Last week, we discussed two best practices for achieving maximum attendance at your jointly sponsored education events with other professionals. Now that you know how to fill the room with your best prospects on a basis of trust, it's time to take a closer look at how to run this event for maximum participation and appointments. There are a couple of things I make sure to do at every joint workshop that I think really makes a big difference in the outcome.
The introduction. Imagine yourself at an event with 50 CPA clients in attendance. The CPA has agreed to host the event jointly, using his or her name and relationship to fill the event. You are the featured speaker and can educate the clients on whatever topic the two of you decide would be the most impactful.
While you have a great audience in attendance, what you haven't done yet is earned their trust. It says a lot about you that their CPA (or 
other professional) would even have you at their event. But to really drive home the message and leverage the "transfer of trust" from their current professional to you, it's imperative that you have them frame your introduction correctly.
I always have them start off the event by explaining to the clients why they have chosen to work with me over any other advisor in our market that they could have aligned themselves with. I have them discuss the power of a team approach to planning and how my firm completes that team, whereas the planning they offered prior to our relationship was somewhat unbalanced in only focusing on one area of planning. After they introduce me, I'll take the opportunity to first educate the clients on how I came to choose their CPA. After all, it was my decision, since I'm the one who initiated the process. I explain that I, too, believe in the power of a team approach and as a result set out to find a CPA that I felt comfortable working with and introducing my clients to. I explain the reasons why, after several interviews with multiple firms, I ultimately decided to form an alliance with their CPA in particular.
This does three things for me. First, it reassures each of them that they are working with a top-notch CPA. Second, I get to build the CPA up in front of their clients, which they love. And finally, I get to elevate myself above the CPA in the minds of the clients since they understand that I chose their CPA, not the other way around. I have done this at every joint workshop I've ever held and it's always made a big impact on the event, and the relationship I have with the other professional.
