Derek is the cofounder of Viddsee, a creator platform for premium short form content with over 3B+ views, 40M+ monthly reach, and 5K+ filmmakers.
With 15 years as a media and technology leader, Derek has worn multiple hats – from developing products to selling content IPs. And his passion lies in growing communities around content, building empathy with IPs and characters, and driving action through impactful storytelling to shape culture.
Guest Author: Derek Tan
I hate selling, I love asking questions
Simply because I have nothing to sell when I meet my clients. They come to me wanting a story, but I have no idea what the story is yet.
To do that, I need to know your customers as that is not information we are privy to from desk research
I want to understand who your target audience are and what are their problems
I want to know where you want your customer to be? And how do I know if we are successful? What do you want to say about your product/brand to help get them there.
I had this project during the pandemic where we were helping workers find jobs. I asked the client these questions. They didn’t get back to me until 1 month later. But oh boy, did they came back with so much information and insights for us! We put on our storytelling hat. Campaign won us a silver recognition with the marketing industry, yay!
The secret lies in asking questions
It helps me to understand if clients understand their customers, their problems and objectives. It helps me to get the client to think through what their customers want. They may not have time previously to think it through, but the questions we ask can help guide them to answers.
PS Love your thoughts here, are questions or answers more important?
[Photo: Keyart from The Seeker campaign series helping workers find jobs]
