From: http://www.bizjournals.com/

Remember when you were new to the business world? You were the low person in the pecking order. Someone had to work on Black Friday or staff the office during the Christmas holidays — and it was you. You were on initial probation, like a “probie” onNCIS. Once you got established, you put that all behind you.

If you needed to build a clientele, seminars might have been part of your strategy. You have terrible memories. Thankfully that’s all behind you. That may be a mistake.

Telemarketing endures because it works. Seminars do, too. If you are seeking to grow your business by adding clients, you might proclaim: “Wealthy people don’t attend seminars.”

But a senior executive at a financial services firm said it differently: “Worried people attend seminars.”

Do you sell a service that fill a client need? Do you dispense information people would otherwise pay to get? Then seminars may be a good fit for your strategy.

Seminars in 2016

If you need firsthand proof that the seminar channel is alive and well, count up all the “Understanding Social Security” seminars you read about, whether it’s in the newspaper (print or online), postcards and mailings you receive, or radio or Internet advertising you encounter. Someone is filling those rooms.

Do they work? Yes. And one major benefit is that you often get your results immediately.

But you are still not convinced. Let’s look at eight variations:

The Public Seminar

You book the space, attract the audience and tell your story. The challenge is filling the room with the right people. You still have nightmares.

Warm Leads

You’ve been talking with people but they haven’t bought yet. Get a crowd together in a room. Presenting from a podium showcases you as an expert.

Speaking Engagement

Unlike the public seminar, all your effort goes into persuading a homeowner association or community group to schedule you on their program. Public service topics fare better than product talks. Identity theft was popular in financial services seminars for years.

Client Recognition

Everyone wants to increase wallet share. Assuming your clients like you, filling a room should be pretty easy. Share some information they need to know or would otherwise pay to get. Remind them what you do for them and tell them what else you can do to make their lives easier.

Client or Prospect Dinners

OK, it’s a very, very small seminar. You ask a couple of good clients to join you for dinner, bringing along a colleague or neighbor as a guest. Pick a restaurant that makes your client feel important. Even though dinner conversation is social, those guests are presold by your clients, without any prodding on your part. Follow up afterwards.

Virtual Seminars

Webinars are enhanced conference calls. Nobody travels, participants can arrive late or disengage early. You get your message across with a compelling presentation, including good graphics. It starts and ends on time.

Joint Efforts

You sell cigars. Your chamber friend sells fine wine. You each have a client base that likely shares an interest in the other’s product. Plan a joint event where you each invite your clientele and tell your respective stories. You are gaining exposure with their best clients and vice versa. The clients have a great time.

The Fun Event

You survey your clients about non-business topics they might enjoy. Real estate trends and local history are topped by how to buy fine jewelry. You organize an event and bring in a local speaker who makes sense of this difficult topic. During the welcome, midpoint break and wrap-up, you tactfully position the services you would like your clients to buy. They have a great time because they chose the main topic.

Why Do Seminars Work?

Seminars involve a call to action. Follow-up is key. Here’s a rough rule about prospecting with seminars: You get your results within four weeks. If participants haven’t committed by then, it’s unlikely they ever will. However, building a seminar schedule on four-week intervals lets you bring them back and repeat the process, gaining another four weeks to bring them around to your way of thinking.

If you need more clients, seminars are worth another look.