Erasing Prospecting Worries By Doing Seminars The Right Way by Bill Harris, President of W.V.H., Inc.

Whenever you can give 25 to 50 people the opportunity to say "yes" to you in one hour's time, that's smart business. That's the seminar business.

Without a doubt, client seminars can be the most effective way to erase all prospecting worries.

However, just like all things in life, there is the right way to do seminars and the wrong way to do seminars. And, just like so many other things in life, you have to do it wrong before you do it right.

But, wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to learn from trial and error? Wouldn't it be nice if you could learn in 30 days what took others decades to learn? To a certain extent, you can learn from others by surrounding yourself with the experts in the field.

Just as every successful CEO of every major Fortune 500 company surrounds himself or herself with a seasoned Board of Directors, you, too, can surround yourself with industry experts.

Fortunately, there are four easy ways to surround yourself with industry experts: 1) reading trade publications where experts provide important insight month after month after month, 2) carefully creating a study group in your area, 3) attending insurance company conventions where prominent speakers unveil their expertise, 4) and, developing relationships with regional and national marketing organizations who have uncovered some of the best experts.
This article represents some of the ideas, tips, and strategies unveiled at two speaking engagements done recently.

1. What is the ideal length of a client seminar?
If you're speaking over 60 minutes, you are losing money. An ideal client seminar should be 60 minutes or less. You should devote 45 minutes to the seminar, then a 10-minute special questionnaire segment and then a five-minute question and answer period.

2. Should you use visuals at a seminar?
Absolutely. People retain information 22 times longer if they see it and hear it. Allow them to understand the topics that you are discussing and achieve a higher level of seminar success by using visuals.

3. How do you increase the size of a client seminar audience?
Naturally, 1) the seminar invitation becomes important; 2) the type of setting chosen by you (for example, hotel, library, restaurant) are important; however, one effective way of increasing the size of an audience is by asking them – when they RSVP - if they would they like to bring a friend, neighbor, or relative.

4. Should you hand out material during a seminar?
No. When you're giving a presentation, you do not want a couple in the third row paging through your 12-page booklet. You want them to pay attention to you. However, at the end of the seminar, we highly recommend that would be the ideal time to hand out material such as a special questionnaire.

5. How do you deal with a question that you don't know the answer to?
There are two effective ways. One way is by saying, "I do not know that answer, but I do know someone who does. Allow me to get that answer for you and call you back tomorrow. Is that okay?" Or, another alternative response from you would be, "Rather, than give you a partial answer, allow me to research it a little bit further and get back to you. Is that okay?"

Occasionally, there is a question that you may not want to answer at a seminar. Perhaps because it's not a good question, or for some other reason. The best response to that type of question would be, "That question could involve a long, long answer. Rather than give it to you right now, allow me to give it to you after the seminar, or I'll call you first thing tomorrow." (And, if you do promise to call them…please, do. this is not a job; this is a profession.).

In closing, whenever you can give 25 to 50 the people the opportunity of saying "yes" to you in one hour's time, that's smart business. That's the seminar business.

Believe in your product. Care about the audience more than yourself. Build rapport and trust with the audience. Create a link of dependency and give them two, three, four, five unforgettable ideas about money.

"And, they'll never forget you!"

Bill is the founder of 5 insurance agencies that did over 1 billion dollars of life, health, and annuity premium. Bill has done over 2,000 seminars for financial professionals, consumers, and for some of the largest insurance companies, broker-dealers, mutual fund, and accounting firms in the United States. Bill is now President of W.V.H., Inc., a producer and licensor of over 1,000 sales ideas, charts, calculators, and films on CD-ROM, DVD, and the Internet. His multimedia tools are geared toward the financial professional to help recruit, sell, and train.

For more information, visit http://www.wvhinc.com, call 1-800-800-SALE, and/or email Bill at wvharris@adnc.com.