January 15, 2025 • 23 mins
You need to stand out in the sales world to be successful and video is an excellent tool to leverage if you have the right strategies. I discuss how to do that with my guest, Jason Zygadlo.
Jason, a seasoned expert with nearly 20 years in medical device sales, now channels his unique skills into Build.Your.Own.Brand., where he helps individuals and organizations stand out creatively and memorably.
Jason has always tried to do things differently to be memorable. He spent his earlier career in medical device sales. Fast forward to 2024, in his business practice, he was still looking for ways to be different and be more efficient.
The video world was introduced to him by a friend who also sold medical devices. Jason was very quick to adopt the technology himself because he realized he could be more efficient by sending videos instead of regular emails. He particularly liked the analytical part of video technology. You could know if and when the video was watched and for how long. That allowed him to fine tune his messaging to get longer video views.
Getting to Know Him
It’s getting harder and harder to see potential clients. So how can you engage with them? If you’re not delivering your message effectively, then what good are you doing? If the information you’re trying to deliver to the potential client isn’t currently getting through, what other ways are out there? Email is the starting point. Almost everyone shares their email address now. You can also send the videos through LinkedIn.
Jason realized he could be very efficient and send a lot of videos in a personalized and tailored way and then know when they were opened. When he did end up getting in front of the potential client in person he would often be greeted with “It seems like we’ve already met”. They would know him from the value that he had sent. It was usually a video introduction followed up by some kind of white paper or other material.
Getting Your Message Past the Gatekeeper
The beauty of videos is how versatile they can be. Jason would stop by an office and leave some information with the gatekeeper. He would then follow up with his potential client by sending a video saying he had left the information with the gatekeeper. Then (in the video) Jason would introduce himself and let the potential client “get to know him”. The next video would be a demo of the product Jason was selling. Once the potential client met with him Jason would send a thank you video.
How Many Videos to Send
You can’t just knock on the door once or twice, it’s a persistence game. Jason talks about being “pleasantly aggressive”. The videos don’t replace the stop-byes, the drop-offs and the traditional ways of doing things. Videos are a supplemental tool to tack onto the other things that you’re doing to close the sale. There’s no magic number of videos you should send. It takes as long as it takes to get what you’re trying to get and what you’re trying to accomplish.
We also dive into topics such as:
What the first meeting looks like after you get past the gatekeeper.
Why you should create personalized videos and how to do that.
The power of curiosity in the world of video and sales.
How to be different and memorable.
Why different is better for breaking through the noise.
Examples of video platforms you can use to stand out.
Why you should send thank you videos after the sale is closed.
The importance of practicing being on video.
The one thing, above all else, that you should do to stand out in the sales world with video.
…and other golden nuggets of advice!
You can get my book here: “Idea Climbing: How to Create a Support System for Your Next Big Idea”
Click here for more outstanding interviews with entrepreneurs and thought leaders!
About My Guest
Jason, a seasoned expert with nearly 20 years in medical device sales,
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Idea Climbing podcast.
You need to stand out in the sales
world to be successful and video is an
excellent tool to leverage if you have the
right strategies.
I discuss how to do that with my
guest, Jason Zagadlo.
Jason, a seasoned expert with nearly 20 years
in medical device sales, now channels his unique
skills into his company, build your own brand,
(00:21):
where he helps individuals and organizations
stand out creatively and memorably.
We dive into topics such as how to
use video to get past gatekeepers,
why you should create personalized videos and how
to do that, why difference is better for
cutting through the marketing noise, and other golden
nuggets of advice. You're gonna love this show.
(00:45):
Jason, thank you for making the time to
be here. I really appreciate it.
Mark, nice to chat with you today. How
are you? So far so good. How about
you, sir? Good. I can't complain. It's sunny
here in Brunswick, Ohio, so we're not complaining.
It's it's October, so any sunshine right now
is is a good thing for us.
Nice.
And I would love to dive in. We're
(01:06):
standing out in the business world, the networking
world, wherever you wanna think of it can
be difficult. And I know what we're gonna
talk about
is standing out with video,
and you've got some great stories to share,
some strategies.
Before we get into the tips, the tricks,
the strategies,
as far as you go, how did you
discover it? What's your story with standing out
with video?
(01:26):
It's a great question. I mean, my my
background, I've always tried to to do things
differently and be memorable and different. You know,
I spent my entire career in medical device
sales, very difficult to get into. And to
make a long story semi short, I stood
out in parking lots and handed my resumes
out to reps that were driving Chevy Impalas
and Ford Tauruses back in the day.
(01:47):
Those were the company cars. Right? So,
you know, I I dressed up in my
suit, but I've always looked for ways to
be different. And fast forward to 2024,
in my business practice, I sold medical devices,
I was looking for ways to be different
and and be more efficient. You know, the
the 19
90 way of doing business is to drive
(02:08):
to offices, leave information,
and typically that gets recycled right after you
leave, doesn't make it to who you want
it to. And so the the video
world was introduced to me from from a
friend who actually was also a medical device
person
and found the technology
and started teaching it. And I was very
(02:29):
quick to adopt the technology myself. I was
intrigued.
You know, how can I be more efficient
by sending videos? And I think the cool
part about it
it too, Mark, is the analytical part, where
if I send a video, I'm notified that
it was it was opened. But secondly,
and more importantly,
you're able to see how long the video
was watched. So if I sent you a
(02:49):
minute and 23 second video,
I would get notified, and then it would
say, hey, 89%
of the video was watched. And and that
was very important when I was tracking certain
things because I could tell if the bulk
of my message was being received.
