SHOW TRANSCRIPT

This transcript is automatically generated by Descript.  Any errors or omissions are unintentional.

[00:00:00] Jeff Sieh: Hello, folks. Welcome to another edition of Social Media News Live. We have got a packed show for you guys today. I am so So excited. We’re going to be talking all about holiday selling and all the stuff that you need to do to get ready for the big holidays. So if you know somebody who’s like, this is their first like Black Friday, or they’re just getting started selling, or they’ve been a pro at selling for all these years and they just are trying to take it to the next level, make sure you at mention them down below.

[00:00:28] this is going to be such a great show and I want you guys to ask your questions. I want to pull up as many questions as I can because I want to make this show. All about you. We’ve got just so many fun people here today, but we have my co host, the amazing, unsinkable Connor Brown. He is here as well.

[00:00:43] Connor, how are you doing, my friend?

[00:00:45] Conor Brown: I’m doing great. This is, the start of a great weekend for me. I’m running the 10K, run Disney, in the Walt Disney World theme parks tomorrow. have I trained? That’s really none of your business, personally.

[00:01:00] Jeff Sieh: Yeah, that’s right. So, we’ve got some great people showing up today. The Ecamm fam is here. George says, hello fam. We’ve got some Chris Stone saying, do the hustle. Yes, we’re talking about the holiday hustle today. Brian Farrell footsteps through Barcelona. Good evening, lovely people. I guess your clocks haven’t come back yet.

[00:01:20] Not, it’s this weekend. So yeah, we, we snuck up on you and, we’ve got all these people showing up. Today’s is going to be great. A lot of our Ecamm family is here. and I met, I got to see these people just not very long ago. at the Ecamm Creator Camp. I had never met Mary Lou in real life before. Kurt’s an old…

[00:01:38] He’s been there. We’ve talked all the time. He’s amazing. But it was so much fun, and we were talking before the show, all the stuff that happened. This is going to be great. One of the things I do want to let you guys know, because, what something that’s coming up… in January, I’m going to be at PodFest, and I’m actually starting with a guy who’s been on the show before, Paul Gowder, he was also a trainer at Leap Into Live a couple of seasons ago, and we’re starting a mastermind, a paid mastermind, but one of the cool things is, is we’re actually going to meet up with The day before podcast, podcast, PodFest starts, and we’re gonna be talking, just, we’re meeting up at the parks, just hanging out, but Ecamm is gonna partner with us, so if you’re interested in just coming to the parks the day before PodFest, which is actually, it’s gonna be, Wednesday, January 24th, it is the day before PodFest Orlando, so, We’re gonna be hanging in there with Ecamm’s gonna come, we’re gonna give out some swag, we’re just gonna chill out in the park.

[00:02:32] I think we’re gonna go to Hollywood Studios, so all you Star Wars nerds, we’re gonna have a lot of fun there. It is awesome. Connor will probably be there as well, so, go to jeffsieh. com forward slash podfest meetup. For that, Katie’s excited because she’s never been and she’s going to go ride, ride of the resistance with us.

[00:02:50] So that will be a lot of fun. So, can’t wait to talk about that. So anyway, let’s go ahead and I’m going to go ahead and live. I mean, hit record on the podcast machine and we’ll get started. Connor, are you ready?

[00:03:00] Conor Brown: ready.

[00:03:01] Jeff Sieh: Alright, here we go. Hello folks, welcome to Social Media News Live, I’m Jeff Sieh, and you’re not.

[00:03:10] Kurt Nugent: you all.

[00:03:10] Conor Brown: And I’m Connor Brown and this is the show that keeps you up to date on what’s happening in the world of social media and more.

[00:03:17] Jeff Sieh: Have you ever found yourself curious about the secrets to excelling in seasonal sales? Are you interested in the intricacies of live selling and shoppable videos during the festive season? Or maybe you’re looking to discover tech driven strategies to amplify your holiday sales. If those questions strike a chord with you, Then you’re in for a treat today.

[00:03:35] We’re excited to welcome two seasoned influencers, Mary Lou Mandel and Kirk Nugent, who have mastered the art of live selling and creative tech to thrive in the bustling holiday market. They’re going to be sharing their discoveries, their insights, and actionable advice to elevate your holiday selling ventures.

[00:03:53] So sit back, clear your schedule, clear your mind, and get ready for this week’s episode of Social Media News Live. Mary Lou and Kurt, I’m just stoked that you’re here. This is amazing.

[00:04:04] Marielou Mandl: Thanks for having us.

[00:04:05] Jeff Sieh: Yeah, so if you don’t know Mary Lou, she is amazing. If you’re part of the Ecamm fam, you’ve seen her around. She is a seasoned host, producer, and content creator with over two decades of experience shining as the creative force behind the weekly video rendezvous Video OMG, where she demystifies the magic of video creation, offering technical know how and creative inspiration to help you unleash your inner video star.

[00:04:29] With 13 plus years of professional internet content creation experience, she’s garnered over 7 million views across multiple platforms. Mary Lou’s work is a blend of knowledge, personal growth, and storytelling, featuring everyone from Oscar winners to everyday creators. Her unique voice and insights have graced numerous media outlets and platforms.

[00:04:49] Mary Lou, thank you so much for being on the show today. So excited to have you here.

[00:04:53] Marielou Mandl: Thanks for having me here.

[00:04:54] Jeff Sieh: This will be

[00:04:54] Kurt Nugent: I’m at the end. That, that, listen, I, I, when I grow up, I want a, a bio like that one, now,

[00:04:59] Jeff Sieh: I know, right? Exactly.

[00:05:01] Marielou Mandl: I can

[00:05:01] Kurt Nugent: Lou, man, it’s so dope to be here.

[00:05:03] Conor Brown: got a good one coming up right now because if you don’t know Kurt, you should know him as well. He’s an expert live stream coach, accomplished content creator. Kurt Nugent has invited, has reinvented how small businesses, entrepreneurs, and faith based entities. reach the world. Whether he is engaged in one on one training to help those who seek to grow their businesses or he’s captivating audiences through Amazon and CNN with his expertise as a product ambassador, Kirk’s goal is to help organizations leverage innovation.

[00:05:38] As the host and producer of the show, How It All Works, he believes that corporations, no matter their size, should stop selling, start streaming, and let the clients Come to you.

[00:05:50] Kurt Nugent: love it.

[00:05:51] Conor Brown: Kurt, thanks so much for being on the show today.

[00:05:54] Jeff Sieh: We have so many people who are commenting, so down to earth with Katie says, Jeff, you said that title brilliantly. You must have

[00:06:01] Kurt Nugent: I love that one.

[00:06:02] Jeff Sieh: Yes. and I glued the beard on this morning as well. And Jim Fuse from Fusion Marketing says, good morning, my camp counselor. so that is Mary Lou. And so we,

[00:06:11] Kurt Nugent: Camp counselor, I

[00:06:13] Jeff Sieh: We had so much fun, we talked about the Creator Camp, but if you don’t know about Ecamm, oh my gosh, we all here love it, we all use it, it’s amazing, if you’d like to find out more about them, socialmedianewslive.

[00:06:25] com forward slash Ecamm, they are what makes this show possible, they make this, they sponsor this show, but they are awesome, make sure to check them out, socialmedianewslive. com forward slash Ecamm, alright! Alright. Let’s get into the show. We are talking about secrets for seasonal sales, and one of the things, you know, this is a time when, you know, everybody is like, okay, we got to get our holiday on.

[00:06:45] Let’s get going. We got to start making some sales. Mary Lou, let’s start with you. How can small businesses utilize creative technology? Because I know you’re a gearhead. what are some of your favorite… Technology wise to enhance holiday sales.

[00:07:01] Marielou Mandl: Well, ideally, you would have already started, but if you haven’t started yet, right, just start with your phone, right? Don’t think you have to do the whole Ecamm thing. If you have it, great. But also sometimes… Just pare it down to just your phone because that technology is the technology that your consumers are used to seeing that will feel natural.

