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.
21 Secrets of Fit People
1. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water *is* the drink of choice, but if you don't enjoy it (I admit it. I don't), drink Propel, Diet Ice, Reebok Water, Vitamin Water or some other form of healthy fluid intake.
2. Think twice before deciding what to eat and why, making sure that it is healthy and will provide you good nutrition.
3. Measure intake based on activity, not how you "feel." Need should mandate intake, not mood.
4. Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excessive calories, even if they are fat-free and high protein will turn to excess weight!
5. If your diet is unbalanced, try a daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health. 6. Limit caffeine and exposure to even second hand smoke.
6. Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.
7. Keep a daily log of what you're actually eating. this includes grabbing a handful of chips here, the crust of your kids sandwich, and all your snacking.
8. Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you're working out, if you're consuming too many calories, you'll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.
9. Enjoy an occasional (once a week) "unhealthy" treat, but never an "unhealthy" week or "unhealthy" vacation.
10. Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.
11. See fitness and health as a privilege, not something to take for granted.
12. Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friend to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who desire to feel better and have more energy.
13. Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising or using things that keep you motivated and inspired like new shoes or great music.
14. Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity.
15. Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.
16. Invest in the right tools, good shoes, a health club membership, a portable MP3 player, fitness equipment, a personal trainer, etc.
17. Don't compare your body to others. Instead, work to be your personal best.
18. Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, and not a number on a scale.
19. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6-7 days a week.
20. Create an exercise schedule the day before, instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to "find" the time. If our last two Presidents of the United States can find the time to work-out 5 days a week, you can find the time too!
21. Get adequate amounts of sleep. Remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
2. Think twice before deciding what to eat and why, making sure that it is healthy and will provide you good nutrition.
3. Measure intake based on activity, not how you "feel." Need should mandate intake, not mood.
4. Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excessive calories, even if they are fat-free and high protein will turn to excess weight!
5. If your diet is unbalanced, try a daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health. 6. Limit caffeine and exposure to even second hand smoke.
6. Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.
7. Keep a daily log of what you're actually eating. this includes grabbing a handful of chips here, the crust of your kids sandwich, and all your snacking.
8. Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you're working out, if you're consuming too many calories, you'll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.
9. Enjoy an occasional (once a week) "unhealthy" treat, but never an "unhealthy" week or "unhealthy" vacation.
10. Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.
11. See fitness and health as a privilege, not something to take for granted.
12. Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friend to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who desire to feel better and have more energy.
13. Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising or using things that keep you motivated and inspired like new shoes or great music.
14. Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity.
15. Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.
16. Invest in the right tools, good shoes, a health club membership, a portable MP3 player, fitness equipment, a personal trainer, etc.
17. Don't compare your body to others. Instead, work to be your personal best.
18. Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, and not a number on a scale.
19. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6-7 days a week.
20. Create an exercise schedule the day before, instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to "find" the time. If our last two Presidents of the United States can find the time to work-out 5 days a week, you can find the time too!
21. Get adequate amounts of sleep. Remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
How To Tell Sadness From Depression
HOW TO TELL SADNESS FROM DEPRESSION
You have and will experience sadness. It might be the loss
of a job, pet or a loved one. Yes, even a loved one. The
trouble is, particularly here in the United States, we have
a quick-fix for everything... why not sadness too?
Our quick-fix for sadness is that it's simply not allowed.
Healthy purging of sad feelings is great for you physically
and wonderful for your mental health. When you stuff the
expression of healthy sadness it may lead to health
problems, interpersonal issues and depression.
So, the first lesson is FEEL your sadness over whatever
issue is at hand. It doesn't make you weak or less a man
or woman to do so. Yes, I have to say "woman" today too,
because women have also begun to place the same negative
meaning on expressing feelings of sadness; so they hold
back too.
There are Five Basic Stages you will go through with a
significant change or loss in your life. They are:
1) Shock/Denial
2) Anger
3) Asking "What if..." questions
or making "If only" statements.
4) Sadness
5) Acceptance
Please keep in mind several points about the five
statements made above. First, each one is NORMAL! You may
cycle through the steps several times and may not do so in
the order listed above.
The only time these steps become a problem is when you
become stuck at a particular step. Here's an example.
I met a woman about a year ago. She'd been married over 25
years. She and her husband were planning on traveling
after he retired. He died within a year of retirement from
cancer. She came to see me three years after his death.
She had become stuck at step 3 above. She questioned, over
and over again, whether she had done everything she could
for him and all their family during those last days before
his death. After about a year of ruminating minute-by-
minute, she became quite seriously depressed. Then later,
she was referred to me by her physician.
