Seminar Selling for Profit
By Mary Lou W. Collins, CPA 

Seminar Selling for Profit
Presented by Kim Olson and Sascha Ambrose, ACCPAC International Inc.

Kim Olson and Sascha Ambrose delivered the following tips to ACCPAC partners for successful marketing using seminars:

Most Important Marketing Tip:

Plan a whole year’s activities up front and assign an owner to these events (someone in your organization). Each event should follow an event planning time line which starts the planning 10 weeks before the seminar date.

The Planning Process

10 Weeks Before the Event
Determine your Invitation Source List
Design Invitations  
Investigate the Seminar Location Alternatives

8 Weeks
Book the Seminar Location
Visit the Seminar Location to determine Room Capacity and Set-up Logistics
Send the Invitations to the Printer

6 Weeks
Send out Invitations

4 Weeks
Telemarket to Invitees
Order Brochure Material to be given as hand outs

2 Weeks
Continue to Telemarket

Day of the Event
Arrive early to allow  plenty of time for Set Up
Have Someone Available to Register Participants and Hand out Materials

Follow Up
Send Thank you Notes
Keep in contact with Attendees
Send any Attendee-Specific Follow up Materials

In addition to the time line, the following details were discussed that should be considered in the planning process:

The Invitation

  1. Expect a 1% sign up rate from your mailed invites and expect a 10% no show rate.
  2. Mailed invitations must be reinforced with telemarketing.
  3. You must have a “hook” or something of value that your attendee will walk out of the room with.
  4. Advertise the giveaways in your invitation – a small fun prize as a giveaway at the conclusion of the program.
  5. Invitations that are most successful are either HTML emails that are colorful and professional which link to an easy registration page or use a professional printed brochure.
  6. If your budget is low, use standard letterhead or regular email. This method historically does not get as good a response.
  7. Information to include in the invitation: What the attendee will see, the benefits, clear contact details, and easy registration. If the registration is difficult, you will lose the prospect!

The Venue

Book the venue by eight weeks out from the event. Pick a centrally located facility that is easy to get to and provides easy parking facilities. Visit the room prior to the event to verify the capacity of the room and to plan the room’s seating setup.

Equipment

Remember: 93% of communication is the visual aids. The data show must be of high quality.

Signage

Have signs to promote your company.

The Day of the Event

Events are more successful when they are held in the morning. Start and Finish on time.

Registration

Have someone designated for registration. Print name cards with the participant’s name and include your company name and logo on these as well. Provide a pen and pad with your logo and your product’s logos.

Information Kit

Give out an information kit at the end, which includes various tools such as:

            How to Choose an Accounting System
            Corporate Profile
            Promotions and Giveaways

The Seminar

Have 2 speakers for the traditional seminar, one speaker should be the product expert. If you are providing lunch as part of the event, have multiple company representatives attending the event. Start and finish on time and allow time for questions and answers.

Follow up – Critical!

Call all attendees after the event and make an appointment to review their needs.
Send out any requested information packages.
Send a thank you note.
Update your eCRM system.

Evaluate the Seminar

Determine the cost per attendee/lead/sale. Score attendee responses and determine the effectiveness of the mailing list. Make notes of any necessary adjustments in order to make the next event even better. Remember it costs 10 times more to get new leads than to keep them. Keep following up on your hottest leads!

Remember: Seminars are the beginning of a relationship with your potential client/customer. Face to face meetings develop the relationship, unlike webinars or telephone calls.

 

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