The pandemic changed the face of selling forever. Long gone are the days when live pitching meant heading to the HQ of a major prospect and presenting in a formal, professional pitch.
As our world got smaller, our definition of what we should do and what we can do changed to include the need to present and pitch in a virtual environment.
Sure traditional in person pitching and sales presentations still have an important place in the sales process for many organisations. But, equally, many prospects and customers see virtual communication as an opportunity to have more sales conversations online. A sales leader and their team needs to keep up with virtual selling best practice.
Pitching in a room isn’t the same as pitching in front of a live in-person panel. There are so many elements to take into account, including how to rapidly build rapport and trust, which is made all the harder when remote selling.
The fact is virtual pitching and virtually selling are here to stay. More and more buyers and organisations are switching to video calls rather than in person meetings as part of the sales process, if sales leaders don’t respond to this shift, they will be left behind.
You either master the art and science of pitching online and develop an effective virtual selling strategy – or you end up losing out to competitors and sales teams who have focused on making it work.
Having worked through the pandemic on our own sales pitches and presentations and coaching numerous sales teams during the same period, we have seen what works in a virtual selling environment and how to make the best of virtual sales calls.
As a result, we truly believe there is an opportunity to transform what many see as a disadvantage into a huge advantage, particularly as it is clear few organisations have specifically invested in virtual sales training.
We believe there are five key areas of virtual selling to focus on and ensure you gain the advantage.
Meeting planning for virtual sales
One of the biggest errors to make as a sales team is treating virtual or remote conversations and pitching as different to face-to-face.
Yes, there are differences but these are predominantly in terms of presentation and additional elements to take into account when pitching in a virtual environment.
Although it is clear that dynamics have shifted as a result of more people working from home or in remote teams with access to a screen in front of you being more forgiving for those who choose not to prepare as rigorously.
Do not fall into this trap. There is nothing that shows a lack of respect more than failing to be fully prepared for when you join a meeting or call, regardless of whether it is in-person or online.
Preparation in this sense is no different from normal in person sales or live sales presentation.
Do your homework and own research with whom you are going to be speaking, what their roles and responsibilities are and how they fit within the organisation and their role in the purchasing process.
More than this, try standing in the shoes of the buyer and consider what is going on in their world right now. What are they thinking and feeling?
What is driving their behaviour and decision-making? Focus not just on rational elements, but also on emotional, political and cultural drivers that may be driving their thinking. Understanding these really does shift how you think about the way you present and how you interact with those in attendance.
Building empathy during the virtual sales process
Relationships are at the heart of the decision by a buyer on whether to take action, who to trust and the extent of the engagement. Relationships take time to build and rushing this process can negatively impact how your buyer sees you.
It’s important not to forget that each time you meet your client, they make an assessment on whether they can see themselves working with you long-term. Buyer interactions are what the virtual sales process is all about.
Every interaction matters.
With this in mind, it is important to demonstrate a desire to genuinely understand their world. Don’t be tempted to jump to a solution, as this jeopardises trust and may limit the size and scale of the potential opportunity.
Focusing on their needs rather than talking about your solution helps build trust. Equally, a high degree of self-orientation will quickly break trust.
Make sure there is an evolution in your relationship with the buyer every time you have a conversation and through the sales cycle. Every time you meet – whether it’s a short email interaction or during sales meetings – make sure your interaction offers insight and value.
The perfect interaction means that your buyer leaves every virtual sales meeting with you feeling they learned something, enjoyed the conversation and felt it was a valuable use of their time. This fits into the wider virtual selling process and helps facilitate meaningful follow-up.
Making a connection when virtual selling
While the first two points are generally applicable regardless of whether you have virtual meetings or not, this point is specific to the context.
The parameters and protocols of virtual meetings are often set by the client in terms of available time. Therefore, you and your team must work around their needs.
For example, cramming too much information into a video call can leave the buyer feeling like they’re “drinking from a fire hose”. Resist the temptation to pepper the buyer with facts and figures, stick to relevant content and genuinely try to engage in conversation.
This is all about making a meaningful and valuable contribution.
There is a careful balance to be struck.
In the early stages of the interaction, make your conversation personal but meaningful. Don’t be too preoccupied about getting into the agenda too quickly and keep introductions light to keep the mood suitably light, too.
It’s always a powerful move to kick off by telling your buyer something interesting right at the top of the call. This sets the tone for the rest of the meeting.
