Rehumanize Your Business

by Ethan Beute

  If this is starting to feel soft to you, that's in part the point. There's a dynamic at play that we'll continue to explore with the customers and community growing around personal videos. To give another set of language to the more effective/more satisfying dynamic, we'll look to the publisher of Forbes …

  THE SOFT EDGE

  “There have never been more ways to reach consumers than there are today. That's a fact. But it's also never been harder to connect deeply with consumers,” writes Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard in his book The Soft Edge: Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success.3 He goes on to establish that customer relationships are necessary precursors to transactions and valuable foundations for future repeat and referral business. Echoing Seth Godin in Permission Marketing, Karlgaard wraps in the escalation of relationship from prospect to customer to friend to fan. Deep connection is the key and video can help.

  The premise of Karlgaard's book is that hard-edge skills like speed, cost, supply chain, logistics, and capital efficiency unfairly overshadow soft edge skills like trust, smarts, teamwork, story, and design. In his triangular model, hard and soft skills are equal sides built upon a strategic base of markets, customers, competitors, substitutes, and disrupters. In business, we tend to focus on what's easy to measure. It gives us a sense of control and accomplishment. As a result, the more easily measured hard edge gets more attention than the equally important soft edge.

  In customer success, the hard edge is captured in ticket volume, first reply time, time to resolution, call counts, and call times. But the soft edge qualities of connection, satisfaction, and word-of-mouth affect all the hard-edge measures.

  In inside sales, the hard edge is captured in appointments held, call counts, email counts, close rates, transaction value, pace to goal, and revenue. But the soft edge qualities of trust, rapport, storytelling, discovery, diagnosis, and prescription impact all the hard-edge measures.

  With personal video in email, the hard edge is captured in reply rates, click rates, and conversion rates. But the soft edge qualities of trust, teamwork, and story are also in play. You understand intuitively that relationships matter, even though they're soft edge.

  As you weigh the opportunity laid out over the course of these pages, don't lose sight of the inherent benefits of rehumanizing your communication and your business just because some of them can't yet be measured. Participating in this movement will require building new skills and new habits. Many have quit before they ever really got started. But the movement won't be stopped.

  THE STATE OF THE MOVEMENT

  With all this in mind, know that this movement is still very young. A few hundred thousand or perhaps half a million people are actively participating right now. But there are 60.6 million people working in a professional or managerial capacity in the United States alone.4 And 5.7 million Americans working in formal sales roles.5 Expand these numbers globally and you're immediately at hundreds of millions, with billions of potential practitioners behind them. Remember Daniel Pink's thesis in To Sell Is Human? Every working professional teaches, trains, or sells. If they don't sell products or services directly, they sell ideas and opportunities. They connect, influence, and persuade. They're each in the change business. And video helps them do all these things the way these things have been done best since our species has stood erect on two feet: face to face.

  More people are participating every day, which creates a pull. But there's also a push behind this. Venture-backed, video-based companies that began with a focus on scripted, lit, produced, and edited marketing videos are uprooting and unmooring to move “down market” toward this simpler style. New startups are instantly adopting the language of trust, relationship, and humanization to try to get traction for me-too video tools. Every social network has been building and expanding video features for years now, including in their messaging toolsets.

  On the hardware side, cameras remain a key battleground for smartphone manufacturers, as our phones have become the most popular camera system.6 The webcam market is projected to grow to $15.2B by 2021, more than quadruple its $3.4B in 2014.7 Sales revenue of Canon, a traditional camera, imaging, and camcorder manufacturer, peaked in 2007.8 Action camera leader GoPro's revenue peaked in 2015.9 Professional video and high-end equipment are still incredibly useful, but the trend favors simpler video.

  As new, novel, or uncomfortable as your first 10 webcam or smartphone videos may feel, you're getting ahead of the curve. If you're in a competitive environment, then differentiating yourself and proving you work differently provides an immediate win. Even if you're not in a competitive environment, you're building trust, accelerating sales, and improving experience. You're reducing email reply chains or back-and-forth phone calls by being clear and complete in video messages. You're laying the groundwork for an internal culture that prefers to get face to face with all its stakeholders more often. We've seen entire sales teams build each other up and transition to a video-first culture together. We've seen internal communication improve organizational connection and engagement, especially across distributed locations and remote workers. This is all part of the personal video opportunity.

  And if you're wondering about the effects of ages and generations on video recording and sending, our current customers run the full range of the workforce, from young 20-somethings through people beyond retirement age who continue to work because they find it fulfilling. Some use it to connect with younger consumers. Others report that their most favorable responses come from their older clients. Ultimately, as a new/old way to sell and serve, this is about people connecting with people, not about specific ages or generations. If you have something valuable to share with another person and video is a good medium for that message, the different ages of you and your recipient are not especially relevant.