Maybe I needed to shorten up, you know,
what I was saying and fine tune what
I was trying to to get across. And
so the the information was valuable.
(03:12):
So when you send the video, I mean,
what does it look like? Because we we
talked a little bit before I hit record.
Yep. And from getting in front of people
to thanking people and everything in between,
why did you adopt the top unpack that
a little bit more. What was happening? Let's
start with getting introduced or getting through the
gatekeeper, if you will. What was happening there
that made you adopt it?
Yeah. So, you know, medical devices, like a
(03:32):
lot of industries, it's just getting harder and
harder to see end users.
You know? Gloria the gatekeeper, as my friend
Matthew Ray Scott likes to say, who I
learned the video
techniques
from. You know, that's difficult when you're driving
all over the place and leaving information.
It's inefficient,
and there's better ways to do what I'm
(03:53):
describing. And so how can you engage with
customers? It's all about engagement.
If you you can't deliver your message, then
then what, you know, what what good are
you doing? And if the information that you're
leaving isn't getting to the end user, then
what what other ways are out there? And
so the videos allow you, Everyone shares their
their email address anymore. Most of the time,
it's very common. You can send the videos
(04:15):
through LinkedIn. And so there's ways to send
the the videos.
But, you know, for me, it was I
can be so much more efficient
and send a lot of different videos in
a very personalized and tailored way
and then know when they were opened and
then track this.
So when I did end up getting in
front of the physician it usually was or
(04:36):
a nurse or whatever it was, you know,
I usually would be greeted with, hey. I
think we've already met. And I would always
kind of chuckle to myself because they would
know me from the value
that I would send. Usually, it was introduction,
followed up by some kind of informative piece
of white paper data, something about the space
that, you know, they practiced in, always providing
(04:58):
value. So when they associated me, it was
with some kind of value
and and trust and likability.
And so that was really the the thing
that piqued my interest was how can I
reach the masses,
scale this out in a way to be
efficient, and not drive all over God's green
earth and and really be inefficient?
(05:18):
So what what's an example? I mean, what
kind of things did you say? Was it
just introducing yourself? Was it more informational somewhere
in between? What what did that what does
that introduction get to the gatekeeper video? What
kind of things do you say in it?
Yeah. So so great question. So I would
I mean, that's the beauty of the videos,
Mark, is how versatile they can be. So
you hit it, you know, on one of
the areas that you can do is it
(05:39):
is introduction. So, for example, if you were
the physician
and I've left information with Gloria, the gatekeeper.
By the way, I always like to put
her, you know, kind of on the hook
and and hold her accountable because I would
say something like this. Hey, Doctor. Mark. It's
Jason.
I'm your new rep with XYZ Company.
Listen, I stopped by the office and I
left some information
(06:00):
with Gloria
the gatekeeper. I I hope you have the
opportunity to look at it. But I wanted
to reach out to you in a more
creative and personalized way. I could have sent
you a normal email, but I wanted you
to know I exist. Here's my face.
Here's my, you know, here's who I am.
Here's my contact information and I'm really looking
forward to connecting with you sometime soon in
the operating room. I hope hope to meet
(06:21):
you soon. Something like that.
And then I would follow it up with
perhaps a demo.
Hey, doctor. You know, here's the product that
I, you know, reached out to you last
time. Here's what I represent. And in 3
easy steps, I want you to see how
boom, boom, boom. You know, the technology works.
I'm looking forward to getting into your hands
so you can feel it and play with
(06:42):
it, too, and understand,
you know, how the technology,
you know, you know, how it's deployed or
or whatever it may be. And so there's
there's that way.
Like I said, the demo, the introduction, as
a thank you, if I spent some time
with you, doctor Mark, in the operating room,
you allowed me to come work with you
in your OR. Hey, you know, doctor Mark,
(07:02):
it's Jason. Listen. Thank you so much for
allowing me to come in and work with
you today. The staff was great. I just
am so grateful and appreciative,
to work with you and your team. I
just wanted to say thank you in a
more creative
way. And I thought I'd just send you
a personalized video to just demonstrate that. Hopefully,
you can see that, I'm extremely grateful and
I'm looking forward to working with you again,
(07:23):
if it makes sense.
So how many as as far as getting
to them, how many do you send? Is
there a follow-up one? Do you send one
and say I gave it a shot and
you and that's it? Is there 2, 3?
What does follow-up look like if you don't
hear from them from the first video? Yeah.
So all of my sales friends out here
understand and know that you can't knock on
the door once or twice.
(07:43):
It's a persistence
game. And, you know, I always talk about
being pleasantly aggressive,
Mark. So, you know, the videos certainly don't
replace the
the stop bys and the the drop offs
and, you know, the the traditional ways of
doing things. This is, in my opinion, was
a supplemental tool to tack on to some
of those other things that I was doing.
So there's no magic number.
(08:05):
I always say, you know, it it it
takes as long as it takes
in order to get what it is you're
trying to accomplish. If that's just an introduction,
if that's getting someone to perhaps invite you
in to use a product, whatever whatever that
case may be for you in your respective
business.
You know, you have to stay persistent and
pleasantly aggressive.
(08:26):
So once you get through to them, what
does that meeting look like?
How do you sell yourself now that it
started with video? What do you do when
you actually get to meet with the person?
Yeah. I I think it's all very different.
You know, I think sometimes the follow-up that
I would receive would say, hey. I saw
your video. Thank you. That was really cool.
