Julie Hansen on Acting Secrets for Amazing Video Outreach.

Subhanjan Sarkar    

Absolutely. So, Julie, as I mentioned, I’ll do a quick intro for you, and I’ll get off the stage, and I’ll let you take it from there, Okay?

Julie Hansen    

Sounds good.

Subhanjan Sarkar    

So for those of you who don’t know Julie, she’s a professional screen actor and an award-winning author. She helps sales teams record more compelling videos faster, standing out with busy prospects and opening doors. A pioneer of using video in sales, Julie’s groundbreaking book ‘Look Me in the Eye Using Video to Build Relationships’ was named Top Sales Book of 2021. For those who follow bits about books or podcasts, there is a great session with Julie, with lots of backstory on how the book actually came about. You’d like to take a look at that. In addition to a successful career in sales, Julie honed her on-camera skills, performing in over 75 commercials, films, and television shows. Masterclasses on video outreach and virtual executive presence offer a unique blend of performance principles and best practices to help salespeople achieve greater success on camera. A little bit about the session to make captivating, irresistible videos that engage prospects and open doors. Why not learn from the experts in the craft? In this session, Julie shares professional acting and on-camera techniques for elevating your video outreach from breathing life into your script to connecting with an invisible audience and conveying screen presence. Say goodbye to the hard way and accelerate your results. 

Julie, take it away.

Julie Hansen    

Thank you, Subhanjan, and I appreciate that. I love this format because it really forces me to eat my own dog food, which is, I’m always saying cut to the chase and video gets to the point, so we’re going to do that. You may be thinking, “Gee, Julie, I’m not an actor, why do I need to know what an actor does and how can I apply that and why?” And let me answer that with a couple of questions. So, do you record videos on camera where no one is on the other side? You’re not recording a live conversation; it’s just you recording a video? Yes. And do you send that to someone who hopefully is going to watch it at another time? So, that asynchronous connection, do you use a script? Do you have some words, either formal or informal, that you want to be sure to say? And finally, do you hope that by watching this video, your prospect will want to connect with you and possibly take some action?

Well, if you checked yes to any of those boxes, Surprise, you are an actor, whether you think you’re one or not; this is what an actor does. They talk to an audience they can’t see and they engage them and draw them in and maybe motivate them to change the way they behave or see the world or buy products if you’re doing commercials. So the good news is that they have this whole world of techniques that they’ve developed over decades and decades of how to engage with people on camera that they can’t see. And that’s fantastic because we can actually learn from those.

But the bad news is that most sellers have not been given any indication that there are other things they can do besides getting on camera and hitting record and doing the best they can. And so what happens is a lot of sellers are, you know, excited about getting on video and then it sort of peters out because they’re not getting the results they want and people are deleting their videos. There’s more and more competition. Video is really heating up, as you’ll probably learn from some of the other speakers here. So it’s more competitive, and prospects are getting very choosy about what they watch.

What happens is sales teams go, “Okay, we need more tools. We need the latest tool and trick, and we need a better script. We need to wordsmith this, run it through Chat AIA a couple of times, Chat GBT, and what’s the ideal length now? What’s the great subject line that’s gonna catch their attention and the cadence?” I’m here to tell you that none of those things are gonna matter if you can’t connect and build a relationship through the camera with your prospect. This is the crux of what we’re doing here in video outreach, unless, of course, you’re sending a how-to video or something along those lines. But if we’re using video to connect with someone and hopefully have that lead to a conversation and business, that’s our goal. And so we need to make sure that we are doing the things that are going to make that possible.

So throwing all these tools at and doing all this other busy work behind the scenes, which I call it, is like producing a movie and spending all your time on our director and the script and the makeup artist and the costumes and marketing. And then hiring this guy who doesn’t have an ounce of experience or, well, not experience because we’ve all been on camera probably for at least a couple of years. That doesn’t mean we’re good at it, but doesn’t know how to connect with someone they can’t see in the audience. It’s not going to be a success.

We’re going to talk today about some techniques that actors learn that we can apply in sales because we really are doing it the hard way now everybody’s just trying to figure it out and like, if I do it enough times, maybe I’ll be good at this and we adjust things and we’re like, well, I don’t know if that’s better. So I’m going to give you some practical tips to start applying and really see what can happen when you try to focus on the connection and not necessarily all the technology tricks we have.

