July 7th, 2010
If a teleseminar topic sounds like something they can’t live without, they will make the time to call in.
People are busy. When scheduling a teleseminar, it’s crucial that you choose a topic that will make people stop, adjust their schedules, and make a date with the telephone.
And what, you ask, is the best way to accomplish this magnetism? Emotional Appeal.
When you respond to something that people want, they will allow you to give it to them. Don’t tell them what they need – their mothers can do that for them.
When choosing a topic for your teleseminar, remember that you need a strong, satisfying hook that will make readers say, “That’s exactly what I want right now.” In other words, you must promise to satisfy a profound want that they have. If a teleseminar topic sounds like one more add-on to their busy schedules, you won’t make the cut. But, if a teleseminar topic sounds like something that they simply can’t live without (or the answer to a prayer), you will easily take the timeslot.
Every prospect has a need. It’s your job to find out what the overwhelming emotional needs of your audience are. Every member of that audience will want at least one of these elements:
• good health
• wealth
• extra time
• popularity
• good looks
• confidence
• respect
• comfort
• success
• enjoyment
• parenting success
• personal prestige
• contemporary style
• pride in possessions
• efficiency
• authority
• more / better sex
• satisfied curiosity
• no more embarrassment
• attractiveness
• knowledge of secrets
• intelligence
Now you might be asking, “How will I know what the emotional needs of my audience are?” The answer is simple: Listen.
When you get questions and feedback from your audience, take notes, determine where the biggest emotional desires lie, and use that data to create a teleseminar topic that satisfies the wants of a large portion your audience.
For instance, if you’re coaching sales people, you might assume that their biggest motivations are making money. But if you read their e-mails and listen to their voices, you will uncover the deeper emotional needs beneath that desire. Maybe you’ll find that a large portion of your audience is competitive – that they want to outperform their coworkers or their competition. In that case, you would put together a teleseminar that hits on the notes of success, envy, and personal prestige. More people will sign on, because you have chosen to focus on them (and their wants).
Even if you’re only getting comments and feedback from a portion of your entire client base, the statistical data will still ring true…listen to the emotional revelations of the majority.
Your topic is the foundation, and the biggest determinant of financial success, for your teleseminar. It must fill an emotional need, no matter how buried beneath the surface that emotional need might be.
Don’t tell people what they need; cater to what they want. Know your audience as intimately as professionally possible.
You should never have to guess on a teleseminar topic. If you listen closely and carefully, the pain in your audience’s words will determine that topic for you.
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Great post Bernadette
Perhaps it goes without saying – (but I’ll say it anyway!) – you can also ASK them. By that I don’t mean that you ask direct questions like “What are your emotional needs?” but questions that prompt answers that will give you clues. This can be before any event, feedback after an event, in broadcasts or newsletters etc. As soon as you ask what, why, how …. you may well get valuable clues in the responses.
John Gordon
The Infotainer