Don’t Get Trapped Inside The Jar
Credit to David C. Baker
I had been attending a weekly meeting for quite some time. A friend of mine who was leading this meeting approached me with something that came out of left field. He asked me if I realized I squint a lot. I gave him a strangle look as I was puzzled where he would come up with that. As someone from the outside who took the time to care, he said I’ve noticed it for a little bit and you may want to invest in some glasses. Not too long after, I was wearing glasses. Here’s the thing though. How did I not realize for myself that I needed glasses? I mean, they are my eyes after all and I would know if things were looking blurry. Why did it take someone else to recognize that for me?
The Power Of The Outside Perspective
We get so caught up in seeing things from our own perspective that we are often blinded from seeing other perspectives. My friend wasn’t an ophthalmologist. He didn’t prescribe me glasses. He just said I was squinting a lot. From the inside, we can get so focused on what we think we need versus what we actually need. I was making squinting work that I didn’t even realize was a problem.
When it comes to marketing or business in general, it's often hard to diagnose and prescribe for ourselves. Why? Because we see things through a different lens. The same lens we use everyday to look at our business. Nothing is wrong with that but you need to utilize the power that comes from an outside perspective. When you’re trying to read a label from inside the jar you’re in, things might seem blurry or hard to read. You might even squint for a while to fool yourself into thinking it's fine. Getting that outside perspective literally brought clarity and vision that I didn’t realize how badly I needed it. The lens that someone else sees your business or marketing through is less clouded with all of the other responsibilities you have to bear.
What does it look like from the outside?
A few years ago, I had met with a new client regarding a brand story they wanted to do. While I was aware of their perceived need for video, I walked them through my discovery process and asked lots of questions to understand their clients journey through the sales process. As I was sitting with their team and they asked me for my insight to create a concept around this initial desire for video, I told them that through this discovery process, the video they want and the video they need were very different. Don’t get me wrong, they needed the brand story. It would help set them apart and create a unique position for them in their industry. However, I identified three areas where there was no communication between them and the client in the sales process and they were having a drop off in sales. By creating a drip campaign around these areas, it was certain they would increase their sales and would improve the buyers experience. After I told them this, they were baffled that they hadn’t thought of it before. The lens I could see it through was much more focused and clear. I don’t look at all the problems of the company everyday like they do. When we are so close to our own business, it’s hard to see what from an outside perspective seems so obvious.
Build Trust With The Right People On The Outside
When you are looking for someone on the outside to help you with video marketing, don’t rush the process. We walk every client through our discovery process to ensure we are targeting the right problem with the right video solution. We lead with conversation and questions to build trust in the relationship early on. Half of creating a successful video campaign is communication and trust. If you’re ready to get started, schedule a discovery call here.
