Using personalized videos is one of the most effective ways to bring true personalization back into your modern Sales Engagement process. Think back to that point in all our careers where we came across an article or training seminar that stressed the importance of body language. They always go back to that same stat from a study by Dr. Albert Mehrabian which found that 55% of any message is conveyed through nonverbal elements like facial expressions, gestures, and posture.
While many simply take this as cue to pay more attention to their body language and move on, the best modern sales professionals have taken these findings and turned body language into a viable Sales Engagement tool.
Of course, psychologists have been documenting the persuasiveness of body language and how it can help you close deals for years — but with most Sales Engagement moving out of the board room and onto the internet, communication is becoming less visual, less personal, and less persuasive. Automation has taken over many a cold outreach process, and it’s leaching that personal feeling out your Sales Engagement process.
That’s what makes it so easy for your prospect to let your last ten emails go without a response. When, according to a study at SiriusDecisions, the average sales rep only gives it two tries to reach a prospect, it’s no wonder they’re not getting through. Why should prospects feel bad if they can barely remember who you are?
But don’t mourn the loss of the highly visual, personal sales pitch just yet. Even if your prospect is halfway around the world and you’ll likely never meet in person, you can still make a real connection and a persuasive pitch by using personalized videos in your modern Sales Engagement outreach.
Last quarter at Salesloft, we recorded personalized videos for 20 reps that had deals in need of an extra nudge to close before end of quarter. Of the 20 accounts that received personalized videos, 15 closed before end of quarter.
You don’t have to be in the sales game very long to know that a 75% close rate is no joke. But what is it about personalized videos that makes them so effective?
1. The Human Element
Creating custom sales videos is effective because people do business with people, not entities. Being able to see you, your expression, your body language, immediately makes your message harder to ignore. Humans are wired to be social creatures, and seeing another human face amongst the sea of text in an email inbox gives our brain a shot of dopamine that makes us more alert, energized, and focused.
Takeaway: Selling through video makes your message clearer and more persuasive. The true beauty of communication isn’t found in words, but in the nuances that can only be felt in face-to-face conversations.
2. The Brain is Wired for Personalization
From suggested items on Amazon to our Netflix cues, we all love a bit of personalization. But why is that, and how can you build that same feeling into your customer experience? A study from the University of Texas found that the human preference for personalized experience is the result of two key factors: a desire for control and a desire for relevance.
A personalized experience creates a sense of control because it stands out from the rest of our chaotic, disorganized lives. When something is made for you, and you own it, it makes you feel more in control. Personalized videos also create a sense of relevance, because instead thousands of bits of information for your prospect to sort through, you’ve presented them with exactly the information they were looking for.
Takeaway: You don’t truly need to deliver exactly what they were looking for to generate this response. The simple act of personalizing videos to recipients is enough to make them feel like the message is relevant and timely.
3. It’s Sales 101
All this talk about brain function and consumer behavior is almost complicating the matter unnecessarily, when at the end of the day, Dale Carnegie summed up why personalized videos are so effective for Sales Engagement over a decade ago in his famous work How to Win Friends and Influence People.
“Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
Takeaway: Taking the time to personalize a video for your prospect matters. The thought required to put it together, the time spent tailoring it just to them, it all matters to your prospect and shows you’re willing to do more and go further than the competition.
Start thinking about the handful of accounts on your list that would respond to personalized videos. By adding these to your regular cadence of Sales Engagement, you’re taking humanized sales to another level and truly showing your prospects you see them as real people, not just another deal.
Want to Learn More?
Personalized videos are just one way to better connect with prospects and customers. For more tips on how to succeed at selling, check out our eBook Best Practices of Top-Performing Sellers: Habits to Help You Exceed Your Goals.
