Cranendonck Coaching

How to Produce Your Own Seminar 

Conducting Seminars

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. Read on and 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 speakers 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 but we will discuss this in depth in an upcoming chapter.

However, the startup costs involved in conducting seminars is relatively low. There really is no need to rent a fancy office or put up 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 across 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 conduct 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 consistently 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.

What Venue to Select

What Type of Seminar to Conduct

The key to succeeding in the seminar business, other than offering high quality seminars, is offering the right seminar. A subject that may be exciting to you may not be interesting to other people. Your job as a seminar provider is to offer value in your seminars; something that people can use or learn from. Learn the basic strategies for determining what type of seminar to conduct in order to increase your chances of success.

The importance of subject matter

The topics that will be discussed in your seminar have a huge impact on its success or failure. It doesn’t matter how talented and skillful the speaker is, if the subject doesn’t impress your participants, your seminar will be useless. Plus, it could ruin your reputation as well.

To find out what type of seminar to conduct, do research, particularly market research. A background knowledge on what’s prevalent and current in the seminar industry is a very valuable step. Seminars go with the flow of the season or the prevalent mood of the era. Your goal here is to be as relevant as possible to the needs of your prospective audience.

To find out what types of seminars are popular, go to your local convention or seminar bureau and look at their schedule. You’ll find a listing of seminars all lined up for the coming weeks and months. You might also want to check out the local newspapers for ads. The Internet is also an excellent source of information about the types of seminars that are being offered. If you have a particular subject matter in mind, use this as a keyword in your search to find out what specific topics are most popular and therefore, saleable.

Or, you could go with the tried-and-tested favorites such as sales motivation, customer service, marketing success, leadership and self-motivation seminars that are still big hits today.

When you do get a list of seminars from different sources, try to take note of the months of the year they are offered. That should give you an idea of how these professionals schedule their seminars in order to fit the season.

Find a match in the subject matter and your own expertise.

Determine what sort of seminar you can conduct effectively. If the topic is popular, can you effectively offer a 90-minute or 4-hour seminar on it? If not, can you find a speaker who can deliver a top quality seminar on the subject?

Single-session or Multi-session?

The most popular seminars last from a half-day session to a three-day event. There are also seminars that last for weeks, where participants meet with the presenter at specific times during each week within a limited period, say, 2 to 3 hours. There are advantages and limitations to each.

A single-session seminar allows you to complete the seminar within an extremely limited time period, say 2 hours to about 5 hours in one day. However, it’s not only quicker, it’s also cheaper to produce. You can maximize the topics you will be discussing and schedule one-on-one appointments and consultations immediately after, all in a span of one day. Or, if the topic is too expansive, you could use a single-session seminar and connect it to another single-session seminar which you will be conducting several days later, for a separate fee. If you can do this successfully, you’ll earn more and develop a following.

.With a multi-session seminar, you have to be a very talented speaker to keep your participants’ interest long enough to actually follow through the weekly sessions. Otherwise, you might notice that the attendance (and attention) of your participants might start to dwindle.

Consider the time and season

Believe it or not in the seminar industry, just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come. Timing is a huge part of the equation. It can have a considerable effect on the attendance.

Let’s consider a seminar that is designed for seniors and retirees, for example. By now, you probably know that this group of people follows a routine. In general, it’s a bad idea to hold your seminar during a weekday, especially if it’s done in the morning. Most seniors and retirees have set activities and appointments during weekdays, set from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. That means it’s a bad idea to start a seminar in the morning or a weekday.

Learn the simple nuances that are unique to the type of seminars you want to conduct.

Defining Your Audience
Define Your Audience

There is a wealth of knowledge out there that you can tap into and turn into a highly valuable seminar. However, knowing whom to share this knowledge with is critical to the success of your efforts. Giving a seminar without knowing and understanding who your audience will be is a careless step. Put some thought into learning how to define your audience and establish your target market.

Who is your audience?

Theoretically, virtually every person who wishes to learn more insight and improve their skills can be part of your audience. If you take a closer look at your potential market, you will find the following:

Small and medium-sized businesses

This group is traditionally the largest and most active audience in the industry, bringing in millions of dollars in revenue for seminar providers. They often send their representatives to participate in seminars as a means to help assimilate their skills into the organization, improve their processes and learn about updated set of skills and information.

Corporations

This is another group that could form part of your audience. Although more seasoned, this group generally sends participants to seminars in order to help their employees learn more and bring that learning back to be used within the organization. Sometimes, if they don’t have in-house training resources, corporations will even hire a speaker to conduct a specific seminar on-site.

Small groups, clubs and associations

This group periodically sends members to seminars to help them learn new skills and update old ones. Some groups, especially those composed of professionals, often have to go to seminars in order to comply with requirements for certain certifications related to their profession. They will also be interested in seminars that have topics related to the main theme of their annual meetings and conventions.

