Not everyone needs to be a perfectly polished sales machine. Be yourself man. There are plenty of super serious production houses and part of your charm is that you are authentic. If you feel like saying “ whatever” then say it. You’re not in NYC working under the watchful eye of a creative project manager and I’m not sure it’s helpful to read all criticism in the comments by guys likely doing less than you. Also, I’m a 40 y/o firefighter and I can tell you sleep is #1 for energy.
Im in the process of doing this myself. Luckily my wife is already a business owner with an MBA in marketing and project management. Im a firefighter which gives me a very solid foundation to take risks and say no. I also prob need to upgrade to an fx6 because its the one camera I keep getting requests for which is weird.
Hey Jared, this is Jarrod. I always approach it with “creating content” and I try and keep the word free out and call it a favor. I think you can get much further:)
been following along for a while now and rarely comment tbh, but wanted to chime in and say you're doing it right m8 👏👏 while i totally love this level of info/content, wondering if you've seen any backlash from clients going public with what they've paid? I know some of the folks I shoot for could give a shit less, but also have a feeling I'd be getting some emails/scrutiny from others. now that you're going on week 5, has this been a concern of any type so far?
Hey you like BBQ places, you need to check out Intrinsic Smokehouse & brewing in downtown Garland. You can also check out the other small businesses down there too. It is a new booming area since they renovated the town square a year ago. They have a ton of shows there now too.
First off, great channel, I respect the hustle for sure. And the need to balance work with having time for your kids…it’s one of the huge benefits of being a freelancer. You aren’t stuck in a job 9-5 and can get time off for your kids, much easier. Anyways, this is just my perspective as someone who has been doing this as my source of income for over 15 years…car dealers are not it. Neither are realtors. They are both generally disinterested in video and the ones that are interested do not value it very highly and pay fairly low rates. That has been my experience for years and years. One reason for this is dealerships can get content from national ad agencies which promote their brands (think truck commercials for example ‘Like a rock’) When they have access to that stuff their incentive to get local stuff done is kind of small. You can possibly get a job here and there hustling like you are but you don’t want your time taken up by $500 video jobs. You want to get paid what you are really worth so you aren’t having to work 50-60 hours a week to make a living. There are plenty of other organizations out there which value video and will pay a good rate for it. Anyways take that for what it’s worth. No hate, just want you to succeed and actually get paid what you are worth!
I think this was actually really awesome of you to be super transparent of this type of career. It really helps to keep other people from lowballing themselves too much and then in turn hurting the industry. I deal with that type of lowballing in my industry, and it has gotten so out of hand that I do not see it reversing, and also why I am looking into this industry as a side hustle for now but eventually my main career. 20 years in the automotive industry, things have changed drastically and not for the better. I know how to work hard and hustle, I see this as a good lateral move, and of course putting in the time to learn a new skill and having the patience to do so. You are very inspiring my man, and I really respect your hustle, it is few and far between these days.
To get around parking at the front of the dealership, find a space near the service department and approach through that entrance. It's also a good way to get a lay of the land, as well as skim through their social media pages while sipping on their coffee in the air conditioned waiting area. Also, don't underestimate the value of speaking with the service manager regarding custom video content. The dealerships make a good deal of money off their Service Departments, especially for non-warranty service. While you're there, you can also find out who their marketing person is and offer a double pronged approach into showcasing the services they offer, along with featuring a particular vehicle model.
I hate bark, never has agood return because some of the people on their are bots. I tried thumbtack ands thats a little better, but cold approach/DM have gotten me more clients
As someone who has worked with car dealerships in the Sherman, TX area, I can say that they do not care at all and have zero interest in hiring a freelancer to create content. I have ran into this issue on so many occasions
Not sure I understand what the “sometimes it’s bad” relates to. Other than that great to hear how it’s going! Keep up the good grind. Planting seeds this way will be great over time as it’ll lead to a lot in weird round about ways.
First off, Great Content!!! Second, I’m going to use your script (so thank you in advance). Last, I’m only 9 minutes into the video and I’m hooked!!! Thank you for sharing!!! 🙏🏽
ran into a guy who had a small agency (corporate/events) of 3 , editor, shooter, social media marketer. He said the marketer was the key to their success. For years he was making videos for companies that didn’t know how to use the effectively and by adding their own sm marketer it turned all of his clients into repeat/retainer clients.
Love the series! I’m really wanting to start recording my process but am afraid of people getting upset about being on camera etc. have you ran into that at all or has bringing a camera into these places not been a problem?
Amazing Jared! Love these videos, you're so good at them. Would love to the follow ups with these businesses and their reaction to the free videos! That'd be great, thanks for documenting everything man!
