subject: The Benefits of Using Seminars to Gain Clients [print this page] The Benefits of Using Seminars to Gain Clients
The seminar has been used by many to get more clients for some time because it actually allows potential clients to see how you do what you do before they part with any cash. But there's a deeper psychological reason why people buy at a seminar and it's to do with the fact you are seemingly giving information away - important and good information.
When you tell people stuff, they are happy. Not just because they are getting something for nothing, but because you are elevating yourself to the position of 'expert' in a particular field and so they see you as a mentor who they can come to to get more information if needs be. You actually become a 'friend' to them. Assuming, of course, you're any good at it!
So the key there is to get good at it and to be good you need to know your subject well. This is probably harder than it sounds because the best seminars are obviously given by people who are absolutely passionate about their subject - they can therefore answer any question thrown at them so you should consider what you are going to speak about carefully.
This obviously works well in service industries too. Business coaches and trainers do well out of seminars because they are essentially doing what they normally do each day of the week - just in front of more people.
If you're in such an industry then it should be easy to turn your skill into something you can speak about at a seminar. If not, however, you may need to be a little bit more creative.
The way to tackle it is to think about the sort of problem your product or service solves, and create your talk around that subject. For example, maybe you sell a roofing product that can withstand a huge amount of water. This product would probably sell well in an area of the world that is dogged by bad weather. You can create a seminar that explains the methods that can be used to help people who have leaking roofs, but the key is to make it so they can help themselves. You need to give the information away.
Now this may sound a bit crazy, I mean, why would you give information away for free when you're trying to sell it? Well the reason is simple - people would rather pay someone to do a skilled job than do it themselves, if they have the budget. And that's the key. You want people with budget to employ you and not people who are likely to want things for free, so you need to target yourself correctly.
So, think about your product, find a way to promote it and also find a free thing you can talk about or give away at the talk. Trust me, you'll sell a lot more!
Andy Calloway is the online marketing director at Calloway Green Ltd, a website design and optimisation company based in Wolverhampton in the UK. Calloway Green take fantastic website design and turn it into a marketable and usable product that will actually make you money. They specialise in Web Design Birmingham for West Midlands based organisations that are looking to sell their products to a wide audience.
The company also has a wide range of SEO training courses available and are able to help companies that are looking to train their key staff in order to promote themselves online. We can also help you with your new career.
