You are here: Home / Archives for Teleseminars

I Don’t Want To Be A “Lead” When I Grow Up

By 16 Comments

Imagine holding a baby and telling that precious child this bedtime story …

Life is colorful and full of adventure.  When you grow up, you’re going to become a “lead”.  

You’ll feel very special to be part of a “highly targeted” audience and an “autoresponder list”.  

Oh, what fun you’ll have traveling through a “sales funnel”!  

Not as thrilling as riding a roller coaster, but a fun ride nonetheless.   

Online marketers and small business owners from around the globe will be competing for your attention.  So you’ll need to become an instant pro at dodging “sales pitches” and recognizing “hype and fluff”.  

Be careful!  Those “bright shiny objects” can mesmerize and allure you.  

Once you become someone’s “prospect”, your inbox will be overflowing with mail.  Won’t it be wonderful to awaken every day to loads of correspondence from “internet marketers” who love to stay in touch with you?!  

Some days they’ll send you off to a “squeeze page”.  Don’t worry.  The squeezing doesn’t hurt.  I promise.

Other days they’ll ask you to enter an “opt in box”.  It’s easy to get in and relatively painless.  

You’ll have lots of opportunities to exercise your visual and auditory senses with all the invitations you’ll receive to attend “webinars” and “teleseminars”.  

Your reading skills are sure to be sharpened, too!  Everyone will ask you to visit their “blog”, read their “posts”, leave “comments”, and share their pearls of wisdom on “social media”.   

It’s inevitable, at some point, you’ll be encouraged to pull out your credit card, make a purchase, and download an “info product”.   But let’s not think about that right now.  You’re looking pretty sleepy.

One more thing before you nod off and head into slumberland.

If you don’t want to be a “lead” when you grow up …

That’s okay and no one will blame you for feeling that way.  

Traveling through that sales funnel sounds kinda scary, doesn’t it?!  

People shouldn’t be referred to as leads, anyway.  The term isn’t very endearing and it doesn’t have much of a friendly ring to it.

Now go off to sleep, little one, and “Dream Big!”

Filed Under: Blogging, Storytelling Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Overcoming The Challenge Of Getting An Audience In Your Virtual Seats

By 13 Comments

Nothing spells disappointment like spending weeks or months creating, planning, organizing, and marketing a virtual event …

And then having no one show up or just a sparse handful of attendees.

Ouch!

3 Biggest Virtual Event Promo Challenges

1.)  You may not have a large network of contacts.
2.)  You may not have the resources to reach the people you want to connect with.
3.)  You may be an expert in your niche, but you may not be great at marketing.

Even if you’re not currently using virtual events to grow your business, read on anyway.  

You may be surprised to receive an unexpected invitation to co-host a teleseminar or webinar or be interviewed on Blog Talk Radio.  

So take the boy scout/girl scout approach and be prepared!

Enjoy Over The Top Attendance At Your Next Virtual Event

My colleague and friend, Chris Makell, and I pulled our resources and skills together at the end of 2011 and created a special presentation to help you succesfully promote your virtual events.

If you want to learn how to get an audience in your virtual seats, register at no cost to watch the replay of “Virtually Fantastic Event Promotions!”

You’ll be provided with a handout of event promotional tools.

Then be on the lookout for an opportunity to join me and Chris for a Facebook fan page Q & A session.  We want to get you inspired and motivated to rock your next virtual event!

Watch the replay today.

You’re up to bat …

  • How do you get the word out about your telesminars or webinars?
  • Are you getting awesome attendance at your virtual events?
  • What’s your #1 virtual event promotional strategy?
Filed Under: Promoting virtual events Tagged With: , , , , ,

Say Bye-Bye to the Challenge of Getting People to Attend Your Virtual Events

By 21 Comments

Finding ways to compel people to sign up and show up for your events can be a gargantuan challenge — especially if you have a small list of email subscribers or no list at all.