Individuals

This group has all sorts of reasons to attend seminars, which means that their demographics can vary greatly. Other than general interest seminars, individuals often pay for specialized trainings usually as a means for self-improvement, supplement their basic knowledge or to use for their business.

Meeting a need

When you go into the seminar business, you’ll find out that oftentimes, your audience is already there. Their needs are already present, their requirements are already set and all you have to do is provide something to fill the gap.

When you seek to define your audience, find out exactly what your goal is. What do you want to lecture on? What CAN you lecture on? What can your audience get out of your seminar? What is it in your seminar that will be of interest to your target audience? Who will be willing to pay for a seminar such as yours? Once you have answers to these questions, it will be easy for you to define your audience.

Location, location and more location

Sometimes, knowing where you will be conducting your seminar can help you define who your audience will be. Ask yourself: who will be willing to come to this seminar? Do they have the means and resources to do so? Who will have the time and interest to become a participant at a specific time and place?

Seminar topics and their audience

You can also define your audience by taking a look at your seminar topics. Common offerings such as motivation, organization, goal-achievement and time and office management, for example, are big successes with small, medium and large businesses and corporations. Self-improvement topics such as positive thinking, self-esteem and even goal achievement are favorites among individuals.

Building self-confidence, improving relationships and good communication are very popular among married couples, single parents, women’s clubs and even singles’ groups.

Specific topics also help you define your audience. If you can lecture about topics such as creative writing, better grammar, new trends in publishing and networking, you can attract groups of writers, would-be writers, book clubs and small publishers. Topics about new techniques in holistic, massage therapy and aromatherapy will attract masseuses, practitioners of holistic medicine, caregivers, spa owners and even hobbyists. Lecturing in a seminar about the art of fundraising and networking will interest non-profit groups, professional fundraisers, volunteers, civic clubs and even temple and church groups.

As you can see, with a little creativity, you will be able to define your audience and set your sights on a ready target market. Define your goals as a seminar speaker and assess what you have to offer. This will help simplify your search for participants who will be willing to learn from you.

Finding Speakers

Finding Speakers and Experts

Other than the topics, the main attraction of every seminar is the speaker. Seminars are such big business these days that sometimes, the personality of the speaker is the bigger draw. When so much rides on who leads your seminar, it’s important that you put some effort and research in finding speakers and experts.

Selecting speakers

Unlike trainers, seminar speakers are not required to get certifications, unless they will be dealing with specialized subject matter. You’ll want a speaker who has the background, experience, reputation and expertise that will sell the seminar and help it succeed. Don’t focus too much on the fees the speaker is charging. Someone who charges a low rate does so for a reason. The question here is: why? Often, in the seminar business, the quality of a speaker is directly proportional to how much he charges. Not always but often. So do be careful.

Find out about your speaker’s experience.

An experienced speaker is confident, capable of keeping the audience’s attention and delivering a terrific lecture. Do some research about your speaker like how long he has been speaking at seminars, what types of seminars he has conducted in the past, what industry or subject areas he focuses in and the degree of success he’s had.

Where to find speakers and experts for your seminar

Start with locally-based speakers. If you will be conducting your seminar in the same area, look for speakers who live in the vicinity. The benefit here is two-fold; it’s a lot easier to get in touch with them personally and there is no need for you to pay more for travel expenses and accommodations. That way you can keep the seminar rates low, attract more people and still earn a good profit.

You might also want to go co-op. Check with your local convention bureau and seminar planners if there are speakers who might be available on your preferred dates. It’s common for speakers to handle two or three seminars in the same area, usually with different topics.

If you wish to shop around, get in touch with a seminar agent or group that regularly conduct seminars. Established clubs are reliable sources of good quality speakers and often act as middlemen for locating and scheduling presenters. They also know which speakers are best for the type of subjects you want to discuss.

If you need experts for the lecture or panel, ask clubs, professional associations and groups for referrals. You could also search for professionals online. Many of these men and women are often asked to speak at talks and seminars, so they should be familiar with what you have to offer.

Most agents and groups have nationwide operations or at least have contacts with speakers who may be working in your locale. They can also match you with the speaker who best fits your requirements and your budget. They also take away the hassle of searching for speakers and negotiating their fees, so there’s no need for you to go through all that trouble.

If you want to do it on your own, place an ad in the newspaper detailing your speaker requirements. You can then audition each applicant to see who has the best fit.

Negotiating speaker fees

Generally, you could save more if you book a speaker early. In the seminar industry, speaker fees increase each year. By booking them early and then paying a deposit for their services (usually 30% to 50%), you can ‘lock in’ the cheaper fee within that period.

