The seminar industry continues to experience robust growth. While some businesses experience a fluctuation in times when the market is slow, the seminar industry continues to earn supporters. It is especially lucrative during healthy periods in the economy. This industry is also very flexible from the grassroots level to the corporate level to the international level, seminars mean big, serious business. In fact, many of the stars and celebrities who have become successful authors and in-demand TV and radio guests owe their success to conducting seminars. Learn more about this business and find out if it is the right industry for you.
The Business Of Conducting Seminars
Believe it or not, seminars rake in millions of dollars each year. Speakers who are in-demand in the business don't make a shabby income, either. Some of the most popular regularly earn gross revenues of about $150,000 to $300,000 while the big ones can earn from a minimum of $1 million to a whopping $130 million a year.
And even if you're not as popular, you can still stand to earn gross revenues within the range of $30,000 - $100,000 a year. This is especially true if you have several engagements within a year and speak to a good number of audiences. A seminar speaker from Fredericksburg, Virginia, for example, is now earning a five-figure income after just 2 + years of regular lectures and sessions.
But before you can earn money, you need to spend it. Conducting seminars can be logistics and manpower-heavy. Other than the speaker, you need to be able to handle the facilities, equipment, brochures and seminar materials, advertising and promotional materials, contact persons and product development and distribution (if you have a product to sell). If you're just starting out, expect to spend from $5,000 to $20,000.
However, the startup costs involved in conducting seminars is relatively low. There really is no need to rent a fancy office or put up some signage for your business. The major expenses you will incur will involve marketing, promotion, site facilities and office equipment such as a computer, a printer or a copier. Other than that, you'll also need the basic stuff: phone and Internet connection, software (for the preparation of seminar presentation and materials), office supplies, stationery (preferably with your logo and letterhead), a fax machine and permit for sending bulk mail.
The Virtual Seminar
Many professionals have been conducting seminars using the Internet for a few years now. This is currently the fastest, cheapest and most convenient method with which to reach a wide variety of people in more parts of the globe. Just imagine: you could be sitting in a room in Montana and be speaking to people who live in New York, Montreal or places such as Russia, China, Scotland or India. Web seminars are also user-friendly. The audience doesn't have to travel to your location just to listen to you. There are no logistics to worry about and no facilities to rent.
Market Research
You'll also need to spend for or at least put a lot of effort in market research. There are very few seminar topics that last over two years and even then, they would be overwrought and boring. As a seminar speaker or presenter, you need to be able to constantly offer something new, unique and exciting. That is also how you can stay competitive and in-demand in this business. Become too generic or old-fashioned and you could easily lose your market.
Becoming Competitive
The essential component of becoming successful in conducting seminars is having a skillful and engaging speaker (that's you) and a compelling and relevant topic. The more interesting the subject you have to offer, the more people will be willing to pay to see you.
You also need to be able to offer specific topics for your lectures. While there's nothing wrong with using general-interest materials, it's often better to offer specific subjects and target specific audiences. If you will be giving a seminar on tax preparations, for example, don't just offer one that says, 'Tax Preparations'. Specific seminars such as 'Tax Preparation for Small and Home-Based Business' or 'Tax Preparation for Contractors' are much more specific and intended for a particular audience. In fact, when your target market learns about your seminar, they will know it's for them.
Preparing For Your Seminar
Conducting seminars is not a week-long process. Some of the most successful prepare for their lectures months ahead of time. Creating and designing an effective program takes time to research and develop. Plus, you'll also have to figure in the time you'll need to promote your seminar. Plan as early as you can, at least four months before you launch a new program. If it's an old program, you generally will need a much shorter amount of time.
Jumat, 20 Januari 2012
Back-End Sales
Back-end sales, in layman's terms, is being able to market and close the sale to additional products or services to existing clients. People in business know that it takes much more time to gain a new customer and to market the company's products to a yet probable market. It is much, much cheaper to sell to existing clients since they already know what the company is capable of offering (this means less advertisements and marketing tools).
It is quite easy to hook the loyal customers to remain devoted to the company. Such advertising measures as sending out e-mails or snail mails could ensure easy sales. Profits will surely be raked in as these loyal clients respond, and who knows, they can even bring referrals who would be as eager to make the purchase (word of mouth is a much cheaper means of advertising but is one of the most effective).
The initial sales aren't the pillars that will eventually support the business to stay longer in the industry. The initial products are only samples and once the client base is founded, it will be the back-end sales that make the business flourish. Most businessmen invest in initial sales (to the point of making do with just a break even) to impress their first customers. When these customers come in, its time to count profits coming from back-end sales.
