At the top of a recent article titled “Attitudes Toward Information Signal Buying Effectiveness,” Gartner analyst Hank Barnes billboards this alarming (if you’re involved in sales communication) headline
“43% of Buyers Feel Strongly That Volume of Information Overwhelming”
The feeling captured in the headline emerged in Gartner’s studies of how organizations with different psychographic profiles think about enterprise technology adoption.
“Too much information” is something we’re all familiar with. But, besides the overwhelmed 43%, the data also distinguished a group of technology buyers who actually crave more information.
IT-led buying teams want more
What the give-us-more technology buying teams have in common, according to Gartner research, is that they are led by IT, or they exhibit good cooperation between IT and the business. “They want the details; they want to understand keys to successful implementation; they want checklists; and more,” Barnes writes. In other words, when it come to sales communication, they’re not at all averse to getting down in the weeds.
Gartner data shows that sellers who can satisfy this thirst for information are the ones who usually end up with more high-quality deals. The conclusion: “Good information is valuable. Understanding the desire and comfort that buyer team members have with information may be even more valuable.” So, here is also a big opportunity to outshine competitors by providing welcome information more efficiently and effectively.
Varieties of video sales communication
Many companies concentrate most of their video budget on videos with fairly high production values focused on product introductions, testimonials, thought leadership, and branding. Budgets for purely “informational” videos are much lower. Videos that venture into “the weeds” (demos, webinars, tech talks, etc.) consume significant time and effort on the part of subject matter experts, but a lack of visual support results in long stretches of video where there is little or no action happening on-screen. This doesn’t necessarily make them boring or unwatchable. But with less in-person communication, making these video trips into the weeds less of a slog could become a significant competitive advantage in 2021.
While some non-professionals can use today’s video tools to create amazingly entertaining and useful videos at little or no cost, crafting a first-rate video takes editing, skills, and a substantial time investment. It’s not feasible, or economical, to expect salespeople and subject-matter experts to do it consistently.
You may be surprised at how economical it can be to work with video professionals. They can take advantage of lots of experience working with limited budgets to tell stories concisely and visually — even deep “in the weeds.”
