What if the next few months were your most impactful yet?

Imagine the possibilities:

• What would it mean for you to finally be recognized as an expert in your field?
• How would your business grow if you regularly shared your message with new audiences eager to hear it?
• What would it feel like to support others, transform lives, and grow your business at the same time?

All of this is possible. 

But if you’re thinking…

“That sound great, but I don’t have the time… I don’t even know where to start… It feels overwhelming…”

You’re not alone. And that’s where Infinite Business Solutions comes in. We created a powerful tool to help you move forward:  The Business Assessment

It’s like a wellness checkup for your business.

Before you can confidently market yourself as an expert, you need a strong foundation. The Business Assessment identifies the exact systems and processes your business needs to grow so you can stop spinning your wheels and start gaining traction.

Here’s how it works:

1. Complete a short questionnaire to help us understand where your business stands and where you want to go.
2. Receive a custom report with clear steps, recommendations, and a realistic timeline to elevate your business.
3. Join us for a strategy call to review the results and map your path forward.
4. Choose your next step:
   • Take the plan and run with it
   • Partner with us for guidance and accountability
   • Or let us handle implementation for you

Your investment:  $397. That’s it. A small step that can lead to big momentum.

Just think of the possibilities . . .

• You’ll be positioned as the expert you already are
• You’ll expand your reach and attract aligned clients
• You’ll share your message and change lives
• You’ll finally have a plan and a partner to move forward with clarity and confidence

You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. We’re here to help every step of the way.

Ready to take the first step? Complete the Contact Us form and let us know you’re interested. We’ll get your Business Assessment scheduled and start mapping your path to growth.

Let’s make this your breakthrough year!

You didn’t start your business to spend your days managing your calendar, digging through your inbox, or updating spreadsheets. Yet for many business owners, these tasks slowly take over, and growth stalls not because of a lack of vision, but because of a lack of bandwidth.

If you feel like you’re drowning in details, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to stay stuck. The key to sustainable growth isn’t just working harder. It’s learning how to let go of the right things at the right time.

Let’s talk about what that really looks like.

Why You Can’t Scale While Doing It All

At some point, every growing business hits a wall. It’s not a mindset issue—it’s a capacity issue.

You only have so many hours in a day. If your time is tied up in administrative tasks, you’re missing opportunities to focus on:

• High-value client work

• Strategic decisions

• Relationship building

• New revenue streams

The result? Burnout. Bottlenecks. And a business that can’t grow beyond your personal limits.

What You Can and Should Delegate

Here’s the good news: so much of what clutters your daily to-do list can be handled by a trusted support team. These are some of the most common—and impactful—tasks to delegate:

Email & Calendar Management
No more double-booking, missed meetings, or endless back-and-forth.

Client Onboarding & Follow-Up
Deliver a consistent, professional experience—without managing every detail yourself.

Invoicing, Payments & Admin Docs
Stay organized and on time, while someone else handles the busywork.

Marketing Coordination
Scheduling posts, formatting newsletters, tracking metrics—it doesn’t have to be you.

Project Management Support
Stay focused on the big picture while someone else keeps the pieces moving.

The goal isn’t to offload everything—it’s to free yourself from the repetitive and reactive, so you can operate in your zone of genius.

Why Most Business Owners Struggle to Delegate

It’s not that you don’t want help—it’s that:

• You’re not sure what to delegate.

• You’ve tried outsourcing before and it didn’t go well.

• You think it will take more time to explain than just doing it yourself.

Those concerns are valid—but here’s the truth: trying to do it all is already costing you more than you realize. In lost time, missed opportunities, and diminished energy.

With the right support, delegation becomes an asset—not a hassle.

How We Help

Our team specializes in implementation and accountability, which means we don’t just give advice—we help you get it done.

Whether you need someone to manage your admin tasks, streamline your workflows, or provide the structure that keeps you moving forward, we’re here to make your business run smoother behind the scenes—so you can show up where it matters most.

Ready to Scale Without Burning Out?

If you’re serious about growing your business—but tired of doing it all alone—let’s talk.

Book a call here
We’ll explore what’s on your plate, what’s holding you back, and how we can support you with the systems and hands-on help you need.

Consider the possibilities:

What if you were recognized as an industry expert, elevating your business’s credibility and attracting more clients?

Imagine regularly sharing your message with fresh audiences, expanding your client base and growing your business exponentially.

Picture the fulfillment of positively impacting lives through your business endeavors, all while experiencing personal and professional growth.

These aspirations are entirely achievable for your business in 2019.

You might be thinking, “Sounds fantastic, but I’m too busy and overwhelmed to navigate this alone.” This is where Infinite Business Solutions steps in, with an exciting new offer tailored just for you.

Introducing our Business Growth Accelerator—a vital diagnostic tool for your business. Did you realize that establishing a robust foundation and optimizing processes are essential for establishing yourself as an industry expert? Our Business Growth Accelerator is the solution you need—it integrates a comprehensive assessment, strategic guidance, and continuous support to propel your business toward accelerated growth and long-term success. We will pinpoint the crucial elements tailored to your business, providing clear, actionable steps and a realistic timeline for implementation. Rest assured, we’ll be there to guide you through every phase of your business enhancement journey.

Here’s how it works:

1. Complete a comprehensive questionnaire to assess your business’s current state and future goals.
2. Schedule a call to review the findings and discuss the next steps. We will outline the steps needed to fortify your business foundation and achieve your objectives. If desired, we provide ongoing support and accountability.

The Business Growth Accelerator is priced at $597, but sign up now, and enjoy a $100 discount—pay only $497 to propel your business now.

