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Steph Crowder
Welcome to the Courage and Clarity podcast. I'm your host, Steph Crowder. I'm a former sales training director who's helped thousands of entrepreneurs earn a living doing something they love over the past 10 years. On your journey, you'll need the courage to be bold, to take risks, and to do what looks crazy on paper. You'll also need the clarity, the brass tacks, simple strategies that actually work. And on this podcast, we deliver both in equal measure. Oh, and by the way, we've got absolutely no time for bs, gross marketing tactics or get rich quick schemes. Just sustainable business strategies for good humans with big dreams. If that sounds like you, you're in the right place. Let's go. Hello. Hello, CNC listeners. Welcome to episode number 111. Episode 111. We are talking about paid live workshops. We're talking behind the scenes. I recently ran my very, very popular annual sort of planning training that I call Year on the Wall. And if you aren't familiar with this training or just finding me or you somehow missed it, you can go to yearonthewall.com whenever I run this training, I'm going to tell you about it in just a moment. Whenever I run this training, I also go ahead and process the replay and put it up into our learning platform on my website. And I sell the opportunity to take the class just whenever you want it on demand. So you're on the Wall is this paid live workshop that I teach every single year where there's these giant calendar pages. You can go on my Instagram or on my website and see what it looks like. But we take these giant calendar pages and four different colored sticky notes and we use them to get really, really intentional about the year ahead. Sort of chart a course for where you're actually trying to go reverse engineer the plan by understanding the money, how you're going to make the money as a business owner, what you need to do to create the leads in order to be able to make those sales. And then of course, I think first and foremost fitting, like how your life and how you live your life fits into the year ahead amidst all of these goals. And so we did this training. I always try to do it the first week of December. So we did it December 6th, actually a week ago from the time of me recording this and now that I've sort of had a week to process it, it's always such an incredible training. It's a huge effort. It is like this huge sort of me riding the wave. And then I need some recovery time because no Matter how hard I try, it seems to always take me a minimum of three hours to teach this system just because it is so comprehensive. It's not complicated, but we really spend ample and abundant time on going deep into what you actually want. Because I think it's one thing to make a plan, anybody can make a plan. But having the right plan, having the plan that is actually aligned to what I call your North Star, right? Like what actually matters, what you care about, keeping your eyes on your own paper and not drifting into anybody else's lane and, you know, just choosing some arbitrary definition of success based on some guru that you follow. Right? So we really do spend a lot of time excavating your goals, excavating your vision, coming up with your word for the year. And we have this concept called life buckets where we kind of imagine your, your life as a department store, if that makes sense, and just kind of go department by department, understanding what you really want to create next year. So that's Year on the Wall. And after I teach it, like I said, I take the replay and the workbook and all the materials and they're just available on demand. You can just go to year on the wall.com actually at any point in the year and you can purchase your, Your ticket, it's 47 and it just gets delivered to your inbox and you can dive in. I have people take this training. I mean, December is the most popular time since that's when I teach it live. But I have people taking this training all throughout the year. I love to take it in the summer as well, like a sort of July, January and July reset. Um, and so if you are listening to this episode and you're curious, you can pop over there. And it is still available, but for this episode I wanted to kind of do a bit of like a two parter. The first piece of it is just, I know I personally love, you know, behind the scenes episodes. This, you know, every time I launch anything, and I'm sure for those of you who launch things, you understand this as well. Anytime I launch anything, something different happens. Like I learned something new. There's no two launches that are exact replicas of each other. There's always something different that happens, some new twist, some new, you know, wrench that gets thrown in. And so this time was no exception. So, you know, I don't gatekeep. I really tried to be honest and transparent about all the lessons I'm learning. All of the hard fought victories, the good, the bad, the ugly. So we're Going to talk about that. And then I really also wanted to talk about this idea of how to sell on the back end of a paid live workshop. Because I've been talking about this a lot with my clients actually in both of my programs, same day sales, my foundational sales training program, as well as my mastermind, which is called sold out group programs. I've had this question a lot, this sort of like, hey, I want to do a ticketed workshop on Zoom. And I, you know, first of all, I get the question, should I be selling something? The answer is 100% of the time, yes. And we could talk about that a little bit and then okay, cool. If I am going to sell something, like how do I do that without being awkward? What does that transition to the invitation look like? Is it weird or gross to, you know, quote unquote pitch something after they've already paid