When a customer walks through your model door, chances are-they are on step 7 of the sales process because they’ve already checked out your community on the web and may even know exactly which model they are interested in. Clearly your community has made an impression on them enough, to compel them to get into their car and drive to see your model home in person. Now it’s your turn as a sales rep to get them to like and trust you and to confirm what they already know about your community in order to get them to take that next step. It’s no secret people buy from people they like and trust, so how do you get them to like and trust you? And what if you could start building relationship with your customers way earlier in the process, before they even step a foot into your model home? Good new is that you absolutely can and should.
I am talking making a connection and building a relationship with your customer online and video is the fastest way to get someone to like and trust you aside from face to face. Video saves you time because you can tell just from watching someone for 15 seconds or less if you like them-it’s a shortcut to building relationships. We do judge a book by it’s cover and first impressions are hard to change so make sure you make a good one. No, you don’t need a big budget with professional production, all you need is your smart phone, an external microphone and a ring light. Do you really need the mic and lighting?
No, but think about your video introduction as the biggest job interview of your life. You want to look and feel your best. A ring light works like an Instagram filter or photoshop for your face- it’ll make you look more radiant and will even-out your skin tone. A good sound is more important than video quality, so use an external mic to get a crisp sound quality so you’re heard loud and clear. Your smart phone has a better camera in it than professional filmmakers had available to them just a few years ago. In addition to some of the basic equipment to make you look your best, make sure you do look your best.
It may not be a bad idea to get your hair and makeup professionally done for the occasion. You want your makeup to look daytime appropriate but heavy enough that it will translate on camera. You want to concentrate on connecting with your customer on video and you don’t want to worry about your hair looking funny or makeup looking blotchy on-camera. Your outfit should make you feel confident and powerful-be weary of low cuts, excessive patterns or any ultra trendy outfits that will date your video too quickly. Next, pick your background for filming. What image are you trying to project to your customers? Does it match your brand? What does it say about you? Hint: beautifully decorated model homes make an excellent background for your video introduction. It’s a good idea to film for a few seconds, then stop and review the footage to make sure everything looks and sounds good.
Script out your bio spiel and practice it for a while-saying it out loud in your car, in your shower, in front of your partner-wherever, until you feel confident repeating it on-camera. You want to know what you’re saying next, but don’t be robotic-worry more about being authentic you rather than perfect you. White out an outline for what you’re going to say and you can glance at your cheat sheet periodically to keep you on-course. You can edit the video afterwards to eliminate any awkward pauses. Your video doesn’t have to be very long-just a minute or two of you introducing yourself and your community to your ideal customer.
Remember to relax and smile! You know how they say your customer can hear your smile? Well they can definitely see you smile! A smile will make you look energetic and likeable. Practice talking with a smile-it makes all the difference when you’re on video. Smile and make a good eye contact-with the camera lense! You don’t want to look at yourself on camera when you’re filming-you want to look at that tiny camera lense to make an eye contact with your viewer. They don’t say that your eyes are a window to your soul for nothing. Good eye contact just as important on camera as it is in real life.
Ready to this? Listen, everyone hates looking at themselves on-camera, just like you hate listening to your own voice-it’s the same thing about watching yourself on film. Don’t over analyze it and don’t pick yourself apart. Remember that you audience wants you to succeed and they’re looking to make a genuine connection with you. So your homework is to make your first introduction video this week. The longer you wait-the more opportunities you miss to build trust with your customer before they ever see you in person. How great would it be when they walk through your model door and feel like they already know, like and trust you? So what are you waiting for? Grab this cheat sheet to help you figure out all the equipment to use and get started!
