How do you incorporate video into your sales process? And, no, I’m not talking about turning on your camera during a call.
I’m talking about using video throughout every step of the journey. When you’re prospecting, trying to get into an account. When you’re following up with a deal and – to stand out from other reps – do everything you can to avoid sending a 3 page follow up. When a deal goes silent and you need to inject some emotion back into it. And, after you’ve made your closing arguments, when you wish you’d provided one more killer case study or been able to find time on that sales engineer’s or exec’s calendar, to help get things closed.
Video can not only get all of this done, faster. It can literally create an experience that HELPS your prospects buy. And they will feel better about doing it. Because communication is so much more than what we say or how we say it. In fact, research shows that 55% of communication consists of body language. So when we’re using video, we’re better able to connect with our prospects and buyers.
But for too long, salespeople (my 2018 self included), have thought of video as a “nice-to-have”. It’s never been key to closing a deal because we just didn’t have the strategies to best leverage it. So when I did finally start incorporating video in my sales process, it led to a lot of learning and some pretty hilarious mistakes.
But the best learning of all? I’m able to close deals faster than ever. Video allows me to establish a rapport with my prospects more quickly. And shows that I’m a real person, here for them when they need me. Not some nameless, faceless entity who’s going to walk away as soon as the ink on the contract dries.
Frankly, video is the next best thing to meeting in person. And when you’re selling software to a global customer base, that’s just not always possible.
Plus it’s not like video is some new channel we’re all not already familiar with in our daily lives. Today, video accounts for more than 75% of all of the world’s internet traffic. And Cisco’s Visual Networking Index forecasts that by 2022, video will account for 82% of all internet traffic. At Drift, we’re all about giving B2B buyers the experience they’ve come to expect from any consumer facing brand. And more and more, video is a key part to getting the deal done.
Fortunately, we’re not alone. 87% of marketing & sales teams use video on a regular basis, up from just 63% back in 2017. And the evidence speaks for itself ?
So if you’re ready to get on board with video and incorporate it into your own sales process, how can you ensure you’re using it to your advantage? Avoid these six mistakes I made before I got it right:
- Do not over complicate it. Be short. Be simple. Adding music or any other creative flourishes goes against making sales video as human as possible. Keep it unedited.
- Do not close with a hard ask. Instead, increase the click through rate of your videos by pointing prospects to your site or providing them with a quick avenue to start a conversation with you.
- Do not attempt to control your surroundings. This goes back to number one. Be you. Be real. Be human. Record where you are, when you think of it. This goes for many marketing videos as well. Our VP of Marketing, Dave Gerhardt, gets 100,000+ views on every LinkedIn video he posts by sticking to these rules. Learn how he does it here.
- Do not send the same video to 100 different prospects! The point of video is personalization. So make each video you send about the prospect – their situation, their pain points, their context.
- Do not aim for the perfect pitch. The point again is to be as human as possible. And for most of us, that’s not with a perfectly polished pitch. Being human builds trust.
- Do not treat video as a one and done sales tactic. This is a strategy you can use for every step of the selling process. Prospect didn’t reply to your first video? Send another and keep trying. Maybe with a new message or a different follow up ask – just like you would with any other communication platform.
If you’re not used to putting yourself out there or if you’ve been hiding behind the safety of your inbox or your phone, it’s time to put your face to your name and test out video capture software for your own sales process. Let me know how it goes! Send me a video about it ?