Imagine the impact:

• Establish yourself as an esteemed industry authority, leveraging every opportunity to enhance your reputation and reach.
• Expand your clientele and business growth by captivating new audiences with your compelling message.
• Make a meaningful difference in people’s lives with your transformative message, while effectively marketing and expanding your business.

Ready to elevate your business? Complete our Contact Us form to express interest and let’s schedule a call to embark on this journey together. I’m excited to collaborate with you!

Let’s explore this common phenomenon and delve into why accountability is crucial for turning aspirations into accomplishments.

The Cycle of Starting But Not Finishing

Think back on your own experiences. How many times have you embarked on a venture—whether it’s learning a new skill, launching a business idea, or pursuing a fitness regimen—only to abandon it halfway through? The reasons for this cycle of initiation and abandonment can vary:

• Lack of Clarity: Sometimes, we start without a clear plan or defined objectives, making it easy to lose focus.
• Overwhelm: Projects can seem daunting when we underestimate the effort required, leading to procrastination and eventual abandonment.
• Distractions: Life’s demands and unforeseen events can divert our attention, causing us to neglect our initial pursuits.
• Fear of Failure: The fear of falling short or facing setbacks can discourage us from seeing things through to completion.

The Importance of Accountability

Accountability serves as a powerful antidote to the cycle of unfinished endeavors. Here’s why it’s essential:

1. Commitment and Consistency: When we are held accountable, we are more likely to commit to our goals and maintain consistent effort over time.
2. Focus and Clarity: Accountability fosters clarity by defining expectations and milestones. It keeps us focused on what truly matters.
3. Motivation and Encouragement: Knowing that we are answerable to others motivates us to persevere, even when faced with challenges.
4. Learning and Adaptation: Accountability encourages a growth mindset. We learn from setbacks, adapt our strategies, and continue moving forward.

Embracing Accountability for Success

Here are practical ways to integrate accountability into your pursuit of goals:

• Set Clear Objectives: Define specific, measurable goals with realistic timelines.
• Share Your Goals: Inform a trusted friend, mentor, or colleague about your aspirations. Their support can hold you accountable.
• Establish Checkpoints: Break down your goals into manageable milestones. Regularly review your progress and adjust your approach as needed.
• Seek Support: Join accountability groups or partner with like-minded individuals pursuing similar goals.

Harnessing Accountability for Lasting Impact

Imagine the satisfaction of finally completing what you started—a project, a skill, or a passion project. Accountability can transform aspirations into achievements, paving the way for personal growth and fulfillment.

So, the next time you feel inspired to start something new, remember the importance of accountability. Commit to seeing it through, enlist support from others, and embrace the journey of progress and perseverance.

Accountability is not merely a tool for achieving goals; it’s a mindset that empowers us to take ownership of our actions and outcomes. By cultivating accountability in our lives, we cultivate resilience, discipline, and the determination needed to turn dreams into reality.

Let’s break the cycle of starting but not finishing. Embrace accountability as a guiding principle on your path to success, and watch as your aspirations transform into tangible accomplishments. Together, let’s cultivate a culture of accountability that fuels personal growth and lasting fulfillment.

Research by Professor Albert Mehrabian suggests that communicating effectively with our audience and leaving a lasting impression is not done through our words (content) – it’s done with our bodies. Mehrabian’s studies found that body language conveys a whopping 55% of the total impact of a message! Words alone convey a measly 7% of the impact. The remaining 38% is conveyed through vocal tone and inflection (Mehrabian & Wiener, 1967 and Mehrabian & Ferris, 1967.)

Today we’ll focus on making the most of that 55%. Read on to learn how to use your body to maximize the impact of your presentation.

Your Face

Your face is vital to communication. First and foremost, make eye contact with your audience. Don’t look down at the floor or off into space. And don’t gaze over the audience as a whole – make eye contact with individual audience members. Eye contact helps you bond with your audience, and it tells them that you are a confident speaker (a lack of eye contact is a dead giveaway for a nervous speaker).

Use facial expressions to make clear what you’re trying to express verbally. One way you can practice this is by delivering your speech silently to a mirror, forming the words with your mouth but without making any sound. Let your face do all of the communicating.

Remember to smile! Smiling will relax both you and your audience. But be careful not to overdo it. Watch that you don’t over-smile or even giggle because you are nervous. This will detract from the seriousness of your message.

Your Posture

You won’t command an audience if you’re standing in front of a room with your back curved and your shoulders slumped. Stand upright and tall, your feet firmly planted on the floor, and your weight equally distributed on both feet. But also remember to relax; rigid posture creates a bad impression and shows nervousness. Be calm and natural. Imagine that there’s a string attached to the top of your head and that someone is pulling on that string. Can you get taller without lifting your feet off the ground? If so, then you need to work on making sure your back is straight.

You are an expert on your subject and you want your audience to trust you, so you need to appear confident (even if you aren’t). Did you know that a lot of your confidence is portrayed through the placement of your chin? You don’t want it to be too high (arrogance), but you don’t want it to be too low either (lack of self-confidence). Grab a friend and practice – where do you need to hold your chin so that you look just the right level of confident?

Your Hands

You could keep your hands at your side, in your pockets, or behind your back – but why do that when you could use your hands to make your presentation more effective? Think about how you could use your hands to emphasize emotions or to convey the depth of your message. Look through your presentation and look for places where you could incorporate specific hand gestures. When you’re not gesturing, keep your hands in the “neutral position’ – hanging loosely at your sides.