Some speakers charge a standard fee for their services which only vary depending on the subject, location and number of participants. You will also be paying more for experts, especially if they will be using new material.

Although you’ll want to get the best possible price for the speaker’s services, there are certain unwritten rules about negotiating with seminar presenters and experts. One of these is: never negotiate to get the price down, even if your budget doesn’t meet the asking price. What you should do is trade the asking fee with value.

For example, if the speaker has a product to promote, you could trade a portion of the fee by allowing them to use your seminar as a venue to advertise and sell their products. If you agree to have a speaker promote his products at your seminar, he might be willing to negotiate and offer a great package deal. Also, with so many speakers and experts out there, finding one is really just a matter of hard work. With a bit of effort, you should be able to hire one who matches your needs.
Fee or Free

Fee or Free

Your reasons for conducting a seminar will vary. Seminars may be used to sell an idea, promote a company or introduce a product. Some seminars are also used to recruit people. This can be a very rewarding and lucrative business, capable of bringing in excellent revenues once you become an established speaker. So should you charge a fee or should you offer your seminar for free? Let’s examine the options and how you can still benefit from either one.

Decide on what you want to achieve.

You never try to organize a seminar without any idea of what type of results you expect out of it. Then and only then can you decide whether to charge a fee or offer the seminar for free. The money part of conducting a seminar should also be part of your strategy. If you study seasoned seminar speakers closely, you’ll see that they don’t waive fees for no reason. Unless they’re doing it for charity, they are sure to get something from it. And if they do charge a fee for their efforts, they also do so based on a careful strategy.

Conducting seminars for free

There are several reasons why you might want to offer seminars without charging the participants. If you have a product you want to introduce, for example, a book, an e-book, a gadget, a new diet solution, etc., you could conduct a free seminar and still get something in return.

A very efficient method of promoting your product is by conducting a seminar that is related to the use of your product. If your product is a book about jungle survival, for example, you can conduct a seminar about the topic for free and then offer your book for sale afterwards. Once you get your audience interested during the lecture, they will be forming a beeline to your product display table or kiosk to learn more and make a purchase. This is how you’ll get paid. If you can get enough people to buy your product, all the expenses related to your seminar will be covered.

Conducting seminars for a fee

This is the route that many of the most successful speakers and consultants have taken, with excellent results. Seminars can cost anywhere from $50 to $1,000, depending on the length of the event, the speaker and the topic. Seminars that offer hands-on sessions and workshops and those that last for two or three days also cost more.

Should you decide to charge a fee for conducting a seminar, there are several things you should consider. These are:

The value of the topic

What will your audience get in exchange for their money? Is it valuable or useful enough? Is it something that they can readily implement after the seminar? Is it based on facts? Is it legal? Is the fee you charge commensurate to what they will receive in return?

Coverage for all expenses

It costs money to conduct a seminar. You or your sponsors have to pay for the venue and other facilities, the speakers if you do hire them, the extra manpower such as seminar assistants and staff, cost of advertisement, handouts and giveaways, etc. If you or your speakers have to travel to the venue, that expense should be covered by seminar fees as well.

The expertise of the speaker

Whether you hire the speaker or conduct the seminar on your own, your fee (or the lack of it) will depend on the expertise you will be offering. If the speaker is an SME (Subject Matter Expert), for example, you’ll have more reason to charge a higher fee.

How much should you charge?

That question could probably be re-phrased as: How much would you want to earn as a professional seminar speaker? It’s really up to you and the goals you want to achieve. Whether you organize a seminar for free or for a fee, that will depend on the seriousness of your approach and on how much effort you want to put into it.

If you’re just starting out, expect to be charging low rates. In fact, you might want to give your first few seminars for free, just to gain experience and exposure. Once you begin experiencing success, you can start charging a fee. Depending on the industry you choose, conducting seminars can be a good source of income, with professional speakers earning anywhere from six-figure to seven-figure incomes.

Research In-Depth

To succeed in the seminar business, being up-to-date with the latest trends and topics is essential. If you want to compete in this industry, it’s important that you focus some of your efforts on market research. Being knowledgeable about what is happening in the market and what people want to know and will want to know will keep you way ahead of your competition. This is why performing in-depth research as a means for preparing your seminar program should be part of your business strategy.

Market research

One of the ways in which you can perform market research is to conduct it on your own. Find out what topics are currently top sellers. Look for ads in newspapers to find out what type of seminars are being offered, by whom and where.

You might also want to consider looking at newspaper clippings about these seminars. Small news fillers, editorials, columns and special interest articles are excellent sources of information about a particular topic. Some newspaper editors and columnists, for example, will write about the seminars they have gone to. Some might even give a full review, both of the topic and the speaker.