You know the drill when you’re gearing up to host or co-host an event.

Let’s talk “virtual” events today.

And let’s pretend you’ve worked hard to put together a fabulous webinar on a topic you’ve researched to the hilt, you’re passionate about, and you have expertise in. 

You know there’s a hungry target audience who would embrace, enjoy, and benefit greatly from your training session.

You’ve done your homework and you’re convinced people need this stuff.

Amen! 

Your webinar will surely help attendees boost their business and their bottom line.

You spend weeks or months preparing in advance to create a stellar presentation and, as a big perk, you’re offering this exceptional training at No Cost.

Terrific! 

Who doesn’t like “free”, right?

You’re off to a good start.

The fact you didn’t just pull an event topic out of your hat or simply assume there’s an audience for the information you want to share puts you eons ahead of the pack.

All the creating, planning, and organizing is now done, all your marketing materials are in place, and you start getting the word out about your webinar.

Your excitement level begins to build, your presentation has been well rehearsed, and you’re motivated beyond belief to deliver up an excellent and worthwhile training session.

Now let’s fast forward to the day of your event. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Promoting virtual events Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

This Is Not What I Signed Up For

By 68 Comments

Here’s the usual drill …

1) I receive an invitation to a teleseminar.

2) The title of the event sounds like just the right kind of information or training I’m looking for.

3) The bullet points of what the event will cover map out a list of compelling topics.

4) The cost to attend is $0.

5) I’m pleased with all the details so I click the link to register (and now I’ve placed myself on someone’s mailing list).

The day of the event arrives …

1) I dial in or click over to the webcast (pen and paper handy).

2) The first ten to fifteen minutes consist of a long, drawn-out introduction of the host — fondly referred to as the “horn tooting segment” (complete with every achievment, accolade, and award in his or her portfolio and lots of other boring facts and figures).

3) Next comes an overview of what will be covered (along with a mention of plenty of time for a Q&A session at the end of the event).

4) The part I’ve been anxiously waiting for has finally arrived (the information promised in the invitation).

5) Big disappoinment (just another pitchfest and ploy to sell a pricey product, program, or service).

I should have seen it coming.

Have you ever had a similar experience where you were left saying, “This is not what I signed up for”?

Share your tale of woe in the comment box.

Would love to know I’m not the only stooge.

I must tell you, though, about thirty percent of the teleseminars and webinars I attend are absolutely sensational and worth every precious minute of my time.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Teleseminars Tagged With: , , ,

Two Ears and One Mouth – Do the Math

By 41 Comments

Have you noticed how much talking everyone is doing on the internet?

Some people refer to it as noise.

  • People are Tweeting up a storm on Twitter.
  • Blog posts and articles are being published by the thousands.
  • Facebook status updates are rolling in like there’s no tomorrow.
  • Teleseminars and webinars abound.
  • Group discussions on LinkedIn are too numerous to count.
  • Internet tv and radio channels are sprouting up faster than weeds.
  • New freebie offers keep appearing as if magic.
  • Podcasts and videos are being produced at lightning speed.

To coin a phrase from my friend, Martha Giffen, “It’s all good!”

It’s not only good, but all the talking people are doing is essential to success as an online marketer.

BUT …

With all the “talking” going on …

Who’s doing the “listening”?

Do the math — Maybe there’s a reason we have TWO ears and ONE mouth.

Listening is a critical communication skill.  If you want people to listen to what you have to say and your intention is to build a lasting relationship with your target audience, you’ve got to stop some of the talking and learn to be a better listener.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who won’t let you get a word in edgewise?  You can’t shoehorn in a word if you tried?

That person was doing zero listening.

So don’t just jump from one online activity to the next, to the next, to the next in an effort to gain the attention of your target market.

Instead, become a better listener by tuning in to the needs of your prospects, customers, and clients.

