Arbitration & Mediation

Speaking can lead to mediating and more?part 1

By Dina

There are a few tried and true ways to get the word out about your mediation practice, and speaking is one of them. Ok, I know that public speaking ranks in the top five of universal fears, but please, people. Get over it.

The best way to do that is to start small with a hometown group. A few years ago I was looking for a new market to enter. So, I opened my eyes and looked around my world. Working in the corporate world, I noticed that administrative assistants faced a number of challenges and conflicts. You know, demanding bosses, unsympathetic co-workers, an uncontrollable workloads.

I reached out and did some research. As luck would have it (and a bit of preparation), the local trade association for administrative assistants was hosting their annual conference. They loved the idea of having a session on conflict management. It was a fun talk. The ladies were terrific, engaged. I loved their energy.

Fast forward a few years( yep, years), and I get an email asking if I’d like to talk to the group again. I mention this for a couple of reasons. It’s really felt like a crap shoot over the years trying to figure out what would work, in terms of gaining clients. I go all out and get a small result. I just throw something together and hit it big. You never know. Now, I try to have an overall marketing plan, and I still do the small stuff.

I can recommend the following approach to working with more niche groups:

1) Take the risk to approach a new group, even if you’re nervous. Helping others is what we do and, for me, there’s always an upside to learning about others. So, just do it. Look around your community for a group that could use a dose of conflict resolution, then offer it for free.

2) Don’t judge a group by it’s size. Great things come in small packages. Even though the group I spoke to was about 20 women, the opportunity to network with hundreds of assistants is real and valuable.

3) Look beyond now to the future. The opportunity might not seem big or like it will generate the a ton of cash– now. But you can grow a small chance into a big win. We’ll talk more about that in part 2. I’m convinced that for every small market there’s a way to serve them that works for you and your business.

So here’s the opportunity for a Massachusetts mediator-

The president of the Rte 128 Chapter of Administrative Assistants wants a mediator to talk to her group this fall. I have details. If you’re interested, shoot me a note with “I want to speak” in the subject line. I’m hoping to offer the president a slew of talented speakers by Friday. If this is your first time speaking, no worries. I’m happy to help you get ready. It’s the kind of thing I do with members all the time.

Next post, we’ll talk about how to turn any speaking engagement into a longer relationship and income stream.

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Full post as published by Mediation Mensch on August 17, 2008 (boomark / email).