The #1 business development tool of 2024 with Violet Rainwater

Hey everybody. Drew here. You know, we are always looking for more ways to be helpful and meet you wherever you’re at to help you grow your agency. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve produced this podcast for so long, and I’m super grateful that you listen as often as you do. However, there are some topics that are better suited for quick hyper-focused answers in under 10 minutes. That’s where our YouTube channel really comes in. For quick doses of inspiration, best practices, tips and tricks, head over to youtube.com/the at sign Agency Management institute. Again, that’s youtube.com/the at sign or symbol.

And then Agency Management Institute, all one word. Subscribe and search the existing video database for all sorts of actionable topics that you can implement in your shop today. Alright, let’s get to the show.

Welcome to the Agency Management Institute community, where you’ll learn how to grow and scale your business, attract and retain the best talent, make more money, and keep more of the money you make. The Build a Better Agency Podcast, presented by a White Label IQ is packed with insights on how small to mid-size agencies are getting things done, bringing his 25 years of experience as both an agency owner and agency consultant. Please welcome your host, Drew McLellan.

Hey everybody. Drew McLellan here with another episode of Build a Better Agency. Glad that you were with us. This is gonna be a topic which I suspect you have some familiarity with, but I’m hoping we can inspire you to get even more familiar and delve a little deeper into the whole idea of video and how you can use video to grow your agency and how you can use video to help your clients grow their business. But before I tell you a little bit more about our guest and we jump into it, I do want to remind you that we have some great workshops coming up next month if you’re listening to this in real time. So if you’re listening to this in February of 24, we have two great workshops coming up in March.

Both of them are in Denver. So we have our, probably our most popular workshop called Money Matters March 12th and 13th in Denver for two days. All we do is talk about money. We talk about proposals, we talk about pricing, we talk about the financial metrics so that you can make objective educated data-driven decisions about your agency. We talk about every aspect of money, tax strategies, all kinds of things. We’re gonna have all kinds of samples of p and ls the way it should be set up, agency dashboards and metrics that matter to you that in a glance, within five minutes, you’ll know if your agency is healthy or not. So if you are feeling like sometimes you’re running the agency in the dark when it comes to pricing, proposals, money, can you afford to hire someone else?

All of those sort of things. This is the workshop for you again, March 12th and 13th in Denver. We also have our Advanced AE Bootcamp, March 21st and 22nd in Denver. So both of those can be viewed. Read more about or registered for on our website. Head over to agency management institute.com and then go to the How We Help section and you’ll see workshops and just go from there. So invite you to join us in Denver in March. If you’re a skier, probably the first one, March 12th and 13th, there’s still good skiing. Maybe the 21st and 22nd. And even if you’re not, the weather down in Denver when you’re not in the mountains will be beautiful.

So come see us. Alright. So our guest today is a subject matter expert named Violet Rainwater. And Violet has been using video to grow her own business for the last 14 or 15 years. And then really sharing it as a content creator for over a decade. And now actually does training with clients to teach them how to leverage video as a sales enablement tool. So I know a lot of you do not love sales, and I believe, and I know from our own experience that video is a really great tool to sell without feeling like you’re selling. So without any further ado, let’s get Violet on the show and get as much information out of her as we can in the next hour.

Okay, let’s do it. Hey Violet, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for joining us.

Hey Drew, thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here.

Me too. This is a hot topic. So give everybody a little bit of a sense of your background and how you came to have this sort of opinion and knowledge Sure. And expertise and where you were before. All of that.

Yeah, yeah. Thank you. So I am the founder of The Rainmaker’s Way. It’s a sales training organization, and I do specialize in the financial service industry. Have worked quite a bit in the insurance space. Love insurance. Myself, I was a life insurance girl for a long time, and so that’s why I really fell in love with insurance. But I fell in love with sales at a very young age. It was really when I came to America from Russia during a time where it wasn’t cool to be Russian. Hmm. And I had to start selling myself. And I just really fell in love with this whole concept of persuasion, the art of persuasion. And so I knew I was going into sales straight outta college, and my career was in the financial service industry, then insurance.

And about eight years ago, I started my own sales training and development company. Just decided it was time to put everything I learned, you know, into action and teach others how to do the same. And so the cool thing is, is I’ve been around long enough to see innovation at its finest. Like when I started in sales, I had a pager. You know, so there was no CRMs, there was no Yeah. Technology like there is today. And so I’ve been,

Your cell phone was in a bag.

Exactly. Exactly. I, I knew all every working payphone in my territory and had a bunch of orders on me. You know, that’s how we did business. But what I’ve seen, especially in the last, I would say like decade seven years, is just the power of video and what’s happened. And I’ve been doing video now for 14 years. I’ve been a content creator for 10. And it’s a passion of mine. And I love teaching others how to use video. ’cause it’s transformational for business. If you’re not using video and you start, this is gonna be your best year yet, that’s for sure. Yeah.

Yeah. So we’re gonna spend most of the hour together talking about video. But I’m curious, what was it about sales that you fell in love with? ’cause most people hate it.

Yeah. You know, it honestly, Drew, I, the minute I got into it, I was a natural and I loved it. And even my first year as a financial advisor, I literally knew nothing. I fought a bond with something that you get on your bar mitzvah that matures in seven years. And I still finished first in the company in just nine months of production. Wow. And I think when you get the taste of what’s possible in sales, the upside, you know, here I was 25, making a really nice six-figure income, it just takes over you. You know? Like, I, I couldn’t wait. I loved strategy, I loved systems, I love processes. I love the art of sales. ’cause there’s the art and the science.

