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Video content has become essential to marketing and sales in the digital age. According to Marcus Sheridan, author of “The Visual Sale,” video allows companies to educate potential customers better, build trust, shorten sales cycles, and increase closing rates. He’s shared his insights on how businesses should leverage video to drive sales on Episode 346 of “The Business Storytelling Show.”
In this article, I cover:
- The power of video
- Why sales need to own video
- Creating the 80/20 video
- Integrating video into the sales process
- Being on-camera
- Using AI
- Progress or perfection
The Power of Video
Video has already become integral to how we consume information online. As Marcus stated, “The internet is dominated by those that have the ability to produce their own stuff.” Companies that want to reach modern buyers effectively need to embrace video and develop internal video production capabilities. Outsourcing video development results in high costs and inconsistent output.
Marcus learned this lesson firsthand in his pool construction company. He decided that his team needed to produce their own videos rather than rely on marketing agencies. So Marcus focused on building an internal “culture of video,” training pool builders on lighting, editing, interviewing, and presenting on camera. The homegrown video operation was a smashing success—leading to higher lead quality, shorter sales cycles, and more new business. Marcus has since implemented similar video teams in his two other companies with comparable results.
According to Marcus, the problem that holds most companies back from better-leveraging video is organizational structure. In his experience, 90% of businesses house their video production under the marketing department. This results in polished but untargeted content that fails to support sales objectives. Marcus maintains that video must be a sales-first initiative funded from the sales budget.
Gartner’s list of enterprise video platforms
Sales Teams Own Video
When video production falls under the purview of sales teams, on-camera content becomes better aligned with moving prospects through the buyer’s journey. Salespeople know which questions prospects ask over and over again. They know exactly where their pitch falls flat or where prospects get stuck making a decision.
Sales-produced video allows teams to address common pain points and questions before ever meeting prospects in person. As Marcus puts it, “Why do we continue to answer the same questions repeatedly? What happens if they already know the answer to that 80% before you meet with that prospect?”
Videos that tackle these frequent questions and concerns change the entire dynamic of initial sales meetings. Buyers become educated on their options, and sales teams avoid wasting precious appointment time covering the basics. Instead, meetings focus on objection busting, closing deals, and addressing each prospect’s unique situation. The results are game-changing:
- Meetings become faster and more efficient.
- Sales cycles shrink
- Closing rates improve
- Sales teams close more deals with less active prospecting
The 80/20 Video
Marcus recommends that sales teams start by producing what he calls “the 80% video.” Sales reps should estimate that 75-90% of the questions they field, especially early in the sales process, cover very similar ground. So why not produce a comprehensive video addressing that whole set of FAQs?
The 80% video may run a bit longer than a typical marketing video. But that’s perfectly fine, according to Marcus. Video length should align with the buyer’s position within the journey:
- Someone just starting research may appreciate a 3-5 minute product overview.
- A prospect nearing a purchase decision, however, wants granular detail. They will gladly watch a 20-30-minute video if it gives them the confidence to make the right choice.
Once the 80% video is complete, sales teams need coaching on how to integrate it into their selling process for maximum impact.
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Integrating Video into the Sales Process
Rather than email prospects links to videos, sales reps should have specific conversations about the value of each video. As Marcus explains, reps first need to get prospects to personally commit to watching the video.
An example script could be:
“Pools are an investment. You don’t want to make mistakes. I’m going to send you two videos before we meet. The first shows the entire pool installation process in a backyard so you know what to expect. The second video answers the Top 10 questions I usually get about pool placements, materials, features, accessories, and more. The video is a bit long but will be worth your time. Can you commit to watching those two videos before we meet on Friday?”
This approach does three powerful things:
- It explains exactly what the prospect will learn. There is tangible value promised upfront.
- It gets the prospect’s consent and buy-in. They personally commit to an action that moves the sale forward.
- It positions the sales rep as an expert guide. The rep promises to educate the prospect on making the smartest possible purchase.
Following this structure, sales reps will integrate video much more intentionally into their sales meetings and sequences. Prospects will come already educated on their options rather than starting from zero.
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Choosing On-Camera Subject Matter Experts
Companies must answer an important question: who should actually be the face of our video content? Marcus insists the people involved (aka sales) —not professional presenters—make the best video hosts.
Sales team members have deep knowledge and passion for what they do. Their expertise builds trust and confidence with viewers. And while personality on camera still helps, Marcus says even camera-shy employees can learn techniques that make them effective video presenters.
The simplest way to get people comfortable on video is to interview them on camera or record them having a natural dialogue with a team member. This conversing format lets them do what they already do daily—talk and educate others about their area of the business.
Marcus’s No. 1 rule for building anyone’s confidence on video is what he calls the “No Stop Rule.” When recording, never stop for mistakes and never allow anyone to start an answer over. Single-take recording forces mastery of the material and conversational tone. It most closely mimics the interactions employees have each day with customers.
And a surprising lesson Marcus regularly observes – employees label themselves as “not good on camera.” But after literally 60 minutes of basic communication training, those same individuals gain assurance. They begin to say, “Actually, I think I might be a natural at this!” The key is allowing teams to improve with practice rather than demanding perfection immediately.
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Using AI for Videos in the Sales Process
If slight changes are needed from video to video to different prospects, sales pros can also use AI to create a deepfake of themselves and then quickly turn the video for different recipients.
The artificial intelligence powering deepfake videos has advanced rapidly in recent years. I use Hey Gen for this. Speechify offers a similar service for voice cloning – no video!
Hey Gen’s AI studied my sample images and videos to grasp the essence of my gestures, voice, and general on-camera presence. It then generated a life-like digital twin that could deliver any script I provided.
AI will only grow more sophisticated at synthesizing realistic media. We must balance innovative applications like personalized deep fakes with ethics guardrails against nonconsensual use. Responsibly advancing these generative technologies while mitigating risks remains an important conversation. As our virtual and physical realities increasingly intersect, the boundaries get blurrier by the day.
Progress Over Perfection
That ethos of choosing progress over perfection is critical in building a culture around video. Early video output never matches a company’s top brand standards. However, waiting until the positioning, scripts, equipment and polish are perfect means no video gets made at all.
As Marcus says, “Everybody has to learn to crawl before they walk and walk before they run. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough.” Teams need the freedom and expectation to start creating videos regularly today. Quality and sophistication increase exponentially over time. However, this is only for organizations that accept the journey of gradual improvement rather than get discouraged by mediocre beginnings.
Marcus says audio quality makes the biggest impact early on for companies new to self-producing video. Invest first in simple equipment like mics to capture clean voice tracks. Production value matters much less than clear, consistent sound when building viewer trust and confidence.
And on the journey to better production standards, teams should let go of seeking perfection on every video. As marketers aim higher to meet today’s visual-centric buyer demands, some videos will miss the mark. The key is the speed of iteration. Use the miscues to learn quickly what resonates and what fails. Then, improve and evolve based on real data.
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Conclusion
As Marcus makes powerfully clear, video has become indispensable to reaching modern buyers. Companies refusing to build internal video production risk extinction. The visual web cares little for those clinging to outdated thinking. Sales leaders must drive this revolution within their teams. Identify and train willing subject matter experts on basic presenting skills. Then set them loose to address buyer questions head-on through unscripted dialogue.
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