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A reader writes, "Our company holds webinars to educate prospects and identify new leads. The sales team contacts the prospects after they've signed up to attend.
I signed up for a webinar myself recently and received 12 voicemails and emails from 5 different people with a range of titles. I was annoyed and wondered if my own company's webinar follow-up could use an overhaul. What is the proper protocol for following-up with webinar attendees?"
Here some suggestions.
Automated Reminders
Those individuals signing up for a webinar expect to receive an automated email message confirming their participation. The information typically includes a link to the future web session, a phone number for audio, sometimes a password, and usually an Outlook calendar item. Confirmation emails should follow a business-like format: short and to the point with only essential details included.
I advise my clients to send a reconfirmation email about a day or half-day before the actual webinar. People appreciate it.
Establish One Contact
Before setting the date and promoting the webinar, determine who contacts the attendees after they sign up. This should be only one person per attendee, and preferably a salesperson or sales executive.
If your salespeople are bound by territories, match the attendees accordingly. In other words, an attendee located in California gets contacted by the California rep.
Conformity
When following up with attendees, insist all reps send identical template email and / or voicemail message to prospects. Any email message relating to the webinar, automated or not, should include the webinar title - such as "Improving Website Performance" - so the recipient knows why they are being contacted.
Voicemail
A day or two before the seminar, have the sales rep leave a voicemail with the attendee. Provide a templated but customizable script. It might sound something like:
"This is Sonya Smith with the XYZ Company. I see that you'll be attending our webinar this Thursday on "Improving Website Performance." Given your company's interest in ___ I think you'll find the section on ___ particularly helpful. If you have any questions, I can be reached at 617-555-1212. I'll be contacting you a few days after the webinar. Enjoy the presentation. I look forward to speaking with you soon."
Reps should research the individual attendees and their companies to customize the templated voicemail message. This adds credibility to the message they leave.
Be Realistic
Some attendees might be seriously considering buying your product or service. Most are just slightly interested or curious. If they have any desire to speak with a sales rep, it would most likely be post-webinar. Create a positive and to-the-point voicemail for follow-up. Have reasonable expectations about the number of people who will actually call back.
Follow-up
Direct the sales reps in your organization to begin contacting attendees a few days after the webinar. Rather than trying to sell, reps should approach the conversation with the perspective of getting to know the participant and their business needs.
An email or voicemail might sound like this:
"My name is Sonya Smith and I'm XYZ Company's California sales representative. I wanted to speak with you about the "Improving Website Performance" webinar you attended last Thursday. We'd like to know if we answered your questions in the area of ____ and whether it gave you a better understanding of ___.
"Again this is Sonya Smith with XYZ Company. My phone number is 617-555-1212. My email is sonya.smith@xyzcompany.com. I look forward to talking with you soon. Have a good day."
As with the introductory voice or email, have the reps customize each message to the extent possible.
Leading the Team
Brainstorm with your sales staff to determine a follow-up plan for the attendee leads. Monitor the calls. Meet frequently with the reps to discuss attendee responses, common objections and questions, and overall interest level. Hold one-on-ones to offer support, coaching and helpful suggestions.
During this process keep close track of how many leads go into the pipeline. Record the number of sales won and sales lost. Share the information with other departments so that future webinars might be improved upon.
Final Thoughts
Considerable time and resources go into the creation of a webinar. Multiple departments get involved in the effort. Some potential customers will base any future dealing with your company on the webinar experience.
Increase your chances of success by coordinating a professional, well-executed follow-up campaign with these valued future clients.
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