For a successful client event, treat your guests the way you would if you were having guests in your own home.
Most people generally know what to do to make guests feel comfortable and welcome, says Joanne Blake, owner of Style for Success Inc. in Edmonton, if they are hosting an event at home. Advisors need to use that same “host mentality” to make their client events a success.
To make your event a success, start by avoiding these common mistakes:
1. Talking shop
A social event is no place for business. Save the “shop talk” for another time.
If a client should brings up a business topic, Blake says, politely suggest that he or she arrange a time to meet with you at the office.
“This is a time to let down your hair and just get to know people as friends,” Blake says. “Friends like to do business with friends, and that’s how referrals happen,.
2. Over-indulging
A client event should be a pleasant social gathering. But that doesn’t mean you can over-do it in your consumption of food and drink.
It should go without saying that you should not drink too much alcohol at client events, Blake says, but sometimes advisors do forget.
And focusing on the food at an event instead of the conversation is another common error. Sometimes advisors will walk around with so much food that it’s falling off their plates, Blake says. And, as your mother used to say, don’t talk with your mouth full.
Keep your eating and drinking within reason. Focus instead on making sure your clients feel comfortable and are enjoying themselves.
3. Ignoring a client’s spouse
To be a great host you have to make every guest feel comfortable, not just those with whom you have the best rapport.
Be careful not to make the mistake of ignoring a client’s spouse when at an event, Blake says. You might be deep in conversation with a client about a topic that’s interesting to the two of you, while the client’s spouse feels left out of the conversation.
Instead, bring the client’s spouse into the chat by asking about their family, Blake says. Or, she suggests, bring up topics that you know interest both partners.
4. Failing to follow-up with guests
Your hosting duties don’t end when the last client leaves. Following up with clients is just as important as the event itself.
Ask the guests how they enjoyed themselves, says Blake, and whether they have any suggestions for future events. That way you will always host events that resonate with your clients.
Contact your guests about a week after the event, she says, and don’t forget to thank them for attending.
This is the second installment in a two-part series on hosting mistakes.