There is an enormous amount of content out there to help sales professionals improve their performances. Being in sales is a tough, competitive business, so it’s important to find an edge. That’s why I want to use this article to explore specific ways in which you and your team can implement video into your sales strategy.

1. VIDEO EMAIL – There are services out there that allow you to embed a video directly within an email. No external links. No attachments. Using video in an email to a potential customer is a unique way to provide your lead with important information about your products and services. However, you need to keep it short: 30-60 seconds is ideal. Then, at the end of the video, ask the viewer to go to your website to learn more. Video email is more interactive and catches the viewer’s attention. Plus, it’s unique and certainly stands out from all the other sales people who spend time cold-calling.
2. WEBINARS – Sales professionals schedule regular lunch-and-learns where they invite potential customers to attend a free lunch. After the meal, the sales team will make a presentation about the products their company offers. Face-to-face time with prospects is great for developing and nurturing business relationships, but it’s almost impossible to get everyone to attend. However, you and your sales team can take the same presentation, incorporate video, and stream it online as a webinar Then, people who are too far away to attend your lunch, may still participate. You can also make the webinar available for download at a later time, in case other prospects were unable to watch the presentation live.
3. PRODUCT DEMO’S – There’s nothing like seeing a good quality product in action. Why tell your prospect that your company’s knives can cut through a car door when you can show them (remember the old Ginsu knives infomercials)? Why tell your audience that your blender can blend anything when you can show your blender shredding an iPhone? That’s the power of video. You can use video to produce impressive product demo’s that you can then pass around to prospects, insert into printed materials, show off at trade shows, or use as a leave-behind following a meeting. When people ask me what I do, I usually pull out my iPhone and show them some of my video production work. The images speak for themselves.
4. PODCASTS – If your company offers products that are constantly changing, or if your products service an ever-changing industry, using video to create regular podcasts is a great way to distribute timely information. A regularly updated video podcast featuring your products, services, and relevant industry information will inform and educate potential customers, thereby increasing their willingness to buy from you. Creating valuable content establishes you as an expert in your field and creates trust and credibility. You can host the video podcasts on your website, on YouTube, or both.

Video is an excellent tool for bringing attention to your brand and the products and services you offer. Sometimes it takes a little creative thinking on how best to implement video, but the efforts will certainly pay dividends.

Related articles

• Why Every Company Needs An Online Video – An Interview with Rapidfire CEO Jay Bailey (socialtimes.com)
• 3 Things Any Video Needs to Go Viral (mashable.com)

Image by AdamBindslev via Flickr

Lead generation is tough, especially for business owners in a creative field. When the economy is bad and money is scarce, marketing and advertising budgets are the first to be cut. However, in a previous post, I pointed out how businesses who continue to spend on advertising and marketing during a recession are in a better position than their competitors once the recession ends.

However, not everyone will follow this line of thought, which means that in every business life cycle, there will come a time when you must invest time in finding new business. Now, there are a myriad of blogs, articles, books, white papers, podcasts, etc. that give advice on how to earn new business. Some people are firmly against cold calling (like Frank Rumbauska’s book Never Cold Call Again). Others feel that it’s a necessary part of doing business, so you need to know how to do it right.

I really enjoyed Rumbauska’s book and the creative strategies he recommends for earning new clients and customers. In fact, I employ many different strategies of attracting qualified leads. This blog is one example. However, I have spent time cold calling as well. I see cold calling as simply another tool among many lead generation tools. Is it the best tool? Probably not. I understand that there are better methods out there. I realize that ultimately, a referral from an existing client makes a bigger impact than a cold call. However, if you find yourself having to cold call for new clients, here is some advise I would give:

