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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Accelerate sales and improve customer experience Every day, most working professionals entrust their most important messages to a form of communication that doesn't build trust, provide differentiation, or communicate clearly enough. It's easy to point to the sheer volume of emails, text messages, voicemails, and even social messaging as the problem that reduces our reply rates and diminishes our effectiveness. But the faceless nature of that communication is also to blame. Rehumanize Your Business explains how to dramatically improve relationships and results with your customers, prospects, employees, and recruits by adding personal videos to emails, text messages, and social messages. It explains the what, why, and how behind this new movement toward simple, authentic videos--and when to replace some of your plain, typed-out communication with webcam and smartphone recordings. * Restore face-to-face communication for clarity and connection * Add a personal, human touch to your emails and other messages * Meet people who've sent thousands of videos * Learn to implement your own video habit in an easy, time-saving way * Boost your replies, appointments, conversion, referrals, and results dramatically If you're ready to influence, teach, sell, or serve in a more personal way, Rehumanize Your Business is your guide.
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Seitenzahl: 349
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019
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Table of Contents
COVER
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
INTRODUCTION
PART 1: Why It's Time to Rehumanize Your Business
CHAPTER 1: The New Way to Communicate, Connect, and Convert
A SIMPLE VIDEO MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE
VIDEO FOR RELATIONSHIPS, NOT JUST FOR MARKETING
IT'S LIKE WE'VE ALREADY MET
VIDEO MAKES YOU MORE FAMILIAR AND APPROACHABLE
THE NUMBERS: VIDEO EMAIL VERSUS TRADITIONAL EMAIL
THE STATS, CLAIMS, AND HYPE TO IGNORE
THE ONE QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF
NOTES
CHAPTER 2: Email: The Indispensable, Broken Tool
“YOU'VE GOT MAIL”
ALTERNATIVES TO EMAIL
THE INDISPENSABLE TOOL
THE PROBLEM OF (OVER)CRAFTING YOUR EMAILS
SO, EMOJIS?
REPAIRING EMAIL
NOTES
CHAPTER 3: Video: The Personal, Rehumanizing Tool
RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE WHOLE POINT
MILLENNIA OF HUMAN BRAIN TRAINING
OUR FACES SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE
THE EYES HAVE IT
TALKING WITH YOUR HANDS
THE WARMTH OF YOUR SMILE
OUTSMARTING OUR MENTAL SHORTCUTS
NOTES
CHAPTER 4: Six Signs This New Approach Is for You and Your Business
SIGN 1: YOU TEACH, TRAIN, SELL, OR SERVE
SIGN 2: YOU DRIVE OPPORTUNITIES TOWARD FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS
SIGN 3: YOU WANT TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
SIGN 4: YOU RISK DISINTERMEDIATION BY WEB APPS, TOOLS, AND AUTOMATIONS
SIGN 5: YOU BENEFIT FROM WORD OF MOUTH
SIGN 6: YOU WIN MORE OPPORTUNITIES FACE TO FACE
SIX SIGNS THAT YOU NEED PERSONAL VIDEO
NOTES
PART 2: When to Rehumanize with Video
CHAPTER 5: Nine Stories of Sales Acceleration and Better Customer Experience
AUTHOR DAN PINK AND PROFESSOR DAN SMITH
THE MOST IMPORTANT SOUND IN ANY LANGUAGE
LEADERSHIP, VIDEO, AND THE HANDWRITTEN NOTE
APPRECIATION YOU CAN FEEL
MORE SALES REPLIES AND FEWER SUPPORT REPLIES
EVEN MORE SUCCESS IN CUSTOMER SUCCESS
THE FIRST SALESPERSON TO SEND 10,000 VIDEOS
A SALES TEAM THAT'S SENT 10,000 VIDEOS
PERSONAL TOUCH, FASTER CONVERSION, AND MORE REFERRALS
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE VIDEO
NOTES
CHAPTER 6: Ten Times to Use Video Instead of Plain, Typed-Out Text
TOP 10 TIMES VIDEO SAYS IT BETTER
WHEN
NOT
TO SEND VIDEO
NOTES
PART 3: How to Record and Send Videos
CHAPTER 7: Sending Video in Emails, Text Messages, and Social Messages
THREE WAYS TO SEND VIDEO IN EMAIL
SCREEN RECORDING
SENDING VIDEOS BY TEXT MESSAGES
