Computers … you either hate them or you love them. Client Relations Management (CRM) software is critical to effectively conducting seminars and converting prospects to customers. There are numerous systems available, from simple spreadsheets to exhaustive and expensive online solutions. Regardless of the system you choose, you need to make sure you're able to track and differentiate between dead leads, good prospects and clients.
Relationships with potential clients begin with a public seminar. We ask everyone at our seminars to complete a guest registration form with name and contact information. A check box lets us know if a registrant has attended a seminar more than once, and there is a place for notes should we need it.
Once a person has been entered into the database, one of three things can happen to their entry. If a person attends a seminar but doesn't schedule an appoint- ment, we typically leave them in the database as a future prospect. You may find it beneficial to initiate some form of "drip" marketing on these prospects. We send our prospects a quarterly newsletter. You might want to contact them more often or perhaps give them a phone call instead of simply mailing something to them. Your goal is to remind them that you're a source of financial assistance should they find themselves in need of your services.