When it comes to workshops and seminars, everything matters. And I do mean everything. Too many times financial advisors think that if they just show up and dazzle people with their intelligence, then those in attendance will want to meet with them. Unfortunately, that could not be farther from the truth.
Again, everything matters. Here are the top 3 mistakes that advisors make when attempting to conduct a meaningful workshop or seminar.
Mistake #1: Practice
That’s right, practice. Until you have given your presentation 50 times, you are not ready for prime time. You must know your material so well that the bulb on your projector could go out and you could just move over to a flip chart and continue without missing a beat.
Mistake #2: Call to action
Many advisors think that they are just going to impress the attendees and this alone will cause them to line up to meet with them. In reality, this doesn't happen ... ever. If we are going to be honest, many times prospects aren’t coming to the event to get your information … rather they are coming for the free food you are providing. But with that said, if they didn’t come for your steak, you would have never had the opportunity to deliver your message. Without providing a clear next step for the audience to take, such as setting a free consultative visit, then they may instead choose to take action from seeking another financial professional.
Mistake #3: Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the most important aspects to conducting a meaningful seminar. Too many times advisors feel that they must talk about all the bells, all of the whistles, and all of the moving parts of a product they are pitching. If you are presenting based on product that would be an additional mistake. Storytelling is the glue that ties all of the data, statistics, dry, and cold topic material together. It is also the only way you can take the attendees by the hand and walk them down the path to the desired effect or action. Storytellers are the ones that can bring high level content down to the real world level and allow the audience to understand as well as connect with the topic matter. If you aren’t telling a story…you are just spewing features and benefits which are all intellectually based and have no chance of eliciting an emotional response.
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