Video Clips In-Call Warning

In a coffee shop, a welcome shot of re-normality was served up in the form of a pitch meeting on the table across from me.

From the buyer's opening of, 'what can you do for me, then?' I couldn't take my ears off the exchange.

A text-book call it wasn't. Although so many a Sales text book is littered with rubbish, you never know.

The crux of the call was providing proof.

To do so, the salesperson flipped 'round their swanky laptop, clicked a quick bit, then pressed '▶'.

The seconds dragged on. Each one feeling like a minute. You could sense the unease of the prospect.

Whatever length it lasted, it was too long.

I was reminded of the incredible shrinkage of the typical news soundbite.

As tech takes hold, our attention spans collapse.

There's a couple of pointers here.

Firstly, the media itself.

When is playing video ever a good idea on a sales call?

Second, the content.

What is the message you're trying to send?

In the case I witnessed, the elongated clip was almost akin to an animated site-seller style presentation.

I think we're well beyond the canned corporate demo on a first call nowadays.

There's a fair few sales video startups seeking to ingrain themselves in B2B selling processes.

I am yet to see one with promise. But I do think there's legs in this as a tool.

I'm in the habit of sending a sub-60-sec intro video before a certain type of meeting.

It works well.

What's to say you can't do similar for instance, with your summary of the issue at hand as your prospect views it for their confirmation? Or a testimonial or reference story to ascertain any overlap? Or gauging which route to go to next from a selection of possibles?

In these cases, you are after feedback. A steer which helps engage, collaborate and a degree of 'owning'.

Any video treatment here must be in a manner that supplants what can be done with the written word, drawn picture, or spoken voicemail.

Solution salespeople are bombarded with articles insisting buyers are doing all their 'research' on you before you speak.

Yet when you send something for them to look at before or after a call, how often do they read it?

Anything you do on a call that makes you stand out from competition is a good idea.

As we stand right now, I'd say playing a video clip is not such a thing.