How to succeed at remote selling
If you’re making the transition from offline in person selling to remote online sales, you may think remote selling isn’t as good.
If your whole sales safety zone was live presentations, handshakes, and building personal relationships face to face, it’s very understandable to feel slightly uneasy. Getting to grips with how to sell effectively in the new virtual world can seem very daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. In the new hybrid workspace the stark truth is that your clients and customers are doing business more and more online – and you need to too. It’s easier than you may think.
A whole different ball game
So how can you pivot effectively to building relationships, pitching, and presenting online successfully? How do you get to grips with a virtual sales arena? How do you build deep long lasting relationships without meeting face to face? It’s not the same online, but in the most important ways, it kind of is.
More than ever, trustworthiness is everything
Building credibility and trust with clients is still key to effective sales and business development. That will never change. In the new virtual selling world being seen as trustworthy is even more important. You just have to approach it in a slightly different way. Here are some tips on how to switch from face to face selling to remote selling without the tears.
Technology is your new best friend
There is no shortage of online sales tools available on the market. Do your research, ask for help, and get some demos to find the best ones that work for you, your team and your clients needs. The secret to making these new tools work is communication and collaboration, especially with team members. Write, chat and call much more than you normally would. Over communicate if necessary.
Although nothing really beats a face-to-face meeting, with preparation, practice and patience anyone can nail the virtual alternatives. Pick a video conferencing tool that you like and get to know it inside out, make sure you feel really confident using it. The more practice you invest the better your outcome will be.
Outreach is a perfect match in virtual
Prospecting, connecting and networking are perfect partners in the virtual selling world and you may already be using Linkedin and other platforms. If you are working remotely you’ll have greater freedom in your calendar to cultivate and reach out to clients and prospects more. And on the flip side you’ll also be more available to your team and clients too.
Forget the old-school pitch formula
Even though you can achieve great results from virtual pitches, don’t try to shoehorn them into the old-style pitch formula. It just won’t work. More of your clients and team members may be working from home, so you need to adapt to the new working environment. Things may have naturally become a little more relaxed and accommodating. But that doesn’t mean your approach to your pitch should be.
Excellent! Sessions were facilitated really well and the inclusion of an actor in the final session provided a rare opportunity to experience challenges in a safe environment
Preparation is key to remote selling
Virtual sales meetings are normally tightly scheduled. You won’t have the added benefit of longer ‘meet and greets’ and ‘getting to know yous’ as with face-to-face appointments. Time is tight and attention spans are very limited. Relook at your sales decks, rework them if necessary to be shorter, more impactful and more easy to digest. Really think about how they’ll be viewed on the ‘small-screen’.
Encourage engagement with lots of questions
Attention spans are getting shorter. In a virtual meeting it’s even worse! So keep participants engaged by asking questions. Use their first name to catch attention and make it personal. Don’t forget the meeting is about them, you’re there to help. Ask questions throughout the presentation not just at the start.
Remote selling conclusion
Being successful in remote sales is a skill that requires practice, just as much as its face-to-face counterpart. The good news is that your existing sales skills are easily transferable, and with the help of modern online sales tools your transition from face-to-face to virtual sales will be a breeze.
Need more help with impact in remote selling?
Our virtual behaviour change programmes might just help! You can view the full programmes below or get in touch for an informal chat or if you have something specific in mind.
