COVID-19 has changed the world in many ways. As it relates to sales, it has forced all salespeople to learn to master selling virtually.
While sales is sales, and many of the same principles apply in person as they do virtually, there are tips and tricks that every sales person should be aware of during this virtual selling time.
Before we get to the tips, keep in mind, this trend is not new. Luckily we have a lot of data and experience to back it up, as do many other leading organizations. For example, SalesForce conducted a study in 2018 that found that 60% of salespeople have increased their virtual sales meetings with customers/prospects over the previous 3 years.
Here are some quick tips for selling virtually:
- Set expectations – Specifically refer to it as a video call so that prospect is prepared to use their camera, set an agenda to provide an organized first impression, etc.
- Keep in mind authenticity (being personable) and value over perfection (your hair looking good or your background being slightly cluttered).
- Consider “assignment selling” – Use/share content to educate the person before the sales call. Educate them before the call so that you can focus on selling and differentiating during the call. That means providing a prospect with homework prior to the call. Research shows that this type of friction can be powerful and help develop a sense of (shared) commitment.
- Take the time to get to know the person, don’t hurry that portion, but then speed up the pace at which you go over the “other stuff”.
- Engage prospects early and often. Do not let more than 5 minutes pass without some interaction with the other party, ideally thoughtful engagement.
- Provide value to prospects early and often. Remember this every time you make contact.
- Consider using video tools such as Vidyard or Loom.
- Present faster with more visuals. Rule of thumb is 2x the visuals from in person and 3x the pace.
- Your audience will remember 10-20% of what you say, so close by summarizing the most important 1-3 points to anchor that in their memory.
- Consider Calendly or other scheduling tools (easier for client to book meeting, provides automatic reminders, etc.). Friction can be good, but not for logistical aspects like setting up a call or signing a contract – so also consider Docusign, Pandadoc, etc.
- Invest in your online brand (What comes up when a prospect Googles you? What does your LinkedIn profile look like?
Hopefully the above quick tips are helpful. Our Selling Virtually module goes over these in more detail and covers additional content like the following:
- How should I structure a first appointment?
- How do I build credibility without meeting in-person?
- How do I develop trust and rapport online?
- Should I reach out by phone? Email? Video call?
- Are there body language tips for video calls?
We answer these and many more questions in our selling virtually program.
—– Recent Testimonial
“How can you convince a traditional pharmaceutical sales reps who based all his/her activity on product knowledge and personal interaction to improve their sales performance, even in a remote only environment? Call SNI. The result? Highly positive feedback from your sales force and immediate results”
Global Training Manager at Bracco
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