Web Conferencing and the Sales Cycle

When do you use web conferencing in your sales cycle?

At the beginning, to generate leads? In the middle, to showcase product information and build excitement? At the end, to clarify details and collaborate on the final result? All of the above? (Feel free to let us know in the comments.)

In an article from ITBusiness.ca (Marketers are Coming Up Short on Web2.0), I found some good news and ...strange news. The article briefly analyzes trends from a recent Knowledgestorm study on B2B lead generation. The good: 20% of decision makers watch webinars every week. The strange: only 11% of those who responded to the study contribute webinar content on a weekly basis.

The result? "'Perhaps vendors need to put webinars up front in their sales cycle, and put more effort in increasing the frequency of their webinar offerings,' according to Anne Holland, content director for MarketingSherpa."

That's right, according to those statistics we need more webinars. Web presentations are an effective (and cost-effective) way to introduce your offerings to the global market. While you can use them any way you like, the stats featured in this article do suggest that the demand exists for early presentations - that probably means broad product overviews and demonstrations that are designed to create buzz and bring in leads, rather than more focused, detailed presentations that would fall more mid- to late-cycle.

Not sure where to get started to showcase your product with a webinar?

• Work with your marketing team to create an exciting slide presentation that covers all of the important facts about your product and allows you time to present sufficient detail. Be sure to include polls about important points or features to make sure your audience is following your ideas.
  
• Plan a product demonstration (consider sharing the presentation remotely if your audience could benefit from a "test drive") that goes along with the slides to engage your viewers
• Create a basic script for timing's sake, but be prepared to deviate from it as questions arise during the presentation (attendees are not shy about raising hands or initiating chat during most web presentations)
• Remember to leave time at the end for additional "test drives" and Q&A

Once you've got your presentation together (and you've tested it in a presentation-like situation to avoid embarrassment), get the promotion wheels turning! Send an email news bulletin, post information on your website, or create a press release to announce the upcoming demonstrations. Schedule your presentations based on demand - don't be afraid to add more sessions if your webinar is popular!

Let us know how it goes! Questions about improving your webinars? Leave a note in the comments - I'll do my best to help.

Business Communication Carnival!

We'll be hosting a business communication blog carnival, with the first edition arriving on August 1st. If you have any tips, tricks, or tools to share to improve business communication, whether they're for audio and web conferencing, meeting productivity, or any other aspect of business communication, we'd love to hear them! Just drop me a line at liz "at" universalcalling.com with a link to your article by midnight on July 30th.

Advanced Conferencing Features Now Available!

We've expanded our audio conferencing features to include many useful in-call functions for the moderator/host as well as the participants! Now the host can:

• Mute/unmute all participants
• Start "sidebar" or breakout conversations (call someone who's not participating in the call and speak to him privately or bring him into the conference call)
• Lock/unlock the conference

just by pressing a few digits, all without leaving the call!

Participants can also mute and unmute their own lines (though the host's controls override their unmute options) - a great feature for those calling in from cell phones or other phones without a built-in mute capability. Remember - not everyone wants to hear your typing or coffee drinking.

For more information on these options or other ConferenceCalls.com audio and web conferencing features, visit ConferenceCalls.com or leave a comment so I can get back to you. We're always working hard to add new features!

Can Video Conferencing Parse Emotions?

An interesting burst of articles followed the recent announcements that everyone under the sun is expanding their video conferencing offerings/usage. The general question: how do we convey emotion without eye contact?

There is a certain amount of irony in “social” technologies and “social” media that leave us blind and monitor-bound. Personally, I find computer time among the least “social” of my activities, even if my instant messenger client is continually pleading for my attention. However, the idea of a remote and mobile workplace has its appeal; lower travel costs and time commitments, better access to resources, and a more flexible work environment can add up to the kind of performance boom that keeps everyone happy on both sides of the equation.

I’m guilty of hedging my bets in less-formal business emails with emoticons, lest a directive be taken too harshly. I’d never do it in a web presentation, though, no more than I’d say “lol” and “brb” – I have to hope that my faceless voice conveys all of the necessary information (luckily, I have years of radio experience). Would video conferencing solve the problem entirely, now that the technology isn’t quite as plagued by poor compression and lag? Will a video sales presentation ever compare to an in-person one? Is it all just a matter of habit and acclimation?