It is said that it takes around 5-7 times of advertisements before the message sinks in to any new customer to make a decision. Once this undecided person does decide to become a buyer of your initial product, then he is somehow filtered and becomes a part of the next level of marketing phase where the objective is to keep him hooked or interested. Once he becomes a regular customer, it takes much less time and effort to ask for additional sales.
One good idea for back-end sales is the sales of videos of previous, successful seminars or sessions that have been held. These videos could help inspire those who attended to remember what they learned at those seminars. If lucky, the company could even take in additional customers through word of mouth (the attendees talk about the seminar to their immediate family members, friends and other associates).
Since old videos could become new money for the company, its advisable to make enough preparations for each and every presentation and to carefully store these videos or manuscripts for future release. One possible way to market them is to send e-mails (with a much more personal note) to existing customers. Also, it is best to make the customers constantly remember about the company by sending ads every now and then, again, through their e-mails.
Back-end sales is the bread and butter of the company. To clearly illustrate the point on this, let us set a common example: let us say that Company A has established quite a few enthusiasts with its marketing schemes and giveaways. As these people become their clients, they work hard to please them by providing extra services or a freebie every now and then. As long as the clients remain pleased, business will be good for Company A, if not, some of these clients might prefer to do business with Company B.
Using the power of loyalty, Company A could start selling previous seminar videos or even manuscripts of what the business has been offering. The secret here is to make the existing clients feel special and treasured. Businessmen should bank on the idea that existing clients are 25% more likely to buy what the company is offering to them. Once they feel that they are just another number, then its time to say goodbye to them.
Just remember this fact; 90% of the company's profits, according to some studies, are delivered by back-end sales. Making manuscripts, other printed materials, or videos of previous seminars or conferences can be comparable to earning royalties and earning that 90%. Once a talent is done with, say, a record album, he could begin earning royalties each time that the album is legally bought. It is much like working while the sun is up and enjoying the profits as the business trudges on.
It is quite easy to hook the loyal customers to remain devoted to the company. Such advertising measures as sending out e-mails or snail mails could ensure easy sales. Profits will surely be raked in as these loyal clients respond, and who knows, they can even bring referrals who would be as eager to make the purchase (word of mouth is a much cheaper means of advertising but is one of the most effective).
The initial sales aren't the pillars that will eventually support the business to stay longer in the industry. The initial products are only samples and once the client base is founded, it will be the back-end sales that make the business flourish. Most businessmen invest in initial sales (to the point of making do with just a break even) to impress their first customers. When these customers come in, its time to count profits coming from back-end sales.
It is said that it takes around 5-7 times of advertisements before the message sinks in to any new customer to make a decision. Once this undecided person does decide to become a buyer of your initial product, then he is somehow filtered and becomes a part of the next level of marketing phase where the objective is to keep him hooked or interested. Once he becomes a regular customer, it takes much less time and effort to ask for additional sales.
One good idea for back-end sales is the sales of videos of previous, successful seminars or sessions that have been held. These videos could help inspire those who attended to remember what they learned at those seminars. If lucky, the company could even take in additional customers through word of mouth (the attendees talk about the seminar to their immediate family members, friends and other associates).
Since old videos could become new money for the company, its advisable to make enough preparations for each and every presentation and to carefully store these videos or manuscripts for future release. One possible way to market them is to send e-mails (with a much more personal note) to existing customers. Also, it is best to make the customers constantly remember about the company by sending ads every now and then, again, through their e-mails.
Back-end sales is the bread and butter of the company. To clearly illustrate the point on this, let us set a common example: let us say that Company A has established quite a few enthusiasts with its marketing schemes and giveaways. As these people become their clients, they work hard to please them by providing extra services or a freebie every now and then. As long as the clients remain pleased, business will be good for Company A, if not, some of these clients might prefer to do business with Company B.
Using the power of loyalty, Company A could start selling previous seminar videos or even manuscripts of what the business has been offering. The secret here is to make the existing clients feel special and treasured. Businessmen should bank on the idea that existing clients are 25% more likely to buy what the company is offering to them. Once they feel that they are just another number, then its time to say goodbye to them.
Just remember this fact; 90% of the company's profits, according to some studies, are delivered by back-end sales. Making manuscripts, other printed materials, or videos of previous seminars or conferences can be comparable to earning royalties and earning that 90%. Once a talent is done with, say, a record album, he could begin earning royalties each time that the album is legally bought. It is much like working while the sun is up and enjoying the profits as the business trudges on.