SENDING VIDEOS IN SOCIAL MESSAGES
DELIVERY, FILTERS, AND FIREWALLS
THE VIDEO VIEWING EXPERIENCE
FACE TO FACE IN ANY CHANNEL
NOTE
CHAPTER 8: Why You're Not Sending Video and How to Get Comfortable on Camera
WHY WE STOP “DOING VIDEO” BEFORE WE EVEN START
YOU LOOK (AND SOUND) GREAT
YOU KNOW WHAT TO SAY
YOUR PROCESS RESULTS FROM EXECUTION
SEVEN TIPS FOR BETTER VIDEOS
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
NOTES
CHAPTER 9: The Salesperson's Guide to Video Cameras
VIDEO CAMERA TIPS
VIDEO SETUP TIPS
THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB
NOTE
PART 4: Improving Video Results
CHAPTER 10: How to Get More Opens, Plays, and Replies
TOP REASONS FOR VIDEO EMAIL UNDERPERFORMANCE
HOW TO GET MORE EMAIL OPENS
HOW TO GET MORE VIDEO PLAYS
HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE ENGAGED IN YOUR VIDEOS
HOW TO INCREASE YOUR REPLY RATE
TIPS FOR PROSPECTING WITH VIDEO
NOTES
CHAPTER 11: So, You Sent a Video … Now What?
HOW TRACKING HELPS YOU FOLLOW UP MORE EFFECTIVELY
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR VIDEO EMAIL DIDN'T GET OPENED
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR VIDEO DIDN'T GET PLAYED
WHAT TO DO IF YOU DIDN'T GET A REPLY
MULTIPLE VIEWS, LATENT DEMAND, AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP
NOW WHAT? THAT’S WHAT!
NOTES
CHAPTER 12: Where Rehumanization Is Now and Where It's Headed
MORE EFFECTIVE AND MORE SATISFYING WORK
THE SOFT EDGE
THE STATE OF THE MOVEMENT
MEASURING MORE THAN OPENS, PLAYS, AND REPLIES
YOUR NEXT STEPS
REHUMANIZE YOUR COMMUNICATION AND YOUR BUSINESS
NOTES
INDEX
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1.1 Traditional Email
FIGURE 1.2 Video Email
FIGURE 1.3 Marketing through Video versus Relationships through Video
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3.1 History of Human Speech, Writing, and Literacy
FIGURE 3.2 Human Development of Facial Recognition, Speech, and Reading
FIGURE 3.3 The Dual Theory of the Mind
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4.1 Six Signs That You Need Personal Video
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5.1 Quickly Record and Send Mobile Videos
FIGURE 5.2 A “Thank-You” Video Delivers Appreciation You Can Feel
FIGURE 5.3 Improvements for Customer Success
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6.1 Let People Know It's Truly Personal
FIGURE 6.2 Keep Everyone Informed and Prepared throughout the Process
FIGURE 6.3 Video Gives People Time to Process Bad News
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7.1 Start More Conversations with Video in Social Messages
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8.1 The Shiny/Authenticity Inversion
FIGURE 8.2 Example: Empathy, Value, Call to Action
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9.1 Comparison of Video Resolutions
FIGURE 9.2 Be Ready to Record in Your Office
FIGURE 9.3 Be Ready to Record with Your Phone
FIGURE 9.4 Studios Are More for Marketing Videos
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10.1 Steve's Office Helps Tell His Story
FIGURE 10.2 Ken's Office Helps Tell His Story
FIGURE 10.3 Example: Prospecting Video Email
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11.1 – If Your Video Email Didn't Get Opened
FIGURE 11.2 – If Your Video Didn't Get Played
FIGURE 11.3 If You Didn't Get a Reply or Response
FIGURE 11.4 Personal Videos Serve a Unique Purpose
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
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“I love this book for three reasons. First, I see it as a practical guide to selling with video. If you want to be emotionally effective, embrace video in your process. Second, it's fun to read. It made me realize that customers are tired of dealing with faceless salespeople; they love authenticity and the trust it builds. Third, this book made me realize that sales automation pushes salespeople to act like human doings while video empowers them to think, act, and sell like human beings. An eye-opening read!”