for a ticket? So I'm going to talk to you about like the easiest way. It's just like so dead simple. I have this sort of universal, I think, foolproof way to make your offer at the end of a workshop has been really applying to like all of my clients businesses and it's been a big light bulb for them. So if you think that you might want to do a paid live workshop, you know, maybe in the coming year this can really help you because it's really not just about the workshop itself. I want you to think beyond the workshop from and I'm gonna talk more about this, but the workshop for me like year on the wall is really an entry point into my world and into my business. If you're gonna do a paid live workshop, I want you not trying to make a bunch of money on your ticket sales. That's really thinking too small. And really instead be asking yourself, how does this connect to my higher end offers, my higher ticket offers, and even more importantly, my overall strategy for the business. So that's where we're going. Let's dive in and talk a little behind the scenes and then we'll get into some brass talks of how you can, you know, if you're thinking about doing a paid live workshop, how you can really make the most of it. So many of you know this, but in case you're new and you don't really know my backstory, I have been teaching this training, a version of this training year on the wall since I want to say 2018, 2017, 2018. And that's a lot of time, right? That's a lot of time. And I've taught It almost every year. I think there was one year where I had a job, I paused my business, I took a job, and I didn't teach it that year. So that would have been 20, 21, I believe. And so I've taught this, you know, what is that? Six, seven times? Something like that. And I've actually taught it in other communities too. So I've taught it more times than that. And I have had. I'm closing in on around 2,000 people who've taken this class, which is really wild to say out loud. And that's. That's a rough estimate. It's honestly probably more than that. And so 2,000 people have taken this class over time. It started very organically. I have again, if you go on my Instagram, you can see I have. I literally created this system for myself. I don't even remember exactly how I got the idea. I have absolutely no idea. But I found these giant calendar pages. Somebody out there is wondering, I always get asked, where are they from? They're from Paper Source. You can just buy them online if you search Paper Paper Source, tall on the wall, 2025, if you're interested, I suggest you grab them because we sell them out every year. It's not my company or anything, but I swear, I say we because I know that they sell out every year and I just know that hundreds of people buying them. I love to think to myself, like, year on the wall. My training has put a dent in these calendars. And so I generally get dms from people in. Starting in around January, February, being like, oh, the calendar is sold out. So don't be one of those people. If you want, you can do this with any calendar. Truly. It does not have to be this one. This one is just my favorite. I have no affiliation with this company. I don't even get a commission. But that's the one that I use. And so, you know, I do this training every year. Oh, I know, I know. Sorry to backtrack. I was like, where am I going to backtrack? I. How this started? Where did this begin? I put this up myself. I had a spare room in my previous home before my son was born. His office or his bedroom was my office. And I had this big old wall. And I took all 12 months of that calendar and I put them up. I think I just had the idea one day. I was like, wouldn't it be cool to, like, plan 12 months up on my wall? And I took the four different colored sticky notes and I used them to create a system that really worked for me. So truly the roots of this training were just something that I wanted to build for myself. I was launching my signature course back then and I wanted to be able to keep track of all my dates. I had a daughter who was about two or three. Two turning three, I want to say. And there's just a lot going on. And so I created this system for myself. And what happened was it was the backdrop of my videos and I just started getting so many people being like, hey, like what is happening behind you? Would you teach us that? And so when I put it, put it out there and said, do you guys really want to learn this? I got a big resounding yes. And so I'll never forget the first time I did Year on the Wall. I taught it as a free workshop because I had zero preparation. I didn't even know that this was going to become a thing. And I remember like 400 people signed up for to come learn about it and I was blown away. And so I just stood at my wall and I talked through the system. Very messy. And people really seemed to get a lot out of it. So if you fast forward, I started teaching this event in a ticketed way. It's always been a $47 ticket and it's really become my annual Super Bowl. It's become my big sort of banner event. I tend to do a lot on social media because it's so visual. And I want to share this because I think it's really important. I do this every year as a lead gen opportunity for me primarily. I think it's really important for me to point that out and it feeds into some other things I'm going to be talking about. So yes, it's a $47 ticket. And once you start to sell that to 100, 200 people, like, sure, that starts to add up to some real money. That, that's nice. But I want to say very clearly, I don't really do year on the wall for the ticket sale revenue. I don't even really factor that into my goals. When I'm breaking down, like when I have a revenue goal for the year, how I'm going to get there, I don't even like, I see the ticket sales as like icing on the cake. And what I mean by this is