It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

According to local entrepreneur Larry Sleep, founder of the Lawrence Group at 3887 State St., a video demonstration is worth a thousand pictures.

Now in its 22nd year of operation, the Lawrence Group offers high-performance learning systems for sales forces — including management leadership and sales training, negotiation and presentation skills seminars, and advanced sales strategy workshops for privately held companies. With an impressive client list that includes companies such as AT&T, Raytheon, Polaroid, Microsoft, Xerox, T-Mobile and dozens more, Sleep is constantly on the lookout for new, convenient and exciting ways to communicate with his clientele.

Sleep said that about a year ago, he discovered Eyejot, an easy-to-use online service that allows clients to create and send video e-mails, and so far he has been thrilled with the positive impact it has had on his business.

“Since we are in the training business, we are always looking for more effective ways of reaching our audiences in advance of seminars,” Sleep said. “When video e-mail came along, I just jumped out of my chair! I thought, ‘What a great way for me to introduce myself to people before going into these intensive two- or three-day seminars.’”

Eyejot, a Seattle-based company, offers unlimited video e-mails for $95 a year, which Sleep said is well worth the cost for businesses such as his. He and his team also beta-tested another video e-mail software outfit headquartered in Florida called JiveSystems, and while it offered a comparable service, at $60 per month, the cost was simply too prohibitive.

In addition to being a great pre-seminar icebreaker, Eyejot is equally effective as a follow-up tool, Sleep said.

“With these seminars, they’re great when you’re there, but if you don’t follow up and reinforce what’s been taught, then you tend to lose the skills you learned — they erode,” he said. “That’s why every 30 to 60 days, I send my clients an e-mail reminder with tips and techniques to help keep the learned skills on the clients’ radar screens.”

Sleep also uses the popular Skype software to communicate with current and prospective clients, but he said that some people tend to feel as if their privacy is being invaded when they’re chatting on live streaming video. With video e-mail, there is a definite personal touch, but boundaries stay intact, as individuals can easily open the video in their Web browser at their convenience.

Sleep said he has clients all over the world, and with the rising cost of travel, the discovery of video e-mail has allowed him to save on expenses, while relaying personal messages to a wide client base. Eyejot is offering a free trial on its Web site.

“If used correctly, it’s a great way to build trust and rapport and relationships with people with whom you might not otherwise have an opportunity to do so,” Sleep said.

— Noozhawk contributor Kevin McFadden can be reached at kmcfadden@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk or @NoozhawkNews.