If you point, don’t point with your finger. Instead, use an open palm (this looks more polite). And don’t fidget with your hands – be aware of what they are doing. If you are holding something, like a slide-controlling remote, be conscious of how you are holding it. You often see speakers unconsciously playing with what they’re holding and this can be distracting.

Movement

Think about how much of that 55% of body language communication you’ll be cutting off if you hide behind a podium, desk, or flipchart! Use all of the space you are given when you speak to an audience. The space is yours and you should claim it! Move around as topics change, and move toward the audience when asking questions, making connections, or sharing something particularly important. When you move, move with purpose. Nothing exudes confidence like a speaker who is comfortable in their own skin in front of an audience.

Identify Your Nervous Mannerisms

Nervous mannerisms are the nervous habits a speaker might have but isn’t aware of. These unconscious mannerisms can distract and annoy an audience, and they detract from a speaker’s perceived confidence level. Some examples of nervous mannerisms might be clasping and unclasping your hands, pacing back and forth, or using filler words like “um” and “uh” too often. Since you’re probably not aware of your nervous mannerisms, identify them by giving your speech into a mirror, to a friend, or by video-recording your speech and playing it back.

Here are some don’ts:

• Don’t play with your hair
• Don’t lean on one hip
• Don’t fold your arms
• Don’t cross your legs
• Don’t sway from side to side
• Don’t shift your weight from foot to foot (a lot of people do this unconsciously)
• Don’t fold your arms across your chest (this will most likely be interpreted as your closing yourself off from the audience)

My challenge to you this week is to focus on body language during your next presentation. Notice what you do with your body. How do you use it to make your presentation more effective? Try some of the techniques we talked about here today and tell us how it went and how you felt!

Remember that we are always here for you if you need help.

Here are some tips for making the next presentation you give one that your audience will never forget.

1. Have one clear, key point. Repeat that point throughout. What’s the one most important thing that you want your audience to walk away with? Identify one simple and concrete key point that you want your audience to remember and build your presentation around it. Remember how you would perk up in class when the teacher said, “Listen up now because this is going to be on the test”? This strategy also works well in presentations so that your audience will be paying attention when you state your key point. You can do this by saying something like, “Here is the most important thing I want you to get.” Then pause. Then state your key point. If you’re using slides, project your key point on the screen. If you can find a relevant image that conveys your key point visually, project that too along with the words. Throughout your presentation, repeat your key point. When Martin Luther King spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, he repeated the theme of his speech 11 times. Decades later, everyone remembers “I have a dream” – and we weren’t even there. At the very least, state your key point once at the beginning of your presentation and once at the end to take advantage of the serial position effect, which is the tendency of a person to recall the first and last items in a series best. It can be tempting to not have key point or to include more than one key point. But if you don’t have a key point, your audience will choose one (perhaps randomly and/or unconsciously) or they won’t come away with any key point at all. If you have more than one key point, you’ll dilute the power of each point.

2. Keep it simple and the “Rule of Three”. Keep your presentation simple. Give your audience a basic sense of what you do and why it matters. Don’t try educate them on the fine details. They simply need to know what the problem is, how you or your message will solve this problem, and why it matters. One of the oldest presentation techniques (dating back to the time of Aristotle) is the “Rule of Three.” The “Rule of Three” is, simply, that people tend to easily remember three things. Pick three ideas that you want to present. You can then break each of these three ideas into three sub-parts, but don’t bother adding a fourth main point – because people aren’t going to remember it. 

3. Use visuals. Will you be using slides during your presentation? If so, take advantage of the visual! Pictures stay in our minds far more commonly than concepts or words. Studies show that retention of information three days after a meeting or other event is six times greater when information is presented both visually and orally (vs. when the information is presented by spoken words alone.) This means that if you include visuals, your audience is six times more likely to remember what you said! Show your audience photographs, (simple) graphs, or (simple) diagrams that visually represent the topics you talk about. 

4. Tell a story. Everyone loves a good story, and stories stick. Our brains are hardwired to enjoy stories, to get drawn into their reality, and to remember them. Use a story to illustrate a point you’re trying to make. Share information with your audience in the form of a story. Because they’re so memorable, make sure that your story is relevant and supports the content of your presentation. 

5. Make your audience work. The more deeply your audience thinks about the points that you make, the more likely they are to remember what you’ve told them. It sounds counterintuitive, but you don’t want to spoon-feed your audience too much. This will reduce the amount of work they have to do to understand what you are telling them, which can actually make the content of your presentation less memorable. Instead, provide opportunities for your audience members to think for themselves. Ask a question and let them vote on the possible answers. Give them a scenario and ask them to come up with hypothetical outcomes. Encourage them to summarize the main points of your talk at the end of your presentation. 

My challenge to you this week is to experiment with these techniques. How does incorporating one or more of these techniques change the way you normally organize your presentations? If you were on the receiving end of a presentation, which technique do you feel would be most effective in remembering the content presented to you?

As always, remember that we are here for you if you need help with any aspects of public speaking.

Your eyes follow the speaker as he approaches the podium. Good, you think to yourself. Let’s get this going and over with. The hum of talking in the audience quickly hushes to a silence. The presentation is beginning.

“Um, hi, good afternoon everyone, and thank you for being here today. I hope you all had a good lunch. My name is Joe Smith and today I’m going to talk to you about capital investments in the digital age. My company deals with transactions like these every day, and…”

Your mind starts to wander.

