Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Forming Lasting Connections

Last week I got a question from a former client, Amy Boyd, and I thought everyone would like to hear the answer. Here goes…

I am feeling fairly well about an upcoming event, but I am not sure how to follow up after the event is over. How do I get testimonies to use on my blog and/or in my media packet ? Should I ask in the event for the women to sign up for newsletter and blog post or should I try to get the event planner to mention it later? I guess what I really want to know is how do I really connect with these women for more than the one day.

It’s a fantastic idea to collect endorsements from events as you go. You’ll always need fresh ones for biosheets, your website, etc. I usually wait until after the event and then ask the event coordinator for one. Because these endorsements need to be well-written to be usuable, I usually ask by saying, “Would you be willing to take some time to craft an endorsement?” I’ve worked hard to find wording to encourage people to put some thought into what they write.

It’s also wonderful to give attendees ways to keep in touch with you after an event. You can do this several ways.

Have business cards printed so attendees will be able to find your website and email.
Include this information on the bottom of your handout for notes.
Print cards that include all the information you’d like from attendees and boxes to check if they’d like to be subscribed to your blog or newsletter. You’ll have to input the information yourself, but it may be worth it to make it this easy for attendees.
Use the cards for a drawing for a giveaway. That’s been a great way for me to get more cards back! I also allow women to just write their name so they can be included in the drawing.

Thanks for the great questions, Amy! Does anyone else have other ways you form lasting connections after your events?

Amy

Employing the Power of Prayer

Recently our Proverbs 31 team met together and shared ideas that we’ve found to be successful at our own events. In the course of that very helpful gathering, there was one subject that took hold of my heart–prayer.

I’m a very practical, nuts-and-bolts kind of girl, and sometimes in all my pragmitism, I lose what’s really important. I’ve heard it said that prayer isn’t just the preparation for the work. It IS the work. I believe it’s true, and yet I occasionally get caught up in preparation with very little prayer.

Here are two steps every speaker should implement:

Build a prayer team. I have a group of precious friends who receive my prayer requests for speaking along with my event schedule. They are women with whom I feel I can be transparent, and they’re godly, faithful women I know I can trust. There’s one other thing that I particularly love about my group. Each is of a different decade, so I ask them to pray specifically for the women in their decade. I didn’t plan it this way, but I have a prayer warrior in her 20s, 30s, 40s (me), 50s and 60s. That covers the majority of women at my events, and I love thinking that each of my friends is praying for the needs of women in their phase of life.

Although this group of women is one I’d love to spend more time with, I’ve decided to keep our prayer team as low key as possible. We don’t meet together, but I just send them my prayer requests.

Pray for attendees by name. I’m going to be transparent with you. Although I know members of our speaker team who have done this for a long time, I had never done it personally. I certainly prayed for the event and for the attendees in general, but I never prayed for them by name. In our meeting I mentioned earlier, Wendy Blight shared passionately about this practice. I love and admire Wendy and her heart for prayer, so I decided to try.

I simply started asking the event coordinators to send me the list of attendees. You can’t imagine how excited they are when you tell them you’re praying for each woman individually! I also couldn’t have imagined the results. Even before I got to my last event, God had made the event so personal to me. I already had fallen in love with both the group and each woman before I ever got there. I trust God had also prepared hearts to be moved by the messages more than before.

I know many of you have a heart for prayer, and I’d love to hear how God has taught you to pray for your events!

Amy

Spring Forward!

As I type today, I’m enjoying the breeze blowing through my open windows and the sound of happy, nesting birds outside. It’s my favorite time of year-spring!

Although I want to spend hours of time with my fingers in the dirt right now, spring is a great time to work on platform building. Event planners often book speakers for their fall and holiday events before everyone heads off for summer vacations, so this is the time to get the word out about your messages.

As I looked through questions we’ve received from our readers, the majority center around how to generate speaking opportunities. I could reinvent the wheel, but my friend Tracie Miles has already put together a great list of ideas. You can read her post here. I suggest starting back at the beginning of her series and reading it in its entirety by clicking here. She has loads of excellent ideas embedded. My suggestion is to make your own list, prioritizing and working on one project at a time.

Reading other blogs is another way to keep my ideas flowing concerning marketing. My two favorites are Michael Hyatt’s and Seth Godin’s. I encourage you to check them out. I’m also planning to buy and read Michael Hyatt’s book Platform.

Finally, let’s work together as Kingdom building speaker girls! What are you doing (have you done) that has worked in getting the word out about your message? Do you have any other marketing resources to share with us? Each person who leaves a comment will be registered to win a free Next Step coaching call! Duplicate suggestions are fine–we’ll use it as a survey.

Amy

Where Do I Begin As a Writer?

I just want to write, Suzie!

That’s a message I receive in my in-box almost weekly.

I normally offer this challenge: For the next six weeks I want you to write on a schedule. Not just when you are inspired. Not just when you feel that you have time. Once you have completed that, then you have proved to yourself that this is more than a whim.

You’d be surprised at how many take that challenge, but at the end of six weeks they’ve written little. They give up.

But some do endure, and then I challenge those women to take another six weeks to explore the business aspect of this ministry/career to which she feels drawn.

You see, writing is only half of succeeding in the publishing world. It you truly desire to write, then it is important that you not only write, but learn the business end of marketing and publishing your writing. A successful writing career doesn’t happen overnight. Earning an income as a freelance writer is a continual process of education, networking, and submitting your work.

What are ways in which you can learn more?

Join a writers’ group online or in your community. Read books from solid professionals about writing (there are many great books on the craft of writing at your local library). Subscribe to writing magazines. Read books in the genre in which you hope to write.

Attend a writers’ conference. You may be unsure if you’ll have the right questions or know the best class to attend, but you’ll walk away with more information than you arrived with.

This is a step that I clearly remember taking nearly 14 years ago. When I walked in the door, I felt my beginner status from head to toe. But I didn’t give up. By the end of the conference, I realized that we were all writers; I was simply at the starting line, while others were halfway down the track, and others closer to the finish line.

Doing all of the above allowed me to progress from a beginning writer to eventually working full-time as a professional freelance writer with hundreds of articles published nationwide, books published, and columns and blogs established.

Every career and ministry has a learning curve, a time to develop your niche in that world.

But there is never a point where writers can say they have arrived. Professional freelance writers and authors continue to attend workshops, network with editors and writers, join critique groups, and stay current on trends in their craft. I do!

Have you been wishing for a writing ministry or career, but not investing the time and education needed?

Perhaps today is the day you move from wishing that you were writing to intentionally pursuing and investing in the dream on your heart.

Ways you can invest in your writing dream/ministry/career today:

Purchase the 2013

Listen to Karen Ehman, best-selling author and P31 speaker – How to Write a Bang-up Book Proposal

Attend the July, 2013 She Speaks writer’s track with intensive workshops, editor and agent one-on-ones, and networking with writers, from beginner to professional.

Forming Lasting Connections

Amy

Employing the Power of Prayer

Amy

Spring Forward!

Amy

Where Do I Begin As a Writer?

Suzie

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