Are Seminars Good For Financial Advisors?

Let’s be honest – trusting someone with your financial future is scary. And as a financial advisor, you know how important it is to win over the trust of prospects. Financial advisors are responsible for making decisions that are crucial to their future. So, how can you build solid relationships before the advisor-client journey even starts? With the right financial advisor marketing solution. And that solution is financial seminars.

Seminar marketing for financial advisors have been the foundation of lead generation for decades. It’s key to how financial advisors build relationships with their clients. Why? Because financial seminars are an opportunity for advisors and agents to get to know their clients – and vice versa. Trusting someone with your money and your future becomes easier if you know them.

So, you want to have the opportunity to look credible, smart, and trustworthy. And there is no better way to do that than at a dinner seminar. By hosting a financial seminar, leads will be able to ask questions and share their concerns about their future. Knowing more about your prospects will make you even better at helping them navigate their financial future.

First, what are financial planning seminars?

Financial planning seminars are a customer acquisition strategy in which attendees come to learn more about your business, your mission, and your services. It gives them a chance to meet face-to-face to ask questions and build relationships. Your job as an advisor is to have a presentation prepared and help educate your prospects.

Next, what topics are your leads most interested in? That’s what you need to have a seminar about! It is vital that you plan and focus on the needs of your prospects. Lastly, leads will be there to listen, and you’ll have their whole-hearted attention. So, make it count!

What about hosting dinner seminars?

Financial advisor seminars almost always include a meal, usually dinner, at a lovely venue in a private room. Why is that? For many reasons. First, it dramatically increases your attendee rate. Everyone likes something for free. Second, it invokes the reciprocity principle.

Because you’ve taken time, energy, and money to treat the attendees to a financial seminar and dinner, the consumer naturally feels a need to reciprocate. That means closing business is easier at a dinner seminar.

Benefits of Financial Seminars

Besides just lead conversion, financial seminars create so many other benefits. Some of these include:

1) Educational benefits

This is a great time to educate leads more on the financial industry. Enlighten them on the industry’s status, why it works, and how you can help guide them. Additionally, it gives you the time to inform leads about your firm, services, and mission.

Lastly, it is not just an educational opportunity for them but also for YOU. Learn about your audience by listening to them and seeing how you can improve your conversion rates.

2) Networking opportunities

Networking is a powerful tool that can help bring more leads your way. In fact, 80% of professionals credit networking with their professional success. With so many motivated prospects in one setting, take advantage! Make an impression, give your prospects a chance to refer others, and consider combining events with other professionals to increase your network.

3) Meet face-to-face

As we’ve already discussed, face-to-face interaction is critical for building trust as a financial advisor. So while social posts, digital ads, emails, and other methods can effectively convert prospects, there’s nothing quite like an in-person event. Connect with prospects face-to-face, answer their questions, and earn their trust.

4) It’s live

First, by meeting live, you will have attendees’ full attention. Which means you have their full, undivided attention, with no competition or distractions for your audience.

Second, statistics show that people of all ages are interested in attending dinner seminars. In fact, 75% of millennials would rather attend an in-person workshop than a webinar.

Third, we can’t forget the emotional impact of meeting someone in person. The energy in the room, the collaborative environment, and everyone engaged in something creates a unique atmosphere. And it helps encourage people to enjoy and remember the event.

Seminar Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors

Hosting a financial planning seminar comes with a lot of working parts. From picking a venue, to advertising the event and sign-ups, to creating the perfect presentation – a lot goes into these events. So, here are some tips to make sure your seminar goes smoothly:

1) Target the right people

Every person who comes to your seminar is a potential client. So direct your marketing efforts toward the right people. Before the event, consider who your target audience is, and make a concerted effor to connect with them. Not sure who your target audience is? LeadingResponse has the skill and experience to help determine and target your ideal client.

2) Focus on one topic

For some, the financial industry can be a confusing nightmare. Make sure to dummy down your presentation and focus on one or two topics. Consider focusing only on the topic of the event, and end with information about your firm and the services you provide.

Most importantly, make sure the topic is something that your audience is interested in. If you aren’t sure where to start, consider what questions your clients or prospects often ask. What information are you giving out regularly? If people ask about it, more leads will want the answers too.

3) Be accommodating

Show the attendees you care. Place phone calls the day before the event to remind prospects. Call 24-48 hours after the event to touch base. Be accommodating to attendees who might need extra help or have individual questions.

In this way, you’ll show you care. Develop a trustworthy relationship with leads the second they walk through the door.

4) Have a marketing strategy

Without a strategy, how can you achieve your end goal? By setting up a marketing strategy, your company will have a clear focus and an even bigger impact. You’ll be able to effectively track what’s successful and know how and where to put your budget. Plan and follow the metrics, and you’ll find increased ROI.

5) Educate, don’t sell

It is important to build a relationship before trying to sell. Leads want to know you value them. Educate leads on your company, mission, and services. You’ll have a higher conversion rate by building a relationship and educating first.

6) Make your seminar engaging

Remember, consumers are putting in the effort to come to your live dinner seminar. Don’t make it seem like a waste of time! Create a presentation that can captivate leads and continue to grab their attention. Additionally, provide information they value and appreciate, and ensure the presentation is well thought out and interesting.

7) Encourage audience participation

Ask questions and get leads thinking. Show that they have a problem and that your service is the perfect solution for them. Always open the floor to questions – a startling 92% of attendees want a question-and-answer segment at the end of an educational event.

Start planning your seminar

Are you looking forward to hosting your first financial seminar? Our dinner seminar solution offers the ability to utilize a multichannel approach and target affluent 50+ consumers with pinpoint accuracy. With decades of experience and millions of demographic data, you can count on us to fill your financial seminars! Let’s get started!