Ask Felicia: Pricing & Promoting Events

Q: "I offer on-site wellness events and classes for corporate clients. I have a variety of things I can offer (yoga, energy work, meditation, etc.), which I customize to their staff, space, and schedule. Though I've had success with these events in the past, the last few proposals I've sent out have not been accepted or answered. I'm not sure what happened, but am afraid I quoted too high a price. What can I do to make sure I'm getting a response back on my quotes and that I'm not asking too much money for my services?"

A: First off, congrats on all the past corporate business. Working with companies to improve the health and wellness of their teams can be rewarding, enjoyable, and lucrative. However, it can differ from one-on-one clients as each business has different structures, goals, and policies for bringing in outside vendors.

Start by asking specific questions to make sure you understand their needs clearly. For ease, I am using the words "event," "class," "service," and "program" interchangeably.

• What is your goal for offering this service?

• Is the company paying for the program, or is it up to the employees who want it to pay?

• Do you have a budget in mind per event or per attendee?

• Are you hoping to include anything for each attendee? (Handouts, self-care tools, snacks, lunch, etc.)

• Besides a price, what information will you need from me to make a decision?

• By what date will you make the decision to move forward?

• Who will be making the decision?

By understanding their financial position, goals, and timeline, you'll be better prepared to create a quote that lines up with their needs. You'll also have clearer expectations about when you'll be able to confirm the event is moving forward or if it is time to move on. 

Some other questions you might want to add:

• What date or dates are you hoping to schedule this event?

• What duration of a program were you thinking of? (Note - they may not know anything about how long what you do takes. Be prepared to educate them rather than trying to shorten or lengthen your class (s) or services if that doesn't make sense.)

• How many people will attend? 

• Tell me about the space where the class will take place.

This is by no means a complete set of questions, but it should give you some food for thought when quoting your next corporate class or program. For ideas on Event Planning at your own business or practice, you may also want to check out my Event Planning Guide.