How To Turn a Speaking Engagement Into a New Business Opportunity

Several times throughout the year, members of the HMA team are asked to be guest speakers at various conferences and events.  Sometimes these are at the request of a client, other times we are referred to a conference planner because of our knowledge and expertise on a particular topic.

Whether we are provided an honorarium or not for these presentations, we always consider it as a possible new business opportunity. What better way to demonstrate your capabilities than to do a presentation on the topic?

Some things to consider when evaluating the speaking opportunities:

• Who will be in the audience? Are they the decision-makers within their organization?
• What additional outreach opportunities are there with attendees? Will you be provided contact information in order to follow-up?
• Who else will be presenting?

And of course, you need to consider how much time it will take to develop the presentation, location of the event and possible out-of-pocket expenses.

If the answers to these questions are favorable, then the opportunity just might be worth pursuing.