In today’s increasingly digital landscape, organizations are more distributed and mobile than ever before. But, in the case of sales and marketing, mobility can sometimes bring a disconnect and impede collaboration within and between teams. Furthermore, traditional training methods, like online certifications and event-based training programs, are not effective in enforcing company messaging and product or service information. Research showsthat without ongoing learning and reinforcement, 50 percent of learned content is not retained within five weeks. And within 90 days, that figure increases to 84 percent.
As such, there’s a heavier reliance on channels and solutions that allow companies to quickly and easily connect and train teams, while keeping them informed with the relevant information they need, right when they need it. Video is a key emerging medium for businesses and consumers alike to address collaboration and training challenges in this distributed, digital landscape. According to a report from eMarketer, the average U.S. adult will spend five hours and 31 minutes watching video every day this year. That’s compared to 2011, where only 21 minutes a day was spent watching video.
For sales and marketing teams in particular, video is an increasingly helpful way to not only deliver, but enable a higher absorption and thus retention, of relevant content. By leveraging the power of video, companies meet the changing needs of distributed workforces, help sales teams retain knowledge, boost company and individual performance, spark increased collaboration, and positively impact the bottom line.
So, how does video help bridge the gap between sales and marketing?
Cost-Effective, Quick Updates
Should a crisis emerge requiring the marketing team to change its messaging accordingly, what is the quickest and most cost effective way to share new information? Without the time and resources of a formal sales training event, marketing could instead share a brief video with everything sales representatives need to know about the crisis before they walk into a sales pitch or customer meeting.For example, if there is a new product launch, M&A, or executive staffing change – any of which could impact business performance – wouldn’t it be great to have a medium that could succinctly articulate to all staff how to position the changes to customers and prospects?
Video is not only the preferred form of content for training, but it is also allows for the greatest absorption and retention of that content. If a two-minutevideo can convey as much as a five-page document, retention of the content is bolstered, thanks to the visual and audio medium of video. Additionally, video can be re-watched and pitches honed in a similar communication style, as opposed to reps developing their own pitch from written material or a single training session.
It’s clear that sales training or certification programs conducted months ago around new messaging will not give sales teams the power and knowledge they need for their pitches tomorrow. By providing video training for teams wherever and whenever they need it, businesses can improve message consistency and performance across the board.
Coaching and Collaboration
With teams divided by geography and time zones, and sales teams spending more time on the road, it’s increasingly important to have tools in place that are relevant, intuitive, and that teams are motivated to use. The right tools need to allow managers to provide coaching and feedback, and teams to easily collaborate – wherever they are.
According to a Cisco survey, 76 percent of executives watch business videos at least once a week, with 40 percent viewing them daily. With video, there’s a greater chance that sales teams will view and share video content, which means there is a greater chance that collaboration and knowledge sharing will be achieved across the organization. Now, imagine if sales reps could create their own videos with the consumer-friendly ease of use provided by their iPhone or tablet.
For example, say a sales rep leaves a sales call with vital feedback on a competitive product, which could impact how the company adjusts its messaging. That rep could instantly record a short video sharing this feedback or story with the entire field and the marketing team in the corporate office, minutes after leaving that meeting. That ability to quickly share messaging is especially important, with studies showing that people generally lose concentration after just 8 seconds. According to Jim Lundy, CEO of Aragon Research, “Video is the new document,” and the 4 billion YouTube videos watched every day also proves the expansive role of video in our digital environment.
Benefit the Bottom Line
The key to successful selling still comes down to relationships and the ability of sales representatives to engage their customers. Having synergy and frequent collaboration between the sales and marketing teams will help create more compelling message for customers and prospects. However, collaboration proves difficult as organizations struggle to meet the changing needs of their remote teams while faced with reduced budgets, fewer training events, and simply less time available to spend training and coaching each and every member.
Competitive differentiation occurs when companies can motivate their sales and marketing teams to deliver a more consistent message and brand experience. By implementing innovative processes and technologies like video and mobile to improve training and enablement strategies, businesses improve performance and ultimately gain a positive impact on their bottom line.
Jennifer Kady-Sullivan is marketing executive at Allego, suppliers of a mobile-based, just-in-time sales learning platform for onboarding, training and certification of teams.