[00:07:19] It won’t feel like a commercial. It’ll feel like their friend sent them some advice or recommendation. So even though like you can shoot with all the technology in the world, you can make the super most professional looking show, but that might not be the most effective for driving sales, especially if you’re starting right now.

[00:07:37] Kurt Nugent: Hmm.

[00:07:38] Jeff Sieh: What, what say you, Kurt? What are some, what’s some of your favorite tech that you use for, you know, creating content for, for sales?

[00:07:45] Kurt Nugent: So, so I have, I totally agree with, with Mary Lou. Using your phone is, is the ultimate cheat code. This is what we know. Everyone has one. If you’re like me, you have two. Team Android, team iPhone. but you, you, and, and if you do have two, that may mean you can actually do some other things. But here’s the, the, the critical piece is not just, looking around and seeing what you have.

[00:08:07] At your disposal. Currently, I’m a big fan of not necessarily going out and buying just to get started. I’m a big fan of leveraging, leveraging what you have already, right? What do you, what do you currently have? What is in your home? What do you already have that you can, can utilize? but then secondly, begin to, to consume, what others are, are doing.

[00:08:29] I was talking to a guy last week and he was like, well, I really want to get into live selling. I was like, how much did I have selling? Do you watch? He’s like, well. I don’t really watch much at all. I said, that’s like, you know, 10 percent of a thousand percent of your problem is you haven’t actually watched any.

[00:08:42] And so you don’t actually know how it’s done. You don’t know what you like. You don’t know what you, what may work. you don’t even have your list of things that you want to try. Right. And a lot of the stuff that you did, the live sellers are doing that are moving the needle, small pieces of technology that are really getting them across the line.

[00:08:59] These are things that. You probably have, and you just didn’t think about it. A lot of, I know I watched Jeff. I watch, Dealcasters is in the chat. I saw Jeff, sorry, I saw, Jim and, and Chris in the chat as well. I see Eden is in the chat. Mary Lou, somebody I also follow. You’re going to want to, Take a look at some of these platforms, some of these influencers, some of these people who are doing it at a level that you want to do it and emulate it. A good friend of mine and mentor says that success leaves clues. I’m going to repeat that for the people in the back that are talking. Success leaves clues.

[00:09:34] And so you go and look at the people who are successful and you’ll find clues in terms of what might end up working for you.

[00:09:40] Jeff Sieh: That’s great advice. And once again, one of the pieces that, you know, you see all the, a lot of these people using is Ecamm. So I had to put

[00:09:47] Kurt Nugent: Is this true?

[00:09:48] Jeff Sieh: it’s so powerful to be able to do.

[00:09:50] Kurt Nugent: is. It is.

[00:09:51] Jeff Sieh: so, and Mr. Paul Duncan, who another person I got to meet for the first time at Ecamm Creator Camp says, start with what you have.

[00:09:58] That is so true. Thank you, Paul, for the comment. All right, Connor, you’re up.

[00:10:03] Conor Brown: Yeah, so on that same line, you know, start with what you have. We talked a little bit about it. Maybe you have just an iPhone or an Android, whatever it is, focus on that. But what are some other cost saving tech tools or more specifically platforms that both of you would recommend for, for live selling during the holidays?

[00:10:20] Let’s switch this up. Let’s go Kirk first and then Mary Lou.

[00:10:24] Kurt Nugent: yeah, yeah. So I’ll just, I’ll give the non traditional answer because I feel like Mary Lou’s going to give the dope answer. I’m glad I’m going first, but it’s, it’s, I, I, I’m not going to go to the tech just yet in terms of platform, but what I’ll say is where is your audience? Right. I’m going to flip it back around to the person who is thinking about doing this.

[00:10:43] What is a, what cost effective, tools and platforms? Yes. We talked about the phone. We talked about starting with what you have. And if you haven’t tried out Ecamm, I believe, Jeff has a link that will get you a 14 day free trial. And you’re going to want to look into that because if you have a Mac, this is probably, not probably, this is absolutely the best platform you can use to be able to get live on some of these platforms.

[00:11:07] But. What is your plan? you gotta have a plan. You, you, you gotta have a plan. And the plan includes understanding who does I want to talk to? Where are they? Right? So if you’re, if your audience is on TikTok and you’re streaming on YouTube, it doesn’t work. I don’t care how good you do it, right? It doesn’t work, right?

[00:11:24] You got to figure out where you’re, where, where is your audience? And, and I think that’s one of those, one of those items that’s not going to cost you a whole lot. You can, you can, you can do your research, do your homework, figure out where your audience is, who needs the thing that I’m selling. How can I wrap it up in a story that is related to the holidays that gives that warm fuzzy and gets people to feel a little bit better about bringing their credit card out of their pocket.

[00:11:47] Those are the pieces, that plan, that plan, that plan, I’m a carpenter’s son, so we measure twice, cut once, that plan is really what you are after, and you want to make sure that you are devising a plan that allows people to land right where you want them to, right? On that purchase button. So, hopefully that’s helpful.

[00:12:08] Jeff Sieh: Yeah, Mary Lou, what are your, what, oh, we went with, no, well, you, it’s your, your turn next. Sorry. I’m,

[00:12:14] Kurt Nugent: Yes,

[00:12:15] Marielou Mandl: turn? Oh, yes. So going off of what Kirk said, like using the technology to find where your audience is, you can, you can totally use our friend Google, right? You’re like, if you know what the demographic is for your products, then you can also look at where that demographic spends time online. So if you know, if your audience never goes on TikTok, then TikTok Live isn’t going to be the place for you.

[00:12:41] But if your audience is over there. I do think that that is the most up and coming because they are putting the most money behind that. So little insider knowledge, like they are hiring Co casting is hiring hosts to do TikTok Shop Live for brands. That is where the money is. Companies that used to hire for Amazon Live our hiring.

[00:13:05] I, I was hired to be host on TikTok Live specifically, so definitely get on there and just. Get to know how it is because it does work differently. Amazon, I think is still a good place to show up, but I personally am not using that as a main part of my strategy. You know, the plan, right? The plan, as Kirk said, the plan.

[00:13:26] I saw that it’s fine to show up there. I’d, I’d probably show up there on Black Friday, like on the days where people are physically. On amazon. com. But for general knowledge, I would show up in other places. And I actually find a lot more success personally with product videos over the live selling at this point.

[00:13:46] And I do that. I will throw those videos everywhere that I can with all the links that I can. Flip is a place that I, I kind of base out of, but that’s because like you have to make a. You can, you have to purchase it on that app in order to make the video there. But if I purchase it there, if it’s stuff I’m going to purchase anyway, then I can have that video.

[00:14:04] I can throw it on Amazon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, everywhere. And once you figure out where’s actually working the best for you, then you can really double down on that. So in my strategy of throwing everything everywhere, I know my review channel on YouTube, it’s there. But it doesn’t really generate any sales.

[00:14:22] But on TikTok is where I get questions, is where people are asking more things. That’s where brands kind of see me. But on Instagram is where people are like, where is the link? I need to buy this. And those are just it. That’s only from experimentation.

[00:14:38] Jeff Sieh: Oh, that’s a great point. and, and that leads me to, Chris Stone asked this great question over at YouTube. He goes to both of you, how do you continue to build trust when you, you have with your followers? So especially with sales, because everybody right now is trying to make all the money they can during the holidays.

[00:14:57] And, you know, everybody’s getting beat over the head, like buy my stuff, buy my stuff, buy my stuff. And a lot of, at least for, I think our audience, and I know you too, people follow you because. Of you give great advice. You talk about tech, you, you, you help them out. There’s a service that you provide. How do you not ra erode that trust during the holidays?

[00:15:18] by, you know, by selling too much, I guess is my question. Kurt, you go first with that one, would you?

