Why is throwing a seminar good for business? If you want to clean your house, you should throw a garage sale, and if you want to increase business, throw a seminar. A seminar is a way for you to contact many people all at once. It will pull in an audience that is interested in what you have to say. When you put on a seminar you generally go to mailing lists and contacts through organizations, plus past and present customers. The seminar will draw interest from the subject matter you are presenting. If you have a difficult time getting attendees, then perhaps a look at the topic is essential. No one will attend a seminar that does not have some impact on their business. The mailing lists you choose to promote the seminar is also important. I recently put on a seminar called "The Seven Deadly Sins of Selling". I was new to the area and was not sure what kind of draw I would get. I had 5 weeks to get an audience. The first thing I did was to make sure I provided food in the way of a continental breakfast. Next I sent the invitation to the members of two Chambers of Commerce, my Rotary Club and other Rotarians with whom I was acquainted. I also asked people I knew if they had suggestions for inviting people they knew; in total I invited 400 people and got 117 reservations. The attendance at the event was 87. I was very pleased. Through the seminar, I was able to launch my consulting business in the area of Sales Process Consulting. The leads I obtained through feedback forms were all qualified leads and when I called, they were all receptive to setting up a meeting with me. |
