We need to build an ark. One that can float in a sea of virtuality. The realization is that virtual encounters are not a transient occurrence, they will increasingly be with us past this pandemic.
Back in 2004, an industry veteran, Dennis Burnham and I started “OurMeetings.TV”. We bought bandwidth from Webex … it was tens of thousands of dollars. We then remarketed smaller chunks, like time shares to suppliers, and tried leading them to a new way to communicate with distributors. The vast majority of them said “never”. This is not going to work. So, in a self-fulfilling prophecy, it did not work. We could not get supplier participation. Yes, we had a dozen or so who saw the future and the opportunity but the majority came from the “show me” state of mind and sat back letting early technology pass. The year 2006 was a watershed year as Mr. Jobs turned the world upside down and the crowding began in the digital and virtual arena.
The residue from that failed enterprise was my own use of the “webinar” for Soundline. Boastfully, I say, I delivered the first ever webinar to Geiger, AIA, and hundreds of distributors nationwide. I built a lot of new business with new technology. Well, it ain’t new no more. That’s a double negative and that leads me into the negative of what most people now call a Zoom meeting. What was novel, unique and very rare in 2004, is so commonplace right now. People are taking all that is sent their way as just another form of spam. We know that, to move on in business, we need to go virtual but just how much is enough.
I do not have an attendance or participation chart to show. I bet the attendance curve is either flattening or dipping down. Personally, between business, family and my political activism, I have Zoom fatigue. Some I must participate in, some not. I have an axiom for you. Of all the participants who say “yes” I will attend, approximately 66% may show up. I have done webinars for PPAI, District One and Wild Wednesday presentations and that 66% rule of thumb still applies.
So, with all this competition for participants, there is a crying need for Zoom excellence.
Attracting your participants
Providing the entertaining content in your screen share
Having a robust follow up
Focusing on these three areas will increase productivity and your ROI. If you are going for end users, you know who they are. If you are a supplier going for distributors, you know who they are. My favorite tactic used on thousands of invitees, was to send them a webinar kit in a large white box with a personalize, colorful label. I held webinars early in the morning and then after hours. I stayed away from business hours as my targets were out selling and had no time for me. My kit, contained all the samples and materials, catalogs, etc. that I would present online or want them to have after I motivated them. The box had a huge red warning label that read “Warning, Do Not Open Until the Start of Our Meeting Under Penalty of Law … (see mattress tag for penalty). The box evoked a smile. It was a dimensional mailing sent to arrive about a week before the meeting. It built the same curiosity a gift under the Christmas tree does sitting there. In my breakfast box, I put an individually package coffee roll or cake for breakfast. I even bought branded coffee packages. In my after-hours box I put a small airline size bottle of red wine. It worked. Two emails followed in the next seven days teasing the invitees about the box and reminding them of the meeting. Today, a person can easily add the event to their calendar; yesterday that was not possible. The takeaway - build up to your meeting by using the very products we sell. This same concept should be presented to your clients as they are doing meetings online and, by asking them for a $10.00 budget per participant, you can do miracles.
Here’s the sales logic:
Were they, your clients, to go to a Marriott hotel for a meeting with their dealers, they would be spending $25 or more per guest for food, the facility, etc. Even if they did a meeting in house, the donuts, coffee, lunch, etc. is costly. So, we are not asking them to spend any more than they would, but simply to apply that budget to different tangibles to go along with their virtuals.
Going out for attendees is a challenge and you can easily put together ideas that have high impact and a low cost of mailing or shipping. Do not forget to add a post-meeting follow up with a promotional product as a thank you for attending and announcing the next event, if needed.
As for the content, I need another column for “best practices” when delivering a webinar or zoom type meeting. This is easy for me to deliver as Dennis and I published the best practices back in 2004 and it really has not changed.
I will dig it out, dust it off, update it a bit and post it the next time around. If you do a kit, take a picture and send it to me please, I love seeing great ideas in action.
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds “I was a distributor.” He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is a frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.