Dear Sierra members,
Earlier today, I shared why VCP is like an ATM.
The start of the process is V – Visibility.
Gaining visibility used to be a lot easier. By just attending weekly meetings, you are sure to get eyeballs on you.
Today, that is no longer enough. Yes…it is a huge struggle for many since the start of MCO, including myself. But is it the end of the world? Is BNI not going to work for me anymore? I had many questions in my head as well…but one thought that never leaves my mind is that I refuse to be idle.
Whatever the situation may be, I just want to do something…I just want to be better than yesterday. I keep telling myself “Don’t stop”. When everybody is conserving resources (money, assets, food, etc) due to uncertainties…I was spending more and more…or rather I was investing. Fast forward 8 months after MCO started, the money that I have invested in assets, have brought me things that I can’t even buy with money…they’re visibility and credibility.
I’m writing this because I wanted to share with all of you, why you should adopt this mindset of investing, and don’t stop moving forward!
Let’s rewind back to when we started doing Zoom meeting in March.
March 2020:
I’m pretty much like everybody else, 1 laptop. The video is via the webcam on the laptop. And my microphone is the one that comes together with the earphone. That’s my setup.
April 2020:
I started to invest in equipments as I see that this pandemic isn’t going to go away any time soon and we probably going to be sticking to Zoom meetings for a very long time. I bought a set of podcast microphone and a set of lightings.
May 2020:
I invested in a video capture card, what it does is that it allows me to use my existing digital camera (a6000) as a webcam. It was quite a heavy investment even for me, but the result made me shut up. (It’s worth it)
June 2020:
I was trying various platform that does live streaming. And I finally settled with OBS. The amount of customisations I can do with it is just superb!
July-September 2020:
As the restriction order eases up, I started to move things back to the office…and I continue to invest more lights so that I can dress up the scene nicer.
October-November 2020:
At this point, I have done over 20 training with my fellow students (which I acquired since April 2020). But I didn’t want to stop upgrading. The newest “toy” that joins the family is Color LED Stick. Which allows me to create different kinds of moods in the scene. I also bought more IKEA furniture for dressing purposes. My favourite is the floor lamp, LAUTERS as you will find it in different settings.
I also invested a huge green screen (3m x 6m) together with the stand in my office/studio. Some people in the meeting have noticed something quite surreal in my frame but can’t quite distinguish whether the background is real or virtual. Well, it is thanks to the greenscreen.
I even attempted to conduct workshops like I’m actually in a conference hall!
December 2020:
Well, most of you have seen my featured presentation, based on the comments I received, I guess I could say…Checkmate!
These are what people can visually see. The change, the gradual improvement.
I strongly believe that small actions that you take today, and done over time, there will be a radical change.
True enough, what you didn’t see…are the opportunities that I get at the back…the inquiries I get from WhatsApp, from phone calls, from emails, from Facebook Messenger.
70% of them are referrals!
I believe this was the results of great VCP. When people see you, and over time, that gradual improvement actually builds trust.
Of course, I don’t expect all of you to take the same path as I am, as in investing so heavily in equipment (plus some of it requires a specific skillset).
I’m sharing this story is because this investment mindset has helped me thrive during this pandemic, and perhaps this will inspire you to do “a little” more tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and let this cycle never ends. Because I’m certain that the rewards will come in time, as long as you don’t stop investing.
P.S. If you are looking to do a talk/seminar/event, my studio is available for rental with full equipment and an operator. The first time is F.O.C (BNI Sierra members only).