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  Time 4: Project or Process Update

  Problem: Not getting everyone on the same page, allowing information gaps that details fall through, degrading customer experience, slowing progress, or introducing errors through miscommunication

  Why Video: To show and tell, to provide “in person” updates that are convenient for everyone, to save time by updating everyone at once, to know who got the update and who didn't

  Whether you're working with one person or a team of people, communication is key. But you don't want to type it all out and you can't afford to call each stakeholder about each change or update along the way. Save time by talking in a video instead of typing out multiple paragraphs or calling each person individually. Make complicated, detailed, and nuanced information easier to convey. If there's something that's best explained by showing it, make a screen recording, but be sure to include your face, not just the document, web page, or chart you want to show. By combining face, voice, and visual information, you're supporting a wider range of learning styles. As a courtesy, type out a list of steps or details to go with your video for easy reference so your recipients don't have to pull those notes out of your video themselves.

  Because you're recording and sending on your time and each person is opening and playing on his or her own time, you don't have to schedule as many face-to-face appointments. Tracking, analytics, and alerts tell you who's seen it and who hasn't, so you can follow up with people as necessary.

  Ruby Grynberg with Salmon Bay Community Lending in Seattle, Washington developed a weekly habit of sending one video to all parties involved in a live mortgage transaction. She and her team brainstormed ways to save time, increase efficiency, and improve customer experience while tackling the most common question they get during the loan process: “What's going on?”

  Her team observed that people often have selective hearing and occasionally miss deadlines. They struggled with the fact that “telling one person something doesn't mean that everyone else in the transaction has that information.” As captured in Figure 6.2, Ruby stands at an oversized calendar of the next four weeks, marks important events with sticky notes, and explains the next steps in the transaction. She records and sends an update every Friday throughout the process.

  FIGURE 6.2 Keep Everyone Informed and Prepared throughout the Process

  Her video is always two minutes or less and starts with a little chalkboard with the buyer's and seller's names on it. It's sent to the two parties and their agents, as well as any other professionals involved in the transaction. This practice has been so effective that they've extended it to other situations. When a purchase offer is written by a buyer they've approved for a loan, they send a similar video to the sellers and the sellers' agent. The quality and timeliness of communication produces a surge in confidence; the sellers know that Ruby and her team are on top of the situation. This gets her buyers' offers accepted more often, especially in competitive situations. Like consumers, business professionals prefer to work with people they know, like, and trust, so this video technique serves her and her clients well. It also humanizes the process.

  To hear Ruby describe her update process, visit BombBomb.com/BookBonus

  From the start of a project or process through the finish, more communication is better than less. It improves customer experience, assures desired outcomes, and creates personal referrals, online reviews, and positive word of mouth.

  Time 5: Holidays and Special Occasions

  Problem: Sending the same cards or typing the same social posts as everyone else, failing to draw on the emotion inherent in the occasion

  Why Video: To look people in the eye and communicate with clarity and emotion, to provide a remarkable experience, to let people know you really care by taking time out of your day

  Especially in sales roles, we're always looking for timely and relevant reasons to reach out to people. Fortunately, the calendar is packed with them in the form of holidays and special occasions. On meaningful days in people's lives, send personal videos. On holidays, send one-to-one, one-to-many, or even one-to-all videos. Use fun days related to you or your brand, like International Picnic Day, National Book Lovers Day, or National Guacamole Day as a reason to reach out.

  Sure, you can record a single happy birthday video and use it over and over, but it's quick, easy, and fun to make them truly personal. Block time and batch this effort for efficiency. Make a week's or month's worth of video emails in one sitting but use scheduled sending to have each go out on the correct day.

  Mark and Laura Anderson, a husband and wife real estate team in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, have sent more than 2,400 videos, including hundreds of birthday videos. Before one recording, Mark said something Laura found hilarious, so they smiled and laughed through the entire birthday video. Here's the client's reply:

  “Thank you both so much for the fun Happy Birthday video!! You both were having such a good time, you made me laugh, too!!

  HOPE YOU BOTH HAD WONDERFUL HOLIDAYS AND ARE DOING WELL. Fun to see you in the video:-)

  Blessings to you both!!!!!!!”

  Have you ever received a response like this to a Facebook or LinkedIn birthday greeting you typed up? Of course not. Not even close. In case you missed it, here's the tally: 11 exclamation points, one line in ALL CAPS, and a smiley face. What was the client trying to do with that expressive text? Give back the thought, care, and positive energy that the Andersons sent her in video. You simply can't create that connective experience for a client with plain text or even a card.

  Social media is especially useful here, but not just for messaging. Your social feeds inform you of birthdays and other special occasions. Someone's son got accepted to a desired college? Someone's daughter made captain of the team? Someone landed a new job or achieved a specific success at work? Let people know you're paying attention and that you care with a personal video.

