jestercreative.com

Jester Creative Inc. is pleased to announce that The House Healers television series is now available online at www.househealers.tv.

The popular series, which also airs locally in Ottawa on RogersTV, can now be viewed on demand via the web site. The site also has background information on The House Healers team, information about upcoming shows and behind the scenes footage. In addition, viewers can subscribe and be automatically notified when a new show goes online.

About The House Healers

The House Healersis the story of a daring trio of amateur real estate investors that turn their lives upside down by tackling “The Grove”, a 105 year old, run down, dilapidated old home in need of drastic repairs. It’s a massively challenging project, and one that The House Healers must juggle with their own jobs, homes and families.

Over budget and way off schedule, The House Healers now know it’s about more than just turning a quick profit. There are stories in these broken down walls, and memories that mean so much to the family whose lives were built on the foundation of this old house.

In thirteen episodes, these unlikely heroes attempt to execute the fantastic transformation of a crumbling old house to a charming family home. Healing this house is a dramatic and emotional ride, but in the end, it’s about breathing new life into its walls and maintaining the memories as “The Grove” lives on for a new generation to love.

For more information on the show, please contact Jester Creative Inc. at (613) 667-1616 or via email at production@jestercreative.com.

Let us know what you think of the show at feedback@househealers.tv or ask one of the House Healers a renovation question at askahealer@househealers.tv.

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One of the things I’ve learned after spending more than 17 years in some form of communications-related industry (television, marketing and communications, technical writing, teaching, entrepreneur) is that there is one underlying common factor to success.

Ultimately, success is determined by the conversations I am able to have with my clients.

Have you ever been to a party, and you get stuck in the corner with someone who just talks and talks and talks and doesn’t really give you a chance to respond? You hear everything, about their sick cat, their crummy job, what they had for lunch…whatever. At some point in the communication you disengage. You start thinking about your grocery list, or your new car, or how you can get yourself away from this person.

Then there are the kind of people you meet at the same party, who walk up and immediately start asking you questions. You answer their questions and follow up with your own questions. You get to know each other, make a connection and somehow serve each others’ needs. The interaction is enjoyable and the conversation results in a relationship of value.

When working with clients, companies have a choice about what kind of party guest they want to be.

There’s the one-way communication approach, which is like the “talker” at the party. The sales person barges in and starts telling the client everything they need without hearing anything they have to say. This can go to the other extreme as well. The sales person just sits in silence as the client babbles on about this idea and that, and they don’t contribute anything. Both of these methods can have catastrophic results - misunderstood, or worse, no requirements, no clear understanding of the goals and desired outcomes, and ultimately, failure to deliver anything of value.

The second approach is likened to the question-asker at the party. Instead of the one way communication, the sales person engages the client in a conversation. They start asking the client questions. They get the client thinking about what they really want. They let the client ask them questions. And before you know it, the sales person and the client are working on finding solutions together. The result is a well defined project with clear outcomes. The side benefit is a a relationship has been established that has value and that has a much better chance of longevity.

In his blog, “Six Pixels of Separation“, social media and marketing expert Mitch Joel talks about “Giver’s Gain” as key to success in any interaction.

“Giver’s Gain - go in with the mind-set of identifying what the person you’re connecting with needs, and how you can help them accomplish this goal. The more you give, the more you get (as they say).”

Interacting with clients really is all about mind-set, as Mitch says. The communicator is just there to deliver a message, to tell a story. The conversationalist is there to engage and enable.

Seek out companies who want to have conversations with you rather than just communicate. The result will be a much more clearly defined project and a relationship that can grow based on your positive two-way interaction.

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Jester Creative is a company where big dreams become reality. The business itself was once a big dream of Jen Rennick and Sue Thompson (now Murphy). Over a glass of wine, or two, we planned our escape from life as employees, to life as employers. Of all of our big dream ideas, Jester Creative seemed to take on a life of it’s own.

The original plan was to take our experience in the television industry and parlay it into a small independent production company. We spent many late nights writing shows and preparing submission packages. It is amazing how much you can accomplish when fueled by passion. It was this passion from which Jester Creative evolved.

During a moment of clarity, the Web Design element of Jester Creative became a major component of our grand plan.The television medium was changing and rather than get left behind, we decided to be at the forefront of the evolution.

Web design and television production are much more similar than people realize. Both industries allow the creators to take the seemingly impossible, and make it a reality. “If you can dream it, we can create it”, has become our mantra.

We now find ourselves in the thick of our big dreams. We have become what we aspired to, and so now our aspirations evolve.

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As professional web site designers, it’s a question we get asked all the time. We like to use the analogy of buying a car. If you walked into a car dealership and asked the salesperson, “How much does a car cost?” they will not be able to just give you a number without first finding out a lot more information about what you want. They might ask you these sorts of questions:

• What are you going to use the car for; business, off-roading, driving your family around, etc.?
• What kind of car do you want; SUV, station wagon, sports car, sedan?
• What kinds of optional features do you want on the car; air conditioning, sunroof, GPS, etc?
• How much are you willing to spend on the car?

The salesperson’s job is to get you to really think about what you want in a car, so she can sell you just the kind of car you want. And getting what you want makes you a happy customer.

Designing a web site is much the same. There are as many different models of web sites as there are cars (possibly more). Estimating how much a web site is going to cost comes down to a few key factors.

Defining Your Online Goals
Why do you want a web site? Many people might answer this question by saying “to promote my company/service/organization” or “because everyone says I should have a web site”.

It’s super important to sit down and think about the real reasons you want a web site. These days, web sites are about so much more than just posting an online brochure of your company. They are about communicating and sharing information with your audience. The web has become a true two-way interaction that involves your web site visitors in a conversation with you. Think about all the ways you want to connect to your web site users. What are you trying to convey to them? What do you want in return?

Dare to Dream
Not sure what you want? Start surfing. Look around at what other people are doing online. Look at really good examples, but look at really bad ones too. What works for you? What doesn’t? Look at tons of web sites, inside and outside your area of interest. Dream big about where you see your site fitting in and the types of things you think will make it extra special. Brainstorm with your audience; find out what make them want to go to YOUR web site.

Numbers Game
Figuring out how much you have to spend on your site is critical. This will enable your design company to help you focus on those features that can be implemented within your budget. Sit down and crunch your numbers, and come up with a price range that suits the goals you have defined.

It’s a Work in Progress
A web site is always a work in progress. It needs to be continually evolving, always changing and adapting to its audience. This is great news, especially for someone with a tighter budget or a tight timeline. It means that you can find the starting place that fits your immediate goals, and then build on them as your finances and time permits.

Once you have defined your goals, figure out which of the things on the list need to happen right away and which items can wait for a future version of the site. You don’t have to have all the fancy bells and whistles right off the bat. What’s important is getting your brand out there, and getting your online presence established. Your web design company can help you with this; they have the expertise to figure out the return on investment for various features of the site.

The end result of considering these things will mean you can approach web design companies with a clear idea of what you want and how you want to implement it. Having kind of clarity may actually help you to save money in the end, because your designers will understand better what you really want and won’t try to sell you a bunch of stuff you don’t really need.

One final note:
When shopping around for a web design company, be wary of people who try to quote you on a “per page” basis (e.g. $25 per page or 5 pages for $100). Many times they are trying to woo you with a low rate, then add in a bunch of hidden fees and additional costs later on. Find someone who will give you a detailed estimate based on your specific requirements, and be sure to read the fine print.

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