About This Episode

When was the last time you were on video?

Probably not too long ago.

Video is an integral part of our lives. We use Facetime, Instagram, and a host of other apps to stay in touch with family and friends.

But when we think about using video at work, a lot of us panic. It makes us feel uncomfortable. And since we think we don’t really need to use video at work, we tend to shy away from it.

But video can be a great way to generate authentic conversations with your buyers and drive engagement. So, on a recent episode of the The Sales Engagement podcast, I interviewed Sati Hillyer, who talked about the power of video for enterprises. Sati is Founder and CEO of OneMob, a video engagement platform.

Check out what he had to say about why and how you should be using video to drive engagement.

From the Consumer World to the Enterprise World

There’s still a lot of great things happening in the consumer world that aren’t being brought to the enterprise world.

One of those things is video. Think about Instagram, Snapchat, Facetime, and Messenger — all of these platforms are becoming more and more ubiquitous.

It’s so easy to talk to family and friends through video, but then you go to the office and it’s the same old phone and email.

Video can be daunting. But when it’s one right, it can be simple, efficient, and effective.  

So, why not give it a go?

The Power of Video for Enterprise

One of the major trends we’re seeing in the enterprise sales process is that buyers are doing more and more on their own.

Studies predict that by 2020, 85% of the buyer journey will be done without a sales rep.

Here’s another trend we’re seeing — 80% of buyers want a trusted advisor.

So, as a seller, you’ve got to find new ways to engage with that buyer. You need to break through the noise and demonstrate that you can be that advisor for your buyers.

There’s nothing like a face to face meeting. You get to shake someone’s hand, look them in the eye, and really analyze all of the different aspects of communication.

But most of our communication today occurs over phone calls or email. Unfortunately, through those platforms, you lose so much of that human connection.

Video not only allows you to break through the noise and take on the role of advisor, it allows you to bring that connection back.

It enables your communication to be more authentic, which drives engagement in return.

Video Strategy: To Customize or Generalize?

There’s two ways you could think about your video strategy.

You could make every video you send totally personalized.

But Sati doesn’t think that’s really necessary.

Instead, he follows the 80/20 rule.

80% of your clients don’t really need one on one attention. For the most part, you can send them videos that are a little bit generic and add personalization in other areas.

But then there’s the 20%. Those are probably your core accounts that you really need to engage with. That’s where you could choose customization.

Regardless of how you do it, here are some tips you’ll want to keep in mind to create an effective video.

Creating an Effective Video

Like anything in sales, you have to know your audience.

Once you understand that audience, then you can think about what you want to say to them.

And a lot of what you have to say has already been written. It’s already been written in the form of an email template or a call script. So, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Once you know what message you want to communicate, consider having a bullet point version of the message available to the person on screen while they’re recording. This will help them stay on track while still sounding natural.

Video is just the beginning of a longer journey. When you send your video, you can have it front and center. But below and around the video include supporting materials that will help the buyer get more context out of that content.

But, What if I Freeze Up?

When you’re in a personal setting, perfection is not expected.

Judgements are lower, and as a result, you can be more free, more casual.

The moment it switches to business, we feel the need to be perfect.

But don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

Video isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being authentic.

When you use video with family and friends, you’re just having a conversation, telling a story.

It’s the same in business — just share your story.

Don’t let perfection get in the way of being great.

Consider using video in your business to make your communication more authentic and more effective.

This post is based on a podcast interview with Sati Hillyer from OneMob. To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast.

If you don’t use iTunes, you can listen to every episode here.

---