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Welcome to The Guri Show, your go-to podcast for retreat leaders, coaches, and transformation seekers who are ready to create thriving businesses while embracing self-healing, wellness, and personal growth. Hosted by Guri Kaur, this show is your space to learn how to design life-changing retreats, confidently sell your offers, and master the mindset shifts needed to create abundance and impact.
Each episode dives deep into actionable strategies, personal insights, and soulful practices that combine business growth with inner transformation. From self-healing techniques and wellness rituals to powerful tools for scaling your coaching programs, we’ll help you align your purpose, your profits, and your peace.
Whether you’re building your first retreat or scaling to six figures and beyond, The Guri Show is your space to dream big, transform yourself, and empower others to do the same.
Tune in, grow your business, heal your soul, and create the legacy you’re destined for. Let’s thrive together!
Guri Kaur (00:02)
Hey there, welcome back to the GURI show. I'm your host GURI. And if you're ready to finally crack the code on selling out your retreats and creating consistent NK positive profits, you're in the right place. Now, last time we set the foundation, we talked about why retreats are such a powerful business model, the common mistakes retreat leaders make, and how to price your retreat confidently. Today we're going deep.
I'm going to walk you through the six essential steps to sell out your retreat with ease. Whether you're planning your first retreat or looking to fill up your next run faster, these strategies are going to transform the way you approach sales and marketing. So grab a notebook, a cup of tea or your favorite kombucha and let's dive in.
All right, let's start with step one, creating a magnetic offer.
This is the foundation of everything because if your offer doesn't excite your audience, no amount of marketing will fix that. Your retreat isn't just a getaway. It's a bridge from where your audience is now to where they want to be. And for your offer to feel magnetic, you need to get clear on three things. Who is this retreat for? What problem does it solve?
What transformation will they experience? Example, let's say you're hosting a retreat for female entrepreneurs. Instead of saying join us for five days to relax and recharge, you could frame it as this retreat is for ambitious women who are tired of doing it all and ready to reclaim their energy, reset their business strategy and leave with a clear plan.
to work smarter, not harder. That clarity, who it's for, what they'll solve, and the transformation they'll get is what makes it magnetic.
Now, right now, take a second to think about your next retreat. Can you clearly answer those three questions? If not, that's your first step. Okay? Write them down and start refining your offer.
I love it. I love black coffees. Now, another way to make your offer magnetic, and this is a bonus tip for you, is by adding something unique. Is it the location, the activities, the level of personalization? Highlighting what makes your retreat different is what helps it stand out in a crowded market. With that being said, let's go to step number two.
Nailing your messaging. Now before I start talking about nailing your messaging, I also want to talk about there are like seven ingredients that go into making a magnetic offer. Other than the three that I told you, the rest of the four are basically when you go deeper into how to create
a magnetic offer, an irresistible offer. But for starters, if you're new to this space and you want to do it on your own, you want to just like give it a try. You don't want to hire a coach. You don't want to get into all the training and learning part. Start with those three. OK. That being said, let's move to step number two, nailing your messaging. Messaging is what helps your audience see themselves in your offer.
If they don't feel like a retreat was designed for them, they'll scroll right past it. Okay? They'll scroll right past it. They don't care. They don't care. They have to feel that your retreat is designed for them. Think about your ideal attendee. Imagine their life right now. What are they struggling with? What are they craving? Write it down.
Where are they right now in their life? What is it that they truly miss in their life? What is the one thing that they will do everything to get? It could be a feeling, it could be something internal, it could be a belief shift, it could be something external. It could be an experience, anything.
But that is something so important for them that if you start using that in your messaging, in your language, in your marketing content, they'll be like, this person gets me.
So when you create your messaging, speak directly to those struggles and desires. Let me give you an example.
let's say your ideal client is a busy mom who feels overwhelmed and burned out. Your messaging might sound like, are you tired of feeling like there is never enough time for yourself? This retreat is your chance to step away from the chaos, reconnect with who you are and create a self-care routine that works for your busy life.
Do you see how that speaks directly to her pain points? You want your audience to think, how does she know exactly what I'm feeling? That's the power of great messaging. And I love messaging. I love expressing people.
I love expressing people. I love expressing their thoughts, their feelings, their emotions. What do they want, their desires? I love messaging, really. That's the best part of being in this business. Okay, let's move to segment number three, or step number three, creating urgency and scarcity.