—Gerhard Gschwandtner, founder and CEO of Selling Power, Inc.
“When we need to turn leads into appointments, appointments into sales, or sales into referrals, we use personal videos. Nothing else gets a faster or better response. This book gives you the blueprint for adding videos to your business, the right way.”
—Chris Smith, cofounder of Curaytor and best-selling author of The Conversion Code
“Rehumanize Your Business is a smart and thorough guide to using personal videos to enrich your digital communication. It doesn't just tell you why, but how.”
—Professor Andrew Brodsky, PhD, McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin
“Who knew video would be one of the most inspiring and innovative ways to build trust, rapport, and relationships? Throughout my career, nothing has been more important to my own success and the success of my peers and mentors than relationships, and when you can't be there in person, video on your webcam or smartphone establishes that much-needed personal touch. Ethan Beute and Steve Pacinelli capture this very well in Rehumanize Your Business. It's on my bookshelf and should also be on everyone's reading list.”
—Asher Mathew, vice president of Business Development for LeanData, Inc
“Ethan is one of the most genuine, thoughtful, and brilliant humans I've ever met. When I found out he was writing this book with his colleague Steve, I thought to myself: there's nobody better suited to talk about restoring humanity in business. Every interaction I've had with him, I've walked away feeling known, appreciated, and a whole lot smarter. It's rare to find someone so intelligent and strategic who also cares so deeply about fostering rich and meaningful relationships … but that's exactly what you get. I'm convinced that this book will not only make you more effective in business, but it will open your eyes to a more authentic approach to living life.”
—James Carbary, founder of Sweet Fish Media and cohost of The B2B Growth Podcast
rehumanize YOUR BUSINESS
How Personal Videos Accelerate Sales and Improve Customer Experience
ETHAN BEUTE + STEPHEN PACINELLI
Copyright © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Names: Beute, Ethan, 1973- author. | Pacinelli, Stephen, 1977- author.Title: Rehumanize your business : how personal videos accelerate sales and improve customer experience / Ethan Beute, Stephen Pacinelli.Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2019] | Includes index. |Identifiers: LCCN 2018060340 (print) | LCCN 2019001723 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119576280 (ePub) | ISBN 9781119576273 (ePDF) | ISBN 9781119576266 (hardcover)Subjects: LCSH: Internet marketing. | Internet videos. | Customer relations.Classification: LCC HF5415.1265 (ebook) | LCC HF5415.1265 .B487 2019 (print) | DDC 658.8/72—dc23LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018060340
Cover Design: Ava Gretzinger and Leah Von Fange
DEDICATION
To our families, to our team members, and to everyone who values relationships over transactions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
One of the themes throughout this book is that our personal and professional successes result not just from our own efforts but through others' efforts, too. Our true wins come with, through, and for other people. We'd like to acknowledge Conor McCluskey, Darin Dawson, and the entire BombBomb team—every person in every seat in every department. This book would not be possible without you. We thank all of the personal video pioneers who allowed us to share their stories in this book and all of you whose stories we'll have to tell in blog posts, on webinars, and from stages. Thanks to every one of our customers and our critics; you inspire us to work harder and be better every day. And thanks to Richard Narramore at Wiley to whom the concept felt a little early but still had the vision to bring this to market.
FROM STEVE: Thank you, Gretchen. You made me the person I am today through the kindest heart I've ever known. Thank you, Grant and Owen, for showing me what it's like to overcome any obstacle. Sophia, thank you, for completing our little, big family and for bringing so much joy and laughter. Dad, Mom, Jennifer, Aimee, and the rest of my family and friends, thank you for providing all the love, warmth, and support a person could need. And finally, Ethan, you are a true role model in business and in life. I strive to be more like you. Thank you.