I do wanna see your product, or I'd
like to learn more about your company, or,
(08:47):
you know, I wanna
dive in a little bit deeper to to
a little bit more about what your company
does and learn about the portfolio that you
represent. So it's very individualized.
I would get a lot of different,
you know, inquiries back,
and and just kind of tailor
from that point forward to what it is
the physicians were interested in.
What kind of prep work did you do
(09:08):
to personalize the videos? What what what suggestions
do you have for people to make them
personal, not just the generic, I'm gonna send
this to everybody?
Yes. Yes. So I always I like to
look up where physicians went to school, where
they obviously are currently working, if they have
any special interests in terms of, you know,
the space that they play in, in terms
of, you know, the the medicine space.
(09:31):
You know, I like to look up folks
if they have LinkedIn profiles and kind of,
you know, dig in, see if they've written
papers and some of the research that they've
done. So when I send that message,
they know that I've done some homework. And,
you know, there's some creative ways, Mark, to
send the videos. I always like to say
that, you know, for example, imagine if I
sent you a video
(09:52):
and I pulled up your LinkedIn page,
and then there I was in a little
bobblehead circle
and I was speaking to you. If I
emailed that to you, texted it to you,
you would open that up and go, wait.
Hey. I think that's my LinkedIn page, and
who's this strange guy
on my page?
(10:14):
Naturally, we're inquisitive people. We're, you know, instinctively,
we're curious.
People click on it to open it, to
see what I'm saying about them. So there
are some some tips and tricks of to
help the engagement and help kind of massage
them, if you will, to to open
what it is you're trying to send. So
(10:34):
I would find maybe their LinkedIn page or
their actual practice
and, you know, where they're featured on their
web page and find different ways. So when
they see it, they go, woah. That's me.
And who's that guy? So let me click
on it to see what he's saying about
me. So that that's just kind of one
fun example of, you know, how you can
kind of
(10:55):
encourage people to to click to hear what
it is you're saying. Because, ultimately, we're trying
to deliver messages.
Right? And that's that's really what this comes
down to. And that was, you know, kind
of some of the medical device
examples. Now fast forward today, I'm the founder
of Build Your Own Brand, and I work
with a lot of different businesses
to help them be different and memorable
(11:16):
as it relates to prospecting
or just simply thanking the customers that they've
worked so hard to earn.
Talk a little bit more about that. What
is, what is it I mean, beyond just
saying thank you, what does the thank you
follow-up look like?
Yeah. So, you know, I'll, I'll pick on
my painting friends, for example.
You know, you, you think about your area,
(11:37):
you know, painting it's a blue collar industry.
It's a crowded space.
You know, something along the lines of, hey,
Mark. It's it's Jason with Acme Painting.
Listen. I know here in in Northeastern Ohio,
there's a lot of different painting companies,
and we're just so grateful that you offered
us the opportunity to provide you a quote.
(11:57):
We just wanted to say thank you. Listen,
we could have emailed you and thanked you
and and and and showed our appreciation that
way. But, you know, as the founder and
owner of the company, I just wanna say
thank you in a more creative
and personalized way. We really look forward to
hearing from you, and we hope the decision
is to partner with Acme Painting Company. Thank
you.
(12:18):
Very simple, very concise,
but different.
Why is different better? I mean, I could
guess a few things, but why is different
better when it comes to breaking through the
noise?
Yeah. You know, I I preach attention is
the new currency. I mean,
markets are saturated.
Times it's tough to to capture the attention
(12:39):
of someone. And so, you know, to find
ways to do that differently you know, better
isn't always better. Different can be better. You
know? I'm always looking for ways to to
to do that. And and I just think
it
when everyone in such a a world where
you're being, you know, saturated with people trying
to capture your attention,
(13:00):
you have to find ways to do it
differently. And I think professionally speaking,
videos do that if used correctly.
So what type of platforms do you use
while we're talking about it? Because it sounds
like you have some special ones.
Yeah. So there's platforms out there. I happen
to adopt the platform Vidyard. I like, you
know, the analytical data it provides. I think
(13:21):
it's very user friendly.
In fact, if I remember correctly, there's some
some free, like most, things out there these
days, you know, x amount of videos you
can use for free. And then if you
find that it's something you want to adopt
and use more regularly, there's some subscriptions that
you can
adopt. But, you know, Loom, Vidyard, those tend
to be some of the popular ones. I
(13:42):
think, you know, that that space is growing
by the day too. There's several of them
out there now. I would encourage people to
look around and and, you know, kind of
see what fits them best.
There's lots of, you know, different platforms that
you can choose. But for me, Vidyard seems
to be one that just has has worked
well.
So what does it look like? You get
there. You send the follow-up email about the
(14:04):
proposal.
You get the business.
Do the videos stop there or do they
continue after you close the business?
Yeah. So for me, you know, even a
thank you after the job is done, I
feel is appropriate. You know, in my again,
in my personal business,
I rarely send email thank yous anymore. For
me, it's just become a habit of sending
(14:25):
personalized video
to thank customers. I also think it's a
it's a comfort level.
You know, I don't think there's really a
right or wrong
answer to that. I think it's really whatever
whatever you feel comfortable with. But, you know,
I I know a lot of of clients
of mine love the video aspect because of
the versatility
as a thank you. Or how about this,
(14:47):
Mark? Hey. You know, Mark, it's Jason and
listen, I know we have an appointment next
Tuesday at 5 o'clock. I just wanted to
reach out to you and remind you and
just let you know I'm excited to come
take a look at the property and and
see what work needs to be done and,
you know, I just wanted to reach out
to you in a more creative way and
let you know, you know, the team and
I are excited to get out there and
and, and provide you a quote. You know,
(15:08):
something to kind of set you up in
in,
in a way to to, you know, validate
the the upcoming meeting. So, you know, from
the examples I've provided already, you can see
the versatility
and how the videos can be can be
utilized.
