Public Speaking. There are few tools that are more effective because you can reach more prospects more quickly face-to-face than any other marketing vehicle. You not only reach them, but you can deliver value and establish yourself as an expert at the same time.

This article will take the discussion of public speaking one step further by talking about setting up presentations. It does not make sense to hone your public speaking skills if you don’t have the proper message or audience. In this case, we will use one of the most common events–homebuyer presentations. These are held in every city across our nation by real estate agents, loan officers, closing companies and more.

First rule: Have goals. Do not even schedule a presentation unless you have definitive goals for that presentation. Of course, increasing your income is most always a goal, but you need to be more specific. For example, exactly how many prospects do you want to attend the presentation? What is the quality of prospects you are looking for? What action would you like them to take? Are there are any secondary goals? For example, is there perhaps a particular listing you would like to get offers on?

Make the presentation unique. A first-time homebuyer seminar is quite common and that is the problem. If you are marketing such a seminar, it is likely that your targets have been invited to plenty of these before. The key to marketing is differentiating yourself from the competition. Homebuyer seminars are a marketing tool. How can you make them different? Here are a few alternative titles that will serve the same purpose but may attract more attendees because they will help advance the perception of the seminars being different from the usual:

• How to buy a home using someone else’s money;
• Overcoming the four obstacles to home ownership;
• Profitable real estate investing;
• The secret to purchasing foreclosures.

You will find the agenda for some of these topics will not be very different than the agenda for the usual first-time buyer seminar, but now you are advertising something that sounds completely different. And this difference will result in more attendees, which is the name of the game!

• Use synergy partners. Here is an important marketing rule—if you are marketing by yourself, you are wasting synergy. There is no better example of the value of this practice than presentations. Having partners can help in several ways:

• They can add substance. Especially if you are not a strong speaker–why not have others on the platform with you? These “others” are experts in their field and add credibility.

• They should market their prospects as well. Four partners marketing their spheres will attract more attendees than one person. Make sure partners understand that they can’t participate unless they are marketing as well.

• They can also share the cost of the presentation. While these seminars should not be expensive, sharing the cost of the room and any food or drinks that you serve is going to be helpful.

Consider the ultimate invitee. The ultimate speaker would be a representative from an association, non-profit or even governmental agency. These entities add an unbelievable amount of credibility. If there is a speaker from a local housing agency, a non-profit credit counseling organization or perhaps habitat for humanity, this additional credibility will attract even more attendees. Invites from real estate agents are rejected because consumers think they are going to be sold. Invites from agencies give the impression that they are going to learn.

The substance is important. Speaking of learning, make sure the agenda is set for learning and not just selling. The hard-sell agenda is exactly why most do not do well with attendance after more than one seminar. There are no referrals because there is no perceived value. Make sure there are at least five to ten points of learning for each participant. What can they learn? Some examples:

• Steps to improve their credit score;

• Tax benefits of owning and how to adjust their deductions;

• How to obtain money to purchase;

• The secrets to purchasing foreclosures and negotiating tactics.

If you are not going to deliver value, your seminar will be a “one-shot deal.” The next seminar will have less attendance and soon you will be searching for the next marketing vehicle. That puts you on a treadmill instead of a foundation of success.

Goals, partners and substance. These are all very important. However, we have other points we would like to present before you launch a successful seminar. In the next segment we will cover the timing, location and marketing of the event. They are all important–as well as delivery and follow-up.