learn how i manage to get out of a $7k debt in just 5 days

by 293 replies
385
Sorry i had to delete this post.
I was getting too many pms everyday of people asking questions
Which were already explained on the thread.
It was getting a bit annoying.
#offline marketing #$7k #days #debt #learn #manage
  • Sorry once again same problem
    • [ 7 ] Thanks
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    • henry,

      Congratulations on taking action. Evidently you wrote the correct calling script as it got you in the door and you made money. Now, the question becomes, what are you gonna do next week?

      Answer: More of the same only this time, I am upping the ante price wise and offering another valuable service to keep them in my accounts receivable funnel.

      Yep, you can offer them another service at a higher price and they will buy from you cuz they already like and trust you.

      Hope you make a bundle.

      Tom
  • Well done. You have kept it simple and to the point.
    Yes, there may be things you can do to alter your script. BUT if it works, why not keep doing it that way for now at least?

    You could perhaps increase the fee to $30 or $40 maximum as a gift...and offer even more value on the back end. The trick, which you have already seemed to master, is to get your foot in the door.

    Is your business only applicable to restaurants? Maybe there are other businesses you could also help. Maybe focus on one business a month and get it going?

    I am sure others will offer different advice so take it all and then make your own decisions.

    Good luck. You are doing great.
    • [1] reply
    • no i could help anyone, at first i thought i would start calling contruction type companies, then i could have just upsell them on SEO for the video itself and of course charge way more than $397 but for some reason i started to call restaurants and it went well so i just stayed in that niche.
      as far as increasing the $25 i might give it a try, but i am comfortable with that at the moment so i guess for now, i will stick with $25.



      • [1] reply
  • Sounds good.
    I am interested in how you put these videos together. Can you show us one?

    Also, were these phone closes?
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    • [2] replies
    • well it seems like not many people like to show their clients. im not sure if its because people on the forum start calling them, or idk. so i think i will play it safe and do the same.
      but its super easy. i just did photo story type of videos. all you need is to ask the business to send you some pics of the business, like logo, outside of business, some work they've done and so on.

      and yes they were phone closes.
      i started to get better results when i offer to create the video first.
      and if they didn't like it then they didn't have to pay.
      yes i guessed i run the risk of them not liking it. but the videos would come out
      really nice. so i wasn't worrying about it.

      and in any case someone would come out to not like the video well it didn't
      take much of my time. since it only takes me about 10 minutes to create the video. sometimes even less

    • I am also interested in seeing this videos, I'm still quite new to this IM thing !
      • [1] reply
  • Do you have an example video?
    • [1] reply
    • i answered the question above.
      but i use animoto they make it really simple to create the videos, very self explanatory as well. yes i know it cost money. but i didn't hesitate to buy since i seen that it was helping me bring in sales.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Great job! I would like to see the videos too, but I understand why you don't want to share them.


    Let me ask you though. Were you trying to "get past" the gatekeeper, or were you just doing your script to whomever answered?


    Well either way, great job!
    • [1] reply
    • i was trying to get past the gatekeepers. i wouldn't do me any good if i pitched the gatekeeper.
      all i did was tell them that i had a very important question, and only the manager could help me.
      of course i was told a lot that the manager was not available

  • Classic upsell technique Way to go!

    Many people overthink it the first time they are cold-calling or cold-approaching a business. You don't need to think of the end game SEO-package of $500/month or whatever you want to sell them. Start small. Offer a $25 seo report/competition analysis/website analysis/mobile site/whatever you think that business needs.

    The key part is getting your foot in the door, building the client relationship, and earning their trust.

    From there, you're golden.
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • i mean if you think about it. even if i never did an upsell and i only sold 5-10 videos per day. thats an easy $125-250 per day. that's enough money to bring food to the table. and you could do it part time.
      but then again, practice upselling and then you will be bringing in cash like you never thought it possible.

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      • [1] reply
  • They Provide you with the Photos, you create a Animoto slideshow then how do you deliver the final product (USB, DVD, YouTube, ect..)?
    • [3] replies
    • Sounds good!

      How did you accept payment for the videos and did you get it upfront before you started?
      • [1] reply
    • that's exactly correct my friend
    • Hey, Henry, I would like to know the answer to this as well. Congratulations btw...I've been planning on implementing Free video creation to help increase our show up percentage on our web meetings.
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  • Please look in the mirror, and say THANKS. Well done. Congratulations.

    Thank you
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
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    • Yes. thank you

      rather that create a wso, you gave freely.

      newbies Can Do This!
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  • Very inspiring!
  • Another good upsell is rank the videos first page of Google.
    • [1] reply
    • i don't see how it will benefit the business. i understand it would benefit a roofer company, or a dentist. but i wouldn't feel comfortable charging a restaurant 300 to keep the video on first page.
      i will do it maybe next week but when i target those other businesses.
  • A video on the first page would be a tremendous asset to a restaurant. Think about it, you are searching for a restaurant in your city, you see Google search results full of descriptions of web sites and one sole video, which show pictures of food, the inside of the restaurant, and more, this restaurant will get a ton more visitors from that video.
    • [3] replies
    • Have you shot any of these videos yet?

      Unless I am missing something, each video would take at least 3-4 hours of work between travelling to the business, shooting the video, previewing video with client, travelling home, editing the video, rendering the video and uploading the video.

      That's....like $6.25 per hour. With travel costs.

      Am I missing something?
      • [1] reply
    • well yeah, but then again i wouldn't be able to charge the same amount i would if i got a video on the first page of google for a roofer, dentist and such.
      at least that is my thought.


      • [1] reply
    • Thanks , very inspiring post

      Did you buy a digital camera as well to make videos onsite ?
      • [1] reply
  • First, CONGRATULATIONS!!

    Second, you should be very proud of yourself. Look what you did in a week, wow.

    Also, look what you just did here. You shared this simple concept and completely simplified it for others to follow basically without many questions left to be answered.

    Again, congratulations, great job and keep up the good work.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Did any of the businesses ask you why they need a video? I am just curious how many really understood the value of video.