Darn! I forgot to check my voice mail during lunch, I bet Caroline called to touch base about our dinner plans tonight. I need to let the sitter know what time to come over. Oh, and I also need to stop at the store on the way home. I need to get paper towels and milk and… what was that other thing I needed? Ugh, it’s so cold in here! And I’m so tired. I sure hope this coffee kicks in soon…

Meanwhile Joe Smith, who is clicking to the second slide of his PowerPoint presentation, looks out into the audience. He sees some people looking at their cell phones, others staring at him blankly, and one guy is yawning. Joe worked really hard on this presentation and feels disappointed. No one seems to be engaged in what he’s saying. I’m about to share some really valuable information, Joe thinks. Why don’t they seem interested? What am I doing wrong?

We’ve all been in this situation, either as the bored conference attendee, as poor Joe Smith, or both. But what about those times when a speaker drew you in immediately and paying attention was effortless? What if you were able to present to any crowd get their undivided attention right away? You can – you just need to start the right way.

The beginning is possibly the most important part of any presentation. It’s in the first 30-60 seconds that your audience forms their opinion of you – and whether or not you and your message are interesting enough to pay attention to. Waste those precious opening seconds on a dull introduction and you risk losing your audience before you’ve even gotten started. You, your message, and your audience don’t deserve that! A strong opening will get and hold audience attention, so if you want to get people listening, you have to hook them fast.

Here are 5 ways to start a presentation and grab your audience’s attention immediately.

1. Tell a Story – Stories are one of the most powerful ways to begin a presentation. That’s because we as humans are hardwired to enjoy and learn from stories. Just think about it: bedtime stories as children, TV, books, movies, theater – so much of our entertainment is stories. People relate to stories, the characters in stories, and the emotions that those characters feel. When crafting your opening story, be specific and sensory so that your audience is able to relive the story with you. The story should be compelling, authentic, endearing, emotional and/or funny, and it should drive home the key point of your message. Try starting your story somewhere in the middle to get your audience curious and wondering. The story can be a personal anecdote about an experience you had (in this case, it’s usually best to make others the heroes of the story). It can be about someone you know whom you feel the audience can learn from. If the story is about someone well-known, keep the person’s identity hidden until the end for extra impact!

2. Ask a Question – Asking an interesting question that’s relevant to your subject matter is a great way to start a presentation because it gets the audience involved, and if the audience is involved, not listening isn’t an option. You can ask a rhetorical, thought-provoking question. You can ask a series of rhetorical questions to stimulate audience members as they contemplate each answer. You can ask a show-of-hands question that gets your audience participating physically. You can take your audience through a what-if scenario that is about them. Asking questions arouses your audience’s curiosity, motivates them to think, and includes them in your presentation.

3. Share a Quote – Sharing an interesting quote that’s related to your topic uses someone else’s experience – and their credibility, likeability, or celebrity status – to reinforce your position on a subject. You could also use a quote from a well-known movie, but if you do, be sure to describe the context of the quote for anyone in the audience who hasn’t seen the movie – you don’t want to alienate anyone! A quote that everyone has heard 100 times won’t stand out, so don’t use a quote that is overused. One fun idea is to quote a foreign proverb. Our minds are drawn to pay attention to things in our environment that are new², and chances are that a foreign proverb will be completely new to everyone in your audience.

4. State an Interesting Statistic or Fact – Stating a surprising, shocking, or little-known statistic or fact that’s directly related to your presentation is a great way to capture your audience’s attention right away. Make sure the statistic is true and be able to verify its source. Use the statistic or fact to persuade your audience to listen and respond positively to your message. It is often helpful to “humanize” the statistic or fact to make it more relatable. For example, a commercial for Brita water filters stated that “the U.S. alone used over 39 billion plastic bottles of water [last year]. That’s enough [plastic water bottles] to stretch around the earth over 190 times.” That’s quite a powerful image! Definitely more powerful than if Brita had just stated the number of water bottles used by the U.S.

5. Use a Visual Aid or Prop – People learn in different ways, and there are three main types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. You know you’ll be speaking to your audience, so that takes care of auditory, but don’t forget about visual and kinesthetic! Make your presentation stand out by incorporating more than just one learning style into your opening. For instance, start your presentation by showing your audience a gripping photo (after all, “A picture is worth a thousand words!”) Pictures can act as visual metaphors for the point you’re trying to make, add aesthetic appeal to your presentation, encourage audience imagination and creativity, and make your presentation more memorable. You could also start your presentation by showing a short video. Videos, like stories, can elicit emotional responses in your audience members, and the people, pictures, and sounds in a video can convey the essence of your message quickly. For example, if you’re giving a fundraising presentation, you could start off with a short video showing the actual people who benefit from donations to your charity. This is a lot more powerful than using words alone to convince an audience why they should give to your organization. You could also use a prop to start off your talk. A few years ago, I attended a presentation on world hunger and the speaker began his talk by passing a small handful of dough around the room. He told us that this was all that some poor families in a village in Asia get to eat all day. I don’t remember anything else about the presentation, but I sure do remember holding that ball of dough in my hands and feeling upset and disturbed about those poor families.

My challenge to you this week is to experiment with these opening techniques. Try one out in your next presentation and see how your audience reacts. Did you notice anything different about your audience’s engagement level throughout your presentation after using one of these opening techniques? I’d love to know.

As always, remember that we are here for you if you need help.

According to an article in Forbes magazine, a lucky 10% of people genuinely do not experience any fear when it comes to speaking in public. A less fortunate 10% of people are terrified by the idea of public speaking – they get nauseous, have panic attacks, or become debilitated by severe anxiety. Then there’s everyone else. About 80% of people fear speaking in public to some extent – they get nervous, feel uncomfortable, or have trouble sleeping the night before a presentation – but they know they’re going to get through it.