I see this as a way for me to generate new leads. That means reaching out to new people, finding new people, capturing new attention. Because I have found year over year that the people who come to you're on the wall, the people who Find me in December, whether it's through. This is the one time of year that I do, at least as of right now, that I, that I do paid advertising. I do some Facebook ads thanks to my very good friend, Big shout out to Claire Pels. You know, she helps me get these ads going and they're very, they tend to be very successful ads. And so when people come to year on the wall, they often filter into my offers that I do the rest of the year. So when I go to launch the same day sales or I go to launch my mastermind sold out group programs, I'm not just launching to the same people over and over again. So this is a big mistake that I see in a lot of my clients is they're so busy, you know, putting their launches together, they're so busy making sure their podcast goes out every week or you know, doing other business activities, doing other money making activities because they are under my tutelage and they're doing what they're supposed to be doing, which is great. But you also have to be thinking about your lead generation. Doing a paid live workshop is only just one way that you could get new leads. There's so many different ways. But for me, like when you find something that brings new people in, I think it's really important to focus on that because, you know, it just makes, it just sets me up to have a better year next year because again, I can't be launching to the same and selling to these same exact people over and over again. Although that being said, lots of those people will convert. You know, some people, I've said this time and time again, lots of people in my world tend to have to sit through two, three, four launches with me. I hear from people all the time who are like, I've been following and reading your emails for three years before I finally decided to buy with you. So that's normal. But we also of course want to be casting a net and getting new people in who can discover my podcast and get to know me. And ultimately I have the opportunity to work with those people. So I just want to point that out as well. So for those of you who are, I have a lot of clients who are like, I think I want to do a paid live workshop. And I can tell that they're approaching it from a place of like, ooh, I'd make some money from this. And yes, you will make a little bit of money, but think about it, if you're doing like a 40, I always recommend somewhere between like a 27 to 97 ticket for a paid live workshop. If you really do the math on that, you can't. You're not going to be raking in the big bucks. This shouldn't really be a huge part of your revenue plan until we start talking about how you're going to leverage it into a sales event. So I'm going to talk about that in a few minutes. Okay. So I want to also share that this time it's going to be totally honest. This year with Year on the Wall threw me for a little bit of a loop. And that's probably not that surprising if you think about the year that we find ourselves in. It's been kind of a. It's a weird time. Can we all just acknowledge that it's been not the most advantageous market? And again, I always am so cautious to say that because I don't like to stoke any negativity or fear around the economy. I am never the person who's saying, oh, people aren't buying, or people aren't buying. Coaching. That is not the case. I've said over and over again, people are buying. They are buying differently. I do think people are being more discerning. I think people. I've had many conversations with people lately who are like, I have the money. Like, it's not that I don't have the money. It's no, like, I have the money and I'm going to invest it. But, like, I had a conversation with someone who comes to mind that I did a sales call with who was interviewing five different coaches, and she's like, oh, I have the money to invest. Like, no problem. But she was doing, like, really doing her due diligence. And I've seen that a lot. And so in quote, unquote, in this economy, you know, it's. People are just behaving a little bit differently. And I had to adjust to that. With Year on the Wall, there have been years where I could just show up and be kind of a goofball in front of my calendar on TikTok or Instagram. And I was selling tickets like it was nothing, right? This was not that. This was not a year where I felt like the tickets were just, like, pouring in. And so I just want to be honest about that. You know, by the end of this whole cycle, spoiler alert. I've ended up feel really great about where I landed, but it was not the highest ticket sales I've ever seen, and it was certainly not the easiest time I've ever had selling my tickets. And so I Want to be honest about that because number one, that's what I do here on this show and that's just my brand. But on top of that, it really leads into a different conversation around what came up for me. So it can be really tricky when you get caught in the thoughts of doing something because it's what you've always done, right? Doing something because it's always worked. And for Year on the Wall, like I said, because there have been years where I just, it has felt so easy and so effortless that it's like a total no brainer for me to do this event. And I have to be honest, I've been having this conversation with my clients as well and I think it's been such a light bulb moment for them. I've learned some big lessons about external validation through what happened this year with Year on the Wall. And what's really interesting is here's what happened, okay? I started putting it out there. I started doing everything I normally do, I did. I followed my process. I started early. I started emailing