0125: Video Persuasion: How to Create Effective high-level Product & Testimonial Videos that will Grow Your Brand, Increase Sales and Build Your Business with Author, Speaker, Producer, & Direct Response Video Pioneer Rick Cesari

Intro [0:00]

EA Interviews Episode 125. Inspiration, transformation, success stories, and the Imperfect Action Round seven days a week. Join Mario Fachini for today’s Expert Authority Effect Interview.

Mario Fachini [0:13]

OxiClean, Rug Doctor, Sonicare, the Juiceman, the George Foreman Grill and GoPro, what are these startups doing to become worldwide international brands with millions and billions in sales? How would you like to do this for your business? I’m excited to have Rick Cesari on the show today because he’s the man behind these brands for the direct response marketing. And he’s going to be sharing these secrets with you. How to use video persuasion, how to use testimonials, how to implement this stuff in such a way you can have strategic growth. He’s a bestselling author, keynote speaker. He helps all kinds of companies around the world with products, reviews, and growing their brand. He’s famous for coming up with sell while you brand. And he’s on the show today. I’m excited to bring up Rick Cesari right after we thank our sponsor.

SPONSOR Pipedrive [1:08]

There’s money in the metrics. Do you know yours? Pipedrive is the simplest and easiest CRM to close more deals, deepen your relationships, and increase your business profits. Get your free trial today at EAInterviews.com/Pipedrive.

Mario Fachini [1:24]

Here he is ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Rick Cesari. Rick, how are you doing today?

Rick Cesari [1:27]

I’m doing great. And thank you for having me on as a guest today.

Mario Fachini [1:31]

I’m excited to showcase you because I know what you’re doing. And I’m super excited about the people you’re helping. And it’s a fun thing to talk about. So why video persuasion?

Rick Cesari [1:41]

Well, you know, I’ve been doing video marketing in some form or another for the last 25 years. You know, the delivery platforms have changed. I started out, obviously, using a lot of television because that was the way where most of the eyeballs were. And recently, in the last few years, it’s shifted over to the different online platforms. But I’ve learned a lot about how to convince people to take certain specific actions from watching the video. And so I feel like I can deliver a lot of good experience and expertise to businesses that are wanting to use video in their marketing, which if they aren’t, they should be.

Mario Fachini [2:21]

Why would someone want to be using video in their marketing?

Rick Cesari [2:24]

Well, we’re becoming a video first society. There’s lots of great statistics. But one of my favorite ones is that there’s been more video produced in the last 30 days than all the TV networks combined produced in the last 30 years. And we’re just consuming video as a way of communicating. And you know this. If you deliver a message through video, you retain 95 percent of the message. Whereas, sometimes it’s as low as only 10 percen if you’re just using images and text. And video is just becoming the way we communicate. So like I said, if you don’t understand video, don’t know how to create it, and don’t know the correct content, you’re really missing out in your marketing.

Mario Fachini [3:10]

What inspired you to get into it in the very beginning before YouTube, before Amazon, before Vimeo, all the video sites? I mean, they’re relatively new. Take me back to what you were – what originally got you into it, you said 20, 25 years ago.

Rick Cesari [3:28]

Yeah. Definitely aging myself. But it is kind of an interesting backstory. I graduated from college, believe it or not, I have a degree in biology. And instead of going into that field, I took a year off from school, I went down to Daytona Beach, Florida where my family was living. And it became kind of a bumper year as a bartender and a lifeguard. But I started reading a lot of books, like motivational books and I read books about how people were making money back then. And still today. And it was in real estate. So I started going to seminars and investing in real estate. And I did one deal. I turned around, bought a house, sold it in two weeks, and made about $12,000. And, to me, back then that was like making a million dollars. And so I was so grateful from the seminar I went to, I called up a business magazine in Florida called Florida Trend and I got the guy who was putting on the seminar a great article. It really gave a big boost to his seminar. So he called me up and said, “Hey, why don’t you help me market these seminars?” And over the next three or four years, I started doing direct to consumer marketing. And to show you how long ago this was, we were using newspaper ads to drive people to free seminars. But at the same time, these early real estate guys were the first ones starting to use TV or direct response TV or infomercials. And so I kind of learned how to do the business that way and then started using it for other types of direct to consumer marketing. And helped use it to build brands like The Juiceman and the George Foreman Grill and Sonicare and OxyClean. And then things have transferred, obviously, with the advent of all the different social platforms. But GoPro cameras is another project I worked on, where we used a great combination of direct response TV and online marketing to help grow that business to almost a billion dollars in sales. So I felt like I combined everything I’ve learned in the last 25 years in my book, Video Persuasion, to help other businesses.

