How IMPACT builds customer trust and shortens sales cycles with video

Automation and AI are rapidly reshaping how revenue teams operate and deliver on buyer expectations. As efficiency becomes baseline, trust has taken on new weight. Without it, even the most sophisticated automated outreach feels mostly indistinguishable.

Few teams understand this better than IMPACT.

IMPACT is an inbound marketing and coaching and training company that helps leaders generate more customers using its Endless Customers System™. Rather than automating customer communication to the point of abstraction, the team has doubled down on video to build trust faster, shorten sales cycles, and create more meaningful buyer experiences at scale.

To learn more about their approach, we spoke with Stephanie Baiocchi, Director of Membership and Events at IMPACT. Stephanie brings together IMPACT’s community through events, webinars, and online programming, while also supporting marketing and sales enablement.

Here’s how her team uses Vidyard to build credibility, scale personalization, and keep human connection at the center of IMPACT’s work.

Bringing a community together at scale

Q: Can you describe your role at IMPACT and what you’re responsible for?

Stephanie: I’m the Director of Membership and Events at IMPACT. My role is to bring together our entire community of people who are implementing the Endless Customers System.

That includes online and in-person events, webinars, and our online community. I also support marketing and sales enablement where I can. Everything ladders up to one goal: helping more people grow their business using the system we teach.

Q: Why has being human become such a priority for your team?

Stephanie: It’s 2026—people are skeptical of everything. If you can help someone put a face to a name early on, that’s a game changer for building trust. At IMPACT, we talk a lot about what we’ve defined as The 4 Pillars of a Known and Trusted Brand: say what others won’t, show what others won’t, sell what others won’t, and be more human than others are willing to be.

Automated text-based communication leaves a lot of room for interpretation and very little real face time with buyers. With video, you can see and hear someone, so tone and intent are clear immediately.

And yes, reaching folks often means using AI and automation to get your message out there, but pairing it with video keeps those interactions feeling personal.

How video makes a difference in customer inboxes

Q: Before using Vidyard, what did communication with prospects look like?

Stephanie:  It was mostly text-based. Someone would book a meeting and get a calendar invite—which is honestly the least personal thing you can send. There was no tone, no context, no relationship built before the call.

Q: What does that experience look like now?

Stephanie: Now, when someone books time with us, they get a short intro video.

The person they’re meeting with will explain who they are, the purpose of the meeting, and what to expect. And people regularly respond with things like, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” That tells you how rare this still is.

It builds trust before we ever speak live.

Shortening the sales cycle with video

Q: How are you using video before sales calls?

Stephanie: We send a video before the first sales call that answers the most common questions upfront.

Buyers can watch it on their own time, digest the information, and come to the conversation with better, more specific questions which helps us get to more meaningful discussion early on. 

Q: What impact does that have on the sales process?

Stephanie: Video removes friction, speeds up the process, and builds trust. We’re not gatekeeping answers. Buyers feel more informed and more confident. Salespeople are talking to informed buyers instead of answering the same questions over and over. Plus, instead of linking an article, we send a two-minute video, which helps build trust as they can see and hear the person ahead often call. Vidyard analytics show people actually watch it, too!

Q: How embedded is video in your daily work?

Stephanie: Completely embedded. I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where I don’t send a video. I’ve personally sent nearly 2,500 videos.

Across IMPACT, we’ve had over 3 million video loads with an average watch time of 73%.

That tells us people want this kind of communication.

Scaling personalization with Video Agent

Q: How are you using Video Agent today?

Stephanie: We use Video Agent heavily in prospecting. Our AI BDR helps build lists of contacts. We match those contacts by industry and send a personalized video that includes their name, company, and mentions their industry as it relates to our assessment. It even mentions a relevant podcast episode we link to in the email.

It’s one avatar and one script but it feels incredibly personal.

 

Q: What does that unlock for you?

Stephanie: Time and quality. If I had 100 leads and spent five minutes recording a video for each, that’s a full workday gone. With Video Agent, I’m saving that time and delivering a better experience because the alternative usually isn’t a less personalized video; it’s no video at all.

Q: How do your customers respond to these videos?

Stephanie: Response rates are better, and replies are more enthusiastic. When it’s done right, it feels so personal that people don’t even question whether it’s automated or not. In fact, it doesn’t matter because their questions are getting answered and they feel empowered.

Q: What makes Vidyard a strong partner for IMPACT?

Stephanie: Video is one of the fastest wins for the companies we coach, especially when it comes to shortening sales cycles and building trust. Vidyard has always aligned with the Endless Customers System and our belief in transparent, trust-building communication. The platform is easy to use, and the team is incredibly supportive.

It feels like a perfect partnership.

Put people back into your revenue motion

IMPACT’s approach is a reminder that growth does not have to come at the expense of human connection. Even as automation fills the gaps between conversations, relationships are still built when buyers can see and hear the people behind the message.

Vidyard helps revenue teams show up between calls, build trust earlier, and create clarity inside automated workflows with video. If you’re ready to put a face to your message and make your revenue motion feel human again, sign up for free today.