    Job well done.
    • [1] reply
    • of course a lot of them asked.
      i am not trying to be mean, but if you yourself can't figure out the value of having a video. then i really don't know what to say.
      to me its just common sense so it was easy to explain the benefits.

      the whole reason why i decided to sell the videos for only $25 dollars was just that i wouldn't have a hard time selling it to them.
      and if someone seem like they were on the fence then i just would create the video for them and collect the payment later.
      • [1] reply
  • Great story, I just don't think I could cold call anyone. Got 50% of my clients from search marketing (they find me from PPC or Organic Rankings) or I attend business mixers and meet decision makers and build a relationship.
  • Great job and VERY inspiring! So, if I understand it correctly, you sold 75 slideshow type videos made with Animoto in a week and out of those 75, 12 went for your SMS service with a montly residual to you?

    I thought Animoto was expensive, what plan did you sign up for?

    Finally, which SMS provider do you recommend and what is included in the monthly plan?

    Thank you in advance, Eva
    • [2] replies
    • Way to Go!!
      I would like to know how many owners/managers you had to talk to in order to get the 75 sales.
      Thanks for sharing!
      • [1] reply
    • your are correct
      yeah i guess animoto is expensive, but i didn't put any money out of my pocket.
      i sold some videos and then i signed up to the pro version.
      i can't recommend any SMS provider since i only have used 1. which is text180
      i just gave them 2,000 messages. i know very basic. but i am not an expert at sms.
      so far i just gave the short number and keyword so they can start to grow their list.


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  • I have a couple of questions also Henry


    1. Did you upload the videos for them to YouTube or their website or did you just present them with the file.

    2. If you did not upload the videos for them. Did you offer to for an additional charge? If so how much?

    3. What plan did you use at with Animoto? Did the plan cover commmercial use?
    • [1] reply
    • 1 if they wanted me to upload it for them to youtube i did. otherwise i would just the video to them on an attachment on an email.
      2. answered on number 1
      3. at first i was using the pro until i realized i was breaking the rules. so i had to upgrade to the reseller account which yes it was $500 but i had already over 2k in sales by that time so i didn't hurt.
      but im sure there are way cheaper softwares out there to create video. i can recommend any because i havent used.

      i am not sure if the simple video pro can be used for that. i didn't read the whole sales letter. but all you have to do is some research and im sure you will find cheaper software.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Banned
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  • Wow amazing!!! Congratulations!!
  • Banned
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  • Henry, It's so inspiring.
    If you skilled with video editing software such as Adobe After Effect, you can buy a video template. There are a ton of awesome video template so you can produce advance work only in minute.
    You also can outsource your work only $5 in fiverr. Don't know if it worth.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [4] replies
    • The advantage of using Animoto, even though expensive, is that is drop dead super simple but the biggest one is that there is music. Buying a software somewhere else, or using free version is fine but you still have to deal with finding music and for that, I say go for Animoto.

      One software that I personally been on the brink of buying is ProShow Gold - Fast and Fun HD Slideshows - Photodex. For a meager $69.95 you get a great software and they even have a free 30 day trial but its branded (no affiliation).

      One snag I can see with trying to make so many videos in a week is the delivery of the pictures to you. Henry, did you require them to email you the pictures the same day and how many pictures would you say is good enough to make the slideshow?

      Thanks, Eva
      • [2] replies
    • Henry, Thank you for sharing all this with us. It is inspirational. I really appreciate you posting the video. One question what was this amount for?
      12x= $4,764, is that a monthly or yearly charge for SMS? Or is that for a block of SMS with no time limit?
      • [2] replies
    • This is very nice trick. how do you get their emails? i have lot face book fans and tell me how to use them for them for this offer.
    • We should learn something from your experience, and it is you who made me light up my fire of life, I know where I should go now!
      I have got a new direction now
  • An extra $5k wouldn't hurt so I just messaged all of my Restaurant, Real Estate and Dentist connections with a special offer along with a sample video.

    Edit: Already got a sale!
    • [1] reply
    • lol thank you mr sarcastic but learn how to read i wrote $50 no $5,000
      • [1] reply
  • Inspiring work!! very nice! leads are what we need
  • Very nice. Great job! You should be really proud of yourself.
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  • Great job...irresistable offer...easy to understand...quick benefit for the customer...swiftly repeated.
    • [1] reply
    • i never got to thank you for the PM.
      i learned a little from it, which made get on the phone and start selling.
      show them the value. that's what is all about. i used that to upsell them
      thanks for the share.

  • Banned
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  • Congrats, this is one of the easiest way to make money offline
  • You could tell them a professionally designed video adds value to your website and credibility to your business, you can put it right on your homepage to be viewed as soon as a visitor hits your site. Another bonus is YouTube videos have a habit of coming close to page one faster than your website does sometimes.

    You're also able to submit the video to the top video sharing websites, creating a network of backlinks and potential traffic sources to your business. You can post it on your Facebook page, it gives you something to Tweet about, send out to your mailing list etc.

    Another idea could be to base the video creation around a special, then offer another freebie if someone shares the video on their Facebook page.

    This has really got me thinking. Thanks for an awesome share Henry.
    • [ 6 ] Thanks
  • wow! doing great!

    what is your next target?
    • [1] reply
    • i will continue to do the same but with a different niche.
      hoping to upsell them on higher end services.
      you know maybe contruction company and offer SEO for 700 or so
  • Great idea, so easy to implement. I'm going to give this a shot since I've been looking for a way to use my Animoto Pro account a bit more. How long are your videos? I'm guessing with around 14 slides they would be only about 70 seconds long.
    • [2] replies
    • yeah about 90-120 seconds. i make sure the slides dont go too fast so
      the viewer can see them
    • How much is the pro version and does it still have their branding?
      • [1] reply
  • So easy, feels like fishing.You have the bait, you throw it in the sea, you will catch some fish

    Thanks for sharing.A really irresistible offer can make you money.True story.

    Dimitris
  • Great work Henry. What you did was take ACTION! Many of us just buy, buy and buy WSO's after WSO's and never take ACTION. SO job well done.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
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    • Thank you for posting this, great work!

      Why not continue with restaurants since it's worked so well?

      Continued success to you.