Mario Fachini [5:32]

Well, I love that you’re sharing it with the world. And it’s impressive that you have that much knowledge that you keep applying. And that’s really what I look for in people is not just can they do it once. If you did, great. But can you do it repeatedly, you know what the heck you’re doing. And I just want to pause for – not really pause. I want to continue on but I want to make a highlight because I’m listening and taking notes. You had said when you made that $12,000 in two weeks, there’s that time limiter, why do you think you felt so good about it? Would you say it was the amount of money or it was the fact that you did it on your own?

Rick Cesari [6:10]

The fact that I did on my own. Here’s something where every – you know, you’re always skeptical when people claim they can teach you how to do something that you’ve never done before. And in this case, I was buying a piece of distressed property. And basically, I just did exactly what the person told me. I went down to the courthouse, found a house that was in foreclosure, went and talked to the owner. Kind of like did exactly what it said in the instruction book. I did it and, actually, it worked. And so I was like, “Wow. I didn’t know it.” So when you learn something new and you actually do it yourself, it’s a great feeling. And that’s what really led me to – I don’t know – to call that business magazine and talk about the seminar. So it’s funny where things will lead. You never know when you start out where things are going to end up.

Mario Fachini [7:03]

Yeah. It’s so very true. And I’ve had that feeling myself. And that’s why I was curious about your perspective on it. Because I’m thinking back, and every time it was some relatively now small amount of money. It felt like a million bucks. Whether it was or wasn’t, it didn’t matter. It was, I think, it unlocks something in our brain that’s like, “I did this. I can do it again.” There’s all this unlimited possibility now.

Rick Cesari [7:25]

You learn a skill. You learn a new skill that you didn’t have before. And it helps you become self- sufficient knowing that you’re not depending on someone else to help you make money.

Mario Fachini [7:37]

For sure. And the other question I wanted to highlight was, in regards to the newspaper and magazine ads, and you’re saying – you know, we’re not talking internet, we’re not talking conversion rates and click through rates and opt ins and all that. But are we? Because a lot of people think the only way they can market is online. And I really want to dive into this because how do you get someone to buy? If I’m reading a newspaper article right now, where do I click? Where do I go? I’ll let you dive in. I know where you’re going to go with this. But what do you do to convert people with paper?

Rick Cesari [8:15]

Yeah. That’s a great question. And my answer is, one of the reasons I wrote the book, I’ve been in marketing for over 30 years, seeing the whole transition from newspaper to radio, to TV, to online. And the one thing that hasn’t changed – I think, this is real important for your viewers to understand is that – human psychology hasn’t changed. And the hot buttons that make people react the way they react hasn’t changed. So the same things that would make someone respond to a Sears catalog in the early 1900s, or a piece of direct mail after that, or a radio spot or a TV spot. If you understand the underlying concepts about what makes people react. And in this case, I’m talking a lot about direct response principles. It helps you if you’re taking this and using it on the new platforms. Because human behavior really doesn’t change. Just the delivery platforms have changed. So that’s kind of one of the main messages I’m trying to deliver in my book. Plus, helping people understand those underlying strategies and hot buttons.

Mario Fachini [9:31]

For anyone who doesn’t know – and I’m glad you’re see you saying the actual words – what is a hot button?

Rick Cesari [9:39]

That’s a great – when I say a hot button, it’s some type of trigger or something that people will respond to. You and I were talking a little bit before the interview started and I mentioned a book called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr. Cialdini. He’s still a professor at Arizona State University. And he wrote this book and there’s six persuasion principles that he talks about in the book that I mentioned in my book about why certain things work in video. And you know, there’s lots of examples. But probably a common one that a lot of online marketers are familiar with is the concept of social proof. And social proof really is – the actual psychological concept is, if people are in a situation and they don’t know how to react, they’ll look and see what someone else does and then they’ll react the same way. So let’s take a look at that example. If we’re in modern day and we’re on Amazon, and we’re trying to make a decision whether to buy a product, we’re going to go to the one that has 100 reviews versus the one that has two reviews because that’s what everyone else is doing. Testimonials are another great example. Any type of consultation I do with companies nowadays, it starts with how can we talk to your customer base and get some authentic testimonials? And to me, that’s one of the most powerful marketing tools. Because if someone is skeptical about it, certain amount of advertising – and let’s take this all the way back to a newspaper ad – one of the things that we used to put in the newspaper ad, they weren’t as effective as video, were testimonials. In other words, if someone is teaching a seminar on how to make money in real estate, I want to see some other people that have done it successfully. And that’s the power of a testimonial. And I have an everyday example of social proof is, how many times had someone – this might have happened to you where you’re in the road and you’re driving up and there’s two left turn lanes. And you might see 15 cars in one lane and only one car in the other lane. And the reason is because when you come up there, someone thinks that because all the other cars are in that lane, that’s what I should do. So if I’m ever gone to a sporting event, a movie, a left turn lane, I always look and see if there’s a shorter line versus the longer line instead of just following the herd.

