Understanding your clients journey with Rochelle Morris

G', day, guys. Well, I'm going to start this week by just saying what a great week we had last week at the video business accelerator Mastermind in Melbourne. We had an incredible two days with our members who came along and not only dug into the big strategic issues in the business right now, but also bonded and connected with other video production business owners. And the feedback we got from the event was just like, it's just so good to know we're not on our own, that everyone's on this journey and.

We care really deeply about the success of our members. And it was a really fantastic couple of days. We did a Mastermind on the second day and that really dug deep into the kind of core strategic issue that was holding up business for everyone right now. And then the whole table worked on figuring out the solution. Really powerful couple of days as we'll be doing another one of those in October. We run them every quarter in, in Australia and they're really powerful events. But if you can't make the events, we have incredible support weekly on our coaching calls in the group as well. But this week I want to just introduce our guest on the podcast, Richelle Morris. Been trying to get Richelle on the podcast for ages. So many people say to me, you've got to get in touch with Richelle Morris. She's like, I kind of a real kind of leader in the industry. And she is, she's very invested in supporting the video production industry. She's been awarded and recognized on an international scale for her work and contribution. She's the board advisor for video for the aipp. She's an accredited professional video producer for the APVP and ambassador for the professional video producers of the aipp. She actively works within her industry and within her industry body to develop and facilitate growth of the industry within the aipp. And she's also director of Preface Films and she's the president of the AIPP National Video Council. So very highly decorated. And this was Rachelle's very first ever podcast. And she was like, oh my God, I don't know what I'm going to be like. And she was amazing. It was such a pleasure talking to her. I really hope we can twist her arm to come on the podcast again. And yeah, I'm sure you're going to really enjoy this episode.

Welcome to the Video Business Accelerator Podcast. Each week we uncover the secrets to creating a wildly successful and scalable video production business. With your host, Dan Lenny, discover how the accelerator program is transforming the lives of our members@www.videobusinessaccelerator.com enjoy this episode.

Well, Rochelle, it's really lovely to have you on the show. People have been telling me I've got to get Richelle Morris on the show. And here you are. Twisted your arm a little bit, but lovely to have you. How are you?

Thank you so much for having me on.

Well, I wanted to delve a little bit into what you're doing at Preface Films, and specifically about how clients are using video today, as opposed to maybe five years ago, and how you see the industry changing and what you think has to happen, how you think the video production industry has to adapt to deal with this new opportunity.

Sure. Okay. So there's a lot of questions that you throw through in there. So I guess one of the first things that I would say is that when it comes to actually.

Creating content for a company, the one thing that I think as video producers and creatives that we actually have to realize and learn is that there is a client journey that everyone goes through or there is a buyer journey. So I use the term buyer journey, which I guess has come as a result of a bit of education, a bit of pd, in understanding how.

I need to actually reach out to my clients and get them to buy into what we actually do. So part of that, it's a bit of psychology, and it's when people start to actually think about it, it's very basic. Everyone goes through a buyer journey. They will start by looking around. They will then do their research. They'll sort of get to the point where they'll actually then convert. So once we start understanding that all of our clients go through this journey and we start creating content, then.

We need to actually understand what they're trying to do and then create content that's relevant for them and their need and what journey they're trying to take their clients through.

So it's. I might have made it sound a little bit complicated, but it's not. So we just need to think of it, think of our clients the way we would think about ourselves in terms of buying any sort of content creation.

It's a really great way to describe it because I feel, and I talk to a lot of video production people and a lot of filmmakers, and just before we started this call, we were talking about this off camera, and it's like. Because the creative journey for a creator is quite an emotional journey because we're telling stories and we're putting heart and soul and we're empathetic. That's great for the filming and for the content. But sometimes that can spill over into the production process, which is much more of a business process. And what are your thoughts on how to handle that kind of element of removing the creative and the emotion from the business process?