      Mark
  • That's really interesting and inspiring me
    I wish I can do it and will reach my goal.
    Thanks a lot for your kinda help.
    • [1] reply
    • Just created my first video and uploaded on youtube.
      Looks really impressive even if its short.
  • if ia too expensive for you guys just look for other softwares that helps you create videos.
    in this thread someone recomended one which is only
    about 60$ for a year or so.
  • Sorry I see $219 but not $249 on the Animoto - Product Pricing Pages
    • [2] replies
    • This is what I see, $20.75 for the Pro version per month, which is billed annually at $249.00. Monthly it is $39. The Pro version is the unbranded version.

      • [2] replies
    • So after you send the video do they just take over from there?

      Or do you upload the video to YouTube for them etc?
  • That's a great achievement! What did you have to do for the SMS upsell?
  • What a great idea, thank you for posting it. I already have lots of ideas going through my head for this.
  • Awesome! I am on this. The Big picture is the residual upsell. Gain their trust with the no brainer offer and upsell, upsell, upsell. These businesses are used to the local papers and Yellow pages crazy expensive offers. This offer would probably seem like a breath of fresh air. I am thinking more like $47 but we'll see.

    Great Job!
  • Congrats Henry

    Just watched your example video Tandoori Oven

    nice video

    I was thinking of checking out Animoto and now I am going to for sure.

    Just some thoughts, one thing some quotes and testimonials into a video like that.

    For example, a quote from the chef about his/her passion for cooking and making delicious meals, or a quote about the owner(s) of the restaurant about their passion for making sure their clients have a great meal and/or a great place to eat, etc.

    And 1 or 2 testimonials from customers.

    You could choose to add them as audio or just text.

    I think the a quote from the chef would be good
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • If you are selling the videos to businesses, you need to sign up for the Reseller plan.

    The Pro plan only lets you market YOUR OWN business.
  • Check out ProShow Web, a seriously good alternative to Animoto. For $25 per month on a premium account you can create videos for clients. You can compare their plans here:

    ProShow Web - Instant Online HD Slideshows - Photodex

    I found a coupon here:

    ProShow Web 20% Off Special Offer | PhotoMerchant.net

    Not sure if that still works though.

    You can buy theme packs to fit the market you target:

    Effects for ProShow - Photodex

    Animoto does have some pretty stylish videos, but they are limited. With ProShow Web you can buy the extra styles and it beats Animoto on price hands down.
    • [ 5 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Excellent find. BTW Big congratulations to Henry, very inspiring.
  • I was also reading this article earlier:

    21 Quotes on Why Video Marketing ROCKS

    Give you a good base to research answers to the 'Why video?' question.
    • [ 10 ] Thanks
  • Lesley that's a great find. I'm going to test it today.

    I'm interested to know whether I can insert more characters into my test strings as Animoto does limit me.

    $150/year for the Premuim account is a steal compared to $499/year in the US and £499 in the UK.

    Will let you know how my testing goes.
  • Banned
    Well done. This is how a real business man gets the problem done.
  • Congrates! you had clear all your debt.

    now the time to enjoy your earning. ;P
    • [2] replies
    • You got to be kiddin'? Enjoying your earnings after a weeks worth of effort, what a concept. Now is the time to keep on building on it, not spend it or you end up owing instead,

      Eva
      • [1] reply
    • Banned
      I'm sorry....I feel COMPELLED to offer MY SUCCESS with THIS "Money-Making" idea.

      Before I do...I APPLAUD Henry's "Inspiration" and "GET OUT AN' DO IT" gutso. (Poverty MOTIVATES) However....probably from not having any experience in "Selling" anything I can respect his "Caution" of charging an amount more than $25 for his "service". He was basically DESPERATE to earn some dollars....any LEGAL way he could.

      And....I applaud his "looking for SOME WAY" to earn bux via "Legal" methods. So...he chose to try and sell "Videos To Restaurants". However again, having NO experience in Sales....he had No Idea What To Charge SO...he picked a number out of the air...."$25 Bux ANY Restaurant could afford AND....GLADLY pay!".

      However....I've been in DIRECT sales for over 30 yrs and 2 yrs ago a buddy asked me if I had any idea on how he could earn some "GOOD MONEY" with little investment!

      So...as "luck" would have it, I was in my local Walmart and saw a case with "PORTABLE DVD PLAYERS". I asked the clerk to tell me what these were for and what they did. She told me they would play DVD's ON BATTERIES, WITHOUT having to "plug them in". I INSTANTLY got one of my "Hot Flashes" (Becuase I had just been looking at "Creating Videos with Photo-Story 3, by Microsoft)...and bought a Portable DVD Player (with a large screen) for $80 (they're probably cheaper now)

      PS3 (still Free) allowed me to take "digital STILL" photos with my Digi-Cam ....load them into the PS3 program and ...CREATE VIDEOS using STILL photos....with different effects (moving from a wide shot to zeroing in...the "transition" to the next photo)....WITH background music or Voice.

      EUREKA! I HAD HIT THE MOTHERLODE! So....here's what I did;

      I knew I needed to have a "Demo" to show potential propects so I went to one of my Restaurant clients and asked her if I could make a Video of her restaurant ...AT NO OBLIGATION!

      I told her I would need to take some Exterior and Interior Photos.

      She JUMPED at the offer!

      So...I proceeded to take some photos and went home and created my FIRST "Restaurant Video"....that I could use as a Demo to show other restaurant owners.

      Here's the link to my first "Restaurant Video"...

      Marche Restaurant - Eugene, Oregon - YouTube
      Now, understand....this was my very FIRST Video. I've improved since.

