7 Steps to Powerful Online Seminars

This content from: Duct Tape Marketing

For many businesses, particularly service oriented businesses, getting up in front of a group of prospects with the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise is one of the best lead conversion opportunities going.
Holding workshops and seminars live and in person has long been an effective tool. The web makes this tool even more powerful and more affordable as it allow you to conduct online versions of seminars that don’t require you to rent a room or your prospects to leave their homes and offices.
Online seminars are a marketing tool every business should consider adding to the mix. Below are seven steps to consider to make your online seminars pay.
1) Get sponsored
Before you go too far down the seminar path consider getting sponsors to join you. This doesn’t have to be some big name corporate deal, give strategic partners the opportunity to join you in promoting your educational sessions for the right to call themselves a sponsor. Round-up prizes from related businesses that want the exposure their prize garners in your promotion. Free stuff drives enrollment!
2) Educate, don’t sell
Make certain that your “free” session is packed with content so good people would pay for it. That’s the expectation these days. If you create seminars that are basically veiled sales presentations, you won’t reap the benefits of this expertise play and people won’t come back or tell friends about your great seminars. There’s a time and place for the sales pitch, but only after you’ve established trust through sharing valuable information. People are OK with a “here’s the sales pitch” at the end of a presentation that was time well spent.
Consider creating a series of events and promoting them together. This can help build momentum and allow you to build a loyal following.
3) Pick your platform
There are dozens of online platforms for hosting your web seminars but choose your platform with some considerations in mind.
• Free may not be the best option if you are using this tactic to demonstrate how professional your business is.
• Look for a tool that offers some interaction tools such as polling, questions, chat, even video
• Make sure your chosen tool can handle the numbers you plan to enroll
• Be certain you can easily record your sessions for future marketing use
• Look for ease of use and follow-up reminder email automation
GoToWebinar (a sponsor of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast), Acrobat Connect and WebEx all offer the features above
4) Cause interaction
Use the functionality of your online webinar tool to get the audience involved. Polls are a great way to take the temperature of your audience and the results can make for both interesting discussion during your session and follow-up discussion in another form of content such as a blog post. With small groups you may want to allow video or audio chat, but it’s always a good idea to take questions from the attendees. Most platforms also allow you to conduct a survey at some point in your presentation. This is a nice way to end a presentation to get feedback from the audience and even let them vote on other topics they would like to hear in the future.
5) Create a backchannel
Lots of people attend webinars these days and share information they hear with their followers on Twitter. It’s become common practice to create a hashtag for your events so people who attend or those that don’t have an easy way to collect all of the comments made by listeners. Some presenters go as far as having an assistant monitor and tweet during the presentation to keep the conversation lively and accurate. This free PowerPoint Twitter Tool allows you to create tweets and have them posted automatically during your presentation.
6) Have bonus content
Because there is so much free information out there online the expectations for what you provide as free package have grown. In addition to the event itself consider creating a PDF workbook or collection of blog posts from yourself, related bloggers or strategic partners and delivering that document along with your follow-up. This gives you another reason to reach out and remind your attendees about the great content and gently about the products and services you offer.
7) Promote the archive
Use your chosen platform to record your presentation. Upload your recorded session to a video host such as Vimeo or YouTube and embed the video in a web page surrounded by additional resources and further reading links related to the topic. This is a great way to use the session for future marketing efforts and create the kind of page and content that search engines love. Consider using a service like CastingWords to transcribe the session, combine three or four session with video, transcript, resources and your collection of blog post PDF and you’ve just created a product that you can sell!
Handling all the moving parts of setting up, promoting, running and archiving live events can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but the long term payoff in terms of expertise, content, and trust building is worth every bit of it.

Business Strategy Coach - Maximize Your Time for Results

It's a busy world out there. We all have to keep up with the demands of daily living. Juggle everything here and there. Just like an executive running around keeping up with meetings and deadlines at work but can still spend quality time with the family or a college student keeping up with academics but still has to work after school to pay his tuition. Everybody seem to be busy with a lot of things and at the end of the day, a good rest is what we all need.

