The Wistia Guide to Sales Video

Your next sales pitch is never far away. But with so many channels available — email, phone, chat, social media, and good old-fashioned face-to-face conversations — how do you make sure your message hits home?

We may be partial, but here at Wistia we think the best sales pitch is a highly personal one, and that video is the best way to deliver that message. Video has the emotional impact of a one-on-one conversation in a form that’s convenient, engaging, and accessible for the person you’re talking to.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can use video to connect with customers, then read on (we cover a lot, so throw this guide a bookmark for later if you’re strapped for time)! Whether you’re pitching 10 times a day or 10 times a year, this guide will teach you how to get the most out of your sales videos. And with Wistia’s built-in screen and webcam recorder, you can start perfecting your video pitch right away.

We’ll show you why, when, and how to add video to your sales process.

Setting your sales video strategy

Video is still pretty new in the sales world, which means there’s lots of room for experimentation. But, as with any sales tactic, having a strategy in place will improve your chances for success — and for repeating that success.

First, you need to decide whether video fits into your overall business strategy. Consider the areas where video can help you the most:

• Going global: Communicating across time zones can make it hard to connect. A video can be watched at any time, making your pitch as convenient as possible for the customer.
• Scaling up your sales volume: Once you hit a certain number of customers, setting up in-person pitches for every prospect gets tricky. Videos can be created in batches and sent out quickly without losing that personal touch.
• Selling products online: Software is easier to explain with visuals. Instead of scheduling a lengthy call or meeting, you can do a video demo right from your desk.
• Patching up a leaky funnel: Great at attracting leads, but struggling to close deals? Video may be the differentiating factor that will convince prospects to convert.

From these improvement areas, set a concrete goal that you’re hoping to achieve with sales video. That way, you can measure the benefits that video brings and gradually ramp up your use of video on your sales team.

Here at Wistia, we’ve thought a lot about the big-picture benefits of pitching with video. Check out these posts to learn more!

The Key Benefits of Selling B2B Software with Video: Selling to corporate customers requires deep knowledge of business problems. Decision makers want reassurance that a sales rep really knows their stuff. Video is demonstrative and shareable, making it easy to prove expertise to everyone at the company. Not only that, but a sales video will stand out from all the other cold calls and emails business customers are used to receiving and will give you valuable data you can use to smooth your process. In this post, we delve into why video is the secret sauce for B2B sales teams.

Transform Your Team’s B2B Sales Strategy with Video: One way to form a video strategy is to adapt existing sales strategy to video content. The Challenger Sale is a hugely successful book that provides a framework for sales leadership. In this post, we show you how to adapt the Challenger sales model to video sales.

Why Presentation Videos Are the Ultimate Tools for Sales Pitches: The sales world has long relied on slides and documents to persuade prospects in the later stages of the sales funnel. But there’s a better way to close the deal during the decision stage: presentation videos. In this article, we make the case for detailed yet brief presentation videos that show off the best of your product while eliminating the impersonality of slide decks and white papers.

Your video strategy should complement and fit into your overall sales strategy. You can start bridging the gap between in-person sales, and deals that are closed from miles and miles away with the help of video.

“You can start bridging the gap between in-person sales, and deals that are closed from miles and miles away with the help of video.”

Getting started with video for sales

You did it! You set your strategy and have a goal in place. Now, you can start making your first sales video. In this modern world, you don’t need fancy production gear to make a slick-looking sales video.

You can create a high-converting video using just your laptop and a webcam. If you’re looking to add a professional polish to your video, you can use Wistia to record yourself and your screen, edit the footage, add company branding, and include a link at the end of your video to book a meeting. Then you’re ready to go!

Wondering what kinds of videos to create? Well, we’ve got a couple ideas for you.

How to Craft Your On-Camera Elevator Pitch: For your first video, consider the humble elevator pitch. An elevator pitch video is a winner since it’s super short and covers all of the important points about your product and mission. Plus, it’s the kind of video you can use over and over again as an introduction to your company.