You could also look at trade magazines in the industry you want to focus on. Trade journals in fields such as medicine, finance, construction and entrepreneurship are excellent sources of information about new seminars. Often, you’ll find a list of seminars across the country in the back pages of these magazines, including the titles, dates, list of topics and even the names of the speakers.

Information from these resources is invaluable to your business conducting seminars. From here, you’ll learn about how effective certain seminars are, who typically goes to these seminars and most importantly, who your competitors are.

Determining the trend

It’s not easy to determine the trends in the seminar industry. However, you can be sure that once a specific topic is a hit, it will be the buzz of the business for months to come. In fact, it could become the model and basis of many seminars that appear as an offshoot of the original concept.

Checking out your competition

Consider it as some sort of industry spying but there’s nothing illegal about learning directly from your competitors. Even the best speakers periodically attend seminars themselves, mainly to learn about new trends and often to learn what their competitors are doing. This is a good practice on your part if you wish to improve yourself as a seminar speaker or presenter.

What you should do

When looking for seminars to attend as part of your in-depth research, look for industry-specific seminars or those that will discuss topics you are interested in. If your goal is to teach new skills to accountants and bookkeepers, for example, attending a seminar designed specifically for architects and engineers will be useless for you.

Try to find out what the specific topics are. Generally, seminar providers will send out invitations and brochures about their lectures and this will include an outline of the subject. If the subjects seem interesting or relevant, then that’s probably the seminar you want to attend. You can also get this information online, where speakers regularly post updates and topics, either on their own websites, a club website or forums.

When you do attend these seminars, ask for every brochure, write-up and material the speaker will provide. You can’t commit everything to memory and in most cases, speakers refuse to have their seminars videotaped or recorded. Follow the lecture using the seminar outline and take notes about key points in the topics that will be discussed. You might also want to take note of how the speaker delivers the lecture and which topics received the most interest and reaction from the audience. You can use these notes later when you want to prepare or improve your own materials.

Finding seminars

Other than newspapers, magazines and online resources, you can also tap local convention bureaus, agents and groups who regularly offer seminars. You’ll usually find a list of schedules and some insight about which topics will be discussed but you can ask for specific seminars that you want to attend. Chances are, they will be able to help you or give you a referral. There is no need to tell them you wish to use your learning later. Just let them know what topics you are interested in.

Selecting a Location

In the seminar business, location can bring in the crowds or keep them away. It can also spell the difference between a smashing success and a miserable failure. Your choice of seminar location will impact the mood of your seminar, particularly because it is a huge component of the setting. Choosing the wrong location can make your seminar unpredictable and difficult to control. Here’s how to avoid these problems by learning the right way to select a location:

Determine your topic.

The subject matter that will be tackled by your seminar will play a huge factor in the selection of the location. Setting counts. If you conduct a seminar in an open location, for example, you could expose your audience to unnecessary distractions, something that could ruin the very engaging lecture you took weeks to prepare. Try to match the location with the topic you will be talking about.

Choose a location that will not steal your thunder.

Have you ever been to a seminar before? Try to notice how the room is built and the decor. Can’t remember what they looked like? That’s exactly the point. Clever speakers know that the more intricately designed a room is, the more it will take your audience’s attention from you.

When selecting a location for your seminar, look for venues that are light and airy but not too brightly colored that the participants will be checking out the magenta against the gold grain of the walls. Your participants came to listen to you, so don’t give them a reason not to.

Take note of who your audience is.

Generally, you can determine who the participants will be depending on the topic you want to offer. Find out how many of them will be coming and rent out a venue of an appropriate size. Trying to squeeze 500 participants in a room that can only accommodate 300 is ridiculous and amateurish.

Show your audience some respect and make sure they are comfortable and capable of focusing on the topics that will be discussed.

Will your audience come from out of town?

If many of your participants will be traveling to your seminar location, it would be a good idea to hold your seminar in a location near an airport, hotels or even interstates.

Consider the style of the seminar.

Not all seminars feature classroom-type scenarios where a speaker stands on a stage or behind a podium speaking in front of an audience for a good four hours. Some seminars might include a workshop or a hands-on demonstration. If yours will, look for a location or venue that has some extra space in which your participants can move or interact.

If your seminar is strictly educational or informative, you might have to set up the location differently. If your seminar involves lectures, you probably won’t need a bigger area.

Consider how you will be working the room.

Some speakers like to stay in one place, such as a stage while others want to move around. When selecting a location, consider if the location is compatible with your speaking style. Can you arrange the chairs in such a way that the audience can face one another and you can walk among them? Can the stage be set up to accommodate a podium or a multi-speaker panel?

Include the equipment you will be using when selecting a location.

