Amateurs Vs. Pros

Running a workshop is a solid lucrative business most speakers are taking advantage of these days. But when amateurs get involved, they tend to miss out on the many things that make the difference between a successful workshop and a flop. Here are a few things to think about that separate the amateurs from the pros.

Of course, you are not really trying to be a pro. You are only trying to establish yourself as a competent person worthy of other people's time and money. But modeling some of the steps the professionals take helps you to establish a successful workshop no matter what level you are.

Have a Book

This particular step is not as hard as you might think. There are scores of websites where writers are offering their services. Some are in writing communities like guru.com and Associated Content while some are individuals offering services by themselves. So, if you have no idea how to write, having a book written for you is not very expensive at all. Plus, books sales will soon pay for the writing of the book itself.

Ghostwriters are writers who are willing to write a book for you and give you the complete copyright. That means that you have full rights to resale and they can never dispute that with you. Nor can they dispute who you name as the author. They are also bound by an ethical agreement that they can't discuss writing your book with anyone unless they have your prior approval.

All you need to do is consider a topic. Make it a small portion of information that you can handle within a few hundred pages. In fact, plenty of speakers are offering books as little as 50 pages. But, a book with your name on it adds prestige to your workshop and establishes you as a competent speaker. Generally, your audience will never know nor ever care how you came about writing your book. With only a few extra dollars, plenty of publishing houses will be willing to put your book to print. No lengthy contracts. No business hassles. Just your book in print delivered to your door to do with as you wish. Lulu.com is one such publishing house that makes that step easy for you.

Offer a Newsletter

Your audience might be live. But, they all get information from the internet. At least you know that they are interested in getting your newsletter. Every time you have a workshop, offer your audience a chance to sign in with their name and email address.

Provide your audience with a hot topic on a regular basis. There are literally millions of ways you can go with any topic. You can talk about social issues, political issues, job related issues, funny tidbits and tips for people to follow. Once again, return to a ghostwriter who has a knack for exploring different angles to write about.

Gain Testimonials

One thing that really works with gaining credibility is the fact that various people are willing to say that you run a great workshop or that you have a great book. There are ways to get any person in your audience to give a testimonial about you. You can engage certain audience members in conversation about your workshop and then ask them if you can quote the good things they say. Simply ask people what they think and then use what they say.

Having a quote from Susan Q. of Oklahoma may not seem too credible. But, sometimes that's all a person will be willing to allow you to report about them. And many people understand this for the most part. They wonder if it's a made up name. But then they consider how private they might be if they were asked for their quote something. Of course, getting a full name, city and state are preferred if you can obtain that.

These little tricks of the trade will really start to bump up your status in the workshop world. Nothing says more competent than having your own book. Nothing says you care more than having an ongoing newsletter. And nothing says people care about you more than positive testimonials. When used with the right amount of tact and taste, you can put your workshop right on the map.