I have always believed that video is an extremely powerful tool that advisors can and should use to generate more leads and shorten the sales cycle with new clients.
Back in the 1980s I created a video based prospecting system I called Popcorn Prospecting. It involved sending out an old VHS video cassette along with a bag of microwave popcorn.
It worked so well that Tom Hopkins wrote about me and my video prospecting method in his book Sales Prospecting for Dummies. (Chapter 7: Prospecting by Remote page 85)
Almost 40 years later savvy advisors continue to use video in marketing but due to advances in technology they can do it much better.
This article is devoted to ways of using video in between face-to-face client meetings. This can be a great way to virtually stay in front of your clients during the sales process.
In sales, it takes numerous “touches” before most people are comfortable becoming a client. The more touches the better. Many advisors find that it requires three or four face-to-face meetings before prospects are ready to become clients (this means three or four touches). But in between those actual meetings, you could create additional touches by emailing either personalized or generic videos or both.
Personalized Videos
BombBomb: For video email.
After your first meeting, try emailing prospective clients brief BombBomb videos where you thank the person for their time, briefly summarizing what you have discussed and what you will preparing for the next meeting.
The total run-time of this type of video should typically be less than one minute.
With your smartphone and Bombbomb, recording and sending these videos is easy. Plus, as a BombBomb customer you get access to powerful tools for tracking the videos you send so that you know if and when a prospect has watched your video. Knowing this can give you some powerful insights as to the level of interest of your prospects.
The key with making these personalized videos is to not get too caught up in how good you or the video looks or if you make mistakes while delivering your message. Instead, this is all about keeping prospective clients focused on what you and doing and “humanizing” your client interactions. BombBomb has some great tutorials providing tips as to how to do this.
There should be three parts to your personalized BombBomb video message:
(Part 1 – The Beginning) – Thank the client for the prior meeting and briefly summarize the important points of that meeting. For example, you might say something like
“Hello Mike. I enjoyed our meeting today and look forward to our next meeting. As I mentioned, I am a fiduciary and as such I have a responsibility to make sure that any recommendations I might make are solely in your best interest. Because of this, I want to make sure that I am on the right track. My impression is that your number one concern and issue is in deciding if you should take a lifetime income from your pension, or if you should take a lump-sum distribution. Let me know if this is incorrect, because otherwise that is what I will be working on for our next meeting.”
(Part 2 – The Middle) -What can be really impressive is if you can provide the prospect some additional information relating to the concern or issue mentioned in the first part. This can be a link to an article, possibly a chapter in book you have written, or another video. For example:
“Mike, I have placed a link in this same email that has a great article on pensions that you might find of interest.”
(Part 3 – The End) – Finish your personalized BombBomb video by mentioning what you will be covering during your next meeting.
“As I mentioned, I think that the next step would be to take a look at some quotes from several annuities that are structured to provide lifetime income. I will get those quotes prepared and also get ratings and financial information on each carrier so that we can review this at our next meeting.
Just to confirm, we scheduled next Tuesday at 1:30. See you then.”
You should be able to record a similar message in less than 60 seconds.
Again, don’t think that the video must be perfect. Keep in mind that what you say and how you say it is not really important. The value comes from using these videos as additional “touches” that when combined with your face-to-face meetings will gradually cause most prospects to become more comfortable in working with you as their advisor.
My guess is that your prospective clients will respond very positively to your BombBomb video emails.
Cost: $49 per month | BombBomb.com
Generic Videos
You could also send your client an email with a link to a generic educational video. This could either be in addition to the personalized BombBomb video or instead of a personalized video.
In the middle part of your personalized BombBomb video you could say something like:
“Tom, I have also included a link to a video that provides a brief case study of using an annuity to provide lifetime income. Based on what we discussed, I think you will find this helpful.”
Or, again you could email links to generic vides instead of having to take the time to send personalized videos.
Watch this video to get an idea of the opportunities.
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