209: Close New Clients Every Time You Speak: How to Stand Out and Be Sought After in Your Industry with Deb Boulanger

In this week’s episode of the Seven Figure Consultant Podcast, I talked to Deb Boulanger, a sought-after speaker, business mentor and thought leader, and an expert in guiding women from corporate roles to successful consulting businesses.

We explored how public speaking can be a powerful and strategic tool for consistently closing new clients. Deb shared actionable tips on audience engagement, crafting compelling offers and the importance of follow-up. We also discussed mindset shifts, preparation and how to avoid common pitfalls like over-teaching. 

Whether you’re new to speaking or looking to refine your approach, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you turn talks into tangible business growth.

 

In This Episode: 

[00:00:00] Introducing Deb Boulanger and her transition from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship..

[00:03:08] Deb discusses the unexpected difficulties of starting her own business and learning new skills.

[00:04:43] Exploring the mindset changes required when moving from corporate to entrepreneurial life.

[00:06:06] Conversation about embracing individuality and being different as an entrepreneur.

[00:07:32] Using public speaking strategically to close clients, and the value of both paid and unpaid speaking.

[00:09:30] The common mistake of over-teaching and how it can overwhelm audiences.

[00:10:46] Deb shares tips on structuring talks for impact, including using simple points and stories.

[00:12:30] The importance of pre-launch content, audience engagement, and reverse engineering event goals.

[00:14:32] Discussion on the need for thorough follow-up with attendees and registrants after a talk.

[00:17:21] Tips on using social media, direct messaging, and ensuring attendees have access to event links.

[00:18:50] Advice for speakers on managing perceived audience disengagement and keeping energy high.

[00:20:38] How to address audience pain points and provide new perspectives during talks.

[00:22:28] Deb explains how to transition to offers, the difference between soft and hard offers, and best practices.

[00:26:00] Guidance on making appropriate offers when selling consulting services to organizations.

 

Key Takeaways:

• The allure of paid speaking gigs is strong, but Deb emphasizes that unpaid talks, when delivered to the right audience, can generate far greater business value.
• Many speakers try to prove their expertise by overloading their audience with information. This “over-teaching” leaves listeners overwhelmed and less likely to take action.
• Success starts long before you step on stage. Effective pre-event marketing and engagement can dramatically increase attendance and conversion.
• The offer is where many speakers falter, either by being too aggressive or too timid. The key is to make offers that feel natural and valuable.

 

Quotes: 

“The mindset is totally opposite than corporate, right? In corporate, you're rewarded for something absolutely different, which is fitting in, coloring inside the lines, and in entrepreneurship you're rewarded for being different. So how different can you be? How creative can you be? And coloring outside the lines.” - Deb Boulanger

“The things that you used to aspire to, you now need to be the opposite. And it's actually great news for us because it was never that fun to fit in and be less. Whereas suddenly it's like your job depends on you being more and showing the world ‘this is who I am.’” - Jessica Fearnley

“You can do lots of things, but if you're in the wrong rooms, not speaking to the right audience for your business, it's lovely that you did it, but it doesn't always drive sales.” - Jessica Fearnley

“If you're leading a webinar, if you're speaking from stage, if you're leading a workshop or even if you're on a panel, the primary mistake people make is they want to be seen as smart. They want to showcase their thought leadership, and they end up over teaching, over coaching, leaving the audience overwhelmed or needing to sort it all out so that they can apply it on their own. And that is the first mistake that in our desire to help serve, inform, we end up giving away too much information. People aren't able to take action.” - Deb Boulanger

“Keep it to three simple points, right? Three simple points that people can take away and give them a core premise and a paradigm shift that makes it memorable. And this is where true thought leaders really stand out, because when you ask people at the end of your talk, what was the number one thing you took away? They're repeating back to you your paradigm shift that you left them with.” - Deb Boulanger

 

Useful Links

Deb: 

LifeAfterCorporate.com

Life After Corporate Podcast

Connect with Deb on LinkedIn

Seven Easy Steps to Convert More Clients Today

Expert Pricing Calculator

Ebook - A Free Guide on How to Make More Money, Meaning, and Impact Doing Work You Love

Jessica:

Buy Jessica’s book, Too Much, on Amazon

Get in touch with Jessica to discuss your consulting business

Leave a rating and review for the Seven Figure Consultant Podcast

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn

 

Guest Bio

Deb Boulanger is a sought-after speaker, business mentor, and thought leader helping high-achieving women leaders successfully transition from corporate careers to profitable coaching and consulting businesses. With a 25-year background in corporate leadership - where she managed multi-million dollar business lines - she now guides women through the complexities of entrepreneurship with proven strategies in sales, marketing, and business growth.

As the CEO of Life After Corporate and host of the Life After Corporate podcast, she shares deep insights on business strategy, overcoming mindset blocks, and building sustainable six-figure businesses. Her engaging, no-nonsense approach has made her a go-to expert for professional conferences, masterminds, and top-ranked podcasts.