How to sell trainings and seminars. Coaches and coaches: How to sell your services

23.06.2016

Hello our dear readers! Today we have not only a relevant, but also a very interesting topic. In modern realities, we are increasingly faced with the need to sell something that cannot be seen in physical embodiment or touched. For example, here's how to sell training if you don't know what it is and have a very vague idea of its actual value.

Despite the skepticism of people discouraged by the economic situation, the fashion for training remains unchanged. Moreover, for some, this way of getting information has become a habit or a way of life. No one argues with the fact that some trainings are of no interest at all and are an elementary collection of money for information that no one needs. We also know about the activities of the so-called business coaches, who lure the gullible public to events during which they promise to form the mindset of a millionaire. We remember the most striking trainings of the last decade, which were successfully conducted by the American "professor" of all kinds of sciences, Robert Fletcher, until his arrest. Actually, not only articles and dissertations, but also entire books have been written about the whole variety of trainings. Naturally, against the backdrop of all this negativity, it is quite difficult to sell even the best and most useful training.

The exception is perhaps the trainings that are held for narrow specialists. They tend to sell their trainings to large enterprises with which they build long-term relationships. So, for example, specialists from all over the world come to the trainings conducted by the largest corporations. The program of the event includes round tables, thematic excursions and the possibility of individual lessons. It is clear that we will not sell such trainings. At least here and today. But you will learn how to sell ordinary trainings in our next section.

Wrap me up an opportunity

In order to understand how to sell training, you need to understand what goals the client to whom you are going to make an offer pursues. Most likely, the person who is looking for training intends to implement one or more of the following tasks:

Trust our experience – this list can go on for quite some time. Before you tell yourself and your employer that training is very difficult to sell, if not impossible, you should carefully read the list again and look around you - in fact, every second person can be your client. It should be made clear to a person who has not yet shown interest that at this training he will definitely get what he needs. At the same time, you are not deceiving anyone and you are not doing anything wrong. The main thing is to understand the format of the training and its topic, understand what a trainer is, and then determine the approximate target audience with which you will work.

The vast majority of modern people, no matter what, understand that attending trainings is very important. Even if you didn’t like the event and everything that was said there can be easily found on Google, you still got a lot of useful skills, the value of which you don’t realize yet:

Sharpened communication skills.
Got new contacts.
They announced themselves.

Believe me, sometimes attending a training gives the most unexpected results. For example, we know cases when previously unclaimed specialists received offers from non-resident employers whom they met at a business event.

Buy result

Schemes for selling trainings are as diverse as the trainings themselves. But the most effective sales are just those that are carried out without any schemes. You should not sell training as such. No one needs to buy hours of sitting in the hall or "ganya" in nature. Please note that the buyer receives a ticket, which he will exchange for a tool, with which he will then receive the desired result. That is why you should not repeat the most common mistake of training sellers and offer to buy "a story about how best to do this or that." Believe me, if you are simply sent home culturally, it will be a great success! A person does not want to buy training, he wants to buy a result or, to put it simply, a solution to his problem. If even simpler, then he wants to get a pill, after taking which the problem will resolve.

Never focus a person's attention on any one advantage of training. Even if everything is obvious and spelled out in the title itself, still expand the list and leave a few lines for fantasy. For example, when selling training for bodyguards, you should not focus on the fact that they will get acquainted with new changes in legislation, master unique hand-to-hand combat techniques and get the opportunity to shoot at targets with sniper weapons. It's all accessible to everyone. For the first one, there is the Internet, for the second one, a gym and hand-to-hand luminary systems, and for the third, as a rule, a shooting range is used if necessary.

Complete the list with features that will really interest the bodyguard. For example:

The leaders of the country's largest PSCs are participating in the training.
Non-contact will be demonstrated and enrollment will be made to the school run by Kadochnikov's student.
The graduates of the school of bodyguards for women will demonstrate their skills.

These opportunities are likely to interest both beginners and professionals, and you can easily sell trainings and fill the base for the next sales.

Almost the main point in the question of how to sell training , is administration. Do not be lazy to accompany not only the sale, but also the post-sale process. Yes, the money has already reached the organizer's account and you have formally completed your work. But don't stop:

Call and ask clarifying questions.
Conduct additional surveys regarding questions that interest the participant.
Give advice on equipment.
Report promotions and new opportunities.
Be interested in results. Show genuine interest in your wishes for the following activities.
Offer to post a review of the training on certain resources.
Invite to groups in social networks.
Remember that most participants attend trainings in the hope of meeting their like-minded people, people with the same problems and those who have already successfully solved these problems.
Report similar events and news.

