While I am always on the lookout for ways to market myself as a speaker it is often a time consuming task and one I am not overly fond of. Once in awhile something you do inadvertently turns out to be an effective marketing strategy. Let me explain.
Last summer I was driving alone through Northern Ontario Canada on my way to Lake Superior country for my annual solo camping trip. I do this once a year to find solitude and peace in the beauty of nature and to recharge my emotional batteries . As I was driving through a small town between Sudbury and Sault Ste Marie I passed an insurance business which I knew was owned by the family of a young woman I had gone to College with. I began to reminisce and wondered where Margaret was and what had happened to her since college days. On the spur of the moment I pulled into the parking lot, went in and met her brother who had taken over the business after their Father had retired.
After discovering that my friend from college was alive and well and now a director of education in Southern Ontario I gave her brother my card with a request to tell Margaret that I had dropped in and was asking for her. I continued my way north.
One year later I received a call from Margaret telling me that her brother had indeed given her my message. After a long conversation during which we caught up on all the news Margaret invited me to conduct a one day seminar with her administration and office staff. I agreed and we started making plans and fleshing out the details of the day.
The day took place on the 16th of April/03 and went very well. For my efforts I was wined, dined and housed in a very nice hotel. Best of all I not only received my full fee for a one day seminar, but also a very healthy order for 250 copies of my books.
If I hadn’t stopped on a whim to inquire about a college friend from years ago I would have missed out on a full day seminar at full fee, a healthy order for my books and a glowing testimonial letter from a satisfied school board official.
The lesson? Those little, unassuming, spur of the moment gestures of interest in others often open doors of opportunity you hadn’t even give a thought to.
Mike Moore is an international speaker on humor and human potential. He can be reached at http://motivationalplus.com/cgi/a/t.cgi?busknohow