We worked through her questions from step 3. She then went
through a normal period of being angry over the loss of her
husband and how that had changed her life and retirement
plans. She felt appropriately sad about the loss of her
best friend.
She's not terribly happy about working, but she's been
working full-time now for about six months. She is hoping
to begin dating. She's insecure about it. "It's been so
long since I've dated!" She quips. But, she is on her way
to a new life and her level of acceptance is growing each
day.
Other times depression may set in from a traumatic event,
or a series of negative life events that overlap and
overwhelm your usual ability to cope. If this is you, you
are often bewildered as to why you can't simply shake out
of it as you normally would. Or if it was a trauma event,
you will often find that simple security issues (e.g.,
walking out into a dark parking lot at night after
shopping) will trigger panic and later deep depression.
Sudden trauma threatens your sense of general safety in the
world at large.
If you are wondering if you have Major Depression here are
some guidelines to help you to the correct answer. For the
best possible solution please seek professional evaluation.
I offer professional consultation for individuals through
email, making this step easy and convenient.
MAJOR DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS:
1) Depressed mood nearly every day.
2) Diminished interest in regular activities.
3) Significant weight loss or weight gain.
4) Sleeping difficulties.
5) A feeling of being "slowed down."
6) Fatigue and energy loss nearly every day.
7) Feeling worthless or excessive and inappropriate guilt.
8) Difficulty in staying on task or making decisions.
9) Frequent thoughts of death, including but not limited to
suicidal thoughts.
Having a few of these symptoms does not necessarily qualify
your for the diagnosis of Major Depression. You need to
have at least five symptoms consistently over a two-week
period of time or longer.
You have and will experience sadness. It might be the loss
of a job, pet or a loved one. Yes, even a loved one. The
trouble is, particularly here in the United States, we have
a quick-fix for everything... why not sadness too?
Our quick-fix for sadness is that it's simply not allowed.
Healthy purging of sad feelings is great for you physically
and wonderful for your mental health. When you stuff the
expression of healthy sadness it may lead to health
problems, interpersonal issues and depression.
So, the first lesson is FEEL your sadness over whatever
issue is at hand. It doesn't make you weak or less a man
or woman to do so. Yes, I have to say "woman" today too,
because women have also begun to place the same negative
meaning on expressing feelings of sadness; so they hold
back too.
There are Five Basic Stages you will go through with a
significant change or loss in your life. They are:
1) Shock/Denial
2) Anger
3) Asking "What if..." questions
or making "If only" statements.
4) Sadness
5) Acceptance
Please keep in mind several points about the five
statements made above. First, each one is NORMAL! You may
cycle through the steps several times and may not do so in
the order listed above.
The only time these steps become a problem is when you
become stuck at a particular step. Here's an example.
I met a woman about a year ago. She'd been married over 25
years. She and her husband were planning on traveling
after he retired. He died within a year of retirement from
cancer. She came to see me three years after his death.
She had become stuck at step 3 above. She questioned, over
and over again, whether she had done everything she could
for him and all their family during those last days before
his death. After about a year of ruminating minute-by-
minute, she became quite seriously depressed. Then later,
she was referred to me by her physician.
We worked through her questions from step 3. She then went
through a normal period of being angry over the loss of her
husband and how that had changed her life and retirement
plans. She felt appropriately sad about the loss of her
best friend.
She's not terribly happy about working, but she's been
working full-time now for about six months. She is hoping
to begin dating. She's insecure about it. "It's been so
long since I've dated!" She quips. But, she is on her way
to a new life and her level of acceptance is growing each
day.
Other times depression may set in from a traumatic event,
or a series of negative life events that overlap and
overwhelm your usual ability to cope. If this is you, you
are often bewildered as to why you can't simply shake out
of it as you normally would. Or if it was a trauma event,
you will often find that simple security issues (e.g.,
walking out into a dark parking lot at night after
shopping) will trigger panic and later deep depression.
Sudden trauma threatens your sense of general safety in the
world at large.
If you are wondering if you have Major Depression here are
some guidelines to help you to the correct answer. For the
best possible solution please seek professional evaluation.
I offer professional consultation for individuals through
email, making this step easy and convenient.
MAJOR DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS:
1) Depressed mood nearly every day.
2) Diminished interest in regular activities.
3) Significant weight loss or weight gain.
4) Sleeping difficulties.
5) A feeling of being "slowed down."
6) Fatigue and energy loss nearly every day.
7) Feeling worthless or excessive and inappropriate guilt.
8) Difficulty in staying on task or making decisions.
9) Frequent thoughts of death, including but not limited to
suicidal thoughts.
Having a few of these symptoms does not necessarily qualify
your for the diagnosis of Major Depression. You need to
have at least five symptoms consistently over a two-week
period of time or longer.
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