I guess we have to think of ultimately we are business people ourselves, so we have a need, we have our own goals as business people. So we need to actually understand what our needs are and then, then in turn respect that. That's also going to be what the clients are going to want. So if we want conversion, which is what most people want in their own business, then that is exactly what clients want. So you need to take that emotional part out because we can create the most beautiful piece of work. But if that's actually not going to achieve the results that the client's wanting as part of their strategy, then we failed them ultimately. So we have to that that understanding of them and their needs is critical.

And I feel that when a lot of people actually start out in the profession or going to creating video content for businesses, they get so overwhelmed and so consumed by making something look absolutely amazing. And look, not to say not to do that, but you have to actually understand what are you trying to achieve, what is the goal of that client and what do they want to do with it? What is their intent? And when you start understanding that, then you can actually create the right content so that you can actually achieve those goals. But if you don't understand their goals and their clients, then you are just, as I said, you have the potential of failing.

I love that. It's like music to my ears. I come across people sometimes who talk about DPs and gadgets and all the technology and they sometimes try and sell clients down a pathway of using a particular piece of technology just because they've got it. Like the movie a few years ago, everything was about getting the movie out.

And army of that.

And sometimes what happens is people invest in technology spending five or six thousand dollars and then they just want to use it on every job. Or a drone. It was a period where it was like drones were everywhere. And actually clients don't necessarily want all that they want. I think clients want simplicity, they want. They want predictability.

Yep. And I guess that's particularly important for commercial clients because commercial clients have a got. Have a specific message that they ultimately want to and need to get out to that particular audience. So if their target market is consumers, the approach would be a particular way and a particular style in terms of that communication and that would differ very, very much. So if they are trying to talk to, say, for example, a membership group or their internal staff.

So.

So the style is something that will change, and therefore your approach will change. Your whole strategy or all of your techniques will adapt to that particular audience. And as I said, the way I look at creating content, when I speak to my clients now, I listen to them and then I think to myself, okay, well, what are you trying to actually communicate to your client? What. What do they need to know from you? It's not all about you. And some of my clients still get hung up on themselves, which it's a natural thing to actually do. And it is important for them to tell their message. But if they're not telling it in the right way with the right type of content for their audience, then they've already missed it.

And yeah.

I think that the biggest challenge facing most video production companies is having a really great production manager or office manager or business manager, which is kind of the role you fulfill, in part, at preface.

Correct.

They're very lucky to have you because I know speaking to a lot of my clients, they are all desperate to have a. Rochelle, what advice can you give a production company that perhaps doesn't quite yet have that person in that role? What advice would you give to them to perhaps attract a candidate who might fulfill that position?

I guess really they need to value the role that is involved and all of the tasks that are involved in producing a film. So ultimately, I call myself a video producer because, well, that's part of my accreditation as well. And so when I looked at that, I looked at all of the tasks, I make it happen, basically. That's what I do. And if it is difficult for people to see that value because it's very much behind the scenes, I technically don't have to touch a camera. I don't need to touch an editing suite. I have to know all about it. So that skill set is essential to my. To myself and my business and being able to produce the work for my clients. But I don't necessarily have to touch those things. So sometimes the value of what I do gets missed. And I think that's really important for anyone who's wanting to have a production manager or a producer and as part of their company is to actually value what they do. And really, it is an important role in anything. It can be something for a consumer on a small scale as a, you know, in terms of a micro business that you're dealing with or, you know, an extremely large multinational company, a producer has to be in tune with Everything from the basics of picking up a camera to the, to the. To the final editing. But most importantly, they need to be able to deal with the client.

So they are. I am the front person when it comes to dealing with a client. That's my role.

So talking a bit more about clients, because a lot of people.

Have this bad habit, I'm going to call it, of doing a great job for a client. The client loves them, really happy with the work, and then they literally go, well, they'll call me if they need me.

Yeah.

So I'm guessing, given how established your business is, you don't do that. So what did you share with the audience about how to perhaps do that or approach that differently?

Well, it's all about relationship building. This is something that I've learned over the years. I have had lunch with my clients.

Building up that relationship is critical. You can't really rely on word of mouth, and you can't actually even rely on that person staying in that company because people move. But in saying that when you. When they move. So I have a client that.

