offer. You have to ask people for their business.

And as much as I despise the “free consultation” (it’s a basic public expectation these days, not a super-effective lead magnet like it … Continue reading

Last week, my good friend James Orr (creator of the Real Estate Financial Planner software) invited me to speak at his weekly real estate investor club meeting.

My 2-hour presentation had absolutely nothing to do with taxes. Rather, I was speaking about the impact of credit scores on your ability to invest in real estate, and how to improve your credit score.

Again, absolutely nothing to do with taxes.

In fact, I emphatically stated at both the beginning and end of the presentation that I wasn’t there to answer there tax questions. But, of course, in my introduction I did mention my IRS Collections background.

And guess what?

After the two hour presentation, as people were leaving, I had one person approach me for a brief discussion of their tax issue, and they asked what my rates were.

There were about 40 people in the room, and despite my request that they don’t, one person asked if I could help them. I told them I was no longer actively taking tax clients, but could refer them to somebody in my network.

If I had wanted to, I could have picked up a tax client that night, when I wasn’t even speaking about a tax topic.

This is what happens when you give presentations. It’s a natural, inevitable occurrence.

That’s why you should be doing public speaking. Out of the top 3 marketing strategies working most effectively right now for independent tax professionals to attract new IRS Collections clients, this strategy is #2 in effectiveness. And quite frankly, it’s very close to, and interacts highly with, #1 (referrals from other tax professionals).

To start generating leads from your own public speaking engagements, pick up the Tax Resolution Public Speaking Marketing Toolkit today.… Continue reading

Toastmasters.

That’s it. That’s the tip.

Toastmasters is an international, non-profit, public speaking training organization. They have no agenda, members come from every imaginable walk of life, and they have over 15,000 clubs worldwide.

Yes, over 15,000. I guarantee that one exists near you.

What do you do at a Toastmasters meeting?

You practice public speaking, communication, and small group leadership skills.

You give prepared talks on various topics. You improvise via super short, off the cuff talks. You run meetings.

It’s not business focused, and it’s not a leads group or networking meeting (although, in reality, you will pick up clients from it).

Oh, and most clubs are only about $40-$50 per year to be a member.

Seriously, go to http://www.toastmasters.org/ and find a club near you.

Obtain your Certified Toastmaster (CTM), at a minimum.

Then, combine that new public speaking confidence with my Tax Resolution Public Speaking Marketing Toolkit, and you’re ready to rock and roll.

Grab the toolkit here:

https://cart.tmhq.io/public-speaking/… Continue reading