Think retreats are merely a “kumbaya” feel-good experience? Think again.
Here at Journeywork Retreats, we look at retreats as part of a proven revenue generation strategy I affectionately refer to as the Business of Bonding™.
The Business of Bonding™ positions retreats as the ultimate win-win-win for your clients and your business. Let me break each of these wins down for you.
1) The Win for Your Clients
The deepest forms of growth and healing rarely happen in a vacuum. And this is why retreats often produce such accelerated and profound breakthroughs and outcomes.
First, there’s the gift your clients give themselves by getting away from their everyday distractions and stepping into a dedicated space that invites an uncluttered mind and an open heart. Then there’s the added benefit of immersing themselves in a beautiful surrounding, one that promotes relaxation, fuels their regeneration, and where they can feel pampered.
But let’s be clear, your retreat participants are not here merely for a vacation but to learn and grow with you as their guide. Part of what they’re willingly paying for is that up-close and intimate time with you, the chance to see you in your most authentic and unplugged version and to gain the deepest kernels of wisdom you can impart.
Finally, let’s get down to the importance of the bonding itself.
One of the fundamental benefits to your clients is the authentic connections they form with their fellow retreat participants and the immense safety and acceptance that comes with feeling part of a tight-knit community. This is an essential element in fostering that deeper magic of the retreat experience, making it all the more transformative and unforgettable.
2) The Win for Your Business
Let’s talk about very real ways the Business of Bonding™ can help increase your bottom line.
First, let’s talk about variety and the benefit of a well-rounded portfolio of client offerings. Retreats are the perfect in-person complement to online coaching programs and masterminds. They’re also a proven stepping-stone to higher ticket sales since once you add an in-person component to any program, it will appeal more to your clients and allow you to command a considerably higher price.
Next, there are the up-front ways you can make added short-term income from your retreat. You can pad profit into your retreat pricing, save costs through sponsorships, bring in added revenue through VIP tickets, or sell additional products during the retreat.
And, for heaven’s sake, remember to offer your retreat participants an irresistible upsell! They’d be riding such a high by the end of their retreat experience that you’d be doing them a disservice if you didn’t invite them to continue that journey with you and solidify all that they’ve gleaned.
But what about the longer term benefits to your business of offering in-person retreats?
Here’s where the Business of Bonding™ truly kicks in.
By their very nature, retreats offer you the greatest possible opportunity to deepen the know-like-trust relationship with your clients.
Because of the intimate time they spend with you, the impact of your teachings, and the unforgettable nature of the experience you provide. Your retreat participants will be transformed into a loyal inner circle of lifelong raving fans.
Clients who, touched deeply by the retreat experience, will more readily re-enroll in your programs, upsell to your higher ticket offerings, and refer those in their circles to you down the line. Repeat business leads to consistent revenue in the short term, while referral business will dramatically grow your revenue over time.
Make no mistake, the Business of Bonding™, at its heart, is not only about enriching your clients’ journey with you, but extending it. And remember, the longer a client stays with you, the more money they will spend over time, and the greater the benefit they can receive from your wisdom and teaching.
3) The Win for You
Coaches, healers, and transformation leaders are called to affect positive change in your clients’ lives. It’s your passion and your why. Serving them at a deeper level and supporting and facilitating their movement toward lasting transformation makes your heart sing.
More than this, you’re likely a visionary entrepreneur. An influencer. A leader. You’re called to have a vast reach and a great impact.
Those entrepreneurs who lead retreats set themselves apart from the competition. They self-select as leaders in their field, and the level of authenticity, care, and intent they take in planning their retreats is felt throughout the programs they offer and as an integral element of their brand, and in turn, of them.
To step into hosting retreats and fully comprehend and harness the power of the Business of Bonding™ is an invitation to step into a bigger vision for yourself, your clients, and your business.
Time has literally never more ripe than coming out of this pandemic to meet your clients in their deepest place of need by inviting them to come away with you on retreat.
Your clients crave deeper in-person connections and need a safe forum to voice and process the many fears, vulnerabilities, challenges, and uncertainties that have arisen over these many, many months.
They need your help in navigating a clear path forward toward their own personal “new normal”.
All this being said, let me end on this note…
After the genuinely emotional, physical, and logistical challenges we all have had to face over the past year…be they great or small…a little “kumbaya” might be what the doctor ordered. 😉
How do you feel about the comeback of in-person retreats? Let me know in the comments below!
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