HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE ACCEPT TO JOIN YOUR PROGRAMME

Starting anything new is difficult especially when it involves people. One of the things about conference or clubs is that it involves people and if they are to accept you then you have to earn their respect. After working in the spare parts lane for some years, I offered to teach the director’s children. The children didn’t want to allow me because they didn’t think I was good enough; but after solving with them some questions they deemed difficult, they clapped for me and from that day they didn’t complain. I erased their doubts.

In your programme, you’d need an organizing team, sponsors and audience and other groups of people. All of them have a role to play to make your programme a success. But you’d have to earn their respect and trust by erasing their doubts; hence, you have to pre-sell your programme to them.

In our modern day world, there is not such thing as permanent respect because everyday you have to surpass people’s expectations. New things keep coming or competing with what we do, some might be direct and others indirect. For instance, when you organize a programme at church in the evening, some church members would not come because there is a very interesting telenovela that would be aired on TV. During Christmas, there a lot programmes been organized. So you have to surpass people’s expectations all the time if you are to win them all the time; competition is from all angles and are for that one person you want to attend your programme.

Team

You can’t do your programme alone. You need someone to take the videos, decorate the place, place adverts, and receive people and so on. You are going to lead them. The first question they’d ask you is ‘what is in it for me?’

You have to prepare for what they want. While some would help you for free others would take money. You have to influence them to give off their best.

Audience

These are those you want to attend your programme. Your audience is of different kinds and all of them have different ways by which you should earn their respect. In my recent article, I talked about different groups of people that you need to have on your side if you want to hold a programme; you need to read that article if you’ve not. There are friends and family and these have to be kept close to you by maintaining the respect. There are also opinion leaders, presidents and so on who when you befriend or help can endorse your programme by coming and participating or telling their followers to join and you’d have a lot of people come. There are also association members who are in clubs that you have to be part of who would also want to Honor you by attending.

These classes of people might not be fit to attend every programme you organize. For instance, if that person were not a business person, holding a business conference cannot bring her. I insist that you form friends that would impact your programme. One of the friendships is with respected speakers in our society. Your ability to befriend them would test your skills in relationships as these people are busy and even don’t want to make themselves approachable except by those who matter to them.

There is also another group of people who’d attend but don’t know you. For them a good communication can get them. What I have seen with my brothers is a common brochure been floated on Facebook but they have to do better.

One thing you should realize is that the Facebook events that people click to say they’d join programme, those numbers should be divided by four. With the programmes I have attended, only one fourth or half attended.  

Sponsors

I have seen very little sponsorships with my friends who organize programmes. I don’t know why. You need sponsors to finance your programme for you. Money is important for publicity or advertising; paying for camera and lighting and rent is not easy. Without enough money your programme could be handicapped.

You have to earn the respect of these sponsors. It is difficult to get sponsorship when you haven’t started for long. Hence, you have to make a hit and show the video to them about the previous successful conferences you’ve had. Then you have to go on and show them how you have prepared for them to be sure you can deliver the same results or better. Then you have to show them what is in it for them. Is your audience their market? What is the type of sponsorship you have for your programme and what are you doing for each category? These questions and more have to be reviewed and well prepared by you.

Make a list of companies you think can sponsor your programme and go after them but if you can’t face them, get somebody who can.

In my next article, I shall write about how to hold a topnotch programme. I have seen too many meetings that are supposed to be big and yet only a few people attended. Thanks for reading.