5 Proven Ways to Crush Your Sales Quota with Async Video
In the fast-paced world of modern B2B sales, capturing and keeping buyer attention has never been harder. Consider these eye-opening statistics:
- The average professional receives over 120 emails per day (Source)
- It takes an average of 18 calls to actually connect with a buyer (Source)
- 60% of customers say "no" four times before saying "yes" (Source)
With buyers increasingly tuning out traditional sales outreach, how can reps cut through the noise and build meaningful relationships at scale? The answer lies in a powerful tool most sellers overlook: async video.
What is Async Video?
Asynchronous video (aka async video) refers to recorded, on-demand video messages that don‘t require the sender and recipient to be present at the same time. Unlike live Zoom calls that eat up precious calendar space, async videos can be consumed whenever is most convenient for the viewer.
From a sales perspective, async video empowers reps to deliver hyper-relevant, visually engaging touchpoints throughout the entire deal cycle. By quite literally putting a face to your name, you can establish an immediate human connection that simply can‘t be replicated through faceless emails and generic voicemails.
And the data proves it works:
- Reps using async video generate 3x more responses and 5x more clicks compared to traditional text-based outreach (Source)
- Deals closed with the help of async video are 41% larger on average (Source)
- Including video in an email leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rate (Source)
Now that you understand the "why" behind async video, let‘s dive into the top 5 use cases for leveraging it to crush your quota:
1. Humanize Your Cold Outreach
Imagine you‘re sorting through a stack of text-heavy prospecting emails. A subject line catches your eye: "Quick video for [your name]." Intrigued, you click to find a rep smiling and waving at you, launching into a 60-second personal message that proves they‘ve done their homework on your company and role.
Gimmicky? Far from it. Adding async video to your email and LinkedIn outreach is a game-changer for grabbing attention and setting yourself apart from competitors still relying on "spray-and-pray" text sequences.
As the old adage goes: people buy from people. Async video lets you bring your personal brand to life, showcase your expertise, and build genuine rapport with buyers before ever meeting live.
Tips for standout prospecting videos:
- Reference a trigger event like a new product launch or fresh funding round
- Connect your value prop to their specific business priorities
- Keep it under 90 seconds – brief is best
- Look into the camera to make "eye contact"
- Include a specific call-to-action (book a meeting, reply to your email, etc.)
- A/B test different backgrounds, outfits, and talking points to see what yields the highest engagement
2. Provide Instant Meeting Recaps
You‘ve just wrapped up a productive discovery call with a high-potential buyer. The last thing you want is to let that momentum fizzle out. A concise video summary is the perfect way to reinforce key discussion points and outline concrete next steps while the proverbial iron is hot.
Recording a quick meeting recap video accomplishes 3 important objectives:
- Proves you were actively listening and absorbing crucial context
- Keeps the deal top-of-mind and propels it forward
- Shows you‘re organized and buttoned-up without being overly formal
In your video recap, be sure to:
- Express appreciation for their time
- Highlight the top 3 needs/pain points uncovered
- Map those challenges to specific capabilities of your product
- Clarify next steps (who will do what by when)
- End on an energetic, positive note
Embedding your video in a thoughtful follow-up email with supplementary resources (case studies, ROI calculators, etc.) further enhances your credibility and keeps you in control of the sales narrative. It‘s the virtual equivalent of putting your arm around the buyer‘s shoulder and guiding them through the decision-making process.
3. Cut Down on No-Shows
It‘s a tale as old as time in sales: you finally land a coveted meeting with a decision maker, only to have them ghost at the last minute. Not only is this a huge motivation killer, it also blows up your carefully constructed pipeline.
Fortunately, a simple video "nudge" can dramatically reduce your no-show rate. A day before your scheduled call, fire off a quick on-demand video that accomplishes the following:
- Remind them of the agreed-upon time and dial-in details
- Reiterate the purpose of the meeting
- Tease a few of the key points you‘re excited to discuss
- Emphasize the value they‘ll get from attending (relevant insights, product sneak peeks, etc.)
When you take the time to personally reconfirm a meeting and hype up the WIIFM (what‘s in it for me) factor, buyers will be far less likely to bail. It‘s a sign of respect for their time and an indicator that you plan to make every interaction count.
4. Explain Complex Topics with Ease
Even the most experienced seller occasionally gets stumped by an in-the-weeds technical or implementation question. Rather than waste precious meeting time searching for answers, create an on-demand video library of responses from your subject matter experts.