Mario Fachini [11:57]

I agree 1,000 percent. I was going to say, “Yeah. I’m always looking for the one where there’s the one person because you can go right up to the front.” I even as far back as high school walking in, in the stupid morning at 7:00 a.m. or [7:15], whatever it was, no one wanted to be there. There was these two – there’s two sets of two doors. This one was, like, locked and everyone kept going through here. One side of this was locked. But this one, you could – get this, you could open it. That’s what doors do. And everyone just kept going through these two. And I just walk with my friends, I’m like, “Come on.” They’re like, “What are you doing?” “Not spending ten minutes when I can get back in the class and start sleeping again.”

Rick Cesari [12:36]

Yeah. No, and that’s, again, one of those basic persuasion principles that if you understand it and you can utilize it in your videos, that’s going to help make your videos more effective. There was a movie out last year about P.T. Barnum. And he’s got a great quote. He says, “That nothing draws a crowd quite like a crowd.” And it’s really that heard concept that people want to do what other people are doing.

Mario Fachini [13:06]

Those are some great insights. So I appreciate you for sharing those. You had just, you know, real casually thrown out some things like George Foreman, Sonicare, the GoPro. Who would you say you helped and how are you helping them? Do you only work with large major brands like that? And what are you doing for them?

Rick Cesari [13:26]

Yeah. No. That’s a great question. And every one of those brands I mentioned were either startups or doing very low in sales before we started working with them. So they weren’t like big companies that hired me to come in and help them create sales. So anybody that has a small business out there, these things that I’m teaching are designed for people with small businesses, Amazon sellers, e-commerce marketers. And to answer your question, those are the types of people I work with nowadays are direct to consumer marketers that are reaching people through e-commerce or Amazon. And really help them with their video strategy and help implement video strategies that will help their business grow, help obtain new customers, get better conversions, that type of thing.

Mario Fachini [14:20]

So you had talked about the Amazon. Let’s use that for an example. Because we can talk about the video incorporation. We can talk about the click through rates, the messaging, the trigger words, the hot buttons. And you were also talking about the social proof. And I think Amazon just has a little tiny bit weaved in there just a smidge.

Rick Cesari [14:39]

Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely. You know, let me just give you a quick technique, again, on how things transfer from one format to another. So right now, if you look at the majority of the Amazon listings, they’re kind of like just product images without any titles on there. So one of the things we teach – and again, this is not new to you – is we like to mention the features but we focus on the benefits, what’s the benefit to the end user? So what I teach the people, my Amazon clients are, let’s take a look at those individual Amazon images, figure out what the benefits are to the end user. And then here’s a concept we steal from video, put those benefits on as titles or graphics or infographics. And so that each one of those images, now, instead of just a static image becomes almost like a magazine ad and calling out different benefits of it. And it makes it much more effective and it helps your conversions. So that’s just one thing that we do or help people with.

Mario Fachini [15:45]

So instead of five or ten – I don’t even know what the limit is – but let’s just say four. Instead of four images of here’s one view, here’s another, and here’s another –

Rick Cesari [15:54]

Exactly.

Mario Fachini [15:55]

What’s that?

Rick Cesari [15:56]

I said exactly.

Mario Fachini [15:58]

You’re actually putting infographics as one of the slides?

Rick Cesari [16:02]

Yeah. Or taking that image, whether it’s a front on shot or side shot, and just adding different infographics calling out the benefit. The other thing I like to do, which I’ve learned from doing TV direct response marketing is, instead of having just – I know the rules are, the first image has to be just a plain image of the product. But the other images, I like to show a human being in the image, either whether it’s just a hand or an entire person. Because, again, psychologically, people want to see other people using the product. And so it’s little things like this that I’ve learned over the years and doing direct response marketing that you’re using to make little tweaks to make it more effective. And then on almost every Amazon listing, you’re allowed to put up one video. And so if you put that video up, what I see a lot of Amazon sellers do is they put in, what I call, a tutorial video, which is like a how to video, which is important. But that’s not good for selling. That’s good for teaching people how to use the product. I’d much rather see a demonstration video. And a demonstration video, basically, not only shows someone how to use it. But then, again, features the benefits of the product and then even as for a call to action. And I think that a lot of people fall down there type of thing. And then the next step further on Amazon is, if you own the trademark and you can have a brand registry page, then you can post as many videos as you want. And then you can start putting lots of videos of people using the product. And, to me, the more video support you have, the more reason it gets somebody to buy the product.

Mario Fachini [17:51]

Expert Authority World, I hope you’re taking notes. And if you’re driving or something, check out the show notes page on EAInterviews.com because this is solid gold stuff. And Rick, you’re giving me ideas about my Amazon and I’m wondering if I can put an infographic for my book. And the real life shots from the VIP book launch party where it was all the people in the room while I was signing the Expert Authority Effect book.

Rick Cesari [18:18]

People would really respond to that just for the reasons we just talked about. It’s like, “Wow. What am I missing out? How come all these people are excited about his book? Maybe I should be getting that.” And that’s just the psychological thing that goes on with people Plus, you can add video down. You probably have an author’s page. And if you don’t, you should. Then you can add video there as well helping explain things and taking different concepts from your book and explaining it from a video perspective.

