USA TODAY
Bridging the gap for sales while adding a touch of personalization and customization
Connecting with customers
With hundreds of customers and prospects worldwide, Liesl Gromen, a manager for systems and PC training for USA TODAY's Circulation department, was looking to effectively equip her sales group with a better way to educate and inform its customers and prospects on products and services. Gromen wanted a way for her sales force to connect with customers in an interactive and personalized way when they meet face-to-face.
"We were very interested in incorporating videos into our sales efforts, but we didn't think it could be done because of the cost and quality associated with creating them," says Gromen. "We had done a few videos in the past, but it was so expensive. For a three-minute video a few years ago it cost us over US$1,200 — too much money to use the service consistently."
Gromen says her prayers were answered when she came across an advertisement for Visual Communicator® software. After learning more about its features and ease of use, Gromen decided to purchase Visual Communicator so that the sales force could bridge the distance gap and provide personalization.
Quick and easy sales videos
USA TODAY uses Visual Communicator to create short, generic living sales brochure videos that address sales programs that are offered to various segments, including its K-12 and collegiate market programs. It also uses Visual Communicator to provide in-depth targeted sales information tailored to a specific customer or potential customer.
Not being a video guru, Gromen expected Visual Communicator to be extremely hard to use. But after just skimming through the manual and playing around with it for a day, Gromen was creating her first video. Instantly impressed with the professional backgrounds and transitions, Gromen knew that Visual Communicator was going to be the perfect solution to produce high-quality and compelling videos for sales efforts. In addition, Gromen really likes the teleprompter feature because it makes everyone more comfortable since they don't have to memorize lines.
Prior to adopting Visual Communicator, USA TODAY exclusively used in-person visits to communicate and sell customers and prospects on products and services. But after purchasing Visual Communicator, USA TODAY was able to establish contact without always incurring the cost associated with travel or losing opportunities to be in front of the customer.
"Visual Communicator helps us to cut down on costs associated with travel and has paid for itself many times over by helping us to save on hotel and flight costs," says Gromen. "It's a great way for us to connect with our customers and helps put a name to the face."
