Chapter 14
Communicating with Prospective Customers
In This Chapter
Understanding sales and the cold call
Selling in print
Using proper email communication to make sales
Utilizing videos to cold call
After all is said and done, your business boils down to selling. Whether you’re a one-person operation working from your kitchen table or a huge Fortune 500 company with operations sprawling across the globe, you gain your revenue from the gentle art of salesmanship.
At the heart of salesmanship is the art of persuasion. Whether you’re selling over the phone, in person, through writing, or in any other form of communication, you have to persuade someone else to exchange what you offer (products or services) for their money.
This obligation to persuade belongs to entrepreneurs. You have to earn your customers’ money if you want it. In order to persuade them, you need to make the initiative to contact someone. If you already have a product or service, you need to get customers. This chapter focuses on the act of selling and the different forms that it can take, such as spoken, written, or multimedia (videos and podcasts).
Recognizing Your Role: You’re Already a Salesperson
Thinking of yourself as a salesperson may seem like an odd thought. You may think that if you were put in a selling situation that it would be a dreadful experience where you would only utter, not knowing what to say, before scooting out the door terrified. As a micro-entrepreneur, no matter the type of business you have or the type of product or service you offer, you are a salesperson — you want people to purchase what you offer.
I can prove to you that you’re a great salesperson and give you the secret of great salesmanship! No, I’m not kidding. Did you ever have a moment in your life where you said something like this to someone else?
“What a great restaurant I was at last night! My wife and I had an excellent meal! The food and ambience were great. You really should go this weekend.”
“What a horrible movie we saw last night! Don’t bother going; it was boring, violent, and stupid. Don’t waste your money!”
“Come with us to the county fair this Saturday. We had a blast last year. It was lots of family fun. We really enjoyed some great food and drinks, and the kids loved the rides and games!”
Perhaps you didn’t have those exact conversations, but you’ve probably had plenty of similar conversations. My point here is that selling is merely a form of persuasion, and you have had numerous moments when you persuaded someone to do something. It may not have occurred to you at that moment that you were performing an act of salesmanship, but you were.
What’s the common thread in these examples? You were passionate about what you were communicating. More than likely, you were also persuasive, maybe not to everyone, but certainly to someone. That’s selling in a nutshell. The following sections take a closer look at the art of selling. Here I examine what makes a good salesperson and how you improve your cold-calling skills.
Letting you in on the big secret to salesmanship: Be convincing
If you aren’t excited about what you’re offering, how can you make someone else excited about it? In other words, you’re trying to get the prospect to part with his money, but that can’t happen until he is convinced of the value and goodness of what you’re offering. He won’t be convinced if you aren’t convinced!
As a micro-entrepreneur, you aren’t just the lead salesperson. You are, in fact, the entire sales force. As a result, whether you’re a micro-entrepreneur or a salesperson for anything else, make sure you’re convinced of the value that you offer and excited about sharing your product or service with your prospect.
That word sharing is a critical one. Successful salespersons don’t see themselves as “selling” something; they believe that they are sharing information on something great to help someone else.
Many novice salespeople take seminars, classes, and other educational venues on better selling. They’re hearing great tips and techniques for approaching and persuading people to buy their stuff. Many of them still won’t be great salespeople because they’re not passionate about what they’re selling. They won’t become great salespeople because they aren’t excited about sharing their products or services with prospective customers.
Breaking the ice — the cold call
Until you get to know your prospective customers, you need to break the ice with a cold call, which refers to the initial call to a new potential client. If you plan on growing your business, the moment will come when you may need to talk to a total stranger to see what the possibilities are (in terms of gaining revenue from him).
The cold call may be the most dreaded call that you have to make, but it doesn’t have to be. Studies have revealed that some people get physically ill when calling up a total stranger. (If they had to call my uncle from Bratislava, getting sick would be justified.) You need to look at the cold call in an entirely different light.
The essence of cold calling is that you’re approaching someone with the intent of making a meaningful and appropriate proposal. It doesn’t always mean a sale of a product or service; it could be to propose a mutually beneficial arrangement, such as a joint venture or something that could benefit their customers or contacts.
Your attitude toward cold calling goes a long way to making it either a positive or a negative pursuit. You can view it negatively as a bother and as a numbers game — the idea that you have to call a bunch of people and hope that someone ultimately says yes to your proposal. Or you can think of it positively where you quickly get to the decision-maker to discuss your proposal in a relatively fast manner. Cold calling is the purest form of direct marketing.
