Are you willing to add a twist to your virtual selling strategy? But still confused about what you could change?
We were fascinated with the ideas on virtual selling shared by Kim Orleasky on her podcast with our Co-founder & CEO, Ashish Santhalia. Her ideas on how you can leverage a new instrument to nail your virtual sales is impressive and needed a separate discussion with you’ll.
The sales strategy twist recommended by Kim is the addition of video selling techniques to your sales program.
Hold those questions in your mind, and hear us out!
The concept of virtual selling with videos is spreading like wildfire.
For those of you who don’t understand virtual selling, the virtual selling channel heavily relies on web conferencing platforms to connect sellers and buyers without ever having to meet face-to-face.
Our aim is to familiarize you with video selling and how to leverage video conferencing and recorded videos to get the desired results from your prospects.
In today’s post, we’ll be discussing:
Let’s get started!
What is Video Selling?
"It will be difficult to operate the in-person meetings in the future because people are not interested in meetings more than 30-minutes long. Salespeople need to focus on making meetings as short and crisp as possible." - Kim Orleasky.
The 21st century is a world obsessed with videos. Advanced Gen Z does not want to wait for anything, and they want quick responses to queries and shorter videos to answer their questions.
Video selling is a form of marketing that uses videos in sales to convince, educate, and spread awareness about the product. Video selling is a live demonstration of how things work in the actual world. This is why videos connect and convert better than any other form of content.
As per Wyzowl, explainer videos are the most popular, followed by social media video content. Explainer and product videos are short and break down complex concepts. Moreover, the quick explainer and social videos suit today’s busy and hard-working professionals.
Take for instance, someone who wants to make pancakes; they'll prefer to watch a video to learn how to make pancakes instead of reading the recipe because a video will give a clear idea of what they need to do.
Also, studies report viewers retain 95% of the content when they watch it in the video format compared to 10% in the text format.
Why should you use videos in virtual selling?
81% of marketers say video has helped them directly increase sales. Undoubtedly, videos are most engaging. People on social media prefer to consume video content more than any form of content.
Here’s why you should choose video selling:
1. Gauge buyers’ purchasing intent
Understanding the buyer’s journey is crucial in selling. You need to approach buyers based on their level of engagement. When most of your audience is actively consuming the video content, you have the opportunity to grab their attention.
For instance, you get to know about the lead from the video consumption time, whether it's a hot, cold, or warm lead. For a 7-minute video,
- Someone watched the entire 7-minute video; it's a hot lead.
- Anybody who watched less than half of the video is a cold lead.
- Anybody who partially watched the video is a warm lead.
2. Get the desired outcome
Studies by Invideo.io shows that;
- 72% of customers said they would instead learn about a product or service through video.
- 84% of people say they've been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand's video.
- 79% of people say they've been convinced to buy or download a piece of software by watching a video, which you can create for your brand in minutes by using the 5000+ ready-to-use video templates on InVideo.
Videos have such a powerful impact on a person's mind. It's much easier to see, read, and watch video content than a blog.
3. Video is everywhere.
“Studies show that Instagram videos have the highest engagement.”
Not shocking right?
If you see all the social media platforms today, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, all have the means to push video content out there. TikTok is booming as the most visited site globally due to the presence of short, crisp content. Instagram introduced a "Reel" feature in 2020 because they realized the importance of the short form of video content.
Find out more, about how to make reels on Instagram with photos
Videos help to build genuine connections among the people. It's like a heart-to-heart conversation. Those who put themselves out there and educate the buyer's about their product end up making the most sales. And showing up on videos helps to overcome the fear of rejection.
A platform like no other: TikTok
Let's look at the case study of TikTok and how they used videos to skyrocket their sales.
TikTok is booming as one of the top most visited sites in the world. The idea behind TikTok isn't new. Similar apps like Vine came before TikTok, but TikTok swayed the market away with a completely different value proposition. But what made TikTok successful?
Here's how TikTok won the market:
1. FREE video consumption
The more complex the application is for users, the more likely they'll abandon it.
