How to Use Videos During Each Step of the Sales Process

Selling products in a world of distractions is tough. Not only are online platforms making it harder for advertisers to break through the noise threshold, but consumers are also developing their own internal ad-filters subconsciously. 

On the flip side, people enjoy seeing and engaging with ads from brands that are done well. We have all discovered brands through a well-crafted ad. Even though the number of ads we see every day can be overwhelming at times, they still work!

If you’re good at the selling process, and your ads are on point, but you’re not gaining new customers, then what?! That’s a problem most marketers face every single day, so, let me start by saying you are not alone. The issue you’re facing may lie within your communication medium. Your sales pitch and ads are useless unless you have the right way of getting those to your customers. 

Video has become a powerful and preferred communication method between brands and consumers. Customers, in fact, want to see more video content from brands than they do today. I’m going to show you how you can use video content to aid you in every step of the sales process so you can start landing more sales and shoot past the plateau you may be stuck on.

NOTE: Everyone in sales has their own approach to selling, and these five steps should translate to most sales processes.

Product Knowledge

THE STORY: SphereMall is a relatively new company and came to us needing a video that they could use online and in client presentations. They wanted to answer the big three questions of "why, how, and what" in a fun way. We always recommend producing videos that address one audience and one question/message so it made sense for us produce an episodic series to answer these questions. We decided to tell the story of a business owner that started with a single brick and mortar but expanded the store with an online presence. We told a story that the audience relates to so we could present SphereMall's as the solution that will help them win more business. The audience always has to be the hero - your product is what helps them accomplish their goals. CLIENT NOTE: "It is amazing how it turned out! Especially with the music now, it is a mini-movie. I was fighting against a tear in my eye (really). Almost can’t believe this is about my company. Many thanks for this great result! CLIENT: SphereMall VIDEO AGENCY: Hambone Collective www.hambonecollective.com PRODUCER: Abraham Moreno CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Justin Boh

The first step in every sales process is your elevator pitch. After you know what you’re going to sell your customers, “the pitch” comes next on the priority list. Usually, you should have at least three variations of your pitch: 

1. Short [< 30 seconds]

2. Medium [60-90 seconds]

3. Long [~3 minutes]. 

Pitching your brand is your chance to make a good first impression while educating people on what you sell. Your pitch should answer all of the questions in Donald Miller’s grunt test:

What do you offer? 

How does it make my life better?

How do I buy it?

When you decide to add video content to your creative mix, your pitch is generally the first video you make. Creating a video for your pitch is a great way to get your brand discovered by potential customers. You can share it digitally through the channels where your customer spends their time, and collect realtime, actionable results to learn more about your audience. 

Customers want to see more videos from brands because they are the most engaging form of content brands are using today. Videos give brands a chance to send their customers a large amount of information in a short amount of time - and it’s the easiest way for us to discover new brands.

It’s best to use a short pitch [30-45 seconds] or medium pitch [60-90 seconds] when sharing your video digitally. Between the emails, calls, texts, social media notifications, games, and shopping on our phones, there is only a small allotted window of time to hook your customer’s attention. Keeping the length short will make it short enough to actually watch the whole thing and long enough to learn something.

Prospecting

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This is the nitty-gritty of the sales process. Generally, this is where you need to start cold-calling/emailing/DM-ing with hopes of getting a conversation started. Resiliency is vital here. You will hear “no” forty-nine times before you hear “yes” once. If you’ve been in sales for a while, you’re probably nodding your head in agreement right now. 

Once you’ve identified your leads, take your shot. The best video length for this stage of the sales process is around 1-minute. Use your pitch as the base for the video, then find the best way to funnel your leads to watch it. It’s short enough to respect your potential customer’s time and long enough to get them curious enough to ask questions. 

The most important part of this step is being prepared for the follow-up questions. Your leads will lose interest if they can’t find the important information they need. Before you send your video out to your leads, show your team, leadership, colleagues, and friends. See what questions come up, and start thinking about how to answer them. Having the information readily available will keep your leads happy and open for further discussion.

The final aspect of the prospecting process is leaving the line of communication open. This is generally where your call-to-action comes into play: “click here to subscribe”, “schedule your free consultation today”, etc. The goal here is to collect their contact information or have them opt-in for further discussion. Have your contact information readily available, and make the next steps of the conversation abundantly clear. 

Connecting

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Setting up some time to meet with prospective clients is a crucial step in the sales process. Face-to-face time with your leads gives you an opportunity to find out more about their priorities and how you can be an asset that makes their day easier. The outcome of the initial meeting will also determine if you will get future meetings with the client.

Your prospective clients may be a bit reluctant or standoff-ish during the first connection meeting. Being prepared and confident can help the client feel more relaxed. Adding video content takes it a step further. Videos can make your prospective client feel even more comfortable by answering questions they have, and also lets them see your brand in action. 

