How this one strategy added $15k on a project.

Episode Transcription

 

Den Lennie (1s):
Good day, guys. Den Lennie here, episode 235 of the How to Scale a Video Business podcast with this week’s shorty. So we just wrapped our second weekly coaching call inside VBA and this week we had a guest speaker and he was actually one of our very own members, Caleb Maxwell, who has been on this podcast, Caleb Hebron films down in Bendigo in Australia. What’s interesting about Bendigo, it’s a town of just under a hundred thousand people, a small country town, and Hebron has really seen an enormous amount of growth serving local regional businesses who want to perform on a world stage.

Den Lennie (45s):
And so Caleb was sharing with the rest of the members today, how they have been implementing video strategy, which they’ve learned from Ben Amos, who’s also been on the show a number of times. They’ve taken Ben’s video strategy blueprint and modified it to suit their market and what he was sharing was how they’d been able to sell these strategy sessions for anywhere between $5 and $20,000 and how it presents an amazing opportunity for a conversation beyond just making a video. I think that was the key lesson from the session today.

Den Lennie (1m 25s):
I actually took some notes that I want to share with you because the way they present, this is everything. They’ve put an enormous amount of work into creating this document and presentation that takes a client or prospect through a process to help them understand who their target clients are, who their advertisers are, what are the best channels to target those people on what is the right messaging? How aware are they and what different types of video content we’ll do at different stages of the buying process. And so there’s a really kind of thorough preparation.

Den Lennie (2m 7s):
What I’ve observed with my clients who do really well in this process is that they spend the time on the hard stuff, the stuff that isn’t necessarily the most fun, the stuff that takes a bit of brain space, maybe a bit of investment, a bit of time upfront, but then becomes this very powerful tool that when you’re up against other projects or other providers, you just win the game because you are so much more prepared and bringing to the attention of prospects, things they haven’t thought of will outperform any other video production company. Who’s just coming in to say, Hey, tell us what you want me to make you a great-looking video.

Den Lennie (2m 47s):
And I think the businesses that adopt a more holistic approach to business are going to win this game. The other thing that was interesting was the way that Hebron prices are based on value. So depending on the client and the project and what the outcome is and how much work is involved, they’ll price accordingly. So they don’t have a fixed price for this because it’s a bit of like an elastic band. Video strategy can be very small, short, or elongated and take months depending on what the outcomes are. But what you’re doing is you’re basically in a nutshell, identifying all of the possible avenues that video could be used to highlight a way to connect with customers.

Den Lennie (3m 39s):
And so they did a really terrific job of that. The other thing that was really interesting was they’re always very clear to give the client a very clear next step, here’s what happens next. So what they’re really doing is they’re doing alpha in the sales position, which is something I talk a lot about in our sales training, as you want to be the alpha, and that’s not in the sense of an alpha male where you’re like, hey, give us your money. It’s much more about being the authority. Standing out as someone who has clearly done more work than anyone else on the scene and is going to be providing not just a video service, but a real kind of sense of partnership.

Den Lennie (4m 23s):
And that is what I think is so important. But what’s also really cool is that, we have an incredible amount of talented business owners from around the world and in our coaching sessions, that the information that gets shared, I mean, almost on every single call that one thing someone says that will then have a ripple effect and benefit someone 10,000 miles away. And that is what I get constant feedback on from the guys in the group, is that the community over and above the training over and above the access to me and my perspectives is, is that the community is really, really strong.

Den Lennie (5m 3s):
I think we do that better than anyone else on the internet. We’re not here to sell a quick fix or, we don’t exaggerate numbers to go, hey, in three weeks’ time, you make this much money. It took Caleb eight months to get his business from where it was to where it is now, which is probably four times more successful in terms of revenue. But it’s about sustainability and creating longevity. That’s not the sexy end of selling business coaching. The fact is all business coaching involves some work, all business coaching involves you doing some work. I can only guide you. I can only give you the tools, but you ultimately have to do the work and you have to play a different mental game.

Den Lennie (5m 48s):
And so you have to adjust your mindset. I’ve been sharing my journey recently. I just hit my 50th session at the gym. Then last night I had a terrible sleep. Just couldn’t sleep at two o’clock in the morning, three o’clock when I woke up, I’d spent this last couple of days putting together a three-year marketing plan for a government grant. And it was like 27 pages. So, all day, Sunday, all day, Monday, that’s all I was working on, but I also in my other work to do as well. And so I was pretty kind of distracted. So when I got up at 4:50 this morning, I really didn’t want to go to the gym. I could easily have rolled over and gone back to sleep, but I still went to the gym. Because I know that showing up and a little bit of effort often is going to get me the result.

Den Lennie (6m 33s):
And it’s exactly the same in business. You have to show up, you have to keep chipping away at those strategic tasks and you have to keep asking for help and getting support. And no one thing is going to be the deciding factor from great success or mediocre success. It is a combination of mindset, attitude, responsibility, ownership tracking what you’re doing, and making sure you’re asking for help because it’s a journey and the business journey is one that’s always going to be throwing obstacles at you. It’s great to have Caleb come and join us and share how he’s doing things.

Den Lennie (7m 16s):
And one of the things we’re going to be doing more and more in the group is having members show up and give a kind of perspective on something they’re doing. One of our other clients, Andres based in Miami, is a post-production company in Guatemala, and he has a team of 12. And so he gave a presentation about how they can help with offshore editing services. So we’ve got this incredible community of really successful businesses who are always looking for the edge. And the one thing that stands out and I’m extremely proud of, of my members is that they never think that figured it out. They never think we’ve got enough. Even the businesses that are doing over a million dollars a year in video production are still on every call looking for the edge.

Den Lennie (7m 57s):
They’re looking for that one thing they’re looking for, what can I change? What can I improve? So guys, it really is a pleasure, to share this with you. Now I’m off to Cairns for a few days with my wife on one of our quarterly breaks. So on Thursday, we’ve got an amazing guest, Chris Schweiger on the podcast. Chris has been on the show a couple of times before, and he’s going to share how they pivoted during the latest lockdown and had an idea that they were working for a couple of years, that we just managed to tune in. So make sure you tune in for that and I’ll talk to you then. Ask yourself, this. Has owning your own video business, been everything you dreamed it would be when you first got started?

Den Lennie (8m 37s):
It might be hard to admit, but think about whether you’re genuinely achieving everything you set out to when you made that decision to grab the camera and go it alone. Are you really working less? Are you really earning more? And are you really in control? Chances are you’re bloody good at what you do, but you’re having to work a dog 70 plus hours a week, whether it’s filming, editing, marketing, or any of the other jobs that come with being the big boss of your own video company. When you’re managing projects constantly searching out for new clients and worrying about cash flow, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture or make real progress. Let’s face it. That stress is the last thing you need when you’re trying to run a profitable company that supports you and the people you care about.

Den Lennie (9m 21s):
Truth is a business that provides financial professional and personal freedom really is achievable, but maybe you’ve got that nagging feeling that you’re overworked, lacking stability, and struggling to get to where you really want to be right now. It could be that you just don’t know how to make a positive change on your own. So I created the video business accelerator coaching programs to really supercharge your video business with these unique coaching programs, you’ll learn all the tools you need to get complete confidence in the success of your video business. You can take the first step on your journey to a successful business that doesn’t control your life. Let me show you how. Head over to denlennie.com and click on accelerator.