Marketing Training Programs

Over time, I have attended a few seminars and courses and discovered there are a number of ways in marketing training programs.  They can vary in content but all promise to make me more informed, better and smarter.  It, however also exposed me to the very shady side of selling training programs.

Marketing of Training Programs and what I uncovered:

• Through referrals, tradeshows, social media and websites, they lure people by offering a seminar or course – making strong, irresistible claims to achieving wealth and mastery.  You are offered a course claimed to be worth hundreds of dollars for free or reduced by 90%!  This is called the brain dead offer.  In retail it’s called the lost leader.
• They make sure you provide your credit card and email address to register for the course, usually done online.  Even though it’s promoted as free or very close to it – Read the fine print.  If you don’t show up they can charge you the inflated price they quoted as the original price for the course.
• Prior to attending – they begin emailing you about the course and exercises to complete, perhaps even sending you offers on books or related software.  The sequence of persuasions has begun.
• The course is held in a hotel.  It is delivered with team breakouts, bonding, hugging, declarations, affirmations and at times singing.  Short of walking on fire, very expensive training courses are promoted. This is where the REAL money is made.
• These courses are usually bundle offers. With a flip chart, the facilitator lists the prices then crosses them out, repricing the courses at a reduction of almost 80% of them claimed original value- providing you purchase them before you leave.
• The weak become converted into believing a couple weekend courses costing thousands of dollars can transform their lives.  With this new hope they hand over their credit card.
• People drawn into paying for these outrageously expensive courses are usually small business owners, people recently retired or self-employed.