What I’m gonna share with you are some of the techniques in my amazing video outreach program, which is based on how actors approach bringing a script to life in front of the camera. So it starts off with that audition, which is really what your first prospecting video is if you think about it. You’re auditioning for a role in their life, in their business. If you don’t make that audition, you rarely get a second chance, so we’ve got to nail that audition. Then there’s that how we take that script and bring it to life for our audience. If it was enough to just have a great script, we could send it to someone, right? Then there’s that screen presence piece, how we light up the screen, how we engage people and help them see the best of us on camera. There are some recording secrets this year in the course to make things go faster and be more efficient. And of course, without performance notes, which is feedback on how you’re doing, you’re really sort of operating in the dark because it’s very hard to constructively review your own video. I don’t know if anybody’s noticed that, but it’s a challenge to just look at the constructive things and not go, “Oh, what’s going on with my hair?” and get distracted by things that don’t really matter to your prospect.

All right, so I wanna pull out a couple of pieces of this. So if you think about your video as an audition, what experts have found that’s in, and this is true of an audition that’s true of a video that people form opinions very quickly in those first 7 seconds. They decide if you’re confident, if you’re trustworthy, if you’re likable, if you’re worthy of attention. Which is why so many videos get deleted at about 5 to 7 seconds. Because we haven’t proven that. We don’t look confident; we don’t seem credible; we’re not really seeming like it’s worth their time to watch the whole thing. And again, if we don’t make that cut, we’ve got a real problem; we’re not going to have another chance.

So if you think about what goes into that 7-second first impression, it’s based on a number of communication pieces, but the biggest part by far is your physical presence, just how you show up. It’s also your background when you’re on camera and your lighting and what everything contributes to that first impression. So that’s 55% of it, 38% the sound, the tone, the quality of your voice. As you can see, only 7% is the words. Now, of course, if your words are gibberish, it doesn’t matter how great your physical presence is. But if you think about it, you can’t say a lot of words in seven seconds. So unless your words are really amazing, I’m going to save you 1000000$ or really terrible, they’re probably not going to be the factor that drives the rest of the video.

So what we want to make sure is that we are using that 7 seconds and making the most of it. We need to know what our first impression says to our audience, and most people don’t know. Does it say you’re confident? Are you saying credibility? What does that look like? What does that sound like? Because if you are not, that video is gonna go in the trash because prospects are getting very protective of their time. As you know, I was just going through my email, and I was looking for things I could delete, right? And so I might give something a chance, but if it doesn’t grab me right away, I’m not necessarily gonna watch it.

Now, part of being credible and confident and compelling on camera is this technique that actors often use, and you’ve probably seen it, where they talk directly to the camera and it feels like they’re talking just to you. This breaking the fourth wall, which yes, is partly about eye contact, and that’s absolutely vital, but it’s also this sense of we’re having a conversation, I’m, you’re not just another name in a list of 20 videos that I’m recording today. We are here together, sitting across from each other, and so it’s very important to think about talking to one person. Video is a very personal medium, even if you’re recording something to send to a bunch of people. If you think about talking to one person, your focus is much more personal and intimate. Whereas if you’re talking to, you’re thinking about talking to a group or often times we’re just thinking about getting the words out and saying to the camera, then it gets very presentational. Our eyes sort of are unfocused, and it just doesn’t have that personal connection, and we don’t see your personality. So talking to one person is a is vital.

I don’t know if anyone’s heard this fact: the camera adds 10 pounds. I’m sorry, there’s some truth to that, but it’s that flattening effect that the camera does, but that’s not, that’s not the issue. The other issue that people do not realize that really hurts us on video is that the camera takes away a ton of energy. First of all, that physical energy that you feel when you’re in a room with people, that’s gone; they haven’t figured out a way to recreate that yet. So we have to bring that energy, and I was working with an on-camera reporter who was saying that she has to, she knows that she has to bring enough energy for both sides of the conversation when she’s talking to the camera, and that’s a great way to look at it. Most people are bringing much too low energy, and that’s just the easy way to click out is when somebody’s just bland and monotone. And oftentimes it’s because we’re seated in our comfy chair, we’re doing a bunch of videos, and we’re trying to be natural, right? We’re trying to be natural. Well, there’s a big difference between natural and comfortable. I think we’re more trying to be comfortable, and we slip into this, you know, well, this is natural. I don’t want to see you at your natural state. You know, when you’re flipping through channel surfing. I want to see how you naturally are when you’re super engaged and you’re really excited about what you’re talking about. That’s the level of natural behavior we want to aim for. And what happens is a lot of times we don’t hit that energy level until about halfway through our video. So you have to be at 100% of your energy performance level before that camera goes on because those first few seconds are so vital. I see so many videos that, you know, they don’t hit that sweet spot until too late. Nobody’s watching. So we have to ramp up ahead of time, and one of the ways to do it is to warm up your whole body even though it feels like, well, it’s just my voice and my face, you have to get that energy up. And I have a 7-minute warm-up that takes you through some of those vocal warm-ups, facial body energy, and helps you find your peak state. And sometimes we need that when we’re seated, we’re seated for a long period of time, and our energy goes down. So you can hit me up in the email or LinkedIn if you want a copy of that warm-up.

