Two seasoned pros share the secrets that sell tickets, fast — and get students begging for round two.
Callan Rush is first woman ever invited to speak on stage for the largest personal development company in the world. Today? She’s a legend. She has personally trained thousands of speakers, facilitators, workshop leaders and event producers, teaching them how to design powerful live events — and earn millions, doing it.
But fifteen years ago, when she attempted to run her first workshop?
It bombed.
“I couldn’t get 5 people to attend my events,” says Rush. “I tried everything from switching topics, to changing titles, even moving back to my small hometown where I knew a lot of people.”
But nobody would sign up.
That old adage, “If you build it, they will come”…?
Rush learned the hard way that when it comes to workshops, seminars, retreats, conference and live events, that phrase does NOT apply.
“That’s true, and it’s a real roadblock for people,” says Susan Harrow, a colleague of Rush’s, and the founder of prsecrets.com, a popular publicity & media training website.
Harrows says, “When I ask my clients, ‘Why aren’t you doing live events? What’s holding you back?’ the #1 fear is not Because I’m afraid I won’t be an effective teacher. The #1 fear is Because I’m afraid nobody will come!”
Business owners like Rush and Harrow have learned — the long, slow and hard way — what it really takes to produce a workshop that has tickets flying off the shelves.
Here are their top tips and insights:
4 do’s and 1 big don’t.
1. DO. Design your workshop so that it solves a specific problem.
Workshops that sell out like lightning tend to be centered around a very specific problem.
Problem: Feeling dry, blah and unsexy? Solution: Come to this burlesque dance workshop and get your sizzle back!
Problem: Terrified of public speaking, but yearning to do it? Solution: Come to this training seminar, build confidence, and tap into your inner Tony Robbins.
Problem: Scrambling from paycheck to paycheck? Solution: Attend this conference on The New Economy and learn how to create an extra $1000 a month by freelancing from home.
Ask yourself, “What is my deepest wish for my audience?” Or, “What’s the main problem I want to help them solve?”
Build your curriculum around that wish or promise — and spell it out, clearly, in all of your marketing materials.
2. DO. Create opportunities for people to bond.
“Human beings find safety in numbers. We grow and feel safe when in connection. We are social animals. Pack animals,” says Rush.
Even in these shaky economic times, the demand for live events continues to grow — because people are craving real, meaningful, face-to-face connection.
Create opportunities for your students to mingle and bond. Arrange seats in a circle or U-shape, instead of in rows. Create a Facebook group where people can connect before and after the event. Host a “farewell” dinner and encourage people to swap business cards. Build “resting periods” into your curriculum, so that people can start conversations, share snacks and connect, organically.
3. DO. Consider the next logical step.
“I call this The Spiral Revenue Model,” says Rush. “It’s a logical way of sequencing your offerings so you earn the maximum amount of revenue for the least amount of effort, with the most amount of integrity.”
Planning an “intro to yoga” workshop? Pitch the intermediate class to your happy, stretchy students right at the end of the intro, and sell it out on the spot.
Running a seminar on how to craft a book proposal? Next step: a seminar on how to attract a literary agent and a publishing deal. After that? A seminar on how to negotiate the best possible publishing contract… finish your book… and / or, promote it!
“Sequencing your offerings is really a no-brainer, once you sit down and think about it,” says Harrow. “The trouble is, most people get so overwhelmed with what’s happening right now, they forget to consider What does my audience need next?”
4. DO. Make it intimate and personalized.
Students crave direct access to the thought leaders that they respect.
As Harrow explains: “If you look at someone like the bestselling author, Brené Brown, she regularly packs auditoriums — even though, technically, her ‘content’ is also available online and in books. People want the real deal. The in-person experience. There’s no substitute.”
To create more intimacy, try to avoid creating a me-you hierarchy with your students. Get out in the audience and mingle. Hold a Q&A session to address individual questions in front of the group.
“I know a writing coach who greets every single student with a hug at the beginning of her workshops — and another hug on the way out the door.” says Harrow.
“I have another colleague who brings her Shih Tzu to every seminar. She’s the class mascot. People love her. The doggie creates a cozy, laid back atmosphere that immediately puts people at ease, making them feel like a close-knit family.”
DON’T. Overpack your workshop with content.
Whatever content you’re planning to deliver during your workshop? Slice it in half.
As Harrow puts it, “Nothing ruins a workshop like an over-cluttered curriculum. Keep it light and tight. Think: one big idea, not twelve. Sound bites, not rambling lectures.”
Let your marketing materials reflect that sense of precision and focus, too.
This is what my workshop is about. This is the problem it will help you to solve.
Clear words sell tickets. Sloppy words don’t.
Still think there’s nobody out there who’d be willing to pay to attend your event?
You’re wrong.
Americans spend over $11 million dollars a year on products, retreats, seminars and experiences that fall into the category of “personal development.” (And the annual number continues to grow.)
There’s a huge market out there for meaningful, enriching experiences that add value, solve problems, spark friendships — and change lives.
Throw your first (or next!) workshop after-hours at the office, at your local community center, at your neighborhood yoga studio, or right in your living room.
You’ve got nothing to lose, a lot of money to be made, and more importantly?
So much to give.
Here are 2 free resources for you from Callan Rush (who consistently makes 7 figures and helps others do the same) and has helped new and experienced speakers alike.
Wealth Through Workshops PDF download and video training
Event Filling Blueprint for Sold out Seminars PDF.
About Susan Harrow | Founder of PRSecrets.com
Susan is the creator of the acclaimed media training program, Your Signature Sound Bites, the bestselling book Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, as well as a communication and self-defense guidebook for teens, Girl On Fire.
As a media trainer and marketing strategist, Susan Harrow has been featured, quoted or profiled in: The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Inc.com, CNN, Advertising Age, Woman’s Day, Ladies’ Home Journal, Entrepreneur, Salon Magazine, Pink, and on CNBC, NPR, and national / syndicated TV and radio.
About Callan Rush | Founder of Leader to Luminary Training Inc.
The first female to lead from the stage for the largest personal development company in the world, Callan Rush is now the CEO and founder of highly successful, Leader to Luminary Training Inc. Her latest offering is Wealth Through Workshops, a new program on how to plan powerful live events and sell tickets — even if you’re not “famous.”
A top-notch trainer with over 15 years of success in the speaking, training and educational seminar industry, Callan has mastered the Secrets to creating a life-changing, lucrative live event business.
An expert in sales & marketing, and a genius in program design and facilitation, Callan delights her audiences with her unique blend of humor and wisdom, honesty and openness, and complete generosity of self and spirit.
To book Callan call 604.568.3802 or email bookings@leadertoluminary.com.
Media Contact
Company Name: PRSecrets.com
Contact Person: Susan Harrow
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