Business
Business Over Beer Episode #78. | Columbia Credit Union and EcoDigital Media, Part 2 This week on the Business Over Beer podcast, we have part 2 of our 3 part series with Co-founders of EcoDigital Media, Kimberly Brecko and Randy Short, along with Marc Timm, Chief Lending Officer, and Joe Storm, Director of Commercial Lending, for Columbia Credit Union In this episode we learn about EcoDigital Media, a Digital Signage and Visual Communication company, and how Kimberly and Randy are using their platform to help companies boost productivity and provide their clients with unique customer and employee experiences. Prost! Do not sell products, sell to behaviors As a small business owner, especially if you are new business owner or if you do not have much experience in sales, the natural inclination is to launch into a pitch that focuses on the product you are selling. And you can definitely build a business selling all the great features of your product or service. But if you want to take your business to the next level, look no further than human behavior to sell your product. For example, in the middle of the pandemic, when many business were struggling to stay afloat, employees were losing their jobs and budgets were getting slashed, many business owners were focused on the event itself and all the things that were holding them back. Kimberly and Randy, on the other hand, chose to focus on how people were behaving as a result of the event. Take out, Drive thru, and curbside pickup became table stakes for businesses of all kinds and EcoDigital was able to customize an offering for clients to meet this growing and rapidly changing shift in the marketplace. Integrate your product to behaviors Entrepreneurs are problem solvers at heart, and often times the market is not ready for your solutions. Perhaps, people are not behaving the way you expect them to...or need them to... in order to sell your product or service. So instead of telling people all the great things your product does, focus on how your product will integrate with what people are doing, and how they will feel as a result. For example, one of primary industries that EcoDigital serves is Hospitals and Healthcare. The impact of the pandemic to this industry has been far reaching. Imagine trying to get a meeting with a hospital administrator in the past year saying you want to sell them some signage?! A product first approach would have been a tough sale. But with a behavior first approach, Kimberly and Randy were able to relate their offering to the experience that will be had by employees, patients and visitors, and demonstrated how specific targeted content would improve the day to day experience for all, during a time when everyone truly needed an improved experience. Envision the experience If you are a new business owner, or are in a business where the ROI on your product or service is largely intangible, remember that people make decisions based on emotions, how they feel about something. So when you talk to people, read between the lines, what are they really saying, or more importantly, how are they feeling and help them envision an experience that helps them fill the gaps. Our Guest's Craft Beer Offering: Matchless Brewing - Tumwater, WA Southbound and Down, West Coast IPA, 7.2% ABV "Originally brewed in 2020 for the launch of our friends’ new company Southbound Distributing in Vancouver, WA. This nod to both their namesake and their favorite TV show is a modern take on West Coast IPA. It’s completely juiced up with Centennial, Citra and HBC-692 that crank out citrus, pine and even subtle tropical notes. All of this jumps the wake on a sea of Best Pilsner, SVM Vienna & Weyermann Munich malts. Because fundamentals are a crutch for the talentless." Episode Links: EcoDigital Media Columbia Credit Union Smokey and the Bandit - Eastbound and Down Tap Union Freehouse Boylan Root Beer