Lee Salz has written a book called Stop Speaking For Free! The exclamation point is part of the title, but I’ll leave it out of the rest of this review, as it makes proper sentence punctuation difficult.
Do you hate long reviews where the writer spends the first 80 percent of the article summarizing the content and only tells you if he liked it at the very end? Okay: The book’s great. Buy it.
Since you are still reading, here are the details behind my opinion.
Lee has taken a niche subject and really dives into the details on everything it takes to plan, prepare, promote, present, and profit from attendee funded webinars (or AFWs, as he abbreviates them). This is a welcome addition to the many tips available on webinars as a generic communications medium, or how to use free marketing webinars to collect sales leads.
Lee has targeted businesses and individuals who want to charge attendees to attend training or consultative webinars. He even talks about the considerations involved in converting or complementing in-person training courses with online sessions.
I was particularly impressed by the writing style. The book is densely packed with practical guidelines, tips, and methodology, yet it never feels like a dry textbook or reference manual. It is genuinely readable, but doesn’t slow you down with “fluff” or sideline anecdotes that distract from each topic point. That is a delicate tightrope act to pull off for a nonfiction work and Lee’s writing (along with co-author Jenny Hamby) is an example of how to do it right.
The book takes you on a progression from general concepts such as how you and your potential audience think about attendee funded webinars into more and more detailed methodologies. For instance, Chapter 4 leads you through eight specific questions that help you scope your event. Chapter 5 works through constructing an effective webinar description on a paragraph by paragraph basis. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 look at different aspects of promoting and marketing your event, with attention given to timelines and tasks, how to use social media and online networking, and ways to get media attention.
Applying the concepts in Stop Speaking For Free should repay the book’s cost many times over for trainers, consultants, and companies that want to expand their business through attendee funded webinars. I don’t know of another reference that addresses this subject so succinctly and effectively.
Lee asked me if I wanted to sign up with his affiliate program and offer the book at a discount to my readers. I also get a small percentage of each sale. That left me with a dilemma. I don’t accept advertising or kickbacks from authors or vendors associated with web conferencing solutions. It would undermine my objectivity and cast suspicion on my motives when I give a good review such as this. On the other hand, why should you pay more than you have to when I have the ability to let you save money on something truly worthwhile? So here’s what I decided. If you use the link and discount code in the next paragraph, I’ll save you 20% on the list price through my affiliate discount. I’ll track any affiliate payments I get and donate them at the end of the year to one of my favorite charities… Feeding America. You can benefit from your own revenue-generating webinars and also support domestic hunger-relief programs across the country.
So here’s how to order the book at 20% off. Click on Stop Speaking For Free or copy the following link into your browser: http://bit.ly/SSFFws. On the order form, enter this Promotional Code: 4c300740. You should see the screen change to show 20% off. Enjoy your discount. Enjoy your skills development. Enjoy your revenues.
UPDATE JULY 7. LOWER PRICE!
Lee just told me that he is improving the discount rate, effective immediately. My discount code now saves you 30% off the list price. How's that for moving in the right direction?
