Virtual events are pretty hot right now.
But I think most people don’t understand why they work so well.
So I wanted to share with you 5 strategies that you can use right away to sell like crazy at the virtual event.
In fact, one of our students Rachel McMichael, recently ran a hybrid virtual/live event where she sold her coaching program.
She had 47 people attend and converted 45% into her program.
That’s right 45%.
I’ve created a diagram to show you why virtual events work so well compared to other ways of selling.
(hopefully, you can read my poor handwriting)
The secret is in the fact that there are both high leverage and higher conversion.
So, let’s talk about 5 ways that you can run a virtual event that literally can take your business to the next level in less than 2 days!
1. Treat The Event Like a Live Event
Do you remember how awesome it was going to live events? There is the anticipation, the preparation, and everything involved with attending.
One of the advantages of virtual events is the ease of attending, but there is a hidden problem with this, which is attendees don’t treat it with the level of seriousness as they would a live event.
So how do you get your participants to treat your virtual event with the seriousness of a live event?
- Don’t record the event, remember the goal is to get people there live and if you clearly state that the event is not recorded or the recordings will not be given out, there is a scarcity that is created to attend.
- Make sure to send out some clear reasons to attend the event.
- Put a small cost on the event. This could be as simple as $27 or $97 (which can even be refunded when they attend live)
2. Design The Event Content Around Your Offer
Most people make the mistake of just teaching lots of cool content at the event.
Don’t get me wrong, there needs to be great content at the event. In fact, for every event I run I want to ensure that all participants walk away with massive value whether they join my offer or not.
But, if you think that you can just deliver some cool content, and then pitch your program and get a rush of people signing up, you’re mistaken.
There needs to be a good percentage of your content that is focused on setting up your offer so that when you reveal it to your audience it is the next logical step in their journey.
The best way to do that is through Infusion Sellingā¢. Infusion selling is the proprietary process of speaking and selling at the same time. An example of this is, making the main modules of the virtual event focused on the main modules in your offer. So when people see the offer, it’s familiar and relevant.
Ninja, I know š
The key distinction here is, don’t just deliver content that you think will be awesome. Combine your awesome content with specific strategies that will set up your offer so that it is the next logical step when you reveal it.
3. Pitch Twice
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that you can just pitch once at an event and everyone who is the right fit will sign up.
I wish that was the case. Even the greatest Sell from Stage Experts understand that there needs to be multiple experiences of the offer for someone to say ‘yes!’.
If you’re running a two-day event you should pitch at the end of day 1 and then do another pitch of the same program halfway through day two.
There’s something powerful about hearing the pitch twice, it makes a huge difference.
If you’re running a 3-day program I would recommend pitching on day 2, and then re-pitching on day 3. This is one of the biggest advantages in running a multi-day virtual event as opposed to a webinar (but I still love webinars as well)!
4. Keep The Interaction High
One of the big mistakes that people make in their virtual events is they forget that the audience needs constant engagement and interaction.
You’ve probably attended one of those virtual events where all they do is get lots of speakers one after another and after watching the screen for 8 hours you’re completely exhausted, overwhelmed, and disengaged.
That’s the wrong way to run a virtual event.
The secret is creating constant interaction with the entire audience.
Some simple ways of doing this are:
- Ask people to type specific words into that chat while you teach
- Provide a workbook and give them time to do the activities throughout the event
- Play music at different points in the event to shift the energy
- Use breakout rooms in Zoom so that participants get to talk with other participants
The interaction is not just about engagement…the interaction teaches the audience that they need to take action!
This results in higher conversion rates when you make your offer.
Plus they’ll have a lot better experience no matter what.
5. Make a Higher Ticket Offer
The great thing about a virtual event is that because the audience has built a high degree of “Know, Like & Trust” with you, you have more leverage in the bank to make a higher ticket offer.
If you do this process right you can very easily offer a program above $3,000+ and get a very strong conversion right.
So if you normally sell programs below $1,000, I would encourage you to think about an offer that is above $3,000 to share at your virtual event.
Obviously, there are some audiences that wouldn’t be receptive to this due to their circumstances, but if you serve an audience that in general are open to investing in themselves, a higher ticket offer will be your best bet.
It will make you a lot more money and also attract more committed customers.
Win-win.
These are just five strategies that I teach my Sell From Stage ELITEā¢ Implementation Students for when they are running their events.
Two quick things…
- If you found this useful please leave a comment below letting me know what’s been most helpful.
- If you’re serious about running virtual events that convert like crazy, feel welcome to book a quick conversation to talk about how you can start implementing these strategies faster.
