The use of Video is an Effective Marketing Tool
A client of mine sent me this survey result and I thought it would be valuable to share with you.
In a survey into teaching and communications methods, it was found that on average, respondents retain:
10% of what they read,
26% of what they hear,
30% of what they see,
50% of what they see and hear.
That same Wharton Business School study analyzed the effectiveness of video as a means of direct marketing. They found that video direct mail response rates can be up to 600% higher than printed brochures. Furthermore, they found that when video is used it can speed up the buying decision process by 72% in comparison to a print brochure.
So the long and the short of it is that video, if produced properly, can help you achieve your marketing objectives. According to this article, Video is an Effective Marketing Tool.
How can you apply video into your business to help you be even more successful?
Global Awareness
To retain a competitive edge in any organization, entrepreneurial management needs to keep their finger on the pulse.
Management needs to not only identify technological shifts, it also has to recognize and rapidly respond to changes in client sentiment.
Top-heavy, bureaucratic management processes impede an organization’s power to respond instinctively and take appropriate action.
Self directed teams who understand the company’s vision and processes enable the organization to react responsively and implement strategies that will improve overall performance and productivity.
Client focus has become a strategic imperative. A dynamic company structure needs to clearly understand exactly what their client demands and know how to deliver the best product available.
Regardless of whether employees directly interface with clients, the workforce as a whole needs to be able to define their client characteristics: who they are, what they want and how to deliver productively.
At the same time, employees need to also focus on any barriers that may exist which prevent full client satisfaction and work on eliminating them.
Breakdowns or barriers in the company’s processes that impede productivity need to be identified rapidly and actioned immediately.
Live Life with No Regrets – Very Special Book Offer & Bonuses
|
|
|
Personal Productivity of a Highly Productive Workforce
A highly productive organization is the result of a highly productive workforce. Every member of a team needs to contribute to the overall productivity process. This means there is no room for people who sit around waiting for direction. A highly organized and well structured work team knows their responsibilities and understands how their productivity contributes to the success of the company and its goals.
Each employee requires training in plan management techniques. They need to understand the principles of goal setting, time management and prioritizing activities so their time is focused on achieving the critical tasks rather than the trivial demands of the day.
The reality of working today has changed dramatically over recent decades. Increasingly, employees are learning to become more empowered to make decisions independently and accept full responsibility for the functionality of individual processes that form a part of the greater picture.
As dynamic enterprises move towards more autonomous decision making processes to keep pace with rapidly expanding marketplaces, the flow-through effect encompasses increased productivity, a more creative and inventive workforce as well as improvements in the timely delivery of new technologies, products and services.
5 Strategies for Change Management
Change is inevitable. In fact, change can occur so frequently and regularly that in many cases we hardly notice it.
We change our hairstyles, our fashions, our relationships, our opinion, or we re-arrange the furniture; all with little or no resistance.
Change makes us uneasy. Even when a change seems logical and reasonable, we ask ourselves, “Why can’t things remain as they are? I liked it just the way it was.”
But that kind of thinking is self-delusional; we all want to change, whether we admit to it or not. Sure, there are people who say they are happy the way they are, but they are not being truthful with themselves.
We all want to be better, faster, stronger, richer, more powerful, happier, more fulfilled; the list goes on and on. So, why then do most of us vehemently resist change?
5 Strategies for Change Management
1. Focus on the positives
Change generally results in a positive outcome. Rather than focus on feelings you may be experiencing like insecurity, discomfort or anxiety, concentrate instead on how the new experience will enhance your current situation.
Imagine yourself once the changes have taken place and think about how good they will make you feel. Imagine yourself feeling re-energized, optimistic, excited and exhilarated.
2. Nullify the negatives
Be honest and ask yourself what is it that’s holding you back? What beliefs are you clinging to which prevent you from moving forward? What is the worst possible outcome you could experience from change?
Once you take a realistic and logical look at the reasons why you are resisting change, you will find most of them are unrealistic and illogical.
3. Clarify your Commitment
Change requires commitment and self-discipline. You won’t always get it right first time, so you’ve got to find the strength and purpose to get back up and try again. You’ll find the reward is worth it.
4. Look after Yourself
Change, no matter how big or small, requires a healthy mind and a healthy body. Change doesn’t have to occur overnight – it may take weeks, even months, to make the necessary changes.
Take care of yourself. Eat regularly, exercise, breathe and make time to relax and acknowledge how far you’ve come.
5. Be Flexible
Changes don’t always occur the way we imagined. You may encounter curve-balls and forks in the road you weren’t expecting.
Give yourself enough latitude to readjust for the unexpected.
Neal Maxwell said, “It is not the years but the changes that make us grow.”
Don’t waste time and energy fighting the inevitable. Learn to see change as a new adventure on the road through life and embrace the future!
For help with this concept, choose from the many high-value and high-content tele-seminars for only $27 USD that can be found by going to: AccountabilityCoach.com/coaching-store/audio-store/
6 Management Strategies to Avert Resistance
Changes that occur outside of our control force us to adapt to new rules, new systems and new policies which can, at the outset, make us feel uncomfortable and insecure.