[00:15:23] Kurt Nugent: Okay. Yeah, sure. No, there’s, there’s something to be said for staying in your lane. if I have been helping people in the area of live streaming, live video, so cameras, microphones, lights, other gadgets that deal with video production, live streaming, broadcast, and then I show up with a crock pot, on Black Friday.

[00:15:46] That’s how you erode trust. I, what, what credibility do I have for a crockpot? So I, I think it’s, it’s really staying in your lane. It’s understanding what the, it’s understanding the value proposition you’ve already established with your, your, your audience, that know, like, and trust factor, right? So you understand that.

[00:16:02] And then Doubling down on it. Okay. So man, let me, and, and trying to build relationships off season. I think that is, is, has probably been the ultimate cheat code for me is the relationships that I built in the summer. I’m now bringing those to bear, you know, come, come the holiday season, because now I can say, Hey, I’ve got an inside with this brand here, and this is what’s coming and here’s some of the sales.

[00:16:26] I know some of you’ve been looking at the products that I’ve been showcasing. Here’s some of the sales. Here’s some of the percentages off. If you’ve been saving coin, here’s, here’s the purchase to make. And that helps them to say, okay, I’m not even looking to go anywhere else. Now I’m staying right with Kirk because not only is he, he’s, he helped me out.

[00:16:44] Not only has he, showed, shared with me products that have actually moved the needle, but now he’s giving me, additional value in terms of here are the. Discounts, here are the sales. Here’s where I can get these products, with, with a little percentage off. And yes, it does help Kirk, but it helps me too.

[00:17:02] So

[00:17:03] Jeff Sieh: That’s good. Mary Lou, what about you? What, what, how do you keep the trust up during kind of this hard sell, season?

[00:17:12] Marielou Mandl: I talk about things that I’m genuinely excited about. And because of the full year, of always creating content, always giving recommendations and always giving a true opinion. Like, if something’s not the best thing, I’m not going to be like, well, everybody has to get this, because not everything is for everyone.

[00:17:29] So, like, even like, I love Ecamm and I will tell everybody about Ecamm, but also I can tell when somebody’s not going to use it and it’s not going to be for them, and it’s going to be a barrier for them. So, I’ll be like, this tool is here. If you feel like you want to get into that, excellent. But if that’s going to overwhelm you and stop you from actually creating, then that’s not the tool for you possibly yet.

[00:17:53] Right? So I like to keep it honest always. That’s where I keep my trust. And, and I also like to let the audience decide for themselves in places where I can. So like in the case of microphone tests, I will do the microphone test. I will be like, this is what it sounds like with no microphone. I will plug it in on camera.

[00:18:11] This is what it sounds like with the microphone. If you think it sounds better, then let me know. I’ll tell you where to get it. Otherwise, like you’re fine.

[00:18:18] Kurt Nugent: yeah.

[00:18:19] Jeff Sieh: That’s it’s, it’s not the hard sell. You’re just continuing what you’ve done the rest of the year. Like this.

[00:18:25] Kurt Nugent: Yeah, and I think

[00:18:27] Marielou Mandl: like what Kirk was saying was like, you have the connections, right? So you know where the sales are. So the things that you’re like, you know, we’ve been talking about this. It’s been in the comments. You guys are always asking about the road wireless go to. You guys are always asking about this.

[00:18:39] I happen to know this sale is coming up if you’re interested.

[00:18:43] Kurt Nugent: Boom.

[00:18:43] Jeff Sieh: were

[00:18:44] Kurt Nugent: And I was just going to add that, what Mary Lou does, that’s totally different from me. My, my, my whole platform is about live streaming. So I’m really more focused on that. And then everything that, you know, is under that of anything that I can, you know, get an affiliate link for that is stuff that I already recommend.

[00:19:00] Of course, I’m going to. You know, put that before my audience, but what Mary Lou does is she’s actually in that space on a regular basis. she’s, she’s, her, her content is, is totally different from mine in that way. And so she has the, the credibility that, that I guess on from a long term perspective, right?

[00:19:17] Because they’re, they know her for being in that space, looking at products, different, giving product reviews, giving her honest opinion and advice. And then of course, crowdsourcing that thing. nothing better than allowing your audience to say, Hmm. That actually didn’t sound good, all right. Plug that other one back in.

[00:19:33] Right. And then we start to kind of say, well, yeah, well, what did you, what didn’t you like about it? Well, it’s got a little sound to it. It’s like, well, that just might be my voice, but anyway, we got back and forth and we have a great time and we kind of arrive at a. Acamp, Opinion, maybe not necessarily even the same opinion, but we arrive each at our own opinions together based on that experience.

[00:19:53] And the audience will still connect the fact that I was able to make a purchase decision, whether to buy or to not buy because of the content that Mary Lou put out or. You, right? So you want to be that person. I like to call it like a digital butler, where you, where you just like, Hey, let me do the Vanna White thing.

[00:20:12] What do you think about this one? Right. So what about this one? but you, you, you want to have fun with that thing as well, man, and allow for your, your, your personality to come through. I think there’s so much that we can do that we do naturally, to just, you know, create that trust factor that we sometimes try to edit out of our content.

[00:20:31] And that’s the mistake. That’s the ultimate mistake in my opinion. So

[00:20:34] Jeff Sieh: That’s a great point.

[00:20:36] Conor Brown: Yeah, you know there’s so many solopreneurs here that are, that are watching and following along and we, live selling can be impactful for, for so many solopreneurs, but as you’re the only person running the business, you got a million things going on, right? So for both of you, how can we as solopreneurs effectively Use live video marketing when compared to other forms of marketing that we’re dabbling in to drive sales, especially during this holiday season.

[00:21:05] Let’s change it up. Let’s go with Mary Lou first.

[00:21:09] Marielou Mandl: The times that I’ve found live selling the most effective are on Personally, on the actual shopping holiday. Now, it might be different if I had a regular schedule where people knew like every Sunday at 10, Mary Lou’s live selling, right? If that would be a different game. But because that’s not my main strategy, being there on the shopping holidays to answer the last minute questions.

[00:21:31] Because like Kirk said, you want to be the person that helps them make the decision. You want to be that digital butler and you can’t butler if you’re not at the house. You have to show up. And be at the door and you’re like,

[00:21:44] Kurt Nugent: Yes.

[00:21:44] Marielou Mandl: yes, they would be great. And then also to be able to answer the questions of like, whether like this, I like this, but this is too expensive.

[00:21:52] Knowing enough to recommend something else.

[00:21:56] Kurt Nugent: There it is.

[00:21:56] Marielou Mandl: Okay, if this isn’t the fit for you, excellent. I’m glad you came to the live stream. Maybe this one would be a better fit for you. And you’re there, saying, I can help you.

[00:22:06] Kurt Nugent: Come on. Come on. Somebody said, somebody said bgs.

[00:22:09] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. Yeah. Gary Stockton said, yeah. Thanks, Gary. Yeah. Be Jeeves. Be the butler. That is,

[00:22:14] Kurt Nugent: Oh

[00:22:14] Jeff Sieh: just, this is a side note before Kurt, you can, you can follow up on this, but this is something that A, I can’t do, right? Like one of the things with like all, you know, a podcast or a live video, what Mary Lewis saying about being, being the butler, A, I can’t do that right now in real time, taking comments.

[00:22:32] And so anyway, I just had to put that in. Kurt, go ahead.

[00:22:35] Kurt Nugent: I, I, I think, a lot of times we, we are, we have to think through the posture that the shopper has approached your livestream. So what Mary Lou just described. The people that are showing up on her live on a holiday, they are ready to buy. It’s a different experience. So the type of live streaming, type of live show that I would do during the holidays is different than what I would do on a, you know.

