In the last post I talked about my first introduction to video conference and how it came during my first week of work in a new job. I had come to this new, large corporation from a much small company in a very small town. I had made the big move to the city because I knew that I had achieved everything that I could where I was and if I wanted to really realize my potential I had to take a leap of faith.
This new job posed many challenges for me. I was trying to get used to a new way of life in a new city and I had hit the ground running in a position in which I had much to learn. The first thing I had to learn was how this new company went about meeting with clients, vendors and even new prospects. They were large enough that they were conducting business on a global scale - with companies all over the world. It was not efficient to travel to all of these physical locations so they used a variety of teleconferencing services including web conference, audio conference and video conference.
Video conference would be the first technology that I would I have to learn right off the bat. I was going to be meeting with a new client - new to the company and clearly new to me. I had everything prepared for the meeting; it would be my debut on a number of levels. I had assumed that the client would be coming to us because they were across the country and no travel arrangements had been made for me. Instead I learned that video conference would be our mode of meeting and I made my debut in an online meeting space. This was a great way to get accustomed to the new way of doing things and begin to make my mark in this new and exciting world.
Popularity: 3% [?]
I am the first to admit that I am from a pretty small town in the middle of Nowhere USA and my experiences - both in life and in business - have been relegated to within the boundaries of said town. I knew at some point if I wanted to really grow in my career I needed to take a big leap of faith and that included finding another job in a bigger company in a city. It was terrifying to consider making such a big change but I had no other choice if I wanted to really challenge myself. It was clear that I had hit the ceiling where I was - if I wanted to move up I had to move on; there was no other way. The move that I made to another city opened up my eyes to a world of possibilities and landed me in a job with a large corporation; a job that I could never have imagined. I had a lot to learn especially in terms of technology; they were leaps and bounds past what we were doing in my old company and I had to catch up quickly. Video conference was part of the technology that really blew my mind. I knew of course that people could talk to each other over the Internet and I had been doing that for social purposes for some time but I had no idea there was technology that would allow people to meet online much as they would in a traditional meeting space.
Video conference - along with a variety of teleconferencing services - made its appearance for me during my first week on the job. I was set to meet with a new client and I had everything prepared; and then I learned that the new client was across the country. No travel required - I was set for video conference and I was going to see first hand how much this technology had to offer. More in the next post…
Popularity: 4% [?]
Pitching new business is difficult under normal circumstance as there is always the pressure to deliver; but the thrill of competition and the ability to present what we have to offer to our prospective clients has always been just the adrenaline that I need. I am so passionate about what we do - about how good we are - that my presentation flows easily from my lips and I find that if I can gather people together long enough to listen to me then I have a good shot at closing the deal. Lately things have been more complicated however as we have expanded our reach to a global scale. Sure, this is a good thing - no, a great thing - but it obviously puts a certain strain on our resources especially when it comes to travel. While I would love to be able to pitch new business in person on every occasion it’s just not possible each and every time So I turn to video conference.
Video conference - as well as a host of other teleconferencing services including web conferencing and audio conferencing - has given us the ability to communicate effectively with clients and prospective clients around the world without sacrificing the quality we demand from these communications. Video conference has also been a big player in my pitch meetings when it is simply not possible - from a financial or a logistical point of view - to travel.
Through video conference I can gather attendees in a common space at a pre-determined time just as I would for a traditional meeting. I can then stand up and lead the pitch just as I would at any other time - complete with visual props, written documents, and more. Video conference has not slowed down my ability to close the deal; now I’m just doing it in a way that is more in line with modern business and the technology of the present and the future.
Popularity: 21% [?]
Putting together a presentation is enough of a challenge without logistical obstacles getting in the way. Yet when we faced the prospect of pitching our services to a prospective client who was across the country the logistics could not be ignored. We only had a certain amount of time to present to this client and flying across the country was simply out of the question. We entertained a phone conference but the thought of trying to convey what we do over a phone line seemed unappealing at best. Instead we opted for video conference knowing that this method would give us the best chance to impress the prospective client even with distance as an issue. The reason? Visual appeal.
