88 - Why Some People Buy at Events – and Others Don’t with Michael Drew!

Welcome to this week’s episode of The High Profit Event Show! I’m your host, Rudy Rodriguez, and today I had the pleasure of diving into the art and science of audience psychology with one of the world’s top marketing minds—Michael Drew, founder of BookRetreat.com.

Michael has assisted his clients sell over 55 million books, generating more than $3.85 billion in revenue. He’s personally promoted 131 books to bestseller status across the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Success Magazine lists. And he’s done this for industry giants like T. Harv Eker and many more. What Michael truly excels at is helping thought leaders and business owners build powerful, scalable platforms through books—and as you’ll hear, the principles he uses to grow authors' brands apply perfectly to building high-profit events.

In this episode, we explore how understanding the customer journey through personality archetypes can transform the way you fill your events. Michael walks us through how to use Myers-Briggs psychographics to identify who’s likely to attend, engage, and convert—and who isn’t. We break down the four major types: the competitive, the humanistic, the methodical, and the spontaneous—and why your event design, marketing, and follow-up should be tailored for each.

We also talk about what it really means to build a platform. Michael shares that marketing is one-to-many, while selling is one-to-one—and if you don’t create an intimate-feeling experience within a non-intimate environment (like your event or webinar), you’re missing the mark. He offers incredible insight on building “scaffolding” that supports your voice and deepens audience trust over time, rather than relying on one-off event wins.

And for those of you obsessed with attendee experience and retention, this is your blueprint. Michael teaches how strategic event design—based on how people take in and process information—can increase engagement, reduce refunds, and create long-term client relationships. Whether you’re drawing in the high-energy spontaneous types or the deeply skeptical methodicals, his advice is grounded in both data and decades of experience.

If you’re an event leader, speaker, author, or business owner looking to elevate your event strategy, this episode is a must-listen. It’s not just about putting people in seats—it’s about understanding who’s in the room, why they came, and how to serve them best.

Want to connect with Michael Drew?

Book Retreat: https://bookretreat.com/

Promote a Book: https://promoteabook.com/about

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrdrew/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelrdrew

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/promoteabookmd/