What Mark Messier showed me about business video.

THE BACK STORY: If you’re an ice hockey fan, you can relate to the fact that my daughter, son and I complete hockey freaks. We are at the rink almost every night during the season, multiple games on the weekend and then come home to our NYC apartment to watch our Philadelphia Flyers on TV.

I coach for Ice Hockey in Harlem, a 25 year old non-profit organization that gives inner city kids the ability to experience ice hockey, be coached, be part of a team and experience success. Every year Ice Hockey in Harlem (IHIH), which supported 250 kids this year, hosts a winter celebration and fundraiser gala that includes honoring an influential person in the world of ice hockey. This year IHIH honored Mark Messier, who played with Wayne Gretzky on the Edmonton Oilers and won five Stanley cups, won a 6th with the New York Rangers and currently spearheading a nine rink project up in the Bronx called Kingsbridge National Ice Center.

With an opportunity to merge the services of my New York City video production company and my love for the sport, I jumped to produce a sizzle reel video for this non-profit gala. What a perfect storm for a business owner… sourcing footage of the second leading NHL scoring leader of all time, community service and my business.

What does this have to do with business sales video?

With 400 people in the room, you could hear background conversations going on even with Sam Rosen, the announcer of the NY Rangers for 30+ years, speaking at the podium. Later on, when NY Ranger alumni, Brian Leech was telling his stories about Mark Messier, the background chatter continued.

These side conversations were noticeable up until the moment when Leech said “cue the video.” The music and visuals of video began to play. And what happened was that everyone in the room froze to a moment of silence. They turned to the left, gazed up at the screen and all eyes and ears were focused on the sizzle reel video of Mark Messier’s career on and off the ice sheet.

So how does this relate to business and your ability to clearly communicate and drive sales? Well, if you have ever given a sales presentation using PowerPoint, you know that you never have the full attention of your audience. You know that you never say the same things twice and you know that you get questions during your presentation that to push you away from your core message.

But with a professional sales video production that does not happen. Nobody interrupts a video. So with a sales video, you will be able show and present every single value proposition, benefit and message that you want in a very clear and concise manner. People will stay focused,  and your presentation will be emotional and memorable. And that is what will set you apart from the rest.

Having a business profile video is even more important if you have multiple sales people as your story is being told differently each time. By having a sales video your story will be clear, concise and have the exact same message every time.

Case study – business profile video helps close a $500k deal

A perfect example of a business sales video streamlining the communication process comes from a company that spent 6 months pitching a new concept to VCs (venture capitalist). Because he spent valuable meeting time explaining his concept rather than his business plan, Peter Moustakerski, Founder and CEO of Voilà Chocolat, created a business profile video that explained his concept in a fun, personal and emotional way. His decision to turn to video streamlined his presentation and sales process so his audience could quickly grasp his business concept. Choosing to show a professional business profile video was the key that led to his company raising close to $500,000 in first-round funding.

“I was able to incorporate video into my presentation, and at the end of the video, I’d watch the audience reactions—they were all smiling, nodding and getting it,” Moustakerski said. “I found myself completely in a place where I successfully communicated the power, emotional engagement and content of the concept within 1 minute and 26 seconds—without having to say a word…allowing me to proceed with the business side of it.”

Moustakerski’s use of business profile video directly in his sales process can be applied to the marketing and communication challenges of every company: how to quickly inform and differentiate your business so you can focus more time on the business at hand. Done right, there’s no better sales technique than well-crafted business profile video communication.

THE RECAP -

• My kids and I are a bit crazed about ice hockey (go Flyers!)
• IHIH is an amazing organization
• People focus on your message when video is playing
• Nobody interrupts a video to ask questions
• Video ensures your message is 100% consistent 100% of the time
• A business profile video will give you more time to focus on the business at hand

Have you ever used a business profile video, or other types of video, in your sales efforts?  What was the result?  If you do not yet use video...why not?