FROM ETHAN: Thank you, Megan and Owen, for your constant encouragement, patience, support, and inspiration through every endeavor. Thanks to Steve for adding so much value and fun to this project, my work, and my life. Thanks to Chris Smith, Thor Iverson, Dan Steinman, and Kurt Bartolich for sharing insights into your writing and publishing processes. Thanks to all the great teachers, leaders, and mentors who've broadened my perspective and provided challenge. Love to my mom, whom we lost this year, and to my family, who learned so much from her about relationships and connection.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ETHAN BEUTE
Ethan has collected and told personal video success stories in hundreds of blog posts, in dozens of webinars, podcasts, and stage presentations, and in countless conversations. He spent a dozen years leading marketing teams inside local television stations in Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Colorado Springs. His undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan and UCCS in communication, psychology, and marketing were conferred with highest distinction. Ethan is Vice President of Marketing at BombBomb, and currently resides in Colorado Springs with his wife and son.
STEPHEN PACINELLI
Before becoming CMO at BombBomb, Steve was a customer and advocate of personal video for its benefits to his sales team. As a Sales Manager, Vice President of Events, and National Speaker for Realtor.com, Steve was a featured speaker who's delivered presentations to more than 1,000 audiences. A passionate storyteller by nature and the most extroverted introvert you'll ever meet, Steve resides in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, with his wife, twin boys, and daughter.
Introduction
Do you ever misread emails or text messages? Or have your emails or text messages ever been misunderstood?
Are you tired of cold calling and sending cold emails? Or of feeling like you're interrupting or bothering people?
Have you ever felt embarrassed by your spelling, grammar, or punctuation? Or has autocorrection ever caused you trouble?
Yes. Yep. Affirmative.
Would you save time by doing more talking and less writing?
If you got face to face with more people, would you create and close more opportunities?
Yup. Absolutely.
And yet every day you continue to entrust some of your most important and therefore most valuable messages to faceless digital communication. The same black text on the same white screen that doesn't build trust, doesn't differentiate you, and doesn't communicate as well as if you just looked someone in the eye and said the exact same message.
The pendulum's swung too far away from the personal touch and human connection that drive your success and satisfaction. It's time to rehumanize your business. No matter the product, service, company, brand, or idea you represent, when people say “yes,” they're saying yes to you. To who you are. With the strategies and tactics you'll learn in this book, you can get to “yes” faster by being more personal and human.
What does it mean to rehumanize your business? It means being more, well, human. Restoring a face-to-face element that's gone missing. Being more intentional and personal in your approach. Building better business relationships. Recognizing that you're truly winning when you win with, through, and for other people. Treating people the way you prefer to be treated. “Targeting” and “hunting” less and connecting and serving more.
What's one of the best ways to do this? By adding personal videos to your emails, text messages, and social messaging. Not videos for marketing, but rather videos for relationships. Not videos that are scripted, produced, and edited, but rather videos that are conversational, authentic, and imperfect. Videos that save time, improve results, and increase satisfaction—your own and that of your customers, future customers, and everyone else with a stake in your success. This is your new and old way to sell and serve—using today's technology to make sales and service truly personal again.
Building trust, rapport, and relationships are best done in person, but time and distance have increasingly driven us to faceless, digital messages. To make matters worse, most of us aren't very good writers; our messages are often misunderstood or require longer exchanges to arrive at mutual understanding. Video puts you back into your communication in a way that accelerates sales and improves customer experience. It restores that missing face-to-face element. But now you can get face to face at scale. All through quick, simple video messages with the webcam or smartphone camera you've always got with you.
Get face to face at scale with simple, personal videos.
If you're in leadership or management, inside or outside sales, account-based marketing, recruiting or talent development, or customer support or success, you'll be more successful when you rehumanize your processes by mixing in video messages. If you're in software, consulting, education, real estate, mortgage, insurance, financial planning, automotive, nonprofit, public speaking, entrepreneurship, or almost any other role or industry, this applies to you. Anyone working in a professional capacity benefits from better relationships. And video does this better than any other medium except being there in person.