Before a person could access Vine's content, they had to go through a number of stages. TikTok enables users to watch videos without having to register!
2. Provided wings to fly high
Creators were encouraged to advertise their video content on the site by displaying it to a test audience. If it goes well, they show it to an even larger audience.
Even if the creator has no followers, they may be eligible for the prizes.
Vine had its framework, which prevented creators from showcasing their work independently.
3. Bite-sized video content
TikTok had predicted that viewers' attention span is decreasing. Taking advantage of the trend, TikTok introduced short 60-second videos, which got a hysterical response from the audience.
Viewer loved short, crisp, entertaining 60-second video content that enticed them to take action.
This strategy has led TikTok to make over $1.9 billion in 2020.
How to maintain a personal touch in virtual meetings?
In face-to-face meetings, there were ways to play with the psychology of the prospects, like building rapport with the client and leaning back when they lean back, looking in the same direction as they look, and being on the same lane as they’re.
There are ways to implement such strategies in virtual meetings as well. Consider the following strategies:
- Make sure that the lighting is bright and clear. Lighting plays a crucial role in making the first impression. The more you and your background are bright and subtle, the better your first impression will be.
- Make use of appropriate headsets with noise cancellation features.
- Make optimal eye contact( not too much, not too less) and look at the camera while talking. When you look at the camera and make eye contact, it gives a clear idea to the prospects that you're paying attention to them.
Want to harness the power of videos to increase sales in 2022?
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Things to take care of when using videos in virtual selling!
1. The Background
In this case, the more natural you sound, the better it is. Zoom offers a variety of backgrounds for virtual meetings. But, it’s advised to keep it natural. Choose a background with a good amount of light and a decent background. Salespeople need to ask themselves what background would make the prospects feel comfortable and want to communicate. Make sure they don't bounce back due to the monotonous background!
Tip: How about having your favorite book or musical instrument in the background to start a conversation?
2. The Questions
It’s a phase where sales leaders have to play a crucial role. One of the essential questions sales leaders should ask when planning virtual selling Is how I want my company and sales process to look in the next 3 to 5 years?
Although some companies might be planning a hybrid model, it’s necessary to keep in mind the factor of attention span.
Sale leaders need to decide if they want to go 100% virtual or not. If it is the case, they need to create a strategy to move ahead. The second question, sales leaders need to ask themselves is, at what stages do I need to use the videos in my virtual meetings?
It could be lead generation, prospecting, follow-up, or closing stage.
“Quickly watching a video or joining a Zoom is more productive vs. traveling and attending conferences. Videos make it easy for customers to consume at their own leisure. Creating a short video walkthrough is crucial to pretty much all sales processes today.”- Eric Stresen
3. Modes of communication
Basically, two types of communication should be used in virtual selling.
A. Asynchronous video selling: Sending a 20-minute video to the audience to watch it on their own. Make the videos short and crisp to keep the audience's eyes on them.
B. Synchronous video selling: Getting a prospect in a 20-minute meeting and learning about them. Ensure that the meeting time is close to 20 minutes because prospects lose their attention if it goes beyond that.
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:
4. Keep it short and crisp
Previously, virtual meetings used to be hours long. It used to make the audience feel bored. But now, the virtual meetings time limit is set to 20 minutes. Because the attention span of people is decreasing. As a sales leader, think about how you can explain your point of view within 20 minutes. If you’re sending an email, make sure it’s completed within 100 words.
Are you ready to nail your sales quota with the help of videos?
Virtual Selling is high in demand. Entrepreneurs are ready to make sales without meeting prospects in their lifetime. And yet they are meeting their sales quotas and bagging lofty incentives.
But first, Do you know why sales quota motivates the sales reps? - Interesting read!
If you've already decided to go virtual, we can help!
Convin is an AI-powered platform for assisted selling that helps companies to skyrocket their revenue with high-velocity virtual selling. Convin supports review video selling recordings and highlighting performance gaps. But there’s more, check this out.
That’s all folks. We wish you have a happy video selling experience. Go, kill it!
Results first, payment later.