How you look at cold calling determines how successful you’ll be. Refer to the nearby sidebar for an example from my life to see how my view of cold calling affected my success.
Tackling the cold call: Helpful tips to make it successful
Cold calling is more than a call to a stranger. It’s also called canvassing and prospecting, and it may entail face-to-face selling, too. Cold calling has taken several forms over the years, including door-to-door and face-to-face at events, such as trade shows and conferences. No matter the form it takes, these tips can help you have greater success when cold calling.
Understand your prospects before you call
Before you call or email any prospects, you need to know who you’re calling and why what you offer is right for them. The more you know about who you’re calling, the greater your chances of a successful call. Even basic information, such as their occupation, their demographics (Millenial, Gen X, Baby Boomer), and their interests can help. The more you can craft your message to them and what is likely to interest them, the better for you.
Set up the call before you call
Breaking the ice before you call can help. You can send a brochure, catalogue, sales information, or other form of communication via direct mail or email before the call. Doing so can help set up the call and make it a little less . . . cold.
Get the prospect’s attention during the first 15 seconds
You have approximately 15 seconds to get the prospect to decide whether to continue the call or not. In that short amount of time, you need to communicate a strong benefit to them personally of what you offer and excite the prospect with value and/or savings.
For example, you can focus on the product’s value: “For struggling homeowners, this could lower payments, avoid bankruptcy, and give you more income by at least $500 per month.” Or you can focus on what the prospect can save: “This program can save you $2,000 over what you’re currently doing.”
Be like your prospect
Studies have shown (along with your own experience, I am sure) that most people are comfortable with dealing with like-minded folks. If you’re a single mom, you’re more likely to have a conducive conversation with another single mom than if you’re a retired gentleman. Of course, if you aren’t a single mom, then at the very least you should become familiar with words, phrases, and topics that resonate with a prospect who is a single mom. Sharing the same language isn’t just a linguistic thing; when you communicate like your prospect (with the same style and content, you’ll have an easier time making a connection during the conversation). Focus on using the same language and approach that your prospect uses to enhance your chances of success.
Ask for an action
When talking with your prospect, keep moving forward toward a sale, even if a buying decision isn’t rendered at that moment. Ask if you can call back at a later time or if you can email him further information. Many times a prospect isn’t really saying “no thanks,” Many times he’s saying “no thanks . . . for now.” You may be able to be successful at a later point when you become more familiar.
Don’t wing it; use a script
Make sure you write out a script so you know what you’ll say and where to go in the conversation. You don’t want to leave the conversation to chance until you’re very proficient with cold calling.
In your script, identify the main points (such as benefits and features) and have them ready. List the benefits in order of how powerful and relevant they are to the prospect. If you’re talking to a prospect who is an auto mechanic, be ready with a benefit that would resonate immediately. For example, you could say, “This would save your business 100 man-hours of work per month, which can easily save you more than $7,400 in production costs per year in your garage.”
The script should also list answers to the most common objections that prospects usually bring up. If the prospect says your product or service is too expensive, be ready to explain how your product or service can actually save money over the long haul.
Besides listing benefits and responses to common objections, have all the necessary details of the product/service available at your finger tips. Finally, have paper nearby so you can jot down points the prospect makes. What you learn from one call (either good or bad) can help you succeed in the next call.
When someone calls you on the phone to sell you something, pay attention to how she started the call. What did she say and how did she say it? Be aware of how you’re sold to and take note of what you thought was effective and what turned you off.
When you get better at cold calling, you can potentially make a business out of it. Many businesses pay for cold calling. Telephone sales positions are some of the most resilient jobs in any market-based economy, no matter how good or bad the economy is.
Getting additional help
The ability to use persuasion to initiate the sale of a product, service, or even a business relationship will always be a powerful and profitable skill whether you’re working for yourself or others. The prime reason is clear: Generating new customers is the lifeblood of any ongoing business, and those who possess these skills have a very bright future.