Mario Fachini [18:50]

You know, I knew we could add it to the author central page. But I’m wondering if how much we could add even if they don’t click like what they see right up. front with the book.

Rick Cesari [19:00]

No. Usually then that’s like down below the fold on the Amazon page where you can add more videos and stuff.

Mario Fachini [19:08]

I mean this was cool to begin with but now you got my brain going.

Rick Cesari [19:15]

Let’s help your e-commerce people. Probably a lot of your listeners or viewers have e-commerce sites. And so one question I get asked is, “Well, what kind of video should I deploy on my e-commerce site?” And there’s no one size fits all. But in general, one thing I like to do when someone first comes to a homepage is kind of have that overview video. This could be 60 seconds, 90 seconds, even two minutes. And it basically tells people who you are, why you’re doing what you’re doing, and why you’re different than the competition, why should they purchase from you if you’re selling a product or a service. And that gives people a really easy way really quickly to just hit a button, watch your video, they get a complete overview of what you do, why you’re doing it. Then if they want to get more information, hopefully your video is gotten them more interested, they’ll dig deeper in the website. The second thing is – the three most common types of online video, I’ve mentioned them all already – and these are statistics from HubSpot or something – are tutorial videos which are how to, demonstration videos, and testimonial videos. So of course, if you’re selling a product, it’s important to have a tutorial video, here’s how you use it. You also need a demonstration video, which is here’s why you need it and how to get it. And then the testimonial is the social proof. And so if I don’t see testimonials on a website, I begin to wonder, you know, “Does anybody use this product?” And text testimonials are great, video testimonials are better.

Mario Fachini [21:05]

I love that you’re talking about that. What are your thoughts not only on the website but social media?

Rick Cesari [21:10]

Yeah. The same thing with social media. And again, you’re very active in the video field and one of the really nice things that I found is that, now, you can repurpose footage and use it through different channels. So if we go out and do a video shoot for testimonials – again, give your listeners and viewers an example. We have email sequence that in my book, Video Persuasion, that if you want to generate testimonials, we have a whole email sequence you can send out to them to get them to show up to do a testimonial for you. And so now we set up a testimonial day and lots of ways of doing it. We cover this in the book. You can rent a house for a day, you can invite them over to your house. And so I’ll interview 10 or 12 people. And in the course of that testimonial day and listening and interviewing 10 to 12 people, you learn a lot of research. It’s the best focus group ever. You learn what people like about a product, what they don’t like, why did they buy it, would they recommend it to a friend, if they recommend it to a friend what would they tell that friend. And pretty much after you talk to 10 or 15 people like that, you pretty much have an idea of how to market the product because the people, real customers, are giving you the answer. So that’s one thing that we definitely like to focus on.

Mario Fachini [22:35]

So many people overlook that. They make life harder for themselves because they’re trying to do everything on their own. And they’re going to edit from the CEO or a high level standpoint. Not from the customer standpoint. And when I work with my clients, I’ve suggested to use the Amazon reviews, not just the reviews – yeah, the reviews. I’m thinking the star area. People tell you what they’re thinking right there. The same thing with YouTube comments. And what you’re talking about with bringing them on camera is genius. Along with asking them the stuff behind the scenes because they’re giving you the answers, like you’re saying, what to put in your headlines, what to put in your titles, how to market it. Because you’re using their language not what you think they’re going to say.

Rick Cesari [23:27]

Yeah. And you’ve experienced it. But first of all, I want to say that’s an excellent point. The other thing I tell people, “Go read Amazon reviews and you’ll get your best marketing copy.” I’ve been doing copywriting all my life, direct response copywriting. And I’m never able to write copy as good as what an authentic testimonial will say. You just can’t think up lines like they say. And you can read those lines in the Amazon reviews or if you’re doing video testimonials. And we make transcripts of the testimonials. We pull out the different sound bites that are best. We can then deploy them. Originally, I want to come full circle because you asked about social media. You can repurpose them, these testimonials, and then use them on social media, you can use them for Facebook ads, you can just post them on any of the social media channels. And it will really enhance the marketing for your business or product or service.

Mario Fachini [24:24]

Have you heard of Repurpose.io?

Rick Cesari [24:28]

No. Explain that to me.

Mario Fachini [24:30]

So I had the CEO of the company. Actually, I just dropped the episode this week. I just had the CEO of the company on and what his software does, you can take this video, create a snippet of it, maybe one to two seconds where I go, “Okay. What’s this question?” Then you answer. And you just take that one to two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes, and you can repurpose it automatically when you’re filming it. We use it for the show. And another thing that I really like about it is you can take this video and it will caption it, you know, for Instagram with the captions on the top and the bottom. It will create that stuff for you. Just pick what segment of video you want. It literally does everything for you. The podcast episodes, all your podcast episodes, you can take those and it will do the same thing. And if there is no video, it will add a backplate in a little wave form to it also.

