When planning
a program, most seminar /conference providers extensive
needs analysis to determine content, conduct presentation
dates, and location. Registration service Providers
also research competitors and complete financial scenarios
to determine the registration fee While doing the needs
analysis and financial planning, providers develop databases
and promotional literature to sell the course
Having thoroughly planned their marketing mix, Seminar
/conference providers begin their sales campaigns expecting
high enrollments and a lucrative return on the venture.
Unfortunately, these "best laid plans" often go awry
because the provider has not made the seminar /conference
registration offer irresistible.
By combining an irresistible offer with a well-planned
seminar registration/conference registration marketing
plan, a provider can increase registrations. What are
some of the characteristics providers should include
in an irresistible offer?
Irresistible Registration and Payment Options
Give the prospective attendee both registration and
payment options. A provider can give registration options
by permitting prospective attendees to register by toll-free
phone, by FAX, or by mail. Other response options include
online, voice mail and E-mail. Payment options should
include (a) check, (b) VISA, MasterCard and American
Express payment choices, (c) bill me, (d) letter of
intent/purchase order enclosed, or (e) pay at the door.
Irresistible Follow-up
Spell out on promotional literature and at the website
what registrants will receive after enrolling in a particular
seminar registration /conference registration. For example,
state that registrants will receive a confirmation letter/e-mail.
"Continue selling after the sale" by noting in promotional
sites that immediately after registering, a prospective
attendee will receive a questionnaire to supply questions
to the speaker(s).
Consider mailing registrants (a) copies of recent articles
by the speaker(s), (b) a list of registrants by name/organizational
affiliation, (c) detailed information on seminar starting
and stopping times, breaks, and social functions, (d)
alternative transportation choices, along with corresponding
costs and (e) a reminder notice about one week ahead
of the seminar/conference start date. By continuing
to sell after the sale has been made, a provider reduces
the likelihood that "buyer's regret" will cause the
registrant to cancel or to become a no-show.
Irresistible Cancellation Policies
Have an irresistible cancellation policy. Instead of
being friendly, some providers charge $100 to registrants
who change plans and cannot attend. In other cases,
providers impound a registrant's total registration
fee if he/she cancels within five days of the program.
Other providers state that registrants are liable for
the registration fee if they fail to cancel and
have not paid.
Oftentimes, these same providers note in their promotion
that they reserve the right to cancel the seminar/conference
and that they are liable for refunding only the registration
fee. Registrants who have purchased non-refundable airline
tickets to attend the seminar/conference absorb the
cost when the provider cancels the course.
What are some ways to turn the cancellation policy into
an irresistible offer? One choice is to drop all
cancellation profit-per-participant seminar/conferences
should consider taking this course of action. Capitalize
on a "no risk" cancellation policy, encouraging tioned
above to convert the tentative registrant to a firm
sale provider can begin the "selling after sale" campaign
men cancellation penalties. Once a prospect has registered,
a unsure registrants to register simply because there
are no Providers with low-price seminar registrations/conferences
registration with small profit margins per attendee
should impose cancellation charges no greater than the
actual transactions cost of handling a change. Ideally,
a provider should convince the canceling registrant
to leave the monies with the provider in a "hold on
account" file for future use on other upcoming meetings.
If the canceling attendee agrees to the transfer, no
cancellation charge should be imposed. Of course, in
all cases, participants should have the option of having
a substitute attend a meeting in his/her place.
How about liability statements? Consider dropping
"limited liability" statements from seminar/conference
promotional info. By using such statements, a provider
may give a prospective registrant the impression that
the provider often cancels seminars/conferences. Otherwise,
why would the statement be included in the offer? By
planting a seed of doubt in the prospect's mind, a provider
creates uncertainty about whether a seminar/conference
will "make."
One result of the uncertainty is that prospective attendees
will postpone their decision to register until it's
certain that the seminar/conference will make. As prospective
attendees
collectively wait, the seminar/conference provider may
lack enough enrollments at the go/no-go date and have
to cancel the course.