[00:23:06] You know, on a July, you know, 26th, because these, these may be just people who just show up. There are people who know, like, and trust me, people who just know that I’m going to say a joke or two, and they’re just there for a good time. But the people who show up on Black Friday, they’re there to buy.

[00:23:22] They’re there to make a purchase. And so I think that having that in your mind as a mindset, like these people are not here, they’re just there to hang out and have a good time. They have questions. Make sure that your, your, your live stream. your live show, your live shopping experience, caters to that is it prioritizes that.

[00:23:41] I like to tell my audience, your questions are my agenda, right? It supersedes everything else. So you’re, you have a question. I’m going to stop what I’m doing because I recognize that they’re in a position where they’re trying to buy. So I want to answer that question so that they can make their purchase decision and they can move on.

[00:23:57] the other, other thing I want to share there is. If you are so, cause the way that you framed the question was as a solopreneur, how can we effectively use live video marketing? And first of all, your, you, whatever your product and service is, it has to have some way of being able to be sold, in a live video marketing way.

[00:24:15] But what I will also add for any solopreneur that’s out there is trying to figure out what is my formula for doing this? You’ve got to find stories that include your product or service that also includes the holidays. Find a story, tell, tell that story, find 50 ways of telling that story and share that when you’re doing your live shopping experience because it’s gonna tie both the holiday I don’t care what it is.

[00:24:39] You know, it could be that you were, you know, I was, I was using this mouse and I was drinking some eggnog. I don’t really care what it is. As long as you can link the two together, somebody else is going to link the two together. You can tell that story. Everyone loves a story. And as long as you can work into that story, the fact that this solved a problem, guess what?

[00:25:01] Jeff Sieh: Yeah.

[00:25:02] Kurt Nugent: You just checked all the boxes.

[00:25:04] Jeff Sieh: Right. And I think that is important is, is, is we’re, we’re all wanting to sell, but you’re there solving a problem like you do every week. So that’s what’s key. And this is a great question from down to earth with Katie says, do you sell via a weekly live show? And I wanted to ask, I mean, Mary Lou said she doesn’t do it as much on Amazon anymore, but there’s kind of some strategies for live selling.

[00:25:28] So Mary Lou, can you talk about like. Some strategies that have worked for you or your clients, like maybe in past holiday seasons, I know you’ve mentioned Amazon Live. It’s kind of declined a little bit from what it was. People are going to TikTok, but you said you’re also going to start kind of doing more during this season.

[00:25:45] So what are some strategies that have worked for you in the past? So

[00:25:48] Marielou Mandl: What’s worked for me in the past with Live selling on, on Amazon. And I think it would probably work with any other platform is the ramp up. So right now it’s the beginning of November. If this week you can go live once or twice and the next week, go live three or four times. And then the week after that, a little bit more.

[00:26:11] So by the time Black Friday shows up and people are ready to buy, you’ve already been in their mind a couple of times, because what’s the thing? Like you have to see something. three plus times before you make a purchase. And now that they’ve seen you, you talk about this and they’re like, Oh, you know what?

[00:26:27] Now I’m ready to buy. Now my, my card is warmed up. Let me go ask, let me go ask Kurt because he’s been talking about this. So he must know he he’ll be able to answer the questions and he’ll be able to tell me if this actually is a good deal or not, because that’s the person that I’ve seen. I’ve trusted and they’ve gained the credibility because I’ve seen them over and over and over again.

[00:26:48] They might not have watched. But you’ve seen them a bunch of times so you know they know this.

[00:26:53] Jeff Sieh: just real quick for a bump over to Kurt, I want to, since you’ve done a lot of TikTok and I really do not know a ton about that platform, what are some of the differences that you’ve noticed, like live selling on Amazon versus TikTok? Like, is it a whole different animal? What, what are your thoughts on that?

[00:27:08] Marielou Mandl: Because on TikTok anybody can pop in, your live selling shows are mixed in with the regular live streams and mixed in with the regular content. You could be scrolling through the For You page and a live show could show up and then it could be like five videos about cats and then it could be a regular live stream where somebody’s playing piano and then and then back to another live show.

[00:27:32] So the difference there is that people are coming in and out. Pretty fast. Maybe they were ready to shop. Maybe they weren’t. So you have to, and I think this is true for any of the live streams for live selling is if somebody pops in and like, they just showed up, you might’ve been live streaming for an hour already.

[00:27:50] And they’re like, I need to know about that, that light set. But you’re like, well, I already talked about it. So go back and watch the replay is not gonna fly. It’s not gonna fly. You want to be like, okay, cool. Let’s talk about it again, right now. Okay. Be okay with repeating yourself. Tell people that they can click the button.

[00:28:07] With TikTok, I know for sure, because on Amazon, people know they can buy in the app. But on TikTok, not everybody knows this yet. So you have to be like, click on the product, you can add it to cart, you can buy it in the app, you don’t have to leave the app in order to buy this because they’re not used to this yet.

[00:28:22] So a lot of the repeating of That is important as any call to action on any content, right? Like, it’s like, put it in your cart, add to cart, you should buy it. Like, here’s the

[00:28:33] Kurt Nugent: Come on.

[00:28:33] Marielou Mandl: Right. And so the, that’s how I would see on TikTok is different because anybody can stumble into your store where like on Amazon, they’re already walking around the mall.

[00:28:44] This is kind of how I see it. It’s like, On Amazon, you’re in the mall, you’re looking on different stores, you came to shop or just browse, but you know, sales are happening there. Where on TikTok, I look at it as like a festival, where there’s like this entertainer, that entertainer, oh, this little booth is selling these things.

[00:29:02] Let me go check that out. Okay, there’s this artist over here doing this performance. Oh, let me sit here and hang out at this booth for a little bit while they teach me about something new. So That’s how I see them as, as different experiences for, for the viewers.

[00:29:17] Jeff Sieh: Awesome. That is, that’s really good. yeah, I love that festival idea. I never thought of it. I’m going to, yeah, that’s really good. so Kurt, what, what are some strategies that have worked for you in the past, live selling during the holiday season?

[00:29:30] Kurt Nugent: Man, I just want to go to a festival now.

[00:29:33] Jeff Sieh: Yeah.

[00:29:34] Kurt Nugent: I, what I will say is this, I love Amazon. I think it’s a great platform. and yes, I think everybody has seen. You know, you the rollercoaster, right? It has its ebbs and flows and, and it’s at a low, it’s a lull right now. I, I think it’ll up you have a little uptick as well.

[00:29:51] I’m, I’m, I still have it as one of my discoverable platforms in it just, you know. It just never fails. You know, every time I go on there, even if it’s just a handful of people that are watching, you never can tell how that thing’s going to work out. But here’s what I’ve, what I said earlier in terms of where’s your audience.

[00:30:06] One of the things I realized is that my audience is on YouTube because that’s where I’ve done a lot of my, my content is where I coach. That’s where I put out, put out videos on a regular basis. So my audience is on YouTube and trying to get them to make the switch, it was very difficult. And so I began utilizing a strategy of QR codes in my live shows that would take them to the products, right?

[00:30:30] So I, I, I, I’m not going to lie, it took, I took a day and a half, to, to create your QR codes for all of these different products. and set up a whole thing in my Ecamm, you know, live show, live selling experience. And so. I can go live on Amazon now and that’s on YouTube now where my audience is. I can put up a QR code to a particular product that I’m talking about.

[00:30:56] People can scan that QR code. I can drop that, that link to the product in the chat. And those people basically are given a live shopping experience right there on the platform that they already know me for. Right. And so I think, you know, trying to find a balance between Yes, YouTube hasn’t necessarily launched into that area yet.

[00:31:19] I want to put emphasis on yet, but you can still work with your audience in that way. And, what I’ll also say is this, uh, those links, when they go from my YouTube video over to Amazon, that’s an off platform, referral. That’s actually a higher commission. So there’s, there’s a lot of different ways that you can engage.

