Sam Moorhead
VP of Sales
Most people see plenty of feature demos, how-to guides, customer stories and video ads every day, so they already recognize the important role video content plays in product marketing. But there’s a whole side of B2B video that most people don’t see. So I wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at how our Copper sales personnel use video to nurture the selling process.
From a sales perspective, personalization is key. And hand-made, target-specific videos can hold a very high value when it comes to advancing potential deals. Here we’re talking about short videos, usually made by the salesperson using basic tools like Vidyard or Loom, and either embedded in an email message or shared in a meeting. They could be as short as 90 seconds for a quick follow-up or as long as 10 minutes for a complex pitch.
At first it may take an hour-plus to create the quality of video you want, but the more you do it, the faster it goes. After some practice, most people can create what they need (for typical purposes) in less than half an hour.
Before arriving at Copper, I had a lot of opportunities to experiment with using video in B2B sales. And although there are many variations, over time, I realized that most of them fall into three buckets: prospecting, follow-ups and virtual presence. Here’s a summary of how those approaches work, along with some suggested considerations.
Video prospecting
The search for potential clients is a sales constant, so of course we’re always looking for new ways to get prospects interested in our products or services. And with an ever-increasing number of companies competing for attention, novelty offers a big advantage.
That was the case with video messages a few years ago, when most decision-makers were receiving a barrage of text emails every day. Finding a video in their inbox attracted interest, and established a more personal connection.
But of course the novelty wore off. Videos became just as easy to ignore as simple email — so they were less effective at turning heads.
That’s not the end of the story, though. Even though the format by itself is no longer special, you can still engage potential customers with content that offers a new perspective, shares unique insights, or provides valuable information. And one key to success is focusing your message on the prospect — their challenges, their products, their customers.
Follow-up videos
Video prospecting is designed to start new relationships. Video follow-ups, on the other hand, can advance a relationship you already have. Let’s say you make a great presentation (either in-person or virtually) — but there are some questions you didn’t get a chance to answer. Or perhaps you think of something after the meeting that would have high value for the potential customer.
You could try to get them on the phone, or you could send a substantive email. But why not make a quick video? It’s not only more personal, it can also provide more information, in a more interesting way. And in many cases, it’s actually faster to explain something in a video than to write up a thoughtful but lengthy email. Take a look at this quick video one of our sales reps created to follow up on a specific question that came up during a demo:
This type of video has become a staple for many sales professionals. You know what you want to say, so your video is easy to create. And you’re essentially extending a conversation that’s already begun — so you can connect new information with what’s been discussed previously. All while letting the other person know you’re personally engaged with their needs.
One more advantage: Spending time to create a video signals that you’re taking the potential account seriously, and can be counted on for outstanding service. So you’ll be advancing the sales relationship by providing a beautiful customer experience.
Virtual presence
This type of video is probably the least used, but it can be quite powerful.
The idea is to get inside a room virtually when you can’t be there physically. For example: suppose there’s a high-level meeting, and your champion inside the company will be making a case for your product or service. You can strengthen their hand with a detailed, specific video that supports the case and addresses the leadership team directly.
In general, you would reserve this kind of video for big accounts, where you have the potential to close soon. It will take more time and effort to make — but it can be worth it to carry your personality into the room and allow you to present exactly the information that could win the deal.
Closing thoughts
Hand-made sales videos might not make sense for products or services on the lower end of the price scale. If typical deals are below $10K, for example, there may not be enough ROI to justify the effort. But at the higher end — say, from $50K up — video could be one of your best selling tools.
And you don’t have to be highly skilled to make effective videos. In fact, you don’t want them to be slick or overly produced. The goal is to create a connection with the recipient and start or continue valuable conversations. So experiment with making videos that capture your personal approach to sales, whatever that might be.
Finally, if creating your own sales videos isn’t a good fit, you can still use other video resources available in your organization. People tend to be more responsive to video than to text, so take advantage of that fact, and look for ways to embed video throughout the selling process.