So lastly, I want to talk about how we kind of pull this together, how actors work with scripts because I think we have very little instruction on the great craft of taking words that perhaps you didn’t even write and bringing them to life and making them your own. It really is an art, but there’s also technique behind it. So the goal of working on a script, building your script, practicing your script, is to bring those words to life, to use them to connect with your audience and to make it a dialogue, which I know sounds counterintuitive, but I’m gonna show you how that works.

Most sellers right now are recording monologues, and monologues are very hard to pull off. Even great actors have to really work; a monologue is one of the hardest things to do well, and when you see it done well, it’s like, wow, it blows you away. But mostly we’re seeing a lot of bad monologues, which are somebody just talking to the camera and it’s there; there’s no engagement, no sense of dialogue that we’re having a conversation. And it gets very rote, and it’s easy to, you know, delete those because they don’t grab your attention. What I want you to think about is this idea that it’s never a monologue; it’s a dialogue. Even when an actor has a monologue, like I’ve had monologues in shows, you approach it as a dialogue. It’s just that the other person’s part is silent. So if you can think of it as a conversation. It’s just the other person is having these thoughts in their head. Right now you’re probably having a stream of thoughts in your head as I’m talking. So we really are having a conversation, and if I can try to tap into that, we can be sort of on the same page, and it and it feels very present and personal.

So thinking about how do I make this more of a dialogue? And if it’s a dialogue, you know that your tone changes. You have different pauses; you think about things; you consider what someone might have said. So it brings in all these nuances that make a conversation real. And there are two ways that actors really approach this to break that down are two of the ways that I’m gonna share with you today. The first one is to break your script down into beats, and the purpose of this is both to help you memorize it and also to really internalize what you’re saying because just reading a script and not being attached to the words on an internal way never comes across as authentic. It just can’t. The other way is to what I call answer the unspoken question. So let me give you an example of a script I might use and then how I might apply some of those tools.

So, this is a script I would use to prospect with sales leaders who may have just implemented a video outreach tool. It’s a collection of thoughts, somewhat jumbled together, and I could simply memorize it, as most of us do. It’s fantastic that your team is using video to build a business, but let’s address the elephant in the room. Now, do not memorize a script like this. It will come out very rote, and you’ll get stuck in a certain delivery pattern that does not sound authentic.

What I want to do is break that script down into individual beats. Each beat represents a different idea. The first is about greeting and congratulating them, introducing a seed of doubt. “It’s fantastic your team’s using video, but let’s address the elephant in the room.” Knowing what each beat is about helps me remember the words.

The beauty of being on video and doing your own prospecting is that there’s no playwright saying, “Hey, you missed that word.” So, it’s okay to ad-lib, but knowing what you’re saying and why you’re saying it makes it easier to remember. The second beat focuses on why many sellers dive into video with high hopes but get frustrated due to inconsistent results. It addresses the “why.” The next beat discusses the answer – it’s not about the tools but about empowering sellers with skills.

Finally, the last beat is about how to do that. “Well, I’m Julie, and I’m going to help you, and here’s how, and here’s a way to connect with me.” Now that I have these beats, focusing on being clear about each one helps me remember and deliver it with intention. It’s not just about reading words.

Additionally, I want to think about making this a dialogue by considering what’s going on in my prospect’s head as they watch. What’s the first thing someone’s thinking as they click on your video? “What’s this about?” If you don’t address that right away or intrigue them, it might sound boring, and they won’t go any further. So, addressing the elephant in the room, “Hey, it’s fantastic your team’s using video to do outreach for new business, but let’s address the elephant in the room.”

Now, naturally, you’re probably thinking, “What is the elephant?” Well, many salespeople start out with high hopes but stop using it due to not getting the desired results and it taking too much time. “Well, why is that? Why do I need more tools? What’s the answer?” It’s not about more tools; it’s about empowering sellers to connect with people through the camera, showcasing confidence and credibility in seven seconds or less.

At this point, they might be thinking, “How do I do this? What’s involved?” “I’m Julie Hansen. If you’d like to find out how to help your sales team deliver more engaging videos that get opened, watched, and acted upon, find some time on my calendar below.” This is the start of bringing that script to life – it’s not just reading words.

Some people ask, “Can I use a teleprompter to read off the words so I don’t have to remember all this or memorize this?” Have you ever seen an actor in a movie or a TV show (unless it’s about acting) using a script? No, you haven’t, because you wouldn’t believe them. We’re trying to build credibility in these personal videos, and using a teleprompter tool or app undermines that credibility.

There’s so much AI in the world, and questions arise about what’s real or not. Introducing doubt is not advisable, and if you think you’re getting away with it, I guarantee you’re not. The camera is a lie detector, and even actors struggle with teleprompters. It introduces a wooden delivery, emphasizing the wrong words, and creates a disconnected experience. I caution you to avoid teleprompters at all costs.