Because you're reading this intro, you may already be sending video or at least you may have given it a look or tried it out. With more than a decade of experience and unique expertise, Steve and I offer practical and proven strategies, tips, and insights to help you implement video day to day. If you've not given it a look or tried it out, you likely know someone who is “doing video.” Have you ever heard someone say that?
“I don't do video. But Mary does video.”
“Yeah, Mary does do video. I tried video. Do you do video?”
“No, I don't do video, either.”
Replace “video” with “phone calls” or “email” or “meetings.” For example …
“I don't do phone calls. But Mary does phone calls.”
“Yeah, Mary does do phone calls. I tried phone calls. Do you do phone calls?”
“No, I don't do phone calls, either.”
Sounds silly, right? Well, that's where we're headed. Because “doing video” no longer requires scripts, lights, editing, or budgets. “Doing video” means occasionally recording a webcam or smartphone video in place of a typed-out message, a phone call, or even a meeting. In the pages ahead, you're going to learn why, how, and when to make video part of your business communication mix.
My coauthor Steve got going with this video philosophy as he searched for a better way to sell software. He deployed personal video email to the members of his outside sales team as a way to generate more revenue both on and off the road. With video in place of text, they built value before getting to price, shortened the sales cycle, and closed multiple $24,000 annual contracts with people they'd never met in person and never even talked with over the phone. He transitioned from a BombBomb video email user to our Chief Marketing Officer a few years later and more than four years ago.
My engagement started with part-time projects—creating a homepage video, writing an email nurture campaign, recording videos for those emails, and other deliverables for a couple of friends, Conor McCluskey and Darin Dawson. After founding the company a few years earlier, they were preparing to bring to market a video email service. Bored after more than a decade of traditional and digital marketing for local television stations, I was doing project work on the side with several other companies, too. But I exclusively locked onto this idea and locked in with this team for its forward-looking nature and rehumanizing potential.
Most new technology is understood in terms of its predecessor and video email is no exception. I viewed our initial product offering as an email marketing platform with video uploading and hosting built right in. And, as a product, that's what it was at the time—and I fully expected MailChimp or even Google to devour the available market for it by rolling out a similar feature set. Through constant and direct customer contact (something I rarely had in my broadcast television career), it became clear that we weren't just a “video email marketing” service. This mental shift or change in understanding is most clear in the increasing gap between “marketing through video” and “relationships through video.”
In this book, you'll get language, understanding, and practical applications of this rapidly emerging trend of rehumanizing communication, accelerating sales, and improving customer experience with video. It's about realigning some of your day-to-day efforts with millennia of human brain training that dictates how we communicate and connect with each other. It's about evolving tactics and improving results. It's about how and why a salesperson sent his 12,000th video—and the likelihood he's the first person to create that volume of video to build relationships and increase sales. It's about being there in person when you can't be there in person.
Over the past decade, we've watched our own community grow from about 100 active, paying customers to well over 40,000. They live all around the world and work in all kinds of industries. We've learned and taught from their success stories and examples in hundreds of blog posts, webinars, podcasts, stage presentations, and, of course, videos. We've seen other companies come “down market” from prescribing scripted, lighted, produced, and edited videos to recommending our “video voicemail” style videos. We've read about multibillion-dollar companies like Coca-Cola and Levi Strauss & Co. intentionally reducing the quality of their photos and videos to make them appear more trustworthy to consumers, a phenomenon we'd described years earlier as the “Shiny/Authenticity Inversion.” With a growing range of companies, communities, and individuals getting involved, this movement is just getting started.
Now is the time to start using video for relationships, not just for marketing.
In Part One, you'll learn what personal video is, why it's rehumanizing compared to the status quo, and why you should participate. In Part Two, you'll see who's using personal video and when you might use it, too. Part Three is the how—recording and sending, cameras and equipment, psychological barriers, and more. Part Four delivers advanced strategies and a look to the future of this growing movement. Throughout, you'll get practical tips to replace some of your typed-out text with a more personal and human touch.
And, no, the irony is not lost on us that this is all being shared by way of simple black text on a plain white page.
