You’ve got a great idea for a seminar! You’ve planned a good program and researched the market. You determined how the seminar will help increase business in your consulting practice.  You’re well-qualified to teach, or have obtained the services of someone who is. Now, what’s going to assure you that you can get people there? What’s going to make them want to come? One thing we learned over the years is:

Success in the seminar business is much more a function of marketing and promotion than the result of program design, development, and instructional competency.

Respond to Publicity Generated Leads Immediately!

If you are like me, you receive sales literature in the mail and email and sometimes wonder why it was sent to you. If you reflect on for a few moments you may remember that several weeks earlier you had an interest and requested it. A cold lead is a dead lead. If you are going to the effort and expense to obtain publicity be sure to respond to the leads promptly. We live in a society of instant gratification. If you need a carton of milk at 1:00 am you can go to the local convenience store. If you want a photocopy at 3:00 am you can go to the local all night copy center. We don’t like to wait for anything and we don’t have to. If you are unwilling or unable to respond immediately your competition can.

Make Media Relations a Two-Way
In addition to always taking the time and trouble to say thank you for publicity received, it will be in your interest to expend effort on a regular and consistent basis to develop a reciprocal relationship with members of the media. Most seeking publicity won’t bother to do this. So, if you do, you are more likely to be noticed and remembered. Make it a policy to communicate two or three times each year (and more often, if possible) with your media contacts in a way that is other than self serving. As you pick up information, hear things, run into useful data, etc. ask yourself this question: Which individuals on my media contact list would find having this information of value? Then communicate it to them, if you run into an interesting story idea that you feel would be of value, tell them. Look at it this way. If I am a member of the press and every time I hear from you it is to make use of me to benefit you, I am less likely to be responsive than if I receive a mix of communications from you -- including some that benefit me rather than you.