I teach in 13 different countries and have been organizing workshops for over two decades. These days most of my events are hosted by other parties and I am regularly approached by people to host my trainings. Part of the reason for this is that the Provocative Change Works model is my own work, so you can only get the opportunity to learn the model from myself.
I have learned that there are basic commonsense considerations that are essential in successfully promoting events, but common sense is sometimes not that common. Below is a list of do’s and don’ts
Where and when is the event?
This is basic stuff, right? Well, actually not always! I have seen attempted promotions for events where the date is not clear at all in the ad copy. Worse than this is where the hotel location is not specified. If you want to drive customers crazy before you drive them away, then not listing the actual venue is one of the best ways to do this. Some promoters try to get the best last minute deal on venues and so don’t commit to any location. This is a terrible strategy as for every pound you same, you will lose ten times that amount with customers unable to book their own accommodation. I know of many previously delighted customers that will not book with some training concerns for this reason alone!
What can I expect from attending?
Another basic question? Well, not always! I remember a major London NLP concern advertise an event many years ago as “Esoterica Hypnotica” It was a weekend course that cost thousands of pounds. Out of curiosity, I enquired about it. (BTW IMO any course of a few days costing thousands of pounds for a “certification” as opposed to “qualification” is supremely daft) The office member commented “If you have to ask, then you are not ready to sign up” Then they admitted “Even we won’t know what the course is about” Unsurprisingly the event never ran…
The Squeeze ad turn off
A pet hate of mine is where promoters advertise an event as “Normally X amount” but today’s price is “Y” (40 – 50% less. This may have worked in cut-price sofa showrooms, but IMO it’s a horrible way to present pricing. Yes, an early bird option is fair game, but this cheezy way of pricing is a real turn off for many
Give great value and engage with customers
Some promoters get a bit carried away with hyping events and overpromise. In 1990s many big training companies had teams of sales staff hammering the phones to get bums on seats. I can recall numerous London workshops where attendees had maxed out credit cards to become “masters” of some skill set. Of course, it’s entirely their decision, BUT as Frank Farrelly once commented: “How are you going to be a master of anything in a few weeks?” It’s smarter to engage with customers and pay attention to group size, so everyone receives good attention.
Careful with the upselling
Some companies run one day “free events” and then really pressure attendees to sign up for thousands of pounds of trainings. I met a couple in the USA who had a giant bookcase of manuals and materials from a “motivational presenter” Well, the promoter had successfully motivated them to part with a great deal of money even though both their businesses were failing. Its a fine balance, but personally I think it’s better to “play the long game” and build customer trust and respect.
The Best Hosts
I have a number of hosts globally that I have worked with for many years. Each of these hosts has great attention to detail and are excellent in all their communications. I always have really good clear and concise interactions and we have many repeat customers. This September I will be training in Japan for the 17th time, teaching PCW. Before Japan, I will be back in Birmingham with new UK host Pete Dalton and then in October and November, I’ll be in Europe.