  On major holidays, mortgage loan officer Joe Soto from Cypress, California, sends videos to all the people in his database. Even though they're one-to-all sends, he makes them more personal by including his family. When he's joined in videos by his wife, his kids, or their dog, engagement is “super high” compared to other sends. This humanizes Joe and enhances connection to him. In his words: “What I felt was that it puts things on a more personal level. Everybody gets those generic emails on Christmas and Thanksgiving, but very few people show pictures of their family and even fewer have their people speaking with them. It's a great way to connect on a much deeper level.”

  If you're sending holiday or special occasion emails or cards right now, are you just checking the box? Are you expecting or receiving replies from grateful customers? If your goal is to connect and start conversations, not just check the box, start making a habit of sending five or 10 personal videos each morning for specific occasions or in the lead up to a major holiday. By doing this, you'll stand out from the 50 other emails each person gets on days closer to the actual date of the holiday. In addition, it gives you time to respond to the replies you'll be receiving by spreading out the sends. Don't just check the box. Take full advantage of timely reasons to reach out with video.

  Time 6: Bad News or Apology

  Problem: Not communicating with enough empathy or clarity, allowing people to read your messages with too much or not enough emotional charge, being misunderstood

  Why Video: To convey empathy and sincerity, to communicate your message with the appropriate tone, to provide your viewer the space to process the message

  We've all seen the “sorry/not sorry” apology in a press conference of a politician, celebrity, or athlete. We know sincerity and insincerity when we see them. We know when a message is heartfelt and when it's empty and self-serving. We feel it. But a typed-out apology? It's up to the reader. It's easy to be misread or misunderstood. Our intention or meaning can be misconstrued. The written word doesn't capture empathy or care like eye-to-eye, face-to-face communication does. When you leave the door open even an
inch to judgments of sincerity, you've given away all control. So, if you need to apologize or share bad news, consider sending a video. But only if you're sincere, because people can see through you otherwise.

  Being honest and direct is a winning play. Take for example Mike Minervini's $45,000 apology video. A real estate coach and a former agent from New Jersey, Mike was in Las Vegas attending the international RE/MAX conference when he realized a misunderstanding had occurred with potential clients. They were scheduled to meet the following week, but the couple thought the meeting was the current week, when Mike was out of town. To respond to an angry, confused, and urgent couple, Mike got out his mobile phone in the hotel lobby, recorded an apology, and kindly requested that the meeting be held as scheduled the following week.

  In his 30-second video, Mike …

  Acknowledged the miscommunication

  Apologized twice

  Confirmed the correct day and time

  Promised specific value in the upcoming appointment

  Closed with a smile

  Visit BombBomb.com/BookBonus to see Mike's apology video.

  Because of the video, the couple agreed to the meeting and to have Mike list their home for sale. His team also brought the buyer to that transaction and helped them purchase a newly constructed home. Total commission: $45,000. And the couple specifically told him the video message from Las Vegas saved the entire opportunity. We all make mistakes. Owning up to them in a human way is the first step toward making them right.

  Beyond miscommunication, misstatements, human errors, and other mistakes that require an apology, you have to break bad news from time to time. Asynchronous video is a helpful medium for this for two reasons: bad news is more psychologically compelling to the recipient and bad news takes longer to cognitively process.1 When you directly confront someone with bad news on a phone call or in person, the situation demands an immediate response. When you send it in a video recording, you're giving people the time they need to process it. Your ability to manage the tone is improved. Tracking lets you know the message got through, so you can follow up after giving them time to process the news.

  “Video isn't the ‘secret sauce' recipe” to success according to Nancy Chapin, a sales professional from Seattle, Washington. So, what is? You are. You're your own best sales asset. And “by using this communication, it invites all of us—you, me, and our clients—to show up in a more authentic way.” She's sent 800 personal videos in all kinds of situations, including the pricing and negotiation impasses that inevitably come up. Often, working through the impasse means sharing bad news. For these “delicate, tricky, heartfelt” situations, Nancy says, “Video is the best.” And she has a $35,000 story to support her position.

  A client's brother passed away unexpectedly and, as the estate's executor, had to get his brother's home sold quickly. To help their retired parents, he wanted to get every possible penny out of the sale. Overpricing is one of the worst mistakes you can make in this situation, but Nancy had trouble getting her client to accept this fact. Even after several conversations. Because “another email, phone call, or meeting” wouldn't help her break through, Nancy got out her phone and sent a video “from the heart” (and from the car, which, as you can see in Figure 6.3, was safely parked! Never record videos while driving.).

  FIGURE 6.3 Video Gives People Time to Process Bad News

  Nancy “knew he would hear it differently than in a direct conversation.” The expectation of immediate response in a real-time exchange often produces defensiveness and retrenchment into currently held beliefs and positions. “Being able to send him that communication” in a recorded video allowed her to truly reach him. Her pricing strategy was adopted and worked out beautifully, earning his parents another $30,000 to $35,000 in support of their retirement.