Just curious. I I think I know the
answer but I wanna be sure.
How many of the people you send videos
(15:29):
to, how often do you think they get
other videos from your competitors or your clients'
competitors? What does that landscape look like?
So the technology is no secret. It's been
around for a while. But and I do
a lot of speaking engagements, different chamber of
and and just different events. And I usually
lead by
can just a share of hands show of
(15:51):
hands. How many people either a have used
this type of technology or b have received
been on the receiving end and received a
video like I've described.
And very rarely do you see hands go
up, which is fascinating to me because it
tells me that it's still an underutilized
technology.
Mhmm.
(16:11):
And I think something that can
be be used to be different. I think
that, you know, from a lot of the
just anecdotal,
you know, research that I'm doing and kind
of tracking my own engagement
and some of the folks that I've talked
to about the use of videos,
the engagement
is just it goes exponentially, you know, compared
to just sending blanket emails and making phone
(16:34):
calls or whatever, you know, tactic you're using.
The engagement is is pretty impressive,
you know, personally speaking. But I don't I
have I've received one video, I should say.
And that was from a realtor
using the Loom platform,
but it never once used my name
or recognized where I went to school or
(16:54):
what neighborhood I live in or anything of
the sort. I was very disappointed because
the the idea was there, and I know
what they are trying to do, but they're
also trying to use it in the masses.
And I think it's a big miss
by using the technology
and not using Mark's name, Jason's name, or
whomever whoever it is that you're trying to
(17:16):
to send that message to. Why do you
think it's so underutilized?
Because I mentioned it. I have one friend.
That's how he sends introductions. I forget the
platform,
but it's a quick 22nd. You can pick
up his energy.
He's smiling. The introductions happen better.
Why why do you think that more people
aren't doing that?
(17:36):
I think it's a couple of things. I
think there's this imposter syndrome. Right? People, they
they don't they're fearful of how they come
across, what they sound like, look like on
camera.
Are they are are people gonna receive their
message? And I tell people all the time,
listen, we're not like news anchors.
(17:56):
We're not professional
video people. I I think it's okay to
have an and a and, you know, this
or that because quite frankly, it it really
shows and demonstrates
the authenticity
and the genuineness of the person
that's that's providing the video. And people relate
to that. I think if you heard me
reading my script and I said, hey, Mark.
(18:19):
It's Jason. You'd go, woah.
I mean, kinda cool, but
you can tell that, there's a prompter of
some sort. Now that being said, to be
fair balanced, there's it's okay, I think, to
start that way and kind of practice. I
mean, if I if I do say anything
and if there's any takeaway from this, is
you do need to practice. Most people aren't
(18:39):
comfortable
being in front of the camera.
And so
by practicing,
and not to a way where it's paralysis
by analysis
either, you can make a gazillion videos and
never create the perfect video. And I've I've
personally been victim of that. I didn't like
how this sounded. I didn't like how that
sounded. I used a number and on. I
(19:01):
forgot to say this or that. But the
reality is
most people don't know that. You know that.
And so, you know, if you come up
with the video,
I would say just be confident in what
you're producing and continue to practice
because it does get easier and you do
get better. Like anything. Do
you practice by sending actual business videos to
(19:21):
potential clients or do you practice by sending
videos to friends?
Where do you
where do you start when it comes to
practice? Because there's a lot of things you
could do. Do you want to say it's
gonna be imperfect, I'm gonna send this out
as is, or would it like I mentioned,
would you send it to friends first? Yeah.
Yeah. So I have a couple of, like,
business colleagues and people that I really trust.
(19:42):
My wife is,
I flooded her inbox in the beginning with
just videos of me. I mean, she knows
me better than anyone and my personality. Do
I look too stiff? Do I come across
like my normal natural self?
Like, help me understand how these videos are
coming across,
you know. And so, she she's probably my
biggest critic, but in a good way,
(20:03):
and has really helped me kind of grow
and just being comfortable in front of the
camera. And then professionally,
I like to send it to some folks
that I know that I can trust, that
are willing to give me the the feedback
that I need in order to continuously
get better. So, yeah, I would encourage people
to use, you know, use people that they
they trust. And, I have some buddies that
like to make fun of me. They'll get
(20:24):
a hold of a video and then, you
know, we'll we'll send a video back and,
you know, kind of bust my chops a
little bit, but it's all in good fun.
It's those same friends too that are now
reaching out to me going, hey, you know,
I I I can you help me create
some of these videos because I've watched your
engagement
really
improve.
We have covered a lot of ground in
(20:45):
a short period of time.
When it comes to using video for business
development, if you were to say if you're
gonna do it, at least do this one
thing, this one thing above all, at least
do this if nothing else. What would you
tell people to do with video?
Yeah. I would say start simple. Don't over
complicate it. Keep it simple. There's some data
out there that suggest how long the video
(21:07):
should be before you start to lose attention.
Hence the reason you see Snapchats and TikToks.
They're very, you know, confined and and condensed
in the amount of time that they are.
You know, I like to keep things around
a minute or so. That's been a kind
of a sweet spot, again, personally speaking. But
what I would say is, how about just
a simple thank you or like your friend,
(21:29):
just a simple introduction?