After reading these sections, if you want additional help to improve your selling, check out these general selling resources:
Dale Carnegie (www.dalecarnegie.com)
Erik Luhrs (www.guruselling.com)
Harvey Mackay (www.harveymackay.com)
Jeffrey Gitomer (www.gitomer.com)
Just Sell (www.justsell.com)
Rain Today (www.raintoday.com)
SalesPro Central (www.salesprocentral.com)
Sales Resources (www.salesresources.com)
Sales and Sales Strategies (www.sales.about.com)
Sales Training Advice (www.salestrainingadvice.com)
Tom Hopkins: Tom Hopkins is a well-known sales expert and trainer, and he is also the author of Selling For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). You can find more information at www.tomhopkins.com.
You can also look up some of my favorite sales educators. Reading what the experts have to say on a given activity can pay off. In the world of successful salesmanship, these are my favorites:
Joe Girard: Joe earned the title of "World's Greatest Salesperson" in the Guinness Book of Records. Check him out at www.joegirard.com.
Brian Tracy: Brian has been a sales trainer and educator for many years. Go to www.briantracy.com.
Zig Ziglar: I love Zig's style, and his great quotes on sales and success are indeed very motivational. Go to www.ziglar.com.
Although technology may change, human nature and the art of selling and persuasive communication will always be an ongoing skill. These books offer some timeless guidance and strategies:
Cold Calling Techniques that Really Work by Stephen Schiffman (Adams Media)
The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino (Bantam)
Telephone Sales For Dummies by Dirk Zeller (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) (www.dummies.com)
Smart Calling: Eliminating the Fear, Failure, and Rejection of Cold Calling by Art Sobczak (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
Supremely Successful Selling by Jerold Panas (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) (www.wiley.com)
Take the Cold out of Cold Calling by Sam Richter (Beaver's Pond Press) (www.takethecold.com)
In addition, you may look for more help from professional associations. They pride themselves on having the best information regarding their specialty. These organizations (and their sites) offer great tips and guidance on the world of selling:
National Association of Sales Professionals (www.nasp.com)
The Sales Association (www.salesassociation.org)
Sales Lead Management Association (www.salesleadmgmtassn.com)
Getting referrals
One of the best ways to get in with sales prospects is to have a third party, who is a business contact or friend, refer you. The old “tell ’em Bob sent ya” is as good a referral today as it was 50 years ago (provided that Bob is reputable).
Fortunately, getting referrals is more than just a pursuit that you cultivate among your family, friends, and business associates. It has become its own specialized form of sales and marketing.
To cultivate referral marketing, go to these resources for help:
Bridgeline Digital (www.bridgelinedigital.com)
Business Networking International (www.bni.com)
Le Tip International (www.letip.com)
The Referral Institute (www.referralinstitute.com)
Focusing on Your Sales Message — Your Cold Call in Print
Writing a message to your prospect isn’t that difficult, and you don’t have to worry about him hanging up the phone on you (unless you mind him deleting your email or tossing your hard-copy sales letter in the bin). The sales message is like a cold call in print — it works like a salesperson on behalf of your company.
When I refer to a sales page or a sales email, I’m talking about a detailed sales message that seeks to persuade. Where this page appears depends on you. It may appear as an email that you send a prospect, an ad that you paid for that appears in someone’s newsletter or ezine (refer to Chapter 16 for more information on ezines), or a listing on an auction site, such as eBay (check out Chapter 7). Inevitably what makes a sales page a sales page isn’t necessarily the venue — it’s the message and intent to make the sale. In these sections, I help you write effective sales messages.
Communicating benefits versus features
When you’re communicating with your prospective client through the written word, you need to make sure that you understand the difference between benefits and features. Benefits are about what the product or service offers the customers, while features are about the product itself. As a micro-entrepreneur, knowing the difference is crucial, much like the difference between making money and not.
For example, identify the benefits and features of eggs. The benefits are that eggs are nutritious and can boost your health with valuable protein that helps build strong bones and muscles. Eggs’ features are that they’re oval-shaped, with a white (or brown) brittle shell, and with gooey insides with a yellow mushy ball called the yolk.
When your prospect is reading what you’re offering, you stress the benefits above all, which is why they’ll buy from you. When writing your copy (or talking with the potential client), you lead with the benefits. You keep stressing benefits so your prospect can see how your product or service can help her in her everyday life. The features come afterward. You discuss features when she shows interest. The features mainly tell her how the benefits will materialize.
