 Fall Workshops--Prepare Now
by Denis Ledoux It is June 2008 as I write this, but this article is timeless and of value anytime you--or the economy--is in a downturn. As the American economy continues to reel under the effects of the ill-conceived war in Iraq--how long could any economy prosper after the squandering of $400,000,000,000? --and is binging down other economies with it, many of you are perhaps asking how you will survive as memoir professionals. As price of gas --and every other price--continues to soar--imagine where the US (and the world!) might be with the lost $400,000,000,000 invested in a "Marshall Plan" of energy independence, it is reasonable to ask if the number of individuals who can still afford to purchase, or are still comfortable purchasing memoir products, will diminish too drastically for you to continue to work as a memoir professional. This situation is daunting, but a solid business strategy can see you through this time. As I undertake a client analysis, I know the higher-income clients will still be purchasing memoir services. Lower-income clients will most likely dwindle away as they are reasonably concerned with meeting the costs of every-day life (workshops are possibly high on the list of expendables). The extensive middle-income range is "iffy." Those middle-income people with a comfortable relationship to money may continue purchasing memoir products because, in the end, they are fairly well insulated from money problems. Those who have struggled into the middle-income group may be caught in poverty mentalities and it will be impossible for them to separate their past relationship with money from their current one. They will drop out--not because they can't afford your programs but because they think they can't. There's not much of a difference between the consequences of "not affording" and "thinking you can't afford." Effecting a turn around in poverty-mentality people could consume your time. Let them go. You too must assess your financial position. For starters, what might a slow down of business in the fall mean for your finances? If it merely means a drop in discretionary income, then you are well set to weather the recession. Perhaps this will be a great time for you to let business slow down and devote yourself to improving your writing skills via a Soleil workshop or tele-class or perhaps you can sharpen your business acumen by enrolling in this fall's Business Development Seminar Tele-class. If the income from your work this fall is essential to your finances, there are things you can do. 1. Look for workshop venues in more affluent communities. 2. Expand your product offerings to include coaching, editing, co-authoring--all of which can be pitched to an affluent clientele unaffected by a downturn. 3. Diversify your products. Offer shorter, low tuition programs. Conversely, offer longer programs but with lower per-session tuition to reflect that they will require less marketing from you. Clients may perceive this as a bargain. 4. Present PhotoScribe workshops as they are shorter and so less costly for the client. Sell Photo Scribes. 5. Promote Turning Memories Into Memoirs book sales and thus collect additional revenue through back-of-the-room sales. 6. Plan your business strategy tightly. This is not a time to take risks. Be sure you execute your marketing thoroughly. (See FREE Business Plan Update Tele-Class below.) Just as some of your clients will be inhibited by their perception of lack of income, which may have little relationship to their actual financial status, you too may be limited by inhibitory thinking. (We are all prey to the gloomy news stories.) There's nothing you can do about your clients' misperceptions or inhibitions, but there is much you can do about yours. Be perceptive and realistic in your assessments and, and this summer and fall, make conscious choices that will work for you and your goals. For more info on Tele-Classes and Resources for Writing & Memoir-Based Businesses visit http://turningmemories.com/writingbasedbusiness.html |