Assembling A Crew To Work In A Seminar
If you are going to hold a seminar right now or sometime in the future, you have to be particular about planning it. More often than not, you only have one chance to gather many people to hear what you would like to offer or tell them or teach them. Finding the perfect speaker for your seminar is just one of the hardest steps in planning one. The other half of the job would be to assemble a crew.
If you can, try to include your speaker as part of your crew. While speakers are normally paid by the hour, you might as well pay him extra if he will stay after the seminar is over. His presence during mealtime is going to be very important. Because at that point, people can easily talk to him, ask him questions, or even mingle with him to get to know him better, being the important person that he is.
Your speaker is your most important crew. Treat him like a king. Give him everything he needs and compensate him extra for his time. Speakers staying a while after the speech will give your seminar a more intimate feel. Besides you will be able to acquire more information about your attendees if they decide to stay after the talks because they want to meet the speaker personally.
But more than the speaker, you should also be particular with the other people in your crew. You need to hire at least three people for every seminar that you hold. Of course, the more people you can hire, the better. And that's because an extra hand will definitely help you serve your attendees more and give them everything they possibly need.
First off, you need people at the registration table. You need at least two people manning that area at the start of the seminar. One person would be checking the tickets and tearing out the stubs. If your seminar doesn't have tickets and members need to pay during entrance, then you have to get somebody to collect the fees.
The other person at the registration table would be manning the attendance sheet. He or she would require every attendee to sign the information sheet. The information sheet is very crucial because you might want to contact your attendees again for future seminars. Also, the same person will be in charge of handing out all the seminar materials to each of the participants, as well as writing their names on the ID badges.
The third person would be escorting attendees to their proper seats and providing for their special requests. The third person is also in charge of overseeing the attendees as they go through the admission process, signing of the forms, and getting their seminar kits. If you don't have an extra hand to do this job, you can probably do it yourself.
During the seminar proper, your three-man crew has to stand on the sidelines to attend to the seminar participants and the speaker himself. One person should be right behind the projector and the computer system to make sure that everything runs smoothly and to show the slides and presentations in accordance to what the speaker is saying. One person should attend to the refreshment table, especially the one that will be given to the speaker right after his talk.
Meal times are the most crucial time of a seminar. Regardless if you are just serving snacks or refreshments after the talks or if you're going to serve lunch or dinner, you need all the help you can get. You need somebody to prepare all the food on the table and make sure everybody gets their share. You also have to hand out these foods to the attendees or at least the utensils required, especially if you're going to follow a buffet style of a meal.
After the snacks, you also need to clean up all the used utensils or the wrappers from the food you've served. You are required to keep the cleanliness of the place where you held the seminar. So it is going to be quite a task if you only have three people in your crew.
But more importantly, you have to employ lots of people at the sales table if and when you decide to sell something, like a book or a CD recording of the seminar. You don't want to lose sales just because there are simply not enough people to handle the purchases of the attendees.
If you can, try to include your speaker as part of your crew. While speakers are normally paid by the hour, you might as well pay him extra if he will stay after the seminar is over. His presence during mealtime is going to be very important. Because at that point, people can easily talk to him, ask him questions, or even mingle with him to get to know him better, being the important person that he is.
Your speaker is your most important crew. Treat him like a king. Give him everything he needs and compensate him extra for his time. Speakers staying a while after the speech will give your seminar a more intimate feel. Besides you will be able to acquire more information about your attendees if they decide to stay after the talks because they want to meet the speaker personally.
But more than the speaker, you should also be particular with the other people in your crew. You need to hire at least three people for every seminar that you hold. Of course, the more people you can hire, the better. And that's because an extra hand will definitely help you serve your attendees more and give them everything they possibly need.
First off, you need people at the registration table. You need at least two people manning that area at the start of the seminar. One person would be checking the tickets and tearing out the stubs. If your seminar doesn't have tickets and members need to pay during entrance, then you have to get somebody to collect the fees.
The other person at the registration table would be manning the attendance sheet. He or she would require every attendee to sign the information sheet. The information sheet is very crucial because you might want to contact your attendees again for future seminars. Also, the same person will be in charge of handing out all the seminar materials to each of the participants, as well as writing their names on the ID badges.
