As business-to-business (B2B) sellers adapt to a digital-first reality, many have found new ways to not only maintain their performance but to radically improve their sales effectiveness and efficiency. New data from Vidyard, the video platform for businesses, suggests that in response to the shift to digital selling, the use of video for sales –both live video conferencing and personalized video messaging–has grown exponentially in 2020, and so too has its impact on sales performance.

Recent research from Demand Metric reveals a 93% year-over-year increase in the number of businesses using video for sales prospecting and customer engagement. Of those using video, 94% report that it performs as well, if not better, than other outreach forms. Meanwhile, sales teams at #paid, Dynamic Signal, Fresh Relevance, Modus, Woodway UK, and others have reported a staggering 200%+ increase in their response rates and/or close rates since embracing a video-first approach to sales. Whether it be using a personalized ‘unboxing video’ to clearly show The Body Shop how Woodway UK’s packaging solution is superior or hitting the slopes when prospecting into Vail to create an immediate connection–sellers across every market are finding new ways to tap into the power of video to engage, educate, and earn trust in a digital sales world.

“Using personalized videos and custom screen recordings has literally transformed the way we sell,” said Thomas Buchanan, Enterprise Account Executive at Modus. “By creating and sharing custom videos at each stage of the buying process, every stakeholder gets to see me, know me, and learn from me–whether or not I get the chance to meet them on a live call. Since adding video into my sales approach, I’ve seen a huge lift in customer engagement, shorter deal cycles, and a 4x increase in my close rates. It’s all about getting creative and thinking about how buyers want to engage in this new world, not how you want to sell.”

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Free Video for Sales Training Tools Help Sellers Embrace Video in 2021

While the use of video is not entirely new for many sales teams, very few have learned how to unlock its real potential to engage remote prospects. But as sales teams head into 2021, the importance of embracing video as a new way to sell cannot be understated. In Forrester Research’s Predictions 2021: B2B Sales report, authors Principal Analyst Mary Shea, Ph.D., Vice President and Principal Analyst Laura Ramos, and Principal Analyst Jay McBain state that B2B sellers will become experts at creating and engaging with video in 2021.

“Traditionally limited to email, phone calls, and screen-sharing interactions, sellers will look for more dynamic ways to capture buyers’ attention [in 2021],” said the Forrester report. “Train your sellers to be memorable on synchronous video and to create effective asynchronous videos, and make sure they have access to a user-generated video creation tool.”

To help sales teams adopt video as part of their digital-first selling approach, Vidyard is now offering a complimentary suite of video-for-sales training tools to help sellers learn how to be great on camera, how to prospect with personalized videos, and how to use customized videos to close more business. Available now, new resources include:

• Video Selling Master Class – for Sales Reps: A free virtual sales training class for individual sellers to learn the fundamentals of using video strategically throughout the customer lifecycle.
• Video-for-Remote-Sales Training and SKO Kit – for Sales Teams: A comprehensive resource kit that any business can use to help train their sales reps on how to be great on camera, how to record and send their own custom videos, and how to use video effectively at each stage of the buying process.

Free Video Selling Master Class: Learn How to Use Video for Sales

Vidyard’s new Video Selling Master Class is a free virtual sales training program designed to help sellers improve their selling skills and develop video fundamentals that will help them evolve their sales strategy in 2021. In just 20 minutes, sales reps can learn the fundamentals of how to incorporate video into their sales process to better engage, educate, and earn trust with remote buyers. Each lesson includes additional resources to help sales reps on their video selling journey. In this three-part, self-paced video series, sales reps will learn:

• Lesson 1: Why video is so impactful in modern digital-first selling
• Lesson 2: Where to use video in your sales cycle and what types of videos to use
• Lesson 3: How to create impactful personalized videos proven to convert

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Free Video-for-Remote-Sales Training and SKO Kit for Sales Teams

Vidyard has also launched the Video-for-Remote-Sales Training and SKO Kit, a comprehensive resource kit that any business can use to help train their sales reps on how to use video effectively at each stage of the buying process. The kit includes four learning modules as well as recommended exercises to put these learnings into action. Sales reps will learn about:

• Module 1: How to be amazing on camera and transform the way you sell with video
• Module 2: Mastering the art and science of prospecting with personalized video
• Module 3: Using video throughout your sales process to close more deals faster
• Module 4: How to record, share, and track custom videos with ease

The kit also contains resources and exercises that sales reps can start using today to enhance their video selling skills, including sales scripts and templates, a handy script timer, inspiring sales video examples, and group exercises to reinforce ideas.

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