Over the years we had crafted a very strong presentation to give to new business prospects and the presentation has been finely tuned to utilize our message along with graphics and other visual tools. We find the visuals very important in explaining our position and we did not want to sacrifice this component for a phone call that might not give us the edge in winning the business.
We had used web conferencing services before but had not had a video conference with a prospective client so this was going to be all new; but a great way to see if something like this could work in approaching prospective clients around the country. We set up the video conference and proceeded to put on our entire presentation just as we would if we were in a conference room with prospective clients.
In the end video conference worked well on our behalf as we were able to convey our message in spite of the physical distance between us. All in all video conference was an amazing use of technology for us and certainly technology that we will continue to use well into the future as we branch out in finding new business.
Popularity: 22% [?]
In the last post I talked about how I had brought video conference to the table in answer to our marketing department’s desire to reach out more effectively to prospective clients. We had to balance our desire to get in front of new business with our budgetary needs and the time constraints of those to whom we wanted to talk. We historically were able to close deals with those we could talk to face to face. Our passion about we had to offer was easily translated through our presentations. Those who we were able to meet with face to face often became clients quickly afterward.
We had the ability to try video conference on for size with an upcoming presentation we wanted to give to a client on the East Coast. We were across the country from them and didn’t have the budget to travel for a business pitch. Further, they were not interested in investing the time in meeting with us in person; we were at a tenuous point in the relationship and we had to convince them that we were worth their time. We asked them to give us a few minutes via video conference and when they agreed we set it up quickly.
Through video conference we were able to give a presentation that was the next best thing to meeting with a prospective client traditionally. Video conference offered us a virtual conference space that was not hindered by physical distance. We were able to put on the presentation for which we were known - in a personal manner, talking face to face with our prospective clients. Plus, through video conference we could use visual tools to support our presentation. In the end, video conference gave us the resources we needed to not only make contact but close the deal.
Popularity: 22% [?]
When I brought video conference to the table to management I was confidently getting behind something that I absolutely believed would help us market ourselves more effectively. The long and short of it was that the marketing department in our company was looking for unique ways to reach out to potential business. Getting people on the phone, or to answer emails was proving increasingly difficult; they didn’t want to give us the time that we needed to promote our products and services. We knew from experience that if we were able to get in front of prospective clients we had a much better chance of conversion. We believed in what we had to offer and that came through in our presentation each and every time. But how could we communicate this passion to those we did not have the opportunity to meet face to face? Video conference was my answer.
We had the ability to test my theory pretty quickly. We had made contact with a company on the East Coast with which we very much wanted to do business. However, because we are on the West Coast we were not able to easily meet with them face to face. Even if we decided to invest the money in going there for a face to face meeting the company to which we were presenting did not want to invest the time in that meeting and in hosting us across the country. We needed a way to make personal contact with them but in an effective and fast manner. We set up a video conference in which we could “meet” with our prospective clients without asking them to invest a lot of time. We asked for fifteen minutes and we invited them to attend a video conference in which we could explain what we could offer them much more effectively than through a phone call.
Popularity: 23% [?]
We have a huge sales pitch coming up; something so big that if we are able to win this client it could literally change the face of the company. We would have to hire more staff to service this one client and our profits would be dramatically increased. Further, our alignment with such a client would catapult us into the next stratosphere in terms of reputation. It’s a big deal all around and we have been preparing for it nonstop for weeks. The challenge, however, is more than just how to communicate what we can offer this client in as succinct a way as possible. The biggest challenge is the fact that the company we are pitching is in another country and we are not able to travel to meet with them. In fact, they have requested that we do a video conference to pitch our services.
Using video conference in this manner is taking technology to the next level. We have all used web conferencing before - as well as audio conferencing - and we have used video conference here and there. But this will be the biggest thing we have ever used video conference to do and it’s certainly the next best thing to actually meeting face to face with our prospective clients. Through video conference we can see each other as well as hear each other and it gives us the ability to not only present our information but open up the presentation to questions and answers.