You don't need to get caught up in
all of the other stuff that you're trying
to maybe talk about. Keep it very simple
and start there. And from there, build upon
your own comfort level. Maybe it is just
one of those two examples.
Maybe you do wanna do a demonstration or
show something a little bit differently.
(21:50):
You know, I think it's really up to
the individual.
But but don't
you know, I think
comfort is the enemy of growth. You have
to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
And so I think this is a tool
that you can adopt pretty simply to change
the way you're doing business
and and seeing and playing around with it
and and just, you know, trial and error.
(22:11):
You have nothing to lose. Right? Send a
couple of videos,
see what people say, get some feedback, and
see how it goes. And you may end
up that you absolutely love it and adopt
it into your your own business practice.
Thank you so much for the time. And
if people want to find you, where's the
best place or places to go online?
Yes. So online, our website is www.careercochbyob.com.
(22:38):
And then my LinkedIn profile, you can find
me there. Would love to connect with some
new friends and answer any questions that anyone
has about videos or anything else.
Excellent. I'll put those links in the show
notes too. Thank you again, Jason. This has
been absolutely awesome. I appreciate it. Yeah. I
really appreciate the time. Mark, thank you so
much for having me.
(22:58):
Thank you.
And scene.
Thank you for joining us today. I hope
you enjoyed the episode. I also hope that
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Welcome to the Idea Climbing podcast.
You need to stand out in the sales
world to be successful and video is an
excellent tool to leverage if you have the
right strategies.
I discuss how to do that with my
guest, Jason Zagadlo.
Jason, a seasoned expert with nearly 20 years
in medical device sales, now channels his unique
skills into his company, build your own brand,
(00:21):
where he helps individuals and organizations
stand out creatively and memorably.
We dive into topics such as how to
use video to get past gatekeepers,
why you should create personalized videos and how
to do that, why difference is better for
cutting through the marketing noise, and other golden
nuggets of advice. You're gonna love this show.
(00:45):
Jason, thank you for making the time to
be here. I really appreciate it.
Mark, nice to chat with you today. How
are you? So far so good. How about
you, sir? Good. I can't complain. It's sunny
here in Brunswick, Ohio, so we're not complaining.
It's it's October, so any sunshine right now
is is a good thing for us.
Nice.
And I would love to dive in. We're
(01:06):
standing out in the business world, the networking
world, wherever you wanna think of it can
be difficult. And I know what we're gonna
talk about
is standing out with video,
and you've got some great stories to share,
some strategies.
Before we get into the tips, the tricks,
the strategies,
as far as you go, how did you
discover it? What's your story with standing out
with video?
(01:26):
It's a great question. I mean, my my
background, I've always tried to to do things
differently and be memorable and different. You know,
I spent my entire career in medical device
sales, very difficult to get into. And to
make a long story semi short, I stood
out in parking lots and handed my resumes
out to reps that were driving Chevy Impalas
and Ford Tauruses back in the day.
(01:47):
Those were the company cars. Right? So,
you know, I I dressed up in my
suit, but I've always looked for ways to
be different. And fast forward to 2024,
in my business practice, I sold medical devices,
I was looking for ways to be different
and and be more efficient. You know, the
the 19
90 way of doing business is to drive
(02:08):
to offices, leave information,
and typically that gets recycled right after you
leave, doesn't make it to who you want
it to. And so the the video
world was introduced to me from from a
friend who actually was also a medical device
person
and found the technology
and started teaching it. And I was very
(02:29):
quick to adopt the technology myself. I was
intrigued.
You know, how can I be more efficient
by sending videos? And I think the cool
part about it
it too, Mark, is the analytical part, where
if I send a video, I'm notified that
it was it was opened. But secondly,
and more importantly,
you're able to see how long the video
was watched. So if I sent you a
(02:49):
minute and 23 second video,
I would get notified, and then it would
say, hey, 89%
of the video was watched. And and that
was very important when I was tracking certain
things because I could tell if the bulk
of my message was being received.
Maybe I needed to shorten up, you know,
what I was saying and fine tune what
I was trying to to get across. And
so the the information was valuable.
(03:12):
So when you send the video, I mean,
what does it look like? Because we we
talked a little bit before I hit record.
Yep. And from getting in front of people
to thanking people and everything in between,
why did you adopt the top unpack that
a little bit more. What was happening? Let's
start with getting introduced or getting through the
gatekeeper, if you will. What was happening there
that made you adopt it?
Yeah. So, you know, medical devices, like a
(03:32):
lot of industries, it's just getting harder and
harder to see end users.
You know? Gloria the gatekeeper, as my friend
Matthew Ray Scott likes to say, who I
learned the video
techniques
from. You know, that's difficult when you're driving
all over the place and leaving information.
It's inefficient,
and there's better ways to do what I'm
(03:53):
describing. And so how can you engage with
customers? It's all about engagement.
If you you can't deliver your message, then
then what, you know, what what good are
you doing? And if the information that you're
leaving isn't getting to the end user, then
what what other ways are out there? And
so the videos allow you, Everyone shares their
their email address anymore. Most of the time,
it's very common. You can send the videos
(04:15):
through LinkedIn. And so there's ways to send
the the videos.
But, you know, for me, it was I
can be so much more efficient
and send a lot of different videos in
a very personalized and tailored way
and then know when they were opened and
then track this.