Instead of parting words

Do not despair if the first attempts to sell the training did not have the desired result. Continue to post information on all resources available to you. Communicate with each person, avoiding clichés and slogans. Believe me, most of your potential clients are people who are interested, ready to give their own algorithm on how to sell training. Be extremely honest with them and with yourself and you will succeed. And we say goodbye to you and promise to invite you to the training, which we are going to visit ourselves. Follow our publications and do not forget to tell your friends about us.

Sincerely, Ivan Balashov!

Most sales managers sooner or later face the problem of developing various professional skills. Moreover, this problem arises, both for novice managers and for experienced ones. To solve these problems, various trainings for sales managers.

How to conduct sales trainings, in the field and for the benefit of managers? For those who do not have the opportunity to attend a full sales training, we offer a selection of exercises to develop sales skills. Your sales managers will have the opportunity to work on existing ones or gain new skills needed in sales to their arsenal.

We'll take a look at the exercises:

First impression
Samurai Salesman
objection chair
Danetki
White and black angel
Difficult interlocutor
Listen more, talk less
Elementary actions

1. First impression

Sales managers do not pay enough attention to the first impression, focusing on the essence of the sale.

This sales training exercise will help develop the skill of establishing a first contact with a buyer and pumping actions aimed at making a positive first impression. But do we pay enough attention to our ability to form a first pleasant impression of ourselves?

Duration - 30-45 minutes, the number of participating sales managers from 6 to 14 people. In advance, you need to prepare sheets on which the text of the task will be printed according to the number of group members + 2.

Fulfillment: the leader (it can be the head of the sales department) reads out the task to the participants and they complete the task written on the sheets for 5-7 minutes. The task written on the sheet: in most cases, the first pleasant impression affects the positive outcome of the transaction. You need to list the ways in which a sales manager can leave a positive first impression of himself.

After that, the managers get together in mini-groups (3-4 people) and discuss what they have prepared individually, bringing all the information into one group presentation. Each mini-group presents their work, and the trainer sums up all the performances. After that, the group needs to be combined into two teams, one - sales managers, the other - customers and work out the acquaintance, using all of the above methods of making a positive first impression.

2. Samurai Salesman

This exercise in sales training builds the skills of effective interaction with the buyer. In addition, it provides an opportunity to develop creative abilities.

Duration - not limited, the number of participating sales managers - 12-16 people.

From the group of participating sales managers, 3-4 people are selected. They will play the role of samurai sellers, the rest will be ordinary buyers.

Samurai salesmen are given the following instruction: “You are undergoing special training for samurai. Now you are practicing a very important skill - to look at the person who is next to you, as if at a distant mountain, that is, to observe complete equanimity in communicating with him. This is exactly what you need to demonstrate when communicating with the buyer, at the same time, answering all his questions.

The remaining sales managers are "Buyers". They are given the following instructions: “You will play the role of ordinary buyers, ask the price, find out about the product that you want to buy as much as possible. During communication with the seller, your main task is to understand what feelings you experience during a conversation with him.

After the sales training exercise, a discussion should be held on what techniques and questions helped to interact with the buyer most successfully.

3. Chair objections

This exercise in sales training will help experienced managers improve the skill of working with objections, and young professionals will get additional practical training in working with them.

One manager is selected who will work with objections. He sits on a chair in the center. The rest of the participants in the training exercise stand around him and begin to object in turn: “I need to think”, “I'm busy now”, “It's expensive”, etc. The person sitting in the chair should work through each objection with minimal thought on the answer.

He has two restrictions: he cannot say the word "no" and argue with the "client".

4. Danetki

A relatively new sales training exercise that helps you hone the skill of asking all kinds of questions, which is a very important skill at the stage of identifying customer needs. The group members are given a danetka - a riddle, often with an unexpected ending, for which only closed questions are allowed to be solved.

Duration - not limited, the number of participating sales managers - any, but optimally - 6 - 10.

Example: a bright flash - and the person is dead ... The first time no one manages to come up with the correct answer: it was a lion trainer in a circus. While performing his signature act, putting his head into the open mouth of a lion, one of the spectators in the front row decided to take a picture, the lion got scared of the flash and closed his mouth, biting the tamer's neck.

