6 tactics to help you own virtual sales

Travel bans and the switch to home working have disarmed some of sales leaders’ greatest weapons: charm, wit and interpersonal persuasion. Only the best will make the leap quickly enough. Here’s how they’ll do it.

Do you want the good news or the bad news? Let’s start with the bad. Virtual selling is here to stay. And much as we’d like to, we can’t just blame Covid. As with much of what we’ve seen in recent months, the global pandemic has merely accelerated the speed of change.

Customers are increasingly time-poor, and the web enables efficient research and evaluation. According to Deloitte, 67% of the buyer’s journey already occurs on digital channels.

They were already increasingly selective about which salespeople to engage with, and when. Gartner says only 17% of the total buying journey is spent interacting with salespeople.

This is no blip, there’ll be no swift return to the good old days. In many countries, with infection rates stubbornly high and vaccine rollouts still in their infancy, ‘freedom’ feels a long way off. And there’s no guarantee customers will give up the flexibility of working from home, at least for part of the week.

Enough of the bad. The good news is that this change needn’t impact sales performance. Not if sales leaders are smart and learn to adapt to a changing buyer reality, which means developing a clear strategy to support their salespeople in this new virtual selling environment.

The communication rules have changed.

We should first be clear on what, exactly, is different. Let’s start with what I call the laws of distraction.

In a room, face-to-face, it was much easier to keep an audience focussed. If somebody was staring at their phone or whispering to their neighbour, it was perceived by everyone as rude. This could be countered with a healthy control of silence and judicious use of eye contact.

Alas, these unconscious norms have gone. It’s no wonder many sellers feel they have lost control. See how many of these changes you’ve noticed:

• Lower attention spans as customers look away from the screen, make and take calls, tap or scroll on their phones.
• Expressions, body language and other cues are harder to observe and track.
• Key decision-makers delegate virtual calls to their subordinates.
• There’s less healthy discussion, with customers reluctant to share scepticism and challenge viewpoints. This makes it harder to get consensus.
• Attendees leave meetings early citing other commitments.
• No more spontaneous chats (waiting for the lift, walking to the meeting) that yield high-value insights and build rapport.
• Working from home throws up distractions (boisterous kids, unruly housemates) that interrupt progress.
• A lack of protocol, like cameras switched off or obvious multi-tasking.
• Disengaged customers who come and go with ease.
• Losing that collaborative environment, so critical to selling, where everyone seems in it together.

This shift requires the entire sales organisation to adapt its mindset and approach. That much is clear. Less obvious are the specific, actionable changes that will make a difference.

Surviving and thriving in a new virtual reality

I’ve spoken to dozens of sales leaders in the last 12 months. Here are some of the techniques I’ve identified that make a positive difference.

1. Cameras on

It is our job to create a comfortable environment that fosters engagement. This means asking rapport-building questions, encouraging everyone to participate and interacting with individuals who are switching off. That means switching cameras on.

So how do you deal with a sea of black screens? Try acknowledging a participant who has got their camera on and explain why it makes the meeting better for everyone.

2. Set the context

The best way to start a virtual meeting is to recap the events and conversations that led you here. Confirm the customers’ objectives for the meeting and check your understanding of their business need. See if anything has changed since you last spoke.

3. Align around a clear purpose

There are two types of meeting, each requiring a different agenda and tone. In one you talk a lot. In the other, very little. Being clear on which approach is required is key.

Early on, you should be in discovery mode, exploring and diagnosing customer issues. When the opportunity arises, switch to demonstrating capabilities. Here, you align your solutions with the customer’s issues and the outcomes they are trying to achieve.

4. Lose the slides

Put simply, when sellers share their screen, they give customers’ minds a licence to wander. Especially in the early stages of the meeting there should be fewer slides and more eye contact.

It’s important to encourage a two-sided conversation, especially when people aren’t in a room together. You don’t want customers to be passive listeners. Switch off the slides and switch on some active participation.

5. Leave it open-ended

Great sales leaders adopt the mantra ‘Always leave them wanting more’. The more customer touch points, the more familiarity you build, and the more interest is generated.

Try and create a reason for another meeting. Don’t be tempted to launch into solution mode too soon. Only begin to position recommendations when you are clear the need is genuine and there is intent to act. 

6. Good goodbyes

One of the downsides of WFH is zoom fatigue, with diaries chock-full of video calls. So, when the customer says they have a hard stop, better pay attention. If you haven’t wrapped up in time, they’ll drop off anyway.

Virtual meetings require laser-precise time management. Take control of the dialogue and make sure you’re not getting stuck on less important agenda items.

As you near the end of your allotted time, start a conversation about next steps. You’ll no doubt take the lion’s share of actions but try to get a commitment from one or more people on the buyer’s side.

If you demonstrated your capabilities, summarise their value and make clear how they address the customers’ needs. Paint a picture of how you’ll help create the outcomes they are looking for. This will be vital in later negotiations as you seek a mutually beneficial outcome, so prepare the ground now.

Leave a lasting, positive impression by deepening rapport, restating your personal commitment and demonstrating confidence and positivity.

The fundamentals of selling haven’t changed, but don’t be complacent.

The pandemic has accelerated changes that were already happening in sales. While the pace of change might seem dizzying, there’s ample opportunity for those that embrace it.

Imagine how many dull, slide-heavy product presentations your customers have had to endure. If you can make the virtual experience engaging, productive – even fun – you’ll have a valuable new point of difference in the marketplace.

Upping your virtual selling game requires sophisticated communication skills. Can you command the moment in a disarming and non-invasive way? Can you engage every individual so there’s no danger of distraction?

Most important, can you demonstrate your understanding of the customer’s needs and deliver compelling insights and perspective that make them sit up and take note.

If you have experiences you would like to share or would like to discuss how to develop key sales skills and process to achieve improved sales performance. Reach out for an informal discussion. I would be happy to give you some pointers.