If you’ve smashed your registration conversion targets and properly indoctrinated your registrants so that you now anticipate hordes of potential customers showing up to your webinar, you need to put on a show that lives up to the promise.
That puts a lot of pressure on you, as the host, to deliver content that is extraordinarily…
- Useful
- Interesting
- Entertaining
That is no small order!
If you can manage to hit one of those three targets, you’re doing fairly well. But “fairly well” is not enough. It’s no use delivering useful information if everyone is comatose, drooling over their keyboards because the presentation is a snooze.
It’s equally problematic if you’re entertaining and can keep everyone’s attention, but don’t deliver actual content of substance.
Either way, you’re going to struggle once it comes to your sales pitch.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution that you can use, regardless of how limited your webinar experience is, that will allow you to deliver information that is both useful AND riveting.
All you have to do is tell a story…
The Hero’s Quest
In 2004 an English journalist, Christopher Booker, published a book postulating that virtually all stories can be broadly categorized into one of seven basic plot types.
In turn, all seven types can be considered variations on the same basic drama.
It’s a controversial claim, for sure, but it has the virtue of offering a handy guide for anyone looking to shape a satisfying story.
Booker claims he spent more than three decades writing his book, so apologies to the man for the crass way I’m about to boil it down. The essence is as follows…
- The hero sets out on an adventure.
- Things start out well and hopes are high.
- Then something goes wrong and doubts set in.
- Problems stack up until they appear insurmountable.
- Finally, the hero manages to overcome his obstacles and prevails.
With some variation, an astonishing number of books and movies follow this basic structure.
Is this because all creatives are attempting to express the same tortured quest for enlightenment and fulfillment?
Is it because we’re all imitating the stories we heard as children, generation after generation, continuing an endless cycle of old becoming new?
Or, is it because this is the easiest formula for producing a hit and making some cash mo-nay? Hmmmmm?
Now the fun bit…
Let’s see how we fit this model into a webinar story that will keep your audience riveted.
The Secret to Your Success
As you’ve probably already figured, the story you’re going to tell is how you found success in your niche.
It could be a “rags to riches” story, or it could be your “quest” to become an expert in something. Either way, your challenge is to deliver your tale in a way that doesn’t meander, doesn’t get bogged down in the details, and is relatable for your audience.
This is accomplished by fitting your story into FIVE EASY STEPS.
1) In the beginning, times were hard…
The starting point for your story can be as early as you wish, but make sure you’re starting out from a place where many in your audience could currently see themselves, so they relate directly to you right away.
Ideally, this part of the story will come as a huge surprise your attendees.
I can’t believe multi-millionaire Mike used to live in his mom’s basement.
I can’t believe golf-pro Gertrude struggled so badly in Savannah.
I can’t believe skinny Scott used to weigh 450 lbs.
2) I decided to make a change because…
Now, explain what motivated you to set out on your journey to success. What pain were you in? What critical point had you reached?
Describe your feelings in as explicit detail as possible. The better you are at relating this part of the story, the more likely it is that members of your audience will recognize themselves as being now where you once were.
A good angle is to talk about how you finally found the courage to examine your situation only to discover that things were even worse than you imagined.
I couldn’t believe it when I realized the 12-year old that delivered the paper was earning more than me.
It was a real wake-up call when my grandmother beat me on the final hole and I got so angry I threw my club in the pond.
I knew things had gotten out of hand when I stood on my scale and the digital reader said, “Ouch, quit it”.
3) On the road to discovery, I learned these critical things…
This is where you candidly share the truths that you came to accept; the stark realities that you (maybe subliminally) want your audience also to acknowledge in preparation for the forthcoming sales pitch.
How did these, perhaps uncomfortable, facts change your perspective of where you were at, what needed to change, and why it was imperative that you took action?
I was going to die in that basement, unfulfilled and alone, if I didn’t accept that no one could take responsibility for my life but me.
Instead of controlling my emotions, I was letting my emotions control me – I was never going to shoot my goal number if I didn’t completely rethink my mental game.
My life was at stake. It wasn’t just about feeling better or looking good. If I wanted to live to see my kids grow up I needed to make that change.
4) This is what I did and this is what happened…
Share your wisdom and reveal the spectacular results.
Don’t be afraid to talk about the lows as well as the highs. Your audience will find your story more believable and relatable if you don’t try and make it appear as if your journey to success was one unhindered rise to the top.
Some things worked, some things didn’t, but you were always moving in the right direction, refusing to lose your momentum.
So what if my first idea was a flop. I was going to take what I learned and do even better with my next try.
Of course it hurt to lose in the final of the championships. But I learned to never again underestimate the power and skill of a younger player.
I was wearing my leather pants again for the first time in two decades. It felt so good I wore them for five days straight. But, of course, now I know that’s gross and shouldn’t ever happen again.
5) This is my system and this is how it can work for you…
Summarize the success you’ve attained and the method that got you where you are today. This is the final step before you make the transition to your sales pitch.
Make sure you spend time explaining why what you’ve been sharing can be replicated by every member of your audience.
My business is a success because I figured out how to test my products before bringing them to market, using my 12-step system.
Those three small tweaks to my game took me from perennial golf loser to three-time state champion. And in the last five years I’ve helped hundreds of people replicate my system and avoid the embarrassment of losing.
In total, I lost over 250lbs, and I can promise that my “Eat More Fat, Move More” plan will work for anyone.
***
If you’re an expert at putting together a fun, pithy, educational webinar lecture, don’t change a thing. You’ve mastered something that most of us will always wrestle with.
But if you’re struggling, you don’t have to anymore. You can short-cut your way to putting on a phenomenal webinar, simply by sharing your success story.
And this system even works if you don’t have a personal success story yet. All you have to do is find a customer who’s used your product to succeed, and persuade them to share THEIR story with your audience. Case Studies are golden.
Or find a joint venture partner who DOES have a success story and interview them on your webinar.
Everyone loves a good story – especially one with a happy ending where the hero slays the beast, and gets the girl (or boy). Make your webinar a story with this spirit, where your product/service and proper use of it lead to the ultimate customer happy ending, and you’ll be well on your way to having a smash on your hands.
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