Will you be using or bringing equipment with you? Generally, speakers need only a microphone and a place to stand. These days, though, it’s about the presentation. You might be using a huge screen behind you on the stage and a digital projector. Choose a location that can accommodate this equipment. If you will be using electricity, for example, the location should have the necessary outlet and facilities.

Mind your budget.

The more exclusive the location, the more expensive it is. Decide whether an expensive location is truly necessary and helpful in ensuring you achieve the goals you have set. Your seminar location matters but remember that the cost of the venue will be carried over to the rates you charge. If you charge a higher rate for your seminar, will people still come? Try to find a middle ground for your preference and your financial considerations.

Finessing the Financing

Entrepreneurs, whether big or small, venture into the world of business for many reasons. A handful could choose to undertake entrepreneurship because it is what their hearts dictate. But it is a reality that many would like to engage in business because they are attracted by the idea of having large profits. It is, of course, useless to go into business and not get anything in return. This is called the law of life.

Making profits is not as easy as learning the alphabet. It could eat up hours and requires tedious labor. Office procedures often include encoding and filing or producing business forms that would make work much easier. But these are incidental when compared to the most important aspect of keeping the business afloat by keeping track of the flow of money.

One good way to know the cash flow of the business is to keep track of the revenues and, obviously, the expenses. To be able to do this, cost accounting is a necessity. Back in the days, cost accounting was all done manually. But with today’s technological advances (spelled computers), keeping the books of the company is a lot faster.

A computerized program in accounting could help in the creation of invoices and also in writing out checks. Other benefits include increase in efficiency (less human errors), easier analysis of the company’s financial standing and also the easy set up of payroll and processing of credit cards.

It is important to begin by hiring a good accountant. If you weren’t born with the characteristics of an expert bean counter, then it is necessary to go and look for one. A good accountant should have an eye for detail and be highly organized. Nowadays, since everything is processed through computers, an extensive background in computer programs is also a must.

Now that the accountant is in the office, the next most important step is to have a target for the cost accounting system to be assembled. Should you opt to use the fiscal year or the calendar year on your business? Start dates should be days when all the account balances are made available for financial calculation. These, in layman’s terms, mean the point of beginning. Make sure that there are no transactions or reports that do come before the start date. A good start date is often the end of each month.

As the start date is set, all transactions that transpire from the start date until the present date should be entered. The accounts payable, accounts receivables, liabilities from credit cards, bank accounts and even revenue and expense accounts are now known as the current account balance for the company.

Also, fixed assets and other possible assets such as trademarks, patents or copyrights should also be considered. To be able to set up the balances for each of these aspects, it is crucial to know the beginning balances of each.

New businesses begin with zero balances but if your business has been going on for awhile and you want to improve on cost accounting, it is imperative to look up old records and to determine the start date (with the beginning balance already computed). When the beginning balances are all set, a chart of these accounts should be set up for easier access and management. There are now software programs on the market that take care of this (all that the accountant needs to do now is to enter amounts and do updates each time, often done monthly).

Reconciliation of all these amounts should not only be done by the company’s accountants but also from other external sources (which means that the company has to undergo auditing). The amounts from the company’s records should match the external sources computations. If they do not, then its time to find the errors and start correcting them. Look into all aspects the assets, liabilities, and the equity.

With all the balances set in place, the cost accounting system is ready to roll with just a little guidance. The entry of data and keeping track of all other financial reports will be easier with proper preparation. It may not be a breeze but it will definitely keep tax accountants a good, few miles away.
Audio/Video Equipment

Audio/Video Equipment

Picture this; everything is set up for the most important business presentation of your career, you have pepped yourself up all day for this moment, and you are ready to bask in your presentation success, when all of a sudden, the audio system fails in the middle of your punch line. This reality will make you realize that preparation should not only be focused on the speech itself or on your appearance but, more importantly, on the equipment that would aid the speaker in delivering his important message. All video and audio equipment should be properly set up well ahead of the scheduled presentation.

There are many ways to acquire audio and video equipment. One is to personally supervise the set up before they are to be used (the company may have its own equipment). The other option is to ask someone else (there are businesses that offer mobile equipment) to provide them and also to set them up.

If, for instance, the presentation is going to be done outside of the office in a different location, it is important to ask if the facility will be able to provide audio or video equipment. If they do, that is one less concern to worry about.

If the company is able to provide the needed audio and video equipment, it is very important to make sure that they are well set before the presentation. If you have enough knowledge of electronics, then you can check the wiring and all the other connections yourself so that disaster can be avoided. If your knowledge of electronics is Neanderthal, then it is important to ask the opinion of an expert to set up the equipment. Be available to supervise, along with that expert, to insure that the actual set up of the equipment is done properly and to meet your needs.

