Lesson 4:
Rent Your Phone Line (Bridge Line)
By Daniel Janal
Founder, Great Teleseminars
We’re getting a little bit technical, but don't be put off by it. Teleconferences are really very LOW tech. If you can dial a phone, you can hold a successful teleconference.
Teleconferences are held on a "bridge" line, which is a not-so-fancy name for a conference call. You need to find a company that offers a bridge line and reserve the time of your call. However, not all bridge lines have the same features, so we'll discuss what you should look for in a bridge line and mention a few service providers.
Of course, if you want to bypass this section, all you really need to do is sign up with Instant Teleseminar.
For those of you still reading, you obviously want to comparison shop. That's okay. Here's what you need to look for.
1. Price. The fees for renting a bridge line are based on how long the session lasts and how many people are allowed to attend.
2. Contract length. You can rent phone time as you need it and when you need it. This is fine if you plan to do only a few teleseminars.
If you are going to do numerous teleseminars, you will benefit from getting a long-term contract because the rates will be lower.
Here are the key features to compare when you shop for telephone bridge providers.
3. Muting. This function gives the presenter (you) the ability to block sounds coming from participants. This means you can talk without hearing any disruptions or distractions from the audience. This is very useful and a critical component for a teleclass when you are lecturing and are not willing to take *uestions.
Of course, you can "un-mute" the line whenever you want to invite *uestions and interactivity.
Good teleseminars are marked by interactivity. But you need to be able to control when that interactivity occurs so you can direct the conference effectively.
You will also want to have the muting function to mask any ambient noise from your participants, who might be clacking away at their keyboards answering email or surfing the web, or pacifying their crying babies, or doing the dishes, or snoring (this actually happened at a teleclass I attended, but to the speaker's credit, he had been lecturing for two hours!).
Even if you don't have troublemakers like these, the background noise from participants' rooms and phone lines could be distracting. So it is useful to be able to mute them.
Good bridge lines also let participants mute themselves in case they want to carry on side conversations (as might happen during a sales training session) or if people are listening at work and their co-workers’ voices are easily heard. This function is also critically important if you plan to record the session and sell audiocassettes or CDs because the background noise will greatly distract listeners, and they might ask for their money back. To me, muting is definitely the most important thing.
4. Number of participants. Another thing you should look for is the number of participants that that line can hold. The bare bones base figure that I’ve seen is about 25. Some bridge lines can hold hundreds of people. Be sure to pick a company that will let you pay for the bare minimum – but have the ability to allow you to add additional people if your teleseminar proves wildly successful. Compare the price for each additional attendee you pay for after the minimum you guaranteed.
As your business grows, you'll see what size line is best for you. Find a company that can expand as you need it. Since you pay for each person on the bridge line, you want to be sure to not get one that charges for a large minimum number of people if you won't attain that number. No sense paying for something you won't use.
5. Sign-in Codes. To prevent theft of your services, it’s a good idea to use a company that provides "sign-in codes." With these codes, each participant needs to dial the number to enter the conference, then dial the sign-in code. Of course, there is nothing to prevent unscrupulous people from passing the code to their friends, but it’s a good first line of defense. Select a company that will let you change codes fre*uently without charging a fee.
6. Attendance Report. If sign-in codes are the first line of defense, attendance is the second line. With this function, you give the bridge line operator a list of the attendees. When a person signs in with his code, the operator asks for the name. If that person is not on the list, the operator can remove him from the conference. The operator can ask that person to call your office to register for the session. Check to see if the company has this function and how much it costs because not all companies have operators.
The operator also will give you a report so you can see who attended. It can be useful for follow-up and other marketing or client relations activities.
7. Record the session. Some companies have the ability to record your conference on an audiocassette or CD or both. This is a separate fee. If you want to make money selling recordings of the seminar, this is an easy and inexpensive way to do it. Only Great Teleseminars will help you turn those recordings into products you can sell. Great Teleseminars can make masters of the recordings, duplicate cassettes and CDs and even take orders and ship products. Of course, you can find other companies to do this, so compare prices and ease of use.
8. Toll-free 800 service. If you don't want your clients to pay for the call, some companies offer toll- free service via 800 dial-in numbers. You will pay extra for this service, so be sure to factor in the price when you set your seminar registration fee so you don't lose money.
Action Steps:
* Register With Instant Teleseminar to reserve your line!
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