Yeah. And so, once you understand it, I think sales is the best thing about business. Yeah.

It’s fascinating. So for most people listening, they today, they don’t feel that way. Right? Right. They, they avoid sales. It’s yucky. Yeah. And, and I think one of the things that’s powerful about video is that it doesn’t feel like sales. And when you do it right, and well, it isn’t the, I think people don’t like sales because it feels

Salesy.

Smarmy, right? Yeah. And, and you don’t feel good about doing it. You feel like you’re trying to trick someone or con someone, or whatever words you use, as opposed to understanding that true sales is actually about just understanding your audience and trying to be helpful.

Exactly.

And that when you’re helpful consistently enough, then sooner or later a subset of those people that you help raises their hand and says, I actually wanna give you some money. Yeah. And you have to, all you have to do is go, oh, all right. I mean, that’s really then the sales process. Right?

Yeah. You’re just sharing knowledge. That’s all.

Right. So, tangential to this conversation. So a couple years ago, co-author and I wrote a book called Sell with Authority, which is all about this idea of the new way of selling is about being helpful and about being a thought leader and an authority, and really just leaning into that authority and then just generously and consistently sharing everything, you know.

Absolutely.

And I think you and I will agree, and then we’ll, we’ll get into the specifics, but I think you and I will, will agree that video is an amazing medium to teach from because it’s so interactive. Yeah. It’s so intimate in a lot of ways. And what I love about it is it gives someone a sense of who you are Yeah. And how you are long before they ever interact with you in real time.

Absolutely. Absolutely. I’ve had people tell me they feel like they already know me. Sure. Because they’ve seen me so much, you know, on video. And, and I think with video it’s very like more intimate, you know? Yeah. So it deepens the connection. Yep. And sales people say it’s a numbers game, and I disagree. I think it’s all about connection. Yeah. You can connect deeply with five people, all five that you reached out to and close five, or you could dial for dollars a hundred times and get nowhere, because it’s not the numbers, it’s how well you’re able to connect with them, how well you’re able to get them and understand them and wanna help them. Yeah. To your point, you’re filling a gap, you know?

I think just most people see it from a perspective that’s not really serving them or their business.

Yeah, I think so too. So let’s talk about, so you said you’ve been producing video for 14 or 15 years. Yeah. And then you said you’ve been a content creator for 10. Yeah. So, for in your head, what’s the difference between making video and being a content creator? How do, how do you differentiate though that timeframe for you?

Yeah. Well, making video, originally it was just making video for, you know, 10 years ago or 15 years ago. We didn’t have the social media that we have today. It was even on LinkedIn. I don’t even think you could do videos back then. Yeah. So I started dabbling, I started learning how to do video. I actually just found my first little camera. It was this flip camera. Yeah. Because even cell phones couldn’t do it. Right. Yeah. And so that’s where I started. But when I became a content creator, and I really started on LinkedIn, I just, I made five videos a week every single week. And that’s how I really grew my audience. And so, for me, it’s about continuing to show up and be that thought leader to your point.

And you know, for me, my favorite form of being creative is on video. Yeah. So that’s what a content creator is to me.

So what do you say to people who are like, no, I have a face for radio. I don’t want to be on video. And I, and I will admit that when I was telling you before we hit the record button, that I’ve been producing a weekly video for, I don’t know, five, six, maybe seven years now. Yeah. And, and I went into it kind of kicking and screaming. I was like, you know what? I, I am not model pretty. I am not, you know, I, I What do you mean Drew?

You’re very handsome.

Oh, you’re my favorite podcast guest ever. Oh, thank you. But I was like, I was very anxious about it. And, and I had to, I had to kind of trick myself into doing it. And yeah, I’ve told this story before, but I, I had to pretend in my head that I was talking to a very specific agency owner. I identified a person Yeah. That I thought would be receiving of my message and wouldn’t judge the delivery and all of that to even have the courage to step in front of the camera. And I speak on stages, and I’ve been speaking for most of my career. So there was something about it being captured on video Yeah. That initially made me super uncomfortable.

So how did you, well, was that ever an issue for you? Oh, yeah.

Yeah. I

Mean, and how did you get over it and how do you coach your clients to get over it?

Yeah. And that’s a great question. And I will say, I get resistance all the time. Like, that’s normal. And I even say, you know, when I come in to teach this to groups, you guys are gonna hate me before you love me. And that’s okay. Like, I’m, I’ve got fixed skin. I’m up for the challenge. Because for myself, same thing. Like, first of all, I was a perfectionist. So I would make, like, instead of just going with my first video, I’d make it 20 times. And I didn’t like it, and it wasn’t perfect. And I remember the first time I posted on LinkedIn, I was physically shaking. Like I was so nervous, I was physically sick. Like, that’s how nervous I was. And I, I wouldn’t say everyone’s like that, but my point is, is that’s how you begin.