Rick Cesari [25:27]

Wow. That’s amazing. I got to check into that is that the website, Repurpose.io?

Mario Fachini [25:33]

If you go to EAInterviews.com/repurposeio, it will take you to a direct link. I’ll make sure it’s in the show notes. And you can listen to his entire episode also. It’s Hani Mourra.

Rick Cesari [25:47]

Yeah. That’s awesome. And I really appreciate. See, I learn something when I do these things too. And that brings up a really good point. In the past, the thing that stopped people from doing video was the technical part of it. And in the past, the expense of doing it. Because it wasn’t until not too long ago, five, six, seven, eight years, you didn’t have an iPhone. You would have to go out and hire a crew to basically produce good looking video. Now, technology is advanced so much that really holding your hand – your iPhone in your hand or your Android, and getting a simple light, and getting a simple microphone that you can buy on Amazon for under $100, you have the ability to create really great video. And so that shouldn’t be a barrier anymore the way it has been in the past. And another reason why people should be doing this themselves.

Mario Fachini [26:47]

Yeah. It’s opened the door. Because I remember when I was starting off, cameras were tens of thousands of dollars, editing suites were tens of thousands of dollars, the software was tens of thousands of dollars. And it was like holy smokes. It was right after film transitioned to digital. And it was awesome. But at the same point, it’s like you needed some serious coin. If you weren’t doing it as business, it was almost unattainable or a very, very, very, very expensive hobby. And now it’s like, anyone has a production studio in their pocket. But what they do with it – again, we have the technology at our fingertips. But if you don’t know how to light it, if you don’t know how to produce it, the same thing. Everyone has a social media account. But do they know the direct response marketing techniques of how to have the headline, the benefits, and the call to action that it’s going to actually do something for them?

Rick Cesari [27:39]

Yeah. You just hit the nail on the head. And what we’re talking about today and what I talk about in my book, Video Persuasion, isn’t like making videos, entertainment videos, or family vacation videos. These are businesses – these are videos to use for your business to help with conversions, help with lead generation, help selling products. And it’s really that content that I’m focused on in the book and talk about it. But let’s take a step further now because, again, talking about the different social media channels. Facebook Live is becoming big. And Amazon live. And so I have a whole chapter in the book about becoming your own spokesperson. And for whatever reason, the majority of people are afraid to get up in front of the camera, whether it’s a video camera or the camera in your computer. And I talk about why that’s important to be your own spokesperson because of the authenticity, the passion that you deliver, the originality of your story about why you’re doing things. And it becomes another marketing tool in our arsenal that you should be taking advantage of. And so people will say, “Well, I’m nervous in front of the camera.” And so I say, “Well, you know, nobody ever steps in front of the camera the first time and does a great job. It takes practice.” You can’t go out and become a great tennis player the first time you pick up a racket. You have to practice. But I’ll use myself as an example. Six months ago, I’m usually behind the camera and working in the editing booth and putting together the content. And I started doing Facebook Lives. And I was afraid because you’re live. I mean, you’re talking to people. But I have to be honest with you, after doing five, six, seven episodes, it gets easier and easier and you get better and better and just become more natural at it. And you should be taking advantage of these live opportunities because all the social channels will have them soon.

Mario Fachini [29:33]

I agree 100 percent. And I want to unpack that a little bit more because I hear that all the time. I’m always encouraging people to take pictures, do video, go live like we are now. And so many people, “I’m not good in front of the camera. I don’t want to get in front of the camera.” And I just want to call BS on that because how many people do you see taking selfies every 16-and-a-half seconds but they’re not doing it for any business reason or anything. Why do you think it’s so much easier to be like, “look at me” instead of “I’m trying to help someone.” Imean, at the essence, you’re both on camera. But one, I think, is a value add versus a “I don’t know what”. But what are your thoughts on it?

Rick Cesari [30:20]

No. I agree 100 percent. And I think that any lack of what people perceive as professionalism or being a good spokesperson, it gets made up for in delivering information and authenticity and passion. And don’t expect you to be a professional newscaster. It’s almost there’s a more real feeling to doing a Facebook Live and you aren’t very polished. If you’re too polished, to me, it becomes less believable. And so I just think the upside of doing it far outweighs the downside side. I’ll give you an example. I have a client that has an eight figure Amazon business, they sell computer peripherals. And every time they launch a new product – they’re the largest seller of docking stations on Amazon. And every time they launch a new product, they make a YouTube video, they do an Amazon Live. And the owner of the company, who’s a computer engineer, is the spokesperson. And his believability is just off the charts. And you want to hear from the founder of the company. And so anybody that has their own business, I totally agree with what you’re saying, should make a video and start doing these things because you’re always going to be your best spokesperson. Now, if your company is growing really big and you want to take that next step and “hire” a celebrity spokesperson or a doctor or a George Foreman type spokesperson, that’s good. But no business can afford that add right out of the gate. So you really are a great marketing tool. If you aren’t utilizing yourself, you should be.

