This is the second part of a three-part series on what I learnt from introducing video to the sales cycle. In Part 1, I discussed how the use of video can reduce the number of wasted demos, thus increasing the efficiency of Solutions Consultants. In this post, I will explore how utilising video content can deliver more client value during the sales cycle.
Educating Stakeholders
As well as weeding out the non-opportunities, we found that sending a video overview of the solution before the live demo can result in other benefits. Stakeholders come to the demo meeting with a base level of education of what it is your product does and how it works. This means you can spend your valuable face-time on the most important areas for your prospect rather than giving a harbour tour of your solution.
It hit home for me what a game-changer the use of video is in the following example. I had conducted a discovery (needs analysis) call with a prospect and had sent them the relevant overview videos based on their requirements. Before going into the live demo, I could see that every single stakeholder had watched that tailored video. When I began the demo, I asked if they would like to see the main part of the solution again. They would have already seen this in the overview demo but this was the bread and butter of the product which we would expect to cover in almost every demo.
Amazingly, they replied “no thanks”.
Instead, they had a list of questions based on that overview video. I demoed only the areas that were most important to them in a very agile environment. Not only did this result in a highly tailored demo for the client, but it also created a far more conversational approach, which results in building all-important rapport with stakeholders.
More time for differentiation
Most importantly, because Solutions Consultants are no longer inclined to perform ‘harbour tour’ demos, they have more time to focus on the client’s specific needs as well as on the areas of the product which will help it stand out from the competition.
Ultimately, with stakeholders attending demo meetings have a base level of education of the solution, more time can be spent on covering the prospect’s questions, specific requirements and competitive differentiators.
In the next part of this three-part series, I will discuss how using video in the sales cycle can help Account Executives regain control of an opportunity.