Three Workshop Success Secrets From My Most Profitable One Day Event

Are you considering hosting a workshop?

Have you been holding yourself back because you don’t know how to do it?

Are you afraid you’ll lose your shirt if you do?

I’m going to share three success secrets to how I created nearly $40,000 from a one day workshop and how you can do the same. These were my thoughts, too, until I did it and generated nearly $40,000 in sales from a one day workshop! And I realized I could recreate the same success any time I needed to by sharing my signature talk in my own live event. And I learned how to do it and I (clearly) didn’t lose my shirt!

Workshops are one of the best ways to create a three dimensional experience for you and your future clients. By seeing you, hearing you, and meeting you, you and your potential clients quickly determine if working with you and accepting your offer is the right fit. And when people hear you share your offer as part of a signature talk that converts, it will often be the right fit.

Plus, if you’ve ever wondered what’s the best, most effective, and most efficient way to create higher conversions for your private coaching or consulting, group programs, courses, VIP Retreats, or even larger events, workshops are the perfect way to do it.

Before I share some of my success secrets, first let’s talk about the types of workshops you can host. It is not “one-size-fits-all” and you have many choices for the type of workshop that will convert best for your target audience, your offer, and your own personal preference. You’ll want to choose the length and format that best positions you to offer value, create connection, demonstrate your expertise, gain credibility, and create a pathway to your offer.

There are at least three workshop types to consider as you plan your event:

1. Micro Workshops (up to 90 minutes)
2. Half Day Workshops (3-4 hours)
3. or Full Day Workshops (7-8 hours).

Each works very well to attract clients and convert guests into your offer, but there are some important nuances to consider.

Typically, in a Micro Workshop (up to 90 minutes), you deliver your Signature Talk and introduce  guests to your teaching and coaching style through exercises. It’s perfect to allow participants to, not only absorb the content, but to have an opportunity to implement it while at your workshop. Because they feel they got something completed, they feel it was even more beneficial than a typical lecture style Signature Talk which you might deliver in a 30-60 minute presentation. Implementing your content helps cement the experience and you in a way that not only leads to more immediate conversion but also makes you more memorable, and some sales will come after guests leave event armed with a strategy or practice you shared.

Half Day (3-4 hour) and Full Day (7-8 hour) Workshops are very much the same with the big difference being how much more you can do in a Full Day Workshop. Typically, in addition to covering your promised content and exercises, they both will include hot seat coaching, sharing or masterminding opportunities, and possibly refreshments. These can help create a sense of community as participants have more opportunity to connect with each other, adding value to the experience as well as being exposed to people who may already be working with you. Your best advocates are likely in your audience. Half and Full Day Workshops give them opportunity to share about their contact with you and your services. This can have a positive impact on sales.

I’m a BIG fan of hosting Full Day Workshops. Of the three types of workshop styles, the Full Day Workshop is my preference to host because they give guests an entire day to learn and work on fresh content, meet like-minded entrepreneurs, get to know me and my style and give them more time to determine if they want to take the next step with me.

One of my most profitable workshops (close to $40,000 to be exact) was my Talk Design Workshop. It was a one day version of what I later turned into my a 2 day and this past year,a 3 day live event, called Talk & Profit LIVE!.

Going into that event I felt really confident about its success and looking back I realized why it did so well. I’ve taken some of the success secrets from that event and applied them to how I filled and hosted Talk & Profit LIVE!

Here are three of the success secrets that helped me create my most profitable one day workshop:

1. Plan Ahead – I began planning in February. Yes, I had two months to plan and the took my time with it. I knew that the magic was in the details. I spent several weeks just mapping out my entire marketing and fill plan. Every day I worked on it. And I didn’t rush the process. I knew that for it to be profitable, my planning time was a critical investment in the outcome.
2. Include Raving Fans – I made sure my most ideal clients were in the room – my event was filled with people who purchased my Client Converting Talks Home Study program and other people I knew wanted to create their signature talk.
3. Create the Perfect Offer  – I created an offer that was a natural extension of the content I delivered during the Workshop. I offered a solution based on knowing what they needed and the value it had in terms of advancing their business. In this case, it was a system to use their signature talk to grow their business. I made it even more irresistible with related bonuses and a limited time offer that was available for that day.

If you are an entrepreneur looking (or needing!) to grow your business by attracting more clients, converting them to customers, and filling your programs, a workshop is a sure-fire marketing strategy to do just that. If I can help you determine which type works for you or to create the signature talk, let’s talk it through over a complimentary Strategy Session. To connect with me about how I can help you design a profitable workshop, click here.

If you’d like to get an inside view of an event, I invite you to join me in October for my 3 day live event that’s filled with content, good connections, and fun, Special Priced Tickets are still available here until September 15th.

Now I’d LOVE to hear from you. How would it change your business if you could have a profitable Micro, Half or Full Day Event making $40,000 or more in a day? Let me know in the comments below.