Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Would You Attend This Seminar?

Posted by Anonymous on 8/16/2006 at 2:56 AM ET 100 Points
Client is a newbie marketing coach/consultant affiliated to our firm who intends to run a presentation-type seminar directed at small business owners within our regional area. The consultant is not widely known here, but does have impeccable credentials.

Attendees will respond to promotion & advertising, register and pay a nominal fee. Duration is 1.5 hrs. Format is educational, fronting for the sales pitch of services. (Stress here that attendees will learn some useful stuff and they're not trying to disguise the services on offer.) Venue is a pleasant corporate meeting room with refreshments provided.

Seminar Title: Beyond Benefits – How to Build a Simple, Effective and Affordable Marketing System for Your Small Business.

Questions: 1. Would you and your clients respond to this title? 2. In your experience, is there a "best" time of day and day of the week that appeals to busy business owners? Breakfast, afternoon, evening? 3. Is $45 about right for the fee, given that light buffet refreshments are provided?

Interested in your observations.

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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Don Meyer on 8/16/2006 at 10:35 AM Member
    Steve,

    ITA with mbarber -- if it's a sales pitch, it should be free.

    WITHOUT THE PITCH, the topic based on the title (tho' I suggest removing the words "Simple" and "Effective"), sounds meaningful, practical and beneficial. I think it is under priced at $45 and sounds cheap. Try $99 -- even small businesses can afford that. Do 90 minutes of real instruction, followed by the sales pitch over refreshments/light meal/cocktail hour. I would think small business owners are available in the evening or early morning (like when chamber of commerces meet).

    Hope this helps.
    Chook

  • Posted by NovaHammer on 8/17/2006 at 12:07 AM Member
    Match fee with a credit for future contract?

    $45 now gets your money back later when you work with us in future.

    If they don't come back it cost you nothing, if they sign up in next 12 months you both win i guess and it has become a free lunch/b'fast for them and they are your meal ticket later in a way. :) with a larger deal hopefully.

    GL
  • Posted on 8/18/2006 at 4:48 PM Accepted
    There's alot of good advice and information in these posts. But it seems like one key point has been forgotten: you're aiming at small business owners. In my personal experiences (being a child of one, employee of one and relative to many), they don't have the time to waste at a 1.5 hour session that will ultimately end up as a sales pitch to hire this guy. One of the suggestions on here was to partner up with the chamber of commerce meetings, IMO that's the most effective thing to do because the owners are already committed to being out and away from their businesses and willing to listen because they expect speakers at those types of meetings.
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