  • Listen to the questions they’re asking.
  • Listen to the problems they’re facing.
  • Listen for emotional triggers and clues to their frustrations.
  • Listen to the comments they post on your blog.
  • Listen to discussions they’re having on forums and in groups.

How well you listen has a major impact on your effectiveness as a small business owner, your ability to influence and persuade, and on the quality of your relationships with others.

So listen up!

  • Have you mastered the skill of listening?
  • How do you listen to your target audience?

 

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Blogging, Building relationships online, Customer Care, Entrepreneurs, Online Marketing, Small business owners Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Best Parts of Marketing

By 12 Comments

Want to be an expert, effective, and dynamic marketer?

Start by tossing out everything you know about selling.

When people sense you’re pushing something on them, they run away and they run fast.  They’ll avoid you like the plague!

Marketing is a softer, gentler, more palatable strategy for getting you, your business, and your products and services in front of the eyes and in the minds of your potential clients and customers.

Communication and relationship-building, in person or online, is what marketing is all about.

You need to “talk” to your prospects.

Begin from a place of generosity and a belief that what you have to offer will change peoples’ lives for the better.

Keep the lines of communication with your target audience open with the distribution of valuable FREE content through:

  • Articles
  • Blog Posts
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Ezines/Newsletters
  • Teleseminars
  • Webinars
  • Emails
  • Surveys
  • Contests
  • Social Media
  • Postcards/Greeting Cards

Strive to brand yourself as an authority by implementing marketing strategies that engage, enrich, educate, and entertain your target audience.

The best parts of marketing will keep your prospects’ (selling) defenses down!

Filed Under: Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Use Your Voice To Promote Your Products And Services

By 8 Comments

Some solo professionals and small business owners really enjoy writing and others prefer speaking.

You don’t have to have a college degree in communications or specialized training to use speaking as a strategy to promote your products or services.

If you enjoy using your voice to build your online business, teleseminars are a fantastic marketing platform. You can invite your e-newsletter subscribers, blog readers, customers, current clients, and social networking friends to attend your teleseminar.

For those that can’t attend, be sure to provide a “replay” link so they can listen to the presentation at their own convenience.

If you spend time on my website, you’ll quickly figure out that I’m a big fan of “Free”. So here are four No-Cost teleseminar resources for you to check out:

  1. FreeConferenceCall.com
  2. NoCostConference.com
  3. FreeConference.com
  4. FreeConferenceCalling.com

Speak up! Speak out! Using your voice is a very effective way to share your expertise, showcase your talents, and let your personality and pizazz shine through.

Filed Under: Internet Marketing Tools, Making money on the internet, Online Promotions, Podcasting, Public speaking, Small business owners, Teleseminars Tagged With: , , , ,

Add A Splash Of Humor To Your Biz

By 24 Comments

You might enjoy this more if you listen!


When I was a kid, the first thing I grabbed out of the Sunday edition of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette was the “funnies”.  I started my morning off on a happy note by reading the comic strips.

Forget about the front page headlines – most of that stuff fell under the categories of boring, tragic, political, or I-really-don’t-give-a-hoot!

One thing I value a lot is a sense of humor and I think it’s because so few people have one!  And I consider it a wonderful asset.

I take humor very seriously.  There’s probably an oxymoron somewhere in that statement. :-)

Humor will take you a long way in life in all of your relationships, even the relationships you have with your target audience.

But telling jokes isn’t what I’m talking about and it’s not a good idea.  You wouldn’t want to start off a teleseminar, for example, by saying, “Three men went into a bar.  One was a priest, one was a rabbi, …” and you know the rest of that joke.  Trust me, that won’t work, so don’t go there.

So how can you incorporate a splash of humor into your on-stage deliveries, email marketing campaigns, blog posts, teleseminars, podcasts, and internet radio shows?

LAUGH AT YOURSELF.  It works like a charm.

