Those who know me know I’m not an alarmist. However, I do think we need to consider this virus’s affect on our industry. We’re already seeing events canceled or rescheduled.
I remember when we thought virtual programming would have a big negative effect. It hasn’t. BUT ..
What can you do to position yourself well if coronavirus does cause the meetings industry to cancel events? In a word .. SHIFT. Your job will now be to sell your prospects and clients on virtual meetings via Zoom or a similar platform.
In essence, you have to sell the value of your intellectual property, not merely the delivery system. You can start now by offering this as an alternative.
Ask yourself this .. “Why do people hire you?”
My sense is that people hire subject matter experts like speakers to move the needle regarding productivity, profitability, performance, engagement or shareholder value. Your challenge is to make the case that this can be done virtually – and that it IS being done virtually!
A question that always arises when discussing presenting virtually is “What should I charge?”
I’m a big believer that (again) the value of your intellectual property is the same. However, if you feel you need a fall-back position offer to apply your “local discount”. Remember, there would be no associated travel expenses for a virtual program, so applying a local discount is offering a SECOND advantage. Note: typical local discounts are 20-30%.
Start offering this alternative sooner than later. I think it’s a good vehicle for an “Aftercare Program” anyway. (See https://bookmorebusiness.com/add-client-follow-up/). You have nothing to lose .. but business!
Copyright 2020, Lois Creamer. Lois works with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money and fully monetize their intellectual property! She can be reached in the following ways:
Lois@BookMoreBusiness.com
Twitter: @loiscreamer
Phone: 314.374.4007
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/loiscreamer
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/loiscreamer
For more information on Lois’ business check out http://www.bookmorebusiness.com