Text-based communication lacks the non-verbal signals that build trust. Video allows prospects to see your excitement, hear your tonality, and read your body language. This human connection builds rapport and what the speaker calls 'no like and trust' much faster, leading to quicker deal closures.

Stop viewing the demo as a rigid step that must follow discovery. Instead, treat it as a versatile tool. Use a short demo to enhance discovery by providing context, or use it during negotiations to create urgency. The demo's design and purpose should adapt to the deal's context.

Contrary to traditional sales advice, sending a short demo before the first call prevents buyer misconceptions and builds excitement. This leads to a more informed and productive discovery conversation, as the buyer already has context for your solution's value.

Don't create long, founder-led monologues for launch videos. The vast majority of viewer drop-off happens after the initial 30 seconds. Focus nearly all creative energy on making the first 30 seconds incredible by getting straight to the core value props. The rest of the video's length is secondary.

Instead of simply showing up to a first call, create a repeatable system. After a prospect books a meeting, automatically send a short introductory video about you and your company. This warms up the lead, sets expectations, and differentiates your process before the conversation begins.

Avoid demoing on a first call unless you are certain you can solve a prospect's specific, deeply understood pain point in under five minutes. A generic or rushed demo is worse than no demo, as buyers will draw negative conclusions. Only show the product if you can create an "oh shit" moment of realization for the buyer.

Generic meeting times like 15 or 30 minutes feel like placeholders that can easily run over. Offering a specific, short duration like a '9-minute kickoff' or '12-minute demo' triggers a psychological belief that you are serious about respecting the prospect's time, making them more likely to book the meeting.

Instead of presenting user research in dense slide decks that are quickly forgotten, create a short (1-2 minute) highlight reel of video clips showing customers speaking in their own words. This emotional, direct evidence is a powerful hack for creating alignment and is much harder for executives to argue with.

Chris Koerner treats his millions of short-form views as top-of-funnel lead generation. The goal is to convert a 22-second viewer into a 9-minute long-form viewer, which he calculates builds 20 times more trust and creates a more valuable audience member.