
Episode #25
Stop Losing Leads: How Strategic Follow-Up Turns Speaking Gigs Into Clients
Welcome to another episode of My First Stage: the podcast where I sit down with professional public speakers to get candid about how they found their first audiences, conquered the nerves, and built speaking into something truly transformational. This week, I had an incredible conversation with Wanda Allen—and if you’ve ever struggled with making follow-up a habit (hi, fellow ADHD crowd!), prepare to take notes. Wanda Allen has not only mastered the art of follow-up but has made it her career mission. Wanda Allen is an international speaker, coach, corporate trainer, author, and (quite possibly) the world’s leading follow-up expert. After a 25-year corporate career in banking where she developed world-class systems for persistence, Wanda Allen made the leap into teaching others how to master follow-up—turning simple actions into lifelong clients, opportunities, and stages. Whether you’re trying to sell, connect, or just keep in touch, her insights will change how you think about the fortune that really is in the follow-up. What We Talked About Wanda’s Origin Story: How a corporate career cut short led her to her very first (unstructured!) speaking stages Early Mistakes and Big Lessons: Why giving away “the whole store” doesn’t help your business—and how learning to sell from the stage is an ongoing process What to Share (and What Not To): The life-changing tip of telling your audience what to do, but reserving the “how” for paid services The Art of the Follow-Up: How to strike the right balance between bringing value and leaving your audience wanting more Audience & Event Follow-Up: Tactical strategies for keeping connections warm—without letting fear or self-doubt get in your way Lead Magnets That Work: Simple, actionable forms, drawings, giveaways, and examples of how to get high ROI from every event Mastering the Phone: Facing down the fear of calling (and leaving voicemails!) in a text-and-email world Why Consistency Wins: How committing to follow-up every single day can transform your speaking business If Wanda Allen’s approach to follow-up got you fired up, here’s what to do next: Connect with Wanda – Get inspired, grab some freebies, or book a call by visiting followupsalesstrategies.com. Put Action First – Schedule 10 minutes every working day for follow-up—call, email, DM, whatever works, but make it a habit. Share Your Story – I want to hear about your own follow-up wins and horror stories! Head over to myfirststagepodcast.com and let’s keep the conversation going. Subscribe & Review – If these strategies are helping you step up your speaking game, subscribe to My First Stage, leave a review, and tell me who you want to hear from next! Thanks for joining me this week! Keep practicing your follow-up, keep collecting those wins, and I’ll see you next episode on My First Stage! Timestamped Summaries [00:00-01:10] – I introduce Wanda Allen and we jump into her background, from 25 years as a senior VP in banking to suddenly being let go—and being challenged to teach her secret: follow-up. [01:11-03:30] – Wanda Allen recounts her first shaky, unstructured stage experiences, the mistake of giving away too much, and how a coach helped her recognize she was overdelivering rather than inviting action. [04:27-05:10] – The game-changing advice: tell your audience what to do, not how to do it—the “how” is your expertise, reserved for clients. [06:49-07:52] – How Wanda Allen now draws a clear line between free content and her paid program, handling audience questions by offering high-level advice without giving away her systems. [09:38-10:10] – Why “making the audience laugh” isn’t just about being a comedian—Wanda Allen shares how she uses humorous slides to keep things authentic and fun, even as a non-comedic speaker. [11:27-13:34] – Follow-up essentials: sending thank-you emails, striking while the iron’s hot, and why you need to contact interested audience members immediately to maximize ROI. [14:34-16:48] – Navigating lead magnets, worksheets, and business cards: what works, what’s a waste, and how to be “pleasantly persistent” without coming across as pushy. [18:29-19:50] – Lead generation tactics that get results—simple forms, drawings, and even Starbucks gift cards can fill your pipeline with hot leads without overwhelming your process. [21:03-24:02] – What do you say after the first follow-up? Wanda Allen reveals how many touches it really takes (hint: usually more than five!) and how staying consistent sets you apart. [24:05-28:25] – Why the phone is still your secret weapon, even when “nobody answers” these days, and how voice-to-voice (and even voicemail) builds relationships faster than endless email threads. [30:54-31:32] – The number one habit for ROI: commit to follow-up as a daily non-negotiable—it will change your business, your bookings, and your confidence.