So when I did end up getting in
front of the physician it usually was or
(04:36):
a nurse or whatever it was, you know,
I usually would be greeted with, hey. I
think we've already met. And I would always
kind of chuckle to myself because they would
know me from the value
that I would send. Usually, it was introduction,
followed up by some kind of informative piece
of white paper data, something about the space
that, you know, they practiced in, always providing
(04:58):
value. So when they associated me, it was
with some kind of value
and and trust and likability.
And so that was really the the thing
that piqued my interest was how can I
reach the masses,
scale this out in a way to be
efficient, and not drive all over God's green
earth and and really be inefficient?
(05:18):
So what what's an example? I mean, what
kind of things did you say? Was it
just introducing yourself? Was it more informational somewhere
in between? What what did that what does
that introduction get to the gatekeeper video? What
kind of things do you say in it?
Yeah. So so great question. So I would
I mean, that's the beauty of the videos,
Mark, is how versatile they can be. So
you hit it, you know, on one of
the areas that you can do is it
(05:39):
is introduction. So, for example, if you were
the physician
and I've left information with Gloria, the gatekeeper.
By the way, I always like to put
her, you know, kind of on the hook
and and hold her accountable because I would
say something like this. Hey, Doctor. Mark. It's
Jason.
I'm your new rep with XYZ Company.
Listen, I stopped by the office and I
left some information
(06:00):
with Gloria
the gatekeeper. I I hope you have the
opportunity to look at it. But I wanted
to reach out to you in a more
creative and personalized way. I could have sent
you a normal email, but I wanted you
to know I exist. Here's my face.
Here's my, you know, here's who I am.
Here's my contact information and I'm really looking
forward to connecting with you sometime soon in
the operating room. I hope hope to meet
(06:21):
you soon. Something like that.
And then I would follow it up with
perhaps a demo.
Hey, doctor. You know, here's the product that
I, you know, reached out to you last
time. Here's what I represent. And in 3
easy steps, I want you to see how
boom, boom, boom. You know, the technology works.
I'm looking forward to getting into your hands
so you can feel it and play with
(06:42):
it, too, and understand,
you know, how the technology,
you know, you know, how it's deployed or
or whatever it may be. And so there's
there's that way.
Like I said, the demo, the introduction, as
a thank you, if I spent some time
with you, doctor Mark, in the operating room,
you allowed me to come work with you
in your OR. Hey, you know, doctor Mark,
(07:02):
it's Jason. Listen. Thank you so much for
allowing me to come in and work with
you today. The staff was great. I just
am so grateful and appreciative,
to work with you and your team. I
just wanted to say thank you in a
more creative
way. And I thought I'd just send you
a personalized video to just demonstrate that. Hopefully,
you can see that, I'm extremely grateful and
I'm looking forward to working with you again,
(07:23):
if it makes sense.
So how many as as far as getting
to them, how many do you send? Is
there a follow-up one? Do you send one
and say I gave it a shot and
you and that's it? Is there 2, 3?
What does follow-up look like if you don't
hear from them from the first video? Yeah.
So all of my sales friends out here
understand and know that you can't knock on
the door once or twice.
(07:43):
It's a persistence
game. And, you know, I always talk about
being pleasantly aggressive,
Mark. So, you know, the videos certainly don't
replace the
the stop bys and the the drop offs
and, you know, the the traditional ways of
doing things. This is, in my opinion, was
a supplemental tool to tack on to some
of those other things that I was doing.
So there's no magic number.
(08:05):
I always say, you know, it it it
takes as long as it takes
in order to get what it is you're
trying to accomplish. If that's just an introduction,
if that's getting someone to perhaps invite you
in to use a product, whatever whatever that
case may be for you in your respective
business.
You know, you have to stay persistent and
pleasantly aggressive.
(08:26):
So once you get through to them, what
does that meeting look like?
How do you sell yourself now that it
started with video? What do you do when
you actually get to meet with the person?
Yeah. I I think it's all very different.
You know, I think sometimes the follow-up that
I would receive would say, hey. I saw
your video. Thank you. That was really cool.
I do wanna see your product, or I'd
like to learn more about your company, or,
(08:47):
you know, I wanna
dive in a little bit deeper to to
a little bit more about what your company
does and learn about the portfolio that you
represent. So it's very individualized.
I would get a lot of different,
you know, inquiries back,
and and just kind of tailor
from that point forward to what it is
the physicians were interested in.
What kind of prep work did you do
(09:08):
to personalize the videos? What what what suggestions
do you have for people to make them
personal, not just the generic, I'm gonna send
this to everybody?
Yes. Yes. So I always I like to
look up where physicians went to school, where
they obviously are currently working, if they have
any special interests in terms of, you know,
the space that they play in, in terms
of, you know, the the medicine space.
(09:31):
You know, I like to look up folks
if they have LinkedIn profiles and kind of,
you know, dig in, see if they've written
papers and some of the research that they've
done. So when I send that message,
they know that I've done some homework. And,
you know, there's some creative ways, Mark, to
send the videos. I always like to say
that, you know, for example, imagine if I
sent you a video
(09:52):
and I pulled up your LinkedIn page,
and then there I was in a little
bobblehead circle
and I was speaking to you. If I
emailed that to you, texted it to you,
you would open that up and go, wait.
Hey. I think that's my LinkedIn page, and
who's this strange guy
on my page?
(10:14):
Naturally, we're inquisitive people. We're, you know, instinctively,
we're curious.
People click on it to open it, to
see what I'm saying about them. So there
are some some tips and tricks of to
help the engagement and help kind of massage
them, if you will, to to open
what it is you're trying to send. So
(10:34):
I would find maybe their LinkedIn page or
their actual practice
and, you know, where they're featured on their
web page and find different ways. So when
they see it, they go, woah. That's me.
