Christy Smith

Christy Smith

ThinkBlot Communications
I have over a decade of experience in client account management and satisfaction, and I have helped large organizations develop products strategies that gain maximum buy-in during implementation. In my previous roles, my client portfolio has included Fortune 500 companies in the Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, IT, and Telecommunications industries.
  • Dead Simple Ways To Avoid A Storytelling Headache
    0 comments 678 reads
    Posted on 2011-03-28

    I brace myself for a wild ride every time my kids put on their storytelling hats. 

    What is fun is that they get so animated and excited that they practically bounce up and down.

    Then they demand your attention.  For them, it is extremely important to recreate every minute detail. If you don’t drop everything immediately to follow along they will either:

    • Get Louder O
    • Get Louder and insist on starting over

    Once they are certain they will no longer be interrupted, the tidal wave of information begins and you watch in amazement thinking their little heads might explode at any moment.  You wouldn’t be able to get a word in...

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  • Tuesday Tip: Want A Shortcut To Make Your Videos More Relevant?
    0 comments 873 reads
    Posted on 2011-03-15

    I have a frightening thought every time I want to share a video:

    "I hope they watch long enough to get to the good stuff."

    I'm sharing the video for a reason- usually entertainment or educational value.  But if you check out before you catch my reason, you may think I’m silly for sharing it.  You miss my point and that makes me look bad.

    Attention spans are short, and I know if I don’t see the value in a video within the first few seconds I’m likely move onto something else.   And my guess is that you're a lot like me. Conventional social media wisdom says that anything over 3 minutes these days is too long.

    So how can you ensure your audience watches long enough to see how incredibly wise you are in sharing that amazing piece of content?

    Enter Blipsnips.

    Instead of having to add more commentary about the video in a text format,you can tag...

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  • Falling On Lurking Ears
    0 comments 647 reads
    Posted on 2011-03-13

    I watched a thriller a few weeks ago where almost the entire movie took place inside a WWII submarine.  The sub’s mission had put it dangerously close to hostile waters, and it was being dogged throughout the movie by an enemy ship on the surface. 

    Several times the sub commander tried a maneuver where they would bring the sub to a complete halt and then would sit silently hoping the enemy ship would cruise by overhead.  But being a clever enemy, the ship above would “ping” the ocean depths in an attempt to locate the sub’s exact location.  Any movement on the sub, even something as simple as a cough by one of the crew members, could initiate a targeted attack.

    A “pinging” episode could happen at any moment, especially when the crew wasn’t paying attention because they were distracted by other catastrophic issues like ghosts and malfunctioning equipment.  (I mentioned it was a thriller right?)

    I started thinking about how often we participate in social media...

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  • Tuesday Tip: You Need To Think Bigger
    0 comments 948 reads
    Posted on 2011-03-08

    Whenever I'm feeling a bit burned out on the creative mojo, I wander over to YouTube.  Within moments I can laugh, be inspired, or learn something brand new.  It's always an adventure.

    Today I found a curated playlist on the YouTube homepage from Media Muesli.  (In case you don't know, muesli is a kind of breakfast cereral which apparently is quite bland.  You have to watch the intro video to get the tie-in.) 

    Media Muesli put together a collection of videos that shows how technology is inspiring creativity.  Honestly I watch this stuff and immediately think that I'm not doing enough.  Some of this stuff is mindblowingly awesome.

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  • Prospect To Customer Part 5: Do Your People Razzle Dazzle 'Em?
    0 comments 934 reads
    Posted on 2011-03-06

    This is the final post in the Prospect to Customer Series.  See links below to catch up posts that you missed!

    I stay at the same hotel every time I visit one of my clients in Richmond, VA.  It’s right in the middle of a group of different hotels, so I could really have my pick of any one.  But I keep going back to that one for one big reason: the staff.

    Now this isn’t the Ritz Carlton, and I’m not spending hundreds of dollars a night on my room.  In fact, it’s the budget choice in a well-known hotel brand, and I’ve stayed at many of them across the country.  But I have rarely encountered a hotel staff that goes out of their way in every interaction to make me feel important and well-taken care...

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  • Prospect To Customer Part 4: Live And Die By Your Process
    0 comments 1,038 reads
    Posted on 2011-03-02

    At the beginning of everyday, you should ask yourself this question:

    “Is it easy for someone to do business with me?”

    If your answer is Yes, then you can continue about your day.

    If your answer is No, then you have some work to do. 

    Like it or not, how easy it is to do business with you is dictated by the processes you put in place.  Here’s some key processes that you should try to have down stone cold:

    • How to Buy
    • How to Ask Questions
    • How to Get Support
    • What Happens If It’s Just Not Working

    You want your workflow to be simple and intuitive for your prospect.  The more complexity you introduce, the higher likelihood that they will drop out mid-buy and move onto something (or someone) else.

    I want to buy it now!

    I hate digging for buy buttons, especially when I’ve made that split second decision and shifted from a...

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  • Prospect to Customer Part 3: For Product Development, Put The Kid in Charge
    0 comments 1,434 reads
    Posted on 2011-02-28

    Nothing sounds duller than terms like “product development life cycle”.  There is a lot of talk about being innovative and delivering for your customers the greatest thing since sliced bread.  But originality is difficult, and attention spans are short.  You need a new plan.  It’s time to go back.  Way back.

    Kids are natural product developers.  Their imaginations have no boundaries.  They aren’t all tied up in reality like gravity, money, physics, or the fact that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and magic don’t exist. 

    They’ll spend days, even weeks, trying to piece together a perfect master plan to fly to the moon or turn invisible.  They’ll try to enlist your help, but quickly forgo it because they realize you don’t get it. 

    As we grow older,...

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  • Prospect To Customer Part II: It's All About Price
    0 comments 779 reads
    Posted on 2011-02-24

    When I'm thinking about buying something, I always start in the same place: Price.  Of the 4 Levers available to me, that's the one that can make or break a deal for me within the first few seconds. I know I'm not alone.

    Most of us don't have personal vaults of cash to swim around in like Scrooge McDuck.  So if I know the basic premise of what you are selling, and then I see a price that seems completely out of left field, I'm going to turn high tail and run. (And likely buy it from a competitor.)

    In pricing, you need to consider the Goldilocks factor: you want it to be just right.

    What are you selling?

    It's pretty common today for people to talk about the value...

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  • Tuesday Tip: A New Way To Present Webinars
    0 comments 1,013 reads
    Posted on 2011-02-22

    I have a confession.  I'm itching to do a webinar.  Blame Lewis Howes.  But I think presenting information real-time is a great way to get feedback and help evolve your thoughts on your topic.

    I haven't moved forward with a webinar yet for a few reasons, but one is by far the biggest.  It's my #1 buying decision lever: Price.  Most webinar services offer a 30-day trial, but after that the price skyrockets based on the number of attendees you have attend.

    And to be really honest, I've used most of the big-guys at one time or another in the past and have been less than impressed.

    So my ears perked up this week when I heard that Slideshare was making a splash...

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  • 4 Levers That Convert Prospects Into Customers
    0 comments 861 reads
    Posted on 2011-02-21

    Someone stumbles across your site.  Your amazing content catches their eye, and they dig further into learning more about who you are.  A half-formed idea floats across their mind along the lines of “maybe I’d like to buy something here.”

    Now here’s the part where things get interesting: your product or service is about to get sized up.

    It’s uncomfortable feeling like we have to measure up to someone else’s expectations.  This can be a humbling experience when you are selling something because you wonder why people don’t like you (and usually “like” in your mind = the number of times someone clicks the “buy” button).

    In working with clients over the years, I’ve discovered there are 4 levers that they...

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