Types of Webinars and How to Get the Most Out of Each

I'm tired. You see I just spent two hours in a strategy session trying to explain to someone that trying to use a webinar for the wrong purpose just will not work. And that expecting to get one result out of a webinar while telling your client you're providing something different is a fool's game.

The problem is that there are too many different types of webinars. We tend to use the word in a helter-skelter catch-all way.

Unfortunately, to get the most out of each we need to know what each is and when to use it.

There are two main groups of webinars – those purpose is purpose to train and those purpose is to sell. And ne'er the two shall meet. Now that does not mean that you can not use training to sell. You just can not use a training webinar to sell – unless it's a hybrid which is a selling webinar.

Let's try going down one level and maybe it will become clearer.

There are four basic types of training webinar:

1. Lectures are single direction training. That is the host is providing the information and the audience is receiving it. Frankly getting the most out of these is a matter of recording them and selling them as DVDs or digital products.

2. Seminars are two way directional training. They are characterized by questions, answers and discussions. Getting the most out of these involves having a backup plan for when people do not answer!

3. Interactive webinars are the equivalent of the tutorial. They take the interaction of suspects to the furthest extent and focus on discussions. Unfortunately, they do not work well for most situations. Leave them for departmental meetings.

4. Workshop webinars are basically demonstrations of a tool or technique. Typically they are a variation of the lecture although they can be effective as a mix of lecture and seminar. These work well for demonstrating computer based software such as Word or PowerPoint or WordPress.

Getting the most from any of the training webinars involved planning the course. Like any course they need to follow a firm script.

There are two types of sales webinars:

1. The sales presentation focuses on identifying the benefits of a product or service and why the customer should buy. Effectively it's a commercial. Getting the most from this type of webinar involves two elements both focused on the customer. The first is entertainment. Keep the presentation light and fast. The second is interest. The subject and everything else in the presentation has to be focused on one of the client's motivators. Otherwise like any other sales presentation you'll lose the customer.

2. The hybrid mixes selling with teaching. Effectively it gives a taste or sample of the training you will get and then sells you on the service. The trick here is twofold. First you need to realize that this is not a training session. Second you need to make the customer aware – from the first – that this is a sales presentation which will give them information. Why? Because if the customer thinks that they are about to receive training and they actually receive a sales spiel they will object. You will lose them. They may sit through the presentation. They may even listen. But they will leave thinking you lied to them.

Getting the most from a sales webinar involves keeping it light and entertaining. And it requires you being up front and honest with your customer.

Source by Glen Ford

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