You begin in fear, but you continue to show up. You don’t have to dive in fully like I did. You can start creating video, like a proposal, video, share your screen. You know, there’s a lot of different ways that you can use until you get to your face. But this is a skillset that is the future. It’s gonna be needed in the future. And so I would just wanna really encourage people like, yes, it, it, you’re gonna be uncomfortable, and yes, you’re gonna be nervous, but the more that you show up and the more that you do it, it’s like a muscle. And the more you practice, the easier it gets. Now, I don’t get nervous at all, at all when I post a video and put it out there.

Yeah. I, like, I, if I go back and watch some of the earlier earliest of my videos, I’m like, Hmm, that is, that is not my best work. But honestly, people still watch them. They still use them, they still find them valuable. And I sort, I sort of had to get over the idea that it was a performance. Right. And, and as soon as I wrap my head around, ’cause again, I also teach live workshops and, and so I’m not uncomfortable in front of people. It was just the video element. And, and I had to wrap my head around the fact that it doesn’t actually matter Yeah. What I look like, or if I stumble on a word. So I was like, you, I would shoot it like 80 times and finally I was like, you know what?

I’m shooting this three times. Yeah. Whichever one is the best of the three I’m using. Like, I would not, I now, today, I don’t give myself more than one or two takes. Yeah. And it’s like, if, if I stumble on a word or I catch myself, or I have to stop and finish a sentence differently, it just sounds like I’m talking and it’s okay. Yeah.

It makes you human. Right. You know, you were talking about why you love video, and one of the things that really, I feel right now in the world of AI, where you never know if what you’re reading right. Is really, truly someone’s work or not video’s really the only way to show up authentically. Yeah. You know, and so that’s another huge reason, and that’s what, that’s why people buy from you, is because you are showing up authentic and they’re getting to know you. And regardless of how bad you think, you know, like I look at my old videos and I’m, I’m like, embarrassed. Yeah. But you know what, at least I showed up and I got better. Like, I’m polished today because of showing up 14 years ago and just starting Yep.

Just Deciding to start. That’s what got me here.

So for the folks who are listening and going, yep, that’s me. I can’t do it. Yeah. How do you, how do you help your clients ease into starting to produce videos?

Yeah. I feel the biggest resistance is the how to where, how do I do this? How do I begin? It seems too complicated. And then what do I say, what do I do? And so this is where I really feel knowledge is power. Hmm. You know, like, you don’t have to do this on your own. Right. Like, I would definitely work with someone to help you get started because there’s so much technology that if you don’t know it, I remember spending eight hours trying to edit one video. Yeah. Like one little piece of a video Yeah. That I had somebody that could just be like, no, here you go. You know? So through the rainmaker’s way, I’m always teaching them from A to Z, and then they have access to me for 30 days. Like, you need someone that you’re like, wait, I’m stuck.

What do I do? How do I do this? Right. Or, Hey, give me some feedback. So I would highly recom or even a friend, like, just find an accountability partner. You and another agency, you’re guys are gonna make video together and just, you know, really motivate one another and show up for one another. But I would say just don’t do it alone, because that’s the hardest part.

Yeah. And you know, the good news is for our listeners, they have all the tools. Yeah. They produce videos for clients. Yeah. Or, or they have a partner that produces video for, like, I can’t think of an agency that isn’t dabbling at, at the very least, in video on behalf of their clients. They may not be doing it for themselves. Right. But they, they do have the resources. And so if anybody could be good at this without a lot of, like, invest, as you said, you don’t have to have fancy equipment. You don’t have to have, well, they have a lot of that stuff. And so the only barrier to doing it is I think the person’s fear. Yeah. And, and a plan. So let’s, let’s talk a little bit about a plan.

So when you, let’s say somebody’s listening and saying, okay, I can get over myself. I’ll get on video, but I don’t know what to say.

Yeah.

Or I don’t know how long it should be, or I don’t know. I, I don’t, I don’t know what the steps are

Exactly.

What are the steps?

Yeah. And, and it really depends. It depends how you wanna start using video, right? Are, do you wanna start using it and create educational content and reels for social media? Or do you wanna start using it to work your book of business? And that I really, I can teach both, but what I think the biggest opportunities in your book of business, right? And so the important thing is to identify how are you going to use the video, right? So I’ll, I’ll give some examples. Let’s say you go to a networking group, or you just had a business meeting and you got somebody’s information and they’re like, yeah, let’s chat. Instead of getting back to the office and sending them that. It was so nice to meet you email that we’ve all got a million times.

Yep. Why don’t you just get on your phone, make a quick bit. Hey John, it was so great to meet you. I’m really excited to connect with you next week. Down below, you’re gonna see a link to my calendar. Go ahead and pick a time that works for you. And I look forward to our call you. It takes you one minute. You can upload it and then send it in an email format. The video platform that I use to make this happen is called dub. Some other ones that people might know about is BombBomb. So there is a, there is a, a tool to use. It’s not just like, Hey, let’s make a video and put it on YouTube. You can’t do that. I mean, that, that is starting on video. But to be most efficient, I love these platforms because they also offer tracking and metrics.

So not only are you able to make a video and house it in these platforms, you’re able to see who opened it, how long they watched it, where they fell off, and you’re able to structure it so they can book a time with you or download a brochure or watch another video. Yeah. So there’s the technology today when it comes to video and driving sales, I believe that video is the ultimate sales enablement tool when you use these platforms to really give the consumer, take them on a journey. You know, like one video is more intimate, you talking to them like something direct to them. And then maybe there’s a marketing video that follows after.

