Learn why seminars are still the most effective strategy for growing a business.
I was a new advisor and a single Mom of three young kids. To succeed as a financial advisor I had to find a more efficient and effective way to build a business in less time and with less effort. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to work hard but time with my children was my highest priority, so I had to work smarter not harder. Cold calling one person at a time? Not going to happen.
I knew my focus, wealthy women in Newport Beach and I love public speaking so I decided to host an event every two weeks. If I just got in front of 10 new people every two weeks I would succeed and that’s exactly what happened. I understood very quickly how to leverage my time by using events as my primary marketing tool. I didn’t want to create a selling machine, that was not me. I wanted to create a warm inviting atmosphere that engaged the audience and left them feeling more confident and empowered.
By constantly promoting my “value add” events I never felt like a stalker. The consistency of my events built my brand and reputation and my presentations gave me the content for engaging drip emails which inspired more interest and referrals in my business.
Since then the world has changed dramatically and while in-person events are still on the shelf using virtual events is exactly how I would build my business today.
Whether you still plan to (eventually) host live events or simply integrate a virtual event strategy into your growth strategy you need to consider all aspects of the event. A good event strategy addresses the atmosphere, how to engage the audience, how to encourage referrals, and the many powerful ways to market your events. This is how you get your events to market YOU.
While building my business was stressful at times I LOVED how I did it. Getting in front of groups of people, inviting new acquaintances to join me at my events made prospecting easy. But more importantly, creating a process where I could truly ADD value and inspire more women to take charge of their money was energizing. Because I made this my primary business building process I was able to succeed when others did not. I had a strategy, a well thought out approach that looked at every angle, and every side of events so I could maximize the benefits; more clients, more referrals, and a stronger brand.
The key to a successful event strategy is just that, it requires a strategy. But when I started my coaching practice I was quite shocked to learn how many advisors were hosting a variety of different events and webinars with no real strategy! That’s what inspired me to write my first book; Seminars for the Financial Advisor: Build Your Business with Events and Create a Referral-Generating Machine.
Think of this book as a guide or roadmap to using events to build your business in a meaningful way. I want you to understand the nuances of events, how to make them engaging but more importantly how to create an event strategy that becomes your most successful business building strategy ever.
That’s my goal, to see you succeed in hosting events in a way that truly empowers your audience, increases their respect and appreciation for what you do and allows you to focus your time, energy and talents in the most efficient way possible.
If you love educating and inspiring others. If you want to work more efficiently. If you want to stay more energized and focused with your marketing, events continue to be the most effective way to build a thriving financial practice in less time with less effort.
