Blarm, honestly, just ignore these strange creatures and do not respond to them.  They just try to get people mad and take us off the subject.

Back to the adult conversation;  If you have had success with seminars tell us about it.

One thing about forums, people read something and then make it "say" whatever they want to.  Can't believe I am having to EXPLAIN this to people.

Seminar will start with me speaking for 7-10 minutes.  Overview, how I personally am bringing this group of experts together, etc etc.  Presenter, me, presenter, me, presenter, me closing.  My "in between" parts will be 1-2 minutes tops.

I did a group of 5 seminars 3 years ago with 3 other people.  I did little to nothing presentation wise, but shared in the profits of the subsequent business.  I moved to another company, did no seminars during that timeframe, and am now back to organizing them, this time completely directed by me, at my new indy firm.

Now for the less involved seminars, I should have said I PLAN on doing 75% of the speaking.  Those are set to happen in October.

And I am in essence prospecting for the group, but the attorney will only get attorney fees, nothing else.  The wholesaler is only going to position me as the expert, so no sharing of revenue there.  And the 3rd guy, essentially the life expert, will split the life business with me 50/50 and anything else, managed money, va, ltc, etc etc will be 100% mine.  The 3rd guy is a great friend/colleague I have worked with for 7 years-I do not see any chance of losing $ to him.

good deal.  do you do anything special with the invitations?  do you use a response card or have them call in their RSVP?

People talk about using real stamps, but i have not seen a difference in the response rate with stamps.

Please pay attention.

The best day for seminars is Tuesday.  This buys you three days to confirm your appointments after the event.  Don't try to do on the spot, have them indicate the best day and time with their schedule and call the next morning at 8:30am to confirm.  Repeat the call at 12:00 and 5:00pm if they are not available.  Your last calls should be at 7:00pm and if they do not answer leave a message with the time and date of the appointment.  Send confirm letters with a map to your office.

The best time is from 4:30 to 6:00.  Serve dinners, your cost will be higher but your ROI will be as well.

NEVER USE CHAIN RESTAURANTS LIKE SOMEONE SUGGESTED.  Find a local upscale restaurant that has a banquet/private room.  If none such exist, think of the place the wealthiest families in your city would host a wedding reception.  Country Clubs will work just fine as will upscale hotels (Ritz, etc.).  Avoid your conference room at all cost.

Don't use multiple day offers from one invitation.  It will be a waste of your time and people will feel more comfortable in a room of 50 or more rather than 15.  All mutiple day offers accomplish is the company that does your mailer will have a higher probability of acheiving a stupid percentage response.  This will cost you money which is why it is stupid.

NEVER EVER SHARE THE PODIUM!  Guest speakers are absolutely worthless and will detract from your effectiveness monumentally.  Especially never use wholesalers as speakers.  The impression you will give your audience is:  "hmm...the guest expert is an expert on xyz mutual funds, I'm glad I came, zzzzzzzz".

The best topics are the topics that keep your prospects up at night either out of fear or excitement.  If you can find out what these items are and offer a solution people will come to your seminar.  Never mention product in your presentation.

The most important aspect of your seminar success is the invitation.  Don't design it yourself or hire a graphic designer to do it.  Use a professional copywriter.  You could bid out the copy design on elance or buy a system.  Don't use the crap the mailhouses offer as it will be the exact same garbage every baby boomer and senior gets five times per week in the mail and drops directly into the garbage...unless of course they're looking for a meal on your dime.

When you ask for seminar advice - maybe preface the question by only asking people who've done them successfully to respond.

Follow these rules (and many more I don't feel like typing), do at least 3 events and wait 6 months to guage your results.  Seminars work very well if done correctly and every geographic and demographic will require some tweaking.  Good luck!

not trying to be a smarta**, but how are you a brandnewadvisor but an expert on seminars?  just curious, I am looking for any and all helpful advice, but am curious as to your "story."
thanks

[quote=malcom]

If you have time i would like to hear more about tactics that work with seminars, the topic does not seem to get much attention on this site recently. do you do a mailing and have #'s to call and follow-up, or just fire out that 5000 mailings and wait and see who shows up? Sounds really expensive for the mailing. what type of results does that yield - 25 people and you close a couple or.... is that conservative or wishful?

[/quote]

I can fire out 1000 and my branch pays for them.  Some wholesalers will also reimburse you.  I wait to see what comes back, and call in between.

Rough numbers are 1% just from mail and 2 to 3% with calls.

The most important aspect of your seminar success is the invitation.  Don't design it yourself or hire a graphic designer to do it.  Use a professional copywriter.  You could bid out the copy design on elance or buy a system.  Don't use the crap the mailhouses offer as it will be the exact same garbage every baby boomer and senior gets five times per week in the mail and drops directly into the garbage...unless of course they're looking for a meal on your dime.

The above is stupid advice.

Invitations you receive from wholesalers and annuity companies have EXPERT PROFESSIONALS designing them.  They know how to reach people and they want to reach people.  You are supposed to be a FA, not a writer or designer.  Plus, they are already compliance approved.

But, you gotta use envelopes.  Postcards don't even make it in the house.

[quote=vbrainy]

The most important aspect of your seminar success is
the invitation.  Don’t design it yourself or hire a graphic
designer to do it.  Use a professional copywriter.  You could
bid out the copy design on elance or buy a system.  Don’t use the
crap the mailhouses offer as it will be the exact same garbage every
baby boomer and senior gets five times per week in the mail and drops
directly into the garbage…unless of course they’re looking for a meal
on your dime.