Knowing the AIDA formula
In the world of sales copy writing, the AIDA formula is probably the equivalent of E=MC2 in science (yes, it’s that important). The AIDA formula is the foundation of sales copy writing, and copy writers still use it today. Although it was originally used in print venues, such as magazine advertising and direct mail pieces, today it’s also used on web pages and in sales emails. You will even see it in action in eBay listings, ezine ads, and even YouTube videos (refer to the later section, “Cold Calling with a Video: Use YouTube to Your Advantage” for more info on using it in videos). The vehicle may have changed, but the principles have endured. Here are the details:
A=Attention
The A stands for attention. Step one is getting your reader’s attention. If you don’t get the reader’s attention, it doesn’t matter how fantastic your message is. You can get his attention in a variety of ways, depending on the venue:
In email, it is the subject line. The subject line is the first thing your prospect sees in her inbox (the attention-grabbing headline).
In an eBay (or other auction site) listing, it’s the listing heading. This listing heading is your opportunity to draw in prospects (eBay calls them bidders) and let your full listing do the selling for you.
In articles, a sales letter, or an advertisement, it’s the headline. The headline features that compelling why she should read the rest of the piece.
For example, look at the following headlines and figure out which is more effective if you were trying to convince gardeners to go to your website or blog from an article you wrote at a different site. Your intent is to have visitors see what you offer at your site.
Headline A: “Some Important Points about Gardening”
Headline B: “Three Powerful Ways to Double the Yield from Your Garden”
Headline A is a little lackluster. Headline B has some good sizzle to it. This headline promises a strong benefit for readers. If you were a gardener, which would you find more enticing?
The most successful copywriters spend the most amount of time (relatively speaking) on the headline than on any other single element of the article, sales letter, or advertisement they’re creating. Push your creativity and work to improve your headline writing skills. Before you write the article, write at least 20 headlines for it.
When writing your sales message, remember the five-second test. This test says that someone should be able to look at your webpage, sales letter, or email and know exactly what it’s about in five seconds or less. You can easily achieve it with your catchy heading, supplemented by functional images.
Successful copywriters will do a swipe file of all the great stuff they see. A swipe file is like an informal collection of articles and ads that act like a treasury of ideas. Start your own swipe file so that you can accumulate articles and ads that have great headlines and other important elements that you can adapt to your needs. Don’t confuse a swipe file with stealing and using other people’s content without their permission. A swipe file is solely meant as a creativity booster to spur on our unique writing.
I=Interest
The I stands for interest. After you have the prospect’s interest with your attention-grabbing headline, you have to hold his interest. To do so, you put in some compelling copy about his problem(s) (which, of course, will be addressed by what you’re offering).
Say that you’re marketing a weight-loss product. The interest part is how you suffered with your weight problem, how your friends joked about it, and how you were too embarrassed to go to the beach. After you started using the product, things started to change. Your prospect can identify with some of this. She can feel as if you’re talking to her and describing what she has gone through. She is now interested in how this product can resolve this issue (her issue too).
D=Desire
The D stands for desire. You can build desire for your product or service. Instead of just listing benefits, you can tell your prospects what they’ll gain from what you have to offer. Provide testimonials and examples of successful use of the product or service. You can save the biggest benefits for this section and make them drool.
I continue with the weight-loss example from the previous section. You generated interest because the reader (the prospect) identified with the problem. Now you build desire in your offering. You can continue with the following:
“Things started to change when I started to use the product. Slowly I started to lose the pounds and gain confidence! The product helped me fit into my old clothes again. I had more energy and I didn’t change my eating habits! The product was inexpensive, but what I gained was priceless! I didn’t just get thinner; I also got healthier!”
With that copy, you were able to generate desire for the product. You alluded to a good price, weight loss benefits, and improved health.
A=Action
The second A stands for action. At this point of your sales message, you don’t want to leave your prospect hanging. Ask him to do something — in other words, direct some action.
To get your prospects to take action, communicate with urgency. You can ask them to order now or click the button below. Don’t leave it to chance; tell them exactly what you want them to do so that they can enjoy the benefits of your offering as soon as possible.
Communicating effectively via email
The way you communicate with prospects and clients can make or break your business. You need strong communication to gain your prospects’ trust and their business, but make a careless comment or send a poorly written email, and you can lose them.
Keep these points in mind when communicating with any prospects or clients.
Read your message
Before you send an email, especially if it’s a sensitive message, read it and then read it again to make sure that your message is clear and compelling and has the A-I-D-A elements (refer to the earlier section). If you’re writing something negative, have a trusted person read it and give you feedback. Make sure that the email is accurate and that it isn’t communicating anything improper or inflammatory that could get you into trouble (legal or otherwise).