Group members can only ask questions, at first only closed ones (those that can only be answered with yes or no). By asking questions, participants must come to a guess. After that, you should remind the group members of the theory of the funnel of questions (open, closed, alternative) and give them one more thing, this time allowing them to use all types of questions.

5. White and black angel

A great objection-handling exercise that helps you see how the buyer decides to go with the deal.

Duration - not limited, the number of participating sales managers - any, but optimally - 6 - 10.

Three participants are needed, they can be changed during the game subsequent times. In the middle is a participant-client, to the right of him is a white angel, he argues in favor of the transaction, and the black angel opposes it. The client does not say anything, only listens to the arguments of both angels, if the argument convinced him, he takes a step forward, if not, he remains in place.

When discussing, it is necessary to emphasize which arguments were the most significant, how it was possible to work out the objections of the black angel. The game in the sales training is played several times so that each of the participants has been in the role of a white angel.

6. Difficult interlocutor

This training exercise will be useful for those sales managers who often negotiate with a client by phone.

Duration - 40 - 45 minutes, number of participating sales managers - 8 - 10.

First, each manager writes down on a piece of paper which client is the most difficult sale for them, you can write opinions on the board. After that, two chairs are placed in the center of the room with their backs one to one, this will help simulate the situation of a telephone conversation. One of the managers plays the role of a difficult client, the one who voiced the problem client will do it most effectively, and the second sales manager must determine the type of client and find an approach to him and sell, having worked out objections. If the dialogue reaches a dead end, then the coach needs to change the participant.

After the work of each pair, it is necessary to have a discussion: how difficult it was to talk with such a client, what was the most difficult, how they acted in such cases, and what they really wanted to do, what guidelines they chose for themselves when building communication with such a client.

7. Listen more, talk less

This sales training exercise will help you develop active listening skills and identify customer needs.

Duration - 30 - 40 minutes, the number of participating sales managers - any multiple of 3.

For each triple you need a chess clock or a clock with a second hand. The conversation is led by 2 sales managers participating in a training exercise. They just talk to each other. But, during the conversation, they should find out, for example, plans for the coming weekend. The third participant will act as a second. He should note the time when the interlocutor finished the phrase. The ideal ratio of listening to speaking should be 70:30.

During the exercise, managers should reinforce that the conversation is controlled by the one who uses active listening techniques and speaks half as much as he listens. The conversation lasts 3 minutes, then the participants change roles clockwise. When all participants have completed all the roles, a discussion is held: what active listening skills were used, what questions should have been asked in order to get extensive answers, with the help of which it was possible to talk to the interlocutor.

8. Elementary actions

A common problem for sales managers is that, having memorized their script, they turn into “autoresponder robots” mindlessly repeating the text. This exercise in sales training will help managers work out the emotional richness of speech.

Duration - 15 - 25 minutes, the number of participating sales managers - from 6 to 14.

In advance, you need to prepare sheets with the described emotions: superiority, sycophancy, resentment, anger, joy, etc. The coach explains that the algorithms of actions in sales are always the same, and in order for them to always work as efficiently as possible, you need to remember their humanity. After that, he suggests recalling the stages of greeting and invites each member of the group to enter the training room and introduce himself in the way indicated on his sheet. All participants analyze their intonations and introduce themselves in turn, demonstrating the specified emotion.

After each greeting, managers must guess the emotion and intonation with which the presentation was said. There is then a discussion about whether the task was difficult to complete and how the members of the sales team felt doing it. It is better if all performances are filmed on a video camera, this will help to conduct a more detailed analysis.

Conclusion

As you can see, most of the exercises for practicing various skills completely simulate the situation of communication with a client or the stages of sales. Introductory situations can be changed, bringing them as close as possible to the features of the product or to the conditions in which the transaction is made. For greater effectiveness, an experienced sales manager should act as a leader or trainer so that he can give practical advice in situations that come to a standstill. Young professionals should also be reminded to develop each skill in turn, and not all together, so they will achieve the best result.

The sale consists of many elements that are connected at one point. Connecting all the elements takes time and painstaking work. You have to start somewhere.

Today we will talk about a test task that I give to my clients before starting coaching. This task needs to be “stupidly done” and describe the results. I recommend that you keep your records carefully, they will still be useful to you. Read on to find out how easy it is to complete these tasks. Clients come with different skill levels, with different work experience, so I conditionally divided the tasks into 3 groups.