If the company needs to hire people to set up the equipment needed, there will be less work for everyone. Most of the businesses who offer audio and video equipment are experts and they should be able to go through the set up quickly.

Most of the companies who have audio and video equipment also do equipment sales and rentals. Equipment rentals are very reliable (just remember that the equipment in use has already been utilized) but if you require new equipment, then they could also offer to sell brand you new items.

For locations that have their own audio and video equipment (projectors, computer and speakers), make sure to coordinate with the manager all of your personal requirements for the presentation. It is always good to be open with what you want and what you don’t want.

And, make sure to point out that you don’t want any catastrophes to take place during this very important presentation or conference (it is always best to learn how to use the equipment before the big day). Most managers will cater to the customers conditions for as long as they are able to deliver.

After the set up, it is important to test the equipment and do a mock presentation (with just a few of your office buddies as your audience). Since most presentations are now done with PowerPoint, it is important to ascertain that the laptop battery is fully charged even if an electrical outlet will be used. There is always wisdom in preparing for the worst that could happen. Also, if a remote device will be used for the presentation slides, it is always good to check if the device works and that there are batteries for them (just in case).

Test everything; that is the most basic rule, and know how to use the equipment. For those with limited technical knowledge, make sure to obtain the contact number of the technical support person who will be able to help. Prevention is always better than cure. In this case, once the damage is done, there is no telling how to patch up the ruined reputation. And just a tip: stash a printed document of the presentation so that when an act of God (a.k.a. something that is uncalled for even after the preparations) occurs, the presentation can go on.

Creating Digital Products

The most common notion for business presentations and successful conferences is that it closes a sale or adds more accounts to an existing business. There is definitely truth in this notion but an entrepreneur should be able to look into all possible means of earning additional revenues for the company’s growth. A successful business need not concentrate only on the products or services that it currently offers. The creation of digital images or recordings could rake in more money for the eager earner.

Let us imagine Company X is into the business of selling computer products. The company, initially, should invest in making the number of clientele grow. They could do this by engaging into the proven methods of selling products such as giving out flyers or booklets, investing in advertisements (through media like television, newspaper, radio and even the Internet), or holding seminars or sessions which highlight the competent features of their products.

Once they gain a number of clients, the company should continue with the initial efforts to get more people to buy their products while, at the same time, taking care not to lose their existing customers. The creation of digital products is a very effective tool in keeping loyal customers faithful to what the company offers.

Now, what are the most common digital products nowadays? To name a few, software programs, ezines, or e-books are examples of digital products. Also, video and audio compact discs are popular digital products. The type of digital product sold depends greatly on what type of business the company is engaged in.

The idea here is to make the products easier and become more reachable having them available at your presentation. The Net has always been a powerful marketing tool. It reaches a number of people that is now comparable (if not even more powerful) to television or radio or newspaper ads.

To add another example, a photo imaging company could set up a website where more clients could easily purchase new products like digital frames and e-cards which are good ways to entice customers.

For instance, a physical publishing firm could also engage in business on the Internet. They could increase their customer base by featuring e-books (which could also be downloaded for a fee). An accounting firm, in addition to their usual accounting services, could easily sell cost accounting software for new businesses and also for existing businesses who are struggling with manual computations.

A highly successful fashion magazine could stay longer in the business if it also creates a website which would be more accessible to most people nowadays.

Again, having these items available for purchase at a seminar designated to their type of business can be very lucrative.

Another good idea in selling digital products is to have video or audio recordings of successful conferences from the past or seminars which were the keys of closing several sales and raking in revenues.

Most self-help and motivational speakers build a career on speaking about self-improvement, marketing themselves to their clients, and earning royalties from recordings of their past public sessions. More people would opt to just buy the video or listen to a CD of self-help sessions. Some people wouldn’t want to be caught dead falling in line to a seminar on How to Keep Your Marriage Afloat.

Information products (such as the self-help CDs) are the best examples of digital products that are highly patronized on the market. They even ensure more revenue than, for example, the seminar itself. And, yes, 90% of revenues are made up of backend sales or sales that occur after the initial marketing scheme.

In marketing additional digital products to enhance the current company products, a few basics need to be considered. Here are some of the basics of information product marketing:

1. A must-have is the company logo on all of the digital products. Make sure that the customers recognize who is offering the great products to them.

2. In addition to the digital company logo, it is also important to secure digital letterheads and templates of the company’s documents.

3. A PowerPoint presentation of the products and what they can do to better the clients lives.

To conclude, the lesson learned here is that it is not enough to bank on only one source of income. A good business owner seeks out opportunities and when they do present themselves, he should grab them and make the most out of them.

Preparation

A seminar, conference or meeting preparation is an ordinary part of office life. There are many ways to get ready for these events. But all the preparations would go to waste if the attendance is a failure. Building attendance at seminars or meetings should be backed up with the proven methods of promoting or advertising.

