Using Seminars To Market Your Business And Grow Sales
By Ron Finklestein A good seminar can be worth a fortune to the people who attend. But, as any good presenter knows, the investment in money, including travel expenses, is considerableso considerable value must be given in return to the attendees. I have attended and conducted hundreds of seminars, and noticed only a small number of attendees derive anywhere close to the benefit of what is possible. I have seen attendees from all over the world who are exposed to some powerful and life-changing tools, techniques, and information from real experts. Yet few derive even a small fraction of value from the golden tips being offered by the speakers. As both a presenter and attendee, I see this situation as a terrible waste. A good seminar can help bring your personal and business success to a whole new level, both for the presenter and the attendees. Creating a Great SeminarCreating a great a seminar is not as easy as it first may appear. The presenters must be sure to present their credentials in the best possible light without misrepresenting or misleading those credentials and accomplishments. As a presenter, if you dont walk the talk, the value of what is taught is questionable. To avoid wasting your time and money, as well as the attendees money, present what you know and know what you present. Seminars are great ways to allow people to see you in action and the attendees can self-select into what you teach and potentially become great clients. Dont think of your seminar attendees as customers. Think of them as clients. A customer is transaction-driven. I sell a product and the customer buys a product. There is no value provided other than buying a product. I am not interested in having customers. I believe I have a moral obligation to provide the best possible information to conference attendees while creating long-term relationships at the same time. Having clients implies a moral obligation to their welfare. As a presenter, make it easy to allow attendees to get the most out of the seminar or conference. Send them pre-work if that makes sense. Give them homework. Be sure to supply conference or seminar evaluations. You want to know what works and what doesnt. You must always have the best interest of your audience in mind. Be sure to put testimonials from past attendees on your web site. Make sure they are real. You can obtain testimonials by asking people who attended past seminars what they feel they got from the seminar and using comments from the conference evaluations. Preparation before the SeminarAs a presenter, I want to know that my message is getting through and the attendees are receiving significant value from the material. They deserve the very best you have to offer every time you speak.To the presenter: practice, practice, practice! I have seen too many presenters wing it and, believe me, you can tell. That is not fair to your audience. Have quality handouts and be clear in presenting your material. I find Toastmasters to be a great place to practice small segments of the talk that may be difficult for others to understand. The feedback you receive is invaluable. It is better to practice with a friendly audience that understands you are practicing then practice in front of a live audience who may not be as forgiving. The attendees than can make a good presenter great and a great presenter even greater. Before arriving at the seminar I would suggest you do the following: Write down some specific seminar goals. Search out some solid actionable ideas that will improve your business and yourself. Network. Introduce yourself to as many attendees and speakers as you can. Pass out your business card and request them from others. If the seminar or conference is long enough to have breaks, sit in a different seat after each break. You can meet some great associates and make life-long friends by networking. Take good notes. Keep a separate sheet with ideas you plan to implement after the event. Before you leave the event, narrow the number down to no more than five. Writing them down helps you remember them and reinforces the learning you expected to receive at the event. Ask questions both during the Q&A sessions as well as during the breaks. Do not limit your questions to just the speakers. Ask your fellow attendees questions as well. It will help you create dialogue with people you dont know, and sometimes you hear a different perspective that makes a confusing concept easier to understand. It is also a good opportunity to begin creating relationships with fellow attendees. If it is a longer program with multiple speakers, choose and focus on just one to three presenters whose work you’d like to further study and implement. Buy the books and/or recordings of those you choose for home study after the event. It will reinforce what you learn. When you return home, take action immediately. Don’t delay. Studies have shown that the longer you wait, the higher you likelihood of doing anything at all is reduced. Purchase the CDs or DVDs of the seminar you just attended if they are offered. Review them as soon as possible. You will be amazed that while you thought you heard 100 percent of the information, you probably got no more than 40 percent or so. You’ll feel like you are listening to a whole new seminar! To both the presenters and the attendees: be sure to follow up with the people you meet at these events. This follow-up can be the difference between success and failure. A well-chosen seminar is a great learning opportunity. But you can dramatically increase the value by using the ideas you learned and following up with the people you meet. When I first started conducting seminars, my biggest surprise was that most successful entrepreneurs in attendance are the very best students. They come with a clear goal in mind and they are looking for that big idea that can totally change their businesses and their lives. On the other end of the spectrum are the people who take no notes, and within a few days have forgotten most of what was presented. No one can retain but a small fraction of what is heard just once.I consider myself a perpetual student of business and of life. When I am speaking at a seminar, if my schedule allows, I attend each and every session. And often I discover new ideas and brand new ways of looking at things. A seminar can be one of life’s best experiences and learning opportunities. My advice is to attend as many as you possibly can. We cannot know all there is to know and many times we forget what we know. As a presenter, understand there are people in the audience who are more knowledgeable than you. Thats okay. Also understand that you are considered the expert and you need to provide value. Value to me is providing information they can use, both in business and in life, to make significant changes to help them along their path to more success. Dont take that responsibility lightly. This material has been excerpted from 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales. This book includes: 9 Winning Marketing Strategies, 8 Branding and Corporate Image Strategies, 6 Media Strategies, 3 Networking Strategies, 9 Technology-Based Marketing Strategies, 6 Event Strategies, 8 Sales Strategies The book will be available second quarter 2006. To learn more check www.49marketingsecrets.com The author does a yearly conference that attracts 300 business owners. This conference is call Celebrating Success! NEO Business Conference. To learn more go to www.neobusinessconference.org. Ronald Finklestein, President of AKRIS, LLC, is a small business success expert, business coach, consultant, speaker, author, and trainer, and has published three books, Celebrating Success! Fourteen Ways to a Successful Company (http://www.yourbusinesscoach.net), The Platinum Rule to Small Business Mastery (http://www.celebrating-success.com) and 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales (available second quarter 2007). He contributed to 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. Finklestein is available for coaching and consulting and for speaking engagements, workshops, and seminars. Check out http://www.whysellingdoesntsell.com You can contact him at info@yourbusinesscoach.net or reach him at (330) 990-0788. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Finklestein http://EzineArticles.com/?Using-Seminars-To-Market-Your-Business-And-Grow-Sales&id=476924 buy phentermine with master card buy phentermine order phentermine on line order phentermine online cod
