Did you know that the average time spent watching online videos has surged over the past five years, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down?

Salespeople can leverage this user behavior by creating informative sales videos showcasing their brand, products, or services.

While using video for sales is an effective tool for online engagement, its utility extends beyond digital platforms. It serves as a valuable asset throughout the entire sales process, including face-to-face interactions.

From initial contact to post-sale support, video serves as a dynamic medium to facilitate communication and relationship-building.  more effective and memorable customer interactions. 

Let’s explore the ways to effectively use sales video content throughout the entire sales journey.

A sales cycle is not a fixed construct. Depending on the industry, it changes, and sales managers need to adapt their strategy to suit the sales cycle. That said, a sales cycle is a series of steps a sales rep takes to identify, engage, nurture, and close deals with prospective customers.

A typical sales cycle comprises six steps:

1. Prospecting: The salesperson identifies and qualifies leads.
2. Initial contact: Initiating contact with prospective customers.
3. Needs assessment and demonstration of solution: Understanding the customer’s pain points and presenting an effective solution.
4. Building trust and addressing objections: Sales reps present solutions, address objections, and negotiate terms.
5. Closing the sale: Finalizing terms and closing deals.
6. Follow-up and customer retention: Delivering on promises and ensuring customer satisfaction to foster long-term relationships.

Time and again, video content has proven its value in engaging viewers and guiding them forward. However, the challenge here is determining the type of selling videos to use at each sales cycle stage. Let’s find out.

Videos are incredibly powerful in attracting the attention of prospective customers. As statistics reveal, video emails used in the prospecting stage have a 5 times higher open rate and 8 times higher reply rate.  

Although consumers are aware of their pain points, they are unsure what they’re looking for in a product. This is the time to introduce your unique value proposition. Utilizing value-driven content at the prospecting stage helps captivate prospects and allows you to  distinguish yourself from competitors.

In this stage of the sales cycle, prospects are educating themselves. They want information, not a sales pitch. It’s always a great idea to send them a short awareness video answering who you are, what you do, and what you stand for.

Some key guidelines for creating effective sales videos for email involve keeping them under 90 seconds, avoiding scripted content to appear more natural, personalizing the message for the audience, using thumbnail images for email videos, placing the video below the email copy, and utilizing video editing tools for quality production without needing extensive expertise.

You’ll know your video content is working as it should when you’re able to successfully move the consumer to the next stage of the sales cycle

Learn more about the art of sales prospecting here!

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In today’s highly competitive market, using videos is the most effective way to make initial contact with prospects. Sales videos can help capture attention, foster authentic connections, drive engagement, and leave a lasting impression about your brand. 

Some businesses adopt an innovative strategy and outsource the video editing process,hiring an animation company to produce a series of animated videos that are sure to draw attention and capture viewers’ interest.

For example, imagine a boutique interior design firm planning to engage prospective clients. In addition to traditional methods, the firm can create short videos introducing themselves, their firm, and past projects.

Introductory videos help humanize the brand, offer a glimpse of its offerings, experience, and style, and help make an instant and personal connection with potential customers.

Sales videos are not the only way to set up a successful sale. A sales tool like Badger Maps can be another great way to make that initial connection count. 

Badger Maps is a route optimization software that allows sales reps to automatically plan, route, and maximize their time in the field, cutting down driving time by 20%.

Making sure you are on time for your sales meeting is an important part of building trust with your customers and Badger Maps can help you do this. 

With capabilities such as route optimization, lead generation, map visualization, and automated data gathering from the field, Badger Maps helps field sales teams save time on their daily planning, maintain better relationships with customers, and get organized.

Other important capabilities such as follow-ups and advanced reporting allow you to keep track of key customer information.

You can add a date for your next follow-up appointment, and set an appointment reminder, with all of your notes recorded in the field automatically syncing to your CRM. Sales teams have reported that they sell 22% more and drive 20% less when using Badger Maps, in fact, the average team of 10 reps sells $936k more the year they start using the app.

With Badger Maps, you can mobilize your CRM, providing instant access to important customer information directly from the field. You can sync and leverage data in your CRM, all from your mobile device. 

You can also enable a two-way, real-time native integration with the most popular CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics, Insightly, NetSuite, and many more. 

Additionally, field sales teams increase their CRM usage by 50% when using Badger Maps.

If you're looking to make a great first impression with your customers, look no further than Badger Maps. 