What is admirable though, is how each of us are able to keep up. At how an executive can still spend quality time with the family after a long day at work, or a working college student still having the time to do research after a long day in school and work. How are they able to do all these altogether, one after the other? This is where time management comes in. It's keeping the balance between work and life itself.

Time management is a matter of prioritizing what work needs to be done first and how you are able to finish it at a given time. Scheduling is very important. Let me share some time management tips that has worked for me:

1. Learn to Prioritize. It is important that you know which work has to be done first and what needs to be done. Learn to dissect and be able to point out what aspect needs urgent attention.

2. Set out a Plan. Having a plan pretty much gives you an idea of where you are going. It's like having a blueprint of your house. You see where everything is located so you know the directions on how to get there.

3. Organize. Schedule, and set a Time Frame. Some people work well with a print out itinerary in front of them and having a specified "begin" and "end" task guide makes it more easy and organized. It is important to keep track of your schedule in order to keep the balance.

4. Make valuable time out of Idle or free Time. This is bonus time that you can make use of. Sometimes we tend to finish ahead of schedule so, we get to have some more extra time. Make valuable use of it. Spend more time with family or maybe just have some time with yourself. After all, everybody needs a little bit of pampering after a hard day's work. It's not bad to reward yourself once in awhile, isn't it?

Time management means getting the work done and not anything else other than what needs to be done. Learn to balance your work and life. Managing your time wisely makes the workload uncomplicated. It only gets complicated and overwhelming when things pile up. And when this happens you loose track of managing your time. It's as easy as one, two and three. Priortize, set out a plan, schedule, and get it done. And you might just be amazed at how you will be able to get some more free time to do other things.

Business Strategy #7 - Discipline + Focus = Success

Focus and Discipline are two of the most important qualities an athlete has to have in order to be on top of the game. The Olympics was first established by the ancient Greeks with the idea of putting together a sporting event every four years to compete in various fields such as javelin, running, wrestling and boxing. It became a world sporting event in 1896. Since then, it has been celebrated every four years in different host countries.

The Olympics has become a venue for sportsmanship, comaraderie and goodwill among athletes and nations of the world. An athlete works hard on his training to be on the lead, with the common goal of winning the gold and gain recognition. With this in mind, athletes have remained focus and disciplined. This has become the driving forces that motivates them to go an extra mile at what they do.
An athlete’s discipline can be compared to a thriving business owner. They do not wait for things to happen; they thrive to make things happen. Success does not come to you….you go for it!

One does not become a good athlete overnight. It takes a lot of learning, training, practice, and most importantly discipline and focus. It would take years to master great athleticism not to mention going through a lot of competition in order the reach the ultimate dream of participating in the Olympics. If an athlete’s ultimate goal is the Olympics, an entrepreneur’s goal is to become profitable, add value and be successful.

The road that leads to the Olympics does not happen at a blink of an eye, so does your way to success. It’s a challenging road out there. It takes many years to become an overnight success. Just like the focused and disciplined Olympian, you have to set your mind on continuously improving your craft and continuously learn and find ways to be the expert in your field. Competition is tough out there and the way to stay on top of, is to remain focused at all times. Everything in life has to be worked on. It’s not a game of chance or pure luck. Remember, success does not come to you but work your way to success!

Business Success Strategy #10 - Hustle While You Wait

"Everything comes to those who hustle while they wait" -Thomas Edison

Thomas A. Edison was one of the most prolific inventors of all time. His inventions continue to shape our daily lives decades after his death in 1931. He fundamentally changed our lives by giving us indoor lighting, records, movies, batteries, and hundreds of other objects we have come to believe we can’t live without. He patented over 1,000 objects during his life. His advice to “hustle” while you wait gives us some insight into how he became a legend.

