Are you shying away from selling your products and programs because you haven’t created anything yet? Do you worry that selling your seminar or workshop tickets too far in advance will mean your clients will forget or lose interest in your event when it finally comes around?

This is a worry shared by many lifestyle business owners… and I often hear from people who have either been put off creating products at all, or who believe they cannot begin marketing their live events until a couple of weeks in advance… neither of which will bring the results you deserve.

It is certainly true that if you sell tickets to a live event which doesn’t take place for several months, and you don’t keep in regular contact to ensure your buyers remain excited; people will forget or lose interest. I’m sure you’ve experienced the same… at the point of purchase, you are at your most excited, then life gets in the way and your excitement dwindles?

What felt so important several months previously, can lose its significance over time if you’re not regularly reminded of why you were so excited originally?

Would you agree?

But, you know, that isn’t a reason for you to shy away from this as an income stream in your lifestyle business. It’s really very simple to keep your buyers engaged for long periods of time between you selling tickets or programs… and the actual delivery date.

The answer is… stick emails.

Last week I wrote about auto-responders… a follow up email campaign, delivered automatically to new additions to your list after downloading your free enticement for providing their details and joining your community.

Stick emails work very much on the same principle. The difference between auto-responders and stick emails is generally that auto-responders are seeding future sales, and stick campaigns are keeping your new customers warm… or sticky… for the future delivery of a program or event they have already purchased.

So, the content of your stick email campaign could include…

Pre-delivery home play:
Consider some sort of home-play that purchasers can complete in advance of your training that will enhance their learning experience. Could you break out some of your content to be delivered in advance via a series of stick emails?

If you have another relevant program, could you include this as a bonus and allow access in advance of receiving your main content?

Building purchasers up to the delivery date with regular learning can be a great way to keep them focused and interested in your content.

Tips and resources that are relevant to their learning outcomes:
We often use tips in our stick campaigns when there is a long period between sale and delivery. We send regular emails giving teasers into what is coming ahead… that also provide tangible tips or strategies that recipients can take away and apply immediately to move forwards.

Answer potential objections:
In your emails, you should show empathy for how they may be feeling right now… acknowledge that you understand they may be concerned about their purchase and remind them of your original promise… the reason that drove them to make the purchase originally.

Recognise they may also be doubting themselves and their ability to achieve the outcomes… they know they still feel the pain, but since leaving your presentation where they were fired up to take action, those doubting voices in their head could be denting their self belief. Reassure them of their brilliance and ability to fulfil their potential.

If you’ve been contacted by other purchasers with questions, consider responding with your answer to everyone in your stick campaign. Remember, if one purchaser is feeling something, it’s almost certain that others will be feeling the same way too. You have an opportunity to address any queries or concerns ahead of a potential problem situation arising for you.

Please don’t allow self limiting beliefs to overwhelm your confidence in your ability to market your programs and events several months ahead. I usually recommend 3-4 months prior to the delivery date to be the maximum time span. Any more than that and you will need a strong stick campaign to keep purchasers engaged… too little marketing time will affect the volume of sales you can expect to make.

Whatever content you decide to include in your stick campaign, keep it relevant, on message and engaging. The result will be an audience excited to be working with you and maximum show ups for your delivery.