Badger Maps reduces sales reps’ average drive time by 20% and frees up an average of 8 hours a week, ensuring you will never be late to a meeting again! 

Sign up for a free trial today or schedule a demo to see how you can start using this route planning tool for yourself!

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So you have initiated contact with a prospective client. Now, to establish trust, it’s crucial to gain a clear understanding of the prospect’s needs. The content utilized at this stage should aid in comprehending the customers’ pain points and position your brand as a potential solution to their problems.

Utilize b2b sales videos to educate potential customers about your product and how it can address their needs. Identifying their pain points is a crucial step in creating sales videos that resonate with prospects.

Make sure you are asking the right questions. Social media is a great way to use sales videos to ask questions that start these dialogues. You can also use video content to solicit feedback and then address it head on - showing them that you care about their needs and are equipped to provide the right solutions.

Once you’re able to show the prospect that you are the right person to help them, you’ll tap into more effective communication and ultimately, higher conversion rates.

Check out our guide with 9 top tips to convert your leads into paying customers!

This is one of the most critical stages of the sales cycle. How you handle objections that prospects may have and how you address the issues will distinguish your brand from the rest. To overcome any objection and resistance, you need to employ the 4 P’s principle: 

• Personalization 
• Perceived value 
• Performance value 
• Proof

For example, a real estate agency uses personalized property videos to impress prospective buyers. Such videos generally address specific client preferences and concerns, including architectural preferences, budget constraints, and preferred locations.

Sales managers will have an easier time building trust and addressing objections if they utilize customers to tell their stories. Social proof goes a long way in building trust and encouraging customers to make decisions in your favor.

Place information that is difficult to share as video content on your landing page. Then, sales reps can guide prospects to these pages to alleviate their objections.  

Imagine an insurance firm aiming to illustrate the benefits of a policy to prospective customers. The firm can create selling videos showcasing the positive experiences of customers. Testimonials from customers sharing their stories of how the insurance policy came to their rescue, reducing financial burdens during medical emergencies, can provide reassurance to prospects and establish the credibility of the business.

Listen to this Outside Sales Talk podcast episode with customer growth expert Janice B. Gordon to learn her 5 steps to becoming a trusted advisor!

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Sales videos serve not only the initial stages of sales cycles but also play a crucial role in later stages, encompassing closing sales and post-sales engagement. In the aftermath of the pandemic, businesses face heightened challenges, particularly for field sales representatives and managers. With intensified competition and lengthened sales cycles, even in the later stages, there persists a need for capturing customer attention.

At this juncture, videos prove instrumental in reinforcing the value proposition and instilling a sense of urgency, aiding in closing deals. Additionally, product videos that align with your business proposal. For instance, a clothing store can produce videos showcasing the unique features of its products and generate a sense of urgency through exclusive deals and limited-time offers.

Check out this helpful blog that provides you with 8 proven ways to close a sales deal!

Do you know that retaining just a small fraction of existing customers can lead to increased profits? 

Similarly, acquiring new customers can cost up to 5 times more than retaining existing ones. These are statistics you need to take seriously, especially in this tough economic environment.

Sales video content can add a personal touch to your post-sale follow-up with customers. 

Videos can help delight customers and build long-term relationships and loyalty. Additionally, mastering the art of follow-up is crucial in maximizing customer retention and acquisition efforts. There are many effective strategies using sales videos for following up after the deal has been made, and they can make all the difference in closing deals. 

You’ll want to follow up at the right time, in the right way, and with the right message. For example, share a video update on industry news that might be helpful to them. You don’t want every message they see from you to include a request.

Imagine leveraging the power of sales video content to add a personal touch to your post-sale communication. Or to foster long-term relationships. These are game-changers when it comes to maximizing retention and acquisition.

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Most sales reps and sales managers are hesitant to embrace video sales fully. Their reluctance is understandable, but integrating videos into the sales cycle can reduce workload and increase the chances of success.

In our increasingly digital world, continuous communication and personalized engagement with prospective customers are vital to earning their trust and business. 

You need to stay in touch, understand, educate, and foster a relationship that may lead to sales and even loyalty. Using videos, sales reps can consistently guide prospective customers through the various stages of the sales cycle.

What’s the bottom line? 

The consumption of video is only set to grow. 

Outside sales teams must come together to devise a strategy to effectively utilize videos in the sales cycle. The first step is to use our guide as a foundation to develop an effective strategy.

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