A primary goal in business development is spending time with your prospects. One of the best ways to do that is inviting them to events. Events could be parties, outings, or any other event that might attract your target market.
If your prospects are located too far away to addend an event, you can offer webinars.
You should have at least three events per year. That way, you will always have something to which you can invite a prospect that is not too far into the future. And, three events will give you three reasons to contact your prospects to stay "top of mind."
You should invite existing clients, referral sources and resources as well as inviting the strangers you have added to your wish list. Be sure to tell your invitees that you welcome their suggestions of any contacts who could be added to your invitation list.
Do not give your invitees the authority to invite others without your prior approval. Otherwise, they might invite a competitor.
In an effort to maximize attendance, you should personally call as many invitees as you can. That will dramatically increase attendance and give you a reason to have a telephone conversation. Sometimes that call may result in being hired.
It is a good idea to develop a signature event that makes you well known in your target market. If you can create a "hot ticket," you will increase your credibility and visibility in your market.
The event should be worth the attendees time and should be positive in every way. It is better to invite fewer people and have a more pleasing experience. You should make sure that people feel welcome and never unclear about what they can expect. If you provide food, it should be good food. If you provide information, it should be interesting. And, you should validate parking.
Each event should provide you with an opportunity to spend some time with each attendee. Be sure to thank them for attending. Be sure that when you are interacting that you give them your full attention. Don't fall into the trap of allowing your eyes to dart around the room in search of other targets. When you are talking to someone, they must be the focus of your attention.
Keep in mind that follow-up is key to your success. Be absolutely certain that you negotiate your next interaction with that person before you part. If you don't negotiate the follow-up, the event will provide far less return on your investment.
In order to negotiate the follow-up, you should have an inventory of valuable offers that you can make prior to parting. Offers could be seminars, best practices checklists, other events, or socializing, etc. In addition to having an inventory of canned offers, you can create customized offers on the spot based upon the needs that your prospect reveals in the conversation. During your conversation, you can make your offer and ensure that you will spend time together in the future.
If you can't think of a valuable offer, simply getting their approval for you talk with them in the near future will dramatically increase the likelihood that you will do the necessary follow up.
If you fail to negotiate the follow up, you can still contact your invitees after the event. You can contact those who did not attend and, if applicable, provide a recap. You can also offer an invitation to a future event. For those who did attend, you can call to make an offer for future interaction. But the burden on you to make follow-up calls that have not been pre-arranged is great; and there is a great likelihood that you will hesitate to reach out.
