So many times I’m asked why I speak to small groups. Isn’t it a waste of my time? Wouldn’t I rather have an audience of thousands?

Well my friends, there are so many ways to respond to these questions. To begin with, when I first started my company, I needed to gain brand awareness so I would speak anywhere and everywhere I was asked. I was getting my name out and also practicing different talks to see what would become my “signature” talk.

What I ultimately found was that I related quite well to these small groups. I am an entrepreneur and new to these surroundings. Often I attend meetings and listen to speakers. I watch them to see if they have a look of disappointment when the attendance is low. Some do and some don’t. The smart ones don’t because they know, as I do, it’s not always the people in the room that can take you elsewhere; it’s the people they know that you now have access to.

Case in point-I was asked to speak to a somewhat small group a few weeks ago. I agreed many months ago and as the time got closer, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am working on some big projects that have been taking my eye off the ball so to speak. (That’s another blog post for a different time.) When I arrived at the event, I talked to a few people, had lunch with others and then got ready to speak.

I only had 30 minutes but in those 30 minutes I built some amazing relationships. You see, I used some of the information I learned prior to my talk and shared it with the audience. They appreciated the fact that I actually was able to convey some of their challenges simply by listening to a few people for a few minutes. When I was done, I was approached by a few attendees that asked if I could be the keynote speaker at a large convention and added 2 more coaching clients to my business. Now, think for a moment, it was an event that for many had no potential for future business.

Now let’s not forget the last question from the beginning of this post….wouldn’t I rather be talking to an audience of thousands? I love speaking period. When I speak to thousands I connect with a few people at a time so that it makes them feel as if I am talking directly to them and makes me feel as if I’m in a relationship with just them. 5 to 5000, to me it’s all the same.

Remember a few things:

You are never wasting your time talking to a small group

It’s not necessarily the people that are in the audience that can help you; it’s the people they know

The people that are supposed to hear your message are the ones that show up

Happy selling!

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