Tag Archives: sales

I was recently listening to Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership podcast about his no gossip policy, and it really hit home for me.

The discussion turned to company culture with podcast moderator Chris LoCurto interviewing best-selling author Jon Gordon. Not only have I worked in worked in good and bad cultures, I’ve also seen how a company can leverage its culture as a sales tool.

Case Study

Electri-Flex is a suburban Chicago-based company that specializes in producing electrical conduit. The leadership and employees there are passionate about their product, but maybe even more so about their culture.

We produced their company video. They wanted something their sales team could carry with them to show prospects what they’re all about, and culture is the focus of the video.

My initial reaction to their pitch was skepticism. Then they started telling me how important their culture is to sales. It’s a family business. They treat their employees like family, so the employees treat customers like family.

Everyone has bought in, and it fuels the entire company.

It has been a while since we produced that video. Since then, I’ve pitched the idea of featuring company culture to a few other prospects, but nobody has been willing to bite. I wonder why more business leaders aren’t willing to put their culture front and center for customers to see?

Maybe it’s because they need some work on that end of their company.

–Tony Gnau

Courtesy: Entrepreneur Magazine

You know I’m all about storytelling, so when Entrepreneur Magazine posts something like this (see photo) in its Facebook feed… you have my attention.

Actually, I prefer another quote from the same piece with Gary Vaynerchuk…

“Storytelling is the most underrated skill in business.”

Love… it! And couldn’t agree more. The better you tell your story, the more likely you are to make a sale.

Why? Storytelling tugs at our hearts. It has the ability to help build an emotional connection between the viewer and storyteller.

How valuable can that be when you go to make a sale?

–Tony Gnau

I did something last week that a lot of people might think is a bit crazy. While bidding on a project, I also recommended a competitor.

The project in question is not the typical video we produce, as a matter of fact I wasn’t sure it was even something we wanted to do. After talking about it a bit, we decided it would be fun so we gave the client a quote.

She thanked us and basically told us she’s shopping around and would let us know. Once I found that out, I recommended she get in touch with a competitor I e-met through a business acquaintance.

The reason is simple. I want her to find the right person for the project. If that’s T60, great! If it’s someone else, that’s fine too. We just want to be a service.

The person we recommended specializes in the type of video the client would like to do. We might not get this particular job, but if we can still provide a service, i.e. a good recommendation, then I’m confident we’ll here from this client again.

Sometimes things that are bad for the bottom line in the short-term end up being a boom in the long run.

–Tony Gnau

Video just does things that text can’t do, and I found a really good example. It’s an online ad for the new Bose bluetooth headset.

The text on the landing page promises…

• Exclusive Bose technologies let you hear calls better, even as noise levels change
• Noise-rejecting microphone allows callers to hear more of your voice—in windy and noisy environments too

Look… reading it is one thing, but seeing and hearing it? That’s what sells people on a product like this. Bose clearly understood this and posted a very clever video on the page to demonstrate the product.

Take a listen and you’re bound to agree with me. Video just does things text can’t do.

–Tony Gnau

Southwest Airlines posts a decent amount of videos to YouTube, and it does a good job of using social media to distribute them. Some of the videos are hits, some are misses, but this one is a home run.

They follow musical artist Mat Kearney onto a flight where he performs a mini-concert for the passengers (watch the video). I love it! It puts a smile on your face, and puts Southwest in a good light.

Why don’t more companies do things like this? Okay, not everyone is going to be able to get a major recording star to serenade their customers, but PR and marketing pros need to start thinking this way for their clients. What are some of the fun things they do as a company… whether it’s cool perks for clients or ways they perk-up their company culture.

These are great video opportunities. Video doesn’t have to be about hitting someone over the head with a marketing message. Creating videos that put a smile on someone’s face make for an incredible sales tool. More companies should try it.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO: Mat Kearney, Concert at 35,000-feet

PR and marketing maestro Gini Dietrich blogged last week at spinsuck.com about measuring public relations success, and she included a list of things PR pros should hold themselves accountable for everyday.

• Sales
• Lead nurturing
• Lead generation
• Lead conversion
• Thought leadership
• Web traffic
• Brand awareness

I posted a response thanking Gini for making my sales pitch for me since I feel like video can help accomplish those tasks. She asked me to elaborate, so here was my take.