1. The frog is those of you who are not yet consulting for money. To conduct a consultation for free - please, but to take money is inconvenient. If you recognize yourself, then I suggest you complete the task:

Within 2 weeks you need to conduct 10 consultations and receive 100 rubles from the client as a fee. Yes, only 100 rubles. This cuts off freeloaders at the entrance and you get the skill to talk about your fee. If you are ready to receive a larger amount, wager a larger amount.

It is important to make explanatory notes for these consultations: what did you succeed, what did you get stuck on, what kind of resistance did the client cope with, what were the difficulties. What feelings did you experience when they called the amount of the fee and when they took the money. As a result, you should have research experience of at least 10 consultations.

Your acquaintances, neighbors, work colleagues or friends from social networks can be clients (Skype has not been canceled).

2. Average - these are those of you who advise "for 3 kopecks" per hour. For various reasons, you do not dare to raise the cost of your services and continue to work hard to earn something. You run after clients, are ready to work at an inconvenient time for you, just to earn money.

The task for you is simple: raise the cost of your services by 1.5 times and conduct 10 consultations at the new price.

You also need to make notes on the results of this work: what was the most difficult thing when you first called the increased cost of your services, how your feelings for 3, 5 and 10 clients have changed. What customer objections did you handle easily and what did you struggle with?

3. Advanced users - you are specialists with experience, your qualifications are high, and the income leaves much to be desired. I suggest you do the following:

Psychologists tend to sell their time. Both the client and you do not know how much you will earn today - 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours.

I suggest that you get this experience of interacting with a client: You name the amount of your fee for a consultation, and then specify how long you will work. Example:
“My consultation costs 3,000 rubles, we will work with you within 1.5 hours” Thus, you have the clarity that you will earn 3,000 rubles for your service, spending 40 minutes, 60 minutes, 1.5 hours - how will go. For the client, this is also clarity and certainty.

I suggest that you make notes of observations of your feelings when you use this method of work, plus the reaction of the client is important - are there any objections, what are they.

So you've made the decision to do one of these tasks. Most likely, you start to come up with explanations for customers why you act the way you do today. This increases your anxiety and includes self-sabotage, which can manifest itself in any way: you procrastinate "for later", resent and say that this is "complete bullshit", you do not complete the task at all.

And now the promised relief to your suffering. The brain has such a property: when we talk about things that are obvious to ourselves, we calm down and relax. "Tell the truth - you will feel better." Therefore, do not invent anything, tell the truth to the client. You can say that you are now doing a coaching task, getting a new experience - it's true! Since you are reading this post, it means that the topic of selling your services is relevant to you and you can become a participant in this training by completing the proposed tasks and gaining new experience. When customers hear that you are in training and doing something new for yourself, they begin to support you. They provide a lot of valuable and useful information for you. Listen, write, clarify, ask again. At the moment, the client gives you value and also pays you for the consultation.

Read also:

If you are a sales manager, you probably want to sell more at the moment. Did we guess? Trainings, seminars, master classes are, of course, good. But without independent work, it is almost impossible to achieve high results. That is why we publish a selection of exercises that you can perform on your own or with colleagues. Learn, recharge and increase your sales!

1. Self-presentation

Each of the 30 cards depicts a certain posture or gesture of the client. Gestures and postures mean a positive mood or a negative attitude towards something, each of the cards shows the client's reaction to your words or actions. You just take a card from the deck and guess what this or that gesture means. Then turn over the card and check yourself and your guesses.

You can train non-verbal communication skills both independently and in a team with colleagues. If you play in a team, then each of the players in turn takes a card from the deck, guesses what kind of reaction is depicted on it, and if it turns out to be right, he keeps the card for himself. The winner is the one who guesses as many gestures or poses of the client as possible.

5. Property-benefit

If you work in sales, you probably know that the essence of the “Feature-Benefit” technique is to consistently translate the features and characteristics of a product into clear benefits for the client (for example, “lithium polymer battery” is a property of a product; the benefit that brings this property is the long operation of the phone without recharging). Using this technique during the presentation, after describing any feature of the product, we include connecting phrases in the conversation that help move on to describing the benefits. Examples of phrases: “it will allow you…”, “it will give you the opportunity…”, “thanks to this…”.

