The Internet Conference Call

Before you can accurately determine which of the many conference call services are for you, you must consider what you want the experience and the response of the people you are inviting to be. If this is a free introductory call you may opt for one type of solution, if you are clearly selling something or if the invitees are already your paying customers – there are other considerations.

The benefit of connecting with people in groups over the phone can not be over stated. The attendees do not have to leave their offices and neither do you. When you can put 100 or so people in the “room” on a regular basis you will be able to sell more and service more and do so much more cost effectively.

There are a number of companies that offer Internet conference calls, that’s why they invented Google isn’t it?  Figuring out which teleconference services are right for you can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. This article provides some helpful tips for organizers, answers to questions often not considered until after your event fails to attract the people you targeted.

First, or so we are lead to believe, on most people’s minds is the cost of participating in the Internet conference calls.  There are some online teleconference services that are free, but each person calling in will be charged according to their regular long-distance rate, unless, of course, it’s a local call.

Is this a stumbling block for your target audience? With long distance charges in the $3.00 per minute range (unless you have unlimited service) is this tiny cost a barrier or a simple screening process. Let’s face it if they don’t think what you have to say is worth a couple of bucks in long distance charges, are they really likely to spend money on your products and services?

People calling in on a wireless phone will have to consider the costs that their company charges. Again, most of us have excess minutes we lose at the end of the month or plans that allow us to roll them over. And you can always buy a calling card for your land line service.

To me the cost of my making the call, as a participant, is a perception issue. How am I being perceived by the call’s organizer? Many companies like to provide free access to their conferences for their employees and/or clients.  There are several teleconference services that provide toll free 1-800 numbers.  With this type of service, only the conference organizer pays a fee.

Some providers add a surcharge onto the regular charge that applies to users phone services.  Others charge their fees to the organizer’s credit card.  Either way, someone pays.  The fees for toll-free conferences vary from 2-10 cents per minute.

To keep your costs down, offer the maximum value, and to have a successful reception, it is best to have a plan for the call itself.  If you will do most of the talking, rehearse your presentation and time it.  Print it out and have it in front of you at the time of your call.  Think about questions that people may have and allot a specific amount of time for questions and answers.  That way, you won’t be surprised when your credit card or phone bill arrives.

If you are new to teleconferencing, it will be easier if you select a company that provides a guide to help “walk you through the process”.  This should be a free service included in the fee you have agreed to pay if any, with no additional charge tacked on.

You will need to decide if you want scheduled conferences, meaning that your employees or business associates have a specific time to call in.  Or, some companies allow reservation-less calling that provides more flexibility for both the organizers and the participants.  This is pretty slick because you can easily, using your own tools, let people known what’s going on, you can create a conference “on-demand”.

Most Internet conference calls that we’ve seen are limited to 150 or so participants.  If you need or want to reach more people, you can schedule several conferences.  Just don’t schedule them too closely together, as the time may run longer than you expect. Some, especially those using Internet conference call services for marketing purposes, will have 2-3 calls set up during the same day/evening to accommodate more people as well as folks around the globe.

The people who attend one of these calls are invited to a special follow up call a little later. This is a two step prospecting approach that really works – especially when there is some minimal charge for the second call. Even if it is $1.00 the result is a very high probability that a sale will be made to the folks who attend the follow up call.

Perhaps the most productive use we’ve seen for regular Internet conference calls is when a group of five or six individuals use the process as a place to hold regular peer group meetings. Services exist that allow one person, perhaps a different member every time, to be in charge – manage the call itself and field instant text messages from members of the group.

In some cases the service also allows for instantly recording the conversation itself, so if someone at the last minute finds that they can not attend the information shared that day can be recorded for their future listening.

There is no doubt that our successes and our failures are the result of one thing and one thing only! They are both the direct or indirect of the decisions we make. It’s that simple, not easy to do on your own however. In fact the most successful leaders among us, in every walk of life, systematically reach out to their hand-pick board of advocates and supporters for insights and advice.

Imagine the power of reaching out to your peers strategically – using an Internet conference calls service!

You can have the same tools for creating your own strategic planning and marketing team, a no cost whatsoever. Simply go to http://www.StrategicConversations.biz and watch the short video. Once you join you will receive a powerful video series that will show you how to make decisions about the directions you take and the plans you make with greater confidence. It is 100% free, no strings attached.

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