my email list, you know, telling them to buy tickets. I started making my content on social media, doing all the things, all the things that normally work. And it was slow. It was slow. Okay, few weeks out, it was slow. And I want to say I had about 25 tickets sold. And again, you have to keep in mind, in previous years I've gotten up into the, you know, by when it was all said and done, maybe 300 tickets and they don't come that early. But like, I definitely felt like I was quote, pace, like pacing behind, right? Like trailing where I would typically be in the past. And the interesting thing about that is the thoughts that came up for me when I realized that my thoughts were like, well, that's it. This is the last year I'm doing Year on the Wall. That was my first thought was like, maybe I'm just done with this, right? Like, maybe, maybe this is going to be it. We're going to shut this down. I even like, I think my brain was even, like, is there any way we could just cancel it and not do it? And if you think about that thought, first of all, it's such a logical thought to have, right? I mean, it feels logical. It's like, look at the information, like, look at the feedback. Oh, people aren't interested in this, right? That's what my brain is saying. Well, people don't want this anymore. Okay, fine, then we're not going to do it anymore, right? But where I caught myself because again, that Seems logical. It seems like you're responding. You're doing what the experts tell you to do. You're responding to market interest. But here's the catch. Here's the catch. I asked myself, Steph, if 200 people had bought by now, what would you be thinking? And my thought was, oh, if 200 people had bought by now, I would be thinking, this is it. This is my calling. Like, this is what happened last year. Last year I feel like the tickets were flying off the shelf and I was like, year on the Wall is going to be a book. This is going to be my life's work. This is my calling card. Like, this is it. Put it on the billboard in Times Square, right? And again, like, I can see how I got there. Like, I can see my own thought process. And in a lot of ways it makes sense. But how much of my own power am I giving away to the external validation of, like, do you like me? Do you like me now? How about now? How much do you like me? Right? And basing so many business decisions and also my, like, mental state based off of, A, it was like early ticket sales, okay? But B, it's just like a very incomplete picture. It's only one way of looking at it, because another way of looking at it. And this is kind of when I really, things started to kind of move. Not coincidentally, things started to move in a positive direction. When I was able to shift my thinking to. Instead of like, oh, my God, only 25 people have bought this. And in the past, maybe 200 people have bought it or something. I shifted my thought to, okay, 25 people have said yes to this. I have. I almost imagine like an in person classroom. If you think about 25 chairs, like, that's, that's my daughter's third grade class. It's a full classroom, right? That thought immediately is a shift. And that thought allowed me to ask myself, how would I teach this class in a way that would blow 25 pairs of socks off, right? Like, these 25 people, how do I make this class so good that these 25 people are, like, chomping at the bit to work with me? Because remember, the whole reason for me teaching this class is not the vanity metrics of feeling famous. Is not the, you know, pomp and circumstance of like, oh, my God, I've gone viral. Because I have, like, I have that experience. Like, this is the flip side. The underbelly of having gone viral is then when you, you kind of get like viral entitlement where I'm like, why are none of my reels, like hitting. Why are none of my tiktoks like popping off, right? And so bringing it back to what actually matters. I don't do Year on the Wall to go viral. I don't do Year on the Wall to be famous. I do Year on the wall to bring in people who I'm going to work with in 20, 25 and beyond. And so when I had that mentality, I realized, oh, I could do it with 25 people, I could do it with 30 people, no problem. Because if I kill it for those 25 people, like, what if that's 25 new clients, right? Like, I don't need to work with that many people because of my program. Like the, because my programs are higher ticket programs, right? Like, I don't need to work with that many people to hit all my goals. I don't need to work with. I don't need 400 ticket sales. And so catching myself in that thought was so helpful. And again, it wasn't a coincidence that I ended up, you know, I said to myself, okay, like, let's try to get, like, if I got a hundred ticket sales, I reframed it for myself. If I could bring in a hundred people to this training, that's a hundred opportunities to call in qualified clients who I can create massive results with next year. Let's go. Like, I started to get excited about that and that's where everything started to shift. And that is ultimately what happened. I think the day I walked into Year on the Wall, I had like 120 people registered, right. And what was also really fun about this is this led me back to my roots of teaching Year on the Wall with just my whiteboard and my wall versus the past few years I've done like full on slides, like slideshow type events. And there's nothing wrong with that. I think those previous years have been great. I've gotten amazing feedback, et cetera. But this year I asked myself, like, what do I want to do for these 25 people? When it was, when it was at 25, what do I want to do for these 25 people? And the answer that came up was like, I want it to be cozy and I want it to be deep and I want it to be workshoppy. I want these guys and gals getting down to business. I don't want them sitting back looking