My experience as a filmmaker tells me that screens don’t hold the power that in-person presentations do; screens are passive communication, even if it’s your boss speaking and not some Hollywood star. Sometime soon I’ll explore the process of taking video conferencing from passive to active…it has a lot to do with staying on topic, keeping things as informal as possible, and remembering that short really is sweet. If we can successfully transform on-screen communication into a more active technology, video conferencing really will deliver on all of the cost-cutting, collaboration-increasing, flexibility-providing promises it holds.

Inspiration for this train of thought:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070518.WEB18/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Television/ttp://www.networkworld.com/community/q=node/15268
http://consumer.micronblogs.com/2007/05/sarcasm_in_emai.html
http://www.silicon.com/ciojury/0,3800003161,39167192,00.htm
http://www.idm.net.au/story.asp?id=8424

Another use for conferencing...at home?

During this little break, we've been developing a lot of great new things. Among them is the new Group Talk card over at CallingCards.com, a streamlined conferencing calling card that lets families and friends from around the world connect in one call.

I have relatives on both coasts, and while it may sound lazy, I do get tired of repeating the same stories to catch everyone up on my news. Email isn't really an option for these family members, and those long-winded mass emails of personal updates seem to be out of fashion these days anyhow. It's much nicer to get everyone together to chat at once, too - especially since we don't all get together even once a year. Besides, this card is a lot cheaper than airfare.

My sister was on her honeymoon a few years ago, and she wanted to check in and thank everyone for their help with the wedding. I wish this card had been around then, because she spent almost a whole sunny morning inside on the phone.

Seem strange to conference at home? It's really not - and it can be cheaper and quicker than making a bunch of individual calls. You won't have any agendas or actionable items to follow up on either. Besides, who doesn't want to hear the kids sing happy birthday all at once? Check out the Group Talk card and let me know what you think.

Excitement Brewing...

The "who" of web training will be delayed by a day; I've spent most of today in a meeting about an exciting new development at ConferenceCalls.com. We'll be unveiling it shortly...I hope to have official news here before the end of the week.

Hint: expanded services, new conferencing options, lower rates.

Training via Web Conference (Part 2 of 3): How?

I'll trust that you already have an idea of your content and your audience. These tips are mainly geared toward business training - I'll tackle traditional education later on.

1. Use Visuals
Make your presentation even more visual than you would for an in-person session, because there's no moving thing at the front of the classroom to keep everyone's interest. Use features like highlighters and pointers to make your points clear - if you're talking about a certain dropdown menu, for instance, go ahead and point it out. It's kind of like marking plays as a sportscaster. You may find that you have to redesign your content with a more visual focus to be effective over web conferencing - long lectures won't be as effective as the combination of key bullet points and succinct explanation.

2. Pace Yourself
...and be realistic about how much people are going to learn in a single session. Run through your presentation fully a few times before you deliver it. Are you expecting your students to learn the full software suite in 90 minutes? Do you have to speak like an auctioneer to get through all of your notes? Try not to include more than 10 key points per training session or comprehension (and retention) may start dropping. More presentation design tips can be found on the blogs of Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki.

3. It's not that obnoxius
to use polls (short quizzes, usually only 3-5 questions) at the end of each section to make sure everyone is still following you. Mention people by name, too... but not in that way that your high school history teacher did when she knew you were falling asleep. Just mention names every now and then to subtly encourage participation (e.g. "Everything working on step 3? Joe? Miranda? Great.")

4. Set a Q&A Policy
Some presenters can respond to questions via instant message as they come up, while others prefer to wait until the end. There's no right answer, but do inform the participants if you will or will not be taking their questions while you're teaching so that no one feels ignored. Personally, I think it's best to take questions as they come up; everyone is still tuned in to that section, and it's likely that other participants had the same question. You can always...

5. Delegate
Bring in additional Q&A help for large groups, and consider sharing presenting duties if the presentation will be long to help people stay focused.

6. Follow Up
I said it in my general tips, but following up with a recap, a copy of the presentation (if possible), and Q&A after each session is especially important for training. Do everything you can to make the information available and clear to each participant.

Remember that your voice will be the strongest "human" aspect of this class, so it's important to set the right tone. If you're doing a new beverage roll-out for a restaurant, for instance, you want to make sure to stay upbeat and excited about the product. "Pass the microphone" frequently to allow students to speak up - the more they connect during the lesson, the more they'll retain. Many teaching games/icebreakers can work just as well over a web conference as they do in person, so consider starting with something light to get everyone warmed up.

Next up: Who? I'll be reviewing some groups that are already training via web conference and see what can be learned....

If you have a specific web training question/need, feel free to ask in the comments.