Let me give you an example of how I laugh at myself when I’m introducing myself to a new group of students in my childbirth education classes.  And please keep in mind that I teach a 2-hour class that starts at 7:00 PM.  And when you’re pregnant, 7:30 is bedtime!  So it’s not exactly easy to keep these people awake!

Here’s how my introduction goes …

“Good evening.  My name is Melanie and I’m a single mom with four daughters, including a set of twins.  What that really translates into is four weddings to pay for and a house full of PMS!”

That always gets a laugh and breaks the ice.  However, what I’ve just shared with them is the truth and it’s really not funny.

But it works because I’m laughing at myself.

Can you think of a way you could incorporate humor into your business and marketing strategies?

 

Filed Under: Humor Tagged With: , , , , ,

FREE Is Not A Four-Letter Word

By 12 Comments

Would you like to listen instead?


Lots of service professionals and other online marketers have a very negative connotation of “Free”.

They consider it one of those “less-than-savory” four-letter words.  Free does not mean frivolous, cheap, or useless.

Smart and savvy independent business owners not only OFFER free information to their target audience, they also SUBSCRIBE to the very best free resources their competitors, clients, vendors, and colleagues have to offer.

Why?

It’s an ideal opportunity to learn something new, gather business-building tips, get invited to valuable teleseminars or webinars, and get PLENTY of ideas for blog posts, podcasts, articles, ezine content, and product creation.

If you’re trying hard to market your business on a shoestring budget (mine’s as thin as dental floss!), then make today the day you become a big fan of “Free”.

Free is not a bad word.  Shift your thinking and start putting it in a positive light – in smart ways that can catapult your business.

Have you met the Shoestring Marketer yet? If you use Twitter, be sure to follow her there @ShoestringGal.

No one else I know has a bigger or better grip on the true meaning and the business-building value of “Free”.

{mysig}

Filed Under: Ezines, Internet Marketing Tools, Online Marketing, Online newsletters, Service Business Owners Tagged With: , , ,

My Friend Terrie Has Sign-up-itis

By 26 Comments

Prefer to listen to this post?

And she’s a doctor!!

But it just can’t be prevented sometimes.

It’s a terrible affliction and there’s no known cure.

Terrie’s not alone.  Internet marketers seem to have more “sign-up-itis” than any other segment of the population.  I suffered with it for about three years and then it finally went away.

Oddly enough, it started easing up considerably once my bank account was drained.  I’m seeing a correlation here, how about you?

In medical/pathological terms (which doctors know a lot about), the suffix “itis” denotes inflammation of an organ (bronchitis; gastritis).

In extended senses, “itis” denotes abnormal states or conditions, excesses, tendencies, obsessions, etc. (telephonitis; baseballitis).

Come to think of it, I believe my friend also has “baseball-itis”.  Terrie is really CRAZY about those Yankees!!

Now I want you to be aware that one form of “sign-up-itis” is much more harmful than the other.

The first form is where you sign up for every Free thing that comes down the pike – free ebooks, coupons, teleseminars, ice cream, movie tickets, webinars, surveys, reports, contests, and maybe even toe rings.

In this case, the sign-up-itis involves no pain or discomfort and you’ll probably be okay.

The second form is more serious and may require intervention.

You’ll know you suffer from the second form if you don’t bother to put your credit card back in your wallet and leave it within arm’s reach of your computer keyboard – just in case there’s something to sign up for today.

This form of sign-up-itis can be excruciatingly painful and you must seek treatment right away!

All joking around aside, try your best to only sign up for programs, products, and services that relate to your target market and those that help to move your business forward.

My friend, Terrie, coined the phrase “sign-up-itis” and we like to kid around about it. :-)

By the way …

Have you signed up for a copy of my FREE Solo Mompreneur Survival Kit Yet? :-)

{mysig}

Filed Under: Blogging, Business Plan, Internet Marketing Tools, Small business owners Tagged With: , , ,
« Older Posts
Stop SOPA