[Show Transcript]

I’m Randy Charach from RandyReport.com and THIS is the show that takes you from internet zero to business hero!

In this week’s report I’m going to show you how to create a stellar seminar that will build a buzz about your business…. I’ll teach you how to research and plan your seminar, and how to help it go off without a hitch.

Most of my marketing methods are targeted to the online world, where it’s just you and your computer…one on one…Today I’m going to talk to you about getting out into the world and dealing with real humans…eyeball to eyeball, belly to belly…by producing your very own seminar.

Seminar producing is a premium way to bring awareness and attention to your business. Doing it right from the get-go takes planning and research to achieve the results you want. The mistake most people make is trying to throw together a seminar at the last minute. You should start planning your seminar four to six months ahead to make sure you’re prepared and have checked everything over carefully.

You need to pick a hot date for your seminar. Mine is Catherine Zeta Jones…no, a date on the calendar. Make sure you research what’s going on at the time. Don’t plan your seminar during the Christmas holidays…unless it’s on holiday baking and crafts…or offer a presentation for stay at home parents during Spring Break when their kids will be home driving them crazy. Check out community calendars to make sure there’s not a big event or similar function going on at the same time. Also, watch out for major sporting events, such as the Superbowl and NHL playoffs.

Designing your program effectively will make the difference between a dynamic, interactive seminar and one that has people looking longingly towards the exits…thinking about pulling the fire alarm just to get away.

You need to choose your target market, and whittle down your topic so it’ll be the perfect combo for your audience…like peanut butter and chocolate.

Plan each step of your seminar, including your intro, all your presentation notes, interactive portions, and extras like coffee breaks and intermissions. If your presentation includes audiovisual material…and it really should…make sure all setup is done by someone who knows their stuff, who can stick around and help you out if the machines go berserk. You don’t want to be standing at the podium clearing your throat while your audience does shadow puppetry on the projector screen.

Estimate the income and expenses from your seminar before you start sending out promo materials. If your income model is ticket-price driven, then base your projected income on the fee you’re charging, not on future business you expect, or products that you hope to sell. Remember your location expenses will be included in the cost of the ticket, so don’t choose the Waldorf Astoria as a venue unless your target market is the Donald Trump’s of the world.

Consider all the expenses, which will be things like printing flyers, postage for mail outs, advertising online, venue rental, handouts…like workbooks or photocopied information…and refreshments. Your time is also money, so factor in how long it’s taking you to design and market your seminar. If your hourly rate hovers somewhere around burger-flipping wages, it may be a good time to consider other ways to bring in clients.

Another decision you’re going to have to make: is your seminar going to be a do it yourself deal or will you hire an expert to speak? Good news…this do it yourself project is much easier than your unfinished basement renovation…You don’t need to be a sparkling conversationalist at dinner parties or a moonlighting stand-up comic to entertain and engage your audience. As long as you’re a half decent speaker and can provide people with something of value, you’ll succeed.

However, if you stammered through the toast at your sister’s wedding or would rather be trapped in a burning building than give a speech…presenting your seminar will drive your stress level through the roof and your customers far, far away from the message you’re trying to get across. People want to do business with capable, confident people they can trust…so be that guy…or gal…if you’re going to present the seminar yourself.

If picturing your audience in their undies isn’t going to work to calm your nerves, or you don’t have the time or experience to present, you can always hire someone to do it for you. Look to someone who’s an expert in the field you’ve chosen. One thing to consider If you do hire someone…decide if you’re going to let them run free with their material, or if you’ll help design their presentation.

Think location-location-location…just like in real estate…Don’t hold a seminar for earning unlimited wealth at a rundown community centre. Consider your participants when it comes to getting to and from the location. Are they going to have to print out pages of Google maps to find the location, or take a long lonely and expensive cab ride from the airport?

Keeping people’s interest is the number one consideration. There’s nothing worse than a presenter who drones on and on, day after day, hour after hour, minute or minute, second after second…oh, I guess I’m doing that now. Decide if you have enough material for a three hour presentation or a workshop that spans a few days. However long you decide to make your seminar, make it fun and jazz it up, with lots of chances for your audience to participate…they love that.

You can offer your seminar for free to attract business leads and start spreading the news about your company. An example: a mortgage broker may do a free presentation to pick up clients. Make sure you have an email signup sheet at your seminar so people can opt in to receive more information from you after the event.

Some seminar producers don’t walk away from their first seminar with a stack of fifties and hundreds. Some make enough just to cover the venue and bagels, but not much more than that. Offering a seminar is a fantastic way to gain visibility among your target audience, so think in terms of the future…flying cars and robots…no, the future in terms of creating lifelong customers that will do business with you again and again.

Whether you charge for your seminar or give it up for free, a common way to make big profits is through what is known as back-of-the-room selling or a table top expo. Set up a spot in the conference room with your books or videos, or packages of the services you sell. If people like what they hear during the presentation, out come the wallets.

Producing a seminar can make good business sense in terms of building client relationships…or getting you closer to buying your dream convertible if you work hard. If your goal is to do seminars as a full time gig, then you must think of it as a business…like any other. If you do the math…then do the planning and the marketing…seminar producing is an excellent way to make money and grow your client base.

Our question this week comes from Makiko C. from Chiba, Japan who wrote:

I’m wondering about promotional materials for my seminar. I’m doing a presentation on creative management for professionals, and I’m wondering what handouts or worksheets I should give to people?

Think of handouts and workbooks as a support garment for your presentation – there’s a visual for you – –

They give participants the basics you covered in the seminar, along with the main points of each topic. I recommend giving people a take away, but you don’t need to write a novel to get them to interact with your content. Remember to factor in the overall cost…printing out binders with hundreds of pages of material is going to eat away at your profit.

You can also include other articles you’ve written, your bio and some information from your website. This will highlight the memorable parts of your seminar and boost the number of people who visit your site after the fact to get more information about your business.

Well, that wraps up this episode of Randy Report. Since company’s websites, prices and quality of service on the Internet change rapidly, for my up-to-date recommendations on resources and for free tools and training, visit me today at RandyReport.com.

Today you learned

How to take charge of your own seminar producing business by designing an effective program that will appeal to your target audience. You learned how to choose the perfect location and keep people interested in what you have to say. You also learned how to build your client base by directing people back to your website, and boost your income by offering products and services during the seminar.

Thanks so much for watching. Remember, if you’d like more free reports, resources and training then visit RandyReport.com and join me again next week where you’ll discover How to launch a successful offline marketing campaign that brings your customers online by targeting and choosing the right advertising medium for your business. We’ll talk about the offline marketing campaigns that work best, how to create a memorable ad campaign, and how to track it so you can get the best return on your investment.

I’m Randy Charach, and this is the show that takes you from internet zero to business hero!

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