Thursday, October 9, 2008

Why Webinars Work

By J. Gregory Thomas

How many businesses have avoided the effects of higher energy costs and a slower economy? Not many. Energy costs affect all of us and the news of the slowing economy does not help promote any growth initiatives, particularly for small businesses who need to enforce greater budgetary control.

In these economic periods, sales typically slow, and margins and productivity decrease. Sales slow because many businesses continue developing (or trying to develop) leads the way they used to. Worse, some businesses even reduce their development efforts. Margins decrease because expenses have increased. Productivity decreases as employees sit around, discouraged with their slowing results.

Instead of riding out an economic slowdown, small businesses need to tackle the situation head-on. Rather than reduce sales activities, they should increase them. But instead of increasing the same type of activities, small businesses need to think outside of the box. One such thought involves webinars, or web conferences.

Introducing a webinar to your marketing process can yield great sales growth if properly executed - Quote Stork Solutions provides two simple steps below. According to data collected by Ipsos in May 2008 and reviewed by Quote Stork Solutions, webinars as a communication method will grow by six hundred percent over the next five years. This trend is supported by the current usage by medium- and large-businesses. If small businesses do not start taking advantage of this technology, they stand to suffer in the long-term.

The first step involves direct-response marketing. Typically, larger competitors shy from this type of marketing effort despite the high return on investment (ROI). For the small business, however, direct-response marketing has proven to be a cost-effective way to reach hundreds and even thousands of prospects. And since it is a direct-response method, only interested prospects will respond.

The second step involves developing and presenting a valued-added sales pitch to interested parties via webinar or web conference. This is more than a "Why You Should Deal with Me" pitch. For example, an electrical contractor might present some of the common problems electrical encountered in the course of a typical renovation as well as some of the remedies taken to correct such problems.

Using direct-response marketing, small businesses can eliminate the need for fronting large sums of cash for putting together a traditional seminar. And since only interested prospects will attend your webinar (versus cold-calling prospects who do not want to hear or see you), you will speak and sell to a captive audience. Forget the hard sale.

In summary, webinars provide a win-win solution for everyone involved. For the small business owner, a webinar means selling to a large interested group instead of one-on-one cold-calls. For interested prospects, a webinar means saving time and potential travel expenses; they can enjoy your webinar in the comfort of their office or home.

The leader in the web conference market is GoToMeeting. This company offers a cost effective solution for all businesses. By using the link below, you can receive a Free Trial and enjoy the benefit of $10 off your first paid conference.

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