Took Action. Now I'm about to Choke on my tongue...

[BeauJustin]

I took action. For those of you interested I've been trying to get a startup off the ground recently which helps seniors learn to master their tech gadgets. I started making contacts with some of the local seniors clubs and organizations. And while the contacts have been receptive to the idea, as of yet there have been no bites.

That is until today. I got a bite in a most unexpected way, and now I'm about to freak out.

I spoke with an older gentlemen who runs photography club for seniors, who was interested in the service, but was more interested in something else contained in my gord.

The photo club has about 80-120 members. It turns out they've been salivating to get someone in there to give a class on Photoshop Elements. And, as a recovering graphic designer, who do you think has a boatload of knowledge of the entire Adobe Suite; including Elements and lightroom??? That's right; This guy!

So, long story made short, I'm meeting with him on Monday to hammer out the details of an all day class.

You guys have to understand something; for most of my adult life I've had an action-phobia. I have a history of falling flat on my face with one failed business after another. Until this week, I had gotten to the point where I would get a great idea, but when leap-time would come, the pressure would literally squeeze me into paralisys.

Except this time.

I can teach this class, upside down, sideways in and out. I know so much about Photoshop Elements, Workflows, and handy tutorials that I would have to trim it down to keep the class from being overloaded.

But I have one question. One question only. I've never been a public speaker. I've never done any type of paid speaking engagement, and I have a history of undervaluing what I have to sell... soooooooooooo how much do I charge?

It's more than likely that the organization is going to fit the tab, and I just don't even know where to start. I took action, and now I have a sales meeting on Wednesday to sell a hitherto non-existent class, and now I'm about to freak out... It's going to be a long weekend hammering this out...

Any simple pricing advice would be most appreciated.

OK... I'm going to sleep now, and try to figure out exactly how I got here.

[Will Edwards]

In the UK, a professional trainer would charge anything from £400 to £1200 for a 1 day session.

My advice is to not undervalue your time.

And good luck with it!

Will

[Ron Kerr]

When you work on your own it is easy to undervalue your own services; it is something I am constantly reminding myself to be wary of.

If you know the subject as well as you describe, you are certainly worth commercial rates of at least $100 per hour, however, you might try to get a feel for what this group can afford.

[Peter Soos]

Seniors eh? They'll eat you alive....not really. Here's the thing...how long is the 'course'...how many will you teach...how many have computer skills. That's a start.

Is it over ___ weeks time? (I'm getting to the $$..honest..LOL). Let's say that you have 70 to teach...everything...and I mean everything you do...you need to screen capture...video tape...audio record. Break it down into the basics...20 most important things you must know..blah blah blah. PowerPoint it into a presentation and then make the cd/dvds available as part of your package.

If you want to go a bit cheap..hit them up for 10 bux a head per session...they provide the place etc. 70 people...4 classes...$10bux each...$2800. I think that is cheap!
Here's the real deal...you edit all of it into a nice organised package with handouts etc and with the testimonials you get from the club...hit up another one in a neighboring community. Same class..you already have the material..you also can take on a few that want more individual training as a up sell..blah blah blah. LOL.

BTW...the $10 is a starting point...charge more if it seems they will go for it...just break it down to the lowest denominator...so much a person. If they want a 4 hr class and then you leave...and the whole club shows up...Figure how much your happy with and divide it by the members. I don't know how big your delusions of grandeur are. PM me and I can break it down better,
Pete

[GoGetta]

Way to go! I remember reading your initial post regarding your tech business. Great Job!

I would say that when it comes to public speaking just be yourself. You have the opportunity to get yourself prepared and get all your materials ready, but when it comes down to the speaking part just be yourself! Thats the main point. Work out what you are gonna say before hand and get prompt cards or powerpoint or however you want to do it and then be yourself!

There really is nothing to it!

But one idea that sprung to my mind straight away was that you have the knowledge to hold more than the one class! When you meet on Monday why dont you bring up the idea of a 4 week course. 1 class per week on a different element of PS! This not only will make things much easier to fit in and more relaxed, but you will earn way more money. I am sure the guy would go for this as this offers even more value to his clients!

