Video selling is the future: How do sales managers coach reps to ace this demanding skill?

Earlier, video prospecting was a nice-to-have content, but thanks to the pandemic, everything changed. Today, video prospecting is a must-to-have element of sales and an integral part of virtual selling.

In the absence of in-person meetings, video selling has become the next best alternative.

Even I made an attempt at video marketing. It took 12 retakes(first timer😅) but I loved the process…🥰 Check it out!

Besides sales professionals, buyers also appreciate video selling and video content to match the remote sales landscape.

Did you know, that only 20% of B2B buyers say they want to return to in-person sales? In fact, as per reports, 70% of prospects watch videos before making a purchase decision.

Today, we’ll discuss a few critical developments in the remote selling process entailing videos:

• What is video selling, and what are the types of video selling?
• Why are a few salespeople reluctant to invest in video-based content?
• What is the current state of video selling?
• What are the core benefits of using video prospecting?
• How can sales coaching help in improving video prospecting?

Want to leverage video selling at every step of your sales process? — Check this out! You’re gonna love it! 😃✨

What is video selling, and what types of videos can salespeople leverage?

Video selling is a method of communication where salespeople use video to interact and engage with prospects. Using videos for selling is not a new concept. However, off late, it’s picked up pace due to the dramatic reduction in face-to-face meetings.

Kim Orlesky, CEO of KO Advantage Group and Co-founder and CEO of Sales Unicorn, explained the types of videos used in the sales world.

According to Kim, sales professionals should invest time in 2 types of videos:

Why are a few salespeople reluctant to invest in video-based content?

Videos are a versatile tool and have shown incredible success in the past. Out of the many selling methods, video prospecting has cut through the digital noise and helped sellers stand out in the market.

Source: The state of video marketing in 2022

Despite 70 percent of companies witnessing a growth in the bottom-line revenue after using video, many sales teams still refuse to use video to maximize their outbound sales efforts.

Why?

These are a few reasons why video selling is still an alien concept for many sellers and organizations:

“Creating video is intimidating and overwhelming.”

“Our firm can’t allow that kind of budget to create a quality video.”

“Video creation is expensive.”

“Not sure which type of video our company should create.”

“Videos take time to give results.”

“Video selling doesn’t work in our industry.”

“Creating a high-quality video is time-consuming.”

“What if my prospect doesn’t like seeing videos?”

“I don’t want to burden my prospect to come on a video call.”

“I prefer keeping my personal space to myself, don’t want to expose it.”

“A video call may discourage the lead from joining the call.”

“Long video could be an overkill.”

“Any video-based content makes more sense post-sales.”

Honestly, if video sales success is to be believed, it doesn’t have to be like this.

The next section will dispel common resistance factors for sales professionals preventing them from embracing video.

What is the current state of video selling?

After the pandemic, sales videos became a staple in every sales and marketing strategy.

The core reason behind this transition is that building human connections on phone, email, or audio calls is difficult.

Humanizing sales interactions are the need of the hour and the most trending sales best practice.

Enough talking. Now let’s dive into some real numbers.

Certain video usage stats have blown my mind, and I can’t stay calm but share it with you.

• As per Vidyard, reps using video in prospecting, relationship-building, and sales emails see at least 5x higher open rates and 8x higher open-to-reply rates.
• Did you know that simply adding the“video” in a sales email subject line enhances open rates by 7–13%? — HippoVideo
• Cisco's annual report projects that by 2022, the world will witness a million minutes of video on the internet and that 82% of all consumer web traffic will be from video.
• According to Think with Google, over 100 million people invest in YouTube TV on their TV screens month after month in the U.S.
• People consume 95% of content when presented in the video compared to 10% text.-Forbes
• Forbes reports, Senior executives are also turning to video more frequently. 75% of senior execs surveyed said they spend time on work-related videos and business-related websites weekly; more than half (52%) watch work-related videos on YouTube at least weekly.

Source: Wyzowl

Currently, video usage has crept into different stages of the sales process.

• First touch. In this stage, sellers grab the attention and engage the leads to make them interested in your product offering. Here they make use of omnichannel content marketing to showcase the video content. A LinkedIn video is a great example.
• Follow up. Qualification and checking in with the prospects is the next step. Salespeople can send video emails as well as go on video calls.
• Check-in. Objections will be an integral part of the deal, and sellers ensure their queries are handled and solved in the most effective way possible. Again, video answers through emails and social proof in video versions can significantly impact.
• Post-sales. No seller wants to part ways with the customer after the deal closure. Once the deal is closed, salespeople send a thank you note via email or through LinkedIn messages, and some also get on a video conferencing call. Any attempt to thank your customer improves the chances of getting referrals.

What are the core benefits of using video prospecting?

Honestly, video prospecting benefits are unlimited and are getting better by the day. No kidding!

However, to ensure you take away meaningful data from this blog post, I have shortlisted 5 core reasons sales and marketing teams heavily invest in videos:

1. Video messages and calls help buyers to differentiate sellers from the competition by giving prospects a glimpse into who they are as people.
2. Video conferencing has a humanizing effect on the sales meeting process. Making eye contact and seeing prospects’ faces is the starting point for building trust. And building trust on a video call is quicker, faster, and stronger than on an audio call.
3. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual. No wonder people have trouble forgetting pictures.
4. The average person’s attention span is only 8 seconds. Capturing attention within the first 10-seconds is possible with a video. In fact, It can start right from the thumbnail image.
5. Sales teams are using the video to book more meetings, reduce friction in the buyer journey, and shorten deal cycles.

Several companies are reaping the benefits of the above advantages and fast-tracking their video selling and marketing journey. However, video prospecting can sound overwhelming for some new entrants in the video selling environment.

As the need of the hour, sales coaching is the best way to practically and effectively solve this problem.

Before we go into how sales coaches can solve video prospecting anxiety, let’s understand briefly what sales coaching does?

Sales coaching is a method to periodically help sellers to sharpen their existing selling skills in a targeted and directed program. Coaching aids in learning new techniques for performing the same activity and leverages the best practices from high-performing sales professionals. Some coaches also use sales technology solutions like call recording software to introduce better performance and discuss call quality.

As part of the sales coaching process, sales professionals can seek help in the following ways:

1. Hop on regular video calls with the coach and get comfortable after several calls.
2. Learn a few tricks of the trade in video content creation.
3. Learn to read the room and what elements are necessary to observe.
4. Create a background for all sales calls and test it out on a mock call with the coach.
5. After replaying the call recording, gauge the call quality, the lighting, voice quality, camera angle, and background noise.
6. Practice the sales scripts in front of the camera in the coach’s presence before performing the script in front of a real prospect.

I understand you may not be excited to use videos immediately. But give it a thought and explore a few video content on Linkedin and compare its engagement rate with text-based content.

But on a serious note, if you don’t start investing in videos as part of your sales process now, you’re leaving money on the table.

Don’t just wait for sales coaching to happen, make your buying process easier by getting started today.

Wondering where to start?

How about starting with creating a 30-second introduction video for yourself? (Don’t forget to spice it up!) 😉

Join the 20% club of Video selling experts and implement it in your selling process