Most people who sell to new buyers have the same boring and ineffective approach.
You will have received the same emails as I get. You know the one…
Hi James
We are an excellent company that delivers excellent services and we would like to chat with you to discuss how we can provide these services to you.
They then follow up (or their automated system does anyway) this pile of tosh with:
Hi James,
Just bumping this up your inbox as it’s been a week since I emailed you and I haven’t heard back. Can we arrange a time to talk?
I sometimes look at these emails and think ‘What planet do these people live on?’
And yet, sadly, it’s more common than ever. AI and automated systems have a lot to answer for.
If you are reading this and think “So what’s wrong with this email?” then we should chat!
There are so many things wrong with this type of approach. This email would be 10 pages long if I explained what I really felt about this method of prospecting. My email from last week and the week before both share how to go about using email when prospecting.
Email has a place when engaging with new buyers, but the key is not to use it as a strategy alone.
Engaging with someone new is hard at the best of times but the reason it often fails is because the approach is generic. Accenture recently surveyed over 3000 businesses and the stat they showed below says it all.
Other studies also show that people want to be treated like a real person and not just as another number (which is what those emails I share above do so badly!)
So what can you do to be different and what is a new technique you can use to complement the emails that you send?
The answer is to use video for prospecting. But use it in a very personal way.
Let me explain.
I have shared in the past the Albert Mehrabian 7, 38, 55 rule which outlines how the success of communication is achieved more by the way in which you say things rather than just the words you say.
But how can you show your tone when you can’t get through to potential prospects?
How can you show them that you are interested in them when they won’t reply to emails or respond to calls?
You do it through video.
Through short, personalised, focused videos which are no longer than 2 minutes and which talk about challenges the other person has.
Short videos that you can use as unique methods to engage and attract the audience’s attention can be sent via email or social media with ‘hook-based headings’ that make the other person curious and want to look.
What does it look like?
Here is an example of what a video like this looks like. It is how I would try and sell to myself if I was a salesperson.
Why do they work?
There is no guarantee that they will but when combined along with emails and other forms of prospect engagement, you give a buyer something different. Something better than the boring emails that I shared at the start. Of course, if you create the video in the right way.
The key is to be personal. To show that person that you have read about them, seen details of what they have done or looked at their site or profile. It shows you were keen to focus on them rather than just be another salesperson sending a standard boring (or automated) email.
Why video is different.
It is different as most salespeople don’t seem to do it which therefore means you stand out ahead of others. It also allows the prospect to see and hear you and understand the enthusiasm you have for supporting them. This goes a long way in helping build trust and awareness of what you can help the buyer do. It also allows you to mention and overcome any potential objections at the start. Such as ‘I know you will have other suppliers you work with but….
What is unique about it?
Studies show that people remember 20% of what they hear and 30% of what they see but they remember 70% of what they see and hear. Doing short videos does take time and does involve work but it shows the buyer that you are interested in them and that (if your message is on point) you can build affinity with them.
How often should you send a video and how many should you send?
Depends on how much you value and want to work with the prospect. If they are a perfectly targeted prospect for you who you know you can solve a problem for then I would be using video alongside other prospecting methods once every few weeks. What I would do though is ensure each video is different and that you maybe sit in a different location to record it.
The reality is that no buyer is going to say ‘ok yes let’s have a meeting after a few tries but over time, if you are persistent and show value’ potential buyers are more likely to engage. Or tell you to leave them alone. Let’s hope it’s the former!
What tools are needed to deliver one?
There are some really simple tools like Loom or VidYard or BombBombe that can help you send prospecting videos. I use Loom but all are good but I like using a tool that shows if someone has viewed the video.
So there you have a method on how to be different. Like any form of prospecting, if you approach it in the wrong way it will fail. But do it right then it sets you apart from others and gets buyers to at least consider you.
Combine this with emails (last week’s blog), good social engagement, and effective calling and you have the method to win new business.
PS – I launched my new video this morning – How to follow up with prospects – It’s worth a look and could help ensure you get the results you want from buyer conversations. Let me know what you think about it.
