You discover a new promising lead or prospect. Now, how do you reach out to them? Your first instinct is likely to contact them by phone or email, but what if you could talk to them in person instead? Wouldn’t it be easier to solidify your point and show your emotion? That’s where video prospecting comes in.
What is video prospecting? “Video prospecting is the ability to get face to face with prospects faster via video, and show them what your value proposition is,” explains Justin Doornbos, a BombBomb Enterprise Account Executive.
We all know that prospecting is the first stage in the sales process, meant to garner awareness, learn about and qualify potential customers, and schedule that initial appointment.
Ultimately, the goal of any salesperson at this stage of the relationship is to meet with prospects face to face, because that’s when and how we connect and communicate most effectively with others. Video prospecting accomplishes this much earlier and more often – even from the first-touch email.
Watch the video below and continue on through this post to find out…
• Why video prospecting should be part of your sales process
• When to use video prospecting
• When not use video in prospecting
• How to incorporate video in different prospecting stages
• Best practices for sales success with video
Why Video Prospecting?
Most salespeople (78% according to HubSpot) are doing their prospecting via email. This makes sense since HubSpot also reports that 8 in 10 people prefer to communicate with sales reps this way. However, this also means your prospecting emails probably look very similar to those of competing reps.
So, how do you reach prospects in the medium they prefer, while still standing out? By using video in sales prospecting emails.
Video puts you center stage with your prospects. You’re not hiding behind a phone or computer. It’s you – front and center – showcasing your personality in an authentic light face to face.
That is what draws people to you and makes them want to work with you. Video also…
• Brings back real conversations: In sales prospecting emails, you probably feel like you need to squeeze in as many details as you can in hopes of starting a conversation. However, with video prospecting, the conversation starts as soon as you send your prospecting videos.
• Differentiates you: Think of all the plain-text emails you receive every day. If you saw someone smiling and waving at you in your inbox instead, wouldn’t you click play? Yes, because real people are harder to ignore than the plain-text emails sitting in your trash folder.
• Keeps things clear: Video eliminates the chances of your message getting lost in translation. They’ll understand exactly what you mean by hearing the tone of your voice and seeing your facial expressions and other nonverbal cues.
These are all things that garner trust and build relationships. These relationships are what land you closed deals, not clever sales pitches.
So, how do we know that video will bring you success in your sales prospecting efforts?
The results speak for themselves…
• In a case study we conducted with an enterprise sales team, they saw a 56% increase in replies to cold emails with video.
• Another sales team set an objective to garner a 25% response rate and build a pipeline of $250,000 within their first 30 days of using video. They surpassed that and achieved a 70% response rate and built a $1.2 million pipeline in one month. Hear Amplexor’s story below…
• Also, Brad Stoehr of Horizon Investments was able to make $313 million for his company in 18 months because of video. Watch his video below to find out how he did it…
When to Use Video in Sales Prospecting
Use video in prospecting when…
• Explaining complex topics: The thing about plain-text messages is that it’s easy for them to get misconstrued. Justin explains that this happens because when people read a text-only email, they read it in their voice, not yours. So, it’s easy for things to get lost in translation.
Video prevents this from happening because you are the one actually talking. The tonality and nonverbal cues are there to deliver your prospecting message in a clear way.
And to make things even clearer, if your video messaging software has a screen recorder (like this one), you can walk people through whatever you’re explaining in real-time. So you can not only tell them what your product or service has to offer, but also show them.
• Establishing a connection: If you want to truly connect with prospects and build a relationship with them, you’ll want to use video.
The reality is that people won’t be able to learn anything about you from a plain-text email. It can’t tell them if you’re trustworthy or qualified to take care of their business. But a video can.
Once that rapport is established, the connection is, too.
When Not to Use Video While Prospecting
• Quick replies: If you’re replying back to a suggested appointment time, answering simply a yes-or-no question, or offering any other quick reply, you do not need to send a video.
What Sales Situations Are Ideal for Video Prospecting
Video gives you an advantage in so many sales prospecting situations.
Outbound Sales Outreach
As you reach out to potential right-fit customers, it’s a good idea to include video in your cold emails. You see, they don’t know you. So, you can’t blame them for being wary of a plain-text email from someone they’ve never heard from and ignoring it.