So I would say the steps are, let’s identify the five ways we’re going to use video in, in your agency to start. So one could be that follow up after a meeting,

That very personalized one-to-one video. Yes. Okay. So that’s option one.

That’s option one. Another option is, hey, it’s time for that annual review. Like instead of having your team call, hey, it’s time to schedule that annual review. Why not make one video and send it to everyone who is in need of a annual review or biannual review and have them book a call on your calendar. Like, how easy is that? Imagine coming in Monday and having 10 clients that have already booked their annual review automatically.

Yep.

So that’s another one. Yep.

So, so kind of a client nudge video.

Yes. Yes. Okay. Another one is proposals. You know, how often do we send a proposal by email or you know, we go over rates with them, we send it over email. Well, why not put it, do like a share screen, a screen share on the computer and go over the numbers. But with your enthusiasm and explaining to them maybe more complex coverage issues or, you know, letting them know like why you’re choosing this coverage and what it’s gonna protect them from. So it’s not so flat. You know, so that way they have a reason to want to work with you. They understand the numbers behind this, they’re making a human connection.

Connection. So proposals would be another one.

Another thing about the proposal video is oftentimes in agencies, the person that we’re interacting with at the sales level may not be the ultimate decision maker. Yeah. Right. Or, or they have to get approval or buy-in from somebody else, a board member, the owner of the business, whatever it is to get authorization to make the expenditure, even though they might be the director of marketing or the VP of marketing. So the other advantage I think of the proposal video is rather than you meeting with me and walking me through it, and then I have to translate that to my boss. Now I already have your video with your explanation.

You are demonstrating your expertise as you’re talking. You’re earning the person’s confidence and trust that has never met you. So I can see a lot of advantage of that kind of pass along.

A hundred percent

Of opportunity.

A hundred percent. Yeah. Because how well is somebody that doesn’t know your industry? You know, here you’re explaining everything to them. Right. How high are the, is the percentage that they’re gonna be able to go back and deliver everything that you deliver to them? Right. It’s pretty low. They’re gonna remember 10% of it, you know? Right. So that’s why, that’s why if you notice, like you’re losing a lot of business in that step of the sales process, I bet this alone would be a game changer for

Yeah. Right. Yeah. They don’t have to play the telephone game of trying to translate. Right. Yeah. Okay. So that’s another version of a video we could use. What else?

I love Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas. Like we just had holidays. You know, I think when you have a book, do you sing? I, I have sung.

I’m not,

Get your group together, get your team together and do one happy birthday video to our favorite customer. And you can use that video again and again and again. You know, you

Probably have to have a couple costume changes Right. Depending on where you live. Like, you have the sweater one, you have the, the T-shirt one, you have the Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Yeah. You and a golf. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. They’re just fun. They’re fun and hey, it’s a way for you to stay in front of your book of business. Yeah. ’cause I think it’s so easy for agents to not be in front of their clients. And so now all of a sudden they’re out to lunch and they meet someone who has this amazing insurance agent that stays in front of them all the time. You know, know it’s a way for you to sustain that relationship.

Yeah. And, and in and in our space on the agents, in the agent advertising agency space, we probably do have more face time and interaction with clients than like an insurance agent, but have, but nonetheless, I think it’s normally pretty perfunctory. It’s like functional contact. Yes. Like it’s a, Hey, I need you to approve this. Yes. Or do this or whatever. So what you’re proposing with sort of the, a holiday greeting or a birthday greeting or even a, you know, trade show is amazing. Congratulations on winning the award or whatever it is. Whatever celebrate, let’s call it a celebratory video that feels very different Yeah. Than the day-to-day interactions that we have with our clients.

Exactly. It deepens the relationship. Right? Yeah.

And it’s very personal, right?

Yes. I feel like sales is like dating, you know, like if you’re just gonna keep it business, like how gonna build that relationship? And so any, like these micro touch points is what I feel that today’s consumer, the modern consumer likes is the, they don’t want a big, like, they don’t want you to send them an essay, but these micro touchpoint, you know, just maybe the state of the union for the month of what’s happening in the industry or you know, just a way to stay in front of these consumers so they feel connected to you even when they’re not in front of you.

That’s an interesting idea. So kind of a client insider video once a month. Yeah. Saying, you know, Hey, here’s some trends we’re seeing. ’cause I think a lot of agencies produce newsletters and things like that, you know, written documents, even though they’re all sent electronically today. But I bet most of them don’t think about producing almost like you’d produce a television show. Yeah. Like a 10, a 10 minute television show saying, Hey, this is Drew just wanna give you the trends we’re seeing for January of 24.

Yes.

You know, and even saying, you know, this is for your eyes only. I’m gonna talk about some employee things that maybe you don’t wanna share with your team. Or, Hey, this one is, this would be a great one for you to share with everybody in your organization because we’re gonna talk about the marketing trends that are gonna impact the next quarter. Yeah. Or whatever it is that, I hadn’t really thought about that, but that’s a really interesting idea of how to be both position yourself both as an expert and a thought leader. Yeah. Authority, but in, in a way that is probably more engaging and more likely for your client to pass onto the rest of their team. Or even to colleagues who might be possibly almost like a referral, you know, that will get you new business because we do bus, you know, we’re the agency for this car dealership and that car dealer passes it on to other car dealers.

