Web Conferences—Making Content the King
In June, we discussed the beginning stages that every firm must go through as they move toward using Web Conferencing tool’s to reach their clients. We have already discussed the initial steps – from your firm’s basic requirements to selecting the vendor – now you are ready to “zero in” on the presentation itself and accomplish the goals you have set for the firm.
Planning is Key
It sounds like something we should all just know, but you must spend some time getting to know your audience! Do they function better in the morning or the afternoon, on a Monday or on a Thursday? Will they respond better if it is one to one, or would it be more valuable in a large group situation? Finding out what fits them best could be the difference between a yes or a no, sale or no-sale for your firm.
As you are planning the web conference, you must provide value in order for the client or prospect to feel that the conference was worth it. If all you do is deliver “information” and not “educate”, you will most likely end up with a bored participant on the other end of the line. Develop the presentation so that it is educational and interactive. One of the best ways to develop the presentation so that you provide the most value is to provide answers in your presentation to the questions that past clients and prospects have asked you. If you can answer the “basic questions” during your initial time with the participant, you will leave more time in the end for their individual “burning questions”.
When you are preparing your presentation, organize your efforts toward maximum efficiency. Don’t build in a lot of “fluff”; stick with the bottom line facts instead. The participant can ALWAYS ask more probing questions, but if you loose them in to much detail right in the beginning, you might loose them forever.
Remember to promote the event about 30 days before the actual web conference and then send a short reminder a week before and a memo on the day of the event. Reminders are a great way of marketing and will ensure the participation you require to succeed with your goal attainment.
The Presentation
Once you have developed the presentation content, it is time to add the final touches. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was the KISS principle. Just keep it simple silly! While some participants will enjoy seeing lots of graphics and bouncing balls… the reality is they want a clean and classy presentation that has few words on the page, but they are words that will stick with them when they are off line. Start by introducing yourself and the agenda; since you are on a Web Conference, having a picture of yourself does not hurt.
Also, remember that while you are giving the presentation you might ask people to mute their phone, particularly if there are multiple participants attending from different connections. It is a disruption to your message to hear cell phones, people talking and other lines ringing; therefore, a simple “mute” function eliminates the possibilities of those types of disruptions.
Asking lots of open ended questions is imperative to keeping the participant engaged in the conference. One of the biggest challenges you will have is that you cannot see the participant’s body language and the only way to know what they are thinking or feeling is to get them to communicate with you. Open ended questions will most likely accomplish this task for you… but you have to act as the facilitator and help them to interact appropriately.
A Strong Finish
One of the last things that you will need to accomplish – but I dare say one of the most important things – is to finish the presentation by “propelling the participants to some kind of action”. You want to leave them with something to do. Offer a brochure, a proposal, another phone call, something to review or read… but don’t just leave them hanging. You have them… now is the time to act!
Once you have secured what it is they want… then you need to do what you said you will do. Send them what you promised, call when you said you will call or maybe send them the proposal by e-mail the way you said you would. The impression you want to leave them with is, “I was important and they followed through on their promise”.
If you follow these steps and helpful hints that are provided, you will have a successful web conference that both you and your client will feel positive about.