Workshop Marketing

The most effective way to acquire clients. Present, build value, and book appointments.

The Process

How do you do a workshop?

Workshops are highly effective marketing tools. Here is the process of running a workshop campaign:

Book your workshop event location

Submit a workshop request on LeadShop

LeadShop marketing representatives run your campaign

Call your registered guests before the event

Present at the workshop event

Top Workshop Locations

High End restaurants

restaurants with private rooms

country clubs

colleges

libraries

senior centers

rec centers

chain restaurants with private rooms

hotels

Your Campaign Checklist

Step 1. Determine your audience (age, income, investable assets, marital status, ethnicity)

Before considering the invitation process itself, consideration must first be given to who should be invited and why. First and foremost, the audience must be appropriate for the workshop topic. Among the demographic selection criteria to be considered are age, income, net worth, investable assets, marital status, presence of children, ethnicity, religion, i.e. whatever criteria are appropriate for the subject being discussed. The goal is to target those with the greatest propensity to respond. Not only those with the income, but also those with the need for the product or service that will be discussed. As a general rule, your best prospects will be those whose characteristics mirror those of your best clients you currently now serve.

In addition to inviting targeted prospects, it is suggested that you invite some of your clients, and, in turn, ask them to invite other friends (like them or just like them) who they think would benefit from attending. A mixture of “cold” prospects, clients, and friends of clients, presents the optimum audience for a successful workshop.

Step 2. Choose at least 5 zip codes where you'd like to target your campaign

You will want to determine demographics such as age (or age range), Marital status, Estimated household income, Investable assets, Type of dwelling unit occupied (homes, condos, apartments, all), Religion, Ethnicity, etc. to use. Consistently changing metrics means you will consistently have varying results. If you like to meet in person in your office you will want to be limited to a 10 mile radius. If you are fine with remote that means you can conduct your workshops wherever you desire. Just understand that some people prefer to meet in person and this is why they are coming to you event. Of course, some will come just for the food but these can also be a source for referrals.

 Step 3. Scout out workshop locations

As a general rule, it’s always advantageous to hold your workshop at a “neutral” site. Having the workshop in your office conference room, as nice as it might be, traditionally limits attendance, as it has a tendency to cause the invitee to feel somewhat uncomfortable, even pressured. Not surprisingly, this is even more relevant if the prospect is currently doing business with a competing firm. Another general rule impacting attendance is that the higher the income of the prospects invited, the more upscale the workshop location should be.

Step 4. Book a workshop location and date

Locations

Higher response rates occur from highest to lowest:

1. Prospects $500-1,000,000+ High end restaurants like: Flemings, Ruth Chris, Morton’s

2. Restaurants with a private room

3. Chain restaurants with Private Room

4. Country Clubs- Golf Clubs5. Low-end Restaurants with buffet style food (best for Medicare style events)

6. College/Library/Senior Centers/ Recreation Centers – lowest cost but higher mail costs

7. Meeting rooms at Advisor’s Office – Client Appreciation/Bring a Friend

Hotels, country clubs, restaurants (private rooms) are all acceptable locations for workshops directed toward higher income/ net-worth prospects, while libraries, classrooms, civic auditoriums etc., are appropriate for mid-level markets (although, needless-to-say, they are less effective than workshops held at the aforementioned locations. Workshops held at colleges, however, particularly those perceived as prestigious have proven to be excellent locations for all workshops. Ensure parking is sufficient and make sure as you select your workshop location consider traffic during workshop times.

Wherever you ultimately decide to hold your workshop, it’s important that you don’t ask potential attendees to drive more than 15 minutes to the workshop site. Consider markets you work in. Every market is different. If you have a more rural market then you may only have certain options. Do what you can considering your market. General rule is just putting yourself in the prospects mind. What and where would you go?

Dates

It’s amazing how many workshops have failed simply because their sponsors didn’t give much thought to the date of the planned event. Make sure you select a date that doesn’t conflict with other events in the community i.e., open school nights, local football games, etc. Also, give thought to what else might be going on regionally or nationally such as Monday night football, the world series, a popular television program, etc. Do not forget to give thought to days and weeks approaching holidays, religious or otherwise (example the week prior to Thanksgiving is not likely a good time to do this).

With a clear schedule, you will still want to have all appointments within 10 days. When first initial appointments are booked the week of on the event – your no show’s dramatically will decrease. Reduce the time between the event and your appointment and it’s likely you won’t have to re-educate your prospect. Our best advisors find that Monday’s are bad days. Tuesday are better because it allows you to schedule Wed, Thurs, and Fri. Keep following week first appointments to a minimum but as you know in retirement – people travel. Just note following week appointments tend to die off even with text,call, and email reminders.

In summary, book workshops on weekdays, Tuesday-Thursday, and avoid holidays and vacation periods.

Step 5. Prepare Your Presentation

Select Guest Speakers

Practice Public Speaking

Practice make perfect. You are spending thousands of dollars you have no room to perform poorly. Making sure you presenteffectively is most important. Resources and support can provide you with feedback on presentation skills. Record your presentation on zoom of yourself with your camera on and replay so you can listen to yourself for areas where you can improve your messaging.Presenter best practices:

-Avoid using filler words like: Um, So, anyway, okay, etc... Practice and catch yourself.

-Avoid pacing while presenting.

