How can you maximize the business potential of giving a speech? Rainmakers don't simply rely on someone in the audience happening to call them. By the same token we don't want to waste a lot of time with people who are unlikely to ever purchase our services and just happen to be at the meeting for the camaraderie.

What we want to do is to offer them incentives to self-nominate themselves for future contact while screening out those unlikely to actually buy our services.

If you just want to collect a lot of cards you can say, ?If you're interested in learning more about what I've been speaking about and would like to receive our white paper on this topic, drop off your business card in the box by the door on your way out.? You'll get a lot of volume this way but will spend a lot of unproductive time calling the tire-kickers who will drop their card in any fishbowl they see.

That's why I opt for an approach that focuses more on quality rather than quantity. My approach is to ask audience members to fill out a brief survey in return for receiving the white paper or other offer. Depending on the audience I've even offered to send individuals an audiocassette of the program if they will fill out the survey. In order to do this I simply tape record the program, duplicate it and later market the tape as a ?live? presentation.

You can also use the ubiquitous evaluation form as a powerful data-gathering tool. This is an often-overlooked opportunity. For example on my evaluation form, I try to get a variety of data. First are the more commonly asked questions about what did you think about the program, what was most beneficial and what do you wish there had been more time for?

Good information to get, but the answers don't directly help me build my business. Thus, I also ask if you would be interested in any of my other services such as coaching or training. I also ask if you would be interested in having this program conducted in-house at your company. Finally, I ask for names of other people I should contact regarding my services.

Let me make one point about follow up. If you don't call people who fill out the survey form within two weeks, the entire effort is for naught. You will not get any business unless you follow up with prospects. It's as simple as that. No more than two weeks and ideally within one week.