PART 1Why It's Time to Rehumanize Your Business
CHAPTER 1The New Way to Communicate, Connect, and Convert
We see each other once or twice a year, but my sister doesn't call often. My wife talks with her more often than I do. We keep up through social media, text messages, and a phone call every now and then. So, when she called on a weekday in the late afternoon, I knew I needed to answer.
“Hey, what's up?” I asked.
“Umm … Mom's dead,” she quietly replied. Calm, but without confidence, she followed with an apology. “Sorry to be so blunt. I didn't know how else to say it.”
Our mom died unexpectedly in early 2018. She felt dizzy, fell down, and never got back up. She was at home with my dad, sister, and nephew doing what she often did—rushing back into the kitchen to get that one final dish to complete a dinner already on the table. A two-time cancer survivor, she was in a great phase of her life after losing weight, replacing a knee, working out with a personal trainer, and traveling a lot more to see her kids, her grandkids, her friends, and the tropics. All that positive momentum made the phone call even harder to take than it would have been otherwise.
A few days later, I flew back to my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The first visitation was on a Friday evening. Prior to it, we put together a few photo boards from the hundreds, if not thousands, of prints she'd made over the years; framed and magnet-pinned photos of family and friends lined her walls and bookshelves. Seeing her face through the years and seeing her with so many other smiling, familiar faces was a pleasure. We saw many of them in person that night; the volume and warmth of support for her and for our family was wonderful.
The next morning, we hosted the second visitation, which was followed by the funeral service. You know how these social occasions go. You don't keep your gaze fixed when you're in a conversation. With no disrespect to the person with whom you're talking, you glance around the room. As I stood and spoke with a supportive family friend that morning, I saw a familiar face over her shoulder. But it was an unexpected face; it didn't make complete sense in the moment. It felt like seeing your dental hygienist at Costco—without the uniform and the context of the office, you don't recognize the person as quickly. After I wrapped up the conversation, I headed over to him.
This gentleman greeted me with a soft smile and warm hug, as did his wife. I'd never met either of them in person. I'd never spoken with them on the phone. Neither one of them knew or had ever met my mom. Neither of them knew a single one of my family members. They knew no one else at the visitation. And yet they drove two hours across the state to spend three or four minutes with me. The gesture was incredibly meaningful; I can still feel the moment when my mind put together what they'd done.
What inspired them to invest more than half a day to create that brief, in-person meeting? Relationship. Our relationship was built through simple video messages recorded and sent back and forth, off and on over a couple years' time. And it's a real relationship. I felt as though I knew him before I ever met him—and I know he'd say the same about me. When we later swapped video messages about their visiting with me that day, he speculated, “That never would have happened through regular email. It was the video portion of our emails that caused that to happen. And that just enriches life.”
Video builds psychological proximity between people, even in the absence of physical proximity.
I now call Andy Alger a longtime BombBomb customer-turned-friend. A real estate agent in Grand Blanc, Michigan, he generates nearly all of his business from his database of past clients. Staying in contact meaningfully with just a few hundred people creates repeat business and personal referrals. Relationships, then, are fundamental to his success. I suspect he's made gestures like the one I experienced many times before in other people's lives.
To stay in touch with the new ways people are using video, we regularly look at the top customers in our database in terms of videos recorded and sent per day. We often reach out to learn about their motivations, strategies, and outcomes; this book is, in large part, the result of these efforts. Andy showed up on my radar pretty quickly. He signed up nearly five years ago and, in that time, has sent 4,000 videos. Back in April 2014, I reached out to learn more about what he was doing and why he was doing it. At the time, he was closing in on his 500th video. By one-to-one video, of course, he told me: “Personal videos make what I do fun again. And my clients respond to it very well—and, really, that's why I do it. I started it because I thought it was a neat idea, but then I saw the reaction of my clients and it's great. They love it. I love it.”
To stay connected with the people who matter most to his business, Andy used to block out time on his calendar to make phone calls. But he increasingly felt like he was intruding on their day and interrupting their lives. A phone call became an imposition on his clients' time with which he grew less and less comfortable. Recording and sending videos, however, could be done on his own time. And each person plays his video and experiences the message whenever it's most convenient. One person might open it and see Andy immediately. Another might see it 10 minutes later, another two hours later, and another three days later—whenever it's convenient.