That’s an interesting idea.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean it’s, it’s, you know, something that if you look at the statistics, so these newsletters that your clients are getting, right? When you send a normal email, that’s just word copy to a consumer, to a customer, they, if they read it, are gonna retain 10% of it. But if you send a video with that same information, they’re gonna retain 95% of it.

Yeah. That’s crazy.

I mean, that’s 10 xing your efforts. It’s like, come on. Right. You know, and if you don’t wanna get on camera, have someone on your team get on camera, you know? Yeah. Like, just, that is the basic skillset for an agency. You gotta have someone that’s showing up on camera. Yeah.

So I wanna hear more examples, but we’re gonna take a quick break Okay. And give you a minute or two to come up with some more examples and then we’ll be right back. Hey everybody, just wanna remind you before we get back to the show, that we have a very engaged Facebook group. It’s a private group just for podcast listeners and agency owners that are in the A MI community. And to find it, if you’re not a member, head over to facebook.com/groups/baab podcast. So again, facebook.com/groups/baab podcast. All you have to do is answer a few questions to make sure that you are an actual agency owner or leader.

And we will let you right in and you can join over 1700 other agency owners and leaders. And I’m telling you, there’s probably 10 or 15 conversations that are started every day that are gonna be of value to you. So come join us. Alright. We are back with Violet Rainwater and we’re talking about the power of video. So we last left off before the break in the idea of sort of a, a trend report or a video substitute for some sort of information you’re passing to clients. And obviously I, I can totally see how you would do that with prospects as well. So how else do you recommend to your clients that they think about the platform of video in terms of growing their own business and creating those micro connections that you’re talking about?

Yeah, I, I feel prospecting is great for this. I mean, how many of us have a book of business full of old leads that maybe we haven’t got in front of or we haven’t reached out to, or they used to be clients and they’re not anymore. But why not make a video? Like I always say, have a sales campaign. Like you always wanna be having a sales campaign because then you have a reason to talk to people. So maybe, you know, you’re offering something special, but have a reason to reach out. Hey, you know, and now you’re reaching out on video now, hey, I just wanted to give you a face to the name. We got some specials going on. Or Hey, we got some exciting things happening. You know, so use it for prospecting and bringing life back into that dead list.

You know, there’s so much business often in, you know, that book of business that hasn’t been touched in a little while or clients that have left or we haven’t talked to. So I would say from a prospecting perspective, it could work really well too.

And then I think the one that everybody goes to is the sort of traditional thought leadership, which is, you know, the tip of the month or the tip of the week where you’re just educating Yeah. Your audience, both prospects and clients about something that you have expertise in. Right?

Yeah. Yeah. So those, I love creating, if anyone has Instagram, Instagram actually has an awesome video recording feature. So when you’re making reels, I make all of like all my micro content I’m making through Instagram and you can download it, share it on LinkedIn, share it, you know, upload it into drive, put it in your email marketing. But yeah, to your point Exactly. So making like start with three to five tips and you can even put that in an email marketing campaign. Sure. You can put those videos. Right. So, but if you’re wanting to start showing up and being an authority and a thought leader really starting, especially on LinkedIn to show up and share your expertise, again, you have so much knowledge.

Yeah. Think micro, like I think less is more anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds. You never wanna go over 90 seconds just because nobody has that bandwidth. I know it sounds crazy, but you know, less is more. Yeah. And it’s those micro tidbits that are really going to add a, a lot of value and just keep you from burning out. Because if you try to overdo it, you’re gonna burn out quickly. So just, you know, 20 seconds here, 30 seconds here, 40 seconds here. And just start consistently showing up, sharing your knowledge and information.

Well, and I think too, the shorter format forces you to sort of stick with the one video, one message as opposed to trying to sort of stick five pounds of content in a one pound bag. Which I think is often the mistake made when people start in videos, they feel like it, everything has to be the Mona Lisa a video and it has to be so packed with value and it ends up being a 32 minute video.

That’s right. That’s right. I always teach my clients to just focus on five things. You wanna have that hook in the beginning, you wanna have three main points and then you wanna have your call to action or that what, what’s that final thought like and follow for more or click to schedule a strategy call. And so that way when you just know what those are, and then for each of those points you give like one example, right? Yeah. So you’re not rambling. ’cause I do see that. I see that rambling here. Rambling there and thinking, so you wanna just stay to the point short, sweet, direct and done. Yeah. And progress over perfection. Just you got it done. Get it out there and move on. You know, each video you’ll get better and better.

Yeah. I think getting over the perfection concept is an important one. Like that, you know, this is, this is supposed to be a little casual and it’s okay if it’s not perfect. In fact, it feels more natural if it’s not perfect when we talk to each other in real time, we don’t do it perfectly. That’s right. So an over performed video. Yeah. We have, we have an agency owner client who they d they’ve done, they’ve produced some great videos, but in the beginning they were, it was like costume changes and, and you know, shooting different scenes in different locations. It would take ’em all day to shoot what ended up being a two or three minute video.

And I was like, you gotta stop. Like you have to stop torturing yourself with that. Right. Like just sit down and talk. Right. Yeah. Just sit down and talk and just share. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean those are the videos that do the best, like, you know, I see even on YouTube. And the nice thing is once you have those shorter ones, you can now start posting on YouTube shorts and that’s really gonna get you up in the Google searches because of SEO, you know? Right. So, but with lost my train of thought. I was gonna share something about YouTube.