Using video in sales during outbound cold outreach efforts shows them there is an actual human trying to connect with them – not another bot. It’s hard to ignore a real human. That said, odds are definitely in your favor for setting that appointment you long for.
Inbound Lead Response
Got a hot lead? Make a good impression immediately by sending them a video email as soon as they request more information. It puts a face to the name, cultivating that trust earlier on in the sales process.
Your inbound sales prospecting videos will get people excited to talk to you, and in turn, book a meeting. You can save even more time by pre-recording videos that automatically send to inbound leads. Check out this article for more ways to use video as your top sales automation tool.
Appointment Setting
Getting in touch with prospects is hard, but setting an actual appointment with them is harder. You’re dealing with packed schedules and busy people. Get rid of the back and forth of the appointment-setting process by sending a video instead.
A simple appointment setting video allows you to share more value with prospects and truly connect with them on a one-on-one level. This is what convinces them to actually book an appointment with you in the first place. You can find more appointment setting strategies in this blog post.
6 Best Practices for Video Prospecting
Want to attain the same success other sales teams are achieving with video? You need to be equipped with the best practices for video prospecting. These include…
1. Include a Strong Email Subject Line
If you want your videos played, people need to open your emails in the first place. Put thought into crafting the perfect subject line — one that garners curiosity and elicits someone to click on your email and boost your open rate. An example of this is, “An opportunity you don’t want to miss…” And be sure to test subject lines continuously to ensure you’re using the ones that work best for you.
2. Use the EVA Framework
If you want to create videos that elicit replies, they need to follow the EVA Framework: Empathy, Value, and Action.
• Empathy: Get to know your prospects. Understand their pain points. Empathize with what they’re going through, so you can work with them on a solution.
• Value: Provide value in your sales prospecting videos. Ask your prospects how you can help them. Then, you can deliver solutions to the challenges they are facing.
• Action: Include a clear call-to-action in your video. What action do you want them to take? Likely to schedule a time to meet with you. So, tell them that, and reiterate it a couple of times, so they are more inclined to do it.
Need more examples of what to say in your prospecting videos? Check out this post from Blissful Prospecting.
3. Embrace Imperfections
Keep things simple. Don’t worry about making an elaborate video with scripts, green screens, etc. You don’t need to be a YouTube star to see sales success with video. All you need to create a great prospecting video is a webcam and you.
If you make a mistake, don’t worry about it and keep going. This is what keeps your video message real and makes you relatable to others.
You don’t need to keep recording multiple takes to get it right. In fact, it’s best to just shoot your video and send it without watching it. Also, don’t rely on reading word-for-word from a script. Be yourself, and be authentic.
4. Get Attention With an Animated Preview (GIF) or Video Thumbnail
Many video email platforms will display your video as a thumbnail or animated preview (GIF) within your email. That means that they are instrumental in enticing your prospects to click play and increasing your response rates.
Maximize the potential of your animated preview or video thumbnail by making it exciting, personalized, or unexpected. Use a whiteboard with your prospect’s name or company logo and display it alongside your smiling face.
Have fun with it and get creative. Check out this blog post to learn how to make the most of your animated previews and get your videos played.
5. Know When to Send Personal vs Pre-Recorded Videos
Whenever possible, it’s best to record and send personal one-to-one videos to prospects.
However, if that’s not scalable for you, then focus on creating personal videos for the top 20 prospects you’re targeting. You can pre-record evergreen prospecting videos (with no specific recipient named) to send to all other potential customers. Learn more about evergreen videos here.
If your video email software has an Outreach integration, you can even plug these evergreen prospecting videos into your sequence. Find out how this works in this post.
6. Keep Track of Your Video Analytics for Follow-Ups
It’s likely that your video email tool has tracking capabilities for email opens and clicks, as well as video plays. If that’s the case for you, then use them to your advantage.
When someone plays your video, follow up with them. Give them a call or send them another video.
Stuck on what to say in your follow-up? Here are some sales email follow-up templates for you to use.
Need Additional Guidance to Get Started?
Want more guidance on how to implement video prospecting into your sales process? We have an additional resource for you based on our decade of experience developing this philosophy and practice with, through, and for salespeople of all kinds.
Check out our complete list of video prospecting examples below. You’ll discover exactly how to use video at each stage of the sales prospecting process.