And who's that guy? So let me click
on it to see what he's saying about
me. So that that's just kind of one
fun example of, you know, how you can
kind of
(10:55):
encourage people to to click to hear what
it is you're saying. Because, ultimately, we're trying
to deliver messages.
Right? And that's that's really what this comes
down to. And that was, you know, kind
of some of the medical device
examples. Now fast forward today, I'm the founder
of Build Your Own Brand, and I work
with a lot of different businesses
to help them be different and memorable
(11:16):
as it relates to prospecting
or just simply thanking the customers that they've
worked so hard to earn.
Talk a little bit more about that. What
is, what is it I mean, beyond just
saying thank you, what does the thank you
follow-up look like?
Yeah. So, you know, I'll, I'll pick on
my painting friends, for example.
You know, you, you think about your area,
(11:37):
you know, painting it's a blue collar industry.
It's a crowded space.
You know, something along the lines of, hey,
Mark. It's it's Jason with Acme Painting.
Listen. I know here in in Northeastern Ohio,
there's a lot of different painting companies,
and we're just so grateful that you offered
us the opportunity to provide you a quote.
(11:57):
We just wanted to say thank you. Listen,
we could have emailed you and thanked you
and and and and showed our appreciation that
way. But, you know, as the founder and
owner of the company, I just wanna say
thank you in a more creative
and personalized way. We really look forward to
hearing from you, and we hope the decision
is to partner with Acme Painting Company. Thank
you.
(12:18):
Very simple, very concise,
but different.
Why is different better? I mean, I could
guess a few things, but why is different
better when it comes to breaking through the
noise?
Yeah. You know, I I preach attention is
the new currency. I mean,
markets are saturated.
Times it's tough to to capture the attention
(12:39):
of someone. And so, you know, to find
ways to do that differently you know, better
isn't always better. Different can be better. You
know? I'm always looking for ways to to
to do that. And and I just think
it
when everyone in such a a world where
you're being, you know, saturated with people trying
to capture your attention,
(13:00):
you have to find ways to do it
differently. And I think professionally speaking,
videos do that if used correctly.
So what type of platforms do you use
while we're talking about it? Because it sounds
like you have some special ones.
Yeah. So there's platforms out there. I happen
to adopt the platform Vidyard. I like, you
know, the analytical data it provides. I think
(13:21):
it's very user friendly.
In fact, if I remember correctly, there's some
some free, like most, things out there these
days, you know, x amount of videos you
can use for free. And then if you
find that it's something you want to adopt
and use more regularly, there's some subscriptions that
you can
adopt. But, you know, Loom, Vidyard, those tend
to be some of the popular ones. I
(13:42):
think, you know, that that space is growing
by the day too. There's several of them
out there now. I would encourage people to
look around and and, you know, kind of
see what fits them best.
There's lots of, you know, different platforms that
you can choose. But for me, Vidyard seems
to be one that just has has worked
well.
So what does it look like? You get
there. You send the follow-up email about the
(14:04):
proposal.
You get the business.
Do the videos stop there or do they
continue after you close the business?
Yeah. So for me, you know, even a
thank you after the job is done, I
feel is appropriate. You know, in my again,
in my personal business,
I rarely send email thank yous anymore. For
me, it's just become a habit of sending
(14:25):
personalized video
to thank customers. I also think it's a
it's a comfort level.
You know, I don't think there's really a
right or wrong
answer to that. I think it's really whatever
whatever you feel comfortable with. But, you know,
I I know a lot of of clients
of mine love the video aspect because of
the versatility
as a thank you. Or how about this,
(14:47):
Mark? Hey. You know, Mark, it's Jason and
listen, I know we have an appointment next
Tuesday at 5 o'clock. I just wanted to
reach out to you and remind you and
just let you know I'm excited to come
take a look at the property and and
see what work needs to be done and,
you know, I just wanted to reach out
to you in a more creative way and
let you know, you know, the team and
I are excited to get out there and
and, and provide you a quote. You know,
(15:08):
something to kind of set you up in
in,
in a way to to, you know, validate
the the upcoming meeting. So, you know, from
the examples I've provided already, you can see
the versatility
and how the videos can be can be
utilized.
Just curious. I I think I know the
answer but I wanna be sure.
How many of the people you send videos
(15:29):
to, how often do you think they get
other videos from your competitors or your clients'
competitors? What does that landscape look like?
So the technology is no secret. It's been
around for a while. But and I do
a lot of speaking engagements, different chamber of
and and just different events. And I usually
lead by
can just a share of hands show of
(15:51):
hands. How many people either a have used
this type of technology or b have received
been on the receiving end and received a
video like I've described.
And very rarely do you see hands go
up, which is fascinating to me because it
tells me that it's still an underutilized
technology.
Mhmm.
(16:11):
And I think something that can
be be used to be different. I think
that, you know, from a lot of the
just anecdotal,
you know, research that I'm doing and kind
of tracking my own engagement
and some of the folks that I've talked
to about the use of videos,
the engagement
is just it goes exponentially, you know, compared
to just sending blanket emails and making phone
(16:34):
calls or whatever, you know, tactic you're using.
The engagement is is pretty impressive,
you know, personally speaking. But I don't I
have I've received one video, I should say.