Now, some of this part, urgency and scarcity can also be tied into the offer creation part, but you can also look at it as a separate step, separate point altogether. So if your audience doesn't feel a reason to act now, they'll put off their decision. And we all know what happens when people say, I'll think about it. So.
I'm not sure how many of us has experienced this, you know, where in the past we've heard like talking to someone, potential client, potential customer, potential participant maybe. And we hear this thing, I'll think about it. It sounds like perfect to me, but let me just give it a thought. Let me speak to my partner. Let me see what I could do, you know, all those things, you So.
What I'm going to do today, I'm going to give you some tactics to try. Okay. That will create certain urgency and scarcity. Again, you don't have to create fake urgency or fake scarcity. Use these tactics, use these strategies to come to a more authentic offer, come to a more authentic messaging of how you want to create that urgency and scarcity in your business.
Do that first and then talk to your audience or talk to your potential participants or put it out on social media. But don't do it from a place of like manipulating individuals. Do it from a place of this is where I stand. This is where I'm drawing the line. This is what the deadline means to me. All right, so the first tactic to try is deadlines.
use early bird bonuses for people who book by a certain date. So for example, say $500 if you book by so-and-so date. The other way to do is by limiting spots. So frame your retreat as exclusive and intimate, something like only 10
spots available for a highly personalized experience.
I remember running a retweet and seeing bookings trickle in slowly and I realized that I hadn't given people a reason to act quickly.
I'm going to share a personal example with you. I remember running a retreat and seeking scene bookings trickle in slowly. I realized that I hadn't given people a reason to act quickly. So once I added an early bird bonus, something as simple as a free one-on-one coaching session for the first five signups, I filled three spots within 24 hours. And
I did another thing where I invited people, like where I did one plus one. So bring a friend, share a room and you don't pay extra. Right. I did that early bird also. And I did that in the like last minute offer also. And I filled spots within 24 hours. Okay. It doesn't have to be complicated, but it does have to create a sense of urgency. Now.
If these three steps make sense to you and now I'm coming to the most important step that might not help you today, but it will help you six months down the line, one year down the line. And this is probably the most important step if you want to take this retreat business seriously and you're not taking it as a side hustle, as a hobby.
or like, you know, or assuming that things are just going to happen magically, somebody is just going to come and, you know, take out their credit card and pay you all their savings just out of blue, out of the blue, right? That's not going to happen. Reality check for you. So this step number four, and sorry if I just build up too much for you. This step number four is leveraging your email list.
Now, this job is all about tapping into the power of your email list. Now, if you're thinking, but I don't have a big list or do I even need one? Trust me, you do. Your email list is one of the most valuable tools you can have as a read-read leader. In this episode, I'm going to like speak a little bit more.
about the email list part as opposed to the other parts, the other steps. I'm going to dive deeper into the email segment more as opposed to the other segments. And I'm sure you'll realize that. That is because you have to start building your email list today. And if you do that today, that's where the other things, you know, your magnetic offer, your messaging is going to come in handy in the last.
Like even if your retreat is three months from now or six months from now, if you already have an email list, you are set up for success. Even if you start promoting your retreat six months out. Okay, so let's talk about a little bit of like problems that people face when they don't have an email list or when they are like, you know, thinking about.
creating an email list and don't know where to begin. The number one symptom, number one problem that I see is relying solely on social media. Now, I'm not sure if you've already heard this thing, but the thing is that if you're relying only on social media to sell your retreat, you're setting yourself up for some challenges. Algorithms can be unpredictable.
One day your post might reach thousands of people and the next day it barely scratched the surface. Social media platforms aren't your own. Facebook is, you don't own Facebook, you don't own Instagram. You don't own your followers. They can follow you one day and they can just move to another person, another influencer, another expert the second day. They can unfollow you in two hours. They can block you in just two minutes or two seconds, right?
If those platforms disappeared tomorrow, how would you reach your audience?
Social media is a crowded space. Your retreat offer is competing with funny videos, cute dogs, and endless scrolling. And you know, I'm sure that you all have seen this. You all are victim to this. You all are like you all do it. You know, how many times do you see an offer and you stop the scroll? Probably once a week, once a month, once a day.
