Elevate Your Business Pitch: Mastering Professional Video Presence with Sam Moses (Episode 182)

Welcome to DIY video for professionals on my show today, I've got our first, our very first or very second Miami client with the desktop DIY video studio. Welcome Sam Moses. Thanks for having me. It's great to be on Sam. Tell me just a little bit about you, your business. What is it that you do? Why do you need video?

Sure. So we are a custom sock provider to, you know, companies all over the world. So whether you need 100 pairs of socks or 1000 or 10, 000 pairs of socks, we produce socks for companies. So let's just say Microsoft is going to a trade show. They want to give out socks to their potential clients or clients.

They use the sock that we, that we designed for them and brand for them. And then they give it out as kind of like a marketing tool for them to engage with their clients or their potential clients. So for us, you know, I noticed that I was going on video calls, I was going on meetings and I just wasn't happy with.

You know, the quality of my video, I think it's kind of like a tell that you don't, you kind of like a small company or you're not really professional. You don't have your act together. If you're pitching somebody and your lighting's really bad, or your sound is really bad, or you're fidgeting with it a little bit.

And not only that, but I wasn't confident with it. Like, you know, I'm pitching say, you know, a 15, 20, 000 deal with a senior executive at a company. And, you know, maybe his video is not very good, but I want my video to be good because I kind of feel like if I go in there with good video and good quality, then I'm kind of portraying myself as a certain level professional.

It's kind of like in the, you know, when you came, I came in a business school in 2004, you know, in 2004, if you didn't have a website, then that was really bad. Okay, but then in 2010. If you didn't have like a really good website, then, you know, you weren't competitive. And then now in 2024, forget it. Your quality of your website has to be really good to be able to get business.

So I kind of think it's the new standard in doing business is that, yeah, you don't need to have a fancy office and you don't need to have the best location. Uh, you don't need to have a fancy address, you know, in the, in the business district anymore, but what you do need is you need to be presentable because that's never going to go away.

So the importance of being presentable is just really important, you know? So that's why I need video in my business and why it's important. Um, how I found you and how I got to you is obviously a whole different story, which is even more excited. Oh man, it's uh, you touched on a really interesting point because, uh, I've spoken about the way that you show up being much like the suit and tie back in the day.

Yeah. So it is the new suit and tie, you know, the pandemic, the real pandemic in terms of visual quality is poor quality video and people don't really understand that yet, you know, like you having a competitive edge because you do. Sound and look fantastic is cut above. And, you know, people are probably going, Oh shit, I'm quite, I'm a bit embarrassed to enter this meeting in my t shirt and under these conditions.

Right. Um, what, what is it that you needed the desktop video studio to do for you mainly? So mainly what I needed it for was to pitch relationships of companies that we're looking to do business with. We have a lot of companies that are feeder businesses. Like they feed us business from their clients.

And it's competitive. Like, you know, a lot of other companies are going after it. So when I go on a call with these sales reps or even higher, like their vendor relations, people, or even the CEO, you know, I need to be able to, you know, portray to them that we're a professional company, that if they do a deal with us, that we're going to execute on the deal and then that, and that we're the real deal, you know, and.

I got to say it's really leveled the playing field in selling because, you know, I'd go on these calls and I'd be a little intimidated because they were senior or they were just bigger than us. The company was bigger than us. But ever since it's kind of like, you know, I go on and they're talking about how great my video is.

They're talking about how great my audio is. So it's kind of like, they're putting us on a pedestal. They're like, wow, you must be a pretty legit operation to have a movie. One guy said a TV studio, like I was like a TV studio. He was like, you've got a TV studio in your office. Like how big are you? And I'm like, yeah, we're, we're pretty good at what we do.

So, um, it's almost like it's, it's turned the conversation around. It's, it's actually. You wouldn't believe how many people have just stopped the conversation and be like, Sam, where, how did you do this? Like, what is this thing? You know, um, because it's out of context because, you know, at least in America, I know you're in Australia, maybe it's different over there, but in America and Canada, you know, we do a lot of business in Canada.

The standard, unfortunately, is not having a great setup, which means that you could sell tens of thousands of these packages in Canada and America easily, you know, but the standard is just to like, you know, I turn on my camera and I hope that, you know, whatever happens happens. And then I come on looking like, you know, I have like Fox News here and all of a sudden it's like, Oh, Sam, like, wow, this is serious, you know?

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00:05:00] So. It's actually, I've noticed an amazing difference. I haven't done anything yet. I just got it a couple of months ago, but I haven't even touched on the editing or the, or the posting to social media, which I'm going to get into, or the, you know, the, the video after the sale thing that I'm going to get into, which obviously you're, you're really good at.

Um, I'm just using it for calls and, and I'm telling you, I go on these calls, even with my own team, I'm in my own team, my own team who worked for me. And I paid them every two weeks, you know, they're looking at me differently. So imagine like, you know, a company that's, I'm actually trying to do real business with, they're looking at me really differently.

