You won't be surprised to hear that doing what I do, I subscribe to a lot of emails from marketing people. One I read recently made me grind my teeth.

The writer was talking about an event she'd just run for clients and she described how many of the particpants had told her, teary-eyed, just how transformative the event had been for them and their business.

Now of course, the purpose of the email was to get readers to want to be part of her next tear-inducing, business transforming event.

But in my experience, the whole “come along and be transformed” thing can be hugely counter-productive.

You see, big exciting seminars can provide intellectual and emotional stimulation. They can help you look at your business in different ways. Get new insights. Get energised.

But transform your business?

Transforming your business takes hard work. Day in, day out. It means doing things differently, not just thinking them.

It takes action. It takes persistence.

Encouraging people to believe that everything will change in the space of a seminar may help you sell a bunch of tickets. But it won't help your clients take real steps forward in their business.

Real steps forward, real transformation comes from hard work.

Never forget that.