UnSelling: The New Customer Experience

Chapter 23Taking My Pulse

I would really love for this chapter to be all about how I took the pulse of my business and industry and reacted with foresight and intuition. But the reality is, I didn't. I would like to tell you how I shifted from making viral video slideshows for clients to social media expert because I saw it all coming—but in reality, I just had nothing else to do.

You see, when the recession hit, the market for $10,000 slideshows ceased to exist.¹ Add to the economic downturn advances in technology that put moviemaking in everyone's hand, and we were replaced. I found myself back at square one, working to rebuild my business.

I should be the case study for what happens when you don't take the pulse of your customer, company, and industry. Each of our client videos was a one-off transaction. We never looked to expand our services or even cared where the videos were going. I was content to sit back and create high-margin slideshows for eternity—to the point that I never marketed myself in any way. All new business came from referrals and word of mouth—and then the mouths stopped moving.

I remember sitting there, trying to think of what I was going to do. You can't have an agency without any clients, and I'd created no brand awareness. I was tired of being in the background, creating success for others with no link back to me. All that frustration left me burnt out and needing a place to recharge my batteries and talk to other business owners going through the ...