If there is one thing that the global pandemic has made evident, it’s that virtual has become the new normal. With the capability to perform almost every aspect of everyday tasks like buying food, groceries, attending classes or business meetings online, virtual buying and selling has become the norm in business today.
Just like the real world, the virtual world too has its own challenges. Sales Professionals that are scattered all across the globe are now required to close deals with fewer in-person meetings and events, having to master newer technologies to stay ahead of the game.
When you connect with a customer or prospect virtually, say for example via zoom, you must take into account that they might be undergoing ‘zoom fatigue’ , being distracted with other work on their screen or even factors like kids or pets. It is crucial to use effective methods of communication to ensure that you are able to retain your customer’s attention.
Not being able to meet your customer in person might reduce the whole ‘person-to-person’ experience for many. Here is where it is important to establish that relationship with your customer using the appropriate methods and channels.
According to a recent study, it was found that a majority of customers feel that their sales representatives are not able to prove their value addition to the product or the service of the company. This may be due to various factors like poor sales training or an inability to use digital communication tools effectively.
The ability to read body language is crucial in communication. With virtual selling, the ability to read body language becomes a problem as the customer is not right in front of you.
Since virtual selling is completely based on technology, any failure such as poor bandwidth or internet connection can hinder the experience of selling.
Knowing what your challenges are is great! It helps you plan out and strategize how you can provide the best sales experience for your customers. Here are 3 major techniques that can help in creating the best virtual selling experience.
1. Offer value from the very beginning
Now more than ever, it is crucial to understand that being engaging and adding value to your customer through your virtual meeting is a priority. It is very easy for them to lose attention and switch to performing another activity. You need to be able to bring unique value addition right from the beginning of the call to set you apart from the other competitors who might be engaging in very similar activities. This can also be done by identifying challenges in the industry that not everyone might address right away. Not only does adding value and offering a unique proposition create the opportunity for a great sales experience, but also helps create a safe space for prospects to admit they have a problem.
2. Engagement is key
Sales professionals are often worried about not saying the right thing or driving potential customers away while selling virtually. Sales professionals want to reduce any friction that can be caused during an interaction to minimise the possibility of driving a customer away. To ensure that this does not happen, it’s important to engage your customer by tying back to the first point – adding value.
Provide information in an engaging manner, for example, with a link that takes the customer to a virtual walkthrough of a sales deck. Whether they say it out loud or not, customers like the attention. It is highly likely that they might turn away when you do not show that you want to interact with them and put in the effort to make the sale.
McKinsey found that about 41% of the people in a virtual meeting prefer to have a video conference. So ensure to be seated in a well lit and decent background. Ensure the function of your camera and microphone ahead of the call. In a virtual meeting, have an open conversation with your audience and engage them through strategies made specifically for the virtual spaces like you can’t ensure you maintain eye contact with all 20 people in a zoom meeting. Look into the camera slot instead to immerse them with your presentations.
3. Make it visual and dynamic
The virtual environment can be a bit distracting. With loads of information being disseminated every minute, retaining your audience’s attention becomes a priority. To achieve this, make the selling experience visual. Using proper visual imagery with the right blend of animation and movement will help overcome your audience’s ‘stimulation threshold’.
A recent study shows that in virtual meetings one requires thrice the amount of slides to get information across to the customer effectively. This does not mean three times the information, but rather the breakdown of how this information is put forth to the audience.
It is also very important to focus on the ‘key deliverable’ of your presentation. This is the factor that helps your customer recall the information that was given to them even a while after the call has been completed.
Keeping these three pointers in mind can help conquer the virtual world of selling.
It is crucial to remember that things could go wrong even if you are 100% prepared. Virtual selling is not going to be 100% perfect. Make sure that you stay calm and reply to your customer in a collected and professional manner. Remember that your customer also faces issues in the virtual setting and are more likely to be understanding when you handle yourself properly in such situations. Virtual or non-virtual, at the end of the day we’re all human aren’t we?