MaestroConference is the latest development in teleseminar technology. It’s a breakthrough teleconference platform that allows you to simulate a live workshop on the phone, complete with breakout groups, hand-raising, passing the mic, and more.
If you conduct training or sell products by teleconference… or if you’re just frustrated by poor quality teleconference services that don’t live up to their promises… then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by MaestroConference.
Just as Apple changed music forever when they released the iPod, MaestroConference is already changing how teleconferences are conceived, conducted, and consumed.
Here are a few of the major improvements that take teleseminars to a whole new level…
Major Improvement #1: Breakout Groups
In most webinars and teleseminars, there are one or two speakers and a whole bunch of listeners. And unless you allow questions, the listeners are stuck in a passive state. They’re minimally engaged, at best.
Even when you do allow questions, only a fraction of your listeners are able to participate.
Now, imagine for a moment that instead of engaging 5% of the people on your webinar or teleseminar, you could engage 100% of them. And imagine that you could do it as easily as clicking a couple of visual icons on your computer screen.
How much more would your listeners learn from your training calls if they could be actively engaged and interacting with other listeners? How much more loyal would they be to you? How much more could you sell to listeners who were fully engaged?
Here are a few real-life scenarios where break-out groups could revolutionize your virtual trainings:
Scenario #1: Workshops
Your teleconference workshops can now have the same kind of intimacy and immediacy of a real-life workshop.
You set up the exercises in advance, and then group participants in pairs or threes or fours to run through your exercises in a small private setting.
When small group breakouts are done, you can bring everybody back into a large group and have a spokesperson from each group share key takeaways with the larger group.
Want to take it a step further?
Have two or three special guests, each with a particular expertise. Invite your listeners into breakout groups according to what they are most interested in learning about.
This is done all the time at real-life seminars. Now you can do it on the phone.
Scenario #2: Training
Picture this: You’re training your multi-state sales team on how to make sales calls and improve their close rates.
After reviewing the new sales script that’s been tested and proven to get the best results, you move your sales team into pairs so they can role play over the phone.
You can even “walk the room,” dropping in on pairs to see how they are doing, just like you would in an in-person training.
In only 10 minutes, every single one of your sales people has had an opportunity to test-drive the sales script with a real human being.
Then, after you bring everybody back into the large group, you can answer questions about the sales script immediately. You can coach individuals, address concerns, and return them to the same partner for another round of practice.
Scenario #3: Virtual Networking
One of the most valuable aspects of a live seminar or training event is networking — meeting colleagues, other service providers, and potential clients.
Now imagine the value of creating a similar networking environment… on the telephone!
After everybody calls in and you welcome them to the call, simply create breakout groups of 2, 4, or however many you want, then let them introduce themselves, where they’re from, and what they do.
Give them as much time as you like to exchange information…and listen in on the buzzing “room” you’ve created.
You can then mix everybody up into different groups, and do it all over again. In perhaps only 30 minutes, all the people you’ve brought together on the phone have received immense value. What’s more, they’ve had a unique experience they will remember and tell other people about.
Scenario #4: Engaging the Team
Do you have a loyal following of people who’ve never had an opportunity to meet each other before?
Then imagine setting up a virtual training and networking event where the members of your “team” have an opportunity to meet each other by phone.
One of the strongest motivations in the world is the desire to belong. So by creating a way for people who share a common interest to meet, you’ve just made them more loyal to you and your group.
Knowing and being known… feeling a sense of belonging… these are powerful emotions that can create an unbreakable bond with the people you serve. And MaestroConference makes it easy for people to interact and be touched by others.
Scenario #5: Mastermind Groups
If you’ve ever tried running a Mastermind Group, then you already know it can be a challenge to give everybody equal opportunity to speak.
It can be even harder to give everybody equal time in the “hot seat.” Usually, one or two members dominate the discussion — and the others feel left out.
The beauty of MaestroConference is you can use the built-in timer to time each member. You can give pre-recorded audio queues when you reach certain time thresholds. And you can mute all lines except the person who’s speaking.
MaestroConference enables you to have an orderly Mastermind Group where everybody is heard and receives value from the group.
