Due to technology, remote work has become a more popular option when it comes to selling nowadays. It is imperative that your body language and eye contact are on point, so you increase your chances of a successful remote call.
The first thing we need to address is how COVID-19 affected the sales industry and why sales teams can now work from anywhere in the world due to new technology. A survey from McKinsey & Co. shows that “35% of people with jobs can work from home full-time, and 23% can do so part-time.”
The pandemic has affected the way we work, as well as where we work from. Before COVID-19, most people worked from an office or a home office. However, after the pandemic, companies began to offer more virtual options for their employees. These companies have implemented this new policy because it helps their company save money and increase productivity among their employees.
The Founder and CEO of Matchr.com, says that “companies can save up to $11,000 per employee in terms of overhead costs if they switch to remote work.”
This means that instead of having an office, you could work from anywhere in the world with just a laptop and internet access. This was made possible because of all the new technologies being developed during and after the pandemic (e.g., Zoom, Google Teams).
According to an article by McKinsey & Co., “With the massive shift to digital resulting from COVID-19, the video and live chat have emerged as the predominant channels for interacting and closing sales with B2B customers, while in-person meetings and related sales activities have dropped precipitously.”
The pandemic has had a massive impact on the sales industry over the past couple of years, and most sellers have jumped to a virtual environment.
You know that feeling when you’re up presenting in front of people and a massive audience is staring at you? The nerves start to kick in and you start to think…“they hate me,” but in all reality, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Just relax and read this article. These 3 nonverbal sales tips will change the way you approach your virtual sales calls from now on.
First Good Impression
Jordan Belfort is notorious for his selling ability and making a killing on wall street, in fact, he did this by walking into every sales meeting or conversation being…
- “Sharp as a tact”
- “An expert in your field”
- “Enthusiastic as hell”
You need to think about these three things every time you walk into a meeting with a new prospect.
Sales is not always just verbal communication, in fact, half the time sales is nonverbal. When making a good first impression you should have your chest out, chin up, and arms relaxed. In doing so, you are portraying to the prospect that you are confident in your ability to sell your product or service.
Nobody wants to work with a salesperson who isn’t even confident in what they’re selling. It is your job to make sure your prospect does not feel that way or you will lose a lot of credibility and possibly the sale.
In a virtual setting, most people sit in a chair to speak to their prospects over the computer, which is totally fine. I would say if you’re going to do that, make sure the screen has a full view of your upper body, so you can display and do the things written above.
Eye contact is another big part of initially meeting a prospect virtually. Keep reading to see what I have to say below.
Be Attentive and Present
When you first hop on that virtual call, you need to be attentive and present right away. Being attentive means hopping on the call, noticing something interesting about your prospect or their background, and complimenting them on it. In fact, doing so will show them that you are paying attention.
People tend to get nervous or freeze up on remote sales calls when an objection or concern comes up. Furthermore, removing any distractions you might have is important, so you can stay focused and understand what the prospect says.
Identify what distracts you while you are in the midst of a sales call and completely get rid of it.
Distractions lead you away from active listening and really paying attention to what the prospect is saying. Active listening is essential in almost every conversation that you have with anyone in your life. If you don’t do it how are you going to understand how to help or even build rapport?
Lastly, sit up straight, lean forward slightly, and look into the camera. Looking into the camera is one big mistake people have when going on virtual sales calls. Keep reading, so I can help you understand more about why it’s important.
Establish Trust
This is arguably the most important tip shared in this blog. Without establishing any trust with your prospect, closing the sale will be harder. So how do you do it virtually?
Active Listening
Active listening was already brought up in this blog, however, it can also be a great way to build rapport with your prospect. When you actively listen, your prospect will have more confidence in you handling their needs because you actually understand their problems.
Personalized Outreach
Asking personalized questions is a great way to learn more about your prospect and build a trustworthy relationship with them right off the bat. Your prospects will find that they have an interest in you once you do too. So, before going into a sales call, do some prospect research on LinkedIn or the internet to learn more about your prospect and their company, so you can be more personable with them on the call.
Credibility
Lastly, you need to portray your credibility to your prospect, and this is done through having confidence and expert product knowledge throughout the sales call. Portray your credibility by understanding the biggest pain points in your business and offering them a solution that will essentially diminish it. In addition, it is also important to have a strong LinkedIn or website that your prospect can connect with before or after the call. Having a page where prospects can go to learn more about you as a salesperson and what you do, can impress and attract them to work with you. However, you need to make sure your page is the best.
As you can see these three aspects of establishing trust, all have to do with building trust with your prospect so that they will work with you and allow you to take care of their problems in their business.
That’s It!
I hope you got value out of this blog post and can take something from it and implement it into your sales game. Many salespeople are switching from an in-person sales environment to a virtual one, due to new technology. So, it is important to always make a good first impression, be attentive and present throughout the call, and establish rapport right away.
Please share this blog with someone who needs it or would like to read it! Also, sign-up for my free newsletter at the bottom of the page to get free, valuable content.
If you made it all the way here, thank you so much for reading this blog post. If you want to read more about sales and entrepreneurship, continue reading about various topics in my blog.