      However....the "Money-Making Concept" for my buddy was;

      1) Plop your DVD Demo PS3 video into the Portable DVD Player
      2) Walk into any restaurant and ask for the OWNER and tell the person who greets you that..."you'd like to SHOW THE OWNER SOMETHING THAT COULD BRING THEM MORE BUSINESS! IS HE or SHE AROUND?"
      3) Owner comes out - tell them you have a Unique and Different way to bring them MORE DINERS and you'd like to SHOW THEM what it is right now...."May I set my Portable Player down on a table?" (If they ask more questions....just tell them, "All your questions will be answered in the DVD! May I take a "quick minute" to run it for you on my Portable Player?)
      4) When the DVD is over tell him, "See? You've spent LOTS of time and money on your Interior HOWEVER...NOBODY SEES IT UNTIL THEY'RE INSIDE! This is a way to show your interior BEFORE they come in. I'd like to take some photos of the exterior and interior and make up a Sample Video for you...AT NO OBLIGATION! OK?
      5) If he says he's "not interested"....thank him for his time and leave (This rarely happens! "Curiosity" is a STRONG motivator! If he agrees to see the Video you make for him.... tell him you'll be back in a day or 2!
      6) When you get the PS3 Video made....burn it to a DVD....put it in your Portable DVD Player and go show it to the owner. I charge $500 to $750 initially and $150/mo to place the Video on YouTube and 26 OTHER Video Sites.

      If you'd like to know;
      1) the brand of Digital Camera
      2) brand of DVD Player
      3) other video sites I place his Video

      ...send me an email to donalm@charter.net

      Thanks,
      Don Alm

      PS...my buddy is now happily earning a NICE income with this "simple idea" every month
      • [ 6 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • My bad, ProShow Web does have a music library. Nothing to see here. Move along =)
  • Kudos to you Henry... way to go!!!

    You people just kill me when you don't read a thread and just keep repeating the same questions that have already been answered.
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • Well what do you know, the website was called 'FreeStockMusic.com' - who would have thought =)

    And as far as I can see in their FAQ:

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Free Stock Music

    You are allowed to use the free stock music to create videos for resale:

    10. Am I allowed to use your music for a commercial purpose?

    Yes! You are permitted by our license agreement to use our music commercially as long as you add substantial value to the songs.

    11. What does “substantial value” mean?

    The term “substantial value” means you modify or add to the music in a way that makes it uniquely yours. Simply by adding it to a video or singing lyrics on the song, you add substantial value to it.

    This is an important concept because we do not permit users to re-sell our music “as-is.”
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Dang Lesley, I can't hold a note!

      I would like to thank you though for bringing up ProShow Web. I couldn't figure out why you were saying "Web" and I was saying "Gold". I was so set on Gold because I had decided on that earlier. I went back and checked to see if there was a "Web" version and there is!

      ProShow Web - Instant Online HD Slideshows - Photodex

      An important point to notice is that if you do not want your clients to know what software you used, only the Premium version is un-branded. I am going to contact them in regards to reselling the videos to see if that's ok. If it is, I'll make a sample and then might cancel my new Animoto account.

      Thanks again, Eva
      • [1] reply
  • I received this from PhotoDex referring to ProShow Web:

    "Hi Andy, you should have access to the full royalty free music library as a trial user of ProShow Web. You'll see the music under the music tab, click the music library bar towards the bottom of the pane. "

    I have spent a good hour playing around with the effects and setup in the trial version of ProShow Web and believe if I can get all of this for $25 a month (Premium version) compared to Animoto's reseller pricing of $499 or £499 upfront per year it's really a no brainer!

    The text feature in Animoto is limiting and at least with ProShow Web a maximum of 255 characters isn't really going to hinder anyone.
    • [1] reply
    • Well, I spent a good hour too, playing around with the trial version of ProShow Web and got totally frustrated with it. I did not manage to add any music into it and when I called they were closed for the day. The 255 text characters that you are allowed is way, way better than Animoto's very limited text.

      What annoyed me the most was the transitions with the text. On the trial version you can only try out 2 of them, not enough to really see, except for a little "sample" that you can't see in the actual video. Animoto's text flows really nicely on top of your pictures, maybe PSW does too, just could not try it out.

      I have not yet given up on them though, will place another call tomorrow to see what they can do for me. So far though, Animoto all the way.

      I have done slide shows with Photo Story 3 too, just like Don. You can create your own music with it but it really sucks. I've also tried Windows Movie Maker, both the old version and the new "live" version and I am not too happy with that one either.

      I am surprised that Don is getting $500-$700 for his slideshows, last thread I read about him doing it, I think the charge was around $350 but I could be wrong.

      For me, living way off the grid, having them send the photos and producing the videos at a lower cost, fits me better. I agree though that charging as little as $25 is basically giving it away. On the other hand, the OP was not really looking at making a living selling videos, he did some great upsells the very first week by providing an SMS service.

      Eva
      • [1] reply
  • Nice photos and effects. Would have liked to have seen more text input to see what we can do for aour clients
    • [1] reply
    • Here you go AussieT
      Ice Cream - YouTube
      Just a very small sample of what you can do.
      It could use a little more work but, I'm off to bed now.
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • I too have been playing around with the PSG trial, pretty cool stuff.

    I need to do some research to learn about the different formats you can save your videos in and the effects they have on the video size, quality, and accessibility.
  • Really nice ideal and i think you had done a great job yourself OP.
  • Henry, I apologize if this was brought up already....
    During the course of your calling, did you find certain times to be more effective than others.
    I would imagine, late moring and in the afternoon... but what have you found?
    • [1] reply
    • Anytime when it isn't breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Keep in mind if you're on the eastcoast you can call the westcoast because of the time difference.
  • I'm not sure about the free version, but I have quite a few options. There is a 360p MP4 options for the 3 minute video above and that's 27mb.

    Whenever I make a video for a client I invite them to join Dropbox, they then drop the images and text over, I drop the video back. Got my Dropbox to maximum capacity that way.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • henry Argueta: Truly an amazing and inspirational tale.

    I love the fact that you took inspiration from other Warriors and took action.

    That is the key: having passion, then taking action. Too often, I have been guilty of not taking the final step: the action step.

    The best part of what you are doing is that you not only will build up a portfolio of the work you have done, but also a list of satisifed customers.

    you have started a snowball here which will just grow and grow. You continue to grow a portfolio and a customer base. And in time your customers will tell other business owners, who will want videos of their own.

    I've had good luck in marketing videos to businesses, and now I want to press it even more!

    Again congratulations!
    Keep up the good work!
    Just Do It! Just do it!
    And you Done It!
  • Thanks Eva, yes this was ProShow Web.