Sales: video can be a terrific sales tool. It allows you to show customers what your product or service is all about. Not just write or talk about it, but actually show them. It’s not just words on a screen. Your company is a living breathing thing, with real people behind it. Video transports the customer, giving them a sense of what you’re about and the people who make it all happen.

Lead nurturing / Lead generation / Lead conversion: videos do a great job in these three areas. Working in reverse order… videos are a great way to lead conversation. Posting a quality video that focuses on the audience’s needs via social media is bound to generate some sort of response. The more you’re able to do that, guess what happens? The more likely your brand will grow and the more your brand grows the more leads will flow your way. Once you have those new customers, continuing to post videos will only solidify that base. Especially if you figure out ways to incorporate your customers into your videos (essentially promoting them as well).

Thought leadership: videos take it to a whole new level. Addressing the issues facing your industry and your customers can position you as a leader in your field. Anyone can write about those challenges. Only a company that’s incredibly dedicated is going to produce quality videos to take on important trends. The better your videos and the more you do them on a consistent basis, the more people will turn to your business for your opinion and your solutions.

Web traffic: is there any doubt videos drive web traffic? There’s a ton of data out there supporting this. It’s a no brainer, web surfers are more apt to watch a quality video than read pages of text.

Brand awareness: video is all about brand, but this comes with a word of caution. In many cases, good quality video brands you as a good quality company. Crappy video brands you as… well… you get the picture. If you’re going to do something, do it right. Video leaves a lasting impression on people so treat it that way.

–Tony Gnau

You know why video makes for great social media content? It works. People love videos and they love to share the good ones.

According to emarketer.com, the number of internet users who are watching online videos every month is on the rise. By 2015, it could surpass the 195-million mark.

If you’re a business owner, those are numbers that can’t be ignored. If you’re a PR or marketing pro, those are numbers you need to share with your clients.

–Tony Gnau

I was cheering-on Gini Dietrich yesterday as I read her post at Spin Sucks. In short, she wrote about how difficult it is selling change-resistant business leaders on the ongoing digital revolution.

It’s something we often face as well since the majority of our videos are bound for the web. One of the consistent arguments Gini hears is one I’ve heard a time or two myself. Company leaders say they don’t need online videos because their clients aren’t 20-somethings surfing the web.

Oh yeah? Right after reading Gini’s blog I came across this little ditty at eMarketer.com. A recent study shows Gen-Xers (34-45 year-olds) are watching more online videos than any other age group. More than 74% will watch online video at least monthly this year.

After I got over the fact that my fellow Gen-Xers and I are now in our 30’s and 40’s, I realized how important that information is for business executives. This notion that only 20-somethings are surfing the web, using social media, and watching online video isn’t based in reality.

If Joe or Jane CEO isn’t willing to accept it, maybe their competition will be interested.

–Tony Gnau

Some props today for public relations expert and blogging maven Gini Dietrich. She wrote about how all businesses these days have become media companies… and she’s right.

Thanks to social media, from Facebook to YouTube, business leaders need to realize they’re now a part of the media industry so they need to start thinking that way.

The number one thing to consider… why is our content relevant? Why should someone watch our videos? If your answer is simply… because they should be interested in our product or service… you probably don’t have many people paying attention to you.

Start focusing your content on the audience. Make it relevant to them and they’ll start showing up in greater numbers.

–Tony Gnau

All week we’ve been reviewing the video series that Hyatt Regency McCormick Place had us produce. It’s worth examining because it highlights a marketing idea more businesses should consider.

Producing a video these days is a no-brainer. Between company websites and social media platforms, it’s important to let potential clients know what a business does and video is a terrific way to communicate.

The problem is some businesses produce a single video and leave it at that. In many cases this is fine, but if a company offers multiple products or services they could be doing themselves, or worse, their customers a disservice.

Instead of a single video that tries to be all things to all audiences, they may be better off producing a series of short videos allowing viewers to pick and choose which ones interest them. It saves customers precious time, and it also ensures companies get a motivated audience.

The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place sales and marketing staff wanted videos highlighting the hotel itself, the hotel ballroom, the McCormick Place Grand Ballroom, and finally McCormick Place’s West Building.

FEATURED VIDEO– Hyatt Regency McCormick Place: the West Building

Now the hotel’s potential clients can simply choose to learn about the venues that make sense for them.

–Tony Gnau