The following are 7 commonly used deceptive sales lines from video providers to exaggerate their knowledge, capabilities and service level:
1, “We have ____ years of experience.”
This is one of the most common sales techniques in our industry. Experience is important, but ‘number of years’ is a quantitative number that can be easily manipulated. A brand new production house started by 4 film grads can claim to have 8 years of experience (2 years of film school multiplied by 4). A videographer and an editor can claim to have 10 years of experience (The videographer bought his first miniDV 4 years ago and the editor first tried Photoshop 6 years ago). In this light, UV Studio, a relatively new business venture, can claim to have over 14 years of experience, which obviously does not reflect our real, professional servicing years span.
2, “Our technology can do that for you.”
While this generally is not a lie, it is very misleading. It sounds like this video producer has proprietary technology that no one else has. The truth is, we ALL use more or less the same sets of video-editing software. There are, to all intents and purposes, only three professional editing brands in the market: Avid, Apple Final Cut Studio and the Adobe Creative Suite. Sony Vegas is a distance 4th runner. They all have very similar functionalities. Whether than asking what they have, it’s best to view their portfolio and ask them how they decide to edit some of their output. A video editor’s editing choice is more important than his editing suite.
3, “We do everything in-house.”
If you are in marketing, or if you run a successful company, you know you cannot achieve best results by doing EVERYTHING in-house. I’m sure it makes economic sense to perform in-house as much as possible. I’m also certain you know for a fact that there are times when it is best to outsource work to professionals who are dedicated to what they do, work that is not within your organization’s core competences. So when a videographer tells you that they do everything in-house, 90% of the time it’s a lie, to make you think that you are getting a good deal. If they do in fact do everything in house, then be wary of their product quality level.
4, “Our _____ camera/equipment will give you brilliant images.”
Rather than making this claim, they should simply refer you to their portfolio. Besides the camera, there are also, in general, 3 broad factors that will affect the picture quality of your end product: the videographer’s skills with the camera, lighting choices and capabilities, and editing/compression settings. To evaluate how to properly choose your videographer for your next project, it’s best to 1, scrutinize their portfolio, 2, tell him/her what you are trying to achieve and ask for inputs, directions and ideas. If the videographer does not offer at least some inputs that trigger your imagination, or downright refuses to do so without asking for money first, choose another videographer.
5, “We specialize in _____ video. We only do _____ video.”
While most successful video producers specialize in something, they usually would not turn down an offer to film something else if the opportunity looks appealing. A corporate shooter would not mind filming a wedding ceremony if the price is right; a wedding shooter would love an opportunity to shoot corporate; while an independent film/music video shooter would salivate at any opportunity that pays reasonably well. In most cases, this ‘we specialize in ____’ is nothing more than a sales line straight from one of those ‘How to sell’ books at the book store. I commonly run into video shooters who claim they specialize in journalistic videos, or they specialize in serving the non-profit sector. This is similar to getting into a taxi and the driver tells you he specializes in driving to the city’s airport (like he is the only one who knows where the airport is). How impressed would you be? If you specialize in filming vehicle crash tests, or weddings in 3D, then you have a real specialty.
6, “We have done work for (insert random large household brands).”
This is a sneaky one. Without CREDIBLE proof in their portfolio, or REAL contact references to show that they have actually done real work for these companies, a video production company can stretch the truth as much as they can. What do I mean by credible proof? Often a videographer would receive a common opportunity from, say, a news media outlet, to film an interview with a high profile person, such as a CEO of a large corporation. The videographer can then claim that they have done work for that corporation, when really it was only a common assignment from the news desk. By this standard, UV Studio can claim that we have done work for Barrick Gold, Magna International, Royal Bank and other household names, when the real client was a smaller organization altogether.
Also, a videographer might choose to volunteer for a corporate event either organized or attended by a large corporation, then claim “that company came to us to film their event”. Not only is this practice deceptive, I’m not sure what can be said of a professional service provider who gives free services to those who need it the least.
Better still, are fake work done by the videographer (and other graphic artists) on their own to make prospects think that they have done work for these companies – what the industry calls “spec work”. There is usually nothing in the video that indicates this work was commissioned by the said company other then their logo, which can be downloaded freely from the internet.
7, “We will take care of everything for you, from pre-production to post-production.”
You may not have done a video for your organization before, but you most likely have had a website done. How much input and communication did you have with your web designer/developer in putting it together? The answer is ‘a lot’. I know. Getting a video done is usually not too different. Claiming that the client can sit back, cross their legs and the final video will be delivered without the client lifting a finger is just a pure lie, another sales line popularized by sales-hungry service providers in all industries. I often marvel at my clients’ energies and dedication in communicating with me, providing inputs and critiques all in the interest of making the best video within our limitations. Working with a videographer is a partnership. I have had clients who contribute minimal inputs and rely on me to provide the direction of the project, and I have had clients who wanted a more hands on approach and take the lead in the relationship. From one extreme to another, the development of a video WILL require participation on the client’s part, plain and simple.