[00:31:41] but again, run, recognize and understanding where your audience is. That’s your core audience and how you can serve them best. But then, you know, what are these other platforms? And maybe you might want to look at putting them in the discoverability platform. I put TikTok in that platform. I mean, who doesn’t, I don’t know who’s going to show up at the festival.

[00:31:58] Right. So I, I, I want to have a booth at the festival. I want people to know about me. I want people to know about what I do. I might mess around, maybe get one sale, but, but what is, what is, what is the worth for a solopreneur, entrepreneur, small business? What is the value of people knowing who you are?

[00:32:16] Right? I think that cannot be quantified. And so even if you don’t necessarily get a sale, it might still make, maybe worth your while to go to some of these platforms where you don’t necessarily think your audience is and just set up a stand and go live for a little bit. So that’s, that’s my, my take on that.

[00:32:32] Jeff Sieh: that’s great. That’s a great, great

[00:32:35] Conor Brown: I love, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that, that QR idea as well, like making it easy. For the viewer to buy something if they want to. And to that end, the key elements when it comes to, you know, creating these shop, shoppable videos that transform a viewer into a, into a purchaser, right? Like what are some of those key elements when it comes to those things?

[00:32:57] Cause I feel like with a lot of us, we don’t want to come off as overtly selly, salesy, right? We don’t want to be the used car guy, like buy now, buy now, buy now, but we have to include a little bit of, of that, right? So. The key elements that you both, think are crucial from converting those viewers into buyers when it comes to shoppable videos, Mary Lou, what you got?

[00:33:22] Marielou Mandl: Yeah, Connor, there’s, there’s so many things that you can do, but the number one thing that I am personally trying to implement for myself, which you, it makes me cringe, but. I’ve seen the videos where I do this to do so much better than the ones where I don’t is to use a hook, which you can, you can find these everywhere.

[00:33:40] Like you can find lists of them. And it’s just like hard for me to like, my brain doesn’t automatically work like that. Cause I just start with like, Hey girl, you should get this thing. Like this thing is really cool. I like this, but the ones where I like, I will take a little bit of time and think about how to start this with a.

[00:33:56] You need this in your life, or here’s three reasons why this is helpful. Things like that, those videos always do better, even though I’m like, but just hang out with me on the other videos. But the thing is like, that’s not up to me, right? Like human behavior is not up to me. I need to, as the seller, as the influencer, adjust to the way that people use these platforms.

[00:34:18] So a hook is really, is really helpful. Being the person that answers the question. I like to start with something fun or start with the answer. This is like something that with, with makeup is a, as an example, somebody has like a lipstick and like they’re holding the lipstick, but you don’t see them wearing the lipstick until like the end of the 60 seconds.

[00:34:42] Now you’re like, I wish like I should have, you should have shown me. So I like to show it first a frame or two. of like, look at this lipstick and then go into the rest of the information. So they can tell right away, like, is this color good or not? That’s the most important thing. And then they can get into some of the details.

[00:34:58] So I like to show the thing up front a little, like it might be a teaser or it might be the answer, but you, you, by the end of it. And even by like the first third of it, you want to have helped them make the decision.

[00:35:10] Conor Brown: Yeah.

[00:35:11] Jeff Sieh: So I want to ask, cause I mean, I’m really glad that you’re so into TikTok cause I don’t know the space other than like things that my daughter sends me to look at. So what, and one of the things with TikTok, yeah, it is the TikTok, on TikTok and like YouTube Shorts as well, time is so precious. Like you in like YouTube Shorts, you’ve got 60 seconds and you mentioned having that hook.

[00:35:32] Like, how precise and important is that hook, even when you’re like, okay, I’ve got to get them. I only have, you know, there’s been studies done of like, you know, every second is worth this much on a YouTube short.

[00:35:45] Conor Brown: started.

[00:35:48] Jeff Sieh: succinct and valuable? You mentioned showing what the lipstick looks like beforehand.

[00:35:52] My wife gets so frustrated when they show up off shoes and they don’t ever show them what they look like in them, like walking around. She’s like, I don’t, I hate that. So how do you. How do you make it concise and get a hook, but still have that content to keep them going? Cause that’s really, really hard.

[00:36:06] Marielou Mandl: Right. So with shoes specifically, right? If we’re looking at that, it could be text on the screen that says you need these shoes on your life while somebody walks by wearing the shoes that fast. It does not need to be overthought. It, it just needs to get there very quick. Cause you know that people are like, when they get it, like it takes like how long to press swipe up.

[00:36:26] It’s like so fast and their finger might already be on it. So you have to, in the first frame, tell them right away the thing that you want them to know. And that hopefully will help them make a decision to either stay and listen or make the purchase because they’re like, Oh my gosh, yes, this is the thing that’s going to answer my problem.

[00:36:46] This is going to be the solution. Now, something that I’ve seen people do on YouTube, and I’ve tried to implement this a little bit. If they’re short, you can look at the retention rate and, and your analytics and if they’re, you can see where the drop off happens is just to trim the video to right before that, because like I’ve watched plenty of YouTube shorts where like it cuts off abruptly and it does not bother me.

[00:37:10] I’m just like, yeah, all right, cool. That’s, that was the video. But like, because it was engaging all the way through. To the end where you start to watch the first couple seconds. Now this video is going to do better So you can look at those analytics and even TikTok starting to give more of that I haven’t seen it on everything but some of my videos I can see like where the drop off rate is I can see where people press likes I can see where actions are taken and then you just know to Like repost the video trim the video down and repost it.

[00:37:38] See what happens

[00:37:40] Jeff Sieh: Good stuff. That’s ninja tips there by Mary Lou. That’s awesome stuff. All right.

[00:37:44] Marielou Mandl: Digital ninjas.

[00:37:47] Jeff Sieh: Kurt, what about you? What is your, for, the, what Connor was asking about the shoppable videos that, that you have found that work well.

[00:37:53] Kurt Nugent: Just keep in mind you’re a shopper as well. Keep in mind you buy things as well and look at your viewer signals, your viewer queues and what what causes you. I think a lot of what Mary Lou just shared is is exactly that. looking at the video from the perspective of somebody who’s actually interested in the video.

[00:38:10] Even what Jeff shared here, though, Jeff says he’s not in TikTok, but I think what you said your wife shared with you is valuable information. I hate that they don’t show the shoes. Like, keep that in mind. Keep that in mind. When you’re making your content, what would you want to see? and, and ask around, create a little sample size of your own.

[00:38:31] You know, you’ve got, you’ve got some young people in your life. Ask them what they would want to see. What would, what would they not want to see? what would they, what would they turn away for? I, I actually, and even for my long form content, I still let my, my, my family watch, my YouTube videos. And when they turn away, I’m like, okay, why did you.

[00:38:48] Why did you look away? Oh, I was just doing something else. No, you weren’t just doing something else. I, I’ve got to figure out something. There’s something off in the video. I, I don’t, I think we have a lot more access to what works than we think we do. and I, and, and, and especially from the perspective of everybody that is a live seller is also a shopper.

[00:39:07] So you can, Utilize that information, right? Harness that information. Just take some notes. do some, do a deep dive, take a look at some shoppable videos, just, you know, binge watch like an hour worth and take notes and take notes and take notes and take notes, right? Ah, didn’t like that. Didn’t like, oh man, I like this.

[00:39:26] Somebody asked in the comments a second ago, where can I find, you know, high quality live sellers or live streamers that are doing it at a level that I can emulate? I mean, the truth of the matter is I don’t think there’s like a catalog of like, Oh, here’s the lower ones. And here’s the higher ones. I think you, you really, it’s up to you.

[00:39:43] There are people that I follow that you may think is trash, but it’s just, is there something, there’s a component of what they’re doing that really speaks to me that may not speak to you. So it’s, it’s a wildly personal process. and, and here’s what I can also guarantee you with shoppable videos. Some of the things that you are putting in there is not going to work for everybody. Somebody’s going to be like, I don’t like that, and they’re going to move away. There’s somebody out there that says, don’t put on the shoes, don’t put on the shoes.