It’s okay to be afraid – in fact, it’s virtually impossible to get rid of your fear of public speaking altogether.

But if you allow your fear to hold you back from speaking in public, you’re limiting yourself and your business.

“I was terrified of public speaking,” said billionaire investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffett in an interview. “I just couldn’t do it.” While in school, Buffett would arrange his classes so that he wouldn’t have to get up and speak in front of people. He signed up for a public speaking course when he was in college – but he stopped payment on his registration check at the last minute because he lost his nerve. Finally, Buffett realized that he was going to have to be able to get up and speak in front of people.

“You have to learn to communicate in life, it’s enormously important . . . If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get across your ideas . . . you’re giving up your potential,” said Buffett.

The key is to manage your fear of public speaking – just like Warren Buffett did. Speaking to your target audience is the best way to get your message out there, and it’s also the most effective way to market and grow your business.

Here are 3 simple techniques that you can start using right now to help reduce public speaking anxiety.

1. Put your attention on your audience. When you’re giving a presentation to a group of people, try to actively shift your attention off of yourself and onto your audience. What do you want your audience to take away from your presentation? What do you want your audience to feel? When your attention is on your audience, it won’t be on you – or your feelings of fear or anxiety (How will I perform? Will the audience like me?)
2. Use the “As If” technique. When you don’t feel confident or comfortable enough to speak in public, imagine that you’re someone who does. Who is your public speaking role model? Who do you know that gives great presentations? It can be someone you know personally or someone you’ve seen give a presentation. While you’re giving your presentation, pretend you’re an actor and behave “as if” you are that person. Research shows that when you behave a certain way (i.e. confident and comfortable), your feelings follow that behavior.
3. Engage in non-threatening eye contact. During your presentation, make non-threatening or “soft” eye contact with individual people in your audience for long enough for your brain to register that the other person is not a threat – about 3-4 seconds. When you’re giving a presentation to a group of people, it’s normal to worry about what the audience will think of you (Will they judge me? What if they don’t like me?) Thinking along these lines will only increase your anxiety – and your adrenaline, and your heart rate – and this is not something that will help you with your presentation. Research shows that making non-threatening eye contact with another person will make you feel much less nervous and considerably calmer. (An added bonus is that making eye contact also makes you more relatable to your audience.)

My challenge to you this week is to use these techniques when you give your next presentation. After your presentation is over, analyze your level of anxiety. Was it lower than usual? The same? Did you feel that any of these tips in particular helped you feel calmer and more comfortable speaking to your audience? Let me know!

If you feel that incorporating public speaking into your business is overwhelming and you just don’t know where to start, give us a call and find out how we can help you. You don’t have to go it alone!

While every speaker’s follow up process should be customized to best suit their industry, the following tips can be incorporated into your process to help ensure that you connect with prospects and convert them into clients.

Collect names and email addresses of attendees. If the event allows for it, spend time mingling with the attendees, asking them for feedback, fielding their questions, and fueling that connection that began from the stage. If the event type does not provide this personal time, negotiate with the organizer to obtain a list of attendees that you can reach out to afterwards.

Send a follow up email or letter. Remind them of key points in your presentation and invite them to sign up for a free gift and your newsletter. Your objective is to start building relationships. Here are a few ideas:

• Prepare a special report available only to attendees.
• Send them the slide deck used during your presentation, and schedule a call to answer any questions that may have come up since the presentation.
• Set up an auto responder series first with a reminder to start implementing what was covered and a suggestion of the easiest change they can make right now; then send more resources a few weeks later.
• Ask them to schedule a free 15-minute “get acquainted” call to talk about next steps.

Be persistent, but don’t be a pest. There’s a fine line between persistence and annoyance. Be careful not to cross it. Time your follow up communications so that they are well-received, and even include a bit of additional information, but be sure to make it relevant and informative. A sure-fire turn-off for most people is to have that one speaker who contacts them every few days, and offers simply a sale pitch rather than helpful information that will transform their lives.

Send a handwritten thank you note to the event organizer for inviting you to speak. This is a thoughtful, well-received gesture. It only takes a few minutes to write out a personal note, but it is just one more way for you to stand out and let them know that you were honored to participate in their event and look forward to working with them again. Oftentimes, it’s the small details like this that help make you memorable to them.

Ask for feedback from the event organizer. Constructive criticism lines the path to improvement, and even if your presentation was exceptional, following up will cause the momentum to continue. It is important to increase the impact of your message in the follow up. Ask for feedback on your presentation and inquire about future events that might again fit your area of expertise. And don’t be shy about asking for testimonials from the organizer, as well as participants; they are happy to provide them.

My challenge to you this week is to create your follow up process using a few of the tips mentioned. Develop engaging materials that reinforce your presentation’s message. Your materials should be impactful enough to persuade the audience to take the next step. Your follow up should be as compelling as your presentation.

If you’re finding that incorporating speaking into your business is overwhelming and you are ready to partner with a dedicated team of professionals, Infinite Business Solutions stands ready to help. As part of your team, we can help you accomplish your goals, share your brilliance, and elevate your business to new heights. Contact us today and let’s get started!