  Visit BombBomb.com/BookBonus to hear Nancy tell this story.

  Doing real work with real humans and achieving great outcomes is often messy and challenging. As with every other aspect of our lives, including our videos, we're never perfect. To break bad news or apologize in a way that supports constructive progress, send personal videos.

  Time 7: Checking In

  Problem: Attempting to reconnect or ask a favor without the benefit of your personality, failing to stand out against all the other messages people receive

  Why Video: To get your face, smile, energy, and enthusiasm back in front of someone, to recreate the experience of being with you in person, to make clear your intentions

  “Running into” old friends, former colleagues, past clients, and others who've made your personal or professional life more satisfying and successful doesn't have to be left to chance. You can do it at scale and on demand with simple videos. If it seems like it's been too long or you've got a favor or request to ask, video's especially helpful to control tone and express appreciation. Stay connected to people in your network, renew relationships, and spark conversations with a handful of these touches each week. Acknowledge how long it's been and express your excitement about catching up. Feel like you need a reason to reach out? Find an “in” by seeing what's new on their social media profiles.

  Reading Toronto business news one morning, marketing company president, speaker, and consultant Javed Khan learned that an acquaintance was taking on a senior position at a large insurance company. He recorded a quick “Congratulations! How are you?” video and dropped it into LinkedIn messaging. Instead of getting a reply in LinkedIn hours or days later, Javed received a direct phone call from his colleague within minutes. They reconnected and caught up. The conversation quickly turned to the video Javed sent. Within a half hour of sending a personal video to rekindle the relationship, he had an appointment to present on video marketing and video communication to one of the company's executive teams.

  Javed didn't reach out seeking that outcome. He didn't reach out to pitch. His video served to check in and say congratulations in a sincere and personal way. When you seek relationship before transaction, these results naturally follow.

  Time 8: Internal Communication

  Problem: Trying to build culture, increase motivation, and convey information with plain text, not getting enough face time with the people who drive the success of the business

  Why Video: To reach remote workers, outside sales representatives, and others who aren't in the office regularly, to share information personally with everyone at the same time, to create connection and enhance culture

  Many people see simple video communication as a way to convert future customers into current customers. To accelerate the sales cycle. To improve client experience. To produce repeat and referral business. And it is! But don't miss the chance to keep an internal team of people connected, informed, aligned, and motivated with personal videos.

  In The Service Profit Chain, James Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, and Leonard Schlesinger map proven, quantitative links from internal service quality to revenue growth and profitability. They analyzed successful service organizations in an attempt to put hard values on seemingly soft measures. In these organizations, the focus is on employees and internal quality more than it is on revenue, which is an outcome, by-product, and consequence of proper focus. The links in the chain to the outcomes of profit and revenue from their source are the following:

  Internal quality drives employee satisfaction.

  Employee satisfaction drives employee loyalty.

  Employee loyalty drives employee productivity.

  Employee productivity drives value.

  Value drives customer satisfaction.

  Customer satisfaction drives customer loyalty.

  Customer loyalty drives profitability and growth.2

  Instead of focusing exclusively on end results, focus more on their most important drivers—hiring, onboarding, training, equipping, motivating, and building into your team members. Clearer communication and stronger connection through face-to-face messages play critical roles in employee satisfaction, loyalty, and productivity.
Investments in employees are investments in satisfied and loyal customers, which in turn produces revenue growth and profitability. Just as it's more profitable to retain and grow revenue from current customers than it is from new customers, retaining and building into current employees is more efficient than recruiting, onboarding, and training new ones.

  As the saying goes, “people don't quit jobs, they quit bosses.” Even if that's only partly true, people quit work, assignments, morale, and other factors within their managers' control. And “bosses” and “managers” are not necessarily leaders. Effective leadership is based on trust, rapport, and relationships and fosters healthy cultures and high-performing teams. If you're not communicating clearly enough, if your team's not connected enough, and if your goals, strategies, and tactics aren't aligned enough, mix some video into your communication.

  In an Interact/Harris poll of 1,000 US workers, the top three issues employees have with their leaders were:

  Not recognizing employees' achievements (63%)

  Not giving clear directions (57%)

  Not having enough time to meet with employees (53%)3

  Make it a habit to send a few “thank you,” “well done,” or “congratulations” videos each week, as we demonstrated through leaders Brad DeVries and Todd Bland in the previous chapter. Send some of these one-to-one videos outside busy work hours to surprise and delight employees. Send some of these messages to the entire team or entire company for public praise and recognition. Send some of these to target recruits, too; you'd likely be giving valuable praise and recognition they're not getting in their current role.