7 minute read
Say it on Video Appealing to today’s millennial buyers
by: Eddie Steelman, Smart Technologies
As you have heard, today’s buyers are doing research and have their minds basically made up by the time they engage with your salesperson. I do not know why we keep hearing this in the industry and in sales talks.
It is so obvious and we all do it.
How unaware does one have to be to not realize that we run the lion’s share of all our decisions through Google? However, with all the buzz about Buyer 2.0, I still see a huge piece missing that almost no one is talking about — especially inside of dealerships.
How is this buyer doing all of his (or her) research? Yes, on his phone and on Google. But what is he actually looking at? Here is my theory: Almost no one is checking out testing laboratory articles or awards. About the same number are visiting the manufacturers’ websites. So, what is the buyer reading? Ding, ding, ding! Sound the alarm, as you may have missed it: He is not actually reading. How do we know that? Because we are not reading. OK, some of us do read, but halfway through an article, if there is a video we can click on that will not result in 100 pop-up ads, we will watch the video.
As you read this, you know it is true. But what are you doing about it? Are you adapting your outreach and selling strategy to mirror the way you — and everyone in the world — buys? If not, why not?
The videos we consume in our buying cycle come in two flavors — the customer review and the sales/marketing video. You see, the new buyer does not actually have his mind made up before he engages with an actual salesperson. He engages with a salesperson on his own time and terms as soon as he gets the idea that a purchase may be the solution to his needs. He is just looking for a salesperson to tell him instantly, without conversation, how to solve his problem. Or, with the customer review video, he is seeking a referral. Why? Because nobody wants to feel like he is being sold to. When it is on the buyer’s terms, the buyer feels more in control.
So, let’s appeal to that and to the prospect’s love of customization. You do not have to wait until he decides to buy from you to start selling. Customize videos for your prospect. He will watch them and you will be planting the seeds of a buying decision and positioning yourself as a resource as he makes his decision on his terms. Have personalized videos for prospecting and funnel them into customized videos to educate prospects on your process, your product and, most of all, you. Create videos for every aspect of your business.
It is crazy to think that with all of this “digital” going on that buyers are still craving real relationships with real humans — but they are. Your prospects want to trust people. Having great video content can build your credibility and establish that trust before your first handshake or even your first phone call. Millennials are a crazy bunch, I know, but should we complain about them or figure out how to adapt our methods to create successful relationships with them? It should be stated that, in the next few years, millennials will occupy three-fourths of the decision-making roles in the marketplace.
Why are many of us sitting on the sidelines? Millennial buyers are much more educated on our products when we get the chance to have encounters with them. So, instead of waiting to battle with them during a meeting, work to get out in front and interact with them on their terms before you have the actual appointment. Become one of the inputs they are using to educate themselves.
There is an old saying: “The sale starts when they walk on the lot.” That is not true anymore. The sale starts way before that, when you do not know who the customer is, what he looks like and you are not much more than a URL. So, maybe the “lot” has become cyberspace.
I know what you are thinking: Making these videos will be really expensive and I do not have the talent on my team to do it, right? Wrong. You can make phenomenal videos
and customize them for your prospects for almost nothing. A lot of your younger reps are already good at it just from using Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat or any social platform. In the beginning, your videos may not be award-winning quality but, just like anything else, you learn as you go and continually get better. The awesome part is that you will get results all along the way.
One of my favorite videos from one of my reps was one where he turned the last 30 seconds into a blooper reel of all the takes he screwed up. The client loved it too. I mean, when was the last time you had a prospective customer tell you how unique and fun your proposal was? Come on, we all know the majority of our industry is using the same proposals. They may look a little different with their cover pages or logos, and some may structure their deals to not look like the competition, but there is no real distinction.
Once I realized that truth, I sought out a new platform and really wrestled with going digital. I mean, if you do not get an in-person meeting to sign contracts, you are not going to get the deal, right? If I email a proposal, the prospect is just going to forward it to my competitor to beat my price and chop up my deal, right? There may be some truth to that, but do you want to do business with a customer like that?
Are you casting your vision to the prospect and telling him that doing business with you is about way more than speeds and feeds? Are you telling him about digital transformation, going paperless and automating workflows? If you are, how is the conversation going to play out when your proposal is fully digital with an embedded, customized video and digital signatures? When you are set up to show the prospect how your process is automated and seamless when he clicks the “Sign Here” button, how will that stack up against the competition who delivered its proposal in a folder or emailed a PDF? If the prospect’s mind is really on the larger vision, who is he going to put his trust in to help lead him into the next level of digital transformation: you or the “please-print-that-out, sign-it-and-scan-it-back-to-me” guy who shaved a few mills and a couple of bucks off the lease?
I am not saying I have this whole thing figured out or that I am a master at all of this. In fact, my team and I lean heavily on our coach, Dale Dupree, and his company, The Sales Rebellion. What I am saying is that I believe this to my core, and my team and I are adapting to the times, making the changes we want as buyers and bringing those changes into the world in which we sell.
So, to any of you who want to change the world with me, I invite you to reach out to me. Again, I do not have it all figured out, but I am a 36-year-old owner who started in the business seven to eight years ago with no experience or ties to the industry, so I offer a unique perspective. I am always happy and eager to help others. And, if you would prefer to speak to someone who was literally born with toner in his blood, I cannot think of a better person or company to engage with than Dale Dupree and his team at The Sales Rebellion. I will conclude with the invitation for all who are interested to join me and #changethegame. n
Eddie Steelman is co-owner, and director of sales and marketing at Smart Technologies based in central Florida.
He is also a guest professor at the Stetson
University Centurion Sales Program, a
DocuWare Applications Consultant, a C12 Ambassador board member and a member of
BTA’s PRO Dealer Group. He can be reached at esteelman@smarttechfl.com.