And that was from a realtor
using the Loom platform,
but it never once used my name
or recognized where I went to school or
(16:54):
what neighborhood I live in or anything of
the sort. I was very disappointed because
the the idea was there, and I know
what they are trying to do, but they're
also trying to use it in the masses.
And I think it's a big miss
by using the technology
and not using Mark's name, Jason's name, or
whomever whoever it is that you're trying to
(17:16):
to send that message to. Why do you
think it's so underutilized?
Because I mentioned it. I have one friend.
That's how he sends introductions. I forget the
platform,
but it's a quick 22nd. You can pick
up his energy.
He's smiling. The introductions happen better.
Why why do you think that more people
aren't doing that?
(17:36):
I think it's a couple of things. I
think there's this imposter syndrome. Right? People, they
they don't they're fearful of how they come
across, what they sound like, look like on
camera.
Are they are are people gonna receive their
message? And I tell people all the time,
listen, we're not like news anchors.
(17:56):
We're not professional
video people. I I think it's okay to
have an and a and, you know, this
or that because quite frankly, it it really
shows and demonstrates
the authenticity
and the genuineness of the person
that's that's providing the video. And people relate
to that. I think if you heard me
reading my script and I said, hey, Mark.
(18:19):
It's Jason. You'd go, woah.
I mean, kinda cool, but
you can tell that, there's a prompter of
some sort. Now that being said, to be
fair balanced, there's it's okay, I think, to
start that way and kind of practice. I
mean, if I if I do say anything
and if there's any takeaway from this, is
you do need to practice. Most people aren't
(18:39):
comfortable
being in front of the camera.
And so
by practicing,
and not to a way where it's paralysis
by analysis
either, you can make a gazillion videos and
never create the perfect video. And I've I've
personally been victim of that. I didn't like
how this sounded. I didn't like how that
sounded. I used a number and on. I
(19:01):
forgot to say this or that. But the
reality is
most people don't know that. You know that.
And so, you know, if you come up
with the video,
I would say just be confident in what
you're producing and continue to practice
because it does get easier and you do
get better. Like anything. Do
you practice by sending actual business videos to
(19:21):
potential clients or do you practice by sending
videos to friends?
Where do you
where do you start when it comes to
practice? Because there's a lot of things you
could do. Do you want to say it's
gonna be imperfect, I'm gonna send this out
as is, or would it like I mentioned,
would you send it to friends first? Yeah.
Yeah. So I have a couple of, like,
business colleagues and people that I really trust.
(19:42):
My wife is,
I flooded her inbox in the beginning with
just videos of me. I mean, she knows
me better than anyone and my personality. Do
I look too stiff? Do I come across
like my normal natural self?
Like, help me understand how these videos are
coming across,
you know. And so, she she's probably my
biggest critic, but in a good way,
(20:03):
and has really helped me kind of grow
and just being comfortable in front of the
camera. And then professionally,
I like to send it to some folks
that I know that I can trust, that
are willing to give me the the feedback
that I need in order to continuously
get better. So, yeah, I would encourage people
to use, you know, use people that they
they trust. And, I have some buddies that
like to make fun of me. They'll get
(20:24):
a hold of a video and then, you
know, we'll we'll send a video back and,
you know, kind of bust my chops a
little bit, but it's all in good fun.
It's those same friends too that are now
reaching out to me going, hey, you know,
I I I can you help me create
some of these videos because I've watched your
engagement
really
improve.
We have covered a lot of ground in
(20:45):
a short period of time.
When it comes to using video for business
development, if you were to say if you're
gonna do it, at least do this one
thing, this one thing above all, at least
do this if nothing else. What would you
tell people to do with video?
Yeah. I would say start simple. Don't over
complicate it. Keep it simple. There's some data
out there that suggest how long the video
(21:07):
should be before you start to lose attention.
Hence the reason you see Snapchats and TikToks.
They're very, you know, confined and and condensed
in the amount of time that they are.
You know, I like to keep things around
a minute or so. That's been a kind
of a sweet spot, again, personally speaking. But
what I would say is, how about just
a simple thank you or like your friend,
(21:29):
just a simple introduction?
You don't need to get caught up in
all of the other stuff that you're trying
to maybe talk about. Keep it very simple
and start there. And from there, build upon
your own comfort level. Maybe it is just
one of those two examples.
Maybe you do wanna do a demonstration or
show something a little bit differently.
(21:50):
You know, I think it's really up to
the individual.
But but don't
you know, I think
comfort is the enemy of growth. You have
to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
And so I think this is a tool
that you can adopt pretty simply to change
the way you're doing business
and and seeing and playing around with it
and and just, you know, trial and error.
(22:11):
You have nothing to lose. Right? Send a
couple of videos,
see what people say, get some feedback, and
see how it goes. And you may end
up that you absolutely love it and adopt
it into your your own business practice.
Thank you so much for the time. And
if people want to find you, where's the
best place or places to go online?
Yes. So online, our website is www.careercochbyob.com.
(22:38):
And then my LinkedIn profile, you can find
me there. Would love to connect with some
new friends and answer any questions that anyone
has about videos or anything else.
Excellent. I'll put those links in the show
notes too. Thank you again, Jason. This has
been absolutely awesome. I appreciate it. Yeah. I
really appreciate the time. Mark, thank you so
much for having me.
(22:58):
Thank you.
And scene.
Thank you for joining us today. I hope
you enjoyed the episode. I also hope that
you'll subscribe to the idea climbing podcast and
rate us on Itunes.
Visitideaclimbing.com
to learn more about idea climbing and hear
more episodes about mentoring,
marketing, and big ideas.
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