Mario Fachini [32:10]

You’ve covered so much and it’s all been so great. I’m sure you have dozens, but if we were to pick one, what would you say is your biggest success story so far?

Rick Cesari [32:23]

You know, I would have to go way back and say, a company called Trillium Health Products that marketed the Juiceman Juicer. And it wasn’t the largest of any of the brands but we did this way back in 1990, ’91. And we had tremendous success. It grew to 75 million in sales in about four years. But it was something that I was passionate about. I was educating people about getting more fruits and vegetables into their diet, eating a better diet. And really, if you look around today, and there’s juice bars everywhere, and there’s fresh, cold pressed juices you can buy everywhere, and juice extractors are still really big. I feel like we helped start that whole trend. And so I’m probably most proud of that even though it wasn’t “the biggest dollar success” of all the ones we mentioned from a passion and a hope to humanity. I think that one was the best one.

Mario Fachini [33:27]

Well, I love that you say that for your success story. Because that’s what it’s about is helping people and adding value and everything. And, you know, every little 75 million helps.

Rick Cesari [33:39]

Yeah. Yeah. We were the right product at the right time and had the right message. So it worked out well.

Mario Fachini [33:47]

Yeah. And it’s not always about the money. Because, I mean, there’s a lot of people that would love to make 75 million in four years, like you mentioned. But at the same point when you can – I mean, we’re talking about persuasion and influence, when you can shift culture, that’s serious. That’s something serious.

Rick Cesari [34:06]

Oh, absolutely. When it was at its height, we are on 2020 and New York Magazine. It was great. We had kind of started a little bit of a revolution – eating revolution in the country. And again, it just contributed to overall better health for a lot of people.

Mario Fachini [34:29]

Well, I remember it and I’m glad you were part of it. Because I found that fascinating and I love – I don’t have a juicer but I just get them already done. But I do love the smoothies and all that stuff. If it’s an option, I’d take it. And I gave up pop back in high school with the exception of, like, once a year at Christmas.

Rick Cesari [34:50]

Yep. That’s a smart choice. Hey, just if we have about two more minutes, I just like to mention because you did. We never got a chance to really talk about the GoPro thing and I really –

Mario Fachini [35:02]

Please do. Because I not only remembered it, I’m very familiar and I think they’re fascinating. Please do.

Rick Cesari [35:08]

Just a quick backstory. Being in marketing, I would go to different trade shows. And so I went down to look for products and businesses that might need my help. And I was at the outdoor retailing trade show in Salt Lake City. And the founder of the company, Nick Woodman drove his Volkswagen bus onto the trade show floor because that was his booth. He set up like a beach scene. His background was a surfer. And he was selling these cameras out of the back of the bus. And I said, “Hey, this looks like a good product. We should talk about doing something together.” Two weeks after the show, we flew up to Seattle and we sat down and had lunch and really planned out. I have to give him credit for this, he had a vision of he knew he was going to build a billion dollar company. But one of the things we did bring to the table was basically how we put together the TV ads that made the company successful. So we started every TV ad with a GoPro logo. And that’s something I think is really important in video production. Tell the people what the video is about up front.

Mario Fachini [36:11]

You were saying you started the TV off with the logo.

Rick Cesari [36:13]

Yeah. Every TV. These are 30 second commercials. We started everyone out with a GoPro logo so they knew exactly what the spot was about. Then they had user generated footage. People jumping off a cliff with a wingsuit, snowboarding, scuba diving. And here’s what the direct response came in, we ended every commercial with an offer that said go to our website, someone will win one of everything we make every single day. So three great things happened. People would go to the website and they’d register for the contest. So we would collect an email address and we build a database so we could remarket to those people. The second great thing, they’d get to the website, they’d see other cool GoPro videos, they’d share them with their friends, creating a viral effect. And the last was more traditional direct response. They get to the website and they buy cameras generating revenue, which we would then put back into advertising to help the business grow. So one real simple thing pulling together the combination of direct response principles with video really helped that company grow to a billion dollars in only eight years.

Mario Fachini [37:20]

That is really impressive and inspiring. And you said something, we can touch on it, you said remarketing. For anyone listening that doesn’t know what that is, could you go a little bit deeper?

Rick Cesari [37:36]

Well, the other thing when I always go in and talk to companies, two things we’re looking for. One, do they have great testimonials? Two, almost every company needs to build their database. And so when I talk to remarketing, it can mean a couple things. So one of the things is that we’re building a database so we can start email marketing and creating and ongoing every time we launch a new product. But the other way remarketing or retargeting, which would be reaching back out to people that have visited your website. And it’s a thing that a lot of e- commerce companies do now to help – if you’ve ever visited a website and then a couple days later, you’re somewhere on your computer visiting another website and you get served up an ad for the product you’re looking at. That’s kind of retargeting. And so when I was talking about it with the GoPro, I was talking about it more in terms of remarketing to people through their database. So if they didn’t purchase when they first came to the website, we had a specific email sequence we would send them until they did purchase or became kind of a loyal follower. One of the other two things.

