How to get your sales team started with videos now

From the 30-second snippets on Tiktok to Instagram reels and YouTube shorts, video is fast becoming the medium of connection to the world. Video has also taken over the business world as marketing and sales teams connect with prospects using video to form a better connection. With a whopping 95% of B2B buyers in a survey saying that video played an important role in them deciding to go ahead with a purchase, it’s about time you got your sales team using videos for sales across various touch points. 

While knowing how to make great videos is one thing, setting up an operation for the whole team is another. Quite often sales teams are eager to incorporate video into their sales routine but lack the enablement framework they would need to succeed. Without a supportive internal structure to launch the video program, the endeavor is bound to fail. Reps can have a hard time figuring out how to shoot videos, how often to use them or even how to compose the video email.

In this article we take a quick look at how to get your sales team started with videos.

1. Start with a strategy for video sales enablement

People who have been using video for a long time tend to forget how confusing getting started with videos in sales for the first time can be. Reps can end up spending hours just working on getting their videos right. When they don’t get the intended response, they also get discouraged from using videos again. To have your reps succeed in using videos, there should be a strategy for the creation of videos and a demonstration for specific use cases with examples. Here’s how you can go about it:

Decide where you want your sales team to use video

Start by deciding where you can use videos most effectively. Choose the different stages of sales you can come up with the best videos for. Some examples where videos work well include:

• Prospecting
• Discovery call and follow-up
• Demo and follow-up
• Check in
• Proposal walk-through
• Handoff to CSM

Match video types with the sales stage

Once you have the stages figured out, think about the kinds of videos you would want your reps to use. There are a number of different ways, such as using a webcam to record videos, screen recordings on the computer, video snippets shot using the phone, or pre-existing content produced by product marketing. Here’s how to go about using these videos at different sales stages:

• Prospecting: Screen share videos with the rep on a small side window analyzing areas of the prospect’s business that can be improved.
• Consideration: A webcam video at this stage builds more familiarity with the sales rep as they establish trust.
• Conversion: By the time the prospect has reached this stage, they are familiar enough with the sales reps and the team to use a more informal video, such as selfie videos.

Pre-existing content, how-to videos, and case study videos can be used at different stages when needed.

Establish the process

After having established the types of videos to be used at different stages, you can proceed to build a library of examples and video implementation procedures to train your reps. It helps to make some example videos—at least 3 to 4 videos per use case—to give them an idea of how to go about it.

To standardize the process, write scripts for each video stage and share ideas about the presentation and how they would go about the task in the video. Include instructions on email drafting, a template, and supporting content for the video. Create a video playbook so you can Have it all documented in one place, and corrections can be made in the future as needed.

2. Get the sales team familiarized and comfortable with video

While making videos comes naturally to some of the Gen Z and millennial members on the team, others need time to get used to being on screen. Many reps who haven’t caught up to the online social media culture tend to be camera shy, and familiarisation is always needed in the beginning to help them get going.

To minimize being overwhelmed by looking at themselves on screen, have the reps start out on screen-sharing videos where they can get comfortable with the process. As their face only appears in a small window on the screen, the reps are less likely to be distracted by their appearance and focus more on what is to be said, be it sharing the prospect’s website screen, your website, or presenting a sales deck. Once they’re comfortable making screen-sharing videos, you can encourage them to try out webcam and selfie videos to build comfort. They can also use the help of a teleprompter, so they don’t need to memorize the script and can deliver the content with confidence.

To further nudge them towards comfortably recording videos, encourage teams to use video for office communication and do practice runs within the team. Inputs from peers in these low-stakes environments take the pressure off and build their instinct for video making. The idea is to normalize making and sharing videos and hone their dialogue delivery skills on video.

When it’s time to send out videos to prospects for real, the reps can get started with existing customers with whom they already have a great relationship. They are more likely to be enthusiastic, supportive, and give constructive feedback that can help the reps a great deal. Positive feedback can be a confidence booster for your team as they move forward.

The key to success in B2B sales video making is to set measurable and realistic goals and work your way to the top. At different stages of training and live sales, set goals for what kind of videos they should be creating and the number of videos they should be putting out every week. Setting clear goals enables your reps to practice their skills frequently and regularly to build a routine for progression.

3. Provide sales team with feedback and training

Feedback is invaluable, especially at the start as your reps are learning the ropes. Set up a system to offer constructive input after every attempt, including the successful ones, to look for areas for improvement. Encourage teams to review one another’s videos to give peer-to-peer feedback. Having the reps analyze each other’s videos helps find flaws and even share ideas with the team to make them better.