Remember that email is forever
Whenever I send an email (particularly a sensitive one), I make it second nature to ask myself, “If someone read this back to me in five years, would it bother me?” Today people can indefinitely save data (such as emails). Before you send it, ask yourself whether this email could come back to haunt you. If so, make the appropriate changes to the text and save it in your archive with explanatory remarks so that you know the full details of the email, if necessary.
Know that writing doesn’t equal talking
Before you send an email, read it to ensure that the tone is appropriate. An email can come off much differently than if the same message were spoken. When humans speak, they get the opportunity to intone their voice to add or subtract meaning, whereas doing the same in written communication can be more difficult to communication nuance. Think about how many times you’ve received an email and thought, “Gee, that was a snarky response,” and the writer had a different purpose.
Keep it simple and clear
Keep your message as focused as possible without any unnecessary words. Use bullet points and short sentences. I like to number my points if I do a long email. Make your message easier to read, especially because people are reading emails and using more mobile modes, such as laptops, phones, tablets, and smartphones.
Respond quickly
Where possible, get back to folks as soon as you can. People like a quick reply, so respond in a timely fashion. If you feel you’ll be away for more than a day or so, consider doing an auto reply that lets your prospects and customers know that you won’t get a chance to reply immediately.
Make sure your email looks professional
In business emails, being professional in both content and style is important. Remember that your email is all about the look. Double-check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Don’t use all caps because it looks like you’re shouting. These things don’t convey to your prospect or business contact a strong or positive image of you as a professional, so be extra careful. If grammar and punctuation aren’t your strong points, have a trusted friend read an email before you send it.
Don’t share inappropriate content
You don’t want to offend your prospects or business clients, so make sure your emails don’t include any offensive or off-the-wall text. Keep the emails professional. You don’t want to worth the risk of losing any business for sending them a belly laugh about something they may find in bad taste.
Say please and thank you
Courtesy goes a long way, both in speaking and in writing. Use it every chance you get in your emails by frequently expressing your appreciation and gratitude. The good will it builds can be priceless and maybe even come in handy later on if a problem or difficulty arises.
Compose yourself: Never send an email if you’re angry or upset
Often, people wish they could have called a sent email back after it’s too late because they’ve said something they later regret. Whenever you’re angry or upset, or if you suspect the other person is and you’re about to send an email, write and save it in your draft folder and wait to send it. Allow the conversation or email points to circulate in your mind until you’re less upset and have a greater grasp over your thoughts (and emotions).
Use the Send fields correctly
Make sure you know how to use the Send fields in an email. Here is a brief lowdown of the fields:
TO: This field directs the email to the person or people whose attention or action you’re seeking.
CC: Use this field primarily as an FYI. Send copies of emails to people who you want to keep in the loop about something.
BCC: Use this field at your discretion. If you’re sending an email to a large group of people, and you want to respect their privacy, use this field. You can also use this field if you want to keep someone in the loop, but you don’t want the other recipients to know.
Turning to additional resources for help in writing sales copy
Writing an email or a letter to someone is certainly easier (at least from a psychological standpoint) to picking up a phone and calling someone you may or may not know well. In the age of social medial, email, and texting, this is truer than ever. But how you write the copy is key, and picking up sales copy skills is just as important in writing a Twitter message as it is in a multipage sales letter.
You can find out a lot of valuable tips by reading the best. Here are some of my favorite experts:
Ted Nicholas: Ted Nicholas is considered by many as the legend of copywriting. He has written sales copy that resulted in literally billions of dollars of sales for himself and his clients. He has lots of free reports and articles on the art of sales copy writing at his site: www.tednicholas.com.
Bob Bly: Bob Bly is easily one of the most recognizable pros in the world of sales copy writing. He keeps an archive of his writing tips and pointers at www.bly.com.
Jeff Dobkin: When it comes to nuts and bolts of sales copy writing for selling products and services, Jeff is a nonpareil. Find out more at www.dobkin.com.
Clayton Makepeace: Clayton is another legendary name who literally has helped his clients generate millions in sales from writing great ad copy. He has a free newsletter at his site: www.makepeacetotalpackage.com.
Michel Fortin: He's another hot writer who has developed a following from copy writers due to his talented writing sales. He has a blog at www.michelfortin.com.