[00:40:07] Jeff Sieh: Yeah.

[00:40:08] Kurt Nugent: All right,

[00:40:08] Jeff Sieh: wanna see it. Yeah. Mm-Hmm.

[00:40:09] Kurt Nugent: so I hate to be that, you know, the voice of contradiction, but there, there is always going to be somebody who doesn’t like what the trends say works and you’ve just got to make a decision in terms of what, what do I want this to do and you know, how, how do I think this is going to work best?

[00:40:26] I’m a shopper too. Let me approach it from that perspective. So yeah, I think that those are some of the pieces I would, I would share there.

[00:40:33] Jeff Sieh: So,

[00:40:33] Marielou Mandl: then to add to this before we go on is that you don’t have to just do one video per product. With, with product videos. Like I know, like, it’s easy to think like, you’re like, I already made the video about this. I don’t need to make another one, but maybe the one person wants you to put on the shoes and some other shopper wants you to not wear the shoes.

[00:40:50] You can use multiple videos. Also, I like in videos to answer one question, what does this sound like? And then that’s the whole video. Because that will be like, this is the decision maker, like one video, your one video doesn’t need to cover everything that you must know about this product. Like you can have that video, but then also have the one question answer videos that, that make the buying decision,

[00:41:15] Jeff Sieh: Well, one of the

[00:41:16] Marielou Mandl: lots of videos.

[00:41:16] Jeff Sieh: you know, and I learned this from Jim and Chris is that I make multi, especially for products that are selling well, like, I’ll make multiple videos of their, so I have more chances of coming in front of the right person, just like you were saying. And like, if something’s selling, I’ll make.

[00:41:29] Like you said, the one with the shoes, one without the shoes, whatever, to get, to get more things. So we’ve got some more people I want to bring up in the comments. DJ Strick is here. And so he says, I’m

[00:41:37] Kurt Nugent: on,

[00:41:38] Jeff Sieh: whatever these guys are selling. maybe some bowling shoes, DJ with a little giddy up right in there in

[00:41:43] Kurt Nugent: Little Giddy Up! Come on! The Giddy Up! I was hoping you were going to mention that.

[00:41:47] Jeff Sieh: but I wanted to bring up from James. He’s got, he has a great point here. He goes, there, there’s the element of video SEO on TikTok as well that should be not overlooked, so you show up on people’s For You page. And Mary Lou, I want you to talk about that a little bit, but also, like, are there any other…

[00:42:02] Like, how do you measure success? Like, what are some metrics that you like to pay attention to? I know they’re different across platforms. You mentioned the retention and like trimming things up, which was like a ninja tip. But what are some other things that businesses need to look for when they’re, when they’re, are, are, entrepreneurs or just small business need to look for when they’re creating this, this content?

[00:42:20] Marielou Mandl: So with The SEO question is the words you say are going to get transcribed, the words in the description and the words you put on screen are all going to inform the SEO. So make sure you’re saying the things that you want to be found for. You say it, you type it on the screen, you type it in the description, it’s going to give it a better chance of knowing like, oh, you really want to show this to people who like shoes.

[00:42:45] So it gets to the right people. and then the other question, can you repeat what that was?

[00:42:51] Jeff Sieh: the other thing was, I just, like, what are some other metrics that like businesses need to look for?

[00:42:57] Marielou Mandl: Other metrics. so

[00:42:59] Conor Brown: Twitter,

[00:43:02] Marielou Mandl: if you’re influencer, if you’re on that side of it, the, the subscribers, the follows are, are important to me because I know that I said something that resonated enough with them to say, yes, I want to see this person again. if you’re a business, the metrics, likes, comments, like I really would be, if you’re, if you’re selling, if it’s your, your products that you’re selling.

[00:43:23] Questions. Or comments that people are saying, because that can drive to more content for you, more brand awareness. I love to answer questions. with more videos. That is

[00:43:37] Conor Brown: Google.

[00:43:38] Marielou Mandl: that is your hack, your cheat code for videos is like, if there’s a comment either, if there is the option to answer with the, with the video, do that.

[00:43:48] So it’s linked to it, but if it’s not, screenshot it, put it in your video and then put that link as the response to that comment. There’s that. Those are the ways that as an influencer, subscribers, the comments and all of that are good. But like, if they subscribe, that means they’re like, Oh. I relate. I like this gal.

[00:44:05] I like what she’s got to say as a business. Oh, they like this product enough to answer, ask questions. They are into this product enough to say, I need this in my life. That is important to me.

[00:44:17] Kurt Nugent: Love that.

[00:44:18] Jeff Sieh: I, I,

[00:44:18] Marielou Mandl: buying stuff.

[00:44:19] Jeff Sieh: yeah, that’s a good metric too. So that’s a great point about using, responding with a video with a, that has a question because I was watching a YouTuber and he was going through bigger YouTuber, YouTube channels in him. And there are people asking questions and the guy would never respond.

[00:44:35] So he would use that to create a video. And started siphoning some of that audience because he wasn’t taking the time to answer those questions, which I thought was genius. So what are your strategies, Kirk? What, like what do you look for for success when you’re, you know, creating this stuff, some metrics that you like to look at?

[00:44:51] Kurt Nugent: Well, I mean, she, where she ended is where I’ll start. I mean, the fact that clearly if they buy, are they buying? We definitely want to make sure that they’re buying. but, also, equally as important to me is whether or not somebody’s able to make a purchase decision. I absolutely love when I see people come back to the live stream to share, I did buy this thing, and I did, experience what you said I would experience.

[00:45:18] And I’m so glad. That, that this is what, you know, that I was able to get this through. That, that happens actually way more often than, you may think, right? They’re, they’re, people are very much appreciative. I was, they were already going to make the purchase. They were already going to make the investment.

[00:45:35] So you’ve given them, clarity on which way to go, helped them to avoid some pitfalls, right? From your own lived experience, maybe shared a horror story about some other product or, or some other direction. And then now they’ve been able to kind of. You know, leapfrog all of that, get to this thing, and they come back.

[00:45:54] And that, that comeback, let me tell you, every single time people in the comments will say, what was that thing? You, you, you bought what? What did Kirk recommend? And that creates this whole cycle that is, you, you can’t, you can’t pay for that. and so one of the, you know, in terms of Doing content, you know, creating lives, a live shopping experience, live solving experiences that move the needle.

[00:46:19] It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s gotta have some kind of, some component of a two way street there. It’s something that I I’m very known for saying is, you know, the, the conversation when live isn’t one way. and I think Mary Lou has kind of highlighted several ways that we as creators and influencers, and even. So for new brands can continue that conversation, right?

[00:46:39] So the product is there. We’re sharing with people what the merits of this product is, how I use the product with my stories around the product, and then they respond. And then as they respond, the onus is on us now to actually respond yet again. And not just leave it out there. I think even Jeff said this a second ago with that, that YouTuber that was just kind of responding to these other comments.

[00:46:58] There’s, there is, I think we, we, even if you were like at a, a Mac desk, I mean, not that I, I use makeup, but if you’re, if you’re in the mall and you, if you were at this desk, there’s, there’s a component of, hey, let me, let me try this on you. There’s a component of conversation. There’s a component of a two way street there.

[00:47:17] Yes, you know that that person is trying to sell you something. This is the truth. We know that. I mean, that’s why they station them right at the door. You almost have to like duck and hide to get out of the mall before, you know, without seeing them. But you know they’re trying to sell you something.

[00:47:30] There’s still a component of conversation that makes that experience successful. And I think we don’t put enough… A weight on the component of conversation. Keep that conversation flowing. What are you guys doing today? What are we shopping for today? What are you interested in? anybody come, anybody coming back for the second time?

