Times are changing – rapidly. The current challenges in our globalized world, have accelerated the pace in which modern sales is taking place in the virtual space through online selling.
Luckily, in the past era, modern sales techniques were already evolving into the online world.
This has resulted in the availability of numerous tools to help you accelerate online sales.
However, it can be quite daunting to adapt to online sales and using new tools when you weren’t quite prepared to do this so quickly. Different team members can have different challenges when adapting to an online-only environment, and it’s challenging to get everybody on board quickly.
How to succeed in the virtual world of sales
Online, in the virtual world, everything is different. And it might have your team feeling quite out of place. No more quick chats between colleagues by the coffee machine, no more firm handshake when meeting a potential client, and a lot of things that can go wrong when using technology and adopting a new way of working. It can leave your team members feeling quite insecure, on top of the already challenging times.
In order to succeed in this new way of doing business, your company needs to implement new strategies on how to create lasting relationships, identify business opportunities and get the best out of all the tools and resources available.
Companies that were already used to working remotely and were early adopters in the digital era of doing sales have a major advantage on companies and teams that now have to adapt quickly to remote selling.
However daunting it may seem at this point, always remember that the basics of sales will remain the same. It’s all about gaining trust and nurturing your relationship.
The basics are the same
It might look like everything is different, but the basics will always remain the same. If you were excelling in face-to-face meetings, there is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to do the same with virtual meetings. The five basic rules will remain the same with online selling.
1. Be prepared
For a face-to-face meeting, you will probably calculate the route beforehand so you won’t be late, check your clothing for stains, and double-check the time of your meeting. With online meetings, this is no different. Nothing is as damaging as being ill-prepared. A bad internet connection, a laggy presentation, being late, it all diverts from your message. Be prepared.
2. Practice makes perfect
Just think back to the days of your first face-to-face pitch. You probably practised it a lot, or you didn’t and you probably should have. The more times you have delivered your pitch and the more you became comfortable with your story, the better it went. That’s because practice makes perfect. It works just the same with online presenting. Practice with your team members; because you need to get comfortable presenting in front of a camera. This will also teach you what works best for you; maybe you prefer to have a pen and paper next to you, maybe you prefer wearing earplugs, how do you deal with interruptions? Nothing can throw you off your game when you’re new to digital sales and your dishwasher starts beeping. Although we are all human, and these sort of things happen, it can easily throw you off your game. Practice finding your new level of comfort during meetings.
3. Be informed
Knowledge is power. From knowing where your potential client is in the buying process to be aware of a relationship leaving the company. And, this is truly where the power of online sales and the various online sales tools come in to play. These days, so much powerful information is available online to level up your sales game, that you would really be selling yourself short if you don’t familiarize yourself with the possibilities of these tools. Adopting can be a challenge, as your already shifting your whole business to working online and remotely, but once sellers and account managers learn the possibilities and strategies, it will be easy to get them aboard.
Professional networks, such as LinkedIn or Xing carry a world of information that you can and definitely should use to your advantage.
4. Build a relationship
Building further on professional networking sites, this is the place to build your relationship before and after a meeting. From sharing and engaging on shared content, to checking in and staying up to date any developments, all these little insights can help you build a steady, online relationship. And building a relationship doesn’t only come from being informed. Sure, most tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator integrate seamlessly with your CRM software but remember it’s always a two-way street. Your prospects also want to know who they are dealing with. So use networks to build your authority and let your network get to know you. Once you know how to use your online presence to attract new and existing leads, you have set up a way of working that will exceed your expectations and you never want to go back to before remote selling.
5. Keep up online selling
As you can see, the changing world in which we do our business now has a lot of advantages to offer. Don’t be discouraged if others may seem lightyears ahead, your learning curve and adoption to online sales may surprise you as long as you stick with it. Use your online networks, properly prepare for a meeting, and be seen. Maybe you were used to attending a lot of seminars to connect with your relationships, now you have to do this online. Build your presence on social media networks, show your authority by sharing and creating content, and get the most out of using a few simple tools. You will see it’s much easier to manage more prospects and identify the value in opportunities.
Online Sales Business Support
Besides figuring out the basics of working solely online in the virtual space, you will probably need some support on your online engagement strategy to drive virtual business meetings.
We offer both team and 1:1 sessions on how to adopt the right tools and implement the right tactics to excel in sales in the virtual world. Our coaching can help your team or company adapt to the new way of working with success. We can help you in the following areas:
⦁ How to best conduct a virtual sales pitch
⦁ How to drive client engagement & interest with video calls
⦁ How to leverage digital platforms to gain business insights
⦁ How to ensure your digital footprint is customer-centric
⦁ How to maintain authority, persuasiveness and a human touch
