How I Turned $10 into $7,280 in Business Income Through My First Keynote Speech

This is a real story of how I turned $10 into $7,280 worth of business income.

Back in 2011, I purchased a ticket to a fundraising event in Olympia. Since it was an event for women to gather, I expected to meet some great new ladies, and use the event as a networking opportunity.

I actually didn’t meet a lot of people at first, but during the reception at the end of the night, I began a conversation with two women who were standing next to me at the appetizer table. Our conversation was mostly about the Eiffel tower and watermelon. We also very briefly talked about my business, but not very much, since I was the only business owner between the 3 of us.

A few days after the event, we found each other on Facebook, where we remained connected online.

 

Two years after our quick conversation at the fruit table, I received an unexpected message and invitation from one of these women. She was wondering if I might want to speak at an upcoming event, as the keynote presenter. Here’s a piece of what she wrote:

“We are looking to find an inspirational, successful woman for this role. For some reason, your name keeps coming to my mind. I’m not sure if this is in line with presentations you typically do or if you might know someone else who might fit what we are looking for.”

She invited me to speak at my FIRST KEYNOTE SPEECH!

And I said YES!

 

The opportunities that came because of that particular keynote speech immediately brought in more than $7,280 of income into my company. And it all started when I purchased a $10 ticket to a women’s event in 2011. 

Of course, this $7,280 of new business didn’t just happen magically. There were a lot of things that I had to have in place to be ready for that income. If you’d like to create the same kind of results from every speech you give, you’ll also need to prepare for it.

 

Here are a few of the skills that let me convert that little $10 ticket into over $7,280:  

1. First, you must be willing to get out of your house and office, and go to live events.

It’s easy to stay home these days, and to market yourself only through the internet, but I assure you that meeting people in person often leads to faster business deals.

 

2. Be engaging and inspiring through Facebook and social media.

The invitation to give that particular keynote speech came simply because of my online presence. On social media, I talk about both my personal life, as well as the fun things that are happening in my business. I also offer plenty of ideas and guidance to entrepreneurs, and I post online usually a minimum of once a day. The woman who invited me to give this keynote speech already had a sense of who I was due to our Facebook connection, and because of my activity on social media, I didn’t even have to ask for this speaking opportunity. It came to me.

 

3. Stay strong and centered in front of a big audience as you deliver your speech.

Before that keynote speech, I had given plenty of presentations for my business. Speaking was not a new thing for me, but a huge presentation in front of an influential audience (there were about 200 women in the room) can be scary. It was important to calm my nerves and be precise in my speaking. I’m sure that I probably said “um” and “like” a few times, but for the most part, I had been able to weed out many of those unnecessary words from my speaking pattern. Prior to getting up on that stage, I had filmed almost 100 online videos, and the practice had greatly helped my speaking abilities. I was ready.

 

4. Have a program or service to invite new clients into after your speech is complete.

Although I did not sell from the stage at this particular event, I knew that I needed to be ready for the new potential clients that I would likely meet that evening. It was important to have options (both private coaching options, as well as groups) for the people who wanted to work with me after they met me that night. I had to have an offering available that would fit them where they were, and that would support them in making the changes and expansion that they were looking for. I also knew that I had to prepare my own financial belief system to be ready to ask for and accept payments from those new clients.

 

5. Get over your fear of being judged.

The odds are good that not everyone in the room enjoyed hearing me speak that evening, and I’m okay with that, because I know that I can never please everyone. It was all about speaking to and connecting with the right people in the room. That’s all that mattered. Until you can get past the fear of being judged, that fear tends to rule a lot of your choices. If you let it rule your business decisions, you’re missing out on a lot of income, and the people who truly need you will struggle for longer, as they wait for you to come into their lives.

 

There are many more steps that I’d love to share. I teach these skills to my clients, and I’m going to be sharing more of them with you on a free teleclass I’ll be leading on July 21st, 2015, called Turn One Speech Into $7,000.

If you’re wondering how you can make thousands of dollars by getting up on stage, and taking your place among the people you’ve admired, I highly encourage you to be on this free call. To learn more and register, simply click here.