1. CONDUCT SOME RESEARCH. Before you even start cold calling, it’s a good idea to narrow your focus. Don’t just open the yellow pages and start with “A.” Determine which businesses might benefit the most from the services you have to offer. Start there.
2. USE SOCIAL MEDIA. As part of your initial research, it would be helpful to hit up your friends on Facebook or LinkedIn. Tell them, “Hey, I’m a video producer who has done a lot of work for manufacturers and I’m looking for some introductions to other manufacturing facilities. If you have a contact with anyone in manufacturing, I’d appreciate an introduction.” Having a foot in the door before you make that first call is a big step in the right direction.
3. DETERMINE WHO YOU NEED TO SPEAK WITH. This point ties in with point #2, but it’s helpful if you already have the name of the decision-maker before you call. That way, when someone answers the phone, you can say, “May I speak with Glenn, please?”  Search the company’s website. If you are in video production, see if you can find the marketing director, or communications director, or director of development. Those people are probably more qualified to talk with you about your services than the bookkeeper or receptionist.
4. DON’T READ FROM A SCRIPT. It’s easy to spot a sales call when the caller immediately jumps in with a rehearsed, “Hi, my name is Art Vandelay and I am with Kray-merica Indsutries.” Know what you want to say without looking at notes. Be conversational in tone.
5. GET TO THE POINT, AND QUICK. Cold calls interrupt a person’s daily routine. They don’t want to chit-chat. They want to get you off the phone as quickly as possible. I once received a sales call from an individual who started off with a joke – and a bad one, at that. However, “Get to the point,” doesn’t mean talk faster. Slow down and speak clearly. Tell them exactly why you are calling.
6. TAKE “NO” FOR AN ANSWER. Nothing is more irritating than a salesperson who simply won’t get off the phone when you say, “No thanks.” So, anytime someone tells me that they aren’t in the market for my services, I politely say “Thank you,” hang up, and move on. You don’t want to get on someone’s bad side right off the bat. Alternatively, I might ask, “Well, would it be okay if I emailed you my contact information for future reference?” The point is, don’t be pushy, and don’t get offended if they say “no.” Sometimes finding someone who will say “Yes” is the result of contacting someone at just the right time.
7. KEEP TRACK OF WHO YOU HAVE ALREADY CALLED. It can be a little awkward, not to mention aggravating for your prospective lead, if you accidentally call the same company twice. So, be sure to keep up with who you called and who you haven’t called.
8. BE POSITIVE. It can really get discouraging when you have spent several hours making calls without one “Yes” to show for it, but an apathetic attitude can affect the tone of your voice while you’re speaking to a prospective lead. People can tell if you care about what you’re saying, so keep the tone of your conversation warm and friendly.

Yes, cold calling can take up a lot of your time, and you might not have a lot to show for your efforts at first. However, just two or three clients gained through cold calling can grow exponentially if those clients tell others about your services and introduce you to others in their network.

Related articles

• How Effective Is Cold Calling Really? (pamil-visions.net)
• Cold Calling Redefined by Social Media (compukol.com)
• The Art of Prospecting (onemann.blogspot.com)

Photo by Dan Hodgett

You want potential customers to buy from you and you want existing customers to come back for more. If you want to reach your target audience, you need to speak to them in terms they will understand. I’ve seen far too many websites and watched too many corporate videos that either use a lot of vague language or technical jargon. This often leaves a potential customer confused and they leave the website, or finish watching the video, without learning any answers to their questions. If you want to communicate effectively with your target market, the copy on your website and the script for your video needs to be…

1. CONVERSATIONAL – Write as if you were meeting with your audience one-on-one.
2. CLEAR – Avoid vague terminology that doesn’t specifically state your core values, mission, identity and services. Avoid generic, cliched words, like “synergy.”
3. CONCISE – When someone visits a website, he/she doesn’t want to read a book. They will scan the content. They won’t read everything thoroughly. Hit the highlights. When you are writing a script for your video, write sparingly. Let the visuals do the talking for you.
4. COMPREHENSIBLE – Make sure the benefits of your company’s services are well-defined. Tell potential customers why doing business with you will be a valuable experience for them. If you work for an accounting firm and you perform business valuations, don’t simply tell your audience that you can do business valuations. Tell them how that service affects them. Tell them why it’s important that they use a business valuation service. Tell them when they would need it.

