Often the purpose of our seminar or workshop is to turn audience members into customers.
Presenting your one-off workshop as a portion of a much larger body of work creates subtle selling without the hard-sell. Here are four ideas that provide this sense:
1. Use your book as a participation prize. Bring 3 or 4 giveaway copies of your book. You will need to describe the prize in full including the benefits that the winners will experience for reading the book. Give these away during your seminar not as a draw at the end or next week. This builds excitement and desire as others wish they had won the book. If possible have extra copies for sale at the back of the room - offer a discount as an extra incentive.
2. Share case studies of clients and the reults they achieved because they work with you. These should only be used as teaching points.
3. Use handouts but - in the footer put the title of a full workbook and a page number that clearly indicates that this is age 23 of 42 for instance. This makes participants want to know what is on the other 40 pages...especially if they get high value from only one page.
4. Offer your powerpoint as a follow-up download or email that you will send them and - include a sub-heading to the title such as Module 3 of X Course. In the final slide include a description of where and how to get more.
Your audience wants solid actionable ideas but there is no reason for them to leave with all of your knowledge. You are the expert on the stage. They need to know the full range of expertise you have available and how to get more.
This attitude of creating a body of work should permeate your content development plan from book through blog through workshops each should be a part of a whole while being stand-alone content. This allows you to leverage your time. ie. turn 6 workshops into a weekend course; compile 10 blog entries into an e-book, create introductory and advanced versions of your wokshops and books. Share discoveries and paradigm shifts as you gain experience in your field.
All of this positions you as the passionate expert advisor able to help your customers over the long haul. And don't we all want to work with the person who is there for all aspects of our need - now and in the future?
As a long-time Toastmaster, College Instructor and Internet Marketing Strategist, I have worked with dozens of small businesses and solopreneurs to help them understand the power of delivering workshops and seminars to promote themselves, their business and their non-profit cause.
My passion is working with self employed service professionals who are passionate about their service and their clients. These people develop an expertise and naturally find themselves sharing their knowledge to help others. I partner with these people to create strategies, tactics and processes that turn acquaintances or website visitors in to leads. These leads are added to a personalized process that leads them step by step into becoming raving fans. As much as possible, this is done all in an automated process so people don't slip through the cracks.
I raise 5 beautiful children, live with my wonderful husband John on Georgian Bay. In my free time I bake, decorate cakes, go camping and canoeing and write.