The asynchronicity of recording and sending personal videos provides convenience for both the sender and the receiver.
Because they provided a more effective and more satisfying way to work, simple webcam videos replaced phone calls as Andy's preferred way to stay in touch. In the same amount of time he'd block out for calls, he could record and send a couple dozen truly personal messages. One video for each person, couple, or family. Like a voicemail, but with his face, voice, personality, sincerity, enthusiasm, and all the elements that can't be delivered through faceless, digital communication. He delivers himself, in person, at scale. And unlike voicemail, video email allows him to know exactly who's opening the email and playing the video—and exactly when.
This method is less demanding and more respectful of people's time. Andy treats people as he himself prefers to be treated, getting his message across more personally, more often. This is what it can look like to rehumanize your business.
A SIMPLE VIDEO MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE
Andy sprinted out of the gates with 488 videos sent in under five months. Averaging more than 100 videos per month and more than three videos per day every day of the week, he'd obviously found a few very specific ways to use video and committed to them. At that rate, the videos are always personal, one-to-one sends. To learn best practices and to teach others, I've regularly reached out over the years to people like Andy to share their tips, insights, and successes with others. Here are two ways I could've reached out to him. Figure 1.1 shows a nice, traditional email and Figure 1.2 represents a more personal approach.
Option One: Plain, Typed-Out Text
FIGURE 1.1 Traditional Email
Option Two: Personal Video Email
FIGURE 1.2 Video Email
The Difference
Instead of constructing the 200-word email in Figure 1.1, I simply clicked “Record” and talked to Andy as if we were casually meeting in person. Instead of spending three or four minutes organizing my ideas into a well-structured email that didn't come across as pushy or demanding and didn't contain typos, misspellings, improper grammar, or egregious punctuation, I spent about 90 seconds speaking to him from my office through my webcam. Instead of relying on ALL CAPS, exclamation points, or emoticons to convey my excitement, I used an honest smile and my sincere enthusiasm to let him know how much I appreciated him and the milestone he was approaching. Instead of sending a laundry list of questions to answer, I asked the questions conversationally, just like I would in person. He then “knew” a person at our company. My smile and enthusiasm far outweighed any minor errors I may have made in the video—like an “um,” a pause, or a misspoken word.
These are just a few reasons I went with the second option in Figure 1.2—and reasons why some of the messages you'll send this week shouldn't have two options anymore. With that video email, I improved communication, connection, and conversion with Andy, who complied, replied, and gave me more than I needed to publish a blog post. It was built from the excellent tips and insights he provided in his video reply. And I then “knew” one of our customers.
I shared this example because it's so specific to the story on which this chapter opened. The ideas and execution, though, can be used in situations you face every day at your desk, across town, or around the world. With recruits and employees, customers and future customers, partners and suppliers, or anyone else connected to your business. Just as there's an art and science to writing effective emails, there's an art and science to personal videos. Your success depends in part on whether or not you take advantage of concepts like:
Introducing yourself for the first time through video instead of text
Making clear in the email body that the video's personal, not automated
Holding a whiteboard, sticky note, tablet, or another surface in your video thumbnail or animated preview with a custom note
Writing on that surface her or his name, a relevant detail, a common interest, or another idea inspired by briefly researching the person (even draw a logo or picture)
Adding a little text along with your video that encourages people to click to play
Providing a simple reason (“because”) along with your request or call to action
Watching for notifications and alerts to confirm the email open and video play
Several elements are in play here that you may not recognize or appreciate now. But as you keep reading, we'll unpack strategies and tactics that can change your relationships and outcomes with all the stakeholders in your personal and professional success. You're going to click “Send” dozens or hundreds of times this week as you reach out to these people. Each send is an opportunity to experience the big difference a simple video can make. Soon, you'll understand why—and what to do about it.
Everything you're going to learn was learned through years of our own use of video and years of working closely with community members in this personal video movement. What kinds of roles are they in?