-Speak clearly

-Smile

-Practice eye contact

-Demonstrate relatability – Do we have any Steelers fans in the group? Do we have any veterans of the armed services?

-Be yourself-Project – the first rule of communication is realizing – it it even happen.

-Dress to impress. Your suit should be tailored professionally and fit you appropriately. Shoes should be polished and highquality. Pocket handkerchiefs are recommended.

-Exhibit respected grooming standards. Breath fresh. Wear deodorant or antiperspirant.

-Posture matters. When making and following up with clients on potential appointment dates lean down to the prospectslevel. Chances are they will be sitting.

-Never read the slide. Utilize the monitor of a laptop to see next slide. Never place too much text on a slide. Slides should havekey points they should not be scripts – people won’t read them anyway.-Never put your back to the audience.

-Handle disruptions with humor and dignity. Take control of the room. You will have rude attendees and some odd ones. Callout attendees for disruptions, side bar conversations, etc... Words that work. Excuse me, “We have a limited amount of time toshare this information. We have a break coming up in about (time) minutes.”

Step 6. View attendance estimation and ad buy amounts

Click to review the ad spend and attendee estimation table to determine the ad buy amount needed to market to your audience.

Note the following disclaimers:

-Ad results are not guaranteed, but are estimated based on previous campaign results.

-All ad spend, membership fees, and marketing payments are final and non-refundable.

-Credit card transaction fees are 3% of the ad buy and will be subtracted from the total ad buy with messaging and tele-direct fees.

Don't worry, we can help!

Email us at [email protected]

Marketing options

Choose Your Campaign

Select a marketing campaign

1-evenT Campaign

$400 marketing service

+

$1500 ad buy

  • Marketing for 1 Event (Single Event Time)

  • $400 campaign setup and management

  • $1500 ad buy for lead acquisition

  • 4 Client Touchpoints (SMS & Email)

  • 1 Event Location

  • Digital marketing

  • View estimated attendance

  • Standard Plan Users - (Waive $400 fee)

No contracts - Nonrefundable payment

2-event Campaign

$400 marketing service

+

$3000 ad buy

  • Marketing for 2 Events (Two Event Times)

  • $400 campaign setup and management

  • $3000 ad buy for lead acquisition

  • 4 Client Touchpoints (SMS & Email)

  • 1 Event Location

  • Digital marketing

  • View estimated attendance

  • Standard Plan Users - (Waive $400 fee)

No contracts - Nonrefundable payment

4-event Campaign

$400 marketing service

+

$6000 ad buy

  • Marketing for 4 Events (Four Event Times)

  • $400 campaign setup and management

  • $6000 ad buy for lead acquisition

  • 4 Client Touchpoints (SMS & Email)

  • 1 Event Location

  • Digital marketing

  • View estimated attendance

  • Standard Plan Users - (Waive $400 fee)

No contracts - Nonrefundable payment

An active LeadShop Subscription Plan is required for ordering a campaign

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in the LeadShop CRM?

You’ll have access to a comprehensive platform that lets you create funnels, websites, automated messaging (email, SMS, voicemail), payment processing, sales pipelines, forms, surveys, calendars, reviews, and more. Plus, you'll benefit from hundreds of templates and detailed tutorials to help you every step of the way.

Can I really replace all my other software with LeadShop?

That's the promise. You can ditch Kajabi, Skool, Teachable, Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, ClickFunnels, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Calendly, ManyChat, and countless others. The list is extensive, but the point is clear—we manage everything in one place.

What is workshop marketing?

Workshop marketing is the ability to market to a specific audience and draw them to a venue, thereby educating them or presenting a product or service. It is commonly done at restaurants, libraries, community centers, senior centers, and other local venues.

Workshops can sometimes be a single day, or two days. LeadShop allows users to have a two-day workshop campaign, but the two days must be within 7 days of each other.

Do I get a phone number?

If you want to call and message your leads you can purchase a 10-digit phone. Pay-per-use rates apply (see above section).

How does the pay/workshop option work?

The pay/workshop option allows LeadShop users to pay a marketing service fee with their subscription plan and the ad buy to run a workshop campaign. Starter plans will use the pay/workshop option, paying $99/month, $400/campaign, and then a selected dollar amount for their ad buy. Standard plans will automatically get up to 4 workshops included with their $1099/month purchase, but will still purchase ad buy separately. If Standard plan users want more than 4 workshops in a month, they can purchase more using the pay/workshop option for the 5th, 6th workshop, and so on. The pay/workshop option is paid as a Marketing Fee and is applicable to only one workshop campaign.

Which plan could be best for me?

If you're getting started with workshops, the Starter plan is right for you. This will allow you to save money while also learning the ropes. As you develop in your skillsets, you may do more workshops. If you're doing 2 workshop campaigns in a month, the Starter plan will be your most viable option. If you do 3 workshop campaigns in a month period, we recommend upgrading to the Standard plan, as this option will save you money. If you have a team or agency, the Enterprise option may work best for you.

How effective is workshop marketing?

Workshop marketing is a very effective and modern way to get yourself in front of an audience and sell yourself, your knowledge, or even a product or service. It tends to be a more productive use of time and lend higher ROI than cold-calling, door-knocking, and other sales methods.

What if I don't know how to do workshops?

If you are unsure how to do workshops, we recommend visiting annuityfundamentals.com, where you can access extensive training, masterclasses, and instructors fit to train you in workshops for insurance and financial products.

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