For most sellers, face-to-face customer meetings are still out of the question. They may even be a thing of the past. Phone calls, video meetings, virtual demos, etc. – we’re not new to the world of virtual sales conversations. While we’ve likely done a lot of virtual meetings, most traditional buyers are less familiar.
Getting virtual meetings right was hard in ‘normal’ times, but it’s especially challenging today – so many distractions, stresses, and pressures on buyers. Over the past 2-3 months, we’ve all had some uncomfortable virtual experiences:
You’ve likely seen lots of articles on how to improve virtual meetings. But this advice only focuses on the basics. Of course, we need to set our cameras at the right angle, remove office clutter, and match attire to the situation (now might not be the time to wear a tie). Ignoring these basics are the unforced errors of remote selling.
Leading sales teams are raising the bar on virtual calls. They’re turning remote meetings into highly differentiated sales experiences. This differentiation means greater win rates and faster movement through complex decision cycles. What does the modern sales team need to do to move beyond the basics of remote selling? How can they master the art and science of virtual customer conversations? Our research with the best sales organizations provides this insight.
In pre-pandemic ‘business-as-usual’ times, there were meeting elements that separated the best sellers. In today’s environment, there are 4 mission-critical actions that drive winning virtual meetings:
Prepping for a sales call is a no-brainer. Planning is a basic tenet of any good sales process. But in this environment, preparation takes on a new level of criticality. Buyers are busy, distracted, and expect more from sellers than ever before.
Your Actions:
Remember, setting a realistic agenda and expectations for a virtual call is essential. Cramming in too many topics can be counterproductive – some details and questions may be better suited for an email.
Virtual meetings will veer off-topic – there so many unpredictable dynamics at play. It’s up to the seller to actively guide the conversation. And they must do this without a lot of non-verbal cues and body language.
Your Actions:
As buyers jump from Zoom to Webex to phone calls, they are worn down from all these virtual conversations. Sellers need to adapt to the situation to avoid passive acceptance from buyers. Nodding heads may signal fatigue – not always agreement. Reps need to stay on top of these issues to facilitate productive meetings.
As we have discussed many times before, modern selling is all about collaboration – clarifying the problem together and co-creating a solution. Virtual meetings are not meant to be lectures. Sellers need a strategy for building in engagement and dialogue.
Your Actions:
Virtual meetings are highly dynamic, and it is impossible to predict how the conversation may flow. Positioning themselves as facilitators, reps need a plan for interactivity. But they must also be prepared to adapt to the natural flow of the conversation.
The end of a virtual meeting is a ‘danger zone’. Too many virtual meetings don’t drive action – leaving customers feeling frustrated and unproductive. A good meeting ends because we began with the end in mind. Sellers need to define a clear outcome in the planning process.
Actions to Avoid:
High-performing reps focus on creating a mutual action plan to hold each party accountable. This will likely include actions for both the seller and the buyer. And it’s critical to maintaining momentum following the call. Tangible next steps might include sharing information or data, following up with additional stakeholders, and confirming solution priorities.
In this uncertain environment, buyers are still hesitant to make investments. The focus of virtual meetings should be building buy-in to you and your solution. So abandon the hard ‘sales pitch’. Instead, sellers need to look for the win-win more than ever. Forming a social contract means gaining a mutual commitment to do something coming out of the meeting.
Putting these 4 virtual meeting elements into practice sets the stage for the social contract. With all the noise and distractions, virtual meetings are an opportunity to understand your buyer’s situation and differentiate your solution.
Disruption is driving innovation across sales strategy, sales enablement, sales training, and sales operations. Contact us to learn how other companies are reimagining their sales process to fuel long-term success.