How to Create a Retreat That Sells - 3 things you need to know

In order to get your retreat fully booked, you need to design a high-quality event. That means the perfect venue, the right food and a schedule of engaging and beneficial activities. While all of those elements are necessary for a memorable retreat, getting them exactly right doesn't guarantee that your retreat will sell. In order to make your event truly irresistible, you need to really know your ideal clients in order to resolve a pain point, add extra value and craft a defined sales and marketing plan.

Resolve a Pain Point

In order to be the most compelling, the retreat you lead should have a very specific focus on the particular way it will benefit participants. This will not only help you define the structure and activities of the retreat, but will also become an important selling point. To determine that purpose, you need to think about your ideal attendee and what "pain point" or issue your retreat will resolve for that person. Which of their needs will the retreat address? Are you helping them set aside a weekend for some much-needed self-care? Are you teaching them ways to make yoga part of their busy weekly routines?

The better you understand your audience, the better you will be able to create a solution that meets their needs, in the form of a retreat. You can learn about your audience and their key pain points by listening to their discussions in the Facebook groups they frequent, or by doing a survey in exchange for a free healthy living resource you've created.

Add Extra Value

This element of creating a retreat that sells goes along with the first, in that it again focuses on what you are offering your participants. In order to stand out from other options, you need to include features that other retreats don't offer. The extra value you include in your retreat could be based on your specific experience and unique expertise, or it could be a feature of the retreat itself.

For example, if you have special knowledge of relaxation techniques that are particularly effective or overworked professionals, that's a benefit that will set you apart. Likewise, a brief retreat that offers the convenience of a local destination will have far more practical appeal to stay-at-home moms than an extended stay at an exotic location. Deeply understanding your audience and drawing on what makes your retreat unique will make your offer irresistible.

Have a Sales & Marketing Plan

A scattered advertising method for your retreat will never be as effective as a detailed and purposeful plan. Even before you start marketing and trying to sell spots in your retreat, you need to define how you are going to advertise, where you will market the retreat and what information and materials you will need to do so. Your sales and marketing plan again requires knowing your target customers and what will appeal to them.

One of the best ways to start your marketing plan is by setting your goals, then designing a strategy to accomplish those goals. This includes making a list of websites, social networks and even physical locations that your audience frequents; choosing the best ways to reach them in those places; then creating the relevant materials, which should focus on the issue that you are resolving and the unique value your retreat has to offer. Our recent post provides more details on marketing your event.

With the right strategies, you can design a retreat that will sell faster than you ever expect. A strong understanding and catering to your audience will help you identify the right pain point to resolve for your clients and share the unique value you are providing. From there, it's a natural transition to crafting a sales and marketing plan that will highlight your retreat's benefits, setting it up to be completely booked.