You can start a separate work group that allows reps to share and discuss their ideas. Encourage them to post videos that were a hit with the prospects and also the ones that flopped, so everybody gets to learn from the mistakes of others. While it can be awkward at first, sharing failures can help reps overcome awkwardness, work towards improving themselves, and build confidence.

A certain degree of autonomy is essential to empowering your reps to make the most of video. Empower your reps to take ownership of the process and become responsible for what they send to clients. Allow the reps plenty of room to fine-tune their process according to the feedback they receive, response rates, and even the milestones they achieve.

As managers, it’s essential to look at the videos of your reps for regular review and feedback. The simple quality control process can shed light on a number of issues that could improve open rates, response rates, and the effectiveness with which the message was delivered. You can have your reps tag you in the emails they send once a week or have them run a new concept by you before sending it to the client. Your feedback could be based on essential elements of a great video, such as:

• The thumbnail: is it catchy enough to get the prospect’s attention and compel them to click the video?
• Video length: is it too long and boring or snappy and crispy? Different stages of the sales cycle need videos of different lengths.
• Body language and tone of voice: Are the reps using the right body language and proper camera angles too? Does their tone of voice come across as exciting, warm, friendly, or dry and uninspiring?
• Personality: does the video feel authentic, or does it make the prospect want to skip ahead?

Using videos for sales is quite dynamic, as people have different preferences, and your reps will take a while before honing their skills. Similar to how sales cadences and sequences are constantly updated, the video strategy needs to be optimized regularly to improve various sales performances indicators. There’s always room for innovation, and the imagination is the limit for what your reps can do.

4. Adopt a video tool

The traditional video recording and editing process is long, cumbersome, and, not to mention, skill-intensive. Your sales reps don’t have time to fiddle with video editing software all day or spend time learning it.

A video platform adapted specifically for sales is exactly the solution you would need to quickly make and send videos in a matter of minutes. There are numerous ways in which a great video-creation tool can streamline your process, such as:

• There is no need for technical knowledge: video editing tools are designed to be user-friendly. They have intuitive features that can be picked up by anyone who knows how to use basic apps on a phone. Unlike traditional video editing software that requires technical knowledge, video making tools for sales have inbuilt features that let you make videos instantly. For instance, this AI Editor feature allows people with zero video editing skills to create a professional snippet. With the AI doing most of the work, the user only has to input their preferences to generate an edited video.
• Fast, professional-quality production: Video production typically requires a set, cameras, lights, and a setting. With a video platform, you can create professional-quality videos using a basic camera or your mobile phone and send videos on the go.
• Instant video creation with templates: Sales reps don’t have to create a new video every time they have to connect with a prospect. Using video templates for different stages of the sales process, reps can quickly whip up the appropriate video they need.
• Personalization of video: The right video platforms allow you to personalize aspects such as the sales pages and thumbnails for each prospect or even drop a hyper-personalized video for that all-important prospect. With other features such as Humanize AI, it becomes possible to create personalized videos at scale when you’re prospecting dozens, if not hundreds, of people.
• Integration with other platforms and tools: video tools seamlessly integrate with other platforms to create videos that are well-suited for the platform. The tools can sync with existing CRMs, email providers, and other platforms to create and upload a video without hassle.
• Scaling with automation: By using templates and pre-recorded video and audio, reps can make new videos by splicing fresh, personalized segments to old intros and making new videos.

The fastest way to motivate your sales reps to get started with video is to use a tool that makes video creation fun and easy.

5. Track Sales team’s performance and video adoption

Having a video platform gives you the ability to track videos sent by your sales team and the adoption rates of videos using the app’s metrics. You can also measure key numbers such as how many videos are being sent by each rep, the response rates to each video, and the effectiveness of the campaign.

With the analytics, it becomes possible to understand the kind of videos it takes to drive the pipeline and close deals. You can also observe the success rates of the strategic implementation of your videos at different stages of the sales cycle. You should ideally be tracking the impact of video at different stages and, based on the observations, optimizing your approach.

Closing Thoughts

Incorporating videos into your sales process is not only a trendy idea but also a powerful sales strategy. Although your sales team might be shy in the beginning, with the right approach and tool, it’s possible to create winning sales videos that let you stand out among the crowd among your prospects.

If you want to know how you can do that for your sales team today, check out Hippo Video!