Of course, a provider would like to market only programs
that have a high likelihood of making. In instances
where enrollment is only a little lower than expected,
a provider should go ahead with the meeting to avoid
a "cancellation reputation." If the provider must cancel
because to hold the session with such a small audience
would be embarrassing and/or the incremental costs of
presenting a course exceed the actual or anticipated
revenue, the provider should stand prepared to reimburse
attendees who have purchased non-refundable
airline tickets plus take what other steps are necessary
to maintain good customer relations. The seminar attendee
should not bear a cost as a result of the provider's
decision to cancel a meeting.
Irresistible Guarantees
Use money-back guarantees to create an irresistible
offer. With a money-back guarantee, a provider offers
to refund the registration fee if an attendee is dissatisfied
for any reason with the program.
By including a money-back guarantee in the offer, a
provider builds credibility with the prospective attendee.
Knowing that the provider will give a refund helps convince
the attendee that a quality program is being offered.
A provider can structure a money-back guarantee in several
ways. In some cases, providers guarantee participant
satisfaction by the mid-morning break on the first day.
In other instances, providers offer participants a lifetime
money-back guarantee. Most providers offer a refund
at the conclusion of the program.
One of my clients offers a "double-your-money-back"
guarantee. In this case, the provider offers to pay
the prospective attendee twice the registration
fee if he/she doesn't receive
the benefits promised in the promotional brochure.
Carefully choose the wording in the money-back guarantee
statement. The provider's wording should presume that
the attendee will be satisfied with the seminar/conference.
Otherwise, a provider may unintentionally plant seeds
of doubt in the mind of the participant. After the positive
reassurance, a provider should give the refund policy.
Irresistible Discounts
Use pricing discounts to create an irresistible offer.
By offering a price discount, a seminar/conference provider
gives a prospective attendee an opportunity to save
on the
registration fee. Pricing discounts are
typically based upon timing, volume, and/or type of
organization.
In the case of timing, providers offer a discount to
prospective registrants who enroll before an established
deadline. The reduced price is sometimes called "an
early-bird registration fee." Providers who present
annual conferences often use early-bird registration
fees to encourage prospective participants to take immediate
registration action.
Participants who prefer to register just prior to a
meeting may feel the provider's timing discount is a
penalty. These registrants may feel that the provider
is taxing their decision
making style. As a result, they may call the provider
after the price reduction deadline, ask for the discount,
and threaten not to attend if they do not receive the
discount.
A provider's early-bird discount also has implications
for marketing lead time. Once a provider establishes
a pricing discount deadline, he/she should make sure
that prospective
attendees receive promotional invitations well in advance
of the deadline.
In many cases, original recipients forward promotional
invitations along to colleagues/friends. If the provider
does not use an adequate lead time, some prospective
attendees will receive an invitation after the pricing
deadline has expired. These recipients will be upset
to learn that they do not qualify for the reduced price.
They will not perceive the provider's offer as being
irresistible, but instead resistible.
Because a provider may lose registrations with a price
discount based upon timing, some may want to offer a
price discount based upon volume or type of organization.
With a volume discount, a provider typically offers
a reduced registration fee to additional individuals
from the same organization who is registering for a
given program. Typically, the second or third participant
pays ten to fifteen percent less than the first registrant.
In some instances, providers charge the full price for
the first three registrants, and then the fourth registrant
is free.
When offering volume discounts, most providers require
that all registrants from a particular organization
enroll at the same time for the same course to qualify
for the discount. Requiring all to register at the same
time simplifies bookkeeping. Volume discounts based
upon group registrations are sometimes called "team"
discounts.
When giving a volume/team discount, note in the promotion
that team attendance is encouraged. A special section
in the brochure and/or website should discuss the merits
of team attendance and encourage multiple registrations
from an organization.
At the same time, design the brochure and on line registration
form so that multiple attendees from the same organization
can easily reserve space at the seminar/conference.
In other words, the price discount, the team attendance
statement, and the registration form should all complement
one another.
To create an irresistible offer, give price discounts
across multiple sessions of a seminar. For example,
a provider may present four sessions of a seminar at
different locations and dates. Price discounts could
then be given to organizations that send attendees to
several sessions. In this case, the provider gives a
"package" discount.
Some providers give price discounts based upon type
of organization. For example, for-profit providers often
let participants from non-profit organizations attend
at a reduced price.
