Donna and David's Top 15 Tips

Many workshop presenters joined a phone-bridge on September 20th 2007, to start working together as a "group of experts".   It was great to hear so many voices on the phone.

 

We had invited Donna and David Bowman to lead our discussion by sharing their experience of workshop marketing.  Over the past 5 years they built their workshop attendance from zero to 150 couples a year.  (Although at the time of the call they were feeling humbled by a couple of poorly attended workshops in the summer.)

 

Core values

Donna and David feel that their core values provide the foundation for their success.  These values are:

• Practice what you preach
• Approach everything with an appreciative and generous spirit
• Greet each situation with curiousity (eg: when half your attendees cancel at the last minute)
• Accept and welcome every situation - maybe this month 2 attendees is the right number
• Develop a positive mental attitude to marketing - for more on this see Harry Beckwith "What Clients Love"

 

The Top 15 points to successful Workshop presenter marketing

1. Never cancel a workshop.  Go ahead even if numbers are low.  Otherwise you may create a reputation amongst those who might otherwise refer to you
2. Value what you offer - don't be afraid to charge a high price - but maybe increase the value with offerings such as free teleclasses
3. Accept every couple, regardless of their ability to pay.  They may become a great source of referrals.
4. Present many workshops to create visibility, each attendee is a marketeer for your workshops
5. Half-price workshops for collleagues and non-Imago therapists has been very beneficial as these then make many referrals
6. Participate in local Imago community - in an active and generous way, so that people feel comfortable and safe to refer their clients
7. Maintain a current and interesting website
8. Respond personally and promptly to all inquiries
9. Connect people who inquire with previous participants who are willing to talk about their experience
10. Provide a money-back guarantee.  This often helps people who are on the edge of making a decision.  They can ask for their money back at the end of not satisified - but of course by the end of the workshop people are delighted.
11. Make Presentations.  Accept invitations to any group which makes sense.
12. Free workshops - for family , friends and colleagues.  They often refer their family, friends and colleagues
13. Accept all credit cards, even Amex. 
14. Recognize and value each participant as your best marketeer for the workshop through
• Treating them as your personal guest, with snacks, flowers, and personal conversations showing interest in them personally
• Call 2-days before the workshop- even if just to leave a message, and share how excited you are to invite them into the workshop
• Use lots of personal examples and stories
• Maintain and grow the relationship after the workshop - with teleclasses on parenting, etc:  Donna and David include the teleclasses in the price of their workshop - which also enables them to increase the price.
15. Return clients to their referral source.