Matching Vision and Talent: How One Videographer Invites a Value Conversation With Clients
Matching Vision and Talent: How One Videographer Invites a Value Conversation With Clients
August 27, 2018
In a recent post we discussed how to respond to a client who asks about a price before there has been a value conversation about their needs.
Trenton Carson and I recently discussed this problem as he experiences it with his video production company, TC Productions. He frequently has people who ask in passing “how much does a video cost?,” as if purchasing a video is like buying a jar of mustard.
Consider just a few of the different aspects of shooting a high-quality video which showcases a business. What’s the objective? How would a video fit within the company’s overall marketing strategy? What’s the audience? Prospects? Potential Employees? How will the video be shared? Website? Social media? What’s the script? Who will write it? How long will the video be? Will the business owner be featured in the video? Will there be professional narration? Where will the video be shot? One location or multiple locations?
Questions like these (and many more) need to be answered before Trenton can offer a proposal, but clients don’t fully appreciate all the different aspects of producing a high-quality business video.
His answer to the “how much does a video cost?” question is one I love (and have his permission to share): “We need to have a conversation so I can make sure our talents match your vision.”
I love this answer. It introduces two elements which most clients would concede require a conversation. First, there’s the need to understand the client’s vision for the video. A great business video is like the cliché about beauty: it’s in the eye of the beholder. Unless Trenton understands what the client is sees in their mind when they think about a possible video, he can’t even determine what it will take to execute the project, much less submit a proposal.
Further, there’s the talent of Trenton and his team, which may not be a fit for someone who wants a birthday party video for the five-year-old, for example.
Professional talent must mesh with the client vision, and to understand whether that’s possible, careful planning is required.
If you’re a B2B service provider, do you, like Trenton, have an effective answer to the “what are your rates?” question, an answer which leads qualified prospects to a value conversation? It’s the first step in establishing win-win client relationships.
Otherwise you may have a roster of clients which are poor fits at the wrong prices.
(Photo Credits: TC Productions)