  On the sending side and consistent with broader cultural trends, younger people seem to be more comfortable appearing in photos and videos. But millennials also tend to strive for perfection, more so than previous generations, according to a study by the American Psychological Association.10 Depression and anxiety are the result of heightened self-expectations and desire for control. The image-based nature of Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook is deeply intertwined in this problem.

  “Social media drives this pressure to present the coolest version of themselves, otherwise known as the ‘Instagram effect' … Teens will openly admit to taking countless photos in an attempt to get the best shot,” write Jeff Fromm and Angela Read in their book Marketing to Gen Z, whom they call the Pivotal generation.11 Because of this, younger people may struggle with getting comfortable on camera, just as everyone else does.

  But this generation does prefer that you get comfortable on camera. “Because clever marketing tricks and gimmicks don't fool Pivotals, building authentic relationships with them is key,” Fromm and Read write. These younger consumers and workers expect personalized messages, as well as honesty, empathy, and even friendship. We all crave relationships and authenticity; as technology evolves and proliferates, our deep need for human connection remains. It makes sense, then, that digital natives crave authenticity as much or more than older generations.

  By getting started, building new skills, and creating new habits today, you're setting yourself up for a more effective and more satisfying work experience for years to come. If you're 20 years or more into your career, you may not recognize how much you know about connecting, communicating, and converting. It's time to transfer the experience and expertise you may be taking for granted into a medium that puts you in an even better position to succeed. Before it becomes more common and before more consumers demand it. Though you may struggle to get confident on camera, you've got a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and insights to offer. And you'll do it better in video.

  If you're just getting started or just coming up in your career, you'll find that a more personal approach starts more conversations and opens more doors, especially if it's got curiosity and sincerity wove
n in. Don't shoot for perfection. Don't re-record. Just be yourself.

  MEASURING MORE THAN OPENS, PLAYS, AND REPLIES

  In our view, the tracking and analytics behind this video movement remain as nascent as the movement itself. As we've established, tracking provides significant value to you as you record, send, and follow up. You need to know who's opening your emails, when someone is playing your video, and how often you receive replies. But there's so much further to go in discovering what's really working best and following its evolution over the years to come. When Andrew Brodsky engaged us as a doctoral candidate at Harvard Business School, part of his interest was in the dearth of research in this area of business communication. We've got much to learn.

  Each and every video itself is full of data that have not yet been unpacked. For example, how do the following factors affect play rates, play to completion rates, reply rates, and other measures?

  Video length of different types of videos

  Pace of speech

  Number, duration, and timing of pauses

  Specific words or phrases spoken

  Frequency and duration of smiles

  Frequency and duration of eye contact

  Range of facial expressions of emotion

  Framing and size of the subject's head and shoulders

  Ability to see hands and hand gestures

  Frequency and range of hand gestures

  Placement of face during screen recording

  Recording inside versus recording outside

  Recording in a cubicle versus an office versus a common area

  Recording while seated versus while standing

  Gender and age of the subject versus gender and age of recipient(s)

  Formality of the subject's attire

  Number of speakers in the video

  Frequency of video sends to a specific recipient

  Measuring these factors and their effects across millions of videos in real time requires that we build and train systems to read them properly. Twice during a BombBomb Hack Week, when our software development team members work on whatever they want, developers have taken on facial recognition, smiles, emotion, gender, age, and other qualities. We've not yet moved this work beyond experimentation. They're neither widely deployed, nor functionally applicable to your day-to-day video use. But the potential is there.

  The goal is to move beyond “Here's what happened” and a bit of “Here's what to do about it” to deeper prescription by specific use case. Imagine: when you need to apologize, here are five specific recommendations for your pace, tone, and body language—and a couple of phrases you might want to use, as well as one you'll definitely want to avoid. As more people put this video philosophy into practice, more attention and resources will be paid by organizations of all kinds—from business to academia—to the data available in a growing sample of videos.

  YOUR NEXT STEPS

  Yesterday was the best day to start replacing some of your text-based messages with personal videos. Today is the next best day to get in the practice, to get comfortable and confident, to get early wins, and to get ahead of the curve. Rehumanizing your business is more effective and more satisfying for you, your team members, and your customers.

  Next Steps as an Individual Practitioner

  If you're an individual practitioner, start by listing some of your best opportunities to add video for better results. Think about the stories and examples shared in Chapter 5, “Nine Stories of Sales Acceleration and Better Customer Experience,” and throughout this book. Think about the situations described and illustrated in Chapter 6, “Ten Times to Send Video Instead of Plain, Typed-Out Text.” Identify one or two specific videos or use cases to start with—such as thank-you, great to meet you, or happy birthday messages. Identify two or three more to grow into—such as lead follow-up, nurturing, and conversion or checking in with people in your network.

  Then, evaluate your current toolset. What software and systems do you currently use for email, for sales and marketing features, for customer relationship management, and other uses? Which do you intend to keep? Which might you drop? Where does video fit into any of those systems or tools? Do any video or video email providers that deliver The Pro Method defined in Chapter 7 connect directly with or work within your systems, such as Gmail, Outlook, iOS, or Android? Or do they connect to other systems you use through middleware like Zapier?

