In the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, people all over the world have been forced to maintain distance and adapt to socialising virturally. However, for salespeople who’s jobs rely on creating relationships and achieving sales through in-person interactions, a lot has had to change. There’s been no way of charming clients over a coffee, dropping by their office for a catch up or even just having a meeting in the same room. To ensure they can continue to do their job efficiently and maintain a successful business, sales teams have had to up their game to keep the social in social selling, but how?
Technology Is Your New Best Friend
We have so many forms of technology nowadays, that it’s easy to mix up your communication methods. You no longer have to spend hours crafting the perfect email or waiting for replies to your texts. Now that the majority of people are using technology such as Zoom or Facetime, it’s possible to still interact face to face with clients. It’s important to use this time to protect your important relationships by showing them you’re making an effort to maintain purposeful interaction with them, even though things have changed. Assume that your competition will be in the same mindset as you and harnessing the power of technology to keep up with their clients. Don’t be afraid to try new technologies!
It’s Not All Business
Although your meetings will now be through a screen, try to maintain the structure of an in-person meeting. You wouldn’t sit down at the table with them and go straight into business chat, you’d have a real conversation with them and ease them into the selling side. It’s vital that you set aside time for appropriate social conversation, even if it doesn’t feel as natural virtually. Your clients will appreciate that you’ve still made the time to bond with them, especially in times where we’re all lacking human interaction and could be feeling less positive than usual. Remember, they might not be used to conversing in this way either, so the likelihood is you’re in the same boat! Be human, people love that.
No One Wants A Lecture
When it comes to conducting a sales pitch virtually, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. In person, it’s easy to remind people that you’re human, they can see it right in front of them. However, virtually it can be more difficult to maintain that human element, so your pitch has to reflect this. It’s important to personalise your presentation and keep it as engaging as possible, with all of the distractions people face in their everyday life this isn’t as easy as it sounds! Make sure you’re not taking them back to the days where they yawned their way through a lesson about fractions. To avoid this, keep it relevant, to the point, and talk to them, don’t lecture them!
Time Is Of The Essence
The problem with the virtual world, is it’s harder to recognise when someone has lost interest. In person you can usually get a hint whether a buyer is interested by their body language or maybe you see them desperately trying to hold in a yawn, but online it’s not so straightforward to pick up on. Infact, you could be harping away in the background about your product/service and unbeknownst to you, they’ve zoned out 10 minutes ago and have been scrolling through Facebook ever since. Time is of the essence here, find out what your client needs, keep on track with relevant information and provide them a solution. The clock is ticking!
Although the way you work may have changed, it’s still possible to grow/form good relationships with clients and be successful in your sales. Don’t lose the social in social selling!
