“The times, they are a-changin'.” – Bob Dylan
Remember the days when you could wake up, drive to work, and have face-to-face meetings with clients in person? We can’t either. Honestly, the offices over here at GroHaus were so empty for a while that we thought about moving out — or turning them into a swanky rental property.
You could blame the reason for this switch to virtual workspaces on a global pandemic, which would be valid. Or you could blame it on one of the many conspiracy theories surrounding society’s increased isolation…we really like the one about the aliens.
Regardless of why we aren’t meeting and conducting business as usual, the fact of the matter is that we aren’t. This means we need to find ways to level up our tactics when it comes to virtual selling and interaction. Thankfully, we’ve got ten great tricks and tips for making your online sales meetings top-notch!
#1 Pick Your Tools Carefully
Have you ever needed to remove a Phillips-head screw from something before and only had a butter knife handy? If you have, you understand how frustrating it is to only have the wrong tool. If you haven’t, be thankful for the foresight of having a toolbox close by.
Choosing the right video conferencing software can put you in a similar situation, and you can expect a trainwreck of epic proportions if you have the wrong one. Dropped calls, poor connections, and missed opportunities are only the beginning of the headache caused by a bad video feed.
That’s why you should stick to solutions proven to work well. The top three for us at GroHaus are Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. Each of these solutions has its lists of pros and cons that we don’t have the time to take a deep dive into today, but you need to know that they are all solid choices in the virtual meeting game.
#2 Turn Your Office Into a Production Studio
We don’t mean you should throw your desk into the alley for garbage pickup so you can get started on installing acoustic paneling and studio lighting in your office. But what we do mean is that you need to be aware of your surroundings when you turn on your webcam. Remember, you are still a professional, so you need to reflect on that in your sales meetings.
Think about it. Would you show up to an in-person meeting in a t-shirt and sweatpants? Even though it sounds like the most comfortable meeting ever, you probably wouldn’t. So dress the part in your virtual business meetings.
The next thing you need to think about is your background. You probably have a plain, flat wall behind you if you’re working in an office, which is fine for a successful video call. But if you’re working from home, things could be a bit more…distracting. Thankfully, most video call options have different background options to keep the distractions from being the focal point of your video.
Finally, make sure you have the proper lighting for your call. Even though it would have an excellent spooky factor, you don’t want to look like a Sith Lord in your call. If you don’t have great lighting in your office space, you can pick up a ring light to showcase that pretty smile on the cheap.
#3 Sound Quality is Important
You could have a great video feed, but without the sound to back it up, you’ll look like a silent movie actor. To keep yourself from being the next Charlie Chaplin, evaluate your current sound quality. Take a short video of yourself with your existing setup and play it back.
If you sound fine on the playback, you’re probably safe with the setup you currently have. However, the mics built into computers aren’t always stellar. So if you sound like you’re underwater or like a robot who’s taking its final breaths, you should probably get some audio assistance.
Thankfully, sound hardware is pretty easy to come by. A headset with a built-in microphone is always a great choice, and some companies are even certified by Zoom for call quality. There’s not a Goldilocks option for headsets because everyone is different, but be sure to read the reviews before you pick one out for yourself.
#4 Make Sure You Have Fast Internet
Technology is excellent, but without the internet speed to back it up, your video sales call will look like a pixelated disaster — think original Super Mario Bros. To prevent bad connections and dropped video calls, you need to have enough bandwidth.
If your company uses Zoom, which is very likely, they have a page dedicated to system requirements, including bandwidth. Ensuring that you and your team have enough internet speed will keep your people looking great on their sales calls.
#5 Stick to Your Sales Process
Does your company have a tried and true method for selling? We’re guessing that the answer is probably yes. But what if we asked you this; does your company have this sales process documented so everyone can be trained on the same material?
That question might have a different answer. Now, we’re not saying that your sales team should be robots running off of a script made for them. However, you need to have a foundation for how your team moves a prospect from first contact to being a closed customer. Without a basic structure, your team won’t know where to lead the conversation toward a sale.
So take some time to really think about this and develop a good strategy for navigating a sales conversation. Then write it down and train your people on your sales strategies and touchpoints. That way, as your team interacts with prospects, they will know how to keep the ball rolling at every stage in the sales process.
Working virtually also levels up the difficulty of making a sale. Creating a solid strategy will boost your sales team’s confidence to help them overcome the potential awkwardness of selling via video calls. This confidence will increase your team’s comfort level with meeting virtually, and in turn, it will make your prospective clients feel safe during the sales process.
