Aug 10
25
Three Common Workshop Misconceptions
As I work with service professionals, coaches and consultants to turn their practices into a more leveraged, high income business through workshops and seminars, I come across a few common misconceptions. Often these misconceptions can prevent people from putting on their own workshop and breaking through that income ceiling they have imposed on themselves by working one-on-one with their clients. Other times, it will not prevent a successful workshop, but it will make a difference of thousands of dollars. Do you suffer from any of these misconceptions?
- You need a big event in order to make a lot of money.
Nothing is farther from the truth. While large events have more potential for making more money, that doesn’t mean that small events can’t be very lucrative. Sometimes smaller events do even better. When you have a smaller event, chances are you have a highly targeted audience. The people that are at your event are there for a specific reason: to learn from you. Since the event is smaller, you have fewer demands on your time. That gives you more opportunities to really connect with your audience. You can answer more questions and establish genuine relationships with people who will gladly sign up for your most expensive package. After all, they know, like and trust you and the value you can bring to them and their businesses. - My audience already paid to be there. They won’t pay for anything else.
You are actually doing your audience a disservice if you do not offer them anything else at your workshop. You just delivered high value training that your audience loved. Many of them will want to take that training and go on to the next step. They may want to take your training even deeper and want implementation guidance, or an accountability mastermind group for that lasting transformation. Others may be ready for the next topic in your series. Whatever it is, whatever you offer, you are letting them down if you do not at least present them with the opportunity to develop themselves or their business further. They want what you have to offer and they want to pay you handsomely for it. Give them that chance. - No one would want to sponsor my event.
Well, why not? You have a highly targeted, valuable niche audience. Although it may not be huge and sure, Coke may not have any interest in sponsoring it, that doesn’t mean other companies won’t. Just think, how would you like to have access to 30-50 highly motivated ideal prospects? Ok, no drooling now, I see you get my point. So think of who else might want to have access to your audience. What non-competing company shares your same target audience? Remember, sponsorship is much more than slapping a logo on your brochures or website and hanging a banner. Be creative in thinking what you can offer your sponsors that they will love to pay for.
Now that these misconceptions are out of the way, are you more likely to do a workshop? Are you more likely to think that any workshop you do can be a lucrative venture for you? Or is there something else that holds you back from doing your own workshop? Let me know in the comments. I would love to know what you think.
For more strategies to fill your workshops and seminars without driving yourself crazy, you’ll want to pick up a copy of this free seminar marketing ebook.
Daphne Bousquet, CMP uses her 20+ years of event planning experience to create profitable event strategies and implementation for coaches, entrepreneurs, speakers and self employed professionals that want to grow their businesses with workshops and seminars. She is the creator of the How To Get The Butts In The Seats Of Your Next Workshop Or Seminar System, a unique digital course that teaches you how to fill your events with your ideal audience.
) The fact is, events are a great way to create multiple streams of income, sell BOR – back of the room and keep revenues flowing in downturn economies. After 9/11 I hosted free events in the Salt Lake Valley to introduce business owners to my services. Not only did i fill the rooms with hundreds of prospective clients, my revenues grew during that time. While others were saying how slow things were I was too busy to think about any downturn. 