Now master this technique. Divide a sheet of paper vertically into 2 columns. On the left write down all the features of the product or service that you offer to the client, and on the right - all the benefits that can be derived from each feature. Next to each feature, write down at least one benefit, and the more benefit you find from each feature, the better.

6. Apologies, denials and requests

This simple warm-up will help you improve your skills in dealing with customer objections, learn how to properly respond and respond to apologies, refusals and requests from customers.

An apology should always be short and polite:
- Sorry! Sorry!

Take responsibility for your next steps.
- I'll write down the information...

Report your next steps:
- I'll find out everything and let you know in 10 minutes.

Start the request with a benefit for the interlocutor.
- To quickly...

State the essence of the proposal.
- I need…

Ask a question about consent.
- Do you agree?

When refusing, offer alternative options.
- Unfortunately, this is not possible, but I can offer you ...

Give up hope, show that you are ready to do your best.
- I will do my best to...

Now, using the information described above, try to competently respond to these objections, refusals, or requests from customers.

The client tells you: You don't know how to communicate with clients. What is your reaction?
The client says to you: Why are you talking to me so rudely? What is your reaction?
The client tells you: You absolutely do not know how to serve. What is your reaction?
The client tells you: You don't have anything good at all. What is your reaction?
The client tells you: There are always some problems in your company. What is your reaction?
The client tells you: You can never be relied upon. What is your reaction?
The client tells you: You have absolutely nothing to take. What is your reaction?
The client tells you: You do not know your range well. What is your reaction?
You serve a customer, another one contacts you. What do you say?
The buyer says to you: You stepped on my foot. What is your reaction?
The client bought a low-quality product, brought it to your store. The client is outraged. What will you tell him?
A customer called your store and asked if they had "70 nails" in stock. He was told that there is. When he came for them, it turned out that they had already been sold out. The client is outraged. What will you tell him?

7. Dealing with objections

Any sales manager should be able to correctly respond to objections and at the same time give such arguments, after which it would be very difficult for the client to refuse to buy.

You can work out answers to objections in the process of playing cards " Working with objections». It is best to play in a team, but you can also play on your own: you simply take one card from the deck and say out loud your reaction to the objection described in it.

8. Agree

How to handle customer objection?

It is important to exclude from your speech or minimize the use of words: “no”, “not”, “but”, “cannot”, “cannot”.
Let the client speak.
To accept a client's objection, it is not necessary to agree with the objection itself. You can agree with some part of the statement, and then process the objection. For example: “Yes, our prices are higher than the average market, and at the same time…”; "I agree, there is such an opinion ...".
Use attachment phrases: “I understand you ...”, “I often hear about this, and there is some truth in this ...”, “It’s good that you mentioned it ...”, “Thank you for reminding me of this ... ".

Now try to find a way to correctly and profitably agree with these statements, imagining that such a situation happened during the sale.

Russia is the worst country in the world.
Your store sells complete rubbish.
You don't understand any of this.
I don't like you.
These are the worst tires I have ever seen in my life.
You don't have what I need.
You are the worst salesperson I know.
You are offering the wrong product.
I do not believe that this is a reliable and effective remedy.
We don't need anything.
We already have suppliers.
Russian is always worse than imported.
I never take Chinese.
We recently had a purchase.
I've heard bad things about you.
I'm not sure what you are saying is true.

9. How do you deal with conflict?

At the presentation stage, customers have objections, and if you react incorrectly, then a conflict arises. This test will help you identify your behavioral strategy in conflict and understand how constructive it is and how it can be improved.

From this test, you will learn about 5 types of behavior:

Type I. "Turtle" (avoidance)- the strategy of leaving under the shell, i.e. refusal both to achieve personal goals and to participate in relationships with others.

Type II. "Shark" (competition)- power strategy: goals are very important, relationships are not. It doesn’t matter to such people whether they are loved, they believe that conflicts are resolved by winning one of the parties and losing the other.

Type III. "Bear cub" (adaptation)- a strategy for smoothing sharp corners: relationships are important, there is no goal. Such people want to be accepted and loved, for which they sacrifice their goals.

Type IV. "A fox"- (compromise strategy: a moderate attitude towards both goals and relationships). Such people are willing to give up some goals in order to save the relationship.

Type V. "Owl"- a strategy of open and honest confrontation and cooperation. Representatives of this type value both goals and relationships. They openly define positions and look for a way out in joint work to achieve goals, strive to find solutions that satisfy everyone.