You’re talking about that they get the, they get more engagement.

Oh. So the short ones, you know, people showing up, like they’re outside at the park, they’ve got a bun, like they just got something to say, you know, like you don’t have to go get your hair done, your makeup done have the perfect lighting. But I would say the most important thing is audio. You know, they, they, they’ll forgive you if you’re not, if you don’t have the best lighting or, you know, but when, when it can’t hear, can’t understand what somebody’s saying, like the attention span, it goes to nothing. Yeah. And so that’s where we lose them.

Do you have like a tool set or a, a tool that you recommend to your clients to manage the audio issue?

Yeah. Yeah. So there’s lapels and I can definitely drop some links below to just a few pieces. Like I always recommend a tripod, you know? Yeah. Because no matter where you are, you can literally just start recording and it’s easier than trying to find a place, you know, to lean your phone on. Yeah. And then also, yeah, like a lair mic, you know, it just, it goes, it, it’s either a Bluetooth and you just hold it right here. Even those little mics are really fun. So I’ll give you some links, Drew, that’d be great. Add below. Yeah. So

They can start and we’ll ’em in the show notes.

Nice. Nice. Yeah. So they can get started and you know, have professional quality sound right out of the gate. Yeah.

So let’s talk a little bit about sort of the data behind videos. ’cause you were talking about some platforms that you use that give you

The metrics and data, the

Metrics. Yeah. So let’s talk about how you use those.

Yeah. Yeah. Because otherwise how do you know if what you’re doing is working or not? Right. Right. So the beauty of, so I, I’ll also add my, a coupon for them. If they wanna try dub this video platform, it gives them 40 off and I’ll put my link below as well. But the beauty of it is you are able to track how many times your video has been watched, how many times it’s been opened, how many times it’s been clicked, how many times a call to action has been clicked, how many times they click to like schedule a call with you. So I love it because if you come in on a Wednesday and you go to your database, to the dub dashboard, you can see the very last people who watched your video or who opened it.

Mm.

Interesting. Who gonna

Call that day. Right. You know? Right. So it really forms up these leads for you. You know, someone opened it four times, six times. I’ve had some opened 87 times, which I knew it meant that it got forwarded. It got forwarded to, you know, either

That or someone had nothing to do that day. Because even your videos, I probably after not case after 75 views. I know,

Right.

They probably have it down pat. Right. 75.

I understand. 87 though. I’m kidding. Drew, I, it’s ’cause it got forwarded and so I knew I got the business before they even came back and said yes. You know? So there’s so much information that we can get about where our prospects are on their journey. You know, how connected do they feel with us? Are they ignoring our emails? Are they not even opening it or are they opening it? Watching it, watching it again, watching it again. And then those would be the people that I’d call first thing the next day.

Yeah. Well, you know, I would also think that part of the data is, wow, videos on this topic get a lot more views than videos on this topic.

A hundred percent. Yeah. A hundred percent. Yeah. So especially if you’re going to be sending out videos consistently, like to your book of business. Yeah. You can always track the campaigns and see which topics and the subject line, like is the subject line working, you know, all those things. Yeah. But if you’re, if you don’t have those metrics and that data, then how do you know what you’re doing is working or not? Sometimes I’ve had to change the title because the title wasn’t sexy enough, you know, it didn’t create that urgency to watch the video. Sometimes I have a title and I can’t believe the open rates. So once I have a repeatable process that works, then I just have to show up and do it again and again.

Right. Yeah. Right. Like once that, that’s the goal in sales. Just create a repeatable process that works. And once you’ve realize what tools and what videos and what topics. Topics,

Yeah. Yeah.

Then you just repeat it, repeat the process. Yeah. Give them more of what they want.

So let’s assume that the listeners are like, okay, I can do this. I’m, I’m gonna come up with three or four of these video options that I’m gonna start putting into play. One of the things that I also think they have the opportunity to think about is if it’s good for their business, odds are it’s good for their client’s business. Yeah. And so let’s assume they’ve been producing their own videos for a few months, so their clients are starting to see some of that video production with them as the audience. Right. How would you then recommend that I as an agency owner approach you the client to say, Hey, I know you’ve been, I know you’ve been opening and watching the videos we’ve been producing, I want to talk to you about how video should be part of your marketing Yeah.

Strategy and how we can help you with that. Like how do you, how would you recommend we cross that bridge into that conversation? Well,

I think it, it starts with mindset. Like, first of all, realizing that you’re providing, you’re opening the door for them to something that’s gonna be a huge business development tool for them. Like, it’s gonna scale them to the next level. You know, I see this time and time again from not using video to using video and now like all the things that are possible. So you are providing the highest good for that client, you know, right. By opening this door. And now they see you more than just, you know, their agent. They see you as a trusted advisor. Yeah. And so when you look at it from that perspective, then it should be an eagerness to go in and get them on this bandwagon and teach them what you’ve learned.

You know, I never knew when I started video all those years ago that one day I’d be teaching how to use it. You know, like you, you don’t know where this technology’s gonna take you. And I promise you, I’ve never met anyone who’s learned how to use video and regretted it. You know, like everyone who’s learned how to use video. Yeah. They say it’s been the best thing for their business and has helped them. You know, different percentages depends on what they’re using it for. So I would say get excited to share this with your clients because you’re gonna be really helping them from a business development perspective.