at my slides. I don't want them sitting there crossing their arms, being like, what have you got, teach? I want them to pencil out, pen out, ready to go. And so that's how I ended up teaching it. And for my attendees, they ended up telling me that it felt, like, real. Like, that was actually really relevant to what I think people are wanting in this moment. I think people. You know, it seemed like it was a breath of fresh air for people when they were like, oh, okay, great. She's just teaching on her whiteboard. She's up on her feet. It's energetic. I went to the wall. I showed people how I move a launch event on my calendar just to really show them how flexible this system is. And it ended up being just a different training than what I would have planned in the past. And I had the thought, like, because the tickets weren't flying off the shelf, that gave me space to reinvent, right? Think about it. If the tickets flew off the shelf, I wouldn't change anything. I'd be like, this is working. This is. Everything's amazing. I'm just going to repeat, repeat, repeat what I did last year. But when it felt like something was off, when it felt like I wasn't thrilled with the results, I was forced to ask the question, well, how are we going to respond? How do we make this different? How do we make this new? And that led me to really rethink kind of chucking out what I did last year. But by the way, for those of you who have, like, last year's version, I still stand by that training 100%, but it just gave me the push that I needed to be like, okay, I've got my 25 people in the room. What do I want to do for them? Kind of thank them for being the 25 people who bet on me. I'm going to really just, like, go in a totally different direction and use this as a space to kind of break out of the thought, like, oh, I'm just gonna do this training. Like, that stale feeling of, like, I'm just gonna do what I've always done. Because, like, you know, the prison of what's always worked in the past, that can be. For those of you who have that experience of, like, I kind of just am always, like, it's worked before. You start to feel like that is your master that you're serving. You know, you're sort of, like, stuck in the past. And so, as weird as it sounds for me to say this, it's a bit of a blessing to not get the response that you normally get, because it grants you this weird permission to be like, all right, well, everything's on the table now. And that ended up being, I think, One of the best things that could have happened for me because then I was able to get excited again. I had my design team completely redo my workbook because I've completely redid the training. So it's a brand new workbook, brand new exercises. And what I ended up with was like a totally different training. And that was really, really fun because I feel like I did get to sort of blow the socks off of the group, did end up coming to the training. So that is the sort of behind the scenes of how it all broke down. It ended up being a great training. I think the people who were there got so much out of it. I've gotten so much amazing feedback. And I want to talk now about how I used this event, how I always use this, use this event to sell my services, and how you can and should use any paid live workshop you're going to do. Whether it could be in person, it could be on zoom, I don't even care. It could be. Some of my clients do like lunch and learns at workplaces or health food stores, right? If you're going to do some kind of ticketed event, hear me loud and clear, you are squandering their attention. I have another client right now who's doing like a summit, right? And asked this question, like, should I be selling something at my summit? Yes, you are squandering their attention if you don't give them the opportunity to go deeper with you. So there's your cheat. Here's your cheat code. If you're asking the question, like, oh, how do I do that without, like, I already took their money once, like, how am I going to ask them again? The easiest transition to a pitch, to an invitation when you're doing this type of event is it's the go deeper with me option. So I want you to picture this. I want you to picture your room full of people. I don't care how many people are in the room. 5, 10, 1500. And they've had an amazing training with you. They've been with you for an hour, two hour, three hours, whatever your event is. And they're sitting there like, if you've done a good job, they're feeling good, they're feeling excited, they're feeling hopeful, they're feeling some momentum. And I want you to entertain the thought when they are in that place of picking up some speed, they're just picking up some speed. They're starting to build some momentum and you're too scared to sell to them, to invite them, to continue to invite them to go deeper. You are denying them the opportunity to build upon that momentum, right? It's like a record scratch. They're, like going and going and they're ready and they're ready. And it's the perfect moment for you to be like, hey, you've done some amazing work here today, but let's not shove this work into a drawer and forget it never happened. How many times have y'all been to a conference where you're like, this is amazing. I took 10 pin, 10 pages of notes. Now the notes are in my drawer, and I'm not going to implement anything because here's the deal. Information is amazing. Implementation is totally next level. And implementation is where your attendees are going to struggle. That is where they're going to need you. And they're not all going to be willing to pay for implementation, but some of them are going to listen when you say, hey, this is what I say. With year on the wall. Hey, you made a plan today, and that is amazing. The plan is half the battle, right? You have, you know, cultivated your vision for next