    I have edited the link above and I was able to add backgrounds that fitted the text better. As you can see with minimal effort I was able to produce something that looks a million dollars.

    PS: Sorry Henry for hijacking your thread!
    • [1] reply
    • Hi Lesley

      Is the proshow web unbranded or do you need proshow producer to be able to sell to clients?

      Thanks
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • Thanks for the heads up on Aframe, looks perfect for the job.

    I put my Animoto subscription on hold and will creating a set of 10 videos I'm already contracted to do for a client using ProShow Web instead - should be a great learning curve.
    • [1] reply
    • Good tip, Aframe looks like a great asset
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • Henry,

    Pure gold here. Thanks so much for the post and a big thanks to all those who've contributed to this thread and made it even better. You guys rock!

    Ron
  • congrates for coming out from your debt...

    Great work henry!

    thanks for share!
  • I emailed 100 or so business, got 1 response about he wanted some changes to the video. I did them and he never responded it back.. perhaps trolling me.

    I think I'm better off cold calling than emailing.
    • [2] replies
    • just give him a call, maybe he was just too busy at the moment i never saw the email or watever it was.
      im sure you can get those $25 with a phone call

      i was lucky when i sent those 25 emails i try to do it again i sent about 50-60 and i had no responses. so yeah forget email lol
      • [1] reply

    • I also sent out 100 or so emails to painters with a sample video, I got 3 responses back. One I created a video for and then he said he doesn't have the money and would like to paint one room in exchange the other to didn't get back to me.
      • [1] reply
  • Well done if what you are saying is true. Sounds like a made up story. Without a car, how can you travel to 75 different restaurants in 5 days to create videos for them?
    • [3] replies
    • He didn't. They sent him photos. See post 19.

    • Some of us here just like to freely share the successes we've had to inspire each other, it's about being part of a community. Not all of us just post here to advertise the fact we've got a "WSO coming out in October." Good luck selling any copies of that when you have trouble reading, have very few posts and have added nothing to our community.
      • [ 10 ] Thanks
      • [2] replies
    • it seems to me that you are just going around writing post without reading the threads just to build up your post counts so you can be able to reply to PMs when your WSO comes out??
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  • congratulations on your success! you must be an awesome salesman!
  • Congrats on your success! What country are you in?
    • [1] reply
    • He answered that already:

      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • How exactly did you set up the SMS upsell? Did you give them log in into txt180? If so they would see the actual price. I am very curious how you structured the upsell with this one.
    • [1] reply
    • i don't let them sign up to text180 i just set them up with a keyword and sell them on the texts and i manage it for them.
      i never tell them i use text180.
      • [1] reply
  • Thanks for all the info Henry.

    How often do your clients normally do a blast? Weekly? Few times a week?
    • [1] reply
    • well i tell them that they should only do it 3 times per month. you don't want to be bothering the customers so often because eventually they would get tired and just opt out of the list.
      • [1] reply
  • This thread is incredibly valuable. Thanks for taking the time to create it. Congrats on your success !
    • [1] reply
    • Great method. I'm curious as to how Animoto knows that you are selling videos to businesses if you only have the Pro account? Do they look at the videos you have uploaded and see that they are made for multiple businesses or something?
      • [1] reply
  • Henry,
    DO you send the messages or use a system where your clients actually send the message?
    • [1] reply
  • Dude you Rock! You offer Mobile Sites and mobile Apps as a upsell?
    • [1] reply
    • i haven't done them yet. i will once i bring them new business with SMS
      • [1] reply
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  • I'm currently looking at BurstSMS here in the UK, and wondered if anyone else had come across other noteworthy resellers.

    Cheers
  • this seems like a great method unfortunately I have a full time job and would not be able to call!

    Seems like emailing is not a good option, anyone having any more luck with emailing?
  • Emailing is always going to be worse conversion wise than calling. If you're on the west coast, get up early before work and call the east coast.

    Or similarly, call when you're home from work.

    If you're on the east coast... call on your lunch breaks. There are always ways to make things happen.
  • Email will work, just be prepared to send out 100's a day. Shouldn't be a problem if you have a program or a way to get the emails.

    What I did was make a generic message and BCC all the emails.
    • [2] replies
    • Hey P1 I was thinking along those same lines will have to make a generic video I guess instead of a targeted one with business name and phone number, what are you using to send out emails?
    • I did the same thing, but with no luck...will have to try calling them..BTW does the P1 have anything to do with The Ticket?
  • what are you including in the $397 setup for sms?
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  • I just thought I would share some of my experiences in regards to video editing and the products mentioned to date on this thread.

    Up until very recently I was paying monthly for my Animoto account so as I could product HD videos longer than 30 seconds. What appealed to me was the speed at which one could create a click presentation. I was frustrated though at the limit on how many words I could include per slide but the final result made up for it.

    When I heard about Proshow Web via this thread I decided to invest in a yearly subscription with the benefit of the voucher making a grand total of $120. A considerable saving on Animoto.

    Unfortunately I was disappointed because the movies tended to linger far too long on the text. I kept thinking it I could just shortened these slides it will so much better.

    I thus downloaded a trial version of Proshow Gold and was immediately impressed with the way in which I could edit the timings and effects.

    Furthermore Photodex were quick to refund my $120 before I had committed to Proshow Gold, which I have done now. Thumbs up to Photodex!

    I believe to create videos in the manner outlined by Henry, one would be best to have a template and swap images fin or each new client. Alternatively using the wizard will get quick results. Time will tell which method I go with to produce quick yet professional looking videos.
  • Other than restaurants what types of business could this method work?
  • Any business where it would benefit them to showcase their previous work.
    Renovations, restorations, Decking, contractors...
    To sell this service, first you have to sell yourself on the value. For the OP, who needed funds, it was $25 a pop. Midasman (with the golden touch) charges $500 or more. Find your comfort zone, remember they can sense when you are confident in the ask, and go for it.
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Reasons to use video marketing:
      1. Increase your sales.
      2. Show potential clients what your business can do for them.
      3. Pre-sell your clients for you.
      4. Give you an advantage over your competition.
      5. Build confidence and trust with your potential clients.
      6. Let your clients get to know you and your business better.
      7. Drive traffic to your website.
      8. Make your website more powerful and exciting.
      9. Keep visitors on your website longer.
      10. Help your website rank better with the search engines.
      11. Give you an internet presence without having a website.
      12. Get your potential clients to come in or pick up the phone.