Just like planning your event or preparing your presentation, successfully selling your products and services at your speaking engagement requires thoughtful planning and execution. There are several things you can do to make sure you offer the most value to the audience you’ll be speaking to. Below are my top strategies for selling at your next speaking engagement:

• Determine what kind of sales will be permitted at your speaking engagement. Check with the organizers to see if sales will be allowed, and if so, what type. This may even be a negotiating tool for you, depending on the event and the organization. If selling is simply not allowed, don’t push it. It’s better to provide a solid, meaningful message that will ultimately lead listeners to your website’s products page than it is to try and push a deal for selling and risk losing the engagement all together. If you are speaking at an event, you may be able to negotiate having them purchase your book or product for all attendees in lieu of a speaking fee or even being able to sell it at the back of the room.
• Do your research and determine the type of audience you will be speaking to. Why are they attending and what message do they expect to receive? Most likely, you will have already done this as part of your initial preparations. Knowing your audience is an important step in preparing your presentation, sharing the right message, and selling. It is the key to an overall successful engagement.
• Prepare a special offer specifically for the event. People enjoy getting special deals. Try putting together a combo pack of products, or offer select products or services at a reduced price for attendees only. Mention it during your presentation without it feeling like a pitch fest. And if your special offer is something intangible like an e-book or private coaching, then prepare a physical token that you can give to attendees that will remind them later that they need to take action. For example, a goody bag with a few branded items along with a coupon for the special offer. It could also be a postcard that contains the special offer as well as your contact information. You can hand these out personally after the event. You can also prepare a special packet distributed during the presentation inviting them to take the next step to working with you at a discounted price.
• Be available after your presentation. If the event type allows for it, mingle with the attendees or at least make yourself available for a time at a table or in a specific area. People love to engage with speakers and share the Aha! moments they experienced during the presentation. This one-on-time also allows you to address questions and concerns, and helps you to connect with your audience on a very personal level. This is also a great time to hand out those postcards or goody bags and collect business cards.
• Market your upcoming talk on your social media sites and through your email marketing campaigns. Mention the special offer to those who attend. You can even market it again after the event, and extend that awesome special offer “for a limited time only” to those who could not attend. This is great way to bring in additional sales.

My challenge to you this week is to review your products and services, and put together several different combinations that you can sell as special offers that will appeal to various audiences. By doing this now, you will be prepared with just the right packages when you land your next gig and you won’t be under pressure to put something together haphazardly at the last minute.

If you’re finding that managing your speaking business is no longer a one-person job, and you are ready to partner with a dedicated team of professionals, Infinite Business Solutions is standing ready to help. As part of your team, we can help you accomplish your goals, share your brilliance, and elevate your business to new heights. Contact us today and let’s get started!

As a speaker, you have a passion for sharing your message. Sharing that message with a captive audience of people with similar passions is a privilege, so you want to make sure that your message is clear and compelling, interesting and inspiring.

There are several of aspects of your presentation that need to be addressed as you prepare it. You have to capture the attention of your audience early on, and then keep them engaged throughout your time with them. The following tips will help you prepare your message so that you grab their attention from the very beginning, and cause them to leave wanting more, and remembering you long after the event is over.

1. Know your audience. Who are they? What qualities about them are unique or relevant? Why are they there – to listen, to learn, to transform? Learn as much as you can about the attending group and what their needs are.
2. Have a purpose to your presentation. Once you know your audience, you can better define the purpose to your presentation. What’s the message? Is it to inform or persuade? Inspire and motivate? Instruct or Stimulate? Design it to be specific and personal enough that the audience leaves feeling better in some way than they did before they arrived.
3. Know your material. Give yourself ample time to prepare prior to the event. Once you’ve written your presentation, practice it until you can speak to it, rather than read it. Be the expert; let them see that your message comes from the heart. Nothing will let your audience down faster than reading from a script or stumbling through the “uh” “umm” and “er” traps. You should also time your presentation to make sure that if fits nicely within the length of time allotted for you.
4. Engage your audience. Get them interested and give them a reason to listen. Make eye contact with the audience so they know you are interested in them. Engage them by asking questions, hold group activities, provide worksheets to fill out; tell a story or share a personal experience; give them cause to think about what you’re saying.
5. Be organized in your presentation.  Does it flow; have a beginning and an end? Every great message begins with a great title. Draw your audience to you with a title that they will connect with and makes them want to know more, and then capture their complete attention with your opening remarks that will spell out their relatable problem. Make sure the message is clear and thought-provoking throughout, and don’t be afraid to throw in a little whimsy if the topic is appropriate.
6. Leave the audience with a clear call to action. This is extremely important. What do you want them to do or feel as a result of your presentation? Many speakers assume their audience knows what they should do next. That’s not always true. If you don’t tell them exactly what you want them to do, you can assume they won’t do it. The audience is waiting for you to tell them what to do next so help them by giving them a clear call to action. Frame it around their needs, fears, hopes and desires – not yours. This is an opportunity to move them into one of your programs or services to offer them more support along the way – someone to hold their hand on their journey.

My challenge to you this week is to incorporate these tips into the presentation you are working on right now. After you’ve presented, make notes and compare it to your last presentation, and see if you can tell a difference. Did you connect better with your audience? Were they more engaged? Did they leave with a clear understanding of what they need to do next? Let me know how it goes!

If you are finding that incorporating speaking into your business is overwhelming and you just don’t know where to start, give us a call and let’s discuss how we can help you. We can help you accomplish your goals, share your brilliance, and elevate your business to new heights that will create incredible results. Contact us today and let’s get started

Planning your first event can be a bit overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. If you start with a clear vision of what the event will look like – online or live; your audience and the message you want to share with them, then the details will become much easier to work through.

The following tips will help you as you plan your own event, whether online or live.

