The rise of remote work has accelerated the expansion of sales technology. According to LinkedIn’s 2022 State of Sales data, 91% of sellers at large companies use sales tech once a week. But although adoption of sales technology is at an all-time high, this report also states that the most successful sellers (top performers reaching more than 150% of quota) use technology to make themselves more human and connected to buyers. What is one way to do so? By using video consistently and correctly throughout the entire sales process.

Humans consume tons of information throughout the day, and most of it comes through rich media like video (think about the rise in TikTok videos and Instagram stories). We are geared for videos and process visual content at an exceptionally high speed. But there has been a lag in accepting video as a form of professional communication, despite how intensely we consume video content in our personal lives. In part, this could be because filming video is not natural to people. Writing a blog post like this one, for example, is a muscle that sales and business professionals have been flexing for a long time. Video, however, not so much. We don’t see our faces and hear our voices consistently, so when we do, it’s uncomfortable, and we revert back to what we know.

There’s a generational shift happening in the workplace, which will make video more comfortable and common in the professional context just like it has become in the consumer context. Think about it this way: the consumers buying shoes directly off a social media advertisement or off Amazon are the same people buying B2B software or other complex products and services. They desire the same types of rich content and intricate buying journeys, and video will continue to become a big part of the equation.

Tips and Considerations for Using Personalized Videos in Sales

Prospecting

At the top of the funnel, prospecting video messages are impactful and make a difference. Think about all the virtual selling factors you have had to prioritize the past couple years – appropriate on-screen appearance (lighting, background, etc.), positive energy, and a confident attitude. These apply just the same when you film your videos. The goal is to show off your personality and grab the prospect’s attention, have them consume the content you generated, and create a more human-to-human connection. Remember, the larger the purchase or consideration, the more buyers want to have a connection with the seller/organization on the other side.

If you work for a company that has a flow of inbound leads with an automated lead nurturing sequence in place, you can use templated, pre-recorded videos that apply to topics, products, or solutions you offer. This ensures that when a lead fills out a form or schedules a time to talk, they get an immediate personalized email response that incorporates video content specific to their interests.

Next, once you book a virtual meeting with the prospect, record it and send the recording as a follow-up. At Carew, one of the sales technology solutions we utilize to increase our use of video messaging is Smart Rooms by Journey DXP. This technology helps to provide detailed analytics around content views, boosts interaction with prospective clients, and ensures a more personalized, connected buying experience.

Additional best practices and creative ways to use video in sales:

• Equip clients with just-in-time, asynchronous product information by sending micro demos provided to you by your sales enablement or marketing teams.
• Once your client receives a proposal, send a video with a further description of each line item and a justification for why it exists.
• If and when the customer buys, follow up with a congratulations video. Thank them personally and encourage them to share the video with other internal stakeholders to get them excited about the rollout.
• Then, if passing the relationship off to a customer success manager, that person can send a video introducing themselves and explaining how to set a meeting with them.

Personalized sales videos allow you to create a human interaction without being in front of your clients, a crucial element in the virtual world. Creating human connections digitally is a muscle that needs to be flexed, though. The more videos you film of yourself, the more comfortable you will be with it.

We mainly covered how to use personalized video at the top of the sales funnel, but when done correctly, you can use video to create trust throughout the entire sales process and multiply your efforts through an asynchronous approach.