Think of it as a greatest hits album of your company‘s collective knowledge, translated into bite-sized, easily digestible videos. For example:
- A solutions architect demos how to set up a new feature
- Your head of customer success shares a detailed use case
- A product manager breaks down your API documentation
Not only does this help you upskill and expand your own domain expertise, it also empowers you to swiftly handle objections, build trust, and keep deals moving. No more clunky screen-shares or back-and-forth email chains.
Some added benefits of expert explainer videos:
- You can reuse them across multiple deals, making enablement infinitely more scalable
- Buyers can rewatch them as needed and share with colleagues
- They free up your executives‘ calendars for higher-impact sales conversations
5. Add a Personal Touch to Post-Sale Nurturing
Closing a deal doesn‘t mean your relationship-building work is done. In fact, the sales-to-customer-success handoff is a critical moment for reinforcing your commitment to your new customer‘s long-term success.
Async video is the perfect medium to "pass the baton" and reassure your customer they‘re in great hands. Try recording joint videos with your CS counterpart where you:
- Celebrate officially kicking off the partnership
- Recap key priorities and objectives
- Outline the onboarding plan and timeline
- Tee up additional resources (training, documentation, etc.)
- Make a warm intro to their day-to-day contacts
Not only does this personal touch help put your customer at ease during a time of transition, it also keeps you in the loop as an invested partner. Should expansion or cross-sell opportunities arise down the line, you‘ll be well-positioned to jump back in.
Tips for Async Video Success
As with any new sales skill, acing async video requires a combination of practice, consistency, and continuous optimization. Here are a few pro tips to keep in mind:
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Keep it brief: Aim for 90 seconds or less. If you have more ground to cover, consider breaking your message into multiple videos.
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Nail your thumbnail: Choose a warm, smiling thumbnail image, ideally with your hands visible, to boost your click-through rate.
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Perfect your lighting: Position yourself facing a window or invest in a simple ring light. Avoid overhead lights that cast unflattering shadows.
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Brand your content: Increase credibility (and beat the competition) by including your company logo, colors, and links in your video template.
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Build a central library: Use a cloud-hosting platform like YouTube, Wistia, or Vidyard to store your videos and make it easy for reps to search and share top-performing assets.
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Make it interactive: Include in-video CTAs like "book a meeting" buttons or links to additional resources to capitalize on engagement.
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Measure everything: Track video analytics religiously (views, average watch time, completion rate, etc.) to understand what content resonates and where in your cycle async video is most impactful.
Choosing an Async Video Platform
To unlock the full revenue potential of async video, you need the right tech in place. Look for a video platform that integrates seamlessly with your CRM, sales engagement tools, and broader martech stack.
Some key capabilities to prioritize:
- A Chrome extension for easy in-browser recording
- Customizable video landing pages and call-to-action buttons
- Detailed viewer analytics (bonus points for real-time notifications)
- Commenting and audience reaction features
- Custom branding and thumbnails
- A central "corporate YouTube" for organizing and enabling your team
Popular async video platforms purpose-built for sales include:
- Vidyard
- Hippo Video
- Loom
- Dubb
- OneMob
Many of these providers offer free trials, so don‘t be afraid to take a few for a spin to assess what interface and functionality you like best. The goal is to make async video feel like a natural extension of your sales motion, not a clunky add-on.
The Async Advantage
At the end of the day, selling is about solving problems and building relationships. Async video empowers you to do both in a way that respects your buyers‘ time, mirrors how they actually want to consume information (65% of people are visual learners), and keeps your calendar open for revenue-generating activities.
By incorporating async video into every stage of your sales cycle – from your initial touchpoint to your closed-won celebration – you‘ll quickly find yourself having more meaningful conversations, shortening deal cycles, and blowing away your quota.
But don‘t just take my word for it. Let the results speak for themselves:
- Reps using video enjoy a 41% higher close rate (Source)
- 90% of customers say video helps them make buying decisions (Source)
- 80% of all internet traffic will be video by 2023 (Source)
Bottom line: if you haven‘t jumped on the async video train yet as a seller, you‘re leaving money on the table. Your buyers crave it, your competitors are doing it, and your quota (and commission check) will thank you.
So grab your webcam, take a deep breath, and hit record. With a little practice and a lot of personality, you‘ll be well on your way to async video stardom – and a very healthy pipeline.
