Last week, Simon Mackie, editor at Web Worker Daily, published the Top 10 Teleconferencing Tips. The article includes great advice, much of which is applicable for in-person meetings too. The list was targeted at conference call organizers but participants on audio and web conferences should also consider a few tips to ensure they get the most from the meeting:

• Avoid Distractions. Because no one can see you, it’s easy to continue working on other items or follow up on some unanswered emails. You’ll get more from the call and your colleagues will appreciate it if you stay focused and engaged. Close email, web browsers and other applications so that you can focus on the information being presented.
• Location, Location, Location. Much like the chairperson, the participant’s location is also important. Muting and unmuting your phone can be troublesome and collaborating from a loud, busy location can be difficult. Find a quite environment—no dogs, no kids, no traffic, etc.—so that your colleagues can appreciate the fine points of your ideas. And, remember, the organizer may not have you on mute, so before you ‘think out loud’ make sure you’ve muted your own phone.
• Participate. If you’re joining a collaborative conference call or meeting with your colleagues, be sure to verbalize your thoughts. If you agree with the discussion, don’t just nod because no one will see you; let the rest of the group know. It can be awkward to interrupt to let the speaker know that you agree, so take notes on what you agree and disagree with and important highlights. When it’s your turn or the appropriate time arises, share your feedback on the topics being discussed.
• Always Be Prepared. To ensure that you have the best audio and web conference experience prepare ahead of time:
  • Review the agenda and gather notes
  • Check to make sure your computer is properly setup for web conferences
  • Dial-in 5 minutes early so you’re not frazzled for the start of the call

Audio and web conferencing is a great way to share information, collaborate, train and educate. BUT, it is what you make it. In order to get the most from teleconferencing, participants and chairpersons need to consider best practices and tips for success.

I took a break from blogging for awhile, and now I’m ready to join Mike in writing more frequently. ReadyTalk has been growing rapidly over these past few months resulting in new faces and names to learn, new needs for processes where they didn’t previously exist, more dogs, more dishes in the kitchen, more activity. I’ve been living lead generation, producing campaigns, learning the ins and outs of Salesforce, dreaming about marketing automation software, presenting web seminars, reaching out to new partners and brainstorming how we can use conferencing to start intelligent, meaningful conversations.

During this little blogging rebirth, let’s revisit the fundamental reason why we are here, or the primary reason why I love what I do. It is this: your ReadyTalk account is a space full of power and potential. Choose your words well and be persistent and intelligent in bringing communities together, and you will fundamentally affect positive change in your unique way. Think about what you’d like to share with thousands of people around the world, and we can help you make it happen.

I love these types of posts. Eran Livneh, over at the MarketCapture Blog, tells about how a webinar they conducted for one of their clients helped close some deals as well as bring new leads into the pipeline.

This is the power of the webinar in action. It is a great tool for any part of the sale process. As a lead generator, the webinar worked well for their client; over 30% of their attendees were new and qualified prospects. In the case of the salesperson who closed a deal as a result of the webinar, it was used as a nurturing piece that resulted in a sale.

Obviously, at ReadyTalk, we believe in webinars as critical sales and marketing tools. They are a cost efficient way to produce persistent content that your sales team will be able to use at any point in the sales process.

Check out all the ways our web conferencing service can help.

Technorati Tags: webinars, web seminars, web conferencing

I grew up on a farm in Western Colorado. Like my brothers, and sisters, I went away to college and never moved back home. (Farming is really hard work, in case you didn’t know.) Now we’re scattered all over the country and world (one brother lives in Germany). We all keep in touch, though, mostly by e-mail. Sometimes we have e-mail conversations that last for weeks on a particularly hot topic such as should my dad shell out the money for a new hay baler to replace the old one that keeps breaking down.

Three years ago, we had a health-related crisis in my family that lasted for several months. Everything is fine now, but at the time, we had a lot of issues to discuss, decisions to make, and emotional support to provide. E-mail was indispensable for this, but there were times when we all just needed to be able to talk together.

My wife suggested using ReadyTalk’s Audio Conferencing. After all, Dan King, ReadyTalk’s CEO, is a good friend of mine and since my wife and I are ReadyTalk investors, he had set up a guest account for us several months earlier and urged us to try it out.

Still, I didn’t feel right about using our ReadyTalk account for personal business like this. So I sent an e-mail to Dan explaining our family situation. He said feel free to use ReadyTalk, including the web conferencing if we wanted. After a couple of family conference calls, I asked him again, just to make sure. This was his actual reply:

“Hearing that our conferencing service is useful for getting your family together periodically is great. Regarding your request to use ReadyTalk for family conference calls: QUIT ASKING ME IF IT’S ALL RIGHT TO USE READYTALK. YOU’RE AN INVESTOR IN OUR BUSINESS FOR GOODNESS SAKE. I WANT YOU TO USE THE BLOODY SERVICE. There I feel better.”

I’ve never asked permission since.

Now, even though things are back to normal, my family still does a monthly conference call. We’ve started recording the calls so those who can’t participate in a call can listen to it later, if they want. The audio conferencing is easy to use, we’ve never had any technical problems, and the sound quality is excellent, even for my brother in Germany. The only problem is we’re not always all that interesting.

My point here is that you don’t have to be a business to benefit from audio conferencing. You can use it to stay in touch with friends and family, crisis or no crisis. And now that audio conferencing services are mainstream, it probably doesn’t cost as much as you think.

My other point is that it’s no accident that ReadyTalk takes care of their people and their customers. It all comes from the top.

Technorati Tags: Customer Service, Audio Conferencing