Kris Simmons

If you haven't already, build a rapport with the meeting staff at your local trade and convention center or any other venue where major corporate meetings take place. In Chattanooga, TN where I am located, there is one major trade center and about 3 hotels that host all the major meetings. So, I've worked hard over the years to make sure they are very familiar with my company and that I am very familiar with their decision makers and staff members.

Projections, projections, projections! Everyone wants them from you. Your banker, your business partners, your landlord, mentors, advisors, etc. The only problem is that you don't have a crystal ball and it would be foolish to pretend that you know what's going to happen in 3 months, a year and especially 3 years. After several years of failed attempts at predicting what future sales would be for our video production business, my wife and I decided to reflect on previous years instead.

I read somewhere a long time ago that what you are selling is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. Some people might only want to pay $50/hr for your video production services, while others will be perfectly happy paying $250/hr or more for the same service. Of course, the customer has to perceive that they are getting great value for their dollar.

How often do you screen your calls? I'll guess that you screen them every time the phone rings...and if you don't recognize the phone number, you let it go to voicemail. After all, if its an important call, they'll leave a message right? Maybe...Maybe not. But what's the cost of letting it go to voicemail?

Based on my experience, it can take anywhere from two weeks to 6 months to close a deal from the point I first meet a video production prospect to when they actually sign my contract. So, how do I handle the telephone calls that come in from prospects I've never met who need a proposal from me in 24-48 hours? It's easy. I don't.

When it comes to marketing your video business, do you have more time than money? Are you looking for low-cost marketing strategies that will help you effectively promote your products and services? Of course you are! Who isn't? Here's part of an email I received from a videographer with the same concern.

In order for videographers to be truly successful, they need multiple streams of video business income. In other words, videographers need multiple sources of revenue to thrive in the great times and to survive in the down times. What are the main sources of video business income?

There are numerous ways to make more money as a video production business owner or freelance videographer/editor. This article discusses 3 of them.

You may have heard that the rich often get richer in down economies? How? They can afford to purchase things like real estate, cars, stocks, businesses, etc. when every body else is struggling to make ends meet. So, if they are buying assets for pennies on the dollar during a bad economy, think about what those assets will be worth when the economy turns around. This is how a lot of rich people make fortunes while others are struggling. So, what does this mean to you, the video business owner?

When business is slow, people often blame it on "the economy." When I was younger, I used to think this was a load of crap. How can "the economy" be directly responsible for why MY clients aren't hiring us for more projects? In this article, I'll explain why and how the economy impacts you as a video production business owner or freelance videographer.