Some professional services providers are so enamored of shiny new marketing tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn that they completely overlook a proven tool for generating leads and educating prospects for a complex purchase.
Now, I’m a big fan of social media. I’m also a big fan of trying new and different approaches. But I’m an even bigger fan of using the tactics that generate results to grow a business.
What if I told you I know from first-hand experience this “weapon” is being used right now, today, by accounting, law, IT services, and consulting firms to generate qualified leads and new business?
You’d probably be interested to know more, right?
But what if I told you it is the humble short (one- or two-hour) in-person seminar? Would you shrug your shoulders and say, “Oh, seminars? Boring.” Or, maybe, “Sounds like too much work.” Or, “No way that will create business for my firm.”
Maybe you’d change your mind if you learned in-person seminars could bring in an additional five-figure client or two or more. Or, add 5, 25, 50, or more highly qualified leads to your pipeline. Would you want to learn how this tactic might work for your firm?
It might be worth learning about, right?
Research has shown that in-person seminars are one of the top ways buyers of professional services learn about providers—preceded only by referrals and personal recognition. In fact, 66% of buyers indicated they initially learn about providers through in-person seminars. And if your target market includes large companies, it’s worth noting that these targets are more likely than smaller companies to identify providers through seminars.
Of course, this approach won’t work for all B2B firms. To make an in-person seminar work for your firm, you need to satisfy some basic criteria, including:
- a significant base of prospects in a geographic area
- a target audience that will attend a seminar
- something valuable to share
- someone to deliver
- marketing support
Take a look at the brief video below to learn a bit more about what it takes to be successful delivering an in-person seminar. At the end, there’s also a short case study about an accounting firm that has added seminars to its marketing mix with great success. (The video is a preview for RainToday’s seminar planning kit, but it’s worth watching even if you’re not interested in getting the kit.)
The in-person seminar just might be the right lead generation weapon for your firm.
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