Your task- carefully read proverbs and aphorisms and determine on a five-point scale to what extent each of them is typical for your behavior in a conflict. 1 - not typical at all, 2 - rarely, 3 - sometimes, 4 - often, 5 - very typical.

A bad peace is better than a good quarrel.
If you can't make someone else think the way you want, make him do the way you think.
Softly spread, but hard to sleep.
The hand washes the hand.
Mind is good, but two is better.
Of the two debaters, the one who is the first to shut up is smarter.
Who is stronger, he is “more to the right”.
If you don't put it on, you won't go.
From a black sheep - at least a tuft of wool.
The truth is what the wise know, not what everyone talks about.
Whoever strikes and runs away will be able to fight the next day.
The word "victory" is clearly written only on the backs of the enemies.
Kill your enemies with kindness.
A fair deal will not cause a quarrel.
No one has a complete answer, but everyone has something to add.
Stay away from people who disagree with you.
The battle is won by those who believe in victory.
A kind word does not require costs, but is highly valued.
You - to me, I - to you.
Only those who give up their monopoly on truth can benefit from the truths held by others.
Who argues - not worth a penny.
Who does not retreat, he puts to flight.
An affectionate calf sucks two queens, and a stubborn calf sucks none.
Who gives - makes friends.
Bring your worries to the light and take counsel with others.
The best way to resolve conflicts is to avoid them.
Seven times measure cut once.
Meekness triumphs over anger.
Better a titmouse in the hands than a crane in the clouds.
Sincerity, honesty and trust move mountains.
There is nothing in the world that deserves an argument.
There are only two kinds of people in this world: winners and losers.
If a stone is thrown at you, throw a piece of cotton in response.
Mutual concessions solve things perfectly.
Dig and dig tirelessly - you will get to the bottom of the truth.

In this article, I want to talk about what should be done to attract participants to your seminar. These methods are applicable no matter what the topic of your seminar is, whether it is marketing, management, photography, computer courses or lessons on author's knitting of napkins. I will share my practical experience and knowledge.

The mistake of many companies, and just trainers. is the confidence that clients will come to the seminar themselves, it is worth placing a description (in a couple of lines) in a popular catalog, calling friends or just hanging ads on a couple of nearby poles. By themselves, these actions can lead to a positive result, but I personally hardly believe in the possibility of completing the group completely. As in any business, the main thing here is consistency and a clear plan.

First of all, you need to decide on the direction. The truth is that people are more likely to go for the training they really need. From experience, I can say that it is easiest to sell advanced training courses (seminars) in Chelyabinsk (especially for economists and accountants), it is more difficult to sell seminars aimed at developing specific skills, and personal growth seminars are very difficult to implement. However, in the most demanded areas, competition from coaches is also high. I think that the rule that is typical for the sale of any product applies here - the originals are lucky ... Sometimes.

The next important step is the name and program.

As you call the ship, so it will sail ... For comparison, I will give the names of the trainings, and you yourself choose the ones you would like to go to (* real names): how to win without cutting prices, Retail sales and quality customer service, How to keep a customer in a crisis, Principles of successful sales, Field sales: survival of the fittest, Active sales.

So the name should:

1. Reflect the essence of the training
2. Be concise and memorable
3. Be understandable to the target audience

Next, you need to pay attention to the description of your seminar. It is very important. We are talking about the description that will be in advertisements (on the site, for example). A very gross mistake is the presence in the advertisement of the seminar only of its title. This is bad. Of course, people will see its main theme, but for many, this is not enough. In a brief description, it is better to forget about listing all the topics and issues that will be discussed at the seminar - for this there is a detailed program that already interested persons can familiarize themselves with. Better to focus on how this workshop can help. For example, if the topic is sales training, then you can specify how much sales will increase.

Posting reviews is a very good form. Especially if they are given by well-known people in the industry. In no case should you come up with reviews from non-existent persons! Remember the world is small, especially the world of the regional center. In extreme cases, you can contact your friends or acquaintances. Before posting, it is best to contact the person who gave this review. For example, the owner of a large business may not want to advertise his attendance at a seminar on "tax optimization" and so on.

So, we decided on the target audience, topic, made a short (for advertising) and detailed description - the main thing is not to get carried away (for interested parties). It is also good to think over the existing ways of paying for the seminar, the possibility of a refund, if after payment for some reason the listener could not come. A good PR move (albeit somewhat risky) is a phrase like: "If you don't like it, we'll refund your money." An important factor is an indication that after completing the course, the student will receive a certificate. This is especially important for those lucky ones who can be paid for by the employer. And finally, we move on to the most important stage - promotion.