  Be clear about your needs, wants, and current situation as you focus on the best ways to get started building relationships through video. Don't let equipment or experience be excuses not to move forward. Start with what you have and know that you'll get better and better as you go forward. You'll find new and interesting opportunities to use video. You'll get replies and responses that you're not getting now. You'll communicate more clearly, connect more effectively, and convert at a higher rate. And you'll likely have fun doing it.

  If you need any help along the way, review the stories and tips provided here in this book. And visit the companion website for even more stories and tips.

  Visit BombBomb.com/BookBonus to get stories, tips, and examples.

  Next Steps as a Team, Department, or Company

  Whether you're on a sales team, customer success team, talent management team, leadership team, or another type of team, the ideas shared for individual practitioners apply to you. But think about it for you and your team members. The use cases and stories you found most applicable in this book give you a great starting point for the best ways to start with video. What are the key metrics you're trying to move? For sales, is it appointments set? Appointments held? Total conversion rate? For customer success, is it customer satisfaction? Time to resolution? Ticket volume handled per person?

  Think about the numbers you're trying to move. Would a more personal touch and higher quality communication make an impact? Where in your process should you add a truly personal video? Should it be before or after a phone call? Where in your processes can you add a pre-recorded, evergreen video? Should each team member make her or his own? If you've not outlined your communication cadences and flows, now might be a good time to do that. Or it could be as simple as: let's keep doing what we're doing but add a personal video here and add an evergreen video there.

  You'll also want to evaluate your tech stack. Video needs to be accessible within or immediately adjacent to the software systems and platforms you're using right now. Are you using Gmail or Outlook? Or Salesforce? Or Zendesk? Identify the main places you're sending outbound messages to the people who matter most to your business. Then look for scaled Pro Method solutions that match up.

  Try out your best-fit video solutions as an individual or as a pilot for your entire team. Then use it during that trial period! There's nothing worse than committing, but not committing fully. Don't let your trial experience end without real use and evaluation. Did your theories about best use cases to move your KPIs hold true? Did you identify new opportunities for your team to use video? Who used it the most or the best? What can you teach others based on what your top performers did? What was overall adoption? How will you increase that when the solution is more formally implemented?

  Look for a partner who can help you ask questions like these, find great answers to those questions, and work within your current systems. For team-oriented tips and assets, reach out to us or visit the companion site.

  Visit BombBomb.com/BookBonus to get team-oriented tips and assets.

  REHUMANIZE YOUR COMMUNICATION AND YOUR BUSINESS

  The foundation is laid. The opportunity is clear. The time is now. Stop hiding behind plain, typed-out text and start getting face to face with more people more often. Encourage and equip your team to do the same. To build trust, relationships, and success with greater speed and satisfaction, add some video to your day-to-day communication. Because we need and want to see you. And because you'll love the results.

  NOTES

  1. Bass, Randall V., and Good, J. W. “Educare and Educere: Is a Bal
ance Possible in the Educational System?” The Educational Forum 68, no. 2 (2004): 161–168.

  2. Izadi, Elahe. “Your Relationships Are Just As Important to Your Health As Diet and Exercise.” The Washington Post. January 5, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/01/05/your-relationships-are-just-as-important-to-your-health-as-exercising-and-eating-well/?utm_term=.97479e992bfd.

  3. Karlgaard, Rich. The Soft Edge: Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2014): 183.

  4. “Distribution of Nonelderly Adult Workers by Occupational Category.” Kaiser Family Foundation. Accessed July 30, 2018. https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/blue-and-white-collar-workers/?dataView=1¤tTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Professionals%20%26%20Managers%22,%22sort%22:%22desc%22%7D#notes.

  5. Krogue, Ken. “New Sales Trend Research: US Sales Reps Lagging behind European Counterparts.” Forbes. September 26, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenkrogue/2017/09/26/new-sales-trend-research-us-sales-reps-lagging-behind-european-counterparts/#5ef5624f632f.

  6. “Distribution of Camera System Sales Worldwide in 2012 and 2016, by Type Of Camera.” Statista. Accessed October 1, 2018. https://www.statista.com/statistics/282074/distribution-camera-system-sales-worldwide/.

  7. “WebCam Market Is Expected to Grow $15.2 Billion by 2021.” Radiant Insights, Inc. Accessed October 1, 2018. https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/08/17/761212/10146240/en/WebCam-Market-Is-Expected-To-Grow-15–2-Billion-By-2021-Radiant-Insights-Inc.html.

  8. “Canon's Net Sales Worldwide from 2006 to 2017 (in Billion Yen).” Statista. Accessed October 1, 2018. https://www.statista.com/statistics/236434/total-revenue-of-canon/.