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Eight
Great Ways to Fill a Workshop in a Bum
Economy |
by:
Suzanne
Falter-Barns |
Yes, you can fill a workshop when spending
is down and buyers are wary. If your topic
is clear, your marketing materials well-done,
your product solid and your title catchy,
success shouldn't be tough. The fact is
that people are as hungry as ever for the
inspiration and stimulus a workshop provides,
even when they're nervous about money. And
even though most bum economies recover over
time, you may find the following tricks
helpful enough to keep using even in good
times!
1. Tailor the workshop to the economy. In
other words, acknowledge the problem. So
if your workshop is about helping women
over 50 live their dreams, change it to
Living Your Dreams Over 50 . Even When the
Economy is Down. Or make it about finding
your dreams after being laid off, or managing
fear while pursuing your dreams in a poor
economy. Your fundamental message doesn't
have to change . you just dress it up in
slightly different clothing.
2. Use unconventional marketing methods.
Advertising and flyers may not be the most
effective way to enroll a workshop in lean
times. For one thing, affordable ads are
not usually big enough to effectively describe
a workshop, unless it's very targeted and
easy to 'get', i.e. quitting smoking, or
stress-reduction. If you're teaching motivational
or inspirational work, consider using an
affiliate program, viral email marketing,
distributing articles through targeted ezines,
working your personal network, or making
yourself available as a guest on local TV
or radio talk shows. Best of all is a combination
of all of the above.
3. Make your niche one with a pipeline.
Be careful not to pick a tiny niche market
that is hard to access. Instead, a good
rule of thumb is to look for a niche market
with marketing channels already in place.
For instance, one successful workshop leader
I know targets retirees on the RV-Camping
circuit. Many US campgrounds offer classes
and other stimulating perks to visitors,
and since RV'ers often stay for several
nights or even weeks, this makes a workshop
a likely hit. She simply has to talk to
management, and they put her workshop in
place for her. Participants magically show!
Hospitals with neighborhood 'wellness' programs,
bookstores with evening events, and community
center Teen programs are also good venues.
4. Pitch a co-operative venture with another
business. One fun way to reach your niche
is to approach another business's clientele.
For instance, if you're offering stress-reduction
workshops, arrange a tie in with the local
health club or weight loss group. Look for
businesses that attract people who would
logically be drawn to your product as well.
Then approach that business and offer something
great. You can sell them your workshop at
a reduced rate (a special offer just for
their members, which they can use as a perk.)
Or you could hold a workshop on their premises
at your usual fee, and pay them a percentage
of the gate. Or you could simply offer to
exchange advertising plugs for each other's
business's. (This works well if you communicate
with your clients via an email newsletter
or direct mail.)
5. Offer a FREE mini-workshop. In tough
times, people need more convincing to buy.
So offer a free sample of your workshop
(a forty minute talk, say) at a local venue
such as a public library or church coffee
hour. Give participants time to ask questions,
and have lots of handouts available about
your bigger, more elaborate (paid) workshop
to be held a few weeks later. And be sure
to make the occasional reference to it in
your free talk. Finally, make your free
talk compelling and packed with good stuff.
It can be a very general overview or 'taste'
of your more fleshed out paid workshop.
(You don't have to give away all your goodies,
of course, but don't be afraid to share
a few key pieces.) Wary buyers cannot resist
excellence.
6. Lower the price. Not always the most
fun option, but one that works - especially
if you have a themed sale, such as Wipe
Out the Winter Blahs Special or a Kick Off
the New Year With a Bang. If possible, try
to position your price reduction as a limited
time gift for your clients . one that ties
in with a particular need or time of year.
This lets them know you are, in fact, thinking
of them and their best interests.
7. Offer bonuses. We all love something
free, so come up with some highly desirable
bonuses that are just irresistible. These
can be free reports that get downloaded
automatically, or sent with registration
info. Or it could be a tangible product,
such as a book, a mug,
8. Enroll a friend for a discount. Or if
you don't want to offer a discount, encourage
clients to bring a friend who can act as
an on-going supporter with the work of the
workshop. (And, of course, they can provide
the same to their friend.) Such support
is actually one of the best ways to get
your material to 'stick', so your client's
get more on-going value from the workshop,
so this plan is a real win-win. Consider
tailoring the workshop to pairs such as
mothers and daughters, work buddies (great
for stress reduction!), married couples,
fathers and sons, or best friends. If you
pitch it to couples, you could market it
to resorts as part of a Second Honeymoon
or Mom-Daughter Getaway package weekend.
If you're interested in leading your own
workshops, but don't know quite where to
start, check out my How Much Joy Can You
Stand? Facilitator's Home Study Course.
You'll learn how to create, book, fill and
lead your own workshop. Details and a FREE
sample are at http://www.howmuchjoy.com
angfacil.html
About the Author
Suzanne's free ezine, The Joy Letter,
brings you a crisp, fresh burst of inspiration
for your dream every week or two. Sign
up at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html
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