Winning at eProspecting

Selling dynamics have changed significantly with the explosion of online applications. Especially during the current pandemic. From Insurance to System Solutions, buyers prefer not to meet up face-to-face nowadays. Thus the dilemma of less opportunities for in-person interactions to seal the deal is Real.

How do we win deals in this increasingly online marketplace?

I crafted successful runs of an (inhouse) sales training on Winning @ eProspecting. With encouragingly high score of 89% on the overall course effectiveness from attendee evaluations, I am sharing the gist here to help you stay ahead on the deal-winning front.

Very encouraging reviews from the attendees to my eProspecting sales courses.

Can We Sell without Meeting? 

The main challenge facing most sales professionals is this: Decision makers increasingly prefer digital means to buy. It is critical for the sales personnel to humanise their selling approaches to gain buy-ins. Getting it right from the start of the sales process increases the sales close rate exponentially:

The key is to humanise the digital selling experience!

eProspecting is not Digital Content Marketing

…Nor is it lead generation, email marketing or cold calling. The eProspecting stage kicks in after these.

An eProspect is a possible customer to buy your product using digital means. This decision maker must have already gone through the lead qualification process prior to ascertain the needs. Unless qualified, they are merely Suspects (Leads). 

Let’s Dive In!

The successful sales rep engages using Consultative Selling techniques, instead of the traditional selling methods. This table aptly sums up the comparison:

The consultative sales approach focuses on empathy-based soft selling techniques that deploys 70% listening and 30% talking

eProspecting in a Nutshell

Converting an eProspect from potential to a customer entails creating a conducive online environment to reach out using consultative selling and human connection techniques.

Create one-to-one engagement by scheduling an online meeting to interact together digitally. This aids to educate, meet needs, address pain points and find ways to close the sale speedily.

There are numerous video conferencing web applications to schedule a meeting, including Zoom, Google Hangout-Meet, Skype, Webex and the likes. Any of these does it well.

Keys to Humanising the eProspecting Experience.

The key to humanising the eProspecting experience entails 3 Pillars:

PILLAR #1: S - Sequence

Prepare the Sequence. I have found it ideal when setting up the online meeting to involve a virtual assistant (typically another colleague dialing in remotely) to support - More on this below.

Remember to keep to the 70 Listening and 30 Talking rule for these 6 Consultative Selling steps:

 1.  Rapport - Listening

2.   Needs - Listening

3.   Opening – Listening, Talking

4.   Value – Listening, Talking

5.   Objections - Listening

6.   Closure & Follow-up – Listening, Talking

Make sure that the prospect turns on their video throughout the session to maintain human touch points. A good tip to engaging the eProspect online is to visually exhibit a keen interest. How to show this keenness? ASK, SMILE and WAIT (pause for their response)!

To Listen keenly, ASK, SMILE and then WAIT…

Remember this:

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A GREAT CLOSER ….. YOU JUST NEED TO FOLLOW THE SEQUENCE!

PILLAR #2: A – Aids

Prepare Aids to humanise the online experience. Over the years, I find these tips very effective:

1.   Mirror.

Use some adhesive clay to affix a small compact mirror above or just beside the camera hole of your computer. There is a natural tendency for most of us to look at ourselves in the mirror. The mirror helps this tendency to appear as if you are making “eye contact” with the person on the other side of the online meeting.

2.   Prompters.

Write down key words onto Post-It notes and stick these at the sides of your computer in sequential order (following the consultative selling flow) to avoid fumbling during the online meeting.

Use Post-Its Prompters wisely. Less is More. It is pointless to clutter!

1.   Virtual Background.

Always insert a virtual background to keep a professional image. Focus the attention to your content and not on any distracting objects or movements around you on screen!

2.   Virtual Assistant.

Mentioned in the beginning, it is best to have an assistant to help out during the online session. Break up the eProspecting process into parts and give each other some sections to cover. Agree on the sequence and time needed to who does what using the above 6 steps of Consultative Selling. Have the assistant take notes or jot down key points to back you up in case any could be missed out inadvertently.

3.   Presentations with "Human Movement".

Use short videos and demos-virtual tours to spice up your presentation.

4.   Call to Action items.

Set up a simple online activity (such as a short quiz) at the end of your session and entice a follow-up session by giving a “prize” (such as a voucher) that will encourage the prospect to meet up in person right after. Often overlooked, this step is key to the sales closing session!

Remember to set up all items in advance and test them out by practicing ahead!

PILLAR #3: S - Self

Prepare Self. These important tips work very well for me all the time:

1.   Smile as you speak.

2.   Pace your words with actions, such as the use of hand gestures to highlight points.

3.   Project Positive Interest by maintaining eye contact.

4.   Speak slowly: There is no need to rush.

5.   Pause for 1 second in-between sentences to allow comments (Mentally count “1-thousand” before speaking).

6.   Avoid reading from a script (Use key words on the Post-Its as prompters).

7.   Avoid filler words: “Actually”, “Basically”, Uhmmm, Errrrr. There is a technique to help this by making these distracting phrases into “silent words”. Practise it!

To create an environment that is conducive for interactions, I always ensure the following:

8.   Proximity: Keep your Visuals from Shoulder Up with Head & Shoulders occupying almost One-Half of the Screen.

9.   Turn on video for all parties.

10. Eye contact: Focus on your mirror next to the camera.

11. Show Empathy: Ask open-ended questions every 2 to 3 slides ie. “Will …(feature)... Help You?

12. No need to present every slide. Focus on the content that addresses the pain points. 

To wrap up, here are the 10 Biggest Mistakes of eProspecting:

Do not under-estimate the perils of these eProspecting Bloopers!

I hope you will walk away from the above tips with these final takeaways. They work extremely well for me to enhance the human connection during eProspecting:

?? Present without memorising word-for-word. Be "human".

?? Project warmth online.

?? Engage the prospect.

Remember these 3 Pillars:

S – Sequence,

A – Aids,

S – Self.

To be successful in today’s ever-changing business environment, the sales professional needs to be agile. The adaptive Sales Professional must adjust the selling approach to reach out to buyers through digital interactions to humanise the eProspecting process.

They have only ONE Choice – YOU!

Go Get Them!

I am a growth-driven Strategic Doer with extensive APAC experience, managing businesses to double-digit growth. Know me professionally, ?? ?erific

Follow me, ?? #?erific  

Welcome to connect with me, Teri Teo

#eProspecting | #Prospecting | #TopSales | #DigitalSelling | #ConsultativeSelling | #HumanConnections

Photo credit: Kaatje Steenhoudt, Saeed Aljafar, Curtis George & 陳承光