Is the “Free Teleseminar” Dead as a Small business Marketing Tool?
ByI don’t know about you, but for me the days of excitedly signing up for a free teleseminar on this or that subject are long gone. For quite some time it’s seemed to me that most of these are nothing but glorified pitch fests.
Rarely is there ever any meat. Most of the time they just explain what you need to know, and the perils of not knowing (or wonders of knowing), then how you can you spend a bunch of money with them to learn it.
To make sure this is indeed the case, I recently signed up for a couple more free teleseminars with big names. They were promoted as the event to learn all kinds of powerful, business-building secrets.
And you know what? Except for the lesson on how to pitch on a teleseminar without actually giving away anything useful, they were a HUGE waste of my time.
Frankly, I have better things to do than sit on a phone call and listen to someone’s clients give raving testimonials. Or hear a list of all the things I need to know. In fact, if that’s all you’ve got, I feel a bit like my intelligence is being insulted. And I’m certainly not going to spend any money with these folks as a result.
Maybe it’s naïve…
Maybe it’ll keep me from becoming a millionaire…
Maybe it comes from my background as an Environmental Educator and teacher…
But I believe if you offer something of value in a free session then people will be more likely to pay you for even more helpful info.
Sure there’s the argument about “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free??” But I’m not saying give away all your tricks and secrets. I just think if you help others it comes back to you.
One of the big reasons I’ve been charging $7 for my Small Business Success Teleseminar Series is just to make it clear that they are NOT free (http://www.success-stream.com/events.htm). Hopefully, as a result, people will trust they’re going to get something of value for their investment of time and money.
I know I’ve gotten a number of powerful, business-building tips I was able to put into action from the experts I’ve interviewed. And that’s what I expect from others. Even if the teleseminar is free.
Are you jaded by the overwhelming number of fluff-filled free teleseminars out there?
Do you still sign up for, and listen to, free teleseminars (and get anything of value out of them)?
Do you think free teleseminars are still an effective way to market a service or product…Or have they outlived their usefulness?
Let me know by leaving a comment below!
[tags] Free Teleseminar, Small business, product, service, market, Marketing Tool [/tags]
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I have mixed feelings about free teleseminars.
While it’s marketing 101 that something that has a price associated with it is more valuable than something that’s free it seems like online people have gotten used to free information.
I do feel that free teleseminars have been abused in many markets especially internet marketing and any of the “make money” niches, but I also believe that in most markets they are still a very powerful way to introduce yourself to your audience. As marketers we are barraged with free teleseminars and videos and now even UStreams, but most small business niches are still discovering the web and the tools that we’ve used for years.
Doug
I’ll sign up for a free teleseminar if it’s being given by someone I know. I’ll also sign up for a free teleseminar if I know this particular person delivers excellent content on their free teleseminars. I’ll also sign up for a free teleseminar if I’m thinking about being an affiliate for that person. My theory is if they give great content during their free teleseminars, then I know their paid ones will be worthwhile. If the free one is nothing but a glorified sales pitch, I think twice about being that person’s affiliate. Great post!
Using teleseminars as a come-on to sell products is simply the application of new technology to an old technique.
I remember going to a full day conference at my city’s convention center many years ago where some of the country’s top names in business management and sales training were going to speak. They spent most of their time pitching the tapes and books you could buy in the lobby.
Some free conferences and teleseminars do provide value, and I don’t begrudge anyone who gives free information the opportunity to present their products for sale. In fact, it really isn’t fair to expect an expert’s information for free without at least some commercial.
However, like anything else, some of these free conferences and teleseminars offer more value than others. Since they’re free, it’s really just a matter of gambling whether the time you invest will be worth the payoff in information. -Andrew Sokol