Marketing Tactics * Direct mail

* Telemarketing

* Online services

* Advertising

* Fax on demand

* Direct selling

Increase Your Response (in descending order of importance) * Concentrate your mailing list on past customers/clients

* Build dramatic headlines for ads

* Cultivate inquiries with follow-up phone calls

* Create an irresistible offer (see below)

* Pay attention to price points

* For workshops, use a title that is the key benefit of attending

* Consider the best time of week and best month for your audience

* Use the active voice in your copy.

* Use an attention-grabber as your P.S. in your cover letter

Seven Steps to an Irresistible Offer * Offer easy registration options * Phone * Fax * Mail * E-mail * Web

* Accept several payment options

* Explain your cancellation policy

* Name a specific person to call for more information or to register.

* Offer a guarantee, such as:

* Refund plus guarantee (for example, money back plus $100 cash)

* Refund plus free registration in another program

* Provide contact details for the hotel

* Offer discounts:

Reduced hotel rates

Volume (team) discounts

Bring-a-colleague discounts

Tuition agreements with organizations that send a large number of registrants per year

Six Online Marketing Tips * Encourage participants to e-mail questions to speakers

* Create a pre- and post-seminar listserv so registrants can network

* Post upcoming educational events

* Allow online registration

* Offer site visitors an option to send e-mail requests for information

* Create links with affinity groups

Five Ways to Reduce Cancellations and No-Shows * Continue marketing after the sale

* Mail questionnaires to registrants asking what they expect from seminar

* Send follow-up thank-yous

* Send e-mail encouragement

* Tell customers what they will receive after they register

Sales Brochure Essentials * A title that suggests the key benefit of the conference

* A program agenda (at least 30 percent of the brochure)

* A summary of at least 10 benefits

* A quantification of the benefits of attending

* Background on the instructor(s)

* A pledge (quote) from the instructor(s) "After you take this course, you'll be able to . .

Brochure Copy Tips * Talk to your audience. Use more "you" statements than "we" statements

* Stress benefits

* Use short sentences with one idea per sentence

* Paragraphs should be no longer than seven lines

* Restrict two-thirds of your words to five letters or fewer

* Use type that's at least 10 point.

* Use serif type for body copy; sans serif for headlines

* DON'T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. IT'S DIFFICULT TO READ.

* Use reverse type (light type on a dark background) sparingly