When offering a lower price to participants from certain
kinds of organizations, a provider must make sure that
participants who pay the full price will not object.
A provider does not
want his/her full-paying customers to feel cheated because
some participants are attending at a reduced price.
A provider might call these discounts "tuition scholarships"
By calling the price discount a scholarship in the promotion,
a provider can reduce the registration fee for participants
from selected market segments without alienating participants
who are paying the full price.
A provider may want to offer a reduced price to association
members. Perhaps, a provider has an association as a
co-sponsor. All participants who are members of the
association receive a price discount.
Or, association providers may give a price discount
to their members. In other words, a non-member pays
more than a member. Sometimes the "spread" between member-nonmember
fee is almost equal to the cost of membership. By illustrating
the benefits of membership, an association provider
encourages non-members to become members.
Offer "menu" pricing to create an irresistible offer.
With menu pricing, a provider gives prospective participants
numerous purchase options.
During an annual conference, a provider may have concurrent
sessions, numerous social functions, seminars within
the conference, partner's tours, and field trips. With
menu pricing, the provider lets the prospective attendee
select and pay for the areas of interest.
In other words, each event is priced separately. So
the provider lets the prospective attendee choose a
selection of activities that best fits his/her needs.
At the same time, most providers offer a "best deal
package" price to participants who buy all of the scheduled
activities.
Irresistible Scarcity
Make judicious use of a "limited enrollment" statement.
Often promotional brochures/e-mails state that "enrollment
is limited so register now." Providers use the statement
as a technique to encourage prospective attendees to
take immediate registration action.
Unfortunately, providers mislead prospective attendees
if enrollment is not truly limited. Prospective attendees
may infer from the limited enrollment statement that
class size will be small - typically in the twenty to
thirty attendee range. When the attendee arrives at
the program and finds a relatively large class (perhaps
over 100 participants), he/she may feel deceived.
A provider can use a limited enrollment statement several
ways. First, the provider can list in the promotion
the limited enrollment number. For example, a provider
might say that
enrollment is limited to thirty attendees. By spelling
out the actual enrollment number, a provider adds credibility
to his/her limited enrollment statement. By putting
a cap on enrollment, a provider clearly demonstrates
that the seminar/conference is exclusive and that only
a select few will attend.
Use a limited enrollment number that is credible. If
a provider says that enrollment is limited to 150 attendees,
he/she may lose the credibility established by the exclusivity
of limited enrollment. In other words, a provider needs
to have congruence between the limited enrollment statement
and the number of participants allowed in the course.
Sometimes, a prospective attendee will purchase a nonrefundable
airline ticket prior to registering in a limited enrollment
program. Later, the individual attempts to register
and is told the class is full. The prospective attendee
will plea to be admitted to the course. When refused
admission because the class is full, the prospective
attendee becomes
very upset. To head off this problem, a provider should
state in the promotion that prospective attendees should
register before purchasing non-refundable tickets.
Exercise care in "overbooking." If enrollment is allowed
to exceed the specified number and if all registrants
show up for the course, a provider may be accused of
misleading participants in his/her program offer.
Before overbooking, analyze past cancellation/no-show
percentages. From this research, a provider can estimate
the number of cancellations/no-shows for an upcoming
course.
Alternatively, a provider may want to establish a waiting
list. Participants who book after a course is full would
be put on the waiting list. As soon as a cancellation
is received, a provider would register the first person
on the waiting list. With this approach, the provider
eliminates the risk of having more participants at the
course than specified in the limited
enrollment statement.
While maintaining a waiting list, a provider may want
to call or email all currently enrolled registrants
to confirm that the registrants are planning to attend
the seminar/conference.
By reconfirming the participants, a provider can identify
potential cancellations/no-shows and go ahead and register
individuals on the waiting list.
Sometimes, a provider may not have a large enough staff
to call all enrolled participants. In this case, the
provider may want to only call the participants who
have not paid. Usually,
unpaid participants are more likely to be cancellations/noshows.
Irresistibly Personable
Create an irresistible offer by humanizing the registration
process. By humanizing the process, a provider makes
the potential registrant feel comfortable with the entire
registration process. What are some ways to humanize
the registration process?