Effective team leaders acknowledge and understand that it is a basic human instinct to react to change with resistance, even though staff may fully comprehend the reasons why changes in the organization are vital to its existence and growth.
6 Management Strategies to Avert Resistance
- A clear outline – Discomfort and insecurity arises when staff are not made aware of the policies, principles, guidelines and structure of intended changes. Every employee needs to know how his/her position will be affected and what his/her role requires.
- Commitment –Implementation of organizational changes will not occur smoothly if everyone – from the CEO to the office clerk – is not committed to the project and its successful outcome.
- Advocacy – Each member of an organization who may be affected by the impending changes must be given the opportunity to express his/her opinion.
- Responsibility – It is the role of the team leader to ensure that each employee who is responsible for a component of the change strategy is held accountable for his/her actions in implementing the changes required.
- Acknowledgement – Evaluation and acknowledgement of the success of the change strategy at regular intervals ensures its smooth implementation.
- Flexibility – Management need to adopt a flexible approach to each stage of development of a change strategy so that unforeseen contingencies can be implemented if and where necessary.
However, organizational changes within a business often prove to be a suitable testing ground for leadership qualities; from the employees all the way through to top level management.
Those who possess the qualities that define a good leader often emerge during the stressful environment that usually accompanies change. This creates an ideal opportunity for potential leaders to display those qualities and be recognized accordingly.
How Strong Is Your Belief?
What you believe about the world at large and how you fit into the general scheme of things will determine who you are and how you relate to the world you live in.
What we believe about ourselves is encapsulated in the voice we hear in our head. And what that voice tells us is so powerful it will manifest itself in every action we take, every word we say, and every thought we think.
We are who we believe ourselves to be.
Although the saying has been done to death, the only way to change the record that spins around and around in your head, filling you with negativity, self-doubt and shame is to learn to believe in yourself.
Sure, easier said than done, you say. And yes, it is easy to say “believe in yourself”. It’s become the cliché for the 21st century.
But who said life was easy anyway?
Anything worth doing requires determination, self-discipline and struggle. Taking the easy route will not land you on easy street!
What is required is a new record to play over and over in your head. Something a little more upbeat, with inspiring lyrics, a great melody and above all, soul.
The great secret to manifesting anything in your life is to re-program the file in your head that says you can’t have it.
Nobody else but you has access to the turntable of your mind. And only you have the power to change the recording.
People often ask me why I’m so happy all the time. I tell them the answer is simple: “Because I believe I’m happy and that makes it so!”
It sounds too simplistic to be true, doesn’t it? But it’s not.
Slice away the “psychobabble”, the clichés, the heartfelt fables and cheesy quotations and what remains is the simple, elegant truth: You are who you believe yourself to be.
Action Steps
Use these guidelines to change that old record on the player that goes around in your head, and replace it with a melody you can play for the rest of your life.
- Give yourself unconditional love, you deserve it.
- Challenge yourself to be better than even you believed possible.
- Focus on your strengths and work to eliminate or alter your weaknesses.
- Believe you can become whoever you want to be.
- Acknowledge that nobody has the power to make you feel inferior.
- Determine to become a better human being every single day.
- Acknowledge your achievements and give yourself a silent pat on the back.
- Smile and remember that everybody has bad days.
- Embrace the person you are and the contribution you can make to the world.
10. Have faith in yourself and believe you can make a difference.
To believe is to give meaning to your life. To believe in yourself harnesses all your strengths, unlocks your potential and creates a world of endless possibilities.
For help with this concept, choose from the many high-value and high-content tele-seminars for only $27 USD that can be found by going to: AccountabilityCoach.com/coaching-store/audio-store/
10 Tactics for Making the Right Business Decisions
Business leaders are forced to make choices every day. Some of those decisions will prove to be highly successful and innovative; some will dissipate into thin air; some may cause dissention in the ranks, while others may have staff believing they have a chimpanzee in the CEO’s office.
A recent survey of corporate executives by a faculty of the Harvard Business School found that an enormous shift has occurred in the policy making decisions of those responsible for signing off on the expansion and profit potential of corporate America.
The research findings suggested that 10 points are necessary to provide the required maneuverability and flexibility required to keep pace in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
The skills required are:
- Improvement in Information Technology
A disciplined and focused information gathering facility is fundamental to the decision making process.
Informed decisions can only be made when senior management has the necessary data available, and that data has to be structured in such a way that the key points are logical, visible and measureable.
The requirement for improved information flow has been met by the provision of new technologies like interactive Intranet facilities and CMS (Customer Management Systems).
These new technologies provide metadata tagging and improved archive and retrieval systems, making the process of information retrieval efficient and timely for all employment tiers.
- Streamlining the Decision Making Process
Gone are the days when management decisions had to be streamed through a chain of command.
The decision making process has been accelerated by developing a strategic planning committee made up of those who have a stake in the ultimate decision/s. The participants in these committees change according to the scope of the project and the desired outcome.
These cross functional strategic development committees meet on a regular basis to review and monitor all aspects of a decision-in-progress so that a timely outcome can be achieved.
- Clear and Precise Responsibilities
In a company that requires high performance results, everyone from the janitor to the CEO has a clear mandate defining his or her primary responsibilities, role and function within the group.
