7 Deadly Teleseminar & Webinar Registration Sins: Part 1

Right now I’m in the middle of re-doing my entire teleseminar & webinar training, start to finish. I’m tossing out the old and integrating what’s working now. I’ve made so many exciting breakthroughs in the past few years – breakthrough that make 6-figure sessions the new “norm” for my top private consulting clients – that it’d be a diservice not to take these brand new strategies to the public. So that’s what I’m doing. And I’m knee-deep in it.

Anyways, in the process of re-doing everything, I’ve realized just how many profitable insights and strategies I’ve amassed over the years. And I’ve also realized that with so many factors at play, so many things you can and should do with your sessions, the options can be overwhelming. And sometimes it’s easier to think of what NOT to do instead.

So with that in mind, I’m bringing you a 3-part mini-blog series called, ” 7 Deadly Teleseminar & Webinar Sins,” so you know what deadly mistakes to avoid before, during and after your teleseminar.

Before Your Teleseminar Or Webinar: The 7 Most Common Sins

1. Choosing a “me-too” topic: By “me-too,” I mean a topic that everyone in your market is hammering at your prospects as well. This can be a tricky sin to avoid and here’s why: you need to find the right balance between issues that are top of mind and ones that are over done. For example, the current economy is certainly a top of mind issue, but at some point, teleseminars about doing X, Y, and Z in a down economy are going to fall on deaf ears. So if you do this topic, you have to do it with a twist. Figure out what spin you can put on a top-of-mind issue so your prospects are desperate to hear what you have to say.

2. Choosing a generic title: The title of your teleseminar is a make-or-break success factor. In fact, many of your prospects will decide whether or not to register for your call based solely on what it’s called. Emotional appeals are at the heart of everything people do; so your title needs to generate a distinct emotional response from you market. They need to stop in their tracks and think, “I have to be there. I can’t miss this information.” Example: Let’s say your doing a teleseminar for a weight loss program. A generic title would be, “How to lose 30 lbs. in 30 days.” Not bad; this title makes a promise. It’s better than simply “How to lose weight.” But a better title hits an emotional appeal. An example of this is, “Lose 30 lbs in a month?: How to turn heads and feel sexier than you have in years in less than 30 days.” See the difference?

3. Everything-to-everyone landing page: Your teleseminar landing pages exist for one reason and one reason only: to get your prospects to register for a specific call. That’s it. Don’t clutter up your landing pages with anything that isn’t absolutely relevant to the teleseminar the page promotes. To keep things simple, include only the name of your teleseminar, details of the call (date/time), 3-5 enticing bullets points about the content you’re delivering, and a registration form. Anything else is distracting, confusing and will cause would-be registrants to abandon your page.

4. Not collecting “intelligence info” when getting registrations: Imaging how many callers you’d be able to close if you only knew exactly what your prospects wanted and exactly how to sell it to them. Well, finding out is simpler than you ever thought possible … Ask. On your registration form, include a section for your registrants to fill in their biggest question relating to your teleseminar. You’ll be shocked how open and honest their questions are, and how easy they make planning, delivering and closing your teleseminar. Once your know what they want, you can tailor your call so it speaks directly to their pain or desires.

5. Not following up between registration and the call: Just because they signed up doesn’t mean they’ll show up. In fact, if you neglect to remind your registrants about your call, less than 50-25% of them will be there. People are busy, and they’re likely to forget the exact date and time of your call if you don’t remind them several times. So, send a minimum of 3 reminders. And use the reminders as a way to re-excite them about your teleseminar by including enticing bullets point that tease the content of the call. That way they’ll remember both when to be there and why they should.

6. Ignoring handouts: Most people ignore handouts because seem like a lot of extra work. They’re not. And when you use your handouts the right way, you do two things. A) You satisfy your registrants need for instant gratification. Your landing page gets them revved up about the problem they want to overcome or the goal they want to achieve, they register for the call, but then they have to wait ‘til the day of your teleseminar to find out the information they’re excited about now. Handouts give them a small taste of the content they so desperately want. They also … B) Increase your show rates. When you give your prospects a “sneak peek” of your content, you heighten their desire and curiosity even more. Just be sure not to reveal too much. You don’t want your registrants to look at your handouts, assume they know everything there is to know and not show up for your call.

7. Waiting for perfection: There is no such thing as a perfect teleseminar or webinar. Get that straight now, or you’ll waste months, even years, trying to achieve one. It’s more important to get a teleseminar done quickly than done perfectly (especially your first teleseminar). Even when things don’t go as planned, if you’re offering something your caller desperately want, you’re going to make money. In fact, one of the most common testimonials I receive is from students who were sure they did everything wrong and still walked away with thousands of dollars. Don’t wait. Each call will get better and more profitable as you tweak and revise the last.