If they are going to pay for it you can then split a higher cost over 4 weeks and make more! Just a thought but that was the first thing that came to my mind when you said you have enough material and knowledge to blow one day out of the water!

Just a thought anyway!

GoGetta

[JohnMcCabe]

It sounds like this club is looking for classes like this:

The Learning Annex | Online Classes, Adult Education & Local Classes

Snoop around the Learning Annex site, and you'll get a feel for pricing.

[Alton Hargrave]

It is probable that some in the group have quite a bit of experience while most have absolutely none. In fact, most may not be computer literate at all. It may be best to divide the group according to experience level.

I would be in the less experienced group.

Good luck,
Alton

[lburrell]

great work mate!! I know my grandmother would love this kind of stuff near her

Many things to consider on pricing. Depending on how many ppl are in the class, length, where u are located, etc

I would say no less than $600 and no more than $3000

[InternetMarketingCenter]

Not all old people have tons of money to spend on just anything -- a lot of them are on fixed income because of pensions, medical bills, etc. You'll get more return business and recommendations to other groups if you give them a reasonable rate that doesn't gouge them, and still establishes your value.

$40 or $50 dollars is perfectly reasonable for a day of training on software. Many places charge upwards of $90 - $125 for day courses. However, this is your first course, and you are trying to build a business, so $50 sounds like a great starting point.

[JerryIL]

I can't help on what to charge but I can tell you they will be happy to see you and are looking forward to your visit. They are talking about you as we speak.!!
Best thing you can is just be your self as disucssed above and most of all have fun..!!
Enjoy this experience. I'm sure there will be lots of questions and thats normal and I'm sure you will be invited back as well.

[JoeCool]

BeauJustin,

Why not make the first class kind of introductory and not too overwhelming for both you and the attendees?

Then tell them you are in the process of setting up an online training program that will be based on a monthly membership fee for the level of training they would like to have... Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

Do some nice camtasia videos and pdf documentation with screen shots each month for each training level and then collect residual income for years to come. The original group may invite others, and you could even offer an affiliate program to spread the word and grow the business.


Just my thoughts,
JoeCool

[darrinmcl]

There was a great post a while back about how a particular person used FREE lectures like this to build an enormous business online.
The basic idea was that he would do an initial speaking engagement and offer a great deal of value to the audience. then at the end he would leave them with a handout or disc of some kind that drove them to his website where he sold instructional videos, e-books, etc. He also had them opt-into his mailing list and ultimately sold them personal mentoring and one on one coaching.
It was a great read and well worth your time to search for. I thought I had it bookmarked, but I don't.
I think you should consider this initial class as a bit of a lost leader and build a strong business on the back-end. Don't look at it as a one-time money grab. Think of this one time event as a long haul opportunity.

[Sheila]

Congrats! You're going to be awesome with these folks. They already know you care, you already know you have the knowledge to help them . . . there is no better way to make money than this! You're helping people follow their dreams. I'll bet it's going to be a lot of fun for you and they're going to be a springboard for a great career.

I'm not sure what to charge, sorry I can't help you with that - but a search on google will probably give you some good ideas, along with the posts given here. There are seniors with money, and there are seniors without money - I'd say price yourself fairly. You can always judge by their reaction if you're too high or too low - if they instantly jump at your offer, you're too low. If they look REALLY uncomfortable, you can take away a few things and tell them you have a smaller package available. Best thing to remember is - don't be uncomfortable with silence after you've given them a price. WAIT. The first one to talk after money has been brought up always loses.

Oh, and you might want to consider this: I'm sure there's a market out there of other seniors looking for the same information - so, make sure you get testimonials while you're there. If you don't use the testimonials later, so what? But, if you do decide to take this further, you'll have them for your webpage.

Good luck!

[Oscar D]

Well done, I think this is an excellent opportunity for you to make sum $$ while doing what you love.

You need to use this to your advantage and advertise your skills and services to these people so they can tell their friends and so on...

Good luck and Well Done