Here are some of the techniques that have been used to fill a conference room:

1. There should be ample time to promote the meeting or seminar. Six months is good enough for a small seminar while a minimum of nine months is advisable for a bigger conference. These months of preparation would include the selection of the best speaker, making contact with the potential market and advertising.

2. Make sure to assign the experienced staff in dealing with marketing and advertising efforts. Do not settle for those with limited knowledge.

3. Know your market, meaning, who will be your attendees? The contents of the conference depend mainly on who will listen to it.

4. Highlight the benefits that the attendees derive out of the seminar. Also, make the benefits feasible. Never make promises that the conference or seminar won’t be able to deliver.

5. Do not use any technical jargons on any of your media. Make sure to advertise in layman’s terms.

6. Whether the company will use snail mail, e-mail or both, it is always wise to notify those who will attend about 8-12 weeks in advance. Make sure to mail out enough invitations or leaflets to be able to hit the target number of attendees. Also, be sure to specify the start and end times for the seminar.

7. It is also wise to check for locations for the seminar well ahead of the scheduled date. If the date is a holiday, it is better to advertise and market months before the seminar date.

8. Capitalize on what is digitally available. Make use of photos and some graphic elements to liven up any marketing material (whether that would be leaflets, flyers, or booklets).

9. One other proven technique to market the seminar is to highlight the speakers credentials. What has he accomplished so far and how can he help those who will attend?

10. Take note of the prime market and ascertain that a second mailing will be done for them at about 4 weeks before the seminar. The prime market could include CEOs, personnel or training executives. These executives lead other people below them and once they are convinced of what the seminar would do for them, many others (their subordinates) are possible referrals.

11. Make use of the power of the media and send out press releases through television, radio and newspapers. Paying for a hefty sum in advertising could be a bit heavy on the pocket at first, but once a market is established, the revenues should be more than enough to cover the expenses.

12. It is always good to evaluate the critiques of attendees after the seminar. Ask questions or have them fill out a form that lets them express how they feel about the seminar.

13. Ensure the availability of coffee, tea or cold drinks for those who attend.

14. Make marketing calls and maximize the use of the company phones. Follow up on the possible market.

15. Also a good way to lure attendees is to offer any type of gift or bonus. People want freebies and any free sample from the seminar will make them feel good about attending

16. Also a good marketing strategy is giving discounts to those who come in groups.

17. If a catalog comes with a tear-off business reply card (which is postage paid), then there are better chances that the one who gets the card will attend.

These are only some of the proven practices in getting the word out that an important seminar is about to take place. Making the market want your product or service often begins with visual enticement. That is what most advertising firms have been busy doing, and they work, so jump on board.

Back-end Sales

We have discussed this briefly but now let’s take an in-depth look at the profit potential.

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. It is much cheaper to sell to existing clients since they already know what the company offers.

It is quite easy to entice 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. They can even bring referrals who can 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 exposures before the message sinks in to any new customer to make a decision. Once this 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 where the objective is to keep him interested. Once he becomes a regular, satisfied 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 remember the company by sending ads every now and then.

Back-end sales are 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 product is created, say a record album, the owner 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.

Wining and Dining

Do you serve food during a seminar? Giving your audience something to munch on is a good idea particularly if your seminar takes a while to complete. But how do you go about it and when should you offer a full luncheon? Here’s a guide on the wining and dining aspect of conducting seminars.

Providing food and drinks

If your seminar is short, say 2 to 3 hours, it’s a thoughtful gesture to provide something for your audience to drink like water, coffee, tea or fruit juice. Imagine if you were a seminar attendee yourself. Sitting there for a good 3 to 4 hours with your throat getting drier by the minute is not fun at all.

Generally, the shorter the seminar, the less likely you’ll be expected to serve food. However, if it’s a long one; say an event that will last for a full day, you better give something for your audience to eat and drink.

Now the next question is: what do you serve? Short seminars do fine with drinks (one serving or bottomless will depend on your budget) and something that’s easy and convenient to eat like open faced sandwiches, cookies and small pastries. Nothing messy or difficult to eat that may distract your audience.

Serving a luncheon seminar

Before you decide to offer a luncheon seminar, find out whether it’s advantageous to you. Most seminars you conduct, particularly when you’re just starting out, don’t really have to be served with a full lunch. A one-day seminar, for example, will do well with simple drinks and probably a sandwich at most.

However, for seminars that are considerably longer or are held at locations that are far from major city areas or those held at hotels, it’s often a good idea to serve lunch. Food and drinks may also be served as part of a demo or product promotion. If your seminar is about food processing, for example, you could offer your audience an actual taste.