Mario Fachini [38:55]

And that is so important because so many people think, “Well, I said something to him one time. I put out one ad. They clicked but they didn’t buy. I guess they’re not interested.” And it’s so far from the truth.

Rick Cesari [39:07]

Absolutely. Yeah. You need to – it goes back again, people used to say you have to see a TV ad three or four times before you purchase. You have to, maybe, see your online advertisement several times before you purchase. So just because someone doesn’t purchase in their first contact with you does not mean they’re not a customer. They’re obviously interested. They just have to be convinced a little more, pulled in a little more. And so that’s what remarketing or retargeting helps do.

Mario Fachini [39:38]

So one last question for you before we go to the Imperfect Action Round. If you could have lunch or dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Rick Cesari [39:50]

Okay. These are so many different people. For me –

Mario Fachini [39:57]

You’re adding so much value to Expert Authority World, you just gained a bonus one. You can pick two now.

Rick Cesari [40:03]

Oh, all right. I’m a history buff. I love to read history books. So I really admire different leaders like from World War II, like Franklin Roosevelt or Winston Churchill. And the amount of pressure, and stress, and decisions they had to make for survival. And one of my favorite quotes of all time which applies to business is from Winston Churchill. During the Battle of Britain, he gave a speech and he basically said – I’m paraphrasing a little bit – but he said, Never, never, never give up. And I think that’s good advice for businesses, too. Because a lot of times, just persevering, eventually, you’ll be successful.

Mario Fachini [40:49]

That is good advice. Because there’s many times I’ve thought about, you know, what if I did – I can’t bring myself to even consider doing anything different. But it doesn’t always go perfect. And I’ve heard that, it’s not the failures that will stop you. It’s the quitting.

Rick Cesari [41:08]

Yes. Oh, that’s good. I haven’t heard it phrased that way. Yeah. And you learn more. I know in my personal life, I’ve learned more from the failures than you do from the successes. And that’s what helps you become successful. Very few people are successful out of the gate. They have to trip, fall down, learn the hard way. But then, hopefully, listening to podcasts like this, you can learn through other people’s experience, which is a shortcut to success sometimes.

Mario Fachini [41:37]

Yeah. I know that you learn through the failures. But the successes are way more fun and enjoyable. But that’s how you get there. And yeah, I’ll say it, so the thing you just reminded me of was the experiences learning from your own mistakes. Wisdom is learning from others.

Rick Cesari [42:00]

That’s a great quote. I’m big on quotes. I started –

Mario Fachini [42:02]

Someone smarter than me said that. I’m not sure but I just remember that one.

Rick Cesari [42:05]

I know. I start every chapter in my books – this is my third book now. And I always start every chapter with an applicable business quote. Because usually a lot, they contain a lot of wisdom in a very short soundbite, for lack of a better term.

Mario Fachini [42:20]

Oh, for sure. For sure. And so many people even in business don’t get that. They need the whole elevator pitch. It’s like they need 20 minutes to explain it, if you can’t explain it in a quote. One of the ones I came up with I put in my first book, Video Marketing for Business Owners, is instead of trying to get everyone’s attention, why not be so captivating they can’t look away. So many people every day are just looking for how do I get the attention for today or whatever. And it’s like, why don’t you just become someone they can’t look away from and start trying to figure out what’s the new tip or trick this week?

Rick Cesari [42:57]

Oh, yeah. And that’s why I spend a lot of time in my book. And we talked about it earlier in the interview about tried and true things that have worked. Not the shiny new object that you’re chasing around or the tactic that works or black hat tactic that works on Amazon. But really tried and true principles that have been proven over literally decades to work and how you can implement them in your marketing.

Mario Fachini [43:23]

Well, I love that you’re sharing this stuff because as much as I love the cutting edge stuff and I’m excited about the for the new things and all the stuff I got coming out, I’m equally as excited if not more for the stuff from a hundred years ago. I also like history. And it’s like, “All right. What did Henry Ford do? What did Rockefeller do? What did all these people that built these billion dollar companies without internet cell phones, iPhones, all this? What was the key differentiators? And they’re still working today? So that’s exciting. We’re going to come back after thanking our sponsor with the Imperfect Action Round. And I can’t wait to hear what you have to say for these.

