How many businesses have avoided the effects of higher energy costs and a slower economy? Not many. Energy costs affect all of us and the news of the slowing economy does not help promote any growth initiatives, particularly for small businesses who need to enforce greater budgetary control.



In these economic periods, sales typically slow, and margins and productivity decrease. Sales slow because many businesses continue developing (or trying to develop) leads the way they used to. Worse, some businesses even reduce their development efforts. Margins decrease because expenses have increased. Productivity decreases as employees sit around, discouraged with their slowing results.

Instead of riding out an economic slowdown, small businesses need to tackle the situation head-on. Rather than reduce sales activities, they should increase them. But instead of increasing the same type of activities, small businesses need to think outside of the box. One such thought involves webinars, or web conferences.

Involving web conferences in the marketing effort can return great results through two simple steps. The way Quote Stork Solutions interprets a May 2008 Ipsos survey is that web conferences are expected to increase 600% over the next five years. And while medium and large corporations are already taking advantage of this technology, small businesses who stand on the sidelines stand to see real and opportunity losses.

In the first step, the small business initiates a direct-response marketing campaign. This type of marketing benefits all types of businesses, but larger competitors typically shy away from them since they are perceived as high-maintenance. Small businesses, however, use these touchy-feely campaigns more effectively and consequently have experienced proven results. Additionally, since direct-response involves taking action, only interested prospects will respond.

The second step involves developing and presenting a valued-added sales pitch to interested parties via webinar or web conference. This is more than a "Why You Should Deal with Me" pitch. For example, an electrical contractor might present some of the common problems electrical encountered in the course of a typical renovation as well as some of the remedies taken to correct such problems.

Using direct-response marketing, small businesses can eliminate the need for fronting large sums of cash for putting together a traditional seminar. And since only interested prospects will attend your webinar (versus cold-calling prospects who do not want to hear or see you), you will speak and sell to a captive audience. Forget the hard sale.

In summary, webinars provide a win-win solution for everyone involved. For the small business owner, a webinar means selling to a large interested group instead of one-on-one cold-calls. For interested prospects, a webinar means saving time and potential travel expenses; they can enjoy your webinar in the comfort of their office or home.

The market leader here is GoToMeeting. They offer a comprehensive web conference solution for all business types. Plus, through the link below, you can enjoy a Free Trial and receive $10 off your first paid web conference.