Have you ever thought of hosting your own seminar to showcase your expertise and share your knowledge with others? Seminars are a really smart marketing tool and they can become a system in your business that regularly adds prospects to your sales funnel.
The seminar presentation allows you to educate potential customers and give them a sampling of what you do best, that is, if you get the right people in the room. In marketing, casting a wide net builds awareness of your offering, at best. It’s less likely to result in qualified leads because not everyone needs or has interest in your product or service. In fact, speaking to a qualified client (rather than anyone who will listen) increases the chances of a sale or the on-boarding of a new client.
People who take the time to attend and learn at a seminar exhibit a high level of interest in the topic. These are your people. Just ask Rainmakers member Kent McCool president of Home Safe Homes Inc. Recently, Kent shared his expertise on home safety in a seminar. In preparation, we worked with Kent to compile a list of targeted audience members and create a custom email campaign. During the seminar, we coordinated registration and people, so Kent didn’t have to. Lastly, we provided him with follow-up information. Kent walked away with three leads and his attendees gained valuable information about home safety that they could implement in their own homes.
Seminars are excellent tools for giving actionable advice to potential clients in your area of expertise. Take time to plan and manage your seminar and you’ll be rewarded with new opportunities. Here are tips to consider when planning a seminar:
- Determine Goals: What outcomes do you need from the event? Do you want to generate leads, build awareness or make a sale? In Kent’s case, he wanted to increase in-home consultations.
- Know Your Audience: It’s true, almost anyone can come to your event but it’s not likely to result in a meeting with your ideal client. Qualified candidates are key to a successful seminar. Map out the profile of your ideal client; the person who is most likely to buy from you. A good place to start doing this is to analyze your existing customer base for common traits.
- Create Educational Material: Solve a problem for your customer. Educate them on things they can do on their own. Give them tools; draw a picture; point them in the right direction; whatever it takes. Some business owners fear that they will be giving away their trade secrets for free. In reality, people call on experts for a reason – they’re experts. Establish yourself as a subject matter expert.
- Plan for Follow-up: Collect information from the event including notes on the types of questions people asked during the seminar (great way to identify pain points). Ask an employee or friend to take candid pictures during your seminar for later use in emails, newsletters or social media.
Need help creating a seminar? Contact Stephanie.dohnert(at)gorainmakers.com or call 317-840-8118.
