The 5 Golden Rules for Remote Selling

The world has changed drastically over the past few weeks and so too has the way goods and services are bought. Handshakes and face-to-face meetings have been replaced by awkward video conferencing calls. So what are the golden rules of remote selling for sales executives who still want to hit their targets?

1. Get your tech set

Skype, Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams all have their pros and cons and we’ll all need to become proficient at several of these over the coming months.

It’s critical you have a good understanding of how they work, so hold a test call with your colleagues to check your camera and microphone work. Practice inviting people into a call, using annotations or a whiteboard, and muting yourself and others - don't worry, participants can always unmute themselves.

Double check your laptop is charged and has a strong WiFi signal, and ensure there are no security updates pending - we’ve seen that ruin entire sessions. If there are background noises where you are (kids, traffic, construction sites, etc) make sure you have headphones ready or the other participants will hear everything.

2. Stage manage your space

It’s important your appearance on screen is calm and reassuring. The scene behind you should be mostly neutral colours and uncluttered, so that viewers are focussed on you and your message. The area should be well lit - ideally by natural light - and being able to close the door will reduce interruptions. Plants look great on video calls.

Before the meeting starts, turn on your camera and check what the other participants will see when they dial in. Is this how you want to present yourself? First impressions count just as much when experienced remotely.

3. Keep it professional

No one likes to be surprised so give your client plenty of warning that you’ll be using video conferencing - not just audio - and join the virtual meeting room at least 10 minutes before the session starts. This will give you a buffer to ensure everything is set up correctly and deal with any audio/video or connectivity problems.

Set up the virtual room as you would a physical meeting room. Your desktop should be tidy in case you need to share your screen and only applications you need should be open (this will also help your machine run quicker). There should be no sensitive information on your screen and it might be a good idea to clear your browser history before you start.

Even though everyone knows you’re at home, you should dress in your regular business attire. And however hungry you might get, resist the urge to eat during the meeting.

4. Build rapport remotely

Building rapport is more challenging when sales meetings are held remotely and our top tip to counter this is "turn on your camera". Don't worry, even if your customers don’t follow suit at the  start, they soon will once they see you have.

We’re social animals and turning on the camera helps break down the virtual barriers. It also increases participation and focus by preventing people from overtly multitasking in the background.

Even though you’ll be able to see and hear your client, the 2D nature of video conferencing means some non-verbal cues will be lost.  To address this, engage your client from the start of the meeting. Greet everyone as they enter the virtual room, introduce yourself, and allow time for others to introduce themselves.

Due to video conferencing tools and network lag, people can often find themselves talking over each other. To prevent this we use a 5-second rule - once you’ve asked a question, count to five before repeating it or giving more context. This gives the other participants (and the network) time to hear your question and deliver an answer.

To boost engagement, encourage participants to ask questions using the chat feature throughout your session. These can be answered live or saved to the end.

5. Get into the flow

If you’re presenting a static deck in the meeting, consider mixing up presenters. When participants are only looking at slides or documents, a change of voice will keep them better engaged.

Just as in real-life sales meetings, video can help to break up your presentation. Just make sure you’ve tested with colleagues that everyone will be able to see and hear the content. 

One of the great features of virtual meetings is that you can record yourself beforehand and play it back. This will help you get the pace right and check you’re highlighting the significant moments.

It can feel like you’re all alone when presenting remotely, so remember to call on your team members to add to the key points you make.

Signing off

The Uplift Partnership empowers people to grow organisations, and our AI-powered performance coaching can supercharge your sales and innovation teams. As part of our effort to battle COVID-19, we’re offering FREE 30-minute coaching sessions to help improve your remote selling skills. To register for a session head over to https://www.theupliftpartnership.com/covid-19-remote-selling-skills. Get in touch to see how we could assist you in hitting your sales goals in these challenging times.