What are you doing rest of the time? You're either learning something or you're watching some cute videos or you're you know, exposed to exposing yourself to mindless and endless scrolling.
So think about this. What happens when someone sees your retweet post on Instagram but gets distracted before they click? Without an email list, there's no follow-up. They are gone. And you've lost that potential client. Okay?
Let me paint a picture of what this looks like for many retreat leaders. So you're posting on social media every day, hoping your audience will see your content, but you're hearing crickets or you're relying on the DMs or comments to gauge interest, but it feels scattered and overwhelming. Or maybe something like you launch your retreat, but instead of a flat up sign up.
which you might be expecting because you feel down that deep down that your retreat is the best thing they can come to. You know how good you are at what you do. And so when you launch your retreat, you're expecting a flood of signups. But instead of that, you're refreshing your inbox. You're refreshing Facebook, wondering if anyone will actually book
And the worst part, without an email list, you don't have a reliable way to nurture potential clients. You're constantly chasing attention instead of building relationships. And that's so much important. The other day, one of my friend, Facebook friend, friend from the retreat industry, I'm also joining her VIP mastermind next year because...
That's how we grow, know, we kind of like learn from each other, we grow with each other, we support each other. And it's always good to be in each other's container so you can learn together, you can grow together. And so she sent me this message yesterday where she said, you know, one of the potential, you know, client sent her this audience, sorry.
One of the potential clients sent her this audio that she's looking for some retreat help. She's looking for some sales and marketing help where she wants her, my friend, to sell out her retreat because she really likes the way she, my friend, is selling her retreats. But then there's one thing that she mentioned in her audio is that she doesn't have an audience. And the problem is that
So many of us, especially in the beginning years, have gone through that phase where we thought that even if we don't have an audience, some magic can happen and we can just sell our products.
But that's not how it works. And on the other hand, the worst case scenario is that you're thinking that your Facebook group or your social media following is your audience when you're not even focusing on building your email list. In reality, your email list is your actual audience. People who take
an effort to make an effort to open your emails every week or every second day to read what you're sending them.
Anyway.
So, mistakes some people make, and one of the mistakes is waiting too long to start when it comes to building their email list. Thinking, I'll build my email list once my business grows. But here's the catch. You need a list to help your business grow. Your list is actually the way to growing your business.
The other mistake that most people make is not offering value. So expecting people to join your list without giving them a reason. People need to see what's in it for them.
The other thing is treating your list like an afterthought. Like sending one email every few months won't keep your audience engaged or excited. It's like a dead end for you then.
So if you don't prioritize building an email list, you'll keep relying on inconsistent social media algorithms and miss out on the chance to create deeper connections with your audience. I'm not saying that email list is the only way and social media is not the way to go. Let me tell you one thing. I use social media to build my audience also. So I'm not in any way discounting.
or minimizing social media. What I'm trying to say is, when I post something on social media, on Facebook, or when I engage with other people on Facebook, I am still very much dependent on how many people will see my post, how many people will see my comment, how many people will engage back with me on that post. But when it comes to my email list, I know I have these people.
who are willingly choosing me, who are making an effort to choose me over others. So that's the only difference. At the end of the day, you gotta do both, okay?
Hmm, alright, so when you rely on inconsistent social media algorithms and miss out on the chance to create deeper connections with your audience...
What happens when it's time to sell your retreat? You'll struggle to fill spots because you don't have a warm audience ready and excited to book. Okay, so what's the solution? Guri, tell us the solution. Start building your list today.
Okay, the first step, create a lead magnet, create a freebie, create an amazing free workbook, free guide, something free, free workshop, create something for free. Something which is absolutely valuable, something which is going to solve their problem in the short run. Something which is going to encourage them to take that step irrespective of all the beliefs, all the fears that they have.
So people won't join your list just because you asked them to, they need a reason. And a lead Magnet is a free resource that offers value and solves a small problem for your audience. Some of the examples would look like a short guide, five steps to reset your mind and body in 10 minutes a day. Or something like a free checklist, the ultimate packing list for a transformational retreat.
or mini video series, how to reconnect with yourself in just five days. But here's the most important part. Make sure your lead magnet, your freebie aligns with the theme of your retreat. So if your retreat is wellness focused, your lead magnet should focus on wellness too. Okay? It shouldn't be focused on X, Y,
Make sure that you're choosing an email marketing platform, platforms like Mailchip, ConvertKit or ActiveCampaign. I personally love ActiveCampaign. However, now that I've moved to all-in-one platforms like Kajabi and Course Creative Pro, I don't use ActiveCampaign as much or like separately because I'm already getting email marketing inside of Kajabi and inside of Course Creative Pro.