So, you know, the ROI on this thing is insane because it, you know, it doesn't just die after one sale. I can use this for hundreds and hundreds of sales. So I've noticed a big difference. I feel better. I've noticed seeing my close rates higher. I'm noticing that people are just way more willing to give me a second or third meeting because they're like, okay, this guy is clearly running a professional operation.

If he's willing to put the, uh, investment into the studio and the most amazing thing about this whole thing, you know, I'm not, I'm not advocating that you should have charged me more, but the, the price of the studio is like very fair. It's like a very fair, easy to do process. And that's why it's really a no brainer.

I mean, I'm not just saying that as a testimonial for you, it's actually really a no brainer. Like I've had people on the call, tell me. Can I get the guy's number who did this? You know, and you know this. So, uh, anyway, it's been, it's been a great journey. It's only been three months and I, and I have no doubts.

I'm going to have this thing for 10 years. So it's been, it's been good. You know, where are you now? So I'm in Boca Raton, Florida. Yeah. Like in your bedroom, in a office. Oh, where am I? Sorry. I'm in my, I own an office in Boca Raton. I have a full office and one of the offices I actually dedicated to this podcast studio.

Um, to do podcasts because I do a lot of podcasts where I, I'm a guest, but I've also dedicated for, for calls. I actually come to the studio for a call, have my desktop ready to go if I need to bring something up. Um, and then I'll like, I'll never ever use my other computer for calls ever again, ever. And I have the camera there and I'll never use it.

It's like, I cringe even I should just take that camera down because it's not necessary. So it's been a good solution for me. Weird thing about my business is that it's not very different than any other business. Like everybody has to pitch business. Everybody has to, you know, go and make sales. So I'm like, it's not like, because I'm in this one, Isolated business.

I need this thing to me. I'm actually looking at everybody else now. And I'm like, how do you not have this? Like, how do you not, how are you not doing this? You know? So it's been great. It's been really great. And, um, And it's all been working perfectly for me. It was all about the ease of use. I can't, I'm not like a computer programmer where I can, I need to like sit here and figure this out.

I need to just focus on my business. So the ease of use has been what's good for me. You know, the reason you're hearing this podcast so clearly it's because we've incorporated this, if you're on our YouTube channel, go and have a look at the quality that comes out of it. What we call the desktop video studio and allows professionals just like yourself an ability to have camera, sound, lights, teleprompter, all at a single switch of a button and all at the convenience of your desk.

Let's have a listen to a couple of happy clients who are using this system. I get people that come to my masterclasses and the first thing they do is they go, wow, and they know I'm here to get them. It has saved me a day, a month. I now use video more because it's just easier to do. The equipment is just incredible.

It's easy. You're ready to go. Being able to come in here, turn it on and look down the barrel. It's just so good. I can take a little bit more time with the delivery because there is no set up. Coming across more professionally. Gotta have a look at it. You are getting massive value. Oh my god, I'm like Wishing that all these years I would have saved myself time.

It's just so much better. It was such a great investment. I can shoot videos like that. You can switch it on, do a really fast message within two minutes. Having the best tools has taken my business to the next level. If you want more information on how you can do this for yourself, go to ridgefilms. com. au slash DIY. And what has been some of that ease of use? The one button turn on, you know, I just turn it on. I got my sales guys. You know, each of them are very different. Levels and computer technology savviness, you know, so we just like, we turn it on, we log into our desktop, we go on to zoom the same way we would go if we didn't have the studio and it just looks good every single time.

And we keep the light off, you know, and, uh, we turn on the studio and, and it's been great. So I think the one button use thing has been great. And then obviously there's huge capabilities with the recording and everything that we're getting into, you know, posting to LinkedIn, posting to our social media, all that different stuff.

So, you know, the capabilities are. If you're a beginner, really good. And even if you're advanced, very good. So it's kind of like the gamut, you know, but for me, uh, the ease of use is good, but the most important thing when I select, when I went with this was I just needed somebody to come in and do it. I can't like, you know, run around to Best Buy and like pick things up and like figure out how they talk to each other.

It's just like, you [00:10:00] know, text me when the guy's outside, ready to go, put this thing in and let's go, you know? So it was really good solution. What amazes me is that there's nobody else that is doing this, you know, that's unbelievable. Tell me, um, a little bit about the experience. I guess our first interactions together were not very favorable.

Like I couldn't see you at all. I really didn't know who I was dealing with until, until this system went in. I was like, Oh, that's what you look like. Right. And I don't think people give that feedback. Full credit. I don't, they don't fully understand that those interactions, they're missing things, like they're missing the nuances of body language that, that people need to feed off and understand how to read particularly in cycles.

