Fill the Seats – Courtesy of Pixabay

I suggest you begin with a one-day seminar and eventually work your way up to a three-day retreat, conference, summit or workshop once your list and following grows. One of the hardest things to do in the event business is to fill seats. And not only fill the seats, but put the right people in those seats. Hosting your own event is one of the best ways to make a name for yourself in the expert business. When you host your own event, you take on all the risk, but you also get to keep all the rewards that go along with it. This also means keeping ALL of your own sales!

Hosting your own events is like prospecting on steroids. You don’t have to sell yourself, because you are the main attraction! People come to your events to hear your expertise. You’ve already built trust with your audience and prospects before you take the stage—even if that stage is in front of 15 people in the basement of a cheap hotel (you’ve got to start somewhere).

Be prepared before you leap

Typically your sales will be much higher at your own events because the audience is showing up to hear YOU. But I don’t suggest you launch your event business until you have been trained by another expert who has already created the same success that you desire. Selling from the stage is another skill set you must acquire before taking the leap into the event business. Don’t jump in blindly. The skill of running your own successful events and selling from stage will both dramatically cut your learning curve and increase your sales fast, and there is definitely a formula for doing it the right way. Being invested in this knowledge in advance will instantly improve your opportunities for big money events.

With these skills in place, you can typically plan to close a good percentage of the room. Of course this depends on who’s in your audience and what your offer is. So let’s say you have the right audience—great potential buyers who are hungry for your expertise. Your offer is the perfect fit to help them overcome obstacles, relieve their pain and solve their problems. Your offer is the answer they have been looking for. If your audience and your offer are right, you are going to sell.

Know the What, Why, Who and How of your event

What is your why?
You must know why you want to host your own event and what type of end results you would like to achieve before you get started. Of course, money is always the main driving factor for a highly paid expert. But what else drives you to succeed? Knowing what personally drives you to action also is what will keep you going when the going gets tough.

What makes your event unique?
Know how you plan to stand out from other experts and other events in your niche market. Clearly define what type of training and experience you will create and design an event that will make attendees talk about you and your events for years to come. Your stage, music, guest speakers—all the highlights of your event—will create a unique experience. Make a difference by making memories your guests can take with them for a lifetime.

Who is your ideal target market?
Knowing who to target and how to market to them is critical to getting the right people at your events. Every word of your marketing and every video must connect and relate to this market. Get into the minds and the hearts of your prospects even before they show up.

How will you connect your Why with your What and your Who?
When putting on an event where you are selling a program, you must keep your closing offer in mind before you develop your training. You must understand how your training will best showcase your expertise in a way that makes prospects take action on the spot. Remember that your main goal is to SELL!