So, but otherwise, you know, if I wasn't using Kajabi or if I wasn't using Core Spirit Pro I would be using ActiveCampaign as a separate email marketing tool for sure.
But if you are starting out and, you know, I think active campaign could be a bit heavy, then start with MailChimp or like start with something like GetResponse. ConvertKit and active campaigns are pretty advanced email marketing tools. Okay, now all of these tools will also give you an option to create a simple landing page for your lead magnet if you're not using like
like something else for your website pages, something like Kajabi, something like WordPress, then you can use these simple tools to also create a landing page and set up your lead magnet. And again, you don't need to be a tech expert. Most platforms offer templates to get you started. Even something as simple as GoDaddy, where you host your domains. You could be using GoDaddy, could be using something like Namecheap.
or SiteGround. Even these platforms have started giving you landing page templates now. So really, you don't have to be a tech expert. Really, you don't have to go outside of your comfort zone. Just start from your hosting platform. I'm pretty sure about GoDaddy. I'm not pretty sure. I'm not sure about the other platforms, hosting platforms. So yeah, that's a good place to begin. If you really feel that all of this is like,
too overwhelming for you. So let me just tell you what I'm talking about if this is getting confusing. So you buy a domain and where you buy a domain is your domain provider. Now most domain providers are also giving you hosting and also offering you so many templates to host your website and create your landing pages. So check out your domain provider and
just see if they're also offering you other things. That's one thing to do. Now, if you're not interested in doing that, then you can always sign up with other platforms, other hosting platforms, other website hosting platforms like Kajabi, like Podia, know, stuff like that. They also offer course hostings. I'm not going to get into the details of it. I already feel that I'm digressing a bit. But that...
That being said, make sure that you have a landing page, make sure that you have a lead magnet, and make sure that you have an email service provider that you can use to nurture these leads. Okay, now once you have all of that set up, make sure that you promote your lead magnet everywhere. Add the link to your social media bios, mention it in your Instagram stories or TikToks or Facebook posts.
Include it in your blog posts or podcast episodes. Think of your lead magnet as a doorway. It's the first step in welcoming someone into your world and showing them the value you offer. That being said, I think this is a perfect opportunity to also invite you to join Retreat Connection Hub. It's a membership for retreat professionals, whether you're a retreat leader.
a venue owner, a service provider, a facilitator, a social media marketer for retreats, just about anything, this membership is for you to hang out with like-minded people, to promote your services, to collaborate, in short, learn and grow together. It also gives you access to VAs, virtual assistants, and social media marketers for no additional cost.
I recently started it and I'm expanding it to the level where all Retreat professionals can get the help when it comes to sales and marketing and selling out their Retreats. So do sign up. I'm going to drop the link in the show notes. Okay. Now let's talk about why an email list is such a game changer.
Well, unlike social media, your emails go straight to your audience's inbox. I know I've already spoken so much about the importance of email list, but I'm going to retread it. I'm going to make sure that you are convinced enough to go and take that action today. So unlike social media, your emails go straight to your audience's inbox. You're not competing with an algorithm or endless scrolling.
With your email list, you can nurture relationships over time. So you're not just selling, you're educating, inspiring, and creating trust. Studies show that email marketing consistently outperforms social media when it comes to sales. I can't tell you how many people come to me from my email list, how many people sign up from my email list, as opposed to social media posts. So whenever I post something,
people first become my subscribers and then they consume my content and then they become my paid clients or paid participants. That's the usual way. I'm not saying that's the only way. That's the most common way for people to convert from my consumer subscribers to my clients.
Yes, people come to me directly from DMs as well. Yes, people can work from there as well. But most common from my email list.