Well, and one of the things that we know in the agency business, you know, 23 was a challenging year from a sales perspective, both in retaining clients, but particularly in getting new clients. Yeah. But one of the, one of the things that helped some agencies is when they do what I call countable work, meaning when, when I, when I client give you agency a dollar and whatever you made for me for that dollar gives me $2, then I want to give you more dollars. Yes. And so one of the great things about video it seems to me is if you tee it up properly and you think about it, you sort of start with the end in mind. Yeah. The data that comes from video is a pretty compelling argument to a client that it’s an effective medium to use.

Right? Yes,

A hundred percent.

So when we think about how we’re serving clients, finding ways, especially if you’re a brand or a, a messaging agency, you know, if you’re a PPC SEO agency, it’s easy. We have all the data in the world. But if you’re a more traditional agency where you’re doing a lot of creative and brand work, a lot of what we do is hard to count. But if you helped to client convey their messaging and brand Yeah. Through video, it does add accountable component to your efforts.

Well, and Not only that I feel like it allows you to be innovative, like you yourself as an organization. Because when I walk in and they’ll, you know, my prospect will say, oh yeah, we are having somebody look at building sales systems and processes for us. The first thing I’ll ask is, does it include video? ’cause if it doesn’t, it’s outdated. You know, like there’s no competition. If they’re not providing video as an option to help market and grow, then they’re, they’re, they’re behind. Like this is the most innovative way to drive business. So I would think it’d be a huge competitive advantage. Right.

Yeah, I think so too. And again, there’s proof points. So you can also help the client hone their messaging or decide, you know, the length of the videos, they get the most views or whatever. You know, there’s so much data around it that you can be a very informed guide for them.

A hundred percent. Yeah. I mean you can even create videos on training, how to use video. Sure. Right,

Right. Or how to get more comfortable on video or

Yeah. Yes, exactly. The confidence and the confidence, all of that. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. It’s not that hard to learn, it’s just having a willingness and an open mind and patience. Patience is huge because anytime you’re dealing with technology, you’re gonna have those days Drew where nothing works, nothing’s coming together. And it’s probably the day that you wanted to record 10 videos and be done for the week. So,

And, and you have only an hour to get it done. Exactly.

Yep. Mama said there’ll be days like this. You just gotta That’s right. Brush it yourself off, you know, and try again.

Yep. That’s for sure. So as we kind of wrap up the hour, I’m, I’m curious, when you are working with clients, what gets in the way of them being successful? What, what are some of the landmines the listeners can avoid or watch for to make sure that if they’re going to make this commitment and make the time investment that it works?

Yeah. Yeah. I, first of all, it’s the fear, you know? And so I think it’s really just setting expectations that there, this is gonna be very, very uncomfortable. Like it’s gonna be an uncomfortable, but we all know that things have to be uncomfortable for us to grow. Yeah. And so I always set ’em up for like inspired, like, yes, it’s gonna suck for a while, but eventually it’s gonna all come together. You know? Yeah. So just accept that it’s gonna be hard. So that’s first of all. Second of all, I would say getting the right tools to get started. Right. And getting the proper knowledge. So learning how to record on your phone or on the Instagram or with a webcam, you know?

Yeah. You don’t have to go, like most of today’s content creators create on their cell phone, you know, sometimes on a webcam. And so you can get started just with that. And then also making sure that you understand, have a plan to your point, Drew, like have a plan of how you’re gonna use video. And then depending on that plan, what is it that you need to work with that plan? So do you need dub video platform? ’cause you wanna have the tracking and the metrics, or do you need, you know, if you wanna start creating on Instagram, do you need to understand how do you make those reels? And do you need to get a quick training on, you know, how do you add captions and how do you download it and how do you bring it up into LinkedIn?

So all of these things, I would say slow people down. So again, it’s having the right mindset, understanding like that it’s going to be hard and you’re gonna do it anyway. Getting the proper equipment Yeah. And technology and the knowledge that you need. So that way, like you literally have someone there holding your hand through this process. You don’t have to do it that way. Like I taught myself, but it just took a lot longer. You know, I see people quitting because it’s too hard. They get stuck. Like yesterday one of my clients reached out to me and she was stuck. She’s like, I don’t understand what’s happening. I’m on Instagram, I have them all in my drafts. How do I get it into dub? And I’m like, you just have to hit the download button.

And she’s like, oh my god. You know? So it’s like, those are the things like that just make you wanna cry after you have a day like that. And so some people don’t wanna come back. Yeah. That’s why I think it’s really important to have someone who’s already done it. And that can be your guide.

I think another thing I would add is that you have to start small. Like if you create a grandiose plan Yeah. That you’re gonna produce five videos a week and they’re all gonna be the Mona Lisa videos and Yeah. You’re gonna have, you know, your hair done before each video and you know, whatever it is. That’s overwhelming. Totally. But if you’re like, okay, I’m gonna start with doing a video a week

One, one week, one a week. Right.

Yeah. And I, and I’m, and I’m just committed to producing it and sharing it in one place.

That’s right.

