At this year's Demofest event, Julie Hansen, author of "Look Me In The Eye: Using Video to Build Relationships with Customers, Partners, & Teams," delivered a groundbreaking presentation that brought new energy and ideas for improving on-camera engagement. Julie is a triple threat with sales and presales expertise and acting acumen, and she leverages this expertise to build relationships and improve sales outcomes through video engagement.
For those interested in learning more about Julie and her methodologies, visit her website.
Recording videos is ultimately acting, and Julie Hansen uses film and television tricks of the trade to deepen connection and draw in audiences. During her session, Hansen explains how effective video communication is all about connecting with your audience. She compares the demo video making process to making a movie where the lead actor's performance can either make or break the project. Having all the right equipment won't help if your performance falls flat. She also discussed the mechanics of nonverbal communication that communicates more with people you can't see, including body language, tone, and pacing. The keys to successful sales video communication, according to Hansen, are to be authentic, engaging, and relatable - while adapting your behavior to the medium. The goal is to get your message across and build trust.
"All else being equal, the buyer is going to buy from the person that they trust the most."
-Chad Wilson, VP of Operations
Julie Hansen knows how to make the best first impressions in video outreach. Where many sellers invest time and energy into creating videos, most viewers tune out 30% of the way through or sooner. This can be frustrating and is expensive for sellers. To make the most of your first impression, Hansen stresses the importance of the first seconds of nonverbal cues and communication to build credibility and captivate interest quickly.
What are the challenges of over-reliance on scripts in sales videos? Sales and presales pros put a lot of resources towards perfecting scripts, and a well-crafted script is important to present solutions, but it should be used as an outline. Sellers think that because their script is out of view, their audience won't recognize their use, but audiences are much more intuitive. Some obvious defects in overly scripted videos are monotone delivery and disengagement from the contents of the script. Julie states, "You can't hide behind a script." How to kick the script crutch? Treat a script as a flexible guide rather than a rigid framework. Bring your personality into your delivery. Try memorizing small and manageable segments and blend with your natural content.
In our presentation at Demofestx West Coast, we discussed how to build a winning automated demo video. The importance of capturing your audience's attention in the first few seconds was an overarching theme in both Julie's session on effective communication and our session on building automated demos. While you can't hide behind a script, you need an outline of your solutions and sales points on what it is you are trying to say. Think about that first line – the hook – practice it often and make sure it communicates the core message and benefits of the presentation. A prepared opening ensures that even if the audience doesn't stay for the entire video, they understand the key takeaways right from the start.
Julie Hansen's session at Demofest was a masterclass in virtual communication. For sales teams looking to level up engagement and increase retention for demo videos, consider acting techniques to build your video presence. Make the first seconds strong, limit your reliance on a script, and learn non verbal communication cues. Virtual communications aren't going anywhere, but better video demonstrations and communications are leveling up, thanks to experts like Julie Hansen.
Follow Julie on Linkedin to learn more about her techniques to improve your presence on camera!