Many people who dream of changing their lives are in a “waiting” time in their lives. For financial or personal reasons they are not yet able to leave their current jobs, move to their preferred geographical area, or start that business they dream of. During these waiting times you can do much to lay the foundation for your dreams. Here are some ideas that can get you started as you begin to move towards a life you compose rather than one you fell into:

*Research your dream job or business. Learn all that you can about it. You can easily become an expert about any topic in 3-6 months. Read, search the web, interview people who already work in the field, and do all that you can to learn about the history, trends and topics that are important in your field. When the time comes to move forward, you will have a solid knowledge base.

*Develop your network. Meet others who are in your chosen field. Nothing leads to success faster than having a solid support network in place. Don’t fear competition; just meet as many people as you can in that field. This networking will help you understand what it takes to succeed and give you the support you need to make those first steps. Nothing increases learning faster than having a mentor who can show you the way. You will increase your confidence and your learning pace, and you may even get “lucky” and find a job or your first client.

*Lay the groundwork. Write your business plan. Draft a press release. Outline your book. Learn how to design web pages. Any progress is movement forward and that momentum can help propel you towards the life of your dreams. As you develop skills and create the platform for your new life, new ideas and opportunities will come your way.

No matter where you are in developing the life of your dreams, you can “hustle” while you wait. Even if you have no idea what you want yet, you can create a foundation that will support your new life. No effort is wasted. The skills and knowledge you gain will fit into your new life in some way.

As I searched for my dream and mission I researched dozens of topics. I am consistently amazed at how many of those “dead ends” have helped me to develop my current business. Learning how to edit, write copy, design web pages, develop content, create podcast, research, and even golf have all helped me to build a stronger foundation for my roles as a business coach and business growth strategist. Don’t wait for the perfect time to arrive, begin today to move forward and the universe will meet you with more opportunities than you can now imagine.

Business Strategy Coach - 5 Tips to Increase Your Chances of Actually Achieving Your New Year's Resolutions

Even in January, more and more people forget about the well-meaning resolutions they made on New Year's to improve their lives.

Here are five tips to turn resolution road kill into a thing of the past.

1. Stop being a commitment queen/king. Eliminate one or two items from your busy schedule to free up time to pursue your passionate interests. Which will they be?

2. Do something even if it's wrong. Ninety percent of success is showing up. Whether you're selling an idea, trying to land a new client or learning how to paint, the point is, you have to show up. What idea will you pursue this year?

3. Plan for growth. In life, as in business, when you neglect growth, the passion inside you cools. Plan not only for a bigger house or an updated vehicle, but for inner growth. Try to reinvent yourself on a regular basis. You don't want to wake up five years from now and greet the same woman in the mirror. You want to see a new person who has transcended former boundaries.

4. Challenge your obstacles. Let go of the notion that you don't have enough time, energy, money or discipline to do what it takes to succeed. When you challenge that thought you will magically make more things happen.

5. Stick with it and endure. Many people who fail in reaching their goals simply turn back too soon. The path is long and the terrain is tough. When your endurance is tested and you're tempted to give up, remember this: You will miss not only the gold at the end of the rainbow, but also a wealth of other treats along the way.
Here's wishing you a Happy New You. And remember: We are amazing and we can do anything!

Business Strategy Coach - How to Achieve Your Desires With a Goal Achievement System - Part 2

In part 1 of this article, I showed you how to properly set goals by being specific, giving yourself a deadline and making your goals positively oriented. I also showed you a technique where you actually visualize yourself after you've hit that goal and you imagine what it actually feels like. In part 2 of this article, I'm going to show you a step by step process to take that goal, and create a plan of action for achieving that goal. When you are creating this plan, remember this:

"You can't reach the top of the mountain in a giant leap-but b
So in essence, what we are about to do is take your mountain of a goal, and break it down into individual obtainable steps. For the sake of this exercise, we are going to continue with the example we used in part 1, which involved losing 30 pounds in 10 weeks. Remember the goal that you wrote down? This is our end all final achievement. We will call this our mission statement. Here is what we came up with last time, and the one that you wrote should be posted in plain view.