[00:47:52] Did you buy anything last time? Oh, so and so is here. They bought something last time. How did it go? Did we fail you? Right? Keeping that conversation going, allowing for people to feel like, Oh my gosh, this is, you know, this is, this is my cheers, right? Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.

[00:48:09] you, you see, when people, when people have that kind of experience with your live show, with your live shopping experience, oh gosh, they’re not going anywhere, fam. you’re stuck with them, and they will tell others about it, and that word of mouth, Again, can’t pay for it, probably some of the best stuff on the planet.

[00:48:26] So when I think about the, I think about the whole experience and curating it from every angle and every point, yes, you want to pay attention to the numbers and the tech and, and, and the analytics, but you also want to make sure that there’s, and it’s, it is experiential, at its core for those who are watching.

[00:48:43] Jeff Sieh: and I think you’re what you’re saying, even like that vote of like, when people say, Hey, I bought that thing you said in the comments, then that’s like a vote. Like the, like this guy knows what he’s talking about and I made the sale and you can’t let that just hang there. You got to go and like, Hey, like you said, how’s it working for you?

[00:48:59] Did you have

[00:48:59] Kurt Nugent: How’s it working?

[00:49:00] Jeff Sieh: about it? And back to Mary Lou’s point, if they have questions, that’s a great video to do. Like, you know, I think I bought my camera because I saw Diana Gladney talk about it and I bought it back in the day because you know, I trust what she says. So

[00:49:11] Kurt Nugent: you and like 2, 000 others

[00:49:13] Marielou Mandl: Yes. All of us.

[00:49:15] Jeff Sieh: Yeah, all of us thought the same thing, yeah. So, Connor, you got something.

[00:49:18] Conor Brown: You know, I love that. You know, welcoming people that are coming back and, and continuing to engage with them because we’re always weighing this thing of we have to do, make content that not only engages people, but then also that gets them to trust us because when they trust us. That’s when they start buying from us, right?

[00:49:36] And when they start trusting us more, they start evangelizing for us, and that word of mouth comes into play. So I think that that is so important, that healthy balance. So the key ingredients, for both of you, what are some key ingredients when it comes to creating content that it not only engages the user, but gets us to build trust with the audience?

[00:49:58] Mary Lee, go for it.

[00:50:01] Marielou Mandl: So I do content that is not always selling. I think that that is a good way to build trust is that sometimes I’m just showing you my cat. Sometimes I’m just here, we’re just hanging out. Right? As, as with any kind of friendship, if, if you are in a relationship with someone and all they’re doing is asking you to do something for them, all they’re doing is asking you to buy something, right?

[00:50:23] Then you’re like, I don’t know if I wanna hang out with this person ’cause that’s all that they want from me. But if sometimes they’re like. Girl, listen, this is what happened today. Can you imagine like this crazy story? This thing happened, right? So like the trust that I’ve built is because like, I feel like I get to know people through the internet, through the lens.

[00:50:42] They feel like they get to know me, but I also do remember the, the, the regulars. So in, when I do live streams and it’s like, there’s some people that I see every time and I’m like, yes, like, how are you doing? What was that thing we talked about? Yeah. How is that going? Like, like Dina’s in here. She’s going to ask me about my potatoes, which I still haven’t dug, dug up.

[00:51:01] But like, we had a whole conversation about like, I tried to plant a potato just to see what happened. So that’s the trust. It’s, it’s, it is a real relationship just because you’re talking to a camera and to the, the vastness of the internet. It is not like that on the receiving end. It is you talking to a person.

[00:51:18] It is a relationship and you have to build the relationship and that’s how trust is built the way you would in real life.

[00:51:26] Jeff Sieh: Yeah,

[00:51:26] Kurt Nugent: That’s so good.

[00:51:27] Jeff Sieh: point. Yeah, Kurt, what are your thoughts on that?

[00:51:30] Kurt Nugent: Oh man. I, I got,

[00:51:31] Jeff Sieh: I know,

[00:51:32] Kurt Nugent: I just, I was, I was like, I was just like, ah, that’s, that was so good. I I’ve heard this thing said you, you want your content to be 80 percent advertising or 80 percent direct value, 20 percent advertising or sales. And I think a lot of people. Violate that rule. And that does not create trust.

[00:51:52] I’m in the faith based space. And so a lot of people think to themselves, what in the world does live selling have to do with faith based, but, but, but I, I would say that majority of my clients that are in the faith based space violate this rule more than anyone else, their social media accounts, are largely a digital bulletin board for what is happening off platform that no one can get to, and it is.

[00:52:18] Absolutely aggravating to me. Give people value, give them direct value, share with them, whatever you have to share and offer, give that to them. And then maybe a little bit of, we also have this. We also have this, I think if we think about online as a place to get people to come to where we want them to go or to buy something that we want them to buy or to do something we want them to do, as opposed to it being the place where we’re going to engage and have this conversation, and this is the direct value, we’ve missed the mark, we’ve missed the point, so key ingredient for me is again doubling down on what Mary Lou said, create that conversation, it doesn’t always have to be We’ll Something that you’re asking people to do.

[00:53:02] It can be just you going live and be like, man, today was a bad day. . I mean, today was a bad day. Come on, come on fam. Help me. I just, I’m, I’m just having a terrible day. Those live streams, especially for my coaching clients, those are the ones that go ridiculously well. with the cell phone, you know. You know, with the shaky, you know, they’re just with their hand, they’re, you know, they’re sometimes crying or whatever.

[00:53:25] Those, those vulnerable moments, those real moments, the moments that people can resonate with, that’s where you, you get, you know, that, that, you know, cult like following where people are like, I’m, I’m completely bonded with this, this creator. I’m never going anywhere. And yes, when you, you, you need to make sure you make good on that trust.

[00:53:44] You don’t violate that trust. You don’t go then and start saying, Hey, you need to go buy this. And you’ve never used it before. You’re going to want to make sure you do do your homework. even if somebody decides to send you something that you’ve never used, use it yourself for a while before putting it in front of your audience.

[00:54:01] Because you want to make sure that it is actually something that you would recommend. And if you don’t recommend it, don’t put it in front of your audience. I That’s, you know, as they say, again, in faith based, you, you, a preacher has to guard his pulpit. I can’t just let anybody come into my pulpit and preach.

[00:54:15] I gotta know who you are, so I know that what you’re gonna give my audience is gonna be good stuff. And that’s what you need to do with your platform. As a content creator, as a live shopper, you’ve gotta guard your pulpit. You’ve gotta guard your audience. I can’t let anybody, anybody in here, because I’ve developed trust with these people.

[00:54:33] And I’m, I’m the gatekeeper in terms of what goes through. For my mailing list, for my content, for my reels, for my shorts, whatever it is, however I engage with my audience, I am the gatekeeper. And, and you, if you take that seriously, I think you’ll be fine in terms of continuing to build trust and have those relationships that go the distance.

[00:54:51] Jeff Sieh: I think it’s awesome. You gave me an idea, so I’m going to probably go live after Black Friday, and I’ll probably cry, because I’ll see the bill from my wife’s shopping. So, maybe I’ll get

[00:55:00] Kurt Nugent: That video will go viral.

[00:55:02] Jeff Sieh: get some relationships built that way. last question for you guys, this is one of the things that I, and I want to bring up this comment from Tacey Axen, who I was, we talked about relationships, I got to meet her for the first time at Momentum, which is a great conference, and I was actually on her amazing podcast yesterday, she goes, I love reminding people to remember they are shoppers too, use that, it is such a great tip, thank you so much for that one, well, thank you, Tacey, for your comment.

[00:55:24] But on that, that point, I want to talk about, like, storytelling, like, It’s not just getting up there and selling. And I know, Mary Lou, you do such a great job of this because, and you do it in such a concise way with the TikTok and the shorts. How can, how can people build their storytelling skills? and you don’t want to try to do it right now during the sales cycle, but you know, eventually it does help with sales.