Remember, making a connection on a video call isn’t just about rapport. You need to shift your buyer’s thinking.
This is often the biggest mistake sales professionals make and by the end of the presentation leaves the buyer feeling they haven’t gained as much from the interaction as they wished.
You achieve this by disrupting your client’s thinking and challenging their framing or understanding of the issues (in an appropriate way). Ask rhetorical questions throughout and allow them time to reflect on what you are saying.
If you have done a good job here, the buyer’s questions at the end will invariably come back to the points that you made that challenge them.
In terms of the Q&A, make sure you leave plenty of time – at least 50% of the available time on the virtual sales call. This should also be where you explore any detailed content you may not have been able to fit into the main presentation.
The importance of sales team rehearsal
Just because you can have virtual sales meetings and notes in front of you when presenting on a Zoom or Teams call, doesn’t mean you should read from them.
It may be a virtual meeting but rehearsal is arguably more important than in a face-to-face setting. This is even more important if you are presenting as a team and want to show up in a connected, professional and seamless way.
Even if you think you can muddle your way through a presentation without rehearsal, your client certainly knows the difference between a team of sales professionals who have rehearsed and a sale team who hasn’t.
Here are the key points to remember in terms of preparation for a virtual presentation:
- Technology – find out what meeting platforms or video conferencing tool the client uses and practice using it to avoid any time wasted on technical issues. It helps to have a good understanding of the most common video conferencing software used by buying teams and other digital tools that you may encounter.
- Choreography – this is always important but becomes critical in a virtual environment when sales conversations involve more than one team member. Practice and know how and when you will transition from one person to another.
- Slides – allocate one individual to operate the slides or interactive sales deck. It may even be best to appoint someone who doesn’t speak during the presentation so this is their sole focus. If switching between different elements on-screen, make sure your digital sales collateral is set up correctly.
- Notes – if using notes, ensure they are in the eye line with the camera and are abbreviated. They should appear invisible to your buyer. If you do need to look at your notes, pause and return your eyes to the screen. Little details like these really stand out during virtual interactions so ensure reading notes and relying on what is on your screen is kept to a minimum.
- Presentation – consider what clothing you are wearing as a team as you would during in person meetings. Be consistent and smart. You want to come across as a tight knit professional brand throughout the buying process.
Limit distractions
Finally, ensure your environment is conducive to making a good impression and your buyer is focused on you and what you are saying rather than distractions around you.
Ideally, in a virtual setting, you should mirror what you would be doing if you were sitting opposite someone in the room.
All too often, these little points which are specific to working in a virtual environment are the ones that serve to undo all your good work on your presentation.
That’s why it’s important to focus on removing distractions and environmental factors when selling virtually.
Pay attention to the following:
- Check your background – is there anything that may appear behind you that will distract your audience? Either remove it or blur your background if it can’t be removed.
- Virtual backgrounds – refrain from using virtual backgrounds on remote sales calls unless you have a clear corporate backdrop that works with a green screen.
- Distractions – if you’re working from home, limit the chances of distractions such as people coming into the room, dogs barking or doorbells ringing.
- Body language – when you use your hands, it is important your buyer can see them on the screen. Check your body language during rehearsal.
- Non-verbal behaviour – pay attention to your non-verbal behaviour during a sales conversation, which is more important when you sell virtually. Stay engaged at all times even if it isn’t your turn to speak.
When we work through how salespeople present themselves in a virtual environment, we use the C.R.I.S.P. method as a checklist to be consistent at every meeting.
Discover more about the C.R.I.S.P. method in our article here:
Want to make a great first impression in your virtual presentation? Think C.R.I.S.P.
Conclusions for virtual sales teams
Consider each of these five points before your next virtual presentation and watch the transformation in how you show up as a team.
By mastering each of these areas, you elevate your performance in a virtual sales environment and turn it to your advantage over your competition.
This article is an overview of a much more detailed exploration of how to overcome the challenges of virtual selling to turn it into an advantage for your sales team.
Get your copy of the Virtual Selling Workbook that accompanies this article that contains more insight, information and virtual selling best practices to tighten up and improve your virtual selling efforts.
Download the cheat sheet and access the free in-depth training on virtual selling for more virtual selling tips, here.
Need more hands-on support? The Win Academy offers sales leaders virtual sales training to help improve your sales reps and team members enhance their virtual selling skills.