Control mechanisms such as operating procedure manuals and individual job description documents ensure consistency and security in job performance, communication and feedback.
- Results Oriented Environment
In a highly functional organization, work is about getting the job done to the best of your ability and achieving the required results.
The focus is on a team-oriented environment where every individual has a role in defining the end result. This requires that all employees have a clear vision about the company’s policies and values and they accept full responsibility for his or her value in the hierarchy.
- Decentralized Decision Making
A top-heavy, centralized decision making company is slow to react to change in a rapidly evolving environment.
The efficient flow of information is halted by gridlocks and hurdles that prevent the timely receipt of relevant information by the primary decision makers.
A more autonomous hierarchy with the power to make decisions based on the employee’s level of expertise and experience and with the knowledge of the company’s strategic agenda creates a fertile and efficient flow of information.
- The Political Factor
Company politics destabilizes and interrupts the overall efficiency of a business.
By adopting precise business procedures and processes and adapting a more creative base for measurement of decision making and conflict resolution, a company can minimize political interference.
- Intuitive vs Logical Response
Making decisions that result in a positive outcome for the business relies on a healthy mix of logical analysis and well-informed intuitive skills.
Rather than basing intuition on simple “gut feel”, intuitive analysis is based on knowledge, experience, practice and the outcome of past decisions made in similar circumstances.
One of the qualities of a good leader is their ability to make decisive choices based on limited information.
- Too Much Information
One of the major barriers to a company’s ability to make decisions in a limited time span is a desire for over analysis of too much information.
Effective decision making is hampered not only by information overload, it can also be paralyzed by over analysis of that information.
If the correct processes and procedures are adopted as company policy, the provision of unnecessary information overload can be avoided.
- Results, Rewards and Recognition
An effective decision making team requires acknowledgement when the results of their decisions prove to be advantageous to the organization.
Similarly, decisions that have adversely affected the company’s performance or outcome also need to be acknowledged. In this situation, it is important for the decision makers to analyze the factors that led to the decision and take preventative measures so the outcome isn’t repeated.
It is simply human nature to get it wrong from time to time; not even the strongest and most powerful leaders get it right 100% of the time. However, it takes a strong leader to admit he or she was wrong and that it is necessary to “go back to the drawing board” to analyze where and what went awry.
- Communication
A dynamic and focused company well equipped for the demands of the 21st century will usually have a strategic agenda that includes open communication channels from the top down.
In this age of advanced technology and telecommunication, there is no reason why employees involved in decision making processes should not have access to all the information required.
Outdated hierarchical structures that limit the flow of information on a “need to know” basis find themselves crippled by decisions made without the provision of correct or up-to-date information, or through indecision caused by a weighted top-heavy structure.
Transparent and open communication across all platforms enables both the company and its employees to operate in an environment where comments, feedback and conflict resolution can be handled efficiently, rapidly and without upheaval.
Obtain Feedback on Your Client Service – How do You Rate?
Do you know what it’s like when your business is clicking and you feel like you have great client relationships that are continuing to grow? Isn’t that a great feeling?
How many times have you asked your clients (at least your top clients) for feedback on how you are doing? Have them rank you in areas of service? How many times do people you do business with ask you for feedback on how they are doing and then actually let you know what changes they have and will make based on the feedback they have received.
Be a resource for your clients. You don’t have to know it all or be able to do it all. You can; however, control the ‘game.’ Be a coach and help guide your clients. Be the resource they need to get the ‘right’ people that will help them take their business to the next level. This is a valuable position to be in.
Be a team player. As Ronald Reagan said, “You’ll get what you want out of life by helping other people get what they want.” You want your clients to view you as their coach/resource to help them make smart choices and be even more successful.
As you work with your clients in this way, ask yourself, “am I referable” from my clients perspectives.
Keep the competition back over your shoulder. They don’t have to be in the distance, just as long as they are behind you. Exceeding your clients’ expectations only takes a little bit of effort, but it can do a lot for your sales and referral business.
Do people send you words of praise for what you do?
Do you sound look, and feel like everyone else in your industry? How do you differentiate yourself from everyone else? How do prospects view you – like everyone else in your industry? Have people really experienced what you do to differentiate you from everyone else? Do they understand how you are a benefit to them and the people they know who might want or need your services or products. It is the experience you give people that differentiates you from everyone else.
Do people who do business with you thank you? Do you receive thank you letters from people who experience what you do after they have invested in your services or products? If not, why don’t they send you thank you notes and appreciate what you do for them? What would have to happen for you to receive words of praise for what you do? What small change might you have to make?
I appreciate you saying whatever they said about you (nice). One way you can help others to have experiences like you are having now who have had experiences you have had in the past, is letting me know all the people that you know that you think might enjoy or be open to learning about what we do so they can choose to work with us or not. Stop depriving people of what you do. Leverage the compassion, emotion, and those feelings of enjoying the experience you just provided someone and they are thanking you for all you did for them. Help them make it easy for them to refer others to you. What else might you have to implement in your business to make it easier to refer others to you? Execute and implement those things today and reap the rewards.