[00:55:45] How can you build up that storytelling muscle? Because you, I mean, I think you’re a master at it.

[00:55:49] Marielou Mandl: So with storytelling, right, exactly what Kirk was saying of, if you get a product, you need to use it a little bit before you start telling your people about it. But once you use it, you’ll have stories, try it in a bunch of different ways. Then you have a, there is a story to your experience with this.

[00:56:07] Like it, I will never ever bring something up that I haven’t tried out myself. You know, I will. If I need to, I’ll say like, I heard about this thing, but I can’t recommend it myself. But I won’t put things in front of people if I haven’t personally tried it and vetted it and said like, okay, I can share this with people.

[00:56:24] But that’s where the stories come in is with your actual lived experience. And it can be, it’s so simple. If you practice with your friends on FaceTime. So much of my content is just as if I’m talking to a friend on FaceTime, or I’m just sending them a quick video. That’s because that is true for me. This is what I am doing for my friends on the internet to send them this like clip of this thing that I’m like, You know what?

[00:56:52] This is pretty cool. This is why, because this is what was happening to me. That’s how the storytelling happens. You, you can’t, you can’t get the stories if you don’t live the life. But if you start living and using and experiencing things as a human, because people buy from humans, like they will eventually buy from the robots, but they want to buy from the humans, right?

[00:57:15] We want to keep our humanity as long as possible. Be human. Be a mess. Be like, Oh my gosh, I used this and I did it wrong, but this is how I’m going to tell you how to use it better now. It’s great, right? Because I learned from it. Stories. Practice on FaceTime. That’s, that’s my, my best advice for people.

[00:57:32] Jeff Sieh: really good. Kurt, what about you?

[00:57:34] Kurt Nugent: Man, that was good. That was gold, by the way. Practice on FaceTime. I love that. I want to give you a couple of questions to ask yourself about any given product. Take any product, any product, any product whatsoever. Ask yourself, what day, month, year was it when you bought it? Ask yourself, where did you live?

[00:57:48] How old were you? Ask yourself, what did you do that week? Was there anything notable? Ask yourself, what did you buy it for? And did it work? Write these answers down. Ask yourself, would you buy it again? Have you recommended it to friends? Did they buy it? If they did, start the whole set of questions back over again.

[00:58:08] From the beginning, what day of month, year did your friend buy it? Where did they live when they bought it? How old were they? You want to develop stories around your content. You want to develop stories about around your products and be able to share those stories while live. Ask yourself these questions.

[00:58:22] What day, month, year did you, was it when you bought it? Where did you live? How old were you? What day did you, what did you do the day and week that you bought it?

[00:58:32] Jeff Sieh: Yeah.

[00:58:32] Kurt Nugent: I’m telling you, these, this is where all of my stories come from for all of the different products that I have. I may have been buying it for a specific project.

[00:58:39] I may have been buying it to record a different thing. I’m, I don’t know, but whatever those stories are, I, I write them all down connected with a particular product. And I share those stories whenever I bring that product up. I never have a problem with stories.

[00:58:54] Marielou Mandl: right, you could do this with any, like, any of you, right now, like, look at what’s around you and just grab something, right? So, like, right in front of me is, like, my eyelash curler, right? And I can look at this and be like, the first time I used an eyelash curler was when I was doing, pageants.

[00:59:10] Like, I was so scared of these things, but then a makeup artist tried it on my, on my eyes, and it, like, made such a difference, so I’ve been, I’ve been using it ever since.

[00:59:19] Kurt Nugent: Yep.

[00:59:20] Marielou Mandl: Just grab

[00:59:20] Kurt Nugent: your story.

[00:59:21] Marielou Mandl: and think about that. Where did this come into your life? And share it!

[00:59:26] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. I could, I could talk to you guys forever because this is so much good stuff here, from both of you and it’s getting you both in the room has been amazing, but I want to be, you know, respectful of your time, but I do, this is a great comment from, the, Paul Duncan. He goes, what is going to make you stand out in the farmer’s market of live selling?

[00:59:45] That is a tweetable right there, Paul. Thank you for that. That’s really good. But I want to give you guys time. Go ahead, Kurt, will you say something? Okay.

[00:59:52] Kurt Nugent: I was just never gonna, I’m never gonna forget the festival

[00:59:55] Jeff Sieh: Yeah,

[00:59:55] Kurt Nugent: TikTok live selling. I was like, that is so dope.

[00:59:57] Jeff Sieh: so many gyms

[00:59:59] Marielou Mandl: be in there now.

[01:00:00] Conor Brown: See you.

[01:00:00] Jeff Sieh: So, so I want to give you

[01:00:01] Kurt Nugent: go to the

[01:00:02] Jeff Sieh: of, plenty of time to tell everybody what you’re working on, where they can go to find your stuff that you might be selling during the holidays.

[01:00:08] Mary Lou, we’ll start with you. Let us know where we can find all the things, Mary Lou.

[01:00:13] Marielou Mandl: My, the, the place that I hang out the most is YouTube and that’s youtube. com slash Mary Lou Mandel is my full name. That’s my main YouTube channel. That’s where I do VideoOMG, which is my weekly show about creating videos. And on TikTok, you’ll start seeing me. Play more in TikTok Live and TikTok Shop because of some of these other projects that I have going on for the holidays.

[01:00:37] And then if you want to just shop like everywhere, I got videos everywhere. You could just message me like, what is the thing you’re looking at? Okay. Yeah. I have a recommendation for that.

[01:00:47] Jeff Sieh: Gotcha. Thanks, Mary Lou. Kurt. What about you, my friend?

[01:00:51] Kurt Nugent: kirkarnuschen. com is the website and youtube. com slash kirkarnuschen. That’s where I’m at and that’s, that’s, you will find me in both of those places all the time. new videos every Sunday, new live shows every other Wednesdays. and then, you know, different other partnerships and different things that we’re going to be doing, definitely ramping up for the holiday season as well, so, really cool.

[01:01:13] I’m, I love live video. I, I want to, you know, just kind of put that back out there again. I love live shopping, but I love live video, period. I believe your live stream is your digital storefront. Just going to repeat that again. I know those same people in the back are still talking. Sit down and listen.

[01:01:27] Your live stream is your digital storefront because there’s no greater way for people to experience your superpower, your secret sauce, whatever it is you have to offer the world than for them to see you do it live. When they see you do it live, they don’t need the taste test. If they see you do it live, they don’t need the ad campaign.

[01:01:41] When they see you do it live, they don’t, you know, that little piece of chicken they give you in the, in the, in the mall when, when, you know, those little Chinese restaurants, you don’t need any of that when they see you do it live. So I, I simply believe that there’s no better way to go from. Busy and broke to peaceful and paid, then for people to experience your greatness while live.

[01:02:00] I’d love to work with you.

[01:02:01] Jeff Sieh: Thank you, my friend. The unsinkable Connor Brown, where can we find out you? Find out more about you.

[01:02:07] Conor Brown: You can find me at www. opinion. com or across the social medias at www. opinion. You know what’s a great gift for the holidays? The gift. of a Disney vacation. Reach out to me.

[01:02:17] Jeff Sieh: Yes, and Connor can do it. He, he helped me. We were there, for the Momentum Conference. He helped me get tickets and do stuff, and he is amazing. So, make sure you guys go, check out Connor. And with that, we thank you guys. Thank you for Ecamm, who sponsored this show. You can find out more about them at socialmedianewslive.

[01:02:33] com forward slash Ecamm. They are what makes this awesome show possible. And thank all of you, Jackie, Paul, Chris, everybody, Simply, OBS, Eden, everybody who stopped in today. I appreciate you guys watching. We wouldn’t be able to do the show without you. And with that, we’ll see you guys next time. Bye, everybody.

[01:02:57] Kurt Nugent: This is awesome.