The global business landscape looks a lot different than it did just a few short weeks ago. In the wake of COVID-19, many companies across the world have shifted to remote work. And for the time being, the majority of sellers are working from home.
There’s no doubt this is a challenging time for businesses. In order to grow revenue, sellers must continue to learn and sell, regardless of where they are. But sales and enablement leaders must also adapt to better support these remote workers.
There’s a tool that’ll play a critical role in the success of sales teams during this uncertain time. It’s not extraordinarily high tech or revolutionary. In fact, most organizations already use it to a certain degree — but successful businesses will start to rely on it a whole lot more. It’s video.
From on-camera sales presentations to valuable video messages, sellers must be comfortable being in front of the camera. At the same time, sales managers must rely on video to ensure their teams continue to receive the onboarding, continuous learning and coaching they need to succeed.
How sellers can use video to engage buyers
By now, you’ve probably heard this statistic from SiriusDecisions, but it’s worth repeating: 82% of B2B buyers make a purchase decision based on experience, ahead of product and price.
The pressure is on for sales reps to deliver. Successful sellers will leverage video to deliver winning selling experiences — even when they can’t be in the same room as their prospects.
Video can play a key role in many different parts of the selling journey. For starters, sellers can start using video conferencing software — such as Zoom or Google Hangouts — in lieu of in-person meetings. This allows sellers to deliver sales presentations, ask and answer questions and determine next steps “face-to-face,” which is more personal and engaging to the buyer. According to an article from Harvard Business Review, using video calls decreases the potential for multitasking. What’s more, video calls let sellers more effectively gauge buyer interest by accessing both verbal and non-verbal communication, like facial expressions and tone. This can be important information to help a seller determine next steps.
At the same time, now is a great time for sellers to leverage approved video resources developed by the marketing team to engage and inform sellers. After all, video can be an extremely effective vehicle to convey information, and it’s even a preferred learning method for many buyers. According to an infographic from Vidyard, 90% of people say watching product videos helps them make purchase decisions, and 59% of company decision makers rank video as their preferred way to learn.
Different types of videos are relevant to buyers at different stages of the purchase journey. For example, while an explainer video may be a helpful resource for a buyer early in the purchase process, a prospect further through the funnel may be more interested in a video testimonial from an existing customer.
Of course, it can be challenging to determine which videos will resonate for a specific buyer. However, a sales enablement platform like Showpad leverages data to suggest video resources that have been effective in similar selling situations. These platforms also make it easy to find and share the latest video assets.
How sales managers can use video to train and coach sellers
Onboarding, continuous training and coaching are key to the success of sales reps. That doesn’t change even when your sellers are working from home.
What does need to change, though, is how training and coaching are delivered. That’s where video comes in. When sales managers effectively leverage video, learning can continue as usual, regardless of where team members are located.
You may typically bring new sales reps on site for onboarding. But in these unprecedented times, that’s not an option. Instead, you must lean on video to quickly (and effectively) onboard new sellers. While recorded videos are effective at introducing new concepts, live video calls provide opportunities for new reps to practice what they’ve learned, receive feedback and ask questions.
In addition, video is a great way to deliver ongoing training — for example, when there’s a new product released or there’s a new process sellers must learn. Some sales enablement platforms allow you to set specific learning paths for the reps you manage, which can include not only video, but also other formats.
Of course, ongoing coaching is also a key ingredient to sales success. But coaching a remote team definitely has its challenges, especially for a manager who’s accustomed to having the team in the same office. Again, video can ease the burden. For starters, managers can ensure they continue to get regular face time with their teams via one-on-one and team video calls. In addition, sales managers can ask sellers to record practice pitches, then submit them back to managers and their peers for feedback. Managers can then identify learning gaps and provide coaching to correct issues, and reps can learn from their peers, too.
How sellers and managers can extract valuable insights from video
Video is a key way for sales reps to learn and sell — especially when they’re working remotely. In addition, sellers and their managers can extract a lot of valuable insights from their video meetings with prospects, which can lead to better sales outcomes.
During a video sales call, a seller can get pulled in many different directions. As such, it can be challenging to remember all the key points. For example, a rep may forget what questions the buyer asked or which assets they promised to send after the call. But because the video was recorded, the rep can go back and watch the recording to remember key details that’ll inform next steps. They may even notice things they missed before, such as the prospect’s body language. Plus, if your sales enablement platform includes meeting intelligence capabilities, you can also transcribe calls for future reference.
Sales managers can also leverage insights from video to provide relevant coaching opportunities. For example, the manager can read through a transcript of a particular sales call while watching the playback. This will allow him to understand what went right — and what could use some work. The manager can then provide relevant coaching to correct problem areas.
COVID-19 has quickly changed the way most businesses operate, and remote selling has become the new normal. In order to thrive in this uncertain time, organizations must adapt to better support their remote sellers.
We’re here to help! Check out our Remote Selling Resource Hub to find everything you need to ensure your remote sellers are engaged, enabled and selling.