And then after that becomes the habit, after a few weeks, you’re like, okay, I can do two videos a week. Yeah. Or I can, I can share it in more places or I can Yep. Add captions or I can add a download link or you know, whatever. Got it. But just, I think it’s, it do think it, we often, as agency owners overcomplicate things, right? We yeah. We, we want it to be big

As business owners. Yeah.

Right. I, I just think we have these grandiose ideas. Yeah. And maybe we build up to the grandiose, but we start Yeah.

Starts with a small stuff.

Do let’s start small. Right.

You’re right. You’re absolutely right. And if you start small, then it’s not so overwhelming. Right. What I would say though is once you feel more comfortable, I would highly recommend batching videos. So have one day where you’re, you know, you now have this process. On the first Monday of the month, I strategize and write out all my videos. On Tuesday I make the videos and then Wednesday I edit them or I send them off to editing. Yeah. But have like a chunk of time where you can get a bunch of them down. ’cause I have found that when I’m in that flow, I can get a bunch of them just knocked out. Yeah. I can knock 10 out of the park in like, you know, an hour. But when I am, you know, when I’m trying to do one here and then one there, yeah.

It, it just messes up my flow. So that would be another tip is really try to batch ’em out if you can.

And when you batch them out. ’cause I know someone’s thinking, oh my gosh, if I do 10 videos, I have to have 10 different outfits or 10 whatever.

No.

Do you, you just sit in the same spot and shoot all 10. Right.

So what I do is if I’m making 10, I’ll usually change like my shirt three times. Okay. So I’m fine making the same video with one shirt three times. Okay. It’s a different topic. You know, you’ll see content creators doing that all the time. Yeah. Especially if they create a lot of content. So just change your shirt. That’s okay. Yeah. You know, and, and if you have a nice background, you got, you know, decent lighting, like natural lighting is the best. Just have that one spot be where you create all your videos. That’s okay. That’s okay.

Okay. This has been great. If, if folks want to learn more about your work and your video coaching, where should they go?

Yeah. So two places to reach me. Either my website, www.bytherainmakersway.com or Violet Rainwater, they’ll both take you there. Or LinkedIn. I’m usually very active on LinkedIn. I’ve taken a little bit of a break for my mental state. I just, for the end of the year. Yeah. But I’m coming back in the next month. But I always connect with people on LinkedIn and messaging or feel free to email me directly and Drew, I’ll, I’ll give you my email.

Yeah, that’ll be great. So, and you’re gonna also send me some samples of videos that’s, we talked about that, that’s great. That we’ll put in the show notes. Yes. And then some recommendations for equipment microphones. Yes. And the information on dub, right?

You got it. Yeah. I’ll send my affiliate link with a coupon. Awesome. So you guys can give it a try for a month. And, and there’s a ton of training videos on there too, so you can get started.

Yeah. It’s a video platform with training videos, right? Yes. Yeah. So this has been great. Thank you for coming on the show and sharing your expertise and just reassuring people that this is doable and it’s not as hard or scary as it feels and that, you know, I I think it’s good for people to hear that people who are really good at it now, like you are didn’t start out that way. Yeah. And that your early videos probably were not, oh gosh. Award winning and you were scared and nervous and anxious, but you did it anyway.

Yep. And so just do it anyway. Just show up one step at a time and do it anyway.

Yeah. Awesome. Thanks for being with us.

Thank you Drew.

You bet. Alright guys, this wraps up another episode of Build a Better Agency. Lots of actionable steps here. This is not a passive, just listen to it thing. This is a take action thing. I, I love that this is gonna go live the early part of the year. So you have all the year make 24 year, year of video production and using the medium. I was, I was saying to Violet before we hit the record button, I just was reading a trend report where they interviewed over 1400 VPs of marketing and they said the one place where they’re gonna increase budgets is video.

So it is clearly something our clients need us to be good at. And I, I love when we can recommend something that we’re doing ourselves. There is no greater proof in the pudding than when we believe in something enough that we’re doing it ourselves. So take some of the hints and tips that Violet gave you in this episode and put them to work. And you know what, your accountability buddies can be your leadership team. If you’re in one of our peer groups, it can be your peer groups. Ask them to watch your videos and like them for a while and do the same for them. But this is a great medium if you’re, I know a lot of, you’re already dabbling in it, which is great. So maybe this is the year you level up. And for those of you that haven’t started, this is the year to start.

Okay. Before I let you go, two things. I wanna thank our friends at White. Label IQ, as you know, they’re the presenting sponsor of the podcast. So head over to White Label IQ dot com slash mi and learn more about their services. So they do white Label, design dev and PPC for all kinds of agencies. So whether you have a department in-house or your department is overwhelmed or you don’t wanna have a department, you just wanna be able to outsource it to a reliable partner. They are awesome. So as I’ve told you many times, they are born from an agency so they understand how to work with an agency and make the work profitable for them and for you and have great quality for your clients. So they are a great partner, we love them, they’re good, good people.

So go check that out. And of course, last but certainly not least, I just wanna thank you for listening. I am grateful to know that every week I show up and you do too. So I love spending this time with you. I love bringing you guests like Violet that get you fired up about doing new things, and I will see you next week. I’ll be here. I hope you will too. All right, I’ll see you then.

That’s a wrap for this week’s episode of Build a Better Agency. Visit agency Management institute.com to check out our workshops, coaching and consulting packages, and all the other ways we serve agencies just like yours. Thanks for listening.