During these weeks of COVID-19, we have learned to adapt quickly and use the new skills, products, and services that can make our work from home (WFH) jobs more productive. I’m always on the lookout for the next unique sales tool that will resonate with customers to help start or improve our relationship with them. For Road Warriors, any tool that can get our customers to notice and respond is a win.
About two weeks ago, during one of our weekly Leadership Forum Zoom meetings, one of our members, Rick Bauer, vice president at Edge Technologies, said he found a new app that had surprisingly good responses from customers. Well, that certainly got my attention. I asked him the name of the app. Rick answered: “Loom.”
Loom? Why would anyone name their app Loom?
It turns out that for today’s Road Warrior, Loom is a great and unique way to get your prospects’ and customers’ attention. Let’s be honest: as a WFH Road Warrior, we’re pretty much stuck with either phone calls or emails to set up virtual meetings with customers. Yes, some of us use Twitter but with limited success. And Twitter is still not as accepted by older, more seasoned owners and managers – the ones who usually hold the purse strings.
We’ve all gotten pretty creative in thinking of ways to get our customers’ attention. But so has your competition. Phone calls and emails have inherent limitations. Most of the time with phone calls, we leave voice messages. And I don’t care how cheerful and excited you try to sound, you never sound convincing. If the customer could see the speaker, it would be a much more compelling message.
With emails – even ignoring the fact that we receive a ton of these every day – separating the wheat from the chaff is still very difficult for the reader, regardless of the quality of your subject line and the genius of your strong value proposition. Let’s be honest: emails are text with the occasional picture. They just lack dynamism. But what if we could do it all in one email – create a message that uses text, video and sound – wouldn’t that be a game changer?
Loom does just that. It’s a video recorder that makes a video recording of you, your screen, or both to get across your message in an exciting way. It’s a great new and novel way to send opportunities, product demonstrations, follow-ups, or any other type of email.
I went to www.loom.com and downloaded the free application to my desktop. The pro version, which allows you to draw on the screen, is only $5 per month. Once loaded, the Loom icon will show up on your apps bar. Click on the Loom icon and your live face will show up on your screen in a really cool-looking circle that you can drag to any place you want. Press the start button, do your thing, press stop, and review your video. If you like what you see, save it, and a link will be sent to your desktop. From there, create your email, paste in the link, and send it. Badda-bing, badda-boom!
Just think about it. For new prospects, you can create a personalized Loom video of a new product: show it on the screen, talk about a few of the features, and provide a follow-up date to set up a meeting. Keep the video under a minute, tell a quick story to whet their appetite, and you’ve got them. If you’re sending a quote or time study, and there are some key points that should be discussed, instead of typing them all out, send a Loom video to not only point out those details but discuss your key points. A video is much faster than typing, and it’s easier to get your point across. Sending a simple “How-to” Loom video is much more effective than a bunch of email instructions. People retain information through video far better than by reading emails.
Remember this: The human touch cannot be ignored. Adding human interaction with a Loom email can have a significant impact on starting relationships with new prospects or checking in with existing customers. Be the Road Warrior whose emails get noticed, are remembered, and who gets the sale.
Thank you, Rick Bauer, for this great tool for all Road Warriors.