Tell me what was that experience like? I mean, it's a big commitment either way. And I appreciate the fact that you're saying, well, just Come on, come and get it sorted. I'm not going to shop around and work on something I don't know anything about. But what was the penny drop for you in terms of getting this and going, you know what, fucking just let's, let's just do it.

You know, I looked at all of these different options of how to do this and everybody has like a random YouTube video of like, here's how you do it. And it just doesn't work. Like that's not my business. My business is not to figure out how to figure out tech. That's your business. Right? So I, I always was a fan.

I went to business school 20 years ago on the number, the first day. They got this really big speakers, a very successful guy, and he came in and he said, never, ever, ever do anything that you could pay somebody else to do, you know, and the reason for that is because other people are probably better at it than you are, and you need to focus on what you're good at, you know, so I was watching these YouTube videos and I was, you know, collaborating with a friend of mine who, you know, and we were just like, like, are we going to do this?

Like, like, am I going to go really going to figure this out? Like when I need a kitchen table, do I go to my, to my garage and build a kitchen table or do I just walk into a store and do it? But the problem was, this is a major problem that everybody's going to face is that there's nobody doing this.

There's everybody else that I went to that says they can do this. Have this long drawn out process of like, Hey, let's talk about your needs and your feelings and all this stuff. And I'm like, I can't sit, I can't sit on the phone with you for six days for you to draw a map in my office of what you're going to do.

And then, and then we found you, you know, me and my colleague, me and my friend. And it was just like, okay, we have a plugin solution. What I, again, what I need is not so unique. I don't need anything. That's like. The most crazy, unique thing. I just need somebody to come in, plug it in as you did. It's a very sophisticated build out, but you plugged it in out of a box.

You know, you put it together, you plug it in and then, and then I can use it. It's like the equivalent of like, you know, I want to play X Box and somebody is telling me to like, you know, go, go into computer programming and program a game. I just want to plug in the game, you know? So anyway, so that, that was kind of like where I know that I realized, like, you're the right solution.

I need this. Um, and actually my team was like yelling at me because I dragged my feet, as you know, a little bit on it and they were like, Sam, like, you're like, not, you're feeling awkward on these calls. You know, this is going to be beneficial for us. The company is a certain size where we can, we can afford this.

Let's just do it. And then they pushed me over the edge and then obviously we did it. And it was, you know, it's been a really good thing for us. You gotta ask yourself, are you satisfied with the way that you're presenting yourself and your personal brand to your market? And for four years now, people have been really struggling to clarify the way they look and sound on camera when it comes to doing video calls and recording their own personalized videos.

And there is a solution. The DIY video program helps you personalize sales video and emails, record professional marketing videos, look and sound amazing in every video meeting without the tech hassles. And you also get professional video editing and practical training so that you can present like a pro.

You don't have to do anything in that initial setup because the studio is installed for you. You get your coaching and training so that you can then go on and be a Video professional and wipe out poor quality videos forever. Why don't you go to richfilms. com. au slash DIY and check it out for yourself.

Our mutual friend, Ben in New York. When I first saw his design of his background, it was on. LinkedIn. So I, I had to share it and reshare it. I was like, holy shit, man, this guy's nailed it because we, you know, when we were working with him, it was just this kind of crappy yellow wall. Uh, and then he, you know, I knew he was going to change it, but.

Then he went out and all out and, and did it. Um, what's your plans for, for backgrounds and getting organized? So, you know, we're going to put some shelving in, some backlit lighting, you know, some books in there, maybe some things that I'm passionate about. Like I'm a big Pac Man guy, like little things like that.

Like we got some business awards that we won, maybe put that in, you know, we're launching our own podcast for, in our industry. So that's going to be something that we're working on. Um, Ben and me, you know, we're good friends. So we [00:15:00] have a call once every couple of weeks. Go over some of the new things that he's learned because he's been going crazy with it.

Like the, you know, the, the subtitles and the, you know, how to export all properly to the social media channels and things like this. It's kind of like a whole world and we're learning it, but we could only learn it when the foundation is set. Right? Like, there's no point putting out a video where your, where your content by you speaking might be good on, you know, really low quality crappy, you know, content.

Digital looks like 1987 stuff, you know, like nobody cared. Like it has to look good. And and to be honest with you, I'll be honest with you. The competition out there is too high for content. Like if you want to get somebody to watch something, it better be good. And it better sound good. And it better be really, really professional.

And it just like, that's the standard, like nobody wants to watch, you know, crappy stuff anymore. Like it's just done, you know, what would you say to the future buyer? I guess there's a whole market there that's sort of waiting to, to, to understand this thing exists now that you've, you know, you sort of couple of months in, what would you say to the future buyer?

Oh, I would say the reason I bought this thing is because I knew it worked on me. I, I did, somebody pitched me on a, like a software package for my business. And somebody else pitched me on the same package, like a very similar competitor. And I literally went, I remember this like two years, it was maybe a year ago.