SPONSOR Pipedrive [44:00]

Don’t stay stuck in startup mode. That’s what I tell my audiences and clients and why I advise using Pipedrive for all of your customer relationship marketing needs in your business. You want more leads, you want more deals, and ultimately more clients. Who doesn’t? But when I deliver you a hundred more deals a quarter, can you handle it? A month, a week, a day? Which one of those made you the most nervous? Saying you want it over and over like a record on repeat is one thing. The reality, however, is that your subconscious is stopping you at some point. And it’s because you want A but your business is set up for B. Whether you have a system or you are that system, Pipedrive will upgrade your deal closing experience, increase your profitability, and make your day-to-day more enjoyable. Get your free trial today at EAInterviews.com/pipe drive. Don’t waste another day being the system or using a subpar system to grow your empire. There’s no need to make it harder than it already is. Once again, that’s EAInterviews.com/Pipedrive.

Mario Fachini [45:02]

All right. Ladies and gentlemen, we are back with the Imperfect Action Round. Rick, are you ready to take imperfect action?

Rick Cesari [45:07]

I’m ready even though I don’t know what it is.

Mario Fachini [45:11]

Sixty second rapid fire answers. I got three questions for you. And the first one is what is the fastest path to the cash?

Rick Cesari [45:21]

Wow. One-on-one selling. If you have a product, you can do lots of online marketing, lots of things like that. But if you can go to an event, flea market, swap market and you’re trying to sell a product, it’s a great way to generate cash very quickly. Learn how to do a pitch which then you can then magnify through videos, social media, other things. But you learn the one-on-one selling first.

Mario Fachini [45:59]

I love that. Great advice. Number two, what is the biggest problem you see your prospects making and the fastest way they can fix it?

Rick Cesari [46:08]

I have to say it’s something we talked about a little earlier. And that’s not speaking with or listening to their customers. Because the customers will tell them just about everything they need to know on how they can improve their business and help it grow. And they do not reach out to them often, if ever. But as often as they should. And it’s very easy to remedy. Just start talking to your customers.

Mario Fachini [46:40]

Excellent. Number three, what is the best way to maximize customer lifetime value?

Rick Cesari [46:48]

I have in my other book, which we didn’t mention, which is called Building Billion Dollar Brands. I have what I call the golden rule of branding. And that’s really treating people the way you want to be treated if you were a customer. And it’s a simple advice. But again, something that not a lot of people follow. And if you treat people that way and you treat them correctly, then they’ll become a lifetime customer and you’ll create more lifetime value from them.

Mario Fachini [47:22]

Great answers. Great answers. What is a book you could recommend to Expert Authority World that has made a big impact on your business?

Rick Cesari [47:31]

Yeah. We didn’t talk about this. When I was in my 20s, I read a book called How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. And it talks about the correct ways of giving a speech. And it’s really was life changing for me at the time. But I’ve still used the principles today even in making videos. Dale Carnegie had a formula – a really simple formula. And I used a lot of speaking analogies when I talk to about how to make video. And one of them is, when you’re giving a speech, you tell the people what you’re going to say, you say it, and you tell them what you said. And even though that’s a simplistic formula, I still use it in my videos. Use the GoPro as an example. You start out with a with a product logo. Then you talk about the product. And then you tell them what you said. And it’s a simple formula that works. So that’s a great book for people to read. And of course, the one we mentioned earlier, which is, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is another great one.

Mario Fachini [48:34]

Excellent. Well, I appreciate those recommendations. Thank you so much for sharing everything. Where can people find more about you?

Rick Cesari [48:41]

Yeah. The best thing to do is really go to my website, which is, RickCesari.com. My first name is R-I-C-K. And the last name is C-E-S-A-R-I. RickCesari.com. And I have a free download for people which is the three most popular types of online video content and how you can utilize them in your business. You can go there, download that. And that’s a free ebook that people can get. And then on my website, I have lots of blogs talking about a lot of the things we’re talking about today. And then from there, you can see the products and books that I have to offer as well.

Mario Fachini [49:16]

Well, excellent. I’ll make sure there’s a link in the show notes on EAInterviews.com and people can check it out.

Rick Cesari [49:24]

Hey, this is great. I really appreciate being on your show. And it’s been a great discussion.

Mario Fachini [49:30]

Well, I’ve enjoyed it just as much. Thank you again for sharing. I got something out of this and I know Expert Authority World has as well.

Rick Cesari [49:37]

All right. Thank you.

Mario Fachini [49:39]

All right. Expert Authority World, we got another great episode here for you. I look forward to seeing you on tomorrow’s. Have a great day and God bless.

SPONSOR Pipedrive [49:48]

There’s money in the metrics. Do you know yours? Pipedrive is the simplest and easiest CRM to close more deals, deepen your relationships, and increase your business profits. Get your free trial today at EAInterviews.com/Pipedrive.

www.EAInterviews.com [50:04]

Hey, thanks for listening to today’s episode. I hope you got a lot out of it. I know I sure did. If you haven’t done so already, I invite you to subscribe to the show. And also be sure to check out EAInterviews.com for complete show notes, the full interview video experience, links to the resources we mentioned, and more. Have a blessed day and I’ll see you tomorrow.