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| Sep 03, 2006 12:31 am |
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re: I Need Tips on Tele-Seminars URGENT! |
Marilyn Jenett
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Hi Nancy,
I'm sure you have been given some great advice here, but I will share my experience and perhaps you will get additional insights...
1. Do you offer Tele-Seminars? What's your experience?
I have been conducting telephone mentoring programs/teleclasses for three years. They have been very successful and are always sold out (I have a maximum number of participants - I will explain later)...
These mentoring calls are interactive and the sessions are based on lessons the participants have received. The first lesson of my program is sent upon registration, as I want the attendees to have at least a week to apply it before our teleclass. There are, however, always last minute registrations and I accept them.
Because my classes are interactive, I never mute the room. I always want the lines open for two-way conversation. It works very well, and participants can mute themselves if there is background noise. I have always found the attendees to be respectful and only occasionally do I need to remind someone about background noise. And because these are open lines, I try to keep the maximum number of attendees at around 50. That way I don't have to be concerned with technical glitches that may occur with a larger number. It also creates a more intimate atmosphere if there are 50 or less. There is another important component here which I will address below and which allows me to actually register a larger number of attendees than are on the call.
2. When's the best time to schedule the teleseminars?
At the beginning, I was scheduling at 6pm to accommodate those who work regular business hours on the West Coast. But then I changed and have for the most part conducted my teleclasses at 4pm Pacific Time. This time frame accommodates my own personal rhythm - I do better later in the day and I believe it's important to be at our best - and also ensures that the classes don't run too late on the East Coast. I think many teleseminars are held early in the day, but the time I have chosen has worked well for me and my participants. I have international students who also stay up late to join us, although they don't have to attend the live call (more on this soon). I did most of my teleclasses on Wednesdays for a long time. I don't do that many teleclasses now, but I do have my Private Community calls twice a month and I chose Mondays at 4pm.
3. What length should they be?
The target time has always been 90 minutes, but I found early on that I couldn't get students off the phone - a good sign :-) - so my classes almost always go for two hours. I'm not saying everyone should do this, but for my particular program, it just flows. One businessman student who attended every one of my teleclasses for a year - the same program over and over - became my "timekeeper". At 90 minutes, he would announce that the class was officially over and they were welcome to leave, but I would continue for awhile with those who wanted to stay longer. So a lot will depend on your subject matter and format.
4. Do you allow time for Q & A?
Since I keep the room open, I like for participants to speak up and ask questions while it's fresh on their minds. This interaction really benefits everyone attending. At the end of the class, I always ask if there are any further comments or questions.
5. How much do you charge?
For a long time, I charged $250 for my one-month program (4 weekly teleclasses) including Lessons One and Two. I stopped doing this program for the very good reason which I will explain below, and I now do occasion classes based on my program. I had a two-week teleclass last year and charged an early bird $97 up to a certain date and $117 thereafter.
This past January, I did a single New Years Teleclass based on Lesson One. If they registered before Christmas Day, it cost $50. After that it was $75. Discounts for early registration are a good incentive and it gives you a good idea of how the public will respond. However, many people signed up late even at the higher price. So you won't really know until the last minute what your final response will be.
I have my Private Community which began in March and students pay $100 per month, but they also get lots of perks.
6. What's the best conference system to use?
I have always used http://www.freeconference.com with very few glitches, but on the last couple of calls, there have been echos that forced us to call back and then finally to call in on a different number. I always used their reserved lines (free up to 100 guests) but we had to call back on the non-reserved line.
Well, I will only have the best for my teleclasses and technical issues like that just will not do. So I have just made arrangements to have this month's calls with http://www.freeaudioconferencing.com. Their marketing director contacted me personally and assured me that their equipment was at the highest standard in the industry and he threw in a lot of bonuses. I was very impressed with the service and look forward to seeing how the calls go this month. So you now have two choices to research and try.
7. How much does it cost to record them?
Okay, here is that important issue I kept referring to above. I learned at the beginning to always record everything I do and I am so thankful for that advice. It has paid off handsomely. But there are specifics about recording that are important if you want to be successful with your teleclasses and have them pay off even more. I am sure Scott is an expert at this.
When I first began, I knew that many conference companies will record your calls and give your callers access for a certain period of time. But I also realized that you don't just want recordings so the attendees can listen again or listen if they missed the call. Yes, that's important.
But success came from the fact that I researched the way to have the highest quality system to record and turn those teleclasses into saleable products.
I tried several methods, even bought an expensive digital recorder that was supposed to be the best on the market and had one of my techies record. The quality was not good enough. I finally discovered that hiring a professional company to record on the bridge lines provides the highest quality. I have been using Gary in Tennessee for the past couple of years. He has professional equipment and he records in high resolution then makes a smaller resolution file to send to my webmaster, who then posts it as Instant Audio AND an mp3 file on the Web page for that class. The higher resolution file is stored to be used for making CDs.
Gary charges $30 an hour and does some basic editing for glitches, etc.
I have turned my most popular teleclasses into audio programs that sell for as much or more than the live classes. My New Year Teleclass was $75 for the live class and I sold the audio program for the same price up until recently when I doubled the price and it's now selling for $147. My one-month program is still $247. I have new programs that are $97 and $47 - these are special one-time calls I did that are not my primary program but based on the principles I teach.
So the bottom line is that all of these audio programs are recordings of the teleclasses and are a great source of income. And I recommend sparing no expense to get the finest quality. People are always telling me how much better my sound is than so many products on the market, and that makes them want to listen.
One other aspect of recording all your calls, even if you do it the least expensive way at first... Remember I said that I can register more students than the 50 or so I want on the calls? That's because there are always people who register who cannot make the live call and many who are in different time zones and other countries. They will sign up for the class but won't attend - they listen to the recording afterwards.
So, the reasons to record, especially in high quality...
(a) Turns your teleclasses into products to sell. I no longer had to repeat my live programs, since I had those great audio versions, so it freed up my time to focus in other areas of business.
(b) Allow people to listen who can't attend live. The recordings are just like being on the live calls.
(c) You can make clips to use as promotional "teasers".
(d) You will have an archive of your brilliant moments :-)
8. Do you have tips for me?
If you have lasted this long on my post, you've gotten my best tips :-)
My final one is: Relax. Relax. Relax. I had no experience doing teleclasses and had never attended one when I first started. But I found it to be easy and fun if you relax. Stay focused on others and what you are offering your attendees and not on yourself. Even if you are nervous, that's okay. Just think about the benefits they are receiving from you, and you'll be forgiven if you are not completely polished. It will get easier as you go. Don't forget to have fun.
~ Marilyn
Feel Free to Prosper
http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com
http://prosper-network.ryze.com
Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett (new win) |
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