In the past four years working as a sales rep for a software company, I witnessed a shift from prospective customers wanting in-person visits to preferring an online demonstration or webinar. Given increases in travel costs and effective time management, the efficiencies of an online meeting can't be beat.
To make the most of your meeting:
Begin on time
End on time
Check sound and visual with your audience
Greet your audience/conduct introductions
Explain the process or agenda for the meeting
Provide quality content during the presentation
Capture questions for followup either through software tools or with the help of a coworker
Have satisfied client or an expert on hand to field in-depth or technical questions
Engage your audience through Q&A
In closing, review action items/next steps/ask for feedback if not already provided
How long should a webinar last?
It's best to keep it to an hour allowing 45 minutes for quality content and the other 15 minutes for questions. Sometimes, in a sales presentation, the key decision makers will continue to ask questions or want to see other features of your product after the hour is up. This is when it's best to go with the flow. You can suggest that attendees who need to leave do so and continue to work with the interested parties. Obviously, if your content presentation needs to take longer than 45 minutes, schedule the full length of the meeting accordingly, but don't try to squeeze in so much information that there is no time for Q&A.
What time of day is best?
This varies by audience availability, time zone, and the schedules of staff involved. Whenever you can make all that come together, then that's the best time to host your webinar. Sometimes it makes sense to host multiple sessions so that all who need to attend have scheduling options and can plan coverage for their departments.
Do I delay the start of the meeting if attendees are late?
Unless your audience is small and the attendees request you wait until a key decision maker arrives, begin on time. The folks who did make it to the meeting on time will appreciate staying on schedule.
Related info:
Fly, Drive, or Click -- How will you get to your next meeting?
Blue Ridge Business Journal, October 6, 2008
Some of the Top Online Meeting Service Providers
Genesys (Genesys Conferencing)
Glance (Glance.net)
GoToMeeting (Citrix Online)
HyperMeeting (HyperOffice)
iLinc (iLinc Communications)
Interwise (AT&T)
Live Meeting (Microsoft)
MeetMeNow (Webex/Cisco)
PresenterNet (PresenterNet)
Saba (Saba Software)
Yugma Professional (Yugma, Inc.)