The third person would be escorting attendees to their proper seats and providing for their special requests. The third person is also in charge of overseeing the attendees as they go through the admission process, signing of the forms, and getting their seminar kits. If you don't have an extra hand to do this job, you can probably do it yourself.
During the seminar proper, your three-man crew has to stand on the sidelines to attend to the seminar participants and the speaker himself. One person should be right behind the projector and the computer system to make sure that everything runs smoothly and to show the slides and presentations in accordance to what the speaker is saying. One person should attend to the refreshment table, especially the one that will be given to the speaker right after his talk.
Meal times are the most crucial time of a seminar. Regardless if you are just serving snacks or refreshments after the talks or if you're going to serve lunch or dinner, you need all the help you can get. You need somebody to prepare all the food on the table and make sure everybody gets their share. You also have to hand out these foods to the attendees or at least the utensils required, especially if you're going to follow a buffet style of a meal.
After the snacks, you also need to clean up all the used utensils or the wrappers from the food you've served. You are required to keep the cleanliness of the place where you held the seminar. So it is going to be quite a task if you only have three people in your crew.
But more importantly, you have to employ lots of people at the sales table if and when you decide to sell something, like a book or a CD recording of the seminar. You don't want to lose sales just because there are simply not enough people to handle the purchases of the attendees.
Guide To Selecting Topics To Make Profitable Seminars
Sometimes, choosing a topic to be discussed at a seminar is a difficult task. Yes, we all know that a seminar provides the audience new knowledge and new understanding on the topics the speakers were discussing. Moreover, we know that hosting a seminar is a really great opportunity to make use of relationship marketing. The problem usually lies on what kind of topics should be discussed to catch the attention of more people. More importantly, the topic you will be picking should please your clients. Here are techniques to help you out in choosing the right topics to a profitable seminar.
Select A Topic You Wish To Focus On And Find Out If You Can Discuss It By Yourself.
Your choice of topic should be appropriate as part of the whole discussion. While your choice of topic is unlimited, you have to make sure too that your clients approve of it before starting to work on it. Fundamental lessons, tips, methods and general ideas on certain subjects are excellent topics for a marketing seminar. Get the latest news related to your choice of topic and massively research anything about it. Indeed it's time-consuming but researching is really important to keep updated with regards to your topic.
Don't Select A Topic Which Attracts Competition
One of your main goals when organizing seminars is to earn your living and at the same time attract potential clients. Your topic discussed could make or break your career. If certain participants have enjoyed listening to your discussion, perhaps some of them will hire you for future seminars. Most seminar topics which hold peoples attention usually focuses on the different problems businessmen are facing, especially if you intensely discuss on the solutions of the problems.
Think Of Yourself As Part Of The Audience.
A successful seminar generally means that the participants have learned a lot of useful things and have enjoyed every part of the discussion. If you have second-thoughts whether your topic will be successful or not, try think of yourself as part of the audience. Try asking questions such as what people in the business world are mostly interested in. Plan your choice of topic a few weeks prior to the seminar. It should mainly concern issues on general business, focus on one problem that has been plaguing the business industry and try to discuss the ways, methods, and tips on solving a particular problem.
Select A Topic You Wish To Focus On And Find Out If You Can Discuss It By Yourself.
Your choice of topic should be appropriate as part of the whole discussion. While your choice of topic is unlimited, you have to make sure too that your clients approve of it before starting to work on it. Fundamental lessons, tips, methods and general ideas on certain subjects are excellent topics for a marketing seminar. Get the latest news related to your choice of topic and massively research anything about it. Indeed it's time-consuming but researching is really important to keep updated with regards to your topic.
Don't Select A Topic Which Attracts Competition
One of your main goals when organizing seminars is to earn your living and at the same time attract potential clients. Your topic discussed could make or break your career. If certain participants have enjoyed listening to your discussion, perhaps some of them will hire you for future seminars. Most seminar topics which hold peoples attention usually focuses on the different problems businessmen are facing, especially if you intensely discuss on the solutions of the problems.
Think Of Yourself As Part Of The Audience.
A successful seminar generally means that the participants have learned a lot of useful things and have enjoyed every part of the discussion. If you have second-thoughts whether your topic will be successful or not, try think of yourself as part of the audience. Try asking questions such as what people in the business world are mostly interested in. Plan your choice of topic a few weeks prior to the seminar. It should mainly concern issues on general business, focus on one problem that has been plaguing the business industry and try to discuss the ways, methods, and tips on solving a particular problem.
Langganan:
Komentar (Atom)