One of the most effective prospecting tools for financial advisors looking to grow their practices is the in-person educational workshop or seminar. Webinars can be great for prospecting when done well — with good sound, lighting and camera angles — and you may have taken advantage of these virtual opportunities during the pandemic. But there is nothing better than an in-person event to allow you to make real connections with your target audience. Building relationships with people who need your financial expertise can result in gaining first appointments and, ultimately, new clients.
With an educational workshop, you can scale your marketing efforts by gathering a group of people who have the same financial needs, questions, and concerns, into one room. By sharing your considerable knowledge with your community, you help people understand what they don’t know. In these uncertain economic times, your insights are more important than ever.
While providing financial education is a noble goal in and of itself, converting attendees into clients is the reason you go through the effort of hosting an in-person event in the first place. And gaining new client assets starts with booking appointments.
Tips for getting appointments
After years of data collecting and countless executed workshops, seminars and webcasts, we have compiled a few tips you may want to consider to increase your conversion rates for your event attendees.
- Start with your power opening and introduction
The best time to highlight the post-event consultation is right at the beginning of your presentation after you’ve captured your attendees’ attention and explained who you are. Following this “power opening,” you have a window to mention how there will be time for general questions toward the end, but for specific solutions, encourage them to schedule a one-on-one consultation where you will be happy to answer all their personal questions.
- Allow your attendees to book with you while at the event
Whether you are hosting a live seminar or virtual webinar, you should create a calendar link that attendees can use to book their appointments directly to your calendar. There are plenty of tools that you can use that will work with your personal calendar. Another great option for in-person sessions is the sticky note method. Bring a large poster board with sticky notes with available dates and times for the audience members to meet with you. Social proof can aid your appointment-setting efforts when using this strategy, encouraging individuals to take action when they witness others doing the same.
- Keep your first appointment short
Attendees may be reluctant to book an appointment if they believe it will result in a long commitment of their time. To avoid scaring prospective clients off, we’ve found that more attendees were prone to booking appointments when the timeframe was between 15-20 minutes. This first appointment can be virtual, over the phone or in person.
- Deliver your social media plug
Another way to bolster engagement among attendees is to suggest following you on your social media platforms. But you should only do this if you are sharing great content. Encouraging attendees to follow you may keep you top-of-mind with those who do not immediately convert. However, if you are not actively posting valuable content, you risk losing credibility, so it’s better not to mention social media during your presentation. Just know that many prospects will research you on social media before deciding to do business with you.
For in-person seminars, we suggest reaching out the next day with a follow-up call. For webinars, we recommend immediately following up after the webinar (assuming it ends during acceptable call hours). We see the best results from advisors who call rather than email.
With a strategic plan and a commitment to providing value, educational workshops can be a game-changer for financial advisors looking to expand their clientele. But a lot goes into hosting an in-person event. There are tools and services available that can help you execute your next workshop, allowing you to attract warm leads, convert them to appointments and then to long-lasting clients.
To learn how White Glove’s turnkey marketing solutions can help financial advisors attract, connect and engage with potential clients, click here.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.