In some cases, anxiety arises because a prospective
attendee may feel the provider's organization is an
impersonal entity. This is especially true if the seminar/conference
provider is a large organization. The provider can help
to reduce this anxiety by listing a staff member's name
for the prospective attendee to call to register
By listing a name with the registration number, a provider
convinces the prospective attendee that he/she will
receive personalized attention. A provider reassures
a prospective attendee that individual attention is
being given to registrations.
In some instances, providers may list a fictitious name
along with the registration phone number. This is often
the case where providers have a large volume of incoming
registrations.
When a prospective attendee asks for the fictitious
name, a provider's registrars know that the caller is
a registrant. The registrars may tell the caller that
the person listed with the registration phone number
is away from his/her desk but that he/she will be happy
to handle the registration.
Listing a contact person's name at the website is another
way a provider can humanize the registration process.
Oftentimes, a potential attendee has questions about
the seminar/conference content that the registrars can't
answer.
Rather than have a registrar relay an inquiry, a provider
might consider listing the name and phone number of
an appropriate contact person for each seminar registration/conference
registration. In the promotion or at the website, the
provider should recommend that prospective attendees
call the registrar to register or call the contact person
for more information on the seminar registration/conference
registration.
In some cases, a provider may not have a contact person
available to list. If so, ask the registrars to keep
a record of the most commonly asked questions. Answers
to the
frequently asked questions(FAQs) should be developed
by the seminar registration/conference registration
director or a speaker and given to the registrars. Armed
with answers, registrars can effectively handle questions
and convert inquiries into registrations. Naturally,
FAQs are posted at the website as well.
A Final Thought on Irresistibility
As a rule, a provider will find that an irresistible
offer will produce more registrations than an unfriendly
offer. Registrations at seminars/conferences will be
higher, attendance will increase, and the bottom line
will improve.
In some instances, a provider may feel that a less friendly
or harder offer will give the best return. These providers
may feel that a hard offer gives their seminar registration/conference
registration credibility. For example, a provider may
feel that a tough cancellation policy ensures that only
highly committed prospects will register.
Other providers may think that participants will exploit
an irresistible offer. For example, a provider may feel
that attendees will take advantage of a money-back guarantee.
Some providers may feel uncomfortable with the uncertainty
created by an irresistible offer. These providers want
to know the final enrollment in a seminar registration/conference
registration several weeks prior to the starting date.
By using registration deadlines, early-bird discounts,
and large cancellation penalties, these providers are
able to establish enrollment counts well in advance
of the start date.
Certainly, different strategies may work for different
providers. When using a hard offer, a provider should
recognize its potential impact on enrollment. A provider
may use a hard offer to build credibility, eliminate
refunds, and reduce uncertainty; a provider may also
find that the cost of a hard offer is reduced registrations.
Ultimately, a provider may want to split test irresistible
versus a hard offer. With a split test, a provider can
calculate which offer produces the most profit.
Or, a provider may want to ask the target audience which
offer is most acceptable. To question the audience,
a provider might use a combination of approaches such
as
questionnaires, focus-group interviews, or education
committees. After evaluating the results of the research,
a provider can determine the most suitable offer for
the audience.
Last, carefully monitor how successful competitors structure
their offers. If competitors use hard offers, a provider
may want to use an irresistible offer as a tactic to
beat the competition. If competitors already have irresistible
offers, a provider may want to match the competition
and compete on some other basis.
In conclusion, realize that product or course development,
pricing, promotion, and presentation are essential determinants
of seminar/conference success. However, a provider
should combine the traditional four P's of marketing
with an appropriately structured offer to maximize profits.
More often than not, a provider will find that an irresistible
offer yields the
best overall return.
About Ralph D. Elliott
For more than three decades, Ralph has been practicing
what he preaches as the head of continuing education
at Clemson University, where he is currently Vice Provost
of the
Office of Distance and Continuing Education. His organization
has trained hundreds of thousands of professionals,
generating annual contributions to overhead (profits)
well
beyond his peers.
Ralph D. Elliott,
Ph.D.
Clemson University
Phone: (864) 656-3983
FAX: (864) 656-3997
Email: ELLIOT@CLEMSON.EDU (with one "t")
WWW URL: http://www.clemson.edu/esm
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