One of the biggest budget crunchers for most businesses is travel.  But sometimes, there is no substitute for a face-to-face conversation.

But then again, maybe there is.

Cisco's Telepresence is technology that takes video conferencing to a whole new level.  You can check it out in the video below.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, first because you can access this technology by the hour.  I was able to find five re-sellers in Des Moines, so I am pretty sure you'll be able to find at least one in your neck of the woods.  For many organizations, this might be a very attractive and cost sensitive solution.

And…Cisco, in this social media age, is holding a contest.  You create a video telling Cisco why you'd benefit from having access to Telepresence.  You can win $3,000 and 5 free hours of access.

You can view the contest's webpage by clicking here.  Check out some of the videos.  People aren't doing anything overly high-tech.  But boy are they giving Cisco some smart sales messages. (If you enter, let me know and we'll share your video with the blog readers!)

Don't dismiss this as a "big company" tactic.  You could do the exact same thing.   Here are the benefits:

• Very shareable…note how Cisco is letting people rate the videos.  Now if you entered, wouldn't you tell your friends to go vote for yours?
• Introduces a whole lot of people to your product/service
• Creates a want for your product that probably was unrealized before the contest
• It's like a mini focus group.  Listen carefully for sales nuggets and ideas

There certainly are other perks to this sort of a contest.  What benefits do you see?