year. You've figured out how you're going to get there, and that's going to take you really far. But here's a question for you. What are you going to do on the execution side? Okay. How about implementing your plan? What are you going to do when your kids get sick? What are you going to do when you try something and it doesn't work? How about when you need feedback? How about when you get stuck? What about when you get discouraged? It's one thing to make your plan is another thing to implement your plan. And that is where I want to invite you to consider working with me as your business coach in 2025. And that's where in this case, I've. So I have. I mean, and that is literally what I just told you is just off the top of my head. I'm not reading anything just off the top of my head because I've done this so many times. Just the most basic, authentic invitation to continue the conversation, to go deeper, right? I have sold all different, all different types of offers on the back of year on the wall. I've booked out my one on one. I've sold same day sales. And this year I just did a really casual. What I just told y'all. I just literally was like, if you want to talk to me, apply to work with me. I have two programs, and I will help you figure out which program you belong in so that you have your business coach and you have your plan and you don't disrupt your momentum going into 2025. And it was the simplest, cleanest, most natural invitation that I could possibly give. And that will work for every single one of you listening to this podcast. And so if you feel any resistance to that, I want you to just remember that it is actually hurting them. Like, if you don't have the courage to invite them to keep up their momentum, what's going to happen to them? It's like they're sitting there waiting. They're like, what's next? What's next? Like, I'm ready to take another step. And you don't offer them another step because you didn't have the courage to invite them. Right? For those of you who are feeling salesy or slimy or anything, looking at it that way might really help you. It's like, I have an obligation to help people, the people who want to continue, the people who want to keep up that momentum. I'm doing them a disservice. If I don't invite them to take a next step with me, I'm leaving them in the lurch, right? Like, I'm leaving them out in the cold. That's not what a good coach does. That's not how I be of service. That's not how I use my gifts in this world. Absolutely not. I'm not forcing anybody to do anything. But for the people who are sitting there going, like, what's next? Like, I want more support. I don't want. I don't want to have another year go by where I make a plan and don't do it. I'm so sick of that. I'm so ready to do something, so ready to do something different. What could I do differently? Right? That invitation is for them. And so, my friends, if you are doing a paid live event and you don't offer that go deeper with me invitation, you are doing your clients such a disservice. Not to mention you're leaving serious money on the table in your business. You're making it so much harder for yourselves. Right? Because again, remember, it's not about the ticket sales. It's not about the 2747 97. It's about the fact that you can make 5k, 10k, 15k, whatever. It ends up being, you know, 50k right on the back of your workshop with the deeper offer. That's what I want you focused on if you are going to do paid live workshops. So you need to be asking yourself, how am I going to create an invitation where that really Ends up being what people are coming to me and doing, right. So for me, you know, I've got some new clients. Like, I haven't even to be honest, I have so much going on in my personal life right now. I have more to share on that coming soon. I have an exciting year coming up and lots of great stuff, lots of busy, busy stuff happening in my life. I haven't even really done much follow up. I would recommend my clients do more follow up than I've done to continue to make that offer. And I already have a handful of new clients across my two offers to absolutely make my time and energy worthwhile for teaching year on the wall. And that is how it's done. So I hope this has been helpful. I hope it's been interesting to kind of hear the evolution of, you know, an annual paid live event. What's been different this year, how I responded to it, some interesting lessons, as well as this little bonus tip of how to use a live event to sell your services. Because again, if I leave you with nothing else, you have got to like, like 10 times out of 10, if you're going to take the time to do a summit, an event, a paid live workshop, you've got to bake in an offer at the end. I've had so many clients come to me and be like, do you think I should? I'm like, cut them off. I'm like, yes, I think you should. Do you think I should offer something? Yes. Okay. You are absolutely squandering that attention if you don't, you know, if. And if, again, if you need a simple way to make that invitation, I want you to think of the cheat. The cheat script is go deeper with me. All right? If you want to check out, you're on the wall. If you want to see, you know, the finished product of everything that I shared with you today, you can go to year on the wall.com grab your ticket and within, you know, 30 minutes or an hour, all the materials will be in your inbox. You can go ahead and log in to our course platform. You can go ahead and take the training. You can pause, rewind, fast forward, watch it as many times as you like. The workbook is there for you to guide you through all the exercises. So you get your year up on the wall. You get the clarity that you need to make 2025 your best year yet. My friends, I am wishing you the courage and the clarity to go after what you love. And I will see you next time.
