When it comes to your free presentation, do these four things to increase your leads and get financial coaching clients.

Paid gigs are great, but don’t let the lack of a speaker fee set you back. Free presentations are a great way to market yourself, make connections, and yes, even get paying clients. Don’t assume that just because someone is hearing you speak at no cost, they aren’t interested in paying for your services.

Here are four simple strategies I use (and one bonus tip!) to get paying clients from a free presentation.

Talk About Your Coaching Program A Lot

Make sure you’re talking about your financial coaching program throughout the entire presentation, not just at the end. A lot of people think of the end of their presentation as the closing the sale part. But if you mention your program for the first time when you’re getting ready to close, it’s going to feel salesy. Instead, you need to weave the features, benefits, and outcomes of your program in the beginning, middle, and end of your presentation.

One great way to do this is by telling client stories. For example, you can say, “One client I was working with in my 3-month program loved this strategy I’m about to share with you…”.

Keep up the program talk. Don’t just throw it in at the end as an aside. The repetition is what’s going to make it memorable and create curiosity, which will lead to more clients.

Don’t Leave Your Paid Offer As the Last Thing You Talk About

I don’t like ending with the paid offer. By leaving your paid offer for last, you’re catching people when their minds are already wandering to what’s next. Even worse, you’re missing all people who have to step out a few minutes early.

I like putting my paid offer second or third to the end. I share strategies, and then invite the attendees to receive help and coaching as they make those changes. I describe the value and results of the program and invite them to schedule a call with me to discuss if it’s right for them or sign up on the spot. Depending on how you’re set up at the event, either way works.

Offer a Free Resource and Collect Email Addresses

After I’ve made the offer, I will say something like, “For those who aren’t quite ready to dive in fully and want some tools to make these changes on your own, I have some free resources that will help you execute the strategies we discussed today. I’m passing around a sign-up form where you can sign up to receive these free resources.”

I’ve already talked about my program a ton, and I’ve invited them to get in on my paid offer, so a free offer at this point where all they have to do is give me their email address feels like an easy sell.

Finish Strong

I like to have a strong close. Do NOT end with “That’s it for today” or “That’s all I got.” That’s the opposite of a strong close. End with a quote or a powerful statement of some kind. Pause. Allow them to clap. They will if you wait.

It will feel awkward and like it’s taking forever, but I promise, it’s a much better way to end than delivering a ton of value and then saying, “That’s it. I’m done.” Leave them feeling hopeful and inspired, not like your waiting to run off the stage and out to your car.

One Last Crucial Bonus Tip

You want a sign up form and encourage everyone in attendance to fill it out. On the sign up form, ask for their email and phone number. But you also want to have a column where it says “I’m interested in your coaching program: Yes/No” and they circle the one they want. Hopefully yes!

But here’s the key: You need to fill out the first line of that form with a fake name, email address, phone number, and circle YES to wanting more coaching. This gives each person who writes their name down after that, permission to say Yes to coaching. It’s a very subtle thing but I promise it works!

The next time you’re prepping for your next big presentation (or small one!) give at least one of these techniques a try and see how many new clients you can get!