As a result, your prospects will better understand how your business works and the benefits of working with you, which will turn more of your potential clients into closed customers.
#6 Ask Great Questions and Have Great Answers
Do you like it when someone tries to sell you something without trying to make a connection with you first? You know, like the people in shopping malls that attempt to corner you into buying those awesome mini remote control helicopters. Don’t be like a mall vendor.
Instead, you need to ask potential clients sincere questions so you can get to know them better and make them feel comfortable. Comfort is key when it comes to making a sale. The more understood and safe your prospects feel during a sales conversation, the easier it will be to convince them that your product is right for them.
In addition to asking questions to get to know your clients, you should also ask questions that lead them to where you want to be. Don’t jump from “How are you doing?” to “What product are you going home with today?” in one question. Look for ways to lead your customer toward the right solution for them as the conversation develops. If you can get them to understand how your product can make their life easier, they will be more inclined to buy.
Don’t forget that conversations are a two-way street when talking to potential clients, and it’s a guarantee that they’ll have questions for you as well. Before entering a sales conversation, refer back to your sales strategy to have consistent answers about how your business works and how you can help them solve a problem. Also, don’t be afraid to let them get to know you as a person during the conversation as well — it will only increase your connection.
#7 Educate Your Prospects During the Conversation
You don’t want to enter into a virtual sales meeting without having good source information. Remember the presentations you had to give on book reports? Did you ever try to deliver one without actually reading the book? Trust us, it’s not a pretty situation, and you wind up with a terrible grade.
Sales conversations without great sources to back them up are just like giving a report on something you didn’t study. It can make you look unprepared and underwhelmed about the very thing you’re trying to sell your prospect!
In contrast, if you come into the meeting with informational material that you fully understand and share with your potential client, you can make a better impression and lead to follow-up conversations.
For example, if your prospect is choosing between two different options you offer, bring informational material about both to the table. That way they can analyze each option’s pros and cons, and you can lead the conversation toward the best fit for them.
#8 Focus Your Touchpoints Around Meetings
So, let’s say you just had a picture-perfect initial virtual sales meeting. Your potential client was hanging on every word, you made a great connection with them, and you clearly explained their options. But they didn’t buy it — that’s alright!
Just because you didn’t make a sale in the first meeting doesn’t mean the virtual sales process is over. Now is when touchpoints come into play. Create sales-focused email nurtures, text messages, and follow-up calls to keep the process moving. You don’t want to come across as pushy or overbearing, so keep it cool.
You’re trying to stay top of mind after the meeting ends. Creating good wraparound touchpoints keeps your business in their mind and keeps the conversation going even if you aren’t face-to-face.
And if you’re too busy to write and maintain all of these points of contact, there’s good news. You can hire robots to do it for you! That’s right — automated technology can handle your follow-up contact with clients and shorten your sales cycle to increase your close rates.
#9 Track Your Metrics
An excellent way to know if your virtual sales meetings are working is to keep track of your metrics surrounding them — a novel idea, we know.
Knowing your numbers helps you see where you are doing well, where you can improve, and what strategies need a boost. Honestly, you should be keeping track of your numbers regardless of if your sales meetings are virtual or in-person because they give you valuable insights into your business.
However, if you aren’t currently tracking your sales metrics right now. These areas are a great place to start:
Actual Sales vs. Quota or Goal
Close Rate
Sales Cycle in Days
Average Revenue Per New Client
Percentage of Closed Sales Opportunities
If you really like to nerd out about the numbers surrounding your business, you can get increasingly more complex with them. Tools like Hubspot actively gather data and offer tons of analytics metrics for how successful your sales and marketing efforts are working.
#10 Make Sure Your Sales and Marketing Align
We’ve covered the tools you need, strategies to take, and metrics you need to analyze to develop a successful virtual sales force. But there’s one last significant area you need to address to make your virtual sales really “pop-off,” as the kids say. At least, we think the kids still say that.
You need to be sure that your sales and marketing teams are on the same page. If your marketing team is killing by creating content and advertising your brand, but the sales team isn’t capitalizing on it, you’re wasting your time.
The best way to keep everything flowing between marketing and sales is to make sure everyone is communicating. Have your teams meet with each other and share metrics to make sure they’re working in synergy.
GroHaus’ Got Your Back
At GroHaus, we totally understand that running a business can look more like controlled chaos than streamlined strategies working in harmony. That’s why we’re here to help your business smooth the wrinkles in your marketing and sales strategies. Set up a meeting with us today to find out how we can level up your sales and marketing game.