If you want to see some great examples of copy writing, you can follow a blog or regularly visit a website. Writing sales copy is an ongoing pursuit. Here are some great suggestions to help you keep in the know and to keep growing. Successful copy writers make six figures, so it can be a good business for you, too.
Copyblogger (www.copyblogger.com)
Freelance Copywriter's Blog (www.freelancecopywritersblog.com)
Men With Pens (www.menwithpens.ca)
Top Copywriting Sites (www.topcopywritingsites.com)
Furthermore, if you want to rub elbows with professional copy writers, you can consider joining or visiting a professional association. Here are some places where you can find good copy writers (these places also do conferences and educational events):
LinkedIn Groups: You can find plenty of writers' groups on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). Some of the groups to join are Advertising Copywriting and Marketing Communication.
The Professional Writers Alliance: This subgroup of American Writers and Artists, Inc. (www.awaionline.com) is a professional association just for direct response and sales copy writers.
Target Marketing magazine: This site (www.targetmarketing.com) offers lots of articles and how-to information on the topic of writing advertising, direct marketing, and sales copy.
Cold Calling with a Video: Use YouTube to Your Advantage
Before the Internet, the main tool for selling was the telephone. Fortunately, today you can take full advantage of the Internet, and video selling messages make your life so much easier (easy in the sense that you won’t feel the personal pain of rejection).
Your prospects either view your video or not. They either see it all the way through or not. But in any case, creating a video is easier than doing a live sales presentation or a cold call. You can't talk about video marketing and selling without mentioning YouTube (www.youtube.com). If you properly create a video and post it on YouTube, you can reach potential customers. Using YouTube is a great way to sell.
Anyone with a digital video recorder or flip camera and a point of view can create a video and post it on YouTube. If some guy in a gorilla suit walking and falling off his roof can get a huge viewership, then you can, too. Explore creating your own video and consider doing a search for “video marketing” to see tons of videos done by others.
You can embrace YouTube as a sales tool and make your own video sales message. Here are some tips for doing it:
Make it easy to find you. Remember that prospects (millions of them) go to YouTube every day to find videos of interest. Use YouTube’s ability to add keywords and a complete description to accompany the video.
Look at lots of videos. You don’t have to start from scratch. No matter what you’re selling, you can probably find a ton of videos about that niche or category. Look at many videos to see how others are doing it and ask yourself how applicable it is to what you want to sell. See how others are doing it well and not so well.
Do the A-I-D-A formula. The AIDA formula also works well for creating a sales video. Refer to the earlier section, “Knowing the AIDA formula” for the specifics. When you view other videos that are selling products or services, examine to see the extent they successfully apply the formula. Then, figure out how you can apply it to your sales videos.
Be short and to the point. Videos don’t have to be a major motion production. They should be definitely less than ten minutes long, preferably less than five minutes. Today is the age of the short attention span, so keep your videos interesting and succinct to avoid losing your prospective customers’ interest.
Get feedback from others. Have some trusted folks view your videos before they go public and get feedback on the quality of the video. YouTube gives you the ability to do private videos, which you can make public when you’re ready.
Provide good content. Give your prospects good information to justify them viewing it. If you don’t give compelling content, they’ll quickly start viewing something else. For example, if you’re selling skin cream, give some good tips on skin health.
Integrate social media. Use Facebook (www.facebook.com) and Twitter (www.twitter.com) to help you gain viewers. When I do a video at my YouTube channel, I set my channel to automatically send a message to my Twitter followers to alert them about my latest videos. Chapter 17 provides some helpful advice about marketing with social media.
Place ads in your videos. You can add HTML links in the video. Prospects can link back to your sales page or website if they’re interested in finding out more information or purchasing something.
Add a call to action. The last step of the AIDA formula is action. When viewers are finished viewing your video, prompt them to do something, such as click to something else, like your sales page, blog, or website. For example, if you did a sales video on gardening, tell them they can find more information by either subscribing to your YouTube channel or clicking on the link in your description (to go to your sales page on a gardening product or service).
Doing sales videos is a great form of selling in today’s marketing environment. In addition to YouTube, you can check out the following resources to help with our video cold calling:
Reel SEO (www.reelseo.com)
Vimeo (www.vimeo.com)
Web Pro News Videos (www.videos.webpronews.com)
The Web Video Marketing Council (www.webvideomarketing.org)
For more on video publishing, check out Chapter 10.