"Today is December 5, and I am 30 pounds lighter. I look a lot better, and I feel great. People have complimented me on how I look healthier and am a more enjoyable person to be around. I can now participate in activities I've always wanted to do but felt limited by my weight."

So how can we break this down? Well since we gave ourselves 10 weeks, the best way to me sounds like breaking this up into 10 obtainable milestones that we need to complete along the way. Hitting the 10th and final milestone would complete the mission. Now we need to set up each milestone accordingly. Please note, 30 pounds in 10 weeks can be a big stretch if losing those 30 pounds would mean giving you six-pack abs. I don't personally believe that this is obtainable to do so in a healthy manner. But for an individual who is much more overweight, it is very possible. I am using weight loss for the sake of this exercise. If your goal is weight loss, I recommend speaking to your physician about what is realistically possible for you (and then try to outdo what they say of course).

Since we are using weight loss as our mission, it is ok that we don't set our milestones equally because it is much easier to lose those first 10 pounds then it is the last 10 pounds. I would recommend this schedule. Weeks 1 & 2 lose 4 pounds a week. Weeks 3 - 8, lose 3 pounds a week. Weeks 9 & 10 lose 2 pounds a week.

Now did you notice something about these milestones? Pounds don't just disappear in chunks just because you made the number smaller. Completing a milestone may not be the same as leaping to the top of a mountain, but it is like leaping to the top of a hill. So, like what we did with our mission statement, we will continue to chunk down on our milestones until we can break them down into smaller more obtainable goals. I would recommend writing each milestone down on an index card on the top line (sticky notes work well too). On each index card, further break down your milestone into individually achievable goal. For example, on one card, you may list:

Week 1 Milestone: lose 4 pounds

Monday: run 1 mile

Tuesday: lift weights for half an hour

Wednesday: run 1 mile

Thursday: lift weights for half an hour

Friday: run 1.25 miles

Saturday: lift weights for half an hour

Sunday: day off (eat healthy!)

If you are really feeling diligent, you can break this down even further! You may want to list exactly what you eat on Monday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You may want to plan out a healthy sleeping schedule. Remember, the more specific and detailed you are, the more likely you are to achieve your desired outcome.

Do you remember hearing about the straight A high school students who flunked out of college? Do you know why? In high school, everything was planned out for them. They had English first period, Math second period, Chemistry third period and so forth. They followed a schedule that was strictly enforced, and they were able to thrive in that situation, even if it was to avoid the negative consequences of things like cutting class (this is away from motivation and we want to use towards motivation - we want to look great and feel healthy). However, once they got to college, they were given a lot more freedom, such as optional lectures and readings, and eventually they couldn't keep up because they lost that feeling of an automatic schedule, where everything is laid out for them. We can argue about there being many other reasons, but I'm not going to go there right now.

You may think that this involves a lot of work. But in reality, the amount of time spent on this activity is only a fraction of the amount of time spent on achieving your mission. If you spent 5 hours a week working on your mission, what's an extra half hour the first week? I'll give you a little hint to help start you off so write this down. Goal #1: write down your milestone schedule!

Remember, in order to have success, you must first plan to have success.

Business Strategy Coach - How To Achieve Your Desires With A Goal Achievement System - Part 1

Have you ever gotten really excited about that million dollar idea only to end up going nowhere? Often times, the idea itself was not what had resulted in failure, but a lack of a systematic process to take that idea and turn it into a reality. This is like driving your car across the country, and never filling up your tank with gas. You will only make it a certain distance, and you will never reach your final destination. What I am about to teach you is a way to create "mental gas stations," with the Goal Achievement System (GAS). The GAS will allow you to refuel your motivation and allow you to achieve extraordinary results that you did not know were possible.