Was the communications manager in one of the major companies that I've worked for. She actually moved, which was good and bad. Good for her because she needed to move, but I've kept that relationship. So we had lunch last week and so she's moved on to another company. And so building up those relationships, I'm not necessarily saying to actually be best buds, because you do need to have that, I guess, that barrier and that, that wedge between you and a client to distinguish that relationship. Tell them also and be frank, in essence, like a friend. But, you know, you do need to have that separation as a client and a friend, because it can become very messy otherwise. However, I would always say, and I was actually speaking to a group of students who, my daughter did a film class, and so they interviewed me and I said, you have to network, network, network. If you don't build up relationships, you have a future, definitely with clients, but also with your colleagues with lots of other organizations. The more you get out there, the more you build relationships, the stronger your business will be and become as well.

Do you think younger people coming into the industry have. Have less patience to establish their experience? I've come across some people who are just like, they kind of want it all now. They don't want to wait, they don't want to do the time, they don't want to build relations. They just go, hey, I'm here. I want to do this. Now. I know you work in education as well. With a couple of organizations.

How do you find the new breed of filmmakers coming into the industry? What are their strengths, and what are perhaps some of the areas that they might need to think about developing?

Okay, so I guess understanding if we're referring specifically to students, or even if we're talking about people who are just entering into the profession and the industry out of a pure passion.

It does take time. And in terms of students, what I think they lack is business skills. So an understanding of how to run a successful business in real life. Because what a person might tell you.

On one side in terms of how you actually quote for a job.

May be totally different in reality. So that was one of the things over the many years that I've learned, is to understand my value in terms of quoting, but also be realistic, too, because not all businesses have the funds, especially if you're dealing with small businesses.

And even saying that that also applies to larger businesses. So one of the universities in particular, they always say to me, you know, we don't have a lot of budget. And I think to myself, yeah, right.

Okay, yeah, millions and millions of dollars of revenue.

Right? But, you know, but it's about being fair. But you need to understand how to quote, what to quote for, and then what's realistic for that for a particular client. So, you know.

It'S funny because I was talking to a colleague of mine about another person who I know who was on a production, had lots and lots of crew and obviously had lots and lots of expenses, but in the end, what they got their own profit was not much. So understanding all of these aspects in terms of what a business costs to then quote a person, but then be realistic in terms of, well, you know, that might be the right value of what you're actually going to give to that client, but can that client afford it? So those business skills, I think, is something that particularly people who come out of school don't necessarily have or an understanding of. And sometimes that might be something they have to learn.

And find their place in.

And, you know, for those people who come into the profession out of pure passion, that is something also. I've known that I know from talking to my colleagues that understanding how to quote a job and that business skill is something that often people lack.

Definitely. So how do you shift gears slightly? How do you think the kind of content you're creating now, as opposed to maybe even three, five years ago? How has that shifted with, you know, the onslaught of social media and, you know, so many quotes about video being a dominant sort of you know, source of content in Facebook and LinkedIn and all these channels. Do you find your clients are coming to you saying, oh, we need more content for social, or shift away from the kind of hero corporate video?

Well, I guess, look, I've got a diverse range of clients, so they. Some of my clients need it specifically for internal use, but anything can go on the web, so it doesn't really matter. So I don't necessarily see that medium.

As, you know, as critical as what it once used to be. It's really about that particular production. In terms of social, this is where the understanding of what they're trying to achieve is really, really important. So if they're trying to create content that is specifically social, it's how it's produced, it's what is in there, it's how it's communicated to a client that's really important for us to understand so that we can guide them to create the content that is right for that particular platform. So what I say for my clients, I have a project that I'm working on with my local community. I call.