If you use a script analysis program that helps you internalize those words, you can memorize them. The scope of a 45-second video is manageable. I’m not the world’s best memorizer, and I promise you can do it too. This is just a snippet from my program. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out, and let’s address any questions you might have.

Subhanjan Sarkar    

Thank you, Julie; this was great. I think people are going to take back a lot; there was a lot to take back, and that’s the whole idea that we help people start thinking about what they’re doing and what they can do better. I mean, opening to possibilities is what this is about. Benjamin wants to ask a question; let’s see what he’s saying. Hey Benjamin, go ahead.

Julie Hansen    

They really enjoyed it. Well, thank you. Thank you. And this is, I think, just a missing piece that we are not leveraging, and there’s so much more competition in video now that I think this is a real game-changer when we start to look at it as like how do I make this more of a personal connection through the camera, especially with all this artificial intelligence going on?

Benjamin (Guest):

Absolutely, can you hear me, Julie? 

Julie Hansen    

Yes. Hey Benjamin. 

Benjamin (Guest): 

Ok, awesome, hey there. I really enjoyed, like I said in the chat, your session. I’m moving from an ABDR role into more of a mid-market AE role, which will be, you know, a lot of video interfacing, so that’s why I took the opportunity to really lead into this session. Is this something that you sell to sales teams? Is this process what you offer right for the individual contributor or for a sales team? 

Julie Hansen   

I have both. And so I have an on-demand and coaching program for individuals and then a program for teams. Absolutely, so feel free to reach out. I can share with you what the different options are. 

Benjamin (Guest): 

Awesome, thanks again. Okay, great. Thank you.

Subhanjan Sarkar   

There’s one more question before we wrap this up. This is part of the questions that come in when people register. So we had one of those How can personalized video content be effectively utilized to attract and capture attention potential leads this is from Ricardo Acquart.

Julie Hansen    

Well, I believe that every video is personal because video is a personal medium. So from that regard, if you ever look at it as a mass medium, you’re missing the point. So that means not only does your content need to be as personal as possible, I know it’s, you know, sometimes we don’t know enough about a person, but you know their role, their company, you know something that’s probably important to them, keying into that and then having that personal conversation and understanding that, you know, you can get all the personal information that you want. Some of these videos, they see that the scripts are, you know, “I know this about you, I know that.” But if you don’t deliver it in a way that feels personal and empathetic and interested in them, it’s still going to fall flat. So it’s personalization on both the content and the delivery that really makes a difference.

Subhanjan Sarkar   

Right, there’s one more. The last one, this is from Yvette. What recommendations do you have for Spanish native speakers who are afraid of not being understood? I definitely like your ideas, but I see many colleagues using a teleprompter. Do you have any recommendations?

Julie Hansen    

Well, if you’re going to use a teleprompter, take some classes, take some courses, absolutely. I know that when there are language translation issues, that does make it trickier, but I would say if you’re good at it, you have enough acumen with the language, even if you struggle with the words a little bit. I’d rather you have an authentic conversation with me and maybe your pronunciation isn’t spot on, but I admire people that do that and that’s very authentic. And if you practice it and just get some help on the words that maybe you struggle with, that’s fine. But I think it’s much better to come across authentic than perfect. So it’s about connection, not perfection.

Subhanjan Sarkar    

Right, and the last one over here, it’s at the bottom. You mentioned that the background is important. What are common mistakes, what are the do’s and don’ts?

Julie Hansen   

Good question, yeah, there’s a lot there, but I would say your background is there to support you. It’s not the main show. It shouldn’t steal the spotlight from you, and so it should set you up. I prefer natural backgrounds because it puts you on an equal footing with your audience and it makes you appear more authentic. You also don’t have that weird distortion that can distract people, and I think we’re all a little tired of some of the inauthenticity in the world. So as authentic and natural as possible doesn’t have to be fancy. Simple plain is better than fancy virtual. So just make sure you’re well-lit, well-positioned, there’s nothing distracting and no light behind you.

Subhanjan Sarkar    

Julie, thank you so much, this is a great session, I think people have enjoyed it and I’m sure there’ll be people who would like to reach out and talk to you, which I will facilitate very happily. All of you can reach out to us, they can reach out to Julie directly. She’s on LinkedIn and we’ll be very happy to help you with any information that you need further. Julie, thank you again, I really appreciate it, and I hope to continue this work with you, and absolutely see you soon.

Julie Hansen    

All right, enjoy the rest of the sessions, I’m going to be checking in as well.

Subhanjan Sarkar    

Ok, we’ll be back in a minute.

Julie Hansen    

All right bye bye.

show less