I’d suggest using leverage. Say I’m in the area because I just shot a video for “Dealership A” and wanted to offer to shoot a free video for you while I was here. Even if you only shot a free sample video for another dealership, the next dealership may not want to miss out on what their competitor just received.
My advice is to wear better clothes to meetings. You will be perceived more seriously. Instead of shorts, wear long pants, instead of a torn T-shirt, wear a clean, blank T-shirt, or a polo shirt. I know it's unfair, but we still live in a time where we judge a book by its cover. Look like someone who knows what they're doing, not like a guy who just jumped off the couch after watching Netflix and forgot to get dressed. Of course, no offense, but I see that in my case people really look at how I look.
totally get this stance but, I just dont agree with it. Truth is, I dont own a polo or slacks. Its not in my personality to wear those things. I feel like a fraud trying to pretend to be something I am not. I refuse work from places that have established dress codes. I am not saying ill show like a bum but, my clothing choice doesn't define me or the work. End of the day, to my own demise sometimes, I am authentically me in every aspect. I will not be something I am not. I wear clothes that make me comfortable and confident, you will get ME in all aspects, good or bad.
Hey Jared, thank you for shareing the content you made for the Dealerships aswell. We usually only get to see behind the scenes stuff and i sometimes find it hard to appreciate the effort you put in because we almost never see the finished product.
Hi again Jared. How to you get access to these gaming gigs. Do you phone up the organisers? If so how do you find out who they are? I'm based in the UK and looking to do similar with other specialised events. Would be good to know who/how to contact them. Thanks again in advance.
Take it from me man I used to do a lot of "sales" before I decided either you like what I say or not... How I closed better deals was blocking the blocker. Dealerships are already hard headed and not willing to listen except for Volkswagon lol. i always have good luck with them and never get pre-answers before they ask "what is it" and be brickwalled the whole time. Hey man let's help each other out. I work with sound man so we can for sure benefit each other. Screw fees right now man let's just work together let me show you so really good stuff!
Love the hustle! For cars, a CPL filter is vital. Carry a microfibre cloth with you for dirty touch screens. Straighten the steering wheel so the logo is straight. :)
Thanks for the video, Jared. I appreciate you sharing your insights within the industry. On a funny note... I thought it was kind of cute that you're holding that DJI Mike to your mouth and there's a condenser mic on a boom arm behind you attached to the desk. 😂
Even the guy that said corporate does everything is a potential customer. Talk up how you do videos of events, weddings, gender reveals, whatever. Try to get in his phone as "Video Jared", you never know.
I’m not sure if this for you, but checkout the book “Exactly What to Say” by Phil M Jones. This quick read will give you the right phrases and insights into the effects certain phrases have on people.
I appreciate the honesty especially the hopes of being able to succeed to provide but not wanting to get lost in too much work or anything. And I definitely hear you on stepping up the exercise, I'm in a similar boat. Not so related to filmmaking but you should try jumproping too for exercise, it can be an even more efficient way to burn calories compared to what it'd take for jogging/running. I used to run (jog) too which is still great, but I started incorporating jumprope and it's good stuff too 💪💪 keep it up man - subbed 👏👏
@lensofjared yea running can definitely be therapeutic, I should do that more often myself lol with jumproping just be careful not to overdo it at first, especially if you might have bad knees like I do, it can be extra tough at first so it'd be good to mix it in with jogging etc 👍
@lensofjared Btw Jared I'm gonna message you on Instagram just a heads up regarding a tip for future car reels that might be helpful (it's too much text to post on here lol)
Another banger. What I tell clients instead of “social media” is “digital branding..” Only because my experience with older realtors I deal with have such a negative mindset on social media , that I explain media goes beyond instagram. They can use it on landing pages, pitch decks, client presentation, and email newsletters to boost leads. Works half the time.
Jared, I respect your hustle, but you're marketing to the wrong people. You're running into the gatekeepers. In medium to large companies, the marketing person is most likely sitting behind a computer in a corporate office. These are the decision makers - and often have decent yearly marketing budgets. Don't even waste time talking to smaller business unless your wife wants to have an uphill battle in educating them, and pulling teeth to get them to spend even small amounts of $. In really large companies, and counties/cities/states, they hire marketing agencies. They handle all the marketing needs and subcontractors. And they pay really well. Those are the people you need to meet. You can submit public records requests to cities and states and figure out what they're spending yearly on marketing materials. Maybe part of your burnout is your pitch to do X amount of work within a retainer? In my opinion, it's a disservice to show up with one camera, no lights, and shoot something quickly. It's more valuable to focus on quality. The world is saturated with that "content". In the words of Steve Martin "Be undeniably good". Keep up the grind - you're going to be successful in whatever you do.