Negotiating with caterers

Once you decide to include wining and dining, get in touch with a caterer. Caterers are more than willing to provide you with a set menu that you can choose from, which lets you decide on the food that will be served depending on your budget. Talk to at least three caterers to make sure you get the best deal.

Most caterers will offer you a menu with standard pricing, something that you generally cannot negotiate with if you have a fewer number of participants. Caterers will be using the same equipment and facilities whether you’ll have 50 attendees or 200. However, you could get a good discount if you have more seminar attendees.

Caterers will also take into account the location and venue. If you will be renting a hotel room and hiring a caterer, the hotel might be charging certain fees for bringing in a third party. The caterer will not be paying these charges; you will.

If your venue is a hotel, check with their own catering service. Most hotels will offer a discount for using their facilities. Or, they could go the other way around and offer you a free rental of the room if you order enough on the food and drinks. Hiring the hotel’s kitchen service is sometimes convenient and if you choose well, it could prove to be cheaper. Just make sure to consider this option when you do shop for caterers for your event.

Can your budget afford wining and dining?

When you decide to wine and dine your seminar participants, remember that the cost of the food and drinks will be carried over by your ticket prices. A $20 ticket, for example, can go up by as little as $15 to as much as $75 per person. As a result, you will be charging more — $35 to $95 per ticket. For high ticket events, that could go to several hundred dollars; depending of course on your reputation and popularity as a seminar speaker and on your subject.

Although robust ticket sales will mean you will be able to cover the extra expense, remember that when you do get food catered, you need to shell out money in advance. Caterers generally ask for a 15% to 30% deposit. Depending on the number of participants you expect, you could pay plenty. However, if you determine that offering a luncheon seminar is well worth the effort and the expense, it could be a good step for you.

How to Advertise

The Proper Way to Advertise a Seminar

Online seminars are very common these days. And a lot of experts have found their way doing business online and are currently sharing what they know about a certain concept, product, or program to everybody else that has internet connection. If you want to know what you have to do in order to advertise a paid or free seminar properly, here are good tips to follow:

1. Create a media kit.

Your media kit has to be created and presented in the most comprehensive form. Since this is going to be an online opportunity, it is best that you create your media kit in a web-based format so that other websites can easily upload it. However, you should not limit yourself to this format alone. You also have to create media kits in CD and DVD form, as these can be easily handed out to interested parties. When creating media kits on CD’s and DVD’s, make sure that you include a good background of the seminar, the speakers, and the seminar’s importance.

2. Send out invitations.

Other than the media kit, you also have to send out invitations to your prospects and to people who might be interested in your seminar. You can get a mailing list from companies that specialize in their acquisition. But that is not always the best way to get the addresses of interested people. It is still best that you use your own resources when getting these lists. For example, you can get the email and physical addresses of the members of an organization that you are a member of. Like the rotary club, the local architect’s club, or any other public groups you might belong to.

3. Call possible attendees.

The power of telemarketing is still potent these days. No other tool will allow you to reach your prospects in real time and talk to them personally than a telephone. Whenever you’re planning a seminar, consider hiring a firm that can do cold telephone calls to prospective attendees. But more than that, the people you’ll hire should be able to answer possible questions about the seminar. They should also take on the job of calling back and confirming their attendance, along with reminding them of the time and location of the seminar when it is near.

4. Make yourself available.

If you are the person who is going to hold the seminar and speak on it as well, it is best that you make yourself public. Make yourself available through chat rooms and forums. Use the tri-media whenever you can. You can also buy airtime in television or promote directly at radio shows. The more people know about you and the seminar you are holding, the more people will be interested in attending.

5. Create catchy posters and banners.

For offline promotion of a seminar, posters are still the best tools. Create posters of your seminar and include the face of your primary speaker. Be sure to use bold letters so people can read it from afar.

Put these posters in places where there is lots of foot traffic such as malls, market places, bus stops, theater houses, schools, and churches. Be sure to get the necessary permission before posting them though.

As for an online advertising strategy, you can use banners instead of posters. Make your banners look as professional as they should. Have them created by a graphics expert if your resources would allow you to. Be careful not to make your banner very disturbing to the eye of visitors. It has to be eye catching without getting people annoyed.

6. Use mobile messaging.

Mobile phones are becoming a potent advertising medium. Don’t ignore the presence of these gadgets because everybody owns a mobile phone nowadays. A simple text message informing people of your upcoming seminar is a good way to promote it. In some places, you might need to get a special access number in order to get this service.

These are the different ways to promote your seminar, be it online or offline, paid or free. To make your event successful, you need as many attendees as you can get. Seminar promotion could be a rather challenging task. It is important that you devote adequate time and effort to it.

Assembling a Crew

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 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 member. 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 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 will 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 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.

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