Liz Heflin

Creating Personalized Video Introductions to Enable the Sales Process One of the biggest hurdles as a salesperson is developing a bond and connection with a prospect early in the sales cycle. Many prospects want to engage with people they know and trust, but how do you develop that initial connection that then sparks later conversations? One easy way to kick-start your sales process is by incorporating personalized video messaging. But what exactly does that entail, and what qualities do your videos need to successfully engage your prospect? How to Effectively Use Video Early in the Sales Cycle What Is Personalized Video Messaging, and Why Does It Work? Personalized video messaging is essentially exactly what it sounds like. It’s a video recorded message specifically created and intended for a particular prospect or group of prospects. (Think of it like a visual voice mail.) For introductory messages, one of the most effective types of video is the simple, straightforward talking head video. This works for a couple key reasons. One, video content, in general, is effective. By putting a human face to an otherwise faceless entity, you’re creating empathy and human connection between you (the salesperson) and your audience (the prospect). Once that professional relationship is established and credibility and trust are present, it becomes much easier to convince that person that he or she wants to do business with you. Two, personalized video content is especially successful because people like the idea that something has been specifically created for them. By taking the time to individually create a video just for them, they feel valued and special in the eyes of your company. This, in turn, creates positive feelings that can eventually snowball into closed deals. 4 Parts of a Successful Personalized Video Message 1. The Introduction and Hook One key thing to keep in mind is that a prospect isn’t guaranteed to watch or engage with your content just because it’s a video. Yes, this type of content does generally produce better response rates and increased engagement, but it still needs to be interesting and meaningful to have real impact. That’s why the first few seconds of the video are incredibly important! Get prospects’ attention right away, and then make sure to introduce yourself and make it clear why you’re contacting them specifically. Show you’ve done your research by citing a few facts about them or their companies’ achievements. This information can easily be found on social media profiles, but demonstrating that you’ve invested time in this process often resonates positively with people. One easy way to immediately grab somebody’s attention is by including a personalized message on a whiteboard at the beginning of the video. Ideally this will include the prospect’s actual name. A picture of this whiteboard can be used as the video thumbnail, which alerts the prospect to the fact this video is specifically for him or her, and playing on people’s natural curiosity, it makes a prospect want to click play. 2. Body Language Throughout the video—especially in an introductory message—your goal is to create feelings of trust, credibility, and competence. If you can accomplish that, you’ve cleared a significant hurdle and made the rest of your sales process a lot easier on yourself. So, how do you produce those positive feelings in your prospect when you aren’t actually in the room with him or her? It comes down to body language and attitude. Be upbeat and positive, and keep your body language as open and relaxed as possible. (Don’t forget to smile!) When you’re first creating these videos, it might feel forced or awkward, but the more you do, the more natural you’ll feel (and look) on camera—and the more authentic and trustworthy you’ll appear to your prospects. 3. Value As with any content, you don’t have a lot of time to catch and keep a prospect’s attention. (Again, that’s why the hook—and engaging your prospect right away—is so crucial.) One important way to help ensure your content is engaging all the way through is by quickly demonstrating your tangible value to the prospect. Identify that prospect’s pain points, make them explicit within the video, and then make clear how your company’s product or service can help solve that problem. All of this needs to be accomplished in a short amount of time because people are busy, and they’re also saturated with content. However, if you can genuinely demonstrate your value to the prospect in an engaging, time-efficient way, you are much more likely to get (and keep) that prospect’s attention. When it comes to identifying pain points, rely on your company’s research. Identify what buyer persona you’re contacting, and then look up core messaging for that persona within your content catalog. If you misidentify the prospect’s problem, your solution is obviously going to be irrelevant. So, do your research, and it can certainly pay off in the long run! 4. Calls to Action Again, video content is still content, so it’s important to incorporate a call to action that drives the prospect to the next stage. This can come in several forms. One, the verbal call to action. Explicitly state what you’re hoping to happen next with this prospect. Do you want this person to sign up for your webinar? Try a free demo? Schedule a time to talk with you? Whatever you want to happen next, make sure it’s crystal clear to the prospect. That way, if he or she is interested, the sale will continue in the direction you desire. Two, the visual call to action. This won’t apply to every video, but depending on what you’re trying to accomplish with this introduction, the video might end with an appointmentscheduling app, another video that provides further detail, a screen to sign up for your newsletter, or any other number of follow-up steps. Conclusion In the sales process, trust is essential. If a prospect doesn’t trust you or your company, it’s always going to be an uphill battle to make any progress. By incorporating personalized video messaging into your sales toolkit, you have a much better chance of creating that bond of trust and credibility. If you can successfully lay that foundation, all further interactions throughout the sales pipeline will become a lot easier.