The challenge: Staying connected with your clients is so important and events are one easy way to do this. If planned correctly, they can become a main source for referrals to top clients’ family and friends. The month of June is dedicated to sharing successful events delivered by top advisers while keeping the budget under control. Of course the question always comes up — how can this be done?
Solution: Each week this month, we will share a successful event that an adviser has delivered — we are even going to bring back two favorites from the past. These events are focused on the interests and lifestyles of top clients and are not to be confused with business meetings. Investment reviews and updates should be covered during one-on-one meetings.
This week’s event is focused on a hobby that is very popular with pre-retirees and retirees — gardening. We are going to share several ideas for delivering seminars cost-effectively by teaming with a local gardening center or town charity event. This is a great way to minimize the administrative and behind-the-scenes work. Also, consider hiring a part-time intern, maybe a client’s college-student child, to help with the planning and follow-up after the event.
Gardening is golden (and nutritional)
The goal of a client event is to focus on your top 30 to 40 clients. host an event centered around their interests and invite clients’ friends and family to gain referrals. Gardening is still one of the most popular hobbies among baby boomers and retirees (bird-watching still ranks as No. 1).
Adviser success story
Garden centers, museums and arboretums conduct events throughout the spring, summer and fall. One event an East Coast adviser hosts for his clients is a gardening class on the nutritional benefits of a fresh herb garden. The garden center conducts a private session for the adviser’s guests and afterwards a wine-tasting with hors devours prepared from the herbs discussed in the class is held at the museum’s outdoor wine bar.
The planning is minimal since the garden center coordinates the speaker, presentation and wine-tasting. The adviser uses a custom invitation and makes a donation to a local international gardening charity. The adviser finds his clients look forward to the event each May and it has become a main referral stream for his practice.
Where do you start? Visit local garden centers websites for examples of workshops and events that might work. In and near many cities across the country, the estates of many of the nation’s wealthiest families have been turned into elaborate gardens that are open to the public. In the Chicago area, for instance, there’s Cantigny (
Cantigny.org), the old McCormick (Chicago Tribune) family estate.
Similarly, there’s the Getty Center and Gardens (
getty.edu) in Los Angeles; Longwood Gardens (
longwoodgardens.org) a former DuPont family arboretum in Kennett Square, Pa., outside of Philadelphia; and Old Westbury Gardens (
oldwestburygardens.org), the former home of U.S. Steel heir John S. Phipps, on New York’s Long Island.
Event time commitment: About four to five hours for selecting the event, inviting the guests, attending and sending follow-up e-mails or letters. Streamline communications with a few tips from our readers including LinkedIn.com, Twitter.com and Facebook.com. Also, Evite.com was recommended to streamline the invitation process.
Cost: $10 to $15 per person. The key to a successful gardening event is to piggyback on events that are being planned at a high-end florist, botanical or museum garden and tailor the event to your clients. By doing so, you can give the event an exclusive feel yet delegate event planning tasks — and the costs associated with it — to others.
EVENT PLANNING CHECKLIST
Find a common interest among top clients. With gardening so popular, you may find many of your clients have an interest here.
Next, contact a local florist, garden center or museum having an event and secure spaces for your group. Keep the location nearby for convenience and to increase attendance. Many of the gardens provide free demonstrations and workshops for all types of gardeners throughout the year. Tailor the event to make it more upscale.
Ask the event planner to send the send preprinted invitation or e-mail announcement to your guests. You may need your assistant to handle the RSVPs. Tailor the electronic invitation by having the announcement e-mailed to you and then forward it to guests with a personalize subject line. Have the planner include your business card if a printed version is being sent.
Track your responses and call to confirm guest attendance the week before the event. Call or send an electronic reminder the day before on the social network sites mentioned above.
EVENT DELIVERY
Customize your event by contacting the garden manager and asking for a reserved seating area for your guests. Museums often offer upscale coffee bars, high teas and wine-tasting venues, all of which are cost-effective entertainment and refreshment choices.
Reserve a set number of seats and arrive early for the event and put a welcome note on each chair to make the event feel exclusive. Another option is to have the center send you the program ahead of time and attach a note or business card.
Referrals: Invite clients to each bring one or two family members or friends to the event. Take a moment to talk with your group while enjoying refreshments and let the guests know you will be following up with them later that week. Keep it simple. If you have 15 clients and each one brings one or two guests, you will have generated 15 to 30 referrals from top clients.
Event follow-up
Have two follow-up e-mails prepared (one for referrals and one for clients) thanking attendees for joining you and letting them know you will be contacting them. Send the e-mail the next morning.
Call each attendee within 48 hours and schedule follow-up meetings with referrals.
Coming Next Week — Rocking under the stars with the stars