When someone first lands on your website or watches your video, he/she should be able to grasp the basic information about your business quickly. Remember, there’s nothing more valuable than time. If you can hook a potential customer with engaging content, he or she will spend more time with your brand. And the more time they spend with you, the more likely they will be to buy from you.

Over the last couple of years I have subscribed to a variety of different podcasts that appeal to my specific interests. I’m always on the lookout for interesting podcasts, so I thought I would list some of my favorites. Hopefully you will find some of these interesting, entertaining, and useful.

1. THE ACCIDENTAL CREATIVE – This podcast speaks directly to those who work in the creative industry (writers, graphic designers, artists, photographers, video professionals, art directors, etc.) Each episode is designed to help the creative professional avoid burnout by providing tips on how to stay motivated and have a successful career.
2. DISHY MIX – On this podcast, host Susan Bratton interviews the top names in the New Media and Digital workspace, discussing things related to marketing, advertising, media, social media, video, and the Internet.
3. FREELANCE RADIO – Although Freelance Radio is no longer producing new episodes, there is an archive of about 50 episodes that provide useful information for anyone operating a freelance business. In each episode, a regular panel of four freelancers discuss one central topic. Issues range from client relations, to bookkeeping, to generating new business, to ethical dilemmas, and budgeting.
4. THE/FILMCAST – I’ve listened to several movie podcasts, but this one has to be my favorite. Each week, David Chen, Devindra Hardewar, and Adam Quigley discuss the movies and TV shows they’ve been watching, go over the latest film news, and conclude with one in-depth movie review. The occasional guest panelist includes other film critics, actors, and film directors.
5. INSPIRING WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT WITH ZIG ZIGLAR – Each episode of the Zig Ziglar podcast features brief insights from Ziglar regarding sales, careers, life, family, relationships, and goals. The show provides great motivation for anyone, regardless of the profession. Plus, every episode is short – no more than 10 minutes, which means they can be digested easily.
6. INTERNET MARKETING – Produced in the UK, Internet Marketing is one of the most popular podcasts of its kind. Episodes feature insights to help listeners gain increased visibility for their business through a wide array of online tools.
7. THE DUCT TAPE MARKETING PODCAST – This podcast is for anyone looking for practical advice on how to market a business or service. In each episode, host John Jantsch interviews a marketing expert that provides useful information for online and offline marketing.

You’re a marketer. You might not be in the marketing industry, but make no mistake – you’re a marketer. That means you have a product/service/business/website/hobby/book/movie/etc. that you want to tell people about. And you want those people to jump on the bandwagon. So, what’s the best way to go about it? How do you persuade people to get on board? You have to have passion , and your audience has to feel that excitement. Only then will they be more willing to say “yes” to your offer.

Consider this: You go to the movie theatre one night to catch the opening night of Hollywood’s latest film. It’s outstanding. You exit the theatre completely blown away by what you’ve just seen. Now, what do you do the following day? You tell people about it. But you just don’t tell them. You re-live it. The excitement you felt in the theatre is conveyed in the way you describe the movie to your friends.

Now, translate this to business: When marketing a product or service, you need to communicate that same kind of excitement. However, your energy needs to be focused on your potential client, not on you, your business, or your service. When I go into meetings with a potential client to discuss a video project, I don’t spend time talking about how great our cameras are, how beautiful our images are, or how state-of-the-art our editing system is. When I go into a meeting, I want to learn more about my contact’s business. I want to hear about their goals. I want to show them that I am genuinely excited about their company. I am there because I feel as though our video production services can help them with their marketing efforts.

Your attitude needs to be the same. Be interested in your client. Get excited about their business. Only then will you be able to communicate effectively how your product or service can help. Then, when discussions shift to the price of your product or service, your lead will be more inclined to buy from you, even if your prices are higher than your competitor. Why? Because you have shown a genuine interest in who they are and what they’re all about. The old saying is true, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”