Inside sales
Outside sales
Customer service, support, and success
Account-based marketing
Account management
Leadership and management
Recruiting and talent development
Business consulting and coaching
Real estate, mortgage, and title services
Financial planning and advising
Automotive sales
Insurance sales
Network marketing
Nonprofit fundraising and programming
Entrepreneurship
Teaching and education
Speaking, music, entertainment
More roles that delight and surprise us every day
If you teach, train, sell, or serve in any capacity, video can help you reach your desired outcomes faster, because it leads with your strongest asset … you. No matter where you fall on the Myers-Briggs, DISC, Birkman, Enneagram, or any other personality assessment, who you are matters. You're the difference-maker. Everything you've achieved so far has been achieved with and through other people based on your personality, expertise, and other qualities difficult to capture and convey in the typed-out messages you rely on every day. You're uniquely qualified to rehumanize your business.
VIDEO FOR RELATIONSHIPS, NOT JUST FOR MARKETING
When most people think of “video” in a business context, they think of scripts, lighting, casting, equipment, editing, postproduction, and other polishing touches that require a significant investment of time and money. We call this “marketing through video”—traditional video that's created in the style of a television commercial or a movie trailer. And this is a perfectly valid and useful effort. Videos with a long shelf life, wide audience, or high profile can provide a return on that investment in a “professional” production. For any person or company committed to marketing through video, keep going!
The personal video revolution drops the gloss and polish and capitalizes on video for its communication value in a no-fuss way. You smile, hit “Record,” and talk to each person as if you're leaving a voicemail. You don't need a script for a voicemail. And you don't need any special equipment to say, “Thank you,” “Nice to meet you,” “Here's an update,” “Happy birthday,” or another message in this more personal way. You need only what you already have: a smartphone or a webcam, along with a message that's delivered better in person than in plain, typed-out text. You can see the difference with just a glance at Figure 1.3.
FIGURE 1.3 Marketing through Video versus Relationships through Video
We call this type of communication “relationships through video.” By losing all the extras, the video doesn't just feel more authentic—it is more authentic. It's you … a person we can look in the eye, hear out, and connect with despite the time and distance between us. You're communicating as if you're sitting across the table over coffee or lunch. And, like that experience, there are no do-overs—you just record and send. It's warmer and more complete than a typed-out message. It's faster and easier than writing, producing, and editing a video. And it's a return to the way humans have exclusively communicated for thousands and thousands of years—eye to eye, face to face.
The simple video style can be used in a variety of ways. Nearly every social network now has native video features that allow you to record or upload videos. YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook Live, Facebook Messenger, Facebook posts, LinkedIn posts, Instagram Stories, Instagram's IGTV—and that's just a short list of places people are hosting, posting, and sharing simpler videos. Though you'll be able to apply what we explore and explain to video in social posts, it's even more applicable to videos in text messaging and social messaging. Posts are broadcast. Messaging is personal.
Personal video can be used in emails, text messages, and social messages.
You might be thinking: This approach seems insufficiently professional. Too casual. Too informal. And you can find people who share this opinion. The irony is that these qualities are exactly why it's so effective. It's imperfect and makes you more approachable. Personal videos are more honest than marketing videos. When a video opens up with flashy, whooshy animation and stylized graphics, the viewer's guard goes up against a production that's designed to sell something. When a video opens up with a smiling face, a little wave, and a greeting to you by name, your guard goes down and you're drawn in by natural human connection.
If you've never done video, you can start with relationships through video. If you're marketing through video, you should layer in this personal style and equip your team members to do the same.
IT'S LIKE WE'VE ALREADY MET
As my coauthor Steve walked down a Chicago street, he heard his name shouted from across five lanes of traffic.
“Steve Pacinelli!” the person called out.
“Charlie Foxworth!” Steve shouted back.
Even though they'd never met in person or even spoken over the phone, Charlie felt enough confidence and enough connection to shout over to Steve. Even though he'd only “met” him through webcam videos, Steve recognized Charlie's face, recalled his name, and excitedly returned the greeting from 25 yards away. Years later, Charlie still tells that story. He recently shared it on a panel discussion that Steve moderated at a leadership conference. That moment years earlier clearly left a huge impression on Charlie and it was only possible because they had built their relationship through video. It was like they'd already met.