Most importantly, video conference will not only allow us to showcase our abilities through our presentation but will give our prospective clients insight into how we can service them going forward if we win their business. Obviously technology will be a big part of this relationship and it’s best to start out showing how comfortable we are working within it.
Popularity: 24% [?]
Like many people right now I had been out of work for some time and looking for the next best position; and if I was really being honest with myself I would say that I was just looking for anything that I could get because there just wasn’t a lot out there. To make matters worse, when a position did become available it would be flooded with thousands of applications and resumes and I found myself lost in the shuffle. Competition was one thing; but this was a matter of standing out in a crowd (literally). I had to think of something that would get me noticed and so I thought of video. When the next potential jobs came to my attention I sent a video resume along with a traditional resume. In the video I gave some highlights about my work experience, my qualifications, and my achievements; but most of all I kept it light and informal so that those hiring could get a sense of my personality. One company responded almost immediately with another request of me - a video conference.
The job in question was several states away and I had made it clear that I would absolutely relocate. However, an in-person interview - especially with the position was being filled so quickly - could be difficult on both ends. When the hiring company saw my video resume they responded with another chance to get on camera and make the interview process easy and convenient for everyone - without sacrificing that personal contact.
We set up a video conference that allowed us to “meet” and conduct the formal interview. I thought this was a great way for us to get to know each other in a slightly unconventional, but still enormously effective way. Ultimately I did get the job and I know that my video resume and the resulting video conference had everything to do with that.
Popularity: 26% [?]
In the last post I talked about how I had recently taken over our family business - something that I had been groomed to do since I was a small child. I was definitely nervous in my new role but at the same time it all came naturally to me. I knew this business inside and out. Plus, I was anxious to put some new programs in place; things that my father had not been enthusiastic about trying but that I knew would help our business grow. I was most excited about web conferencing and video conference because I knew that they would allow us to expand our business on a national scale.
We began to use web conferencing in a variety of situations - including as a vehicle for conducting sales presentations to potential clients that were too far away to travel to affordably. My father did not like the idea of “talking” online and thought that it would undermine the personal relationships on which he built this company and our reputation for providing personal service. I was able to show him, however, that the beauty of communicating in this manner was that it showcased our desire and ability to utilize modern technology AND still maintain a personal relationship with our customers.
Video conference was even more impressive on this front. I began to use video conference to check in with our customers. Usually we made phone calls; but with video conference we could “meet” in real time even without being in the same location. A face to face meeting - even in this capacity showed our customers how dedicated we were to giving them the time and attention they deserved.
As far as I’m concerned, embracing teleconferencing services allows us to simultaneously embrace the past and the future of this company; and that’s something even my father can get behind.
Popularity: 32% [?]
In our family owned business it has been my father at the helm for as long as I can remember. I was groomed from a very young age to know that I would one day run this company and it has always been something to which I have looked forward with equal parts anticipation and responsibility. I spent a lifetime of summer vacations and winter breaks in my family’s company learning it from the inside out so that I could one day take my rightful place as owner. I never thought that I would actually ever see the day that my father would retire but it came last year and although he can often be found roaming around the offices on most days he has, for all intents and purposes, relinquished control to me. I was chomping at the bit to take the company in a new, more modern direction; I felt strongly that there were many things that we could be doing to stay more competitive but they were not things my father would feel comfortable pursuing. Now that I’m charge I went right to work on bringing us into the next generation of technology.
Some of the things that I was set on bringing in to our business were the use of such technology as web conference and video conference. I knew that there was a whole world of business out there; business that we were not going after because my father felt that we couldn’t bridge the distance and communicate with our customers effectively if they were on the other side of the country or in another country altogether. I quickly showed everyone how web conference would allow us to meet with clients no matter where they were and that we could have meetings in which we could even see each other - giving us the ability to showcase our talents and still deliver that personal touch my father so values. More in the next post…
Popularity: 33% [?]
