Generally, seminars or workshops are more effective in helping you develop relationships with professional advisers than they are in generating activity among businessowners. Advisers who have had success attracting businessowners to seminars report that it's worth the extra planning and effort involved. You should never try to mix audiences, however. Your topic should fit a narrowly defined group. Thus, for example, you might want to conduct quarterly concept information seminars to carefully selected groups of professional advisers. Present one or two products or concepts, and illustrate what they can do for your prospective clients.

In a seminar or workshop, the only thing you're selling is yourself. Your objectives are to provide useful information, make yourself known to a select group of prospective clients and offer to meet with attendees individually. In fact, you should follow up within 48 hours with everyone who attended. That's about as long as the seminar "glow" lasts.