There was a time in my life when I earned my living primarily “on the seminar circuit” as a result of writing a book that contained a message about investing that a lot of people seemed to want to hear.

Those were the days when seminars were in full bloom as marketing events for financial advisors; and our audiences almost always numbered in the hundreds, occasionally surpassing 1,000. For a variety of reasons, including sharp market downturns and the rising popularity of the World Wide Web and Internet as new sources of financial information for investors, seminar marketing largely died.

Well, good news: it is making a comeback. We may not see the return of the large-scale, lavish extravaganzas we used to have, but smaller and less formal events — specifically tailored to the purposefully chosen audience — are definitely on the upswing.

The timing was perfect, then, for Frank Maselli to update his invaluable 1996 book, Seminars: The Emotional Dynamic — Advanced Presentation Skills for Financial Professionals.

I have been recommending earlier versions of this book to advisors for a long time. Now, with this third edition, Maselli has added more material to demonstrate that organizing and conducting a successful seminar isn’t all about logistics and trying to maximize the number of attendees. Rather, it is about how effective your event is in meeting the “emotional” requirements of your audience.

Ideally, for prospective clients, that emotional connection results in an appointment to explore working together with you to manage their financial affairs. For existing clients, this connection serves to deepen and strengthen your relationship and, possibly, introduce additional products and services to people who have already declared some trust in you.

Seminars are also a great way to obtain new introductions from your clients if they are emotionally motivated to provide them.

So, what are the emotions your seminar should elicit and satisfy? According to Maselli, there are nine emotional targets to aim for:

> Like. Even if you do not run the best seminar in the world, if the attendees walk out feeling that they like you, you will be well along the path to doing business together.

Every aspect of your event, from the choice of topic and how it is communicated to setup and followup, has to be designed and orchestrated to help the audience want to spend more time with you.

> Understanding. When someone comes up to you at the end of a seminar and says, “I understand,” you’ll know you have made a significant contribution to reducing that person’s anxiety about dealing with his or her money.

> Respect. People want to do business with someone whom they respect and who respects them back. Your seminar should demonstrate both your knowledge and competence without coming across as pompous, egotistical or as a know-it-all.@page_break@> Confidence. On one level, the audience must develop confidence that you are capable of helping them. On a second level, they must gain confidence in their own ability to make sound judgments and good decisions.

> Happiness. People will want to come away from your event having learned something of value — but they don’t want to work too hard in the process. A good seminar really is an “edutainment” event.

> Fear. Your goal in a seminar is not to scare people; it is to help them identify, understand and overcome the fears they already have.

> Action. A seminar without a “call to action” probably is a waste of time and resources.

Action items can be specific to the topic. For example: “Within the next 24 hours, complete this self-assessment risk questionnaire.” One action item should always be to arrange an appointment to meet you.

> Change. Most people have lots of inertia built into how their current financial situation is structured, despite poor performance, bad service or incompetent advice.

Do not expect them to make broad-based changes as a result of attending your seminar. Rather, your objective is to give them the courage and insight that starts them on the path to change.

> Enthusiasm. Long after the seminar date — when the facts you presented have faded from memory — you want the audience to remember your enthusiasm and passion for what you do.

For each of these emotional objectives, Maselli provides suggestions, examples and even sample language. One of my favourites relates to promoting your topic in an exciting way.

So, instead of calling your seminar “Planning for Your Retirement,” Maselli suggests, title it something like “40 Years in Retirement … Are You Ready?”

Another example pertains to your opening remarks and how to address a very real fear some attendees have by saying something like: “Folks, it is quite likely there are people in this room who face the unbelievable reality of spending their retirement living with their children — because one or the other can’t afford to live independently. Have any of you had that nightmare?”

In addition to these emotion-inducing aids, Seminars: The Emotional Dynamic is replete with tips for the more frequently considered aspects of successful seminars, such as room setup, use of PowerPoint presentations, whether or not to serve food and other considerations.

I should also point out that your “seminar” may, in fact, be a one-on-one meeting with a prospective new client or an existing one.

The same techniques and tools can be applied to one-on-one situations. Thus, this book would be a worthwhile read for every advisor who wants to be more effective in his or her communications. IE