Author: Bob Mar 17, 2021 5 min read
It is crucial to provide well-organized common work within the Studio to create a great project and satisfy all clients’ requirements.
Today I’ve decided to have an open-minded conversation with my colleague from London, the head of the UK branch Elen Takhtaulova.
She’s been working with Wow-How Studio for 6+ years and has vast sales, project management, and marketing experience. Now her primary role is client-facing business development for the UK market. Frankly speaking, she is a twinkling star of our team, ready to change her environment to present our Studio. Personally, I admire her greatly, so let me introduce a Ukrainian Columbus who discovers new horizons in Video Production.
When all contracts have been signed, I was always curious why sales managers continue to interact with clients and the producers show up afterward. When is the producer supposed to get to know the client and immerse in the project? For instance, if I were in clients’ shoes, I would get used to one manager and have some difficulties switching to another.
Bob:
– Elen, could you please tell me who is the first to start a dialogue with a client?
Elen:
– Our conversation about the animation video starts with me, the sales manager, or other sales/BDM team members. I do my first handshake. The sales manager finds a client, gets info about his business, about his pains and wishes. The client shares the business concept with me, and it’s the primary source of light and energy to show in the video. I call it an animated video’s superpower. It’s vital to build trust at this stage to start creating an animated video for him.
Bob:
– What happens in the Studio while you are actively chatting or meeting with the client? Does the Studio already have some information about him?
Elen:
– Of course, the company already knows about him. For example, while you don’t know your producer yet, the producer already knows about you and your business.
Bob:
– Wow! It happens faster than I thought! The client feels that only one person in the Studio knows about him, but professionals are already engaging with his project in reality.
Elen:
– That’s exactly what happens. Every video is a seed-grown project that will eventually bring you money, reputation, value, and aesthetic pleasure. A large team works on every video to make it awesome. Each team member contributes his expertise to the project. For example, a producer is a person who works directly with the team structure. He knows the skills of all creative people and super strengths of each individual separately. He knows which concept writer and which artist needs to be involved.
Bob:
– What happens after the client understands the value of the animated video?
Elen:
– It is time to provide an offer with our creative suggestions and project estimations. The sales manager immediately connects with the team, where the producer is the main link. It all happens behind the scenes: the producer and the sales rep hold the briefing session with the creative team. During the session, they tell everything about the client and his needs. After that, the concept-writer brainstorm various ideas. We provide different offers for each concept. Then the sales rep sends a commercial proposal.
Bob:
– And what happens next when the client has chosen the concept? As far as I can understand, it’s when the team is pumped, and everyone is waiting for the official project Kick-off.
Elen:
– When the client has decided on the concept and style, satisfied with the offer, we are ready to start the project. Here the stage of signing the documents takes place.
While sales are still working with the client on the vivid details and all the documentation required, the project’s work has already begun. The producer has finished selecting a team: illustrators, animators, screenwriters; created the project’s timeline. Now, the producer is waiting for the formal introduction to the client.
Bob:
– Oh, I get it, so when does the right moment come?
Elen:
– It’s called Kick-off – a call or a letter to introduce the producer to the client. Like a snowball, from that moment on, the team becomes denser under the producer’s guidance, who is the key person now. But, please pay attention; the sales manager does not abandon the client. He keeps in touch with the client and can assist at any time. The sales manager’s references are added to all the key emails. And remains the person who is the ’emergency contact’ for the client, the one who introduced him to this fascinating journey towards video creation.
Bob:
– Let’s sum up; it turns out that a massive team of specialists collaborate while creating a project. The secret of the gorgeous video is hidden under the well-coordinated teamwork. Am I right?
Elen:
– Every person in the team has an impact on the general quality of the project. The producer has to understand what each team member is doing, and Business Dev keeps track of the workflow and efficient communication with each client. The more experts are involved, the more supervision under the process is needed. To put it in a nutshell, Wow-How Studio’s primary goal is to craft amazing videos. That’s why we do our best to provide fantastic management at each stage of the project.