I literally went with the one provider because they were, they just looked good on the zoo. Like I was like, wow, they just look like they know what they're doing. Like they're, when you're dealing with two providers and they're relatively close, like the price is close and the quality of the service looks like it's going to be close.

Like you need to find these, there's these little, Things that we're attracted to that just makes a difference. And I'm like, they just look like they're more professional, to be honest. So I actually made like a 20, 000 technology purchase based on the fact that somebody just looked a little bit professional in the other person.

So what I realized is that that is very important because I'm very picky with making decisions on this stuff. And if I'm making that decision that other people are probably as well. So my advice to our future buyer is. It actually does matter and if you believe in your business and you, and you, and you know how hard it is to make sales, believe that the investment that you're going to make in this package, uh, will have a return on it because all you need to do in most businesses like ours, selling B2B or whatever is make one or two more sales and then it pays itself off.

And then, you know, so that's not the problem. So I think it's like a no brainer to be honest with you. Now that I've done it, you know, my wife was talking to my wife about it the other day. It's almost like, I kind of feel weird that I lived without it for so long. It's like one of those things, like, you know, it's like, how did I live without this thing for so long?

Uh, because I've been on zoom for years and years and years, pitching people and maybe not for 20 years because nobody did zoom like before five years ago. Right. But, um, in the past five years, I was kind of like, I would have closed a lot more deals if I had this from the beginning. So, so the future buyer of what I would say is, you know, try not to worry too much about the upfront cost.

Although the upfront cost is very fair, think about the, how much money that you're going to bring in and how much confidence you're going to have when you're on the call and not to mention, like you deserve it. Like you go to work every day, you work hard, you know, you should have the proper tools. You should be somebody that goes onto a call looking professional.

You should be going on to calls looking like you're bigger, a big company. That's how you should be looking if you want to compete out there. So, you know, it's like, it's like, don't buy the cheapest laptop for your office. If you're on the laptop all day. Right. So that's what I would say that, I mean, pretty much that was what I would say.

Killed it, mate. That is sensational. I reckon like I've covered off all the problem solution results on that thing. Just great, mate. So fucking strong. And you know, I, I was so excited to come on with you and get this interview done because just by virtue of your voice being American, we'll help us, help us.

And I've got the Miami market. Yeah. Also, sorry. It's interesting because I'm actually somebody who like took his time to decide, you know, so I'm not like that customer who was like, Okay, just do it. Here's my, here's my credit card. Just, I actually went through the process of making that decision. So I could actually speak on what the challenges were to make that decision and then what the results were.

And I'm actually like a big fan of the results because. To me, me and my sales guy, we can come in, press one button, get on a zoom. If we're going to grow and we're going to be big, we have to look professional. The same way we want our product to be the best possible product. We want our presentation to be the best possible presentation.

So it's all the same. It's all tied in, you know, it's all tied in. Sam Moses, thank you so much for, for joining us on the show. Look, it is absolute pleasure again. I'm very humbled to have you dial in all the way from Miami. I'm super pumped and can't wait for the future of what you do with this thing and in producing content for, for the business.

Yeah. Thanks to you for, for walking me through this and for taking care of the installation and, and for every step of the way, just being so great. And, um, And you and your team, you know, I [00:20:00] know, I know you have, you know, Kevin over there. You guys have been super professional, you know, really patient with me.

And, and I just thank you. I always love dealing with providers who are just really good at what they do. And you're really good at it. And the most important thing for me is. You, you, you'll know this after you buy something, at least this is an American thing, sometimes the people just disappear, like you bought it and they're just gone, you know, and with you, I can email you and there's a dialogue there.

So I really appreciate the service. I think that you should be selling tens of thousands of these into the American market. There should be literally Every single person should have this. I would be annoyed if everybody had it because then I'm less competitive, but for you, I think it would be great. Um, but anyway, look, it's a great, it's a great thing.

And I'll be honest, every single call I've gone on every single call, I go on a lot of calls. Okay. People are like, Whoa, Sam, what, where are you? Like, you know, what is this thing? You know, because, you know, because it looks really good. So congrats on your, your product that you made and thank you for all the service as well.

We're here to build friends, man. And community. And, uh, that'll happen as we progress with our relationship with regards to the video coaching, which I'm yet to still support you with. Once you start doing some more, uh, get, get the plan for more recording and whatnot, we'll start to deploy some, some scripting, uh, assistance and some video coaching around, uh, reading from a prompter and those types of things that I'm sure will be very useful for you.

But dial in anytime, just, just drop in at any time and let me know. Uh, when you're ready to do that, and we're more than happy to, um, to, to kickstart and yes, keep your ears out, uh, for any possible referrals, we definitely welcome those. Man, thanks so much. Thanks so much.