Tuesday, May 26, 2009

To Market, To Market


I'll be presenting two workshops at the 2009 National Cohousing Conference, June 24-28 at the University of Washington, in Seattle. One of them, Group Process Skills for Committees, will be part of the Pre-Conference Tours and Workshops offering, which means I get four whole hours with folks and 40% of the door. Yippee!

But it also means I am responsible for my own marketing. Recently, the facilitators got an update on the registration numbers for the conference (lower than last year) and each workshop. There was quite a range, from 0 to 16. It turns out some folks had been actively promoting their gigs. "If your numbers are low," wrote my good friend and co-mentor, Eris Weaver, who is this year's chair, "you might want to start sending info to your list."

Err, my list?

I haven't even figured out how to use "Outlook Business Contacts" yet. (But I did buy a book!)

No matter. It is time for me to come out of my shell. I have a business to promote. I am in the middle of a major revamping of my website, which I am very excited about. Writing is a slow process for me, but I enjoy it very much. I just wish I could cloister myself until it is done. I am implementing the advice of Caterina Rando, and a cornerstone of that is to build a permission-based email list and provide valuable material. One way is through your website, so I am looking forward to getting it up and running.

It has taken me a while to trust that what I really wanted to do--facilitate in community settings--is where my niche is. That may not be where I end up, but it is where I am going to start. It is where my heart is, and I can't seem to get away from it.

Next week I am going to be doing one of my very favorite things: hanging out with a bunch of facilitators at a cohousing community. I am such a junkie! But more on that later. First I must finish up my flyer about my pre-conference workshop, and send it out to my list!