Personalize Your Sales Process: 3 Proven Video Templates: In this webinar, we introduce you to three essential sales videos you can add to your existing sales flow: the video voicemail, the video signature, and the video demo. Drop one of these videos into your next sales email and watch open rates skyrocket.

How Sales Managers Can Use Video to Onboard Their Teams Faster: Video is not just an external tool; it can also be used to smooth out internal processes and get new hires up to speed quickly. In this post, we walk through the reasons why you should get a head start on training videos and how to build a video knowledge base for your team over time.

3 Types of Videos Your Sales Team Needs: Want to see how Wistia’s sales team puts video to work? For this article, we’ve created example videos that you can model your next video after. Examples include the classic video voicemail, delightful demo, and teammate handoff videos.

Don’t let a creative block stop you from producing your first sales-pitch video. Starting with a template or an example is a great way to test the waters and learn more about what resonates with your customers!

When to use video throughout the sales process

Ok, so you know why you need sales video and how to make a few key sales-pitch videos, but when you should make a video is just as important. When it comes to sales, timing is everything. The sales process can be long (especially in B2B), and a perfectly timed video may be just the thing that brightens up a prospect’s day and gives them a reason to make a decision.

When you align your sales videos with stages in the funnel, you can make videos accomplish specific jobs for you. Some options, like the video voicemail, can be used throughout the customer relationship. Others, like a product demo, should be reserved for the consideration stage to offer more information and answer questions. The following posts will teach you how to add videos to your pre-existing funnel, drive specific outcomes, and set your customers up for success with your product!

“When you align your sales videos with stages in the funnel, you can make videos accomplish specific jobs for you.”

Stand out in the Inbox with Video Voicemails: A video voicemail is a quick video message that you send via email that links back to your site and clarifies next steps. These simple videos can be sent in place of a cold call or to touch base after time has passed. When every other company is calling and emailing nonstop, a video voicemail will make you stand out. In this article, you’ll learn how to use Wistia to create and polish your first video voicemail.

Give Your Sales Outreach a Makeover with Video Voicemails: Video voicemails are more effective than regular sales emails, and we’ve got the data to prove it. When we tested emails with video vs. those without, video voicemails had a significantly higher click-through rate — 42% vs. 10%, respectively. In this post, we offer several examples of video voicemails and explain how to fit these videos into your existing sales process.

6 Sales Touch Points That Can Be Improved with Video: In an ideal world, your sales funnel is a well-oiled machine, where people are constantly coming in at the top and leaving at the bottom. To reduce lead churn and smooth out your funnel, you can make your communications more personal and helpful along the way. In this article, we show you how to use video for six specific points along the sales journey: that first touch, introducing your reps, pitching the product, answering questions, and closing.

Adding Video into Your Sales Outreach in 6 Steps: This detailed how-to guide for integrating video in your sales process will answer all of your burning questions about implementing sales-pitch videos. We’ll give you ideas for how to set concrete goals, brainstorm concepts, come up with a list of contacts from your CRM, produce the video, and analyze success. You’ll make video a part of your routine communications in no time.

Video Across the Sales Cycle: An Interview with Trish Bertuzzi: We chatted with inside sales expert, Trish Bertuzzi, to discuss what it might take for sales teams to further adopt video at their businesses. From how sales teams are currently using video and why they’re warming up to it, to gaps that exist in the current conversation, we dive into it at all!

Incorporating video into your everyday process doesn’t require a major change in the way your team works. But videos can improve your success rate at various stages in the funnel, making the whole system more efficient. Give it a whirl!

Best practices for creating sales videos

All the world’s a stage — and businesses merely players. Luckily, becoming a business-video expert is easy. It takes only a few insider tricks to make a video look like a million bucks, and since we’re pretty experienced in that department, we thought we’d share a few of our best scripting, production, and performance tips to make your sales videos shine.

Look Great in Your Next Webcam Video: In a sales pitch, first impressions matter. Webcam video is by far the fastest and easiest way to communicate with video. But the quality is not always optimal. Banish unflattering camera angles, bad lighting, and warbly audio forever with this list of tips for making a great-looking webcam video.

