I’m happy to have Lori Kenndy, RHN as my guest. She shares her wisdom and experience on how to use free seminars and paid workshops to build your wellness business. Heeeeeeere’s Lori –
I’m often asked how to get more clients. In my Facebook groups we talk about how to get clients and the topic of free seminars versus paid workshops came up. The question asked was which route was better… free or paid?
My response was why not do both! One isn’t better than the other. The free seminars and paid workshops serve very different purposes in your business.
I built my group weight loss programs by offering free seminars. Each month I would host a free seminar on a topic related to weight loss that I knew my niche market was interested in.
- 5 Secrets To Fat Loss
- 10 Superfoods For Faster Fat Loss
- 7 Ways To Crush Your Cravings
- The Secret To Fast Weight Loss Without Deprivation
- Each month I would get about 10 – 20 people to come to my free seminar. I never wanted to charge because I pitched the attendees the group weight loss program at the end of the seminar. I do the same thing now in my free webinars.
The purpose of offering a free seminar is to attract as many prospects as possible. When you offer it for free there is no barrier to entry and no reason to say no to you. Hosting free seminars is the fastest way to get people to know you, know what your about so they feel comfortable investing in your services.
You are not duping the participants because you are pitching at the end. Remember that your attendees are there because they have a problem and are looking to you for answers to solve that problem. If they didn’t want your help they wouldn’t be attending your free seminar.
Whenever I host a free seminar or webinar I always give the agenda and let the attendees know that at the end I’m going to talk about my upcoming program and ways that we can work together. This way you set the stage for the sale at the very beginning so it doesn’t come out of left field.
How Much Content Do You Give In A Free Seminar?
The simple answer is to share your best material but only 1 or 2 tips. Confused? People are already overwhelmed as it is with nutrition and health info. It doesn’t serve you or your attendees to cram everything you know about digestion or metabolism into 45 minutes.
No one wants a science lesson or to be lectured at. The attendees are looking for tangible, practical action steps they can use to get instant results. They want to walk away with a nugget or two (not 10).
There is a strategy called Results In Advance (RIA). You want to give them the kind of content that will allow them to go home and get RIA before even starting your program.
What 1 or 2 tips can you teach that will give your attendees RIA?
For example, in the 5 Secrets To Fat Loss seminar I focus on breakfast, since I know that when people change their breakfast they get instant results. So I talk about macronutrient balance as a whole but then zero in on breakfast and give 2 specific breakfast meals for them to try at home.
By giving RIA tips you are also showing the attendees that you know what you’re talking about and can in fact get them results. This motivates them to want to work with you… they want the goods that only you have.
You need loads of fish in your pond and free seminars is a low barrier to entry method to attract a lot of ideal prospects that you can convert into paying clients.
So Then What’s A Workshop?
Of course you can also offer free workshops. The terminology you use doesn’t matter. It’s been easier for me to keep them separate. Workshops also sound like something you pay for whereas a seminar is more equated with a freebie offer.
In my opinion you offer a paid workshop when you are actually teaching a method or process without a pitch at the end. Now I’m sure some sales and marketing gurus will tell you that you can certainly pitch on a paid workshop.
Do what’s best for you and what you feel comfortable with!
Paid workshops are typically:
Longer than one hour
Include collateral material like a workbook, manual or handouts
Are more in depth and teach a method, process or system
Have costs associated to offer the workshop (other than space rental)
For example, cooking classes are usually paid workshops. This is because there are costs associated to run the class.
Some examples of workshops might include:
Fermenting For Beginners – you provide the tools required to ferment
Gluten Free Baking – people actually bake
Meal Planning For Families – you provide recipes and create meal plans together
As you can see one is not better or worse than the other. Free seminars and paid workshops can both be offered within your business. The only thing to consider is allowing for enough promotional time between the two. You don’t want to get stuck in a situation where you are promoting both at the same time!
Lori Kennedy is hosting a FANTASTIC FREE Training Series teaching holistic health practitioners the exact steps to take to start-up and grow your holistic health business.
You can get Lori’s FREE Training Series HERE for a very limited time.
P.S. Be sure to grab my FREE guide with 5 Business Boosting Tips for a Successful Workshop/Webinar HERE