The above is stupid advice.

Invitations you receive from wholesalers and annuity companies have EXPERT PROFESSIONALS designing them.  They know how to reach people and they want to reach people.  You are supposed to be a FA, not a writer or designer.  Plus, they are already compliance approved.

But, you gotta use envelopes.  Postcards don't even make it in the house.

Well, listen, it is all about getting in front of people and telling your story.  It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you ENJOY it (or you won't do it long) and you are GOOD at it (or you are just wasting everyone's time).

I have to disagree that HNW don't respond, they do.  It is a great way for them to test the waters with another broker/firm.

And rich people are CHEAP.  They love a free meal.

Now Carpe Diem

[quote=vbrainy]

Well, listen, it is all about getting in front of people and telling your story.  It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you ENJOY it (or you won't do it long) and you are GOOD at it (or you are just wasting everyone's time).

I have to disagree that HNW don't respond, they do.  It is a great way for them to test the waters with another broker/firm.

And rich people are CHEAP.  They love a free meal.

Now Carpe Diem

[/quote]

Often HNW people are not who you expect.  Theyare not always the lawyer/doctor/attorney.  Sometimes they owned garages, convenience stores, manufacturing firms, etc.  Sometimes they just saved and invested ferociously.  This sounds like a bad infomercial for the Millionaire Next Door, but it's actually pretty true.  Unless you do the country club/marina/tennis club prospecting thing, or you live in Sillicon Valley, chances are your HNW people are pretty normal people.  Also, I have found many business owners and "frugal" wealthy people to be very insular about their money.  Often, they don't even have advisors, their money is at the bank in CD's and annuities because they never trusted anyone else with it.  Now they are older and realize it is time to move on with some real planning as they enter their retirement years.

IRONHORSE WROTE:

not trying to be a smarta**, but how are you a brandnewadvisor but an expert on seminars?  just curious, I am looking for any and all helpful advice, but am curious as to your "story."
thanks

*****

New to forum - not to business or seminars.

Also, to the moron who thinks that fund company/wholesaler invitations work because they hire it out professionally: your stupid.  They're done in-house by someone who's generally just out of college, has never done a seminar, know's nothing about what prospective clients are looking for and are biased toward their firms products.  All things that will get an awesome response.

To the moron who says postcards don't work:  explain why millions of them get mailed everyday.  They work about 1/2 to 1/3 as well as a first class envelope mailing but cost 1/4.  So they work as long as your market is large enough to support a very large mailing (10k plus) on a regular basis.  In more modest markets the only way to get response without total saturation is with something in an envelope.

Most of the regular posters here seem to ask good questions or are obviously goofing off.  Then some idiot posts something as though they actually have an idea what works (which the don't) and clearly are a moron.  Just calling em' like I see em'.

[quote=brandnewadvisor]

Most of the regular posters here seem to ask good questions or are obviously goofing off.  Then some idiot posts something as though they actually have an idea what works (which the don't) and clearly are a moron.  Just calling em' like I see em'.

[/quote]

Not impressed by what I have seen from you so far.  I put you at about 22 years old and 2 weeks from getting fired.

Just an fyi update concerning my recent seminars.  Mailed out 7400 postcards in black/white only, held the events at a high(er) quality restaurant, on a thur/tue/thur deal-they could choose 1 of 3 nights.  Turnout was 22/14/19 for the 3 days.  Am doing follow-up calls today and this week for appointments, will let you know.
I used RME for the whole deal, but I did design my own invites.  3 speakers, a vendor/estate attorney/myself.
My only criteria was age 55+, $250,000 net worth.

[quote=theironhorse]Just an fyi update concerning my recent seminars.  Mailed out 7400 postcards in black/white only, held the events at a high(er) quality restaurant, on a thur/tue/thur deal-they could choose 1 of 3 nights.  Turnout was 22/14/19 for the 3 days.  Am doing follow-up calls today and this week for appointments, will let you know.
I used RME for the whole deal, but I did design my own invites.  3 speakers, a vendor/estate attorney/myself.
My only criteria was age 55+, $250,000 net worth.
[/quote]

They don't call you Iron Horse for nothing.  Whoosh.  Lots of work, let us know what and how you close.

Best of luck.

[quote=theironhorse]Just an fyi update concerning my recent seminars.  Mailed out 7400 postcards in black/white only, held the events at a high(er) quality restaurant, on a thur/tue/thur deal-they could choose 1 of 3 nights.  Turnout was 22/14/19 for the 3 days.  Am doing follow-up calls today and this week for appointments, will let you know.
I used RME for the whole deal, but I did design my own invites.  3 speakers, a vendor/estate attorney/myself.
My only criteria was age 55+, $250,000 net worth.
[/quote]

What was your cost?

List, invites/postage, meals, etc.?

50 cents per invite, which includes postage, rsvp-everything done via web with rme.  i picked up 1 meal, $600.  vendor picked up the other 2.  biggest unexpected cost was the 25 page color packet of the presentation we made.  wife printed it off at work(she did the design work-she is a graphic designer by trade), copyworks bound it for $4 apiece.  

[quote=vbrainy][quote=brandnewadvisor]

Most of the regular posters here seem to ask good questions or are obviously goofing off.  Then some idiot posts something as though they actually have an idea what works (which the don't) and clearly are a moron.  Just calling em' like I see em'.

[/quote]

Not impressed by what I have seen from you so far.  I put you at about 22 years old and 2 weeks from getting fired.

Truly intelligent prose, the type that has made this sight (in)famous, and dying.