Prospecting Methods: Webinars
Just like seminars, webinars are a great way to get your message across to prospects. With the advent of digital technologies, webinars are becoming more popular as they are shorter, more focused and provide an opportunity for one to one interaction.
There are some advantages to webinars which conventional seminars do not offer:
Convenience; your prospect can attend the webinar anyplace as long as they have a good internet connection.
Flexibility; webinars are usually scheduled in 2-3 time slots therefore the attendee can schedule their presence based on their availability.
Targeted audience; most attendees are those that actually are interested in attending the webinars therefore your message is more likely to get through to the right person.
You can track who attended so your prospect list is automatically updated.
It is easier to share data with the attendees as your mailing list is ready and your material and pitch can be sent out instantaneously.
There are some down sides to the webinar as well:
You need to have a good connection yourself and hope that your attendees have a good connection as well. Many webinars fail when technology on either end fails to function as required.
You do not get to see the attendees physically due to which, just like the phone call, you will miss visual cues.
Attendees may wander off onto other websites or checking their e-mails resulting in a poor grasp of the webinar contents.
What you can do as a presenter:
Make the webinar interesting so the attendee does not wander off.
Prepare slides and content you can share with the attendees beforehand.
Make sure you have slotted proper time for the presentation by rehearsing.
Ensure your broadband connection is configured properly and also have a backup connection ready just in case.
Check your webcam and mic to see they are working properly.
Make sure you have the correct webinar software installed beforehand. Installing it at the last moment may result in embarrassment if there are other addons to install as well.
What you can do as an attendee:
Try to join webinars 10-15 minutes before the allotted time; this ensures you can test your connection and your devices as well as software requirements.
Make sure you focus only on the webinar. Put your phones on silent and close e-mail programs and other tabs in your web browser.
Ensure you are not using programs that are bandwidth hungry.
Ask questions; this is your time to learn and possibly explore avenues that will grow your business.
Use headphones for your privacy and as a courtesy to others around you.