Courage & Clarity: Episode 111 Summary
Title: Sell More Services Through Paid Workshops: Year on the Wall Insights
Host: Steph Crowder
Release Date: December 16, 2024
In Episode 111 of the Courage & Clarity podcast, host Steph Crowder delves into the intricacies of running paid live workshops, using her annual event, Year on the Wall, as a case study. This episode offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to successfully launch and leverage a paid workshop to not only generate revenue but also attract and convert new clients.
Year on the Wall is Steph Crowder's flagship paid live workshop, designed to help entrepreneurs and business owners meticulously plan their upcoming year. The workshop uses large calendar pages and colored sticky notes to facilitate goal setting across various life and business "buckets." Participants reverse-engineer their annual plans by:
Steph emphasizes the workshop's comprehensive nature, stating, "It's not complicated, but we really spend ample and abundant time on going deep into what you actually want" (00:15).
Since its inception around 2018, Year on the Wall has grown organically, attracting approximately 2,000 participants to date. Initially launched as a free workshop out of necessity, the overwhelming positive response led Steph to monetize the event with a consistent $47 ticket price. This transition marked the workshop as her "annual Super Bowl," serving primarily as a lead generation tool rather than a direct revenue stream.
Steph shares, "I don’t really do year on the wall for the ticket sale revenue... I see this as a way for me to generate new leads" (00:35).
This year presented unexpected challenges for Steph. Unlike previous years where ticket sales were robust, this iteration saw a slower start with only 25 tickets sold by mid-December. Steph candidly addresses the economic uncertainties impacting consumer behavior, noting, "People are buying differently. I think people are being more discerning" (26:10).
Faced with lower-than-expected ticket sales, Steph experienced a pivotal mindset shift. Initially contemplating discontinuing the workshop, she reframed her perspective to value quality over quantity. By viewing the 25 attendees as a "third grade classroom," she focused on delivering exceptional value to each participant rather than aiming for mass enrollment.
Steph reflects, "How much of my own power am I giving away to the external validation of, like, do you like me?" (34:20).
This change in approach not only enhanced the workshop's quality but also revitalized her enthusiasm, leading to a successful and impactful event despite the slow start.
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to effective sales strategies post-workshop. Steph emphasizes the importance of leveraging the workshop as a launchpad for higher-ticket offerings rather than viewing it solely as a revenue generator. Key strategies include:
Go Deeper Invitation: Steph illustrates a natural transition from workshop content to inviting participants to engage in more personalized coaching or advanced programs. She advises, "The easiest transition to a pitch... is it's the go deeper with me option" (43:50).
Authentic Invitations: Instead of hard-selling, Steph advocates for genuine invitations that align with participants' momentum and readiness to implement their plans. "If you don't have the courage to invite them to keep up their momentum, what's going to happen to them?" (47:30).
Implementation Support: Highlighting the gap between planning and execution, Steph underscores the necessity of providing ongoing support to ensure participants achieve their goals. She states, "Implementation is where your attendees are going to struggle. That is where they're going to need you."
Steph Crowder's Episode 111 offers valuable insights into maximizing the potential of paid live workshops. Key takeaways include:
In closing, Steph encourages entrepreneurs to embrace courage and clarity in their business strategies, ensuring they offer meaningful support that resonates with their audience's needs. She reiterates, "I am wishing you the courage and the clarity to go after what you love. And I will see you next time."
For those interested in experiencing Year on the Wall, tickets and additional information are available at yearonthewall.com.
On Planning Beyond Basics:
"It's not complicated, but we really spend ample and abundant time on going deep into what you actually want." — Steph Crowder (00:15)
On Lead Generation:
"I see this as a way for me to generate new leads... when you find something that brings new people in, I think it's really important to focus on that." — Steph Crowder (00:35)
On Overcoming External Validation:
"How much of my own power am I giving away to the external validation of, like, do you like me?" — Steph Crowder (34:20)
On Selling Through Workshops:
"The easiest transition to a pitch... is it's the go deeper with me option." — Steph Crowder (43:50)
On Implementation Support:
"Implementation is where your attendees are going to struggle. That is where they're going to need you." — Steph Crowder
This episode serves as an essential guide for entrepreneurs looking to harness the full potential of paid live workshops, emphasizing strategic planning, adaptive thinking, and authentic client engagement to drive sustainable business growth.