All right, now I'm going to give you an example of a few emails that you can send right away to convert people from interested to buyers. Now let's say you're promoting your retreat. Instead of hoping someone stumbles across your post, you can send a series of emails directly to your email list. Now make sure that you have your pen and paper ready because I'm going to give you some emails here that you can send out today.
to make sure that people buy your retreat. This is like an email sequence that I'm giving you. So if you want, you can pause it and then unpause it. Email one. Email one is about announcing the retreat and sharing the transformation people will experience. Email two, highlight the location activities and what makes it unique. Email three,
Share testimonials or success stories. Email four, at urgency. So something like only three spots left or just 24 hours left before the early bird expires. You're guiding your audience through a journey and by the time they get to the last email, they're ready to say, yes, this is exactly what I need.
If you don't have an email list yet, here's my challenge for you. Start today. Take 15 minutes to brainstorm a lead magnet idea that aligns with your retreat. It doesn't have to be perfect, just something simple and valuable. And if you already have a list, I want you to plan your next email. Maybe it's a sneak peek of your retreat or a story about why you're passionate about helping people transform.
Your audience wants to hear from you. Really, they do.
Okay, now if I haven't already spoken so much about email list and let me tell you this is really not enough. I can really talk and talk and talk about email list and growing your email list endlessly. But let's keep it to this much for now for today and let's move to the next step. Step number five. Step number five is all about social proof.
And I hope you're keeping track of all the steps that we're discussing today. So step five is all about social proof, one of the most powerful tools you can use to sell out your retreat. Why? Because people trust other people. Testimonial success stories and reviews from past clients create a sense of trust and credibility that no amount of marketing copy can replace.
So think about the last time you bought something online. Did you check the reviews? Did you want to see what others said about their experience? That's the power of social proof. It removes doubt and makes people feel confident about their decision. One thing that I do, so maybe even if like I'm not looking for the reviews per se, but I'm really looking for some
Instagram or YouTube videos. So that's my way of doing it. Or about like, I'd really like to learn more about the person. Like what is this person actually doing on social media? Do they have a presence or not? So it's not really about the reviews all the time, but social proof can also be translated through social media presence.
or through Instagram or YouTube videos. Like if you're buying a product, how does that product look like? And are there any other people on social media who are using that product? You know, something like that. Now, at this point, you might be thinking, how to use social proof if it's your first retreat? Now, you might be thinking, but I haven't hosted a retreat yet. What do I do?
What do I even share? Don't worry. You can still leverage social proof by using testimonials from other parts of your business. And this is the gold mine that I'm sharing with you. I do it with my clients, with my students, but this is something that I'm giving away today to you for free. And you can go and apply this today to build the social proof and get those clients, get those participants for your retreat. So here's the thing.
If you're a coach, use testimonials from your coaching clients. Highlight how you've helped them achieve transformation and frame it as a preview of what they can expect at your retreat. The other thing is that if you've led workshops or online programs, share feedback from those experiences. For example, in my recent workshop on visual messaging,
I mentioned that this is how I helped people. This is how I helped one of my clients sell her group coaching program, like a 12 month group coaching program for so and so many dollars. And she also sold five spots to her retreat. This is how she got. Now I brought something from the other part of my business, my client's journey.
this workshop and then I said this is the same thing that you can use to sell spots in your retreat today.
if that makes sense.
Now, if you're new to everything, focus on your expertise, share your story, why you're passionate about helping others and what qualifies you to guide this retreat.
Now social proof doesn't have to be boring blocks of text on a website. Here are some creative ways to share it. Now, again, I'm not going to go deeper into this. I'm just going to give you a few examples that you can go and apply today itself. So one of the ways is to do a video testimonials, testimonial, ask last clients to record a short video about their experience working with you. And these feel personal and authentic.
There are many more ways of doing it, but I'm just gonna give you like one or two examples. The other example is behind the scenes. So post snippets of past events, smiling faces, group activities or journal reflections from attendees. These visuals let people imagine themselves there. Okay. So for example, let's say you're promoting a wellness retreat. You might share something like, Sarah. When Sarah joined one of my programs,
She felt burned out and disconnected from herself. After working together, she discovered her energy, built a self-care routine, now feels more in control of her life. Imagine what you could achieve in an immersive in-person retreat designed just for you. Do you see how this creates connection and trust? Your audience is thinking.
If Sarah can do it, maybe I can too.
