One of the ways that I quickly developed a base of ideal clients was by attending live events that cater to my target market. Over the years I have consistently attended workshops, events and seminars that attracted several hundred solo service professionals who were looking for tips and strategies to grow their business.
Why am I telling you this? Because attending has been a MAJOR contributing factor in growing my business to its current level. Did it cost me money to attend this? YES! (The registration fees have ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars!) Plus, I paid my own travel expenses AND took off time from my business. But was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! I’ve gotten at least one new client from every live event I’ve ever attended. Every single one.
This strategy works so well for me because I carefully choose which events to attend. Enrolling just one new client each time has MORE than paid for the time, energy and financial investment it costs me to attend the event. In fact, in some cases the combined revenue has been more than 10 times my investment! As an added bonus, attending live events always provides a great opportunity to hone my networking skills and connect with lots of folks that I have never met face-to-face or hadn’t seen in a while. As you can see, the experience was a win-win all the way around!
What is the moral of the story? We are BUSINESS OWNERS and we MUST invest the time, money and energy in our businesses to grow and market ourselves effectively. If we don’t invest in ourselves, why should our clients invest in us?
I’ve hear a lot of service professionals say that they can’t afford to attend live events. If you think you can’t afford to attend live events or invest in programs to enhance or gain new skills it is probably due to a two-fold problem:
- You aren’t charging enough money for your services and
- You aren’t setting aside money and time each month/year to invest in yourself and your business.
If you truly want to grow your business and start working smarter, not harder, you MUST invest in your yourself. It’s simply not optional. And if you are tired of working with DUD clients, who drain your energy, don’t pay you what you’re worth and don’t belong in your practice then you need to identify your IDEAL client and start getting in front of them.
The workshops and events I attend are often filled to the brim with my ideal clients … smart, sassy, forward-thinking women who are ready, willing and eager to take their business to the next level. I am always inspired the people I meet there and make great connections that often lead to new joint ventures, projects and other opportunities. This is EXACTLY the reason I choose to attend live events. And that’s what I get. Putting myself RIGHT in front of my target market and clearly articulating how I can help them improve their business guarantees me new clients.
As you prepare your marketing plan for next few months, be sure you set aside time and money to attend live events to get in front of YOUR target market. It’s one of the fastest, easiest ways to grow your business quickly.
I’d love to hear about your experience in attending events and how doing so has contributed to the success of your business. Please do share your thoughts on the blog!
YOUR ACTION PLAN FOR THIS WEEK:
- Choose one target market that you want to connect with..
- Find online and off-line places where people in that market congregate.
- Look for 2 or 3 events that you would like to attend before January 2012.
- Register for the events and make plans to attend.
- Fix in your mind the problems that you solve for them and the big benefits that your clients receive from working with you.
- Prepare to attend the events and confidently share your expertise.
Sydni, I couldn’t agree with you more! Despite the fact that we work virtually and don’t NEED to meet our clients in person, I’ve found that most of my new business comes from people I’ve met at conferences or who have been recommended by others who have worked with me or at least met me in person at some point.
Social media is a wonderful tool, both for making new connections and staying in touch, but there is still a lot of value in face-to-face interaction.
Sydni, I couldn’t agree with you more! Despite the fact that we work virtually and don’t NEED to meet our clients in person, I’ve found that most of my new business comes from people I’ve met at conferences or who have been recommended by others who have worked with me or at least met me in person at some point.
Social media is a wonderful tool, both for making new connections and staying in touch, but there is still a lot of value in face-to-face interaction.
I couldn’t agree more Janet! Thanks for the note. What type of events do you enjoy attending?
Without going to events it is your loss because you will pick up the energy from the top leaders and hear what they did to get to where they are at. If you want to benefit the most from it do not only listen to their stories put it into action and share the ideas you got from it in your articles and blogs with their name in it because google will rank your article when you leverage off of them!!!
Lawrence Bergfeld
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Lawrence! You’re right…the energy is amazing and it’s important to stay abreast of new trends.
Thanks, Cyndi for yet another insightful, practical article. I will utilize your advice and give you an update. As I continue to grow, I will invest in my management team as well.
Be Blessed
Syndi – beautiful blog and well written! While it’s true that live events are all-important, there is a huge rise in tele-summits and the use of webinars to interact. Personally, I think live events are incredibly useful and that person-to-person contact should never be lost!
Thanks Meg! I agree with you. We live in such a technologically focused world that it can be easy to lose that personal touch. Yet, as service professionals, its imperative that we develop strong relationships because we are serving real, live people! And attending live events is a great way to start new relationships. Thanks for your note. 🙂
I work primarily with professional organizers, and I’ve made some excellent contacts by speaking at various chapter meetings for Professional Organizers in Canada and at their annual conference last year. Looking forward to speaking again at this year’s conference!
Good for you Janet! That’s an excellent example of “fishing where the fish are.” To get the best results we need to be targeted and focused in our marketing efforts. Thanks for setting a great example in that regard! 🙂