WIW - The Real Sam Bennett

5 of 7: the Unasked Question

There’s one question that almost no one asked.

You could probably predict most of the questions I get asked about creating great workshops:

– How to even get started? (Especially when I’m already so busy!)
– How to figure out how much info is enough? Or if it’s too much?
– How to attract the ideal participants, who will actually show up & pay up?
– How much to charge?
– How to decide which platforms are best for marketing and delivery?

And if you enroll in Turn Your Wisdom Into Workshops, you will ABSOLUTELY get the answers to those questions and a ton more that you haven’t even thought of yet (like…what do you do if someone wants a refund? What do you do when the tech goes on the fritz? How do you collect testimonials? Is it better to teach in person or online? etc.)

But there is one question that only one brave soul wrote in:

“What if no one shows up?”

And I think it is that question that keeps smart, creative people like you from sharing your wisdom.

It’s a plaintive question.

As a child, I actually had one of those birthday parties where no one came. My babysitter and I just sat at the kitchen table with a cake I had made myself, decorated with a sunburst. (It was the ’70s – everything was decorated with a sunburst.) Finally I took myself up to my room and re-read Little House on the Prairie for the thousandth time.

No one wants to visit those feelings of rejection, sorrow and dashed hopes.

But when I started offering workshops, I had to face those feelings square on.

And so will you.

What a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth!

You will find that the question, “What if no one shows up?” leads directly to some other interesting questions like:

What if everyone shows up?
What if you don’t show up?
What if you do show up?

What if you show up 100% more than you ever have before?

(Oh, look! It’s another wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth!)

And I bet that if you show up, the right amount of perfect other people will, too.

Finally, just to be super-practical about it, even IF no one shows up (and it totally happens – I myself once offered a workshop that got zero enrollment and man, was that a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth : ) you will still benefit.

Because once you start creating a great workshop, you have AUTOMATICALLY created the framework for:

your book
your signature talk
a high-level coaching program
a “train-the-trainers” certification or licensing program
a compelling lead magnet
media opportunities
a tribe

And it might ALSO cause you to get your sh*t together around:

organizing your contacts
getting new business cards
updating your website
figuring out how Facebook ads work
putting you back in touch with people (it’s amazing who turns up when you start promoting a workshop – I’ve got several former clients and students enrolled in Turn Your Wisdom Into Workshops and I’m so excited to see what they’re up to)

There’s nothing like a nice, big, scary project like creating a workshop to get you to face your demons, stare down your fears and bust right through your procrastination.

Plus you get to share your wisdom, have some fun and make some good money.

Pretty good deal.

So….let me ask again: what if YOU show up?

Enroll in Turn Your Wisdom Into Workshops today and find out.

2 of 7: “How to Create an Online Workshop That’s Suitable for Many?”

Here’s another answer to one of the questions that you all submitted in answer to “The question I have about creating a great workshop is…”

“I wonder how to create an online workshop that’s suitable for many.”

Great question.

And in some ways, it’s actually the wrong question.

Because you need to create a workshop that appeals very strongly to a select, specific group of people.

That’s the only way it will sell.
Consider these:

“Writing Workshop: Become a Better Writer So You Can Get Ahead In Business”
“Writing Workshop: How to Write Your Second Novel (When The First One Didn’t Sell That Well)”
“Writing Workshop: For Teenage Girls Who Want to Write a Killer College Application Essay”

See? Three very different workshops for three very different markets.

If I just said, “Writing Workshop,” no one would sign up, because I haven’t been clear enough about the transformation I promise.

If it feels good, please check out http://www.turnyourwisdomintoworkshops.com/ and join us for this amazing journey.

P.S. Did you miss “24 Not-Obvious Workshop Mistakes to Avoid (That I Learned the Hard Way)”?
——–>>> VIEW IT HERE

1 of 7: “How Do I Get People to Show Up?”

I’ve spent all day emailing out answers the questions that you all submitted in answer to “The question I have about creating a great workshop is…”

And by far the most popular question was: How do I get people to show up? How do I market it?

It’s a great question.

Perhaps THE question.

And…I can’t really answer you.

Because there are different answers depending on your content, target market and personal goals.

It’s some combination of being crystal clear about your ideal client and the transformation they are seeking, and making sure that your title, pricing, images, and marketing materials are consistent with that. But it’s also got to match your personal vibe, and of course the timing and delivery need to be just right.

And, if I can say this without sounding too self-serving: get some support.

Frankly, putting together a workshop that is both meaningful and profitable is both complex and complicated.

Complex, in that it has many moving parts, but most of them can be broken down into steps and accomplished with a bit of good information from a reliable source and old-fashioned elbow grease. That’s the “practical” part that’s fairly easy for me to teach. (And I’m doing 3 “Sam Explains the Technology” bonus calls to walk you through the nitty-gritty stuff about platforms.)

Complicated, in that it involves humans, and all of our wackadoodle human behavior. So we need to harness your imagination, your insights, your intuition and your plain good sense to create something that’s never been done before. That’s the “creative” part that requires a bit of a leap of faith on your part, but is also the most fun.

So it’s a lot of moving parts, and it’s a bit scary and mostly exhilarating and it’s exactly the reason I created the Turn Your Wisdom Into Workshops course that starts next week, and I’d love to work with you.