Summary
- I often choose to speak at events that don't pay me because it's a chance to close business deals with ideal customers.
- Sometimes, I even pay for my own flight, hotel, and event fees, as it's an investment in reaching the right audience.
- The key regions for these events are the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, which allow me to connect with diverse, multinational businesses.
- Speaking at conferences once a month in these regions helps me consistently reach potential clients, even without immediate financial compensation.
- At a conference in Singapore with 500 attendees, most were from publicly traded companies operating in various countries and languages, which made selling feel like "shooting fish in a barrel."
Video
How To Take Action
I would suggest implementing a strategy where you focus on events that gather your ideal customers, even if they're not offering immediate financial gain. It's important to see these events as an investment in your business growth. Look for conferences or meet-ups in key regions like the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. These areas are filled with diverse business opportunities that can open up new markets for you.
A good way of doing this is to target one event a month where you can connect with decision-makers from different companies. This consistent presence keeps your business top-of-mind and helps build relationships over time. It's like planting seeds that will grow into business deals.
You can replicate this by selecting local or regional events that attract your target audience. Sometimes, it may be worth paying your own way to attend, as the connections and potential deals can far outweigh the initial cost. While this does involve upfront spending, think of it as buying advertising in a space where your customers are actively engaged and interested in what you offer.
Identify where your ideal customers gather and choose those spots to showcase your expertise. This approach, much like speaking in Singapore, can make it feel like you're "shooting fish in a barrel," easily reaching the people who are most interested in your business.
Full Transcript
I get paid to speak at events a lot of them that we've been choosing over the last few years I don't get paid to speak at and some of them actually cost us money well we had to pay for our own flight and own hotel sometimes we're even paying the event but they're bringing our ideal customer and we're closing businesses the main regions for us are Americas EMA and APAC I was like once a month why don't I speak in a conference from one of these regions with their ideal customers who cares if they don't pay and I spoke at the one in Singapore 500 people in the audience majority of them were publicly traded companies that were in multiple countries and languages I was like what is it called shooting fish in a barrel
