The Know, Like, Trust Factor w/ Austin Black

Just getting in the door with companies you want to work with is important. But it isn't enough. You still have to close the deal. This means exuding confidence and communicating it. If your potential clients can know you, trust you, and like you then your odds of winning the job couldn't be higher.

Austin Black is a Studio Sherpas Student who works as a filmmaker in the agriculture industry with Backroad Productions. A cowboy at heart, Austin has a love of cameras and storytelling. His studio provides photography and video marketing services to livestock producers as well as video strategy, marketing, and branding services for agriculture and outdoor brands.

As someone who frequently works with large brands, Austin has identified a number of strategies that have won them over. Networking and knowing what to say certainly helps, but that won't be enough. Austin has found that it's crucial to have a portfolio of high-quality work. This is where your passion projects come in as they'll show the work that you want to create most.

We also talk about how a focus on building and maintaining relationships is the key to success and longevity. It's easy to fall into the trap of just focusing on the numbers and sales. However, that ignores the source of those sales. By spending your energy connecting with your clients and providing them with outstanding work, the sales will naturally fall into place.

Has a passion project of yours ever led to client work? Tell me about it in the comments on the episode page!

In this episode

Why you need to have a solid production strategy in place before the cameras start rolling
How to get in front of the companies you want to work with
Using your passion projects to impress and win over clients
Why a focus on business relationships is the key to your company's success
What it really takes to close the deal
The power of a CRM to help your business run chaos-free
How being willing to listen will always help you improve

Quotes

"If you don't have a strategy in place, then your production probably isn't going to succeed the way you want it to." [9:25]

"Those passion projects are really the key to building the showcase of work that you want to do." [12:56]

"It's is easy to just focus on the numbers and the sales and just be stressed. Something that has really helped me stay motivated and focused is about forgetting about the numbers and focusing on the relationship." [16:36]

"Always be willing to listen and do better. Whether that's listening for improvement or just listening for feedback, everyone has great ideas." [31:54]

Links

Find Austin Black online at Backroad Productions

Follow Austin on Linkedin

Studio Sherpas Episode 164

Studio Sherpas Episode 158 with Cliff Ravenscraft

CRM Walkthrough

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