Here the law of return of energy operates. The more active you are in promoting the product, the more people will know about your seminar and want to attend it. You don't have to stop at just one. The more channels the better. It is worth starting from the habitat of the target audience. These can be offices, interest clubs, specialized publications, etc.

I will try to give methods of promotion known to me.

1. Placement of information on the Internet (traditional). Today it is essential.

1.1. First of all, the information needs to be posted on your own website. However, it is worth remembering that the website traffic of a single company is usually not high, and people go there in order to get more detailed information.

1.4 Newsletter. Often deleted as spam. Sometimes it is not visible. But it is the most massive and acts on the subconscious. In addition, people are pleased when they are remembered. It is best if the letter contains the subject and the name of the mailbox owner. For example: “For Ekaterina Pakhomova. Invitation to a seminar on socionics. So at least it will be read. The database of boxes (the most valuable thing a manager has) is formed by clients. You can also turn to professional spammers (see offers in your inbox).

2. Placing on the Internet (original) - the main creativity Perhaps the format of this picture is not supported by the browser.

2.1 Creation of training groups in social networks (vkontakte.ru, odnoklassniki.ru). Personally, I constantly receive offers to join some such group. In most cases, of course, I delete it as spam, but some even make me want to go. The event is not expensive, and it seems to me very effective. It is characteristic that initially you can choose people who may be interested in this (see groups, interests, etc.).

2.2 Placement of information in job advertisements. I don’t know who invented it first and who owns the copyright, but today many Chelyabinsk companies “sin” with this. For example, courses are held for secretaries - you need a vacancy announcement indicating "details on the site." And so the secretary (albeit still unemployed) comes to the site and sees an announcement about courses. Clear work on the target audience. The main thing: fast and free.

2.3 Comments on the forums. You need to calculate those that will be read by the target audience. They can be located on specialized portals (for example, zavedi.ru - for motorists or cheltren.ru - for personnel managers, etc.)

3. Posting ads - distribution of leaflets. I suggest that you first think about the appropriateness and places of distribution. For example, training for top managers (about 20,000 rubles in two days) in a trolleybus will look ridiculous. Yes, I feel sorry for the birches.

4. Newspapers and magazines - as many as possible, and preferably free.

5. Streamers, banners. Effective, especially if the courses are held continuously. True, it's expensive. And you need to do it in advance ... Probably two (or even three) months before the event.

6. Calls!!! We can say that all the previous stages were preparatory. Potential customers have already seen your ads, perhaps it was even deposited in their subconscious, perhaps they are even thinking: “go ... don’t go ... or maybe go all the same .... maybe stay with your family, etc.”, but more often the decision is made during the conversation. So be sure to call! Call old clients! Call for directories! 25 calls per day. Oh, better, more! Correct speech, a clear statement of purpose, a positive attitude, a straight back! You can go to a special seminar, by the way.

The final stage. All promotional activities are done. Members have been recruited. Seminar held. Now you need to make a regular client from a simple listener. All seminar participants must fill out a short questionnaire in which they should indicate their last name, first name, place of work, position and professional interests, phone number, as well as email address and a short review. The questionnaire should not be very large, otherwise the participants will refuse to fill out. There must be a clause about the person's consent to receive information about new seminars by e-mail. Now you will have the opportunity to contact each participant in order to make him the most suitable offers in the future.

The main guarantee of the sale of any training is the correct positioning. And the training itself, and the company, and the presenter. In most cases, especially when it comes to elite seminars, people do not even go to the seminar itself, but to the trainer! Therefore, it is necessary to make every effort so that the name and surname of the coach are what is called "on hearing". Writing a book, articles, participating in various conferences, placing information (resume) on the leading portals dedicated to business education is the key to success. The Internet, in general, provides amazing opportunities for promoting your own brand. The cost of posting articles on the Internet is lower (or even free) than in print publications, and there are more visitors. You can also post comments and write on forums for free. Be sure to include your real first and last name, not a nickname. Do you want to become recognizable in order to sell the seminar?

That's sort of all my main thoughts on selling seminars. Looking forward to your comments and good luck with your sales!

Ekaterina Pakhomova
Project Manager