      Video can accomplish all that and more.

      That's how Powerful video is.
      • [ 4 ] Thanks
  • Going to try this, HATE cold calling but hate being not trying something more!!


  • So Henry, if I understand correctly.. your very first video did or didn't have the animoto logo in it?

    Did you wait to ill you made 10 sales (250$) to start making the first video?
  • Great thread Henry! It has inspired me to take some action

    I spent a couple of hours today calling local restaurants trying to sell company videos.

    I called 23 restaurants and only managed to speak to 2 owners. One seemed very interested and asked for some further details to be emailed to him and the other wasn't interested at all.

    Henry (or anyone else who has tried this) how difficult do you find it to actually get to speak to the owner? Does 2 in 23 sound about right?

    I am going to continue for a couple more days calling restaurants but think there maybe better business to target i.e. ones where getting hold of the owner is easier
  • Or, you could just do it the way he discusses in his other thread... call, explain yourself, ask for the best email address and who to address the email to, and send them a demo video... then follow up.

    You need to be making at least 100 calls a day to get any real numbers on whether or not it's working. He himself says he called anywhere from 150-250 numbers a day.

    Good job taking action though. Be consistent, and you will see results.
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks Adrian. I hadn't seen the other thread when I posted but have read through it now. The only problem with the email route is getting them to actually read the thing but I will give it a go all the same.

      Yes I wasn't going to be making an judgements as to whether or not it was working as I know 23 calls doesn't give the true picture. I plan to continue calling for a couple more days and see how it works out.
  • Are saturdays a bad day to call a business? That and Sunday are the only days I have off. Lol.
  • I would imagine it would be fine to call at weekends as long as it is not at peak times. A few of the restaurants I spoke to today said that the owner is only in at the weekends so could be an ideal time to call.
  • What would one these $25 videos look like? Can you share an actual finished vid?

    Also what's a good sms platform to use?

    Thanks and congrats on your success!
    • [1] reply
    • Yea, I know what you mean re: email... but that's the point of calling first and getting their permission/asking who to send it to. Then they're expecting it, and you DON'T have to talk to the DM right away. You can say to the gatekeeper, "OK, can you just make sure he sees it?" and then use Spypig.

      Follow up the next day too, with another call.

      Saturday and the weekends in general, can be some of the best times to call businesses.

      You can see several different types of samples from Animoto directly, or I think a few times in both of Henry's threads, midasman09 posted an example video he did a few years back with another program. Same concept.

      As for SMS programs, there's an entire forum subsection dedicated to that, everyone has their own preferences... head over there and pick one based on your needs.

      You'll be fine! It's a great method.
      • [1] reply
  • This is very good but am in Africa and wi would like your service, what must i do?
  • What the hell is spy pig?
    • [2] replies
    • spypig allows you to trck if a email is opened and read. they offer a very limited free option and then it increases per email sent. Systems like Spy Pig are very useful if you are using email as part of your sales process.
      • [1] reply
    • Its a way to track if then emails have been open
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    • Hey Henry,

      Thanks a lot for the share. Any idea how I could manage sending their sms blasts when they need them as it's night time where I live when it's day time in US?

      Regards, Marian
  • great success story, henry. this'll really serve as inspiration to many people. everything starts with an idea and then you have to act on it and be flexible. congrats!
  • Henry, is there any minimal budget to start off this venture? If it did, then how much starter fund would be needed here?
    • [2] replies
    • Hey Henry, you are certainly a shinning example of doing whatever it takes to succeed. Congrats my friend, and I much appreciate your sharing this info with the forum.

      I wanted to see your video and when I click the link you provided in the post, I get an error page.
    • You dont neeed any money, just get on the phone, you will make money before you have to spend any.
  • Anyone made any money with this?
  • Good Job!



    Give the 1st signed up clients that took your $25 service something asap for *FREE* tell them that you were so pleased to provide a service to them they liked, that you will do the next 5 videos at 50% OFF, if they sign up to a *monthly* subscription

    This works, clone it * EXACTLY* do *NOT* change anything... other than you off line cold|warm|hot script and keep repeating it...

    Before you know it, another one of the 2.4 BILLION off line potential clients will be paying you BIG BUCKS
  • Coldcalls are tough, good work!
  • Ok well I've created my first video today which is for my other business so I have killed 2 birds with one stone. I am going to use this video as a demo to help to sell to other landscapers/tradesman.

    To create the video, I decided to go with ProShow Web which costs $20 per month (with discount coupon). It is very easy to use but also quite restrictive and you cant really use it to make mind-blowing videos, but it does the job.

    Personally, I don't think that the video I have made is amazing but I am going to sell these for either £25 or £30 so for that price..its not bad.

    I did download a free trial of ProShow Producer which costs around $90 as a one-off payment. Although this piece of software is the all-singing, all-dancing alternative to ProShow Web, its quite complicated to use and it would probably take a day or 2 to learn how to use it to its full potential. Once you know how to use it then you are probably looking at a couple of hours per video, compared to 5 mins with ProShow Web. Although the videos would be of a much higher standard. I had started to create a more professional video for my landscaping business but a couple of hours in I decided that this wasn't going to very efficient when trying to sell these videos in volume. So Im definitely going to stick with ProShow Web.

    I would be interested to know what people think of my video below??


    Landscaping & Block Paving Driveways | SE Landscape Construction | Essex - YouTube
    • [1] reply
  • Never mind. Went back and saw another post. Tanks a million times over. I really have been looking for something like this. I'm sure it will end up in a wso a year from now.
  • Henry - Thanks for sharing this approach to selling videos and then up-selling.

    Simply brilliant and success is yours!
  • this will work (does work), and for the love of christ, READ THE THREAD.
    • [1] reply
    • Fantastic story!