The great thing about this process is that you can use it anywhere in your life that you choose. You don't need a million dollar idea, and you might have a different desired outcome, like losing weight. For the purpose of this blog, we will use weight loss as an example, but you can apply this same process for any type of goal.

The first part of the system is creating a well defined goal. A problem well stated is a problem half solved. We are going to take a simple ambiguous goal, the type that we are used to setting, and turn it into a clearly defined problem.

1. Set a specific goal. You cannot be ambiguous. If you tell yourself, "I am going to lose weight," does that mean you lose 5 pounds, or do you lose 30 pounds? Your mind will probably end up giving you that satisfied feeling if you only lose 2 pounds, because that means you lost weight. Be specific. "I am going to lose 30 pounds or better yet I am going to weigh 125lbs."

2. Give your goal a deadline. Human beings are procrastinators! If you say "I am going to lose 30 pounds" you can easily tell yourself that you are on the right track a year later and 10 pounds lighter, because you don't have a finish line. At the same time, if you GAIN 10 pounds, you still have not technically missed your goal, because it will never come due. Imagine if your boss said: "I'd like you to hand in that report sometime before you die." Would you do it? Probably not. If you tell yourself "I am going to weigh 125 pounds in 10 weeks" you add a bit more pressure on yourself and you force yourself into taking action.

3. Use Towards Motivation. There are two types of motivation. Towards Motivation, and Away From Motivation. Away From Motivation is the act of doing something for the sake of NOT doing, being, or feeling something else. For example, If you tell yourself "I want to lose weight because I DON'T want to be fat," your mind focuses on what you don't want, because the human nervous system cannot process a negative though without first focusing on what it is you don't want. For example, "Don't think about Benjamin Franklin's face on the $100 bill." Did an image briefly flashed through your head before you forced it out? Away From Motivation usually ends up in us doing just enough to not have that feeling. You might lose 15 pounds and feel 'not fat,' and that will end up keeping you satisfied enough, but not completely satisfied. Instead, use Toward Motivation, as that will allow you to set a positive standard that you are continually trying to seek out and make better. "I am going to weigh 125 pounds in 10 weeks so I can look great, be healthy, and feel more energetic." Which sounds better to you?

4. Put yourself in the future, when you've achieved your goal. This is an exercise that you can use every day to help motivate you towards achieving your goal. Look at your calendar, and find out the exact date 10 weeks later. Close your eyes and tell yourself "Today is December 5, and I am 30 pounds lighter. I look a lot better, and I feel great. People have complimented me on how I look healthier and am a more enjoyable person to be around. I can now participate in activities I've always wanted to do but felt limited by my weight." Imagine that picture in your head of that skinnier you, and associate yourself with that image as if you are seeing the world through your own eyes as people are complimenting you on the 'new you.' Take a moment to feel that excitement and energy. Smile. You will get there.

5. Write down your new goal from step 4 and display it where you can see it. Personally, I like sticky notes. I like to write my goals down and place them on my computer screen, so I end up looking at them many times a day. So write down your goal, and make sure you place it somewhere it can be easily viewed at least once a day. "Today is December 5, and I am 30 pounds lighter. I look a lot better, and I feel great. People have complimented me on how I look healthier and am a more enjoyable person to be around. I can now participate in activities I've always wanted to do but felt limited by my weight." Now, whenever you see your goal, you will be able to revision your experience from part 4 and it will help energize and excite you.

Congratulations! You have just concluded part I of the Goal Achievement System. Remember, 'a problem well stated is a problem half solved.' You might not have lost any weight yet (or whatever it is that you are trying to achieve) but you are already half way there. Trust me. An NFL coach who goes into a game without a game plan will have lost the game before the opening kickoff. In part II, I will show you how to pick all the right plays from your play book so that you can take your newly defined goal and make it into a reality.