What seminar topic and how to give your seminar is up to you. Here we stick to sales seminar suggestions and tips on inviting qualified licensed agents and proper pre-planning. The end result is a seminar producing results exceeding your expectations.

PLAN FAR ENOUGH IN ADVANCE

Two months in advance should be the minimum to start your sales seminar recruiting plan. Actually look at the calendar and set the date(s). A conflicting ethnic, religious, or patriotic day of observance could have critical impact. If it is a Friday or Monday date, remember "holiday weekend recovery" or "pre-holiday anxiety" produces salespeople no shows. (Also numerous Career salesperson office meetings are held on these 2 days) Planning for the sales seminar far enough in advance, saves you from frantically calling for the more names for your seminar sales mailing. Yesterday is always a day too late when it comes to planning.

HOW MANY AGENTS DO I WANT TO RECRUIT?

This is the failing point of countless insurance seminars. No guessing here! You can not use "give a seminar and they will come". You need to know (1) how many total licensed agents exist, (2) what experience of line of sales should these agents have., (3) how far are these agents willing to drive, (4) how many seminars mailers you need to send out, and (5) how many of your currently contracted salespeople will be invited.

DRIVING DISTANCE

You might like to think that insurance agents from all over the United States should jump at the chance to attend your seminar, a realistic approach is needed. For a small town location, 55 miles is just about right. Keep the minimum to 45 miles and the maximum to 60 miles of driving. If the seminar is to be held in a large metropolitan area, even 40 miles could be pushing it. Increasing mileage provides, at best, a minimal increase in response. If your seminar mailing can be slimmed down, do it only if it will lower driving distance.

QUALITY OF SALESPEOPLE

A key decision to ponder is determining what style of agent benefits most by driving to your seminar. Do you waste time and money trying to recruit Property & Casualty captive salespeople? How about new agents or overly captive career life insurance agents? Eliminate the primarily health insurance producers? Make it a goal to eliminating 60% (or more) of the total license agents. This one detail becomes a major sales seminar cost saver and quality enhancer. Besides, it's better to have a dozen sincere and receptive attendees than a crowd of 50 maybe attendees who have no place better to go. They love to snitch your fresh coffee, donuts, and bagels.(A Free Lunch) For your seminar mailing also consider that sheer quantity of attendees does not mean your goal will be reached. Tape the word "Quality" to your computer.

RESPONSE RATE

Once you decide on insurance salesperson quality & driving distance, check on the number of available qualified agents or brokers available. This mailing count is essential. With accurate numbers you can then fine tune it and broaden or narrow it to size. A well prepared sales seminar mailer often produces a response rate close to 2 percent. Yours will vary, but there are certainly means to pump up the salesperson or broker outcome. One is by making calls to a few agents that forgot to reply.

FACE SAVING HINTS

Never rent a space too big for holding your insurance seminar. Next, do not set up all the chairs right away. Nothing looks worse that attendees scattered all over the room. Weather and other factors can produce an embarrassing impact. If you expert 30 to attend, set up only 12 chairs in advance. As a sales person shows up, set up a couple more chairs. Make sure that no more than 6 chairs are empty. This way it always looks to the attendee like you have a full seminar.

Additional hints, place your presentation space directly across from the entrance. This instills in the attendees embarrassment for getting up, or worse yet, leaving. Provide each agent with a new legal pad and $1.00 pen for taking notes. Do not use tables unless necessary. Do not be a preacher, forget the podium, and walk around while speaking. Ask each agent for their business card upon entering, and if there is not an email address on it, have it written on the back. Use the business cards to pick the winner of a nice prize at the end of the seminar. Shake hands with each attendee as they leave.

Within 24 hours of the seminar, email the agents attending a personal Thank You. Please ask them to send back the same email with a short comment on the seminar. You know now the agents to add to your email list and every 2 month mailing list, if they don't contract right away. Send up to three emails until you get their comments. Call the best replies first.