• Decide on the platform that will work best for you and your audience. Online events, such as webinars, teleseminars, weekly series, etc. will certainly help to grow your list, while live events are the ultimate goal for reaching out and upselling.
• Determine the audience you wish to attract to your event. Using your marketing list to help with this, decide if your event will be relevant to your entire list or certain portions of it. If you don’t have a large list, you might want to start with online events first to grow your list and then once you have at least 1,000 people on your list, you might consider a live event.
• Create a powerful presentation. Keeping in mind the audience, prepare a presentation that will be relevant. Focus on no more than three points in the body of your presentation. According to neuroscientists, the human mind can only consume anywhere from three to seven points in short term. I will be discussing more presentation tips in a future article. Just remember, this is your time to share your message with a captive audience; make it powerful, make it meaningful, make it memorable.
• Develop a solid plan for marketing your event. Whether the event is online or live, you need to promote it in ways that will best create awareness and excitement. This might include traditional and online ads, social media promotions and email broadcasts. Make sure your marketing messages are enticing and powerful. Get creative; you want people to feel compelled to attend your event and hear your message.
• Focus on the details. Every event, both online and live, brings with it a list of important details to be handled to ensure its success−from the obvious things, such as the technology required, the venue, and registration process to the less obvious, but still critical tasks, such as attendee materials and meeting links. Create a list of every detail to be done, along with a timeline for accomplishing them. This will help to keep you on track for a successful event.
• Stay calm and enjoy the moment. When conducting your event, remember to stay calm, breathe, speak clearly and engage your audience. This is your moment to feel that magic of connecting with your audience. Enjoy the moment. Share your best stuff and they will want more!
• Follow up after the event. Reach out to your attendees after the event with a thank you message for their attendance. Offer them a free gift for attending, ask them for their feedback, and even request a testimonial. This information will help you continue building relationships with your audience, and you can use the feedback to improve on your next event.

My challenge to you this week is to draft a plan for hosting your own event. Answer these questions: Will it be online or live? What will the topic be? Who will you market it to, and how? And once you have a concept, fill in the details—When will you host it? If live, where will it be? If online, how will it be conducted (telephone, GoToWebinar, etc.). Once that’s done, put your plan in action and begin preparing for your very own event!

Infinite Business Solutions is highly skilled in planning successful events for transformational speakers like you. We work with you to create that special event you envision. With expertise in planning both online and live events for speakers at all levels of experience, IBS is the right team to ensure your event is a huge success. Contact us today and let’s get started!

Speaking at events that are organized by others is a great way to begin building your reputation, expanding your audience and growing your marketing list. And once you have built a substantial list of followers, you will want to begin hosting your own events. The attendee rate at most live events is only a small fraction of the total number on your list, so in order to have a good turnout for your event, you need to be able to market it to a large number of your target market.

Which events do you think would bring you the best results—those that are hosted by others or the ones you host yourself? Actually, the answer is that both offer certain advantages that can bring good results.  A few of the more prominent ones are listed below.

Advantages of speaking at others’ events:

• The event planning is done for you. All of the details, such as planning, communications and marketing are done by the organizers. This allows you to focus on your presentation and the audience you will be sharing your message with.
• The appropriate target audience will be in attendance. The event will be designed for your target market so your captive audience will be there ready to hear your message. This is a great way to continue building your list and expanding your reach.
• The cost to you is minimal. Especially if the event is online, the cost will be minimal for you to have the opportunity to speak to your audience. And if the event is live, your expenses, if not paid by the organizers, would be limited primarily to your own travel costs. And sometimes you will be paid to speak.
• The opportunity for upselling is good. Most events will allow you to do some amount of self-promoting as part of your speaking agreement. This could include selling products at the event, offering discounts or prizes to attendees, etc.

Advantages of hosting your own event:

• You can customize the event. Hosting your own event allows you to create topics and design the event to best suit the needs of your audience. You can really get to the heart of your audience by speaking on the topics that are most relevant to them, reaching out to them and engaging them.
• The audience will be all yours!  When you host your own event, you can be assured that the attendees are there specifically to hear your message. They registered for YOUR event; they are interested in what you have to say to them that will speak to their hearts, resolve their problems or change their lives.
• You build relationships with your listeners. The relationships that you create as you speak to the heart of your listeners will turn your target audience into devoted followers. And you know what happens next…they sign up for your newsletter, tell others about you, your list grows, your market expands and your business grows.
• The trust factor grows.  People connect with those they know, like and trust. By getting up close and personal at your own event, you can build the trust that, in addition to growing your followers, will lead to upselling your next program or product.

My challenge to you this week is to continue securing speaking engagements that are organized by others, and in the meantime, draft a plan to host your own event within the next few months. When you’re ready to move forward with your own event, you’ll have your plan already outlined and you can begin planning the details to host an awesome event designed specifically for you and your audience!

If you are ready now to host your own event, but would rather have a skilled team to handle the details for you, Infinite Business Solutions is the right team for you. Our team offers years of experience in planning both online and live events for speakers at all levels of experience. We work with you to make sure that your event provides the best opportunity for you to share your brilliance and enjoy a successful event. We would love to plan your next event so that you can focus on what you do best—deliver your inspiring, transformational message. Contact us today and let’s get started!

Getting on stage does take hard work, along with a lot of patience and perseverance. One of the keys to successfully landing the perfect speaking opportunities is to have a thorough process in place that takes you through the research to the pitch to the follow up, and beyond. The following guidelines will streamline your process for finding and securing the speaking events that best fit your message and help grow your business.