Doesn'T matter what I call it, but it's just a local business project and it's all geared towards creating content that is for social media. And so it's all about just being social. So I say my motto is let's get. So it's very conversational. I have a colleague of mine or a friend who now works for me as an actor, so she does the interviews. It's on a particular topic. It's not salesy. And that's what social media tends to be more like. And once I've started to communicate to the clients that I'm working with that it's the sale without the sale. If you make it conversational, if you make it interesting, and you may have a bit of a sales pitch in there, but your approach and your communication in getting that message across isn't direct sales. Then it's more likely to be heard and, you know, responded to. So I think that is the difference. One of the things that I've noticed also is that lots of people will do video. So because video is so drummed into people now, my biggest competitor is the iPhone. And I have to also respect the fact that I can't actually necessarily compete with it. I have to understand that for those people who are using iPhone videos, it's okay, but what are they trying to achieve and how can I improve on it? And that's where those clients come to me for. So, you know, for the micro businesses, Particularly, and some of the other ones that are a bit larger. It's okay. I don't need to feel jealous about it. I just need to be able to understand that they have a particular need to be able to do a job for their audience and I will have a place in their business, whether it be at a particular point of them understanding that this is too hard and we need something that's a bit more polished than what we're doing because the audio sucks, particularly, you know, or whatever it is the case. I think we have to understand that we can't. We're not necessarily competing against some of the DIY content creators. We are there to actually jump in when they are ready for that next level of professionalism.

I love that that's so true. There are so many people bringing video in house because they can and because a younger generation of marketers are like, hey, we can do this ourselves. And they could do a pretty good job. And to be honest, the iPhone looks pretty good.

Yeah, it does.

Your point about it's a lot harder than it looks to do it well and to do it consistently. I had a client a few years ago when I was still in production who asked me to help them consult with their marketing department to help them train them how to use a camera. So I specked up a camera gear for them. I charged them a few grand for a day's training and we went in and trained them and three months later they produced four videos and they'd all look terrible. I've had enough. They've had three months, they've fucked about.

And you like to say, yes.

He ended up spending 60 grand.

Yeah.

You know, over a 12 month period to just get content out and like, you know, sometimes you've just got to believe in yourself and be like, hey guys, go and try it.

That's right.

We all buy some chicken and veg from the supermarket. Doesn't make us Gordon Ramsay.

Absolutely. I have a client that is just on that very same journey. I love him, but I. But he's a pain in the ass.

He wants to create his own videos and, and.

I need him to not necessarily fail. I need him to learn and understand that it's not so easy that just because you have a camera, just because you've got a lapel and you know, you're wireless, that that's only part of the process.

You know, filming it. I don't know how he's going to film himself, but anyway, that's entirely up to. Up to him. So. So hopefully he'll understand those sorts of challenges and why it is important to have someone who knows what they're doing. And I said to my partner, I said, he just needs to do it. He just has to get in there.

Give it a go.

Absolutely.

And realize how hard it is. And then you can always approach him later on and say, hey, how did that go? Are you getting the result you wanted this way?

Exactly. And you know, as I said, I love him, but he's a pain in the ass. So he, you know, so something that we filmed a month ago, we're just completing because he's only getting the content to us now. So if he wants to go through that journey, he will see the challenges of, first of all, getting to the point of filming, filming it. Then the whole editing process, re editing process as well that, you know, often we have to go through at some point to then getting it completed and out there. Now for us, we could do it in, you know, if we were filming something, we could easily get it out within that week, providing we have all of the content that is required and providing it gets approved. So for him to actually do that, he just needs to understand that journey and I'm absolutely okay with him going through that. And it might work. So if it works, then brilliant. I would rather do something that's more interesting with him that then having to do some of the things that he want, that he wants to do himself. And, you know, it's good.

Rachelle, this has been wonderful. How can people find you if they want to discover more about you and what you do?

Sure. So probably either go onto my website, which is www.prefacefilms.com, or you would probably find me lurking in LinkedIn quite a bit because I use LinkedIn, which is a great platform to network with professionals, I think.

Facebook as well, or they can give me a buzz.

I love that. Thank you so much. I hope we can entice you back on the podcast some point in the future because this was your first podcast and I thought you were brilliant.

Thank you so much.

You've been listening to the Video Business Accelerator podcast with your host, Den Lenny. If you are a video business owner who is tired of going it alone and would benefit from mentorship, support and weekly accountability, then mouse over to www.videobusinessaccelerator.com to learn more about how the accelerator program can help you today, don't forget to subscribe and rate the show over on itunes. And we'd really appreciate you taking a few minutes to leave a review.

Sam.