How to Use a DSLR as a Webcam: Ready to step up the visual quality of your sales pitch videos? Already have a DSLR camera with HDMI transfer capabilities? In this article, we get a little technical — okay, pretty nerdy — to show you how to use your camera to film ultra-high-quality webcam videos. You’ll need a bit of equipment, but trust us, it’s worth it!

Tips for Delivering a Great Performance in Your Next Sales Video: You don’t have to be a great actor to be a convincing salesperson on camera. In this fun, informative video and accompanying blog post, we’ll show you how to make every video pitch personal, get comfortable with your script, and bring the right energy to your sales pitches so you’ll feel good about every sales message you send. That confidence will bring you the results you’re after.

6 Affordable Microphone and Webcam Setups: Making video on your laptop is great, but sometimes you want extra-crisp audio to make sure your message really gets heard. In this article, customer-happiness champion Ryan Harper demonstrates several microphones that are compatible with Wistia’s built-in screen and webcam recorder and will boost audio quality without breaking the bank.

When your videos look and sound great, you can focus on the content of your message and the person you’re selling to. That will make a difference when it comes down to the final purchase decision. Plus, the more videos you make, the more you’ll develop your own practices for selling with video — you know your team, your products, and your customers best.

“When your videos look and sound great, you can focus on the content of your message and the person you’re selling to.”

Conquering your video fears

Nervous about putting yourself in the spotlight? Don’t worry, that’s totally normal! Hopefully, by now you know how to make your video presentations look and sound great, but if you’re still feeling a little shaky when you step in front of the camera, we’re here to reassure you that it’s totally normal (and human) to be nervous. Here are some interesting reads that will help you conquer all those pesky video-fears!

The Science Behind Why Your Gestures Look So Awkward on Video: Maybe you gesticulate a lot. Or your eyebrows do that funny thing when you’re excited. Your own body language may look strange to you at first (due to science!), but once you learn how to use it, it will quickly become a favorite tool. In this article, we show you how to harness your natural movements, giving your customers a reason to feel at ease and excited to work with you.

Why We Get Stage Fright When We Turn on the Camera: If you want to conquer stage fright and take on your video pitches with ease, it helps to understand where the fear comes from in the first place. In this article, we explore the fight-or-flight response and how to train your brain to cope with it so you can perform well every time.

The Science Behind Why No One Likes to Be on Camera: Bias plays a huge role in how we view and interpret the world around us, and that includes our own faces in video. In this post, we break down the biggest visual biases so you can see what’s driving that icky feeling, overcome your fears, and refocus your attention on delivering value to your audience.

Don’t let a little stage fright get in the way of trying something new, like making video for sales. Understanding your own behavior better will give you the power to overcome fear and sell with confidence and ease!

Sales-video inspiration

The difference between a good sales video and a great one often boils down to creativity. When it comes to video messages, demos, and presentations, there’s no limit to what you can do to strengthen the relationship and close the sale. Check out these inspiring examples of companies who are pushing the envelope when it comes to selling with video.

Why Real Estate Agents are Using Presentation Videos: Real estate businesses are built on strong relationships with customers and communities. But it’s also a highly visual business. In this article, we talk to two Boston-based real estate agents who create presentation videos with a screen and webcam recorder to show customers new neighborhoods, explore the buying time line, and address feedback on a particular property.

How SAHOURI. Builds a Personal Touch with Video: Nothing’s more stressful for customers than feeling like their problems aren’t being heard. Find out how SAHOURI changes the way people perceive the complex insurance industry by communicating in a friendly, accessible way. By using video to explain, remind, and connect, SAHOURI builds better relationships while helping their business succeed.

If you’ve been reading the same script over and over to customers, there’s nothing like getting a fresh perspective to shake things up.

Get ahead of the game with video for sales

Using video in your sales process gives you the chance to change up the way you communicate with customers. By letting customers get to know you through your videos and providing flexible opportunities to learn more about your product, you’ll make sales a seamless and more enjoyable process all around. Start your first sales video today!