Get organized. As you begin your research for the kind of speaking opportunities you’re interested in, you will want to have an organized way of recording the prospects and tracking your progress with each. A simple way to do this is to create a spreadsheet that includes all pertinent information, including the company/organization name, location, and contact info, along with all event details. Also include such things as the dates of your initial contact, follow-ups, etc. This spreadsheet will become your master list of the types of organizations you want to work with and the events you want to speak to.

Do your research. This is an ongoing activity. Once you create your master spreadsheet, begin your research by listing the ideal types of events for you to share your message, and then perform an internet search for upcoming events that fit. As you identify events and organizations to contact, record them on your master spreadsheet. Be sure to include the primary contact name, email address, phone number, and key details about their event.

Put your materials in order. Once you identify organizations you wish to contact, or pitch to, you should spend some time reviewing your marketing materials to make sure everything is complete, accurate and up-to-date. This includes your one-sheet, speaker’s page, bio, videos, headshot, speaking topics, and prior engagements. It’s imperative that everything you send out in your pitch provides an accurate and thorough picture of who you are and how you can add value to the event you’re pursuing.

Wow them with your pitch. Your pitch is your first impression, so make it count. Take the time to write a pitch that will grab the recipient’s attention from the beginning and make them want to learn more. You need to fully understand the purpose of the event and who the primary audience will be. Then style your pitch to address those specifics. Focus on how you can add value to their event, and include something that will differentiate you from the competition, maybe send a video email. Be sure to follow all of the submission rules outlined by the organization, but provide them with information that will cause them to think “this is our next speaker!”

Follow up, and follow up again. Once you have submitted your pitch, record it in your master spreadsheet and set dates for follow-ups. The first follow-up should be within three days of your submission. During this follow-up you should ask when a decision is expected to be made. Your second follow up should be within 3 days of the first one, and should include something new—a link to your video, a few testimonials from past engagements; something that you didn’t include in the initial pitch but will be relevant to their decision. Remember, you are trying to stand out from the competition; shine your best light so they will remember your name.

Learn from rejection. If you are not selected, contact the event planner and ask the reason for the rejection. Chances are your topic simply didn’t fit their particular needs for their upcoming event. Whatever the reason, record it on your spreadsheet, learn from it and use the lesson learned to improve your chances next time.

Once you land your first few engagements and you leave your audiences inspired and motivated, your reach will expand as your reputation grows. You just never know who may be in the audience. Following the guidelines here will help you streamline your pitching process and maintain relationships with prospective event organizers.

My challenge to you this week is to create your master contact spreadsheet and develop your pitch. Then research events to pursue and send your pitch to the organizers. And don’t forget the follow-up!

Along with media kits, videos and webinars, and social media (just to mention a few that made our list), another key component to successfully marketing yourself as a speaker is to have a speaker’s page on your website. This page is your one-stop-shop where prospects and other visitors can learn about you, your speaking expertise and experience.

To create a dynamic landing page that truly highlights your unique brilliance, be sure to include the following:

• Media kit. Your media kit, sometimes called a press kit, serves as a digital/printable version of your speaker’s page to be distributed to members of the media for promotional use. It should grab their attention and leave the editor wanting to know more.
• One-sheet. A printable snapshot that describes who you are (bio, headshot, contact info) and what you do (speaking topics). Your one-sheet is extremely important as it needs to be brief but offer enough information to draw the prospect to you in search of more.
• Bio. Similar to your one-sheet, your bio should present a solid, yet brief portrait of you as a speaker, business owner, and/or entrepreneur. You can summarize your expertise and experience, your passion and philosophies here, but no need to include links to videos, testimonials, or photos other than your headshot.
• Headshot (at least one). Make sure your headshot is current and professional. Using a cell phone selfie or a 20-year old photograph of yourself at a concert work well when promoting yourself as a professional speaker.
• Past speaking engagements/client list. This is important. Prospects looking for a dynamic speaker want to see who else you’ve worked with; what your recent engagements have been, as well as what type of events you’ve spoken at.
• Videos. Videos are awesome promotional tools because they allow your prospects to see and hear you in action. Whenever you speak, be sure to upload the recording to your speaker’s page, and keep them fresh by replacing them on a regular basis.
• Testimonials. Requesting testimonials should be part of your normal booking process. Every time you speak, request feedback from the organizers, and when appropriate, from the audience as well. Post a few at a time on your page, and just as you do with the videos, rotate them on a regular basis.
• Photos of you speaking. This is an easy one. Anytime you’re speaking, have someone, typically on your team or the event planner’s team, take photos of you onstage.
• Published books. If you are a published author, be sure to include links to your books. Whether the prospect purchases one or not, it will help to validate you as an expert in your field, or confirm your passion about your particular topic. They may even purchase them for the audience.
• Contact information. This really goes without saying, but I’ll mention it anyway. Be sure to include your contact information on your speaker’s page, and in all of your materials. Prospects must be able to find you quickly and easily, or they will move on to another speaker.

If you are just beginning to build your speaking business, you likely will not have all of these ready to add to your page just yet. In that case, simply start with the basics—your one-sheet, bio, headshots and contact information. The remaining items should be added as soon as they are available. Remember that the more information you have on your speaker’s page, the more helpful it will be for prospects to determine that you are the right speaker for their upcoming event.

My challenge to you this week is to take the steps necessary to create your speaker’s page for your website. Gather the items you already have and get them on your website, and then make a list of the remaining things you need to add. If you already have a speaker’s page, review it. Make sure that you include all of the important components, as I’ve noted above, and then, most importantly, make sure that all of the info you have is current and accurate. If you need help, contact us today to set up your free 20-minute strategy session.