If you can speak well on the phone, you can use teleseminars (prearranged and topical teleconferences) to give people interested in your topic a taste of what you know and teach. He then invites them to sign up for a paid telecourse or other type of teaching program.

This is a teleseminar marketing funnel that I have used successfully on numerous occasions. If you have your own list, this model does not require you to give away any commission in the paid program. If you don’t have your own list, you can advertise the free teleseminar through online event listings, free forum postings and email lists, press releases, and banners.

These are the steps to follow.

Step 1 – Announce a free one hour teleclass where you will answer questions about your topic. On the registration form for the class, include a box where people can write their most important question on the topic. When people sign up, they should receive an automated email informing them of the phone number and access code to use for the free teleclass, as well as the date and time of the call. Send a reminder email, containing the same information, to all participants an hour or two before the call begins.

Step 2: Keep the teleclass free. Keep the group quiet for the first half, when you answer the best pre-submitted questions in an organized fashion. You can also answer relevant questions that no one actually submitted. Then activate the line for live questions and comments. Be sure to provide real value in your responses rather than suggestions for the next paid program. Start and finish on time.

Step 3 – Email those who signed up for the free teleclass (and may or may not have attended) letting them know about the upcoming paid class. Please provide a link to the website that explains it in depth. Send one or more reminder emails about the next paid class to this list.

Optional: Record your free Q&A call and make the recording available to those who did not register for the Q&A session. Have automated follow-ups that present the paid class to those who request the recording.

Variation: Ask your colleagues to host a free Q&A teleclass with you. Introduce the paid class both at the end of your Q&A class and in automated follow-up emails. Use an affiliate program so you can reward your colleagues with a commission for each person who signs up for the paid class through your link.

If you repeat your paid show, you can either repeat the entire process above or simply offer the free recording of your Q&A teleclass, with automated follow-ups introducing the next paid show.

If you turn your paid class into a home study program, you can keep your free teleclass offer on file indefinitely with your automated follow-up emails. You can then drive traffic to that option through pay-per-click ads, blog posts, or keyword SEO.

I credit this model with tens of thousands of dollars in revenue, and I look forward to hearing how it has worked for you!