As we continue our series on setting yourself up for a successful second-half, today we’re going to focus on preplanning seminars. Hands down, seminars are one of the most cost-effective ways to get in front of a large number of prospects at once, and to ensure success, you need to prep.
The numbers don’t lie.
Autumn has always been a strong time for seminar response rates, and you don’t want to miss out on filling up your appointment calendar and pipeline for the remainder of the year.
Impact recommends sending out one set of mailers per month for September (after Labor Day), October, and early November. Rotate the mailer topics monthly and the locations of your seminars to take full advantage of targeting new prospects.
Get more bang for your buck.
A few top advisors have taken the summer months to experiment with getting more bang for their seminar bucks and have added “early bird” slots to the seminar options. This method provides the invitation recipient with two dinner options: 6:30 PM and the “early bird” option of 4 PM.
Adding this option has proved successful because it can provide an additional 8–10 people that may not have attended evening seminars. And, typically, there’s no additional cost to advisors because mailers are mailed no matter what and venues are usually willing to work with advisors to have two events in one day.
Mark your calendar!
As you’re wrapping up your summer vacation and looking ahead into the fall, check your calendar and start planning your seminars. You can download our seminar calendar and your marketing manager can help you strategically pick dates that make sense for you and avoid any major holiday travel conflicts.
Execute a successful event.
You’ve secured your venue, and your invites are in the mail. Now what? It’s time to start preparing for your seminar and make it the most successful one yet. To make sure you cover your bases, use the following checklist:
- Review the content and training materials (if applicable).
- Ready your seminar materials. Your marketing manager will provide you with a branded PowerPoint presentation, a Workshop Assessment Form, and a Client Questionnaire.
- Provide materials that will make a good impression on the people attending your event (i.e., a branded tablecloth, a stand-up banner, and presentation folders). If you’re in need of branded items, schedule a call with your marketing manager today to learn how you can earn these items and get them in-hand for your seminars.
With proper preplanning this summer, you could be looking at your most successful fall yet.