      Your "foot in the door" offer is like a lesson one of my first business sales mentors taught me. He said there are only TWO KINDS of businesses in the world:

      1. Clients.
      2. Non-clients.

      If they're a client they take your phone calls, read your emails, and listen to what you say. If they're not a client.... they probably won't do any of those things.

      Thanks for reminding us that the first and most important thing is to make them a client!
      • [1] reply
  • I like your attitude . The fact that you are willing to go for your small pie first dramatically help you to get started.

    I learnt a beautiful lesson today - For internet marketers are are starting out, instead of going after small fishes immediately, we can always start with the smaller pie and slower increase our profits from here.

    It is a good way for those started out with no client.

    Keep your faith on and well done!
  • UPDATE:

    henry, congrats on your success, but my story is different.

    i live in the midwest, and it seems the biz owners i've talked to thus far (resturants, salons/spas, a few contractors) are simply too stupid to understand the value of video marketing. my wife owns a bakery, i did a video for her, and thanks to the knowledge of this forum, i already have it ranked on page 1 of google, 2nd position.

    i bought a cold calling script from john dunham (which is fantastic info--i've made my living from the phone for over a decade) and spent hours perfecting the script, but i have yet to make a single sale. i've dialed 500 numbers.

    please assist. obviously this is working for many---what the F am i doing wrong?

    @henry--do you live in a major metro? i have software to pull yellowpage leads from anywhere in the country, any niche.
    • [2] replies

    • Most of my clients don't see the value of video ranking at all. But they do like having a nice little video they can put on facebook or on their website. I've been half heartedly trying this method and I have three interested prospects. None of them give a crap about ranking. They just want a cheap video that they can use on Facebook or on their website. That's how I'm positioning my videos and using the video ranking as an upsell for those who get it.

      Has your wife earned any money from those videos? That could be a great selling point. Proof as they say, is in the pudding. If you can say that you've increased sales by X% using video ranking, that may get more attention. I recently wrote an ad for our video production company and the entire point was how we increased product turnover 47% with a series of videos and infomercials. We've received a few calls since we started running that ad in a local business directory magazine (mainly from other businesses in the directory!). There are three other video companies listed, but their ads are just Name Rank and Serial Number. You know. Who we are and what we do. What they aren't selling is what they can really do.

      Nobody cares about video. Nobody cares about direct mail. Nobody cares about SEO or PPC. What they care about?
      JERRY MAGUIRE (Tom Cruise) - SHOW ME THE MONEY (clean edit) - YouTube
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • If you're going to tell them you can rank the video, tell them things like:
      There are 500 people searching for your business online (and, of course, beforehand, you look up some of the most common keywords people use to search for that business). Then you explain to them that 30% of those 500 click on the #1 site.

      Then you ask them how many people do they get from their website.

      If they say none, you tell them, if you rank the video, and put a nice offer in the video, 30% of 500 will see the offer, and a number of them will respond.

      Ask them if they've had any successful offers in other media and tell them you can put it for them in the video.

      You could also look up some studies that show that video keeps people on the site longer, which translates into x% more people contacting the business behind the site. Then you tell them, Do you know the bakery (your wive's bakery)? I did a video for them.

      Here's what they did with it and what results they got.

      Since you've done it for your wife, you could make a case study out of it... You have all the pre-video info, right? If she put it on her facebook page and got comments, use that. Since you ranked it, and you have the results, use that. If your wife used it in emails and got something, use that.

      If some activities got good results and others got 0, use the 0 ones too. You would, that way, move yourself into the position of expert who teaches, not sales person.

      • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • NPK, please explain to me how you go about presenting this to potential clients?















































    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies

    • Why don't you try the approach Henry uses? Where he first gets a video in their hands before actually trying to sell them?
    • JD's script is amazing, but you still need to show them why they need video on their marketing efforts. You see that script was made for selling websites, and eventhough yes you can use it to sell other services, with selling websites the business kind of already knows they need a websites,
      But nit video, thats why you need to show them the benefits of having a video.
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  • @DABK --thanks man. much appreciated.

    so i need to sell RESULTS. seems simple. i'm pretty sure i'm going to switch niches and go for attorneys--dui, ambulance chasers, bankruptcy. fish in a barrel. after a few calls from my software leads and (a few other sources) i got several positive responses.

    what i love about attorney's? they KNOW THE VALUE OF TIME.
  • Also, what niche were you having so much trouble in? Remember Rome wasn't built in a day
  • initially, i went for restaurants.

    THE PROBLEM WITH RESTAURANTS: they don't understand video marketing. i don't have time to educate, i go for the "one call close". at $50, ....jesus. a $50 sale? but it isn't happening for me.

    @mav91890---i tried that script, and they didn't understand subtlety. after 300 dials, i needed to find a good closing script, hence the john durham WSO purchase (which is excellent).

    after buying that, re-hashing my script, i get a bunch of resistance.

    i'm also thinking: my own voice is rather authoritative. i don't want to chase $50 sales---jesus h, it's $50. i had less trouble convincing homeowners to give their mortgages to me, ( a 21 year old kid at the time) and refinance with me.

    i've deduced it down to either a specific problem with the script, or my local market. @IAMNAMELESS (and anyone else)--suggestions?

    as far as "rome not being built in a day", that has nothing to do with it. a $50 video with ranking? what the sam hell am i doing wrong?
    • [1] reply
    • Have you tried to deal only with restaurants that advertise on groupon, pay per click, in the paper?

      You have to sell and educate people about free stuff, why not a $50 product?

      It might be that they don't get what kind of video you're talking about. It might be that they a video to them means one of those things they see on TV and they don't get how it could be so cheap.

      Did you try a higher price? A lower price? Did you try explaining to them that all that's needed is some photos?

      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Then I have no idea, all I could say is change up you market every so often if you aren't getting results. $50 is a good price for that. Keep us updated.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Here is a tip. I use to work at a senior home in college, and these people always needed videos made up. In fact, my job was suppose to be something totally different (running events) that I wasn't even suppose to be paid for. As it was an internship.

