Pre-COVID, virtual meetings were a rarity. In fact, most people in sales would have told you that face-to-face meetings were essential for the trust building that guides customers through the sales journey and creates solid customer relationships.
However, circumstances have changed. Now, many teams have switched to virtual meetings and learned that, with a few essential techniques and strategies, virtual meetings can actually be a boon to not only the medical sales process, but also to customer relationship management.
Plainly put, virtual meetings enable individuals who aren’t located in the same place, or who are unable to meet physically, to have an online meeting. Utilizing voice, text, or audio capabilities, people can share not just their ideas, but also documents, computer screens, information, in real-time, without being in the same room, building, city, state, or even country.
Do you remember your first sales meeting? It’s likely your company didn’t send you in on your own. Instead, you probably had a mentor, someone to show you “the ropes” and not just guide the meeting but establish the norms. Virtual meetings are no different. The impressions you make, even virtually, have the potential to impact the direction of the meeting and, thus, the direction of your relationship. For that reason, it’s important to understand a little bit about virtual meeting etiquette.
By now, most of us have sat in on a business meeting where one of these things has happened, but here are some things to consider when hosting or attending an online meeting:
Running an effective sales meeting in person is hard. No doubt running a virtual one is even more difficult. In fact, 70% of salespeople remarked that virtual sales calls are far more difficult than in person meetings. Distracted audiences, lack of interaction, and “passive” presentations were listed as the primary challenges for those virtual meetings.
In short, as noted above, face-to-face interactions are, for many salespeople, the key to their success. In person, many people are more engaging, more responsive, and certainly, the audience is typically more attentive. So how do you overcome those obstacles?
Before the meeting, distill your message into a soundbite. When your audience leaves the meeting, what is it you want them to remember? That’s the soundbite. While it’s important to keep it natural sounding, as you don’t want your audience leaving thinking you said the same sentence 30 times, you do need to repeat that message throughout the meeting. Repetition works, but keep it varied.
Think of the last in person meeting you attended. Did the meeting jump right to the agenda? Likely no. There was, intentionally or not, time spent discussing life outside of the workplace. Online, everything must be intentional. You must set aside time and space for the kind of casual interactions that build relationships.
Speaking of agendas, you should still have one, and you should have emailed it in advance. When you’re ready to get things started, focus attention on that agenda. This gives an overview and preps the attendees for the topic and conversation. With a bit of prep time and a short overview, they’re primed for you to grab their attention.
Yes, you’ve got way more to compete with when your audience is working from home, has internet and communication app access, and other distractions, so you’ve got to get their attention. With many of the applications listed below, you can share your screen and this is an invaluable tool. When presenting in person, you want to limit the visual data you present, particularly text on a screen as it can be overwhelming.
In a virtual meeting, your attendees can absorb more visual information on the screen-- think charts, graphs, tables. If you keep that information relevant (stay on message), engaging, and eye-catching, your audience is more likely to interact.
This is a great way to get and keep your audience engaged. But, it’s not enough to just pepper them with questions, they must be relevant and prompt dialogue. Further, you want to make sure they’re, ultimately, tied to your message (see #1) and to how your product or service addresses a pain point or challenge.
You might try leading with an industry level data point, offering an analysis, and asking how it’s relevant to their business. If you’ve done your research, you should have a few ideas on where to head with this strategy.
These days most folks are trying to avoid using video conferencing, opting for audio calls only, but it’s definitely a way to engage. Turn your own camera on and ask your attendees to do the same.
First, being able to see one another creates connection. Further, with cameras on, everyone’s a bit less likely to multi-task. Finally, this allows you to move from screen-sharing to dynamic presentation skills you’d use in person.
You’ve set your agenda, invited your prospects and team, you’ve prepped your strategy and outlined the presentation; you’re nearly ready to go. The final step is choosing the best virtual meeting platform to host your meeting. Obviously you want an application that’s robust enough to provide all the features you might need, accommodate all the attendees, and work seamlessly with your existing hardware and software.
However, you’ll also want to factor in security, additional features, and what your attendees have access to, and familiarity with, as well. It’s worth noting that starting a meeting on new technology with a learning curve for attendees may create complications you’d rather avoid.
Zoom has quickly risen to the top of virtual meeting and event solutions. It’s ubiquitous presence makes it an excellent choice as your attendees have likely used it before, simplifying the meeting process.
Furthermore, a Zoom presentation has robust video and chat features, integration with other collaboration and communication applications, offers enhanced security, and a variety of presentation options. Added bonus is the mobile feature which means you or your attendees can jump in while mobile.
GoToMeeting has been around for awhile which means you’re getting a stable, well-tested application that your users are also likely familiar with. With its partner application GoToWebinar, you’ve got the option of offering both presentations and including attendee follow-up if needed. Both applications feature dynamic collaborative communication options as well. Like Zoom, a mobile application means you, or other meeting participants, can call in on the go.
Skype for Business, much like the others listed above, is a great option for its familiarity as much as its features. With instant messaging, space for up to 250 attendees, and great participant visibility and transparency (see who’s available when), this might be a great option as well.
ezTalksMeeting makes the list for a variety of reasons, but one major one is that it’s a totally free video conferencing solution for up to 100 participants. For the small business, that’s the right price especially when it also allows screen and file sharing too. One of the coolest features is the whiteboard feature which allows you to really engage your audience with your presentation.
JoinMe is another free solution that enables you to personalize the meeting experience with backgrounds and custom URLs. It integrates well with standard office applications such as Microsoft Suite, Google Calendar, and Outlook meaning you can easily schedule your next meeting and attach links.
For the time being, and perhaps beyond, virtual meetings are likely here to stay. Not only are they a cost and time saving measure, but they also have the potential to open markets smaller businesses may not have had access to before. The goal should be to see them as a tool and a way to expand your sales.
If you’re looking for more help with your sales game, get in touch with the Axxelus team today and let us help you revolutionize your sales.
