VSP: effective multimedia sales tool.

‘It can be quite difficult to put your finger on which marketing tool works effectively for you,’ says solutions adviser Andy Foy. ‘A virtual sales presentation (VSP) stands head and shoulders above the rest,’ he claims.

Benefits

For sure, a VSP has novelty value, but is it effective or simply destined to become yesterday’s fad like CD business cards? Foy reckons that a VSP not only helps to qualify potential customers, it shortens the sales cycle, and reduces (or in some cases) eliminates travelling costs, at the same time offering an excellent return on investment.

What is a VSP?

For those who haven’t yet seen one yet, a VSP is a multimedia sales presentation that may potentially include interactive elements. Instead of using a salesperson as a ‘talking brochure’ (a function that is rapidly disappearing anyway due to cost and procurement issues – Ed), a sales organisation can use this hi-tech technique to present simultaneously to large numbers of prospects, as a web-based advertising campaign or as a relatively inexpensive first contact to qualify a prospect’s interest and commitment.

‘A virtual sales presentation is an on- or offline multimedia presentation using film, graphics, sound and advanced multimedia techniques. Think of a corporate video on a sales mission, or your best salesperson giving the perfect pitch to a global audience,’ explains Foy.

‘Within a short period (essential when you are searching for something online) a VSP can inform customers instantly about your products and services, which helps them make a buying decision quicker.’

Testimonials

Contrast Design says many of its clients benefit from the VSP concept. One company, Sunday Solutions has seen turnover increase from £5m to £100m in ten months as a result of changing its sales process and implementing a virtual sales presentation.

Sunday Solutions managing director, Mark Willis tells ModernSelling.com: ‘In the two years that we have been using the presentation somewhere in the region of 50,000 people would have seen it, and in terms of our return on investment, several, several, several hundred per cent.’

Another client, email marketing company Honey Plc uses VSP in several ways: on its website, at exhibitions and as a direct sales tool to enhance its telesales message. Account manager Gareth Collishaw says: ‘The presentation has increased the number of enquiries that we have had significantly and cut the qualifying time down.’

Production process

Foy describes the production process: ‘VSPs are very much bespoke. An initial consultation is required to find out what the client’s business is and how they operate, in order to gain a full understanding. Only then can we work on producing something that will actually deliver results.

‘The clever part is that we optimise our presentations so that they load in a matter of a couple of seconds over the web, which is crucial in today’s “click mad” and “time is money” society.’

Contrast Design managing director David Power and his team operate worldwide, offering video and multimedia production, graphics and animation. To find out more, click on the Contrast Design advertisement banner or telephone 01202 769725 quoting ‘ModernSelling.com’.

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