Right? I remember the first time I shared a testimonial from a coaching client, I thought, is this even going to matter? But to my surprise, that one story led to two new signups. Why? Because people don't just buy into the logistics of your retreat, they buy into the transformation you've already created for others. So if you're feeling unsure about sharing testimonials, start small.
Pick one story that really moved you and share it. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be real. Now, let's move to the next step, final step. Promote, promote, promote. This is where a lot of retreat leaders drop the ball. They post about their retreat once or twice and expect their audience to flock to their website and just pay, you know,
open their wallet, take out the credit card and just pay. But here's the truth. Your audience needs to see your offer multiple times before they take action. The average person scrolls through thousands of pieces of content a day. So if you're not showing up consistently, you risk getting lost in the noise. That's not my problem. That's your problem. So let's talk about... I'm just kidding. So let's talk about...
how to create a steady intentional presence on social media without feeling overwhelmed. I'm going to give you just one approach today. There are multiple other approaches. There are multiple other ways of doing it. But today I'm just going to give you one hack, one method. And that is the content calendar approach. Start by creating a simple content calendar. And I'm going to give you a basic framework to get you started.
So number one, and again, keep your pens and paper ready. Countdown posts. Create excitement by sharing how many days are left to book or how many spots are available. For example, only two spots left for our three-day transformational retreat. Then comes behind-the-scenes content. Show snippets of your prep process. Are you scouting locations?
planning activities, packing gift bags. Let your audience feel like they're part of the journey. Then host live Q &A sessions. Host a live session where you answer common questions about the retreat. For example, what's included? Who is this retreat for? What can you expect to walk away with? Then do a client-task testimonial post or share start stories or quotes from the past clients or programs, as discussed earlier.
The next thing to do is share some personal stories. Open up about why you're hosting this retreat. What inspired you? Why are you passionate about this theme? Now, if all of that makes sense, if you've really noted down the content calendar approach and adjusting and just slicing in all of these approaches,
sorry, all of these strategies and types of content, sorry. Then the next thing to do is mix these up throughout the week so your audience sees a variety of content that keeps them engaged.
Awesome. So now that you have what you need right now, we are heading towards the end of this episode. Make sure you are doing everything you can to be consistent with social media. Make sure that you're spending 20 % of your time in the creation part and 80 % of your time in the promotion part. So 80-20 ratio.
So let's recap the six steps to selling out your retreat. Number one, building a magnetic offer that speaks to transformation. Number two, nail your messaging by focusing on your client's pain points and desires. Number three, create urgency and scarcity to encourage quick action. Number four, leverage your email list to connect directly with your warmest audience. Number five.
Use social proof to build trust and credibility. And step number six, promote consistently on social media to stay on top of your mind. Sorry, to stay top of mind. Now here's the thing, knowing these steps is powerful, but putting them into action is where the magic happens.
If you're feeling a little overwhelmed about where to start, don't worry. These steps work together like a piece of a puzzle, pieces of a puzzle. And we are building it one piece at a time.
In the next episode, we're going to focus on one of the most important puzzle pieces. How to create a sales funnel that works for your retreat. I'm going to share my signature framework method that will break down everything for you from step one to step two. How to make sure that you're posting consistently. What are you posting? Yes, all of that.
how does your sales wanna look like from someone being a viewer to someone being a paid participant. So we're gonna do everything in the next episode.
For now, make sure you subscribe to the GURI show so you don't miss it. That being said, I'm also going to leave you with one challenge. My challenge for you this week is to pick just one of these steps and take action. Maybe it's refining your messaging. Maybe it's just something as simple as sending out an email or going live on Instagram to talk about your retreat.
Just one small step can create big momentum. All right. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow retreat leader or tag me on social media. My Instagram is haegervinder. I'm most active on Facebook at this point, but I'm not sure at what time you're listening to this. And yes, anyway, tag me on Instagram.
heygurvinder, H-E-Y-G-U-R-V-I-N-D-E-R. And tag me with your biggest takeaway. And if you're ready for more support, grab my free guide, How to Go From Scratch to Selling Out Your Retreat.
I'm going to drop the link in the show notes. And also, if you are a new or aspiring retreat professional,
do join Retreat Connection Hub. That's the place for you to start, to grow, to learn, to collaborate, to connect, to do just about anything. All right, thank you for joining me on the GURI show. Until next time, keep dreaming big and creating boldly.