    The owner asked me one day, "do you know how to make videos?" And I replied "yes". Then I sold the hell out of myself. And I explained to her, videos are not something I can do for free. This woman wound up paying me $500 to make her a set of videos, FOR THE CENTER.

    I want you to really think about this. These people cold call and mail things out all day long to locals in their neighborhood. THEIR JOB is to get seniors to come to the center. And many of them do NOT have videos. Since they host A LOT of events, what these places like to do, are make compilation videos of their events. Then they could mail out these videos to locals, to drum up new business.

    All I remember is how this woman reacted when I told her I could make a professional video. She said something like "I've been asking people for 2 years, even the photographers... and noone knows how to make a professional video!". Not to mention, these people naturally don't understand technology. So seriously, I'd try dropping flyers off then following up with a call. I would also take a look at other businesses that host events. If you have a camera, you never know, they might need someone to tape events AND make videos. Many of the camera men who came into this center, had no clue how to make videos. Which was ironic. But its definitely worth looking into.
    • [ 7 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • that is an eye-opener. It should give us a foot for thought. Love to know what industries or business need videos talking about their business.

      thank you for sharing this with us

    • Wow never thought about that. I even have family members who were into the business. (Have since retired and sold their assisted living centers) The gears in my head are spinning once again... ugh.
  • I have thought about doing something similar, but then I thought it would cost money to hire people to do the boom mike (sound), lighting, time to edit the video, etc; how did you resolve these initial issues and did you have a formal background in video editing/producing?
  • very good. i kinda gave up on the idea after such abysmal "success", but now i'm going to get back at cold calling. I actually like cold calling; just the hustler in me.
    • [1] reply
    • Like i said in another thread, Yell offer crappy 30-60 sec picture slide shows with music and voice over for £420/$670.

      People should be trying this out. I bet Yell sell these by the bucket load
      • [1] reply
  • Just looked at Animoto. Awesome :-).

    I was picturing sitting down with Final Cut Pro and a stack of raw footage. I couldn't imagine how you were making money at $25 for a video!
    • [1] reply
    • just doing some R&D and found this.

      Forrester Research ran an experiment on the top-searched keywords and discovered that videos have an 11,000-to-1 chance of appearing on the first page of Google's results,

      while text has a 500,000-to-1 chance of making it on the first page --

      in short, video has a 50 times better chance than plain text for getting to the top of search rankings
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Hey Henry,

    Great idea to get in the door.

    Question, did you create the video using just images or did you actually go to the location to film? Or, was there a mixture of both?

    I've also noticed that Google has a "trusted photographer" program. Have you heard of it or are you part of that program?

    For Photographers ? Business Photos ? Google Maps

    I'm thinking it will help get a better chance of a meeting with a business owner.
  • Awesome story. Some great stuff to be taken from this thread that can be relevant with everything we sell.

    Get your foot in the door
  • Great idea. Way to move the freeline!
  • Great story! Very inspirational!
  • I was revisiting this post and I am blown away by the amount of people at WF who can't type animoto.com and click "pricing" as opposed to waiting for a response....


    Mind blowing.
  • What a great idea. I am going to pass this onto my son - who is a videographer and not making the money he should...
  • henry Argueta - thank you very much for this share. Thanks for all the other members that have also participated and shared their advice and knowledge.
    It is great to see real people succeed, DOING what is preached and taught in this forum.

    Regarding emailing business owners/managers rather than "cold calling" - I will start using also the "Contact Us" form (manual work, but will probably get more replies

    If someone had already tried this, I would appreciate your feedback regarding response rate.

    One more idea - I didn't see any reference to Fiverr - in case you get swamped with replies, you can always use a fiverr gig for these videos - 5$ and 48-72 hours later - you will have a new video ready for you.
    • [1] reply
    • I tried emailing and the result was an unsurprising - zero response (all hotels and restaurants in my town)

      I made some demo's and uploaded them to YouTube. I provided a link in the email to the video and also a screenshot showing their video on page one of google - No response.

      Seems the only way as always is to either cold call or walk in with a demo on a tablet etc. Unless done in a massive way email renders the worst results IMO, whether the email goes straight to the spam etc but i think if you emailed 100 biz and cold called or walked in to the same 100 biz the results will be dramatically different.

      This has potential and i will give it a more conservative effort after the holidays.

      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [2] replies
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    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • [Quote] I sell the RESULTS of the videos. My monetization includes a downpayment on a youtube channel, with videos ranking for specific keywords. Then I track all calls and collect commissions on sold jobs. The company I had first done this for, my brother works for. So it was easy for me to stay on top of all the leads.[End quote]

      Would you care to elaborate on what you charge for setting up a Youtube Channel and how you do the actual tracking of leads?

      Congrats to your success and your appearance on TV will most def lead to even more success!

      Eva
  • You should offer consulting services then lol
  • [DELETED]
  • Not me, Biz just don't get here in the UK or maybe it's just me.
    • [1] reply
    • This just dawned on me warriors. You can make a very easy video with the iMovie App on iOS. The app costs 4.99 Bundle this with some good "minimalistic"Title Screens, Royalty Free Music, the photos and you got the full package.

      - Newer iPhone shoot in HD
      - Easy to Export
      - Take a few snaps with your iPhone Camera at the place of business, and do the work from anywhere. You have a full editing suite your pocket.
      - This is scalable and has been validated.
      • [1] reply
  • I was really hoping to read this post
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • It was quoted farther down the page.


  • wow this guy has everyone drummed up. i do not believe this claim. 7000 in 5 days. no i dont buy it. too many holes. pj.
  • Is there a way that will can still get the information?
    • [1] reply
    • Banned
      3 ways I've found to sell videos;

      1) Email to prospects stating "benefits of video" and...."you've created a video for his biz, if you'd like to see it, send me a Reply"! WHEN a prospect Replies is WHEN you make the video!

      2) Go to prospect's Face Book page, click "Message" and use the above message. I've found that Owner's and Top Managers pay close attention to their FB account.

      You can also increase your fee by ranking the video for the Name of the Biz (Jose's Tacos Roseburg OR) Then phone biz and tell them to "Google their Biz Name and see what comes up". If your video is on 1st page, they WILL buy!

      Don Alm
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
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