I don't know about you, but I used to enjoy webinars.
Three or four years ago, most of the ones that I watched had good content ...
Yes, there was selling at the end of most (I get it, people are in business), but even then I still got something from them. So I wasn't offended if the person pitched something at the end - he/she earned it.
But lately, I've stopped going to webinars. Why bother when I could turn on the TV and check out a late night infomercial?
I posted something in my Facebook group last night, and it sums up how I think the bar needs to be raised when it comes to webinars
...
In short, coaches (and everyone in the personal development space), needs to do a better job of delivering useable content during webinars.
99% of people understand that we're in business and will hear us out at the end when we talk about whatever program or product we'd like to sell. But we have to EARN the right to sell by delivering value for the time before that.
Here's what I wrote in that Facebook
post:
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It was nice to get a lot of messages today from people who got value
from the webinar that I did last night ("How To Get Your First 5 Clients") ... BUT it was a little sad that people were so shocked that a webinar actually gave content away!
Many webinars are nothing more than thinly-disguised sales pitches, which are filled with a lot of fluff, hype and selling, but very little value. And it's left a lot of people cynical and jaded towards coaching and personal
development.
I'm not Mother Teresa - did I pitch at the end of mine? Yes! But only after I gave about an hour of information and strategies away for free.
Some people joined the program that I talked about at the end, others didn't - but a number of the ones who didn't buy did thank me for what they
learned during the webinar, so their time wasn't wasted.
We need to raise the bar when it comes to webinars - deliver great value and you earn the right to have your pitch heard at the end. But put as much (or more) effort into the CONTENT as you do the pitch!
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There, my rant is done ... here's the link to the replay of my webinar from Thursday night if you'd like to check it out
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Marc
Marc Mawhinney
Coach, Host of "Natural Born Coaches"
Passionate About Helping You GROW Your Coaching Business