An indoctrination video is a short video that you place at the end of a series of “funnel steps” for a new prospect.
Where does an indoctrination video appear in the funnel?
Typically, this video should be displayed after the last action that you want a visitor to take.
For example, a funnel might be structured:
Step 1: Contact Us Form
In this stage, a user would provide their contact information and a basic outline of their inquiry.
Step 2: Book a Live Call
In this stage, a user would select a date and time for an introductory call.
Step 3: Indoctrination Video
What is the purpose of an indoctrination video?
The indoctrination video has two purposes:
- Prepare the visitor for the logistics of the next step.
- For example: “Add my phone number to your contact list so we you don’t think I’m a spam caller when I call you”
- For example: “You should receive a calendar invitation from email@domain.com to join me for a Zoom meeting. At the time of that meeting, you’ll click on the link provided on your computer, and we’ll be connected. Just make sure that you have a working microphone and webcam attached to your computer."
- Guide the visitor to another piece of content designed to get them excited about doing business with you and/or overcome an objection.
- For example: Before our meeting, I want you to watch/read X.
- For example: Before our meeting, I want you to browse through our portfolio of past work and pick your favorite.
Should I have an Indoctrination Video?
If your sales process involves a pre-scheduled live conversation between your sales representative and a prospective customer, then it’s likely that you could benefit from using an indoctrination video.
Examples:
- Home service businesses
- Professional service businesses
- Online education / coaching businesses
The sales processes for these businesses all typically involve the customer scheduling an appointment to speak or meet with a representative from that business.
What should I say in my Indoctrination Video?
The script for the indoctrination video is extremely simple. Largely, it’s broken into three parts, as outlined below.
A key idea to keep in mind: The visitor’s experience while watching the indoctrination video should feel like the next sentence in a conversation that the visitor is already engaged in – not a new idea or a new conversation.
Part 1: Intro & Promise
In the intro, you’re going to validate that the previous steps in the funnel have been completed and give them an outline of what to expect for the rest of the video.
For example:
- Well done, your call is booked! We’re looking forward to speaking with you. I’m going to quickly go over three things to make sure that everything goes smoothly when we speak.
Notice how the script does not call for any sort of personal introduction or company branding. Keep it simple, speak directly into the camera, and dive straight into the script outlined above.
Part 2: Logistics
Next, you’re going to explain the technical aspect of your upcoming appointment. This should serve to improve your “show-up rate” (the aptly named metric for the percentage of scheduled appointments that are actually attended by prospects).
For example:
- First, you should’ve just received a calendar invitation to the email address you provided that includes the time we’re scheduled to meet. Make sure that it looks correct and that neither of us have made any errors translating between time zones.
- Next, you’ll notice in that invitation that there should be a link to join a Google Meet. At the time of your appointment, you’ll need to click that link on your computer to connect with us. It’s a good idea to make sure in advance that your microphone and webcam are working properly and connected to your computer.
Or if you conduct your intro calls via phone call:
- First, you should’ve just received a calendar invitation to the email address you provided that includes the time we’re scheduled to meet. Make sure that it looks correct and that neither of us have made any errors translating between time zones.
- Next, you’ll just want to add our phone number to your contacts, so you’ll know who's calling you and it doesn’t go to spam. We’ll be calling you from [123] 456 - 7890
Part 3: Content
Finally, you’re going to direct the visitor to a piece of content designed to reduce friction in the sales process. This content should be selected to do one (or both) of two things:
Option 1: Content to overcome a common sales objection / hesitation
For example, if I sold solar panel installation services and my prospects were always stressed out about financing, I would direct them to content about that objection.
- Finally, at this point you’re probably fairly curious about how financing works for this type of purchase. Don’t worry, you’re not alone - most people are at this stage. We’ve created a guide for you to learn everything you need to know about how financing works for solar panels, and I’m sure it’ll help set your mind at ease. Just click the link below to learn more.
Option 2: Content to build excitement and buy-in from the visitor.
For example, if I sold residential painting services, I would direct them towards my portfolio of work to get them excited about what their home will ultimately look like.
- Finally, in order for us to make the best use of our time together on our call, it would probably be a good idea for you to take a look at some of the other paint jobs we’ve performed for properties like yours. I encourage you to select 2-3 from our portfolio that you like the look of, so we can review those and see what elements of those projects we can incorporate into your project. Just click the link below to get access to our portfolio.
Indoctrination Video Example
Here’s a link to the one that we’re using at the time of writing this document.
Ours is a bit longer, but is generally the same structure.
Note that this is a Vimeo link, not a link to the actual page in our funnel (to prevent messing up our tracking systems) so the “link below” isn’t actually below the video.
