I work with a company that has a seminar approach.  It’s all about getting the activity with the leads.  Once they’re in the door, you’ll at least get something.  Their FAs are bringing in $5-6M/year with just seminars that the firm sets up for them. 

I would do my best to not do seminars in the office.  It seems that people are willing to sit and listen to you, but not on your turf.  Instead, I go to a very nice restaraunt at a cost of about $17 a head including gratuity. 

Just finished my last one out of 3 last night, We did a 5,000 piece mail targeting people 62 and older. At each seminar we had 30-33 people. It was a dinner seminar and we did the presentation after they ate. Sure we had the "pro seminar people attend", but overall we are feeling good about it and should get some good assets. It just gives us a chance to build some relationships. I had one guy talk fishing with me, that builds a trust.

I had one guy talk fishing with me, that builds a trust.

QUOTE!

What! You feel good about this guy because he talked about fishing with you! Please don't take this wrong but I would not be thrilled about that conversation.  

Greenbacks,

The point is, Identifying thing's that you can relate too. He had a jacket on with a fishing brand logo on it. So I struck up conversation, asking if he enjoyed those products. He just happens to be a wholesaler for this company, and is nearing retirement. I did not go up to him, and be like so how are your funds doing, or do you have a financial plan? That is a turn-off for most people. I got what I wanted to know by expressing interest and building some repore.

Liquid

[quote=Brendan64]Any thougt's as to what is working with seminars.  I am thinking of doing lunch seminars in the office - anyone have any thoughts or success stories.  thanks[/quote]

I know a guy who works in a typical suburban office, 5 story AAA garden style building.  He went door to door in the building and invited all the top managers/business owners/senoir partners of the businesses located in the building to a box lunch seminar at his office. In by 12 out by 1:15. He's gotten some business from it and has positioned himself as the go to guy for investment info in the building. He's doing more of this type of seminar. Lesson? This business is about contacting people. Everything goes. Try your idea and see how it works. Keep tweaking it little by little and measure results. Worst case, you'll end up eating lunch by yourself. Which come to think of it, you were going to do anyway. No down side.

It’s rarely a good idea to call the business plan of others stupid.  It may seem like a good idea and it may make you feel important but it’s not a good idea. 

Every person in our industry is different and just because something works for you, doesn’t mean it will work for someone else.  If everyone did what you do to collect assets, your approach wouldn’t work.  Or are you just selling the advisormarketingsystems.com approach?

Notabroker-

Over 3 nights we have different prospects for dinner. It's not the same people. Fishing you moron- it's called networking. I am not pushy, I want the prospect to be comfortable with me. You don't always need to talk about business. Nice sales pitch for www.advisormarketingsystems.com I know I want to look into it after being called stupid.

"I do their seminar system and once you check out the site you'll realize the stupidity of many of these posts."

Gold medal winner for best post in the Selling forum. "Buy my stuff, you bunch of dumbasses." Classic.