Major Improvement #2: Q&A Calls That Are Quiet, Clear and Organized
If you’ve ever opened up the lines to take questions from your listeners, then you know the kind of chaos that ensues.
As people unmute their phones, there are dozens (if not hundreds) of beeps, background noises, awkward silences… followed by a cacophony of voices competing to be noticed.
And how do you call on any one person?
Answer: You can’t.
The most persistent person wins. And, unfortunately, you never know how many people wanted to ask a question… but simply couldn’t (or wouldn’t).
And that creates a bad user experience.
Imagine: You just carved out precious time from your schedule to participate in a teleseminar or webinar, but you are leaving the call with none of your questions answered. Talk about frustrating!
This happens more often than you might think.
A person who doesn’t get his or her questions answered… and feels jilted… may go in search of an expert who is more accessible or responsive than you are. That’s a real risk.
Plus, I’m sure you’ve had one of those calls where somebody was yelling in the background… or banging pots and pans… or typing loudly… or even talking to somebody else, completely unaware they were sharing their private conversation with the world.
As the call organizer, this is embarrassing.
And irritating, too!
Fortunately, MaestroConference offers an unbeatable alternative called “Instant Question Recognition”
At the start of your MaestroConference call, simply tell your callers to press 1 on their keypads any time they have a question. You will instantly see how many people have questions… at every moment of your call.
Then, when you are ready to address their questions, simply “pass the microphone” to anyone with a raised hand. That person will then be able to speak and ask a question.
Nobody else will be able to talk until you pass the mic to them. And since all the lines will be muted except one at a time, there will be peace and quiet.
All of this means:
- No more annoying beeps when people unmute themselves, and then mute themselves again.
- No more clamoring and talking over each other in an effort to be heard.
- No more callers feeling ignored and unimportant because they couldn’t ask their questions or get them answered.
- No more loud background noises that drown out the people who are actually paying attention.
- No more feeling out of control or being embarrassed by an unprofessional teleconference experience.
All these problems are solved. Because you simply keep passing the mic to each individual person until everybody who has raised a hand has had a chance to speak. Each call participant will feel valued, acknowledged, and heard.
Here’s What the MaestroConference Conductor’s Panel Looks Like…
Whenever you conduct a MaestroConference call, you’ll be using the unique Conductor’s Panel, shown above. You’ll notice the hands on the right side, listed next to the names of those on the call.
When a participant presses a button on his phone, his hand will go up. You’ll even be able to call on the person by name.
The ability to see who is on the call and when they drop off is one of my favorite features. I especially like that I can address people personally, by their name. I would never be able to do this on a normal teleseminar.
What About Screen Sharing?
A common question that comes up is whether or not MaestroConference offers screen sharing.
The answer is no, they don’t offer screen sharing at this time. Of course, you are welcome to use GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, or Glance.net if you’d like to have a webinar component in conjunction with MaestroConference.
Although this can be a little bit tricky since you’ll have one screen open to conduct your MaestroConference (like the screen shot above) — and another screen open to show your PowerPoint presentation (or whatever it is you’re presenting).
Honestly, if you’re a presenter who just wants to give a presentation with a slide presentation, and you’re not interested in engaging your audience, then MaestroConference is probably not a good choice for you.
Because what MaestroConference does is turn you into a facilitator. No longer are you just presenting information to a mostly-passive and silent audience.
Rather, you’re engaging people, facilitating connections and discussions — all thanks to the “x-ray vision” you get using the MaestroConference Conductor’s Panel.
Is MaestroConference Worth It?
MaestroConference is perfect for coaches, trainers, speakers, information marketers, nonprofits, and relationship-focused business owners who want to deliver superior virtual learning events.
If you’re interested, it’s really best to just try it out for yourself. Right now, MaestroConference is offering a 30-day free trial to anybody who requests one. Click the link below to get a free trial now.
Click Here for a Free Trial of MaestroConference
-Ryan M. Healy
P.S. Full disclosure: I am the Affiliate Manager for MaestroConference, so I do have a financial incentive in telling you about MaestroConference. That said, this is a product I would endorse even if I wasn’t invested in it.
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