For example, let’s say I am an account manager for a branding agency. When I have my first “connection” meeting with a prospective client, you better believe I will have a presentation and some case studies to send home with the client so they can see real examples of our branding capabilities. You also better believe that all of your competitors are sending their presentations and case studies too. 

While case studies are great to share, pairing it with a video is even more powerful. A case study lays out all the facts of a project, but videos show the project in action. Videos also make it easier for your prospective clients to picture their own brands in the video. Video content also gives me an edge against my competition since they only sent over presentations and case studies. 

Fact-Finding

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Before you meet with your prospective client, you will go through the process of developing important questions that unlock a path to landing the sale. Before you can get your prospective client to answer that list of questions, you will need to demonstrate that you can be relied on. When people feel comfortable, it’s easier for them to share information about their pain-points. 

Videos are a great way to begin the fact-finding process with your customers. Kayak.com has several short videos that ask questions about what your priorities are when selecting your travel arrangements. Then they provide a solution that exists on their platform that can help you solve your problem.

Pushing your customers towards a personalized platform that stores their preferences and priorities is a great way to stay current on the latest wants and needs from your customers so you can give a personalized experience. This enhances the overall shopping experience from your brand, and positions you as authentic.

Presentation

THE STORY: Zerto came to us needing a video to show off the latest features of a recent update, version 5.0. The problem though was there were too many features to pack into one video and the features had different audiences. Some of the features were designed for the IT employee that uses the service daily and other features designed for upper management to track progress. In this scenario, it's always best to break up your video to speak to one audience and communicate one message. Since we needed to break the videos up we thought it would add a lot of engagement if we created an episodic series that included all of the characters but focused on one department and feature per video. Creating a fake IT department would allow viewers to quickly identify with the product and solution since they're familiar with the inner workings and day-to-day banter that happens in the office. The screenplay type writing also allowed us to interject humor in the videos. This 3 video series was a success and we've continued to produce more work with the great team at Zerto. CLIENT NOTE: "Thank you so much for your amazing work, effort and genuine care in what you do. I think you guys are the best! If you ever need a reference, call me any time, any day, and I will tell them how crazy they would have to be to not work with you!" CLIENT: Zerto VIDEO AGENCY: Hambone Collective hambonecollective.com PRODUCER: Abraham Moreno CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Justin Boh

Your presentation is the most important step in the sales process. Many of you may have valid arguments for why other steps are equally, if not more important than this one. When it comes to the degree of influence a single step can have on the sales process, the presentation takes the cake.

When you get the opportunity to do your final presentation, you are presenting a solution to your prospective client. This is the time when your future client is truly evaluating what your brand has to offer and determining if you add value. If you cannot get your client to see the value in your brand, you will never get the opportunity to close the deal - hence the importance of this step!

A good presentation focuses on the client’s issue, identifies the source, and communicates a valuable solution with the client’s top priorities in mind. If you do not take the time to make their priorities a priority, your prospective clients will not trust you, and you’ll lose the sale in a heartbeat. Coming up with a thoughtful and realistic solution will position your brand as a valuable asset to your client.

Videos are a great way to cram a lot of technical information into a short amount of time, and explain it in a way that everyone in the room can understand. Zerto has some great videos that identify several pain-points their clients feel and present a valuable and thoughtful solution to the problem.

NOTE: If you use videos in your final presentation, be prepared for it to be shared with multiple people who were not part of the original discussion. When you make your video, make sure it is something that anyone can understand.

Close the Deal

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This is the final step of the sales process, and sometimes can be the hardest step to accomplish. Closing a sale requires strategy, flexibility, and (professional) persistence. Being able to close is just as much a science as it is an art.

Videos are best used following the close of a deal. These videos are meant to make your new client feel comfortable investing in you and that they made the right choice. Here are a few examples of videos that can be used after the close:

• “Welcome aboard” 

• “What to expect next”

• “How to use our product”

• “Thank you for doing business with us”

When brands take the extra step to send a follow up to their customers, it shows they care about the business they receive. The follow up makes customers feel valuable, and increases the likelihood they will return. It also positions your brand as a long-term resource that can be relied on for information and support. 

The brands that can make the biggest impact with post-close videos are software/app companies. A great example I have seen is from the Bear writing app. After spending money on their platform, they provide helpful videos showing writers how to use every feature. These videos help consumers maximize the value of their purchase, which strengthens the brand relationship.

Closing Thoughts

Videos can be used as a helpful tool during each step of the sales process. They present information in a clear way, and they can help convey the value of your brand to your prospective customers. Videos are engaging, which can help you stand out against your competition when the video is shared with others inside the organization.

While you use videos to assist you with landing your sales, you still need to keep basic video etiquette in mind. Your videos should be short, valuable, and authentic to ensure your prospective customers remember